Author: boolie

Reunited

A dog sleeps on a dog bed

I haven’t seen Sari in years, she could barely contain her excitement at the reunion.

Lil Nibbler

Our smallest cat Trixie sleeps on the guest bed

I thought our first cat Templeton was a bit on the small side so I gave him the nickname Little One, but then we got Scout and later Sam who were much smaller. And then there’s Trixie, the littlest of them all, I think she’s up to 8 pounds something but is still a scrawny little thing. We try to get her to eat as much as possible, but all apologies to Emma who I thought was a slow eater, Lil Nibbler takes forever to eat and doesn’t always finish. She likes the food but also likes to nibble. I think she’d prefer just to graze throughout the day but there are three other pets who are ready to pounce the moment she walks away from her bowl. She is an absolute sweetheart though and I’m so thankful she found her way to our home, and to all those who made that possible.

The Clearing

Trees, some fallen, some standing, some broken, along the Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park

Long ago a large tree fell over beside the Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rain Forest, forming a nurse log for younger trees to grow on. Some of those younger trees fell too and the park staff cut them with chain saws, they were probably blocking the trail, and behind them in the clearing you can see a tree that has naturally broken partway up the trunk. This will provide even more light into the clearing, allowing different types of plants and trees to grow before old giants eventually rise up again.

Yin and Yang

Our black-and-white cat Boo curls up in a circle in the cat bed

Our resident philosopher forms the yin (dark) and yang (light) symbol in his pursuit of enlightenment. A diligent pursuit, he spent hours in this state of quiet reflection.

A Kind of Heaven

A close-up of the face of our dog Ellie as she stares into the camera

To look into Ellie’s big brown eyes is to look into a better world, a world where we walk humbly, treat each other with kindness, love openly, forgive quickly, and eat everything in sight that isn’t a vegetable.

It’s Nothing Personal, But I Hate You

A bridge over a gorge in the Columbia River Gorge

When you’re scared of heights, when hiking a new trail in places like the Columbia River Gorge, you never know when you might reach a spot that will force you to turn around. I always cross this bridge to look at the waterfall on the other side, but it’s a white-knuckled crossing every time. There are little slots in the bridge that let the rain through, important in an area that gets as much rain as the Gorge, but it also lets you see the water rushing underneath. The first time I forced myself to take pictures from the bridge itself I was so nervous I forgot to focus or set the exposure, but this latest visit I not only took photos but videos as well. My heart was pounding and I gripped the railing tightly, but I took them. Properly focused and exposed, even.