Bare, but beautiful...

 

Revisiting the old high plains schoolhouse...

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Bright winter sunshine...

 

A great place to simply stand and clear the cobwebs out of your mind...

 

A wetlands winter still life...

 

Mysterious...

 

Mostly moss on the trees along Skamakowa Creek-- except for the tall fir trees in the background. And by the way, the locals pronounce that as Skuh MOCK uh way.

 

3, 2, 1...Lift off!

 

Along the Columbia River just a few miles from the Pacific...

 

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The old barn at the St. Francis Xaiver Mission-- the first Catholic Mission in the State of Washington-- 1838.

 

Even in the winter, the colors can be wonderful... The mountain poses for a portrait.

 

Four little Buffleheads all in a row...

 

Deep down in a little canyon in the rainforest the little bridge is glowing...

 

Giants in the forest...

 

I'm always glad to see them...

 

Stop and wonder...

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Here comes the sun...

 

It's quiet in the forest. It's peaceful in the forest.

 

The air was clear all day today...

 

Foggy and cold!

 

The Great Blue Heron perched in a very bare tree...

 

Winter's sleep...

 

The late afternoon sun in the forest makes for a dappled path!

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It's very quiet at the lake...

 

It's always good to have something to lean on...

 

Looking straight ahead across Coldwater Lake at Minnie Peak...

 

The Elk Rock Viewpoint always has the most amazing views-- Late afternoon when the snow had retreated a bit. The Mt. St. Helens caldera is on the right.

 

No, really! This is a color picture!

 

Showers, sunbreaks, and rainbows in the wetlands...

 

A wonderful spot overlooking Silver Lake--- with the amazing Mt. Rainier looming to the northeast about 50 miles away (as the crow flies).

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A peaceful scene-- An old dairy barn in the hills above Toledo, Washington.

 

A very rainy day by the river...

 

Sunset with unsettled weather on the Columbia River...

 

Here she comes--- On a cold winter day, it's always surprising how quiet they are.

 

Late afternoon winter sun shining across the path to the bare trees... It's time to head home.

 

A winter tapestry--- Trees full of moss and winter grass in the wetlands...

 

A little bit of sunlight warms a winter morning in the wetlands...

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A very fine fungus!

 

Everyone showed up at once...

 

There, in the corner of a pond, a different kind of beauty...

 

Lots of snow in the mountains, lots of warm rain--- maybe some flooding over the next couple of days-- In the meantime, in between the moss and the ferns there's a lovely little waterfall next to the road near us...

 

With warmer temperatures and rain on the way, this will all be just a memory soon...

 

Very quiet...

 

Snow can make the wetlands path seem like another place altogether...

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Ice on the lake...