Good weather = busy week!
First and foremost, the riverboats are back -- huzzah!
Last year there was a shortened season -- the boats didn't start their cruises until June. I always enjoy seeing them, and this one in particular is my favorite. It's the American Empress, the largest of the sternwheelers on the Columbia.
So that was one exciting day's walk.
Then came the Day of the Clouds. Clouds are exciting here, because when I lived on the western side of the state (for 40 years!) the sky was clouded over so often that it became the norm, and it took an exceptionally weird cloud formation to get me to look up at all.
But here in the land of 300+ days of sunny skies, clouds are a rarity. They're more common in winter months overall, when I don't like to go out. So when they turn up in warmer times, I do get excited and like to get out in search of the best view. That happened last week -- one day I got up to let the dogs out at 6:30am, and there were fantastic clouds with the sun just starting to peep out. I dashed inside, threw on some clothes, grabbed the hounds and tossed them in the car, and away we went down to the river, arriving just in time:
What a glorious sunrise! And the moon was still out, too!
We took a mile long walk down to the riverboat, which was still at the dock.
I'm delighted that I got down there when I did -- this was the sky upon arrival:
And this was the sky a mere twenty minutes later:
Timing is everything!
Which brings me to my next photos. Timing is, indeed, rather key when you want to see fun things. On another expedition last week, I decided to visit both Sacajawea State Park, where I rarely go, and then to pop over to the nearby McNary National Wildlife Refuge. Alas, the State Park was closed for the Winter and even though it's officially Spring, the park ranger explained that seasonal Spring and the State's idea of Spring were two different things. I was allowed to park by the barrier and walk in, but that was a ways, and I had a long walk ahead of me at McNary, so I chose to turn around and go there instead.
As I drove down the 15mph road, this critter suddenly appeared:
Whoo! Deer! Whee! In fact, seven of them crossed the road, single file. It was fabulous. And really good timing. And I never did see anything very interesting at McNary. But you just never know what you're going to see when you're not expecting to see anything at all.
Okay, let's move on to some indoor activity. Here are the two art pieces I did last week, in ink and watercolor:
Well, at least that was quick.
Now we move on to another exciting home project: the Outbuilding Makeover!
In my backyard there is an outbuilding measuring 12' x 24'. It was put up in 1974, and partially improved in more recent years. It has heat and light, but the previous owner's plan to add plumbing and AC were left undone before they sold the property to me.
There are two rooms. The one without a window is totally unfinished. I've been using it for storage.
The second room (12' x 12') had finished walls and electrical, but the floor was covered with a crappy, dirty carpet and I didn't use it for anything. I decided to change that.
The dogs have given it their official approval. I added one of those mesh screens over the door that keep the flies out but let people and hounds come in and out easily.
Now I just have to figure out what to use it for...AND...I get to decorate a whole new space! Whee!
Speaking of the Hounds, on Saturday we had a reunion with the Wiener Walking group. It was finally warm enough for a meet-up, and it was great to see the old familiar dogs (and people) again.
Pippin and his girlfriend Madison had a lovely meet and greet, but then during the walk, Pippin paid more attention to newcomer Hobbes, a stunning cream piebald longhair:
And as usual, Truman did his best to avoid everyone:
Not the best photos, no, but it's nearly impossible to get a herd of active wiener dogs to pose nicely. Oh well. There will now be weekly walks until it gets too hot in mid-summer, so perhaps I'll manage to get better pics at some point.
Whew, that was a lot of STUFF. Hope you enjoyed it, and have a great week out there!
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