Woohoo! Peggy and I looked outside and the snow was coming down. We haven’t seen much in our neck of the woods lately. The D word is making the rounds again. The D stands for DROUGHT. We try not to use the word in case we might invoke it!
New snow means we have to go out for a walk. And you are invited. Please join us. We have to go out soon. The snow normally doesn’t last long here— a few hours at most! This view is from our patio looking west.
We will start on our patio…
We may have all of two inches! But beware, danger lurks…
Peggy simply cannot resist new snow…
Moving around the house the sun breaks out briefly. I’m not sure Cockle Doodle is as happy about the snow as we are…
Nor are the daffodils who are about to burst out in bloom proclaiming it is spring.
Big Red was disgusted…
…that Quivera the Van was protected in our pole barn while he was forced to sit out in the open.
The walk up our road takes us past this Douglas fir lightly dusted with snow…
And past its cousins.
Soon, we have entered the Rogue River National Forest that backs up to our property.
A piece of quartz has retained enough heat to reject the snow and reminds us that “Thar is gold in them thar hills!”
Several miners’ cabins once stood above our home. All that remains is a cave and this old auto body. Our son-in-law’s dad, Doug Cox— who knows about such things— says that this is likely a 1919/20 Essex.
Gnarly oak limbs have a way of pulling me in to admire their beauty in fresh snow…
As did this Ponderosa pine reaching for the heavens.
A madrone showed off its unique bark by forming a V.
I thought these trees deserved a black and white treatment.
Peggy insisted that I photograph this manzanita.
Manzanita leaves decorated with snow.
A slight detour gave us a view of the Upper Applegate Valley and Sanctuary 1, a home for farm animals that don’t have a home. Blackberries have a front-row seat.
Normally fresh snow provides a whole world of animal tracks for us. This time, all we found were a few bird tracks. These were made by an Oregon Junco. Peggy and I wondered if the local cougar was hanging out in our area again.
Blue skies suggested that our snow storm was about over.
Peggy insisted that I pose in front of an old oak. We call it the Hobbit Tree because it looks like it would fit right into Fanghorn Forest or the Shire.
It’s a tough old coot. Wait, was that why Peggy insisted on photographing me there.
“Why don’t you let me take a photo of you under the Douglas fir limb, Sweetheart?”
Whoops! 🙂
Later, when it was time to go on our newspaper and mail walk, the snow around our house had pretty much melted but was hanging on in the surrounding hills and mountains…
While the Applegate River had returned to looking spring-like.
My last photo for the day. On Monday we return to our trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Thanks for joining us on our walk today!
Wandering through Time and Place 