The thing about February

The thing about February in Oregon is that many days are gray. Light gray, dark gray, all shades of gray, while the rain comes and goes. I don't mind it, and I wouldn't like it if the sun shined all the time. I like the moody gray skies, the fires in the fireplace, the chance to take walks through the mist, and plenty of time to read.

Around the corner there is often a surprise lying in wait. Here the surprise is a hawk atop a dead tree, in front of a misted-over hillside.


But today the sun was bright and the skies were blue, a change of pace, as though the landscape had suddenly awakened and put on new clothes.

The Willamette River: so blue.

We avoided the taxes, the grocery store, the dusty house, everything else, and simply put the dogs in the car and went on a Saturday field trip. As you see, we stopped along the river and played for awhile. I love Saