Weekend Reflections - Trumpeter Swan

 Trumpeter Swan

James at Newtown Area Photo hosts Weekend Reflections each week. Click on the icon above to see what kind of reflective mood others are in.

Merry Christmas!

SkyWatch Friday - Back to Baker

 Mount Baker, WA

Thank again to the SkyWatch team for hosting this wonderful meme each week. Click on the banner to see what others are sharing.

World Bird Wednesday - Trumpeters In Flight

Trumpeter swans in the Skagit Valley...my first entry into World Bird Wednesday.

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Stretch!

Stretching Trumpeter Swan

Barn Charm - Skagit Valley Charmer

While doing a grocery run on Sunday, I took the scenic route to and from the store. I went down a back road that I had never been on and was rewarded with this unique barn find. While it looks like it could use a little bit of loving, it still had the windmill on top, unlike another nearby one.

Skagit Valley Farm

Trisha at Bluff Area Daily hosts Barn Charm each week. Click on the barn icon above to go visit other barns shared this week.

Dad & The Dogs

 First we play in the snow...

 ...then we get warm.

How You Mooing?

Cattle Near the CDR

Weekend Reflections - Shiny Tanker

Look what fun you can have when you see a clean and shiny tanker truck. ☺

 Our Camper Reflected in the Tanker

Not only is our camper reflected in the side of the tanker, my reflection in the window is captured, too.  Double reflection! 

James at Newtown Area Photo brings us Weekend Reflection each Friday. Click on the logo above and see what others are sharing.

SkyWatch Friday - Strange Clouds

Since our views were pretty much non-existent this past weekend due to fog, I'm digging back through my archives. Here is one from July of this year where I spotted some strange cloud formations.

Go check out what other SkyWatchers are sharing this week by clicking on the banner above. Thanks to the SkyWatch team for bringing us this fun meme each week!

The Snow Cornice

It was interesting to see the snow cornice on the roof of the house this past weekend. When we first got there, we had about 10" of snow hanging from the roof.

Upon further inspection, you could see where it curled back towards the house, including the icicles, almost like a wave curling back on itself. It must have been a slow process where the icicles built up as the snow slowly slid down the roof.

Finally, around 1 a.m. Sunday night/Monday morning, the snow and ice made a loud rumbling and scraping sound as it broke free and created a roof avalance. I was amazed by the width of the snow field it created under the eaves. Good thing the dogs were inside when it let go.

Winter at the CDR

Some scenes from around the Chicken Dance Ranch this past weekend. We had lots of snow and fog which didn't make for good vistas. Oh well, we still enjoyed it!

Old Barns - Red Beauty

Radiant In the Morning Light

Tricia from Bluff Area Daily hosts Old Barns each Monday. Click on the icon above to share in joy these wonderful buildings bring.

Why Did the Egret Cross the Sidewalk?

To get to the other side, silly! Either that or he wanted to go check out Ron Jon's.

 Juvenile Great Egret

(from my Florida trip)

A Quiet Interlude

For a fleeting few seconds he pauses,

Observing his world.

I do, too.
Shouldn't we all once in awhile?

Weekend Reflections - Mirror, Mirror, On the Truck

 Looking In the Mirror, I See Snow

Weekend Reflections is hosted every Friday by James at Newtown Area Photo. Click on the icon to share in the fun.

We are working on the house so I will be late visiting others this weekend.

Exciting Changes at the Chicken Dance Ranch

Within a few days, you will notice that our URL will become chickendanceranch.com. Yes, I've made it official. Don't worry if you've bookmarked our karlandsally.blogspot address. You will still end up visiting the CDR site.

Not too long after we bought our piece of paradise in June 2008, the name Chicken Dance Ranch was bestowed upon it as a joke. It stuck. So visitors beware...you might just have to do the Chicken Dance with the rest of us. If you don't know how to do it when you arrive, you certainly will be an expert before you leave.

 

The Chicken Dance Ranch - June 2008

Skywatch Friday - Mount Baker

Mount Baker, WA

 

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Jonathan Livingston Seagull?

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Soaring High

On the Hunt

Coyote Looking For Breakfast

Old Barns - Better Days

This Barn Has Definitely Seen Better Days

Click on the icon above to see more old barns. This meme is hosted by Tricia at Bluff Area Daily.

Mellow Yellow Monday - Fall Flashback

Just 5 short weeks ago, this is what one of our local trees looked like.

Don't let the gray dull colors of winter get you down. Go see some cheerful yellow themed pics hosted by Drowset Monkey by clicking on the MYM icon above.

That's All Folks! - Part 2

There are many waterfalls and areas where water drips down the rock walls along the North Cascade Highway. With temperatures hovering in the low to mid-teens last Saturday, the water was frozen in many places.

There was one area in the gorge outside of Newhalem that had an interesting ice formation. I wish I could judge how tall this ran but it was probably close to 8 or 10 stories high. We did stop to take these photographs.

Now we wait for the spring thaw.