Just a little sun!

During the season of winter, in the Pacific Northwest, it takes just a little sun to raise the inhabitants spirits. (Of course I must also acknowledge that there are those among us who actually enjoy grey, heavy skies and rain dripping down the window pane.) The past week we have been gifted with several periods of sun ... at different times of the day.  Heavy hoar frosts have decorated the trees and bushes around creating free-form sculptures of great beauty - once the day begins they  vanish. A few illustrations of my observations follow.

A very late afternoon slash of light brightens the sky

Mt. Rainier takes on an Elizabeth I, of England, ruffled collar effect!

Bright morning moment ... seconds later the sun disappeared into the clouds!
Frost covers our neighbors roof.

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The mountain puts on a sun hat to shield her from brilliant morning light!

Winter light in the Pacific Northwest

Low snow in Cascade Foothills and cloud cover on Mt. Rainier

Christmas Morning gloom ... December 25, 2012

A momentary flash of morning light illuminates Tacoma and the St.Regis mill.

Late, low light on New Years Eve

New Years Morning  ... bright sunshine & clear skies at last.

2013 is upon us! Today when I was tutoring the first grader I work with each week I wrote the numbers for the first time.

It is a time of short, often dark, days ( even though officially there is a daily lengthening of a few minutes) and long, dark, winter nights in our part of the world.  The sun spends more time in the southern hemisphere and is very low in the southern part of the sky here each day.  When it does shine it is dazzling! On the other hand when the sun doesn't shine it is often difficult to differentiate between the sky and the water: they are both grey! There is a short time annually when the low sun rising behind Mt. Rainier projects the reflection of the mountain onto the water.  I managed to capture a neighbors tree highlighted, the roof line of a single building and outline of evergreen trees projected onto the water of Commencement Bay, from the ridge opposite our home looking in a southerly direction. In that fleeting moment when the sun shone late in the afternoon on New Year's Eve - it was brilliant !  Twenty seconds later the darkness returned! Today it was thick fog and frost.  Wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Two mornings ... different views!

Looking east from my garden each morning, across Commencement Bay at our end of Puget Sound, is a never the same experience. The two images taken at about the same time on two different mornings this past week are graphic examples. Watching the patterns of light across the water when the air is almost still is equally as mesmerizing as watching that same body of water changed by wind shifts which alter the light and the patterns created. Every minute is different. Every minute an "oh would you look at it now!" moment.

At the end of my garden this morning

A very different view awaited us, at the end of my garden, this morning.  Rain had been predicted to fall last night. Rumor had it that Northwesterners were counting the number of days we have not had any rain fall! It was to cap at 49: however there was no rain last night ! Maybe a 1950s record of 50 straight days without rain will be broken after all. Fifteen minutes after I took the last of the 3 mountain photos ... no mountain showing at all ... just heavy clouds.

Early morning clouds above and below Mt. Rainier

Clouds coming up from the foothills, clouds coming down from above

Weather coming down on the NW side of the mountain.

Meanwhile a lone robin looks for water and maybe company?

Between the tomatoes and the bird bath!

In my garden today

Living in the Evergreen state, Washington, on the coastal side of the state, we always hope there will be sufficient sunshine for us to ripen the tomatoes in our gardens.  Our wishes are not always granted and many people turn mounds of green tomato in chutney and other tempting delicacies in an effort to not waste that which has taken so much of their time and attention.  For unknown reasons, this year, we have 3 cherry tomato vines, and only one full sized tomato vine ... on which all of the fruit is yet very green. Hands down, the orange colored cherry tomatoes are the sweetest.

Left of the tomato plants is a birth bath.  We never tire of watching our local avian population coming for a brief morning drink, a full on bath or a group of birds arguing over who is going to get the bath next! It's easy to stand motionless and get lost in the simple wonder of watching our visitors. We planted the small tree visible behind the bird bath to enable the smallest of birds to seek cover when the large raptors in our area are threatening.

Picking tomatoes in my garden late this afternoon I was transfixed to see Mt. Rainier framed by the tomato plants and the frame used to hold them vertical.  There between the tomatoes and the bird bath ... another view of "the mountain".  I always say that no matter where you go in this area ... if there is a view of the mountain, it will look different than the one you saw from a different vantage point ... even a few minutes ago.

Monsters and mountains!

We have just had a visit from our grandchildren and son.  Our granddaughter, 3 1/2, has a very vivid imagination.  We have been plagued by crocodiles in our kitchen during their stay!!  I wonder what she would have said the day this "monster" appeared to be approaching Mt. Rainier.  For those of us intrigued by clouds ... this was a pretty unique one. It was quite amazing to watch.  And of course 15 minutes later - it was totally gone!

