it never gets old...

there's rarely a day that i am not awed by the nature around me, and the creatures that share this island space with me. i feel very lucky to catch a glimpse of any of these beasts, whether it be a chickadee flitting through the treetops or a bear ambling along the shore. it never gets old.

these shots were all taken on a recent boat tour with my friend, so i'll grant that we were on the 'hunt' for wildlife. but i also think the lion's mane jellyfish i spotted while wandering down the dock was as cool as the 100+ dolphins we sat in the midst of in a remote inlet. you just never know when you might spot something, so i try to always be open to it. the other night i went for a walk through the woods and saw not a thing the entire way - which is perfectly fine. but when i walked up my driveway a flash of red caught my eye, and immediately i was entranced, watching a male pileated woodpecker work his way up a tree with his nearly full-grown youngster following along - and getting a meal from dad here and there. you just never know.

today in the alpine we looked for marmots unsuccessfully, but then were entertained by friendly (greedy?) whiskey jacks. on the drive back down the hill we spotted a couple deer grazing, and stopped while i snapped photos of a blue grouse. more on all that tomorrow. there's nature everywhere, if you let yourself see it.

we cleaned the house well in the middle of the week, and between last night and this morning i got a lot of putting by done in the kitchen. right now i'm putting the finishing touches on two custom whales. somewhere along the way sunday suddenly feels like a bonus day this weekend, like i somehow got ahead of myself for a brief little moment. hmmm, what should i get up to?