A Little Bit of Sunshine

Clouds over the foothills of the Blues                                 © Diane B. Reed

Finally, a little sunshine in the Valley, a perfect afternoon to head for the hills (the foothills, that is). The rain, fog and clouds have been unusually pervasive, so it's nice to see bright sun, despite the layer of clouds over the Blue Mountains. 

Freshly tilled field in the foothills               © Diane B. Ree

It's only a few minutes out to the vineyards and fields that surround town. Kestrels dot the telephone lines, a deer bounds off toward the creek, and the vineyards are bare and beautiful.

Some of the fields are freshly plowed, others still sport a stubble haircut. It may seem quiet, but there's always work to be done on a ranch. And the wineries are busy with this year's harvest and getting ready for Holiday Barrel Tasting December 7-8. 

Creative sign for Rusty Acres Ranch  © Diane B. Reed

There's lots of back roads in the foothills to explore, and always a new discovery. I  look for birds, wildlife, and man-made items of interest, like the whimsical "sign" at Rusty Acres Ranch to a vintage flatbed truck for sale. No matter how many times I head for the hills I always find something new, (or old in this case).

Truck for sale                                                               © Diane B. Reed

A Thanksgiving Gift

River Otter at Lions Park pond, College Place            Bruce Henrickson photo

River Otter at the pond          Bruce Henrickson phot

The weather has been wet and blustery for the last few weeks, but Thanksgiving is cool and sunny. This morning we saw what we thought was our resident muskrat swimming in the pond, but when he/she surfaced realized that it was a river otter. We've never seen one in the pond before today, and the otter is likely to be just passing through, but he was fun to watch. He dove under water for an extended period before we saw him swimming to shore. Perching on the edge of the sidewalk he devoured his prize.

Sharp-shinned Hawk stakes out the neighborhood  Bruce Henrickson photo

While we doubt the otter will stick around, our bird feeders have been plagued by a persistent Sharp-shinned Hawk who hangs around the pond most of the time. Usually hawks tend to stop by on their rounds of possible hunting spots, but this one seems to have decided that if he hangs out in one of the nearby trees he will probably get lucky.  This morning he was sitting on one of the bird feeders itself.  It's saving on birdseed, but we're missing our regulars.

We're very thankful to live in this beautiful valley, and for the beauty around us, even during stormy weather.  Happy Thanksgiving to all from the Walla Walla Valley

Stormy weather in the Walla Walla Valley  Diane Reed photo