I was surprised to find a vole in some grass in the wetlands who appeared to be munching on a foxglove flower. But here's the thing-- Foxglove (digitalis) is highly poisonous! Much online research suggests that voles don't have an immunity, so he was either not eating the flower, or the flower was not foxglove, or he's no longer with us. I'll go with either option 1 or 2.

 

Good morning, Mountain!

 

St. Urban is a small, unincorporated area about 30 miles north of us. There's not much there now, but it was a much more active place in the late 1890s when this church was built. As the area's population declined, the church was deconsecrated and fell into disrepair. In the early 2000s, nearby residents got together and rebuilt it. Today, St. Urban's is owned by Lewis County and is available for weddings and other events. The pump organ still works! And yes, that is a fairly large cemetery behind the church.

 

At last! We had a little rain Friday, and quite a bit more is expected Saturday.

 

There's just something about wild roses that makes them magical!

 

Do you suppose little brown birds wonder what it would be like to be an eagle?

 

This small boat is slapping across the waves-- The water can be rough on the Columbia River.

 

"Where are we going?" "I don't know." "Are we there yet?"

 

It's almost impossible to show foxglove in a photo and have it not look like it's been painted. They pop up in many places here.

 

Bunches of Yellow Iris grow around the wetlands. They're always a treat to see!

 

Boistfort Peak in the Willapa Hills. Boistfort, Washington, is a small unincorporated community north of us. The first public school in the Washington Territory was established in Boistfort in 1853. The name comes from the French "Boisfort" which has been translated as "Small valley surrounded by green hills." Well named!

 

There's a lot of history in a graveyard--- Like this monument in a little graveyard not very far from yesterday's barn. It says that Samuel P. Ferrier was born in 1808, in Smith County, Tennessee. The USA was pretty young! That's before our last spat with the British, The War of 1812! Samuel died in Lewis County (Lewis and Clark, explorers), W.T., in 1882. W.T.? Washington Territory! Washington wasn't even a state until 1889.

 

Here's another old, but well-maintained barn near Winlock-- about 20 miles north of us.

 

Even an old barn looks great on a day like this!

 

Honeysuckle--- A hummingbird magnet!

 

Little Miss Wood Duck is looking for her mate in the wetlands. We don't see many wood ducks.

 

Like diamonds, raindrops on a leaf, while the ferns watch adoringly...

 

The wetlands walk at a different time of year-- This is a picture I prepared for a project, and I thought it would be good to share here.

 

Not much happens on the waterfront in Cathlamet, Washinton. Be careful walking on the floating piers.

 

This cute little bandit loves being up in this tree!

 

Not much going on - It's just another quiet day in Hazel Dell.

 

She's a bit timid, but she is beautiful!

 

Oh look! There's Russell the Crow again. He's always a welcome sight.

 

And then she looked over her shoulder to see if that beautiful Mallard was still watching her...

 

A crow decided to take a walk in the wetlands. His name is Russell.

 

Springtime peacefulness and beauty...

 

Coldwater Peak with clouds...

 

"Sit down," said the old tree, "and talk to me for a while. Is Ike still President? Have you people grown up yet?" We talked for a while, and then I went home.

 

You can think of me anyplace, but remember me in the forest...

 

A tiny flower with a big personality!

 

Well ventilated! The airflow is excellent!

 

Friendly swallows!

 

One last picture from Johnston Ridge: If you look in the opposite direction from yesterday's post, you'll see Minnie Peak instead of Mt. St. Helens. It's the darker range in the center of this shot. I love the sky! It's a late Fall image, so the flowers are gone. I wish they'd reopen the road to Johnston Ridge this year, but it will be 2027.

 

This was the same day and the same general area as yesterday's picture. This is the Lewit viewpoint on Johnston Ridge. The view of the Mount Saint Helens crater is the best you can get to by car, and the wildflowers are beautiful. Again-- the road to Johnston Ridge was washed out a couple of years back and is not expected to be open again until 2027. The Toutle River Valley is between the ridge and the mountain-- about 2 thousand feet straight down.

 

Here's a shot from one of my favorite spots on Johnston Ridge. The Indian Paintbrush and other wildflowers add color to the foreground. Nearly 2 thousand feet below, you can see the Toutle River. And Mt. St. Helens is looming to the right. The river cuts through the ash and debris from the eruption 45 years ago. This shot is a few years old. I can't get a new one because a landslide closed the highway to the Lewit Viewpoint and the Johnston Ridge Visitors Center. They hope to have it reopened in 2027. By the way, those areas of green in the valley are tall trees. It's a long way down!

A special note to Joaquin:  I still can't get through to your blog on any of my browsers.  Frustrating.
 

Here's another shot on Johnston Ridge from a few years back. It will be 2027 before the road gets fixed. and we can go up there again. But when that picture was taken, it had been 42 years since the volcanic explosion blew it down along with thousands of others. I bet it's still there.

 

I took this picture three years ago on Johnston Ridge, the best place for views into Mt. St. Helens' caldera. The Indian Paintbrush grows like crazy there, and the remains of a giant tree blown over in the blast 45 years ago dominate this picture. I'm sad to say we haven't been able to go back up there since May of 2023, when a massive landslide closed the highway. The damage was severe, and a new bridge is being built, but repairs will take until 2027. I'm glad we have our pictures to look at.

 

This is a chipmunk. They like to hang out with tourists and beg for goodies to eat. There are always some at the wetlands walk, and I love watching them.

 

This is just part of a huge flower farm next to the Cowlitz River, near Toledo, Washington. Even without the blooms, it's nice to see.

 

Come on, people, let's straighten up and fly right!

 

It's me! The king of the backyard! I can see everything from here! We rarely see our harmless little garden snakes anymore-- the trees and bushes have made it too shady for them to sun themselves.

 

Resting near the tracks... We have a number of pioneer graveyards in the area-- and it's always interesting to see the names and dates. There are many who fought in the Civil War, and the many that followed. The saddest thing is that all older graveyards have a large number of children under 5. We've come a long way in the last 100 years.

 

have you ever wondered what it's like under the bridge?

 

He doesn't get out much anymore, but the birds sit on him, and the flowers like to hear him talk about the old days.

 

Rain on the way...