Later in the day, as the lenticular clouds over the mountain grew more pronounced, this view from the hill above downtown Tacoma, through the barbed wire fencing, provided a totally different view.

Mountains and clouds ... clouds and mountains!

And then it was June!  Not only June but the 3rd week of June.  Sometimes living real life just gets in the way. Going back a few months I wanted to share a February morning sunrise with you. Various clouds were swirling around the mountain and small puffy shapes dominated the sky.  The first image was taken about 8.45am. The second at 10am.  It was as though the mountain was teasing us ... now you see you see me - almost .... now you don't!

End of Year Reflections ... not of the philosophical kind!

We are continually amazed at the number of days of sunshine, or at least no rain, that we have experienced in December this year.  Reading the forecasts we have had galoshes and umbrellas ready to greet the days and instead had to grab for the sunglasses.  This morning was no exception. Monotones of color certainly were prevalent - mostly grey.  But as the sun rose from behind the mountain the shaft of light created pointed right to the end of my garden! Another stunning sunrise. With very best wishes, to anyone who comes across this blog, for a joy filled, adventurous, healthy new year.

Winter Solstice approaches ...

As the winter solstice approaches ( this year at 12.30am on the 22nd of December) the sun is so much further south and rises almost behind Mt. Rainier highlighting the mountain from behind.  These two images were taken on the day before and the day of the winter solstice last year.  Who knows what the morning will be like for the next couple of days, but photos like these remind us that the most spectacular sun rises of the year, from our vantage point, happen in winter. I haven't seen any druids at the end of my garden but rest assured we will be on the lookout for the next couple of days!

At the end of my garden yesterday ...

At the end of my garden yesterday, The Mountain appeared after a very foggy morning with rain dripping down from the grey skies. By mid afternoon, however, the clouds parted - the rain stopped and the sun shone.  A meteorologist said yesterday it was the driest 2 weeks on record at SeaTac airport - since they began keeping records. Sometimes it's hard to fathom how it can be "dry" when the heavy fog we often get at this time of year feels very moist. I find myself sometimes using clothing analogies to describe the way Mt. Rainier appears and yesterday there was a fluffy white "collar" two thirds from the top of the mountain encircling the lower one third.  Of course by the time I found my camera ... it had changed ...  again!  But then that's part of the mystery. Today about 50 neighbor friends gathered at my home for brunch ... a tradition going back more than 30 years for many of us to a time when our children were very young together.  It was a brilliant sunny day and The Mountain, in all her majesty, now fully dressed in snow did not disappoint: how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful place.

And then sometimes .....

And then sometimes ... it's as though we live in another place altogether! My mother used to love to tell the story of going to a lecture by a group of Rotarians who had visited the Pacific Northwest from Australia.  One of the speakers was showing images of the beautiful scenery of the region and projected a photo, much like the one from this morning, onto the screen announcing that this was Mt. Rainier! My mother was the only one in the audience who laughed out loud. She too had been here when the mountain at the end of my garden seems to have disappeared and does not show itself for days and days. So for today we listen to the muffled sounds that fog brings and wait knowing we will be rewarded on another day: perhaps with a view like the one below from another January day in another year.

Why get out of bed early?

About 7am a huge log boom makes its way east ...
not very much differentiation of color in the sky

A little color began creeping into the morning ...
about 7.20am.

Under-lit the clouds come alive and the shadow of the mountain
is projected onto the clouds.

An hour later, it is as though someone turned off the light!

"My Mountain" ... a June view.

Capturing images of  "my mountain" has been a past time for more than 40 years.  Growing up where the tallest mountain on the entire island continent (Australia) was 7,280 feet, it has been a source of amazement to me to be able to gaze upon this 14,410 foot peak whenever she shows herself - as seen from my front door.

The sun finally came out here in the Pacific Northwest a few days ago and Mt. Rainier showed herself in all her glory - just waiting for me to snap the shutter and capture one more image.

In the very early hours of a December 2009 morning

Sometime in the very, very early pre-dawn hours ... wandering in an insomniacal (is there such a word?) manner around the house ... I looked out the window toward Mt. Rainier and registered that the lights, from the ships and the Port of Tacoma, were nothing short of magical the way they were playing across the surface of the water. The patterns of wind across the water made unusual shapes and designs from the reflected lights of the ports and ships anchored out in the ways. What I wanted was to be able to sleep, but the urge to record this brilliant scene was too much! It was spectacular - I wanted to share that view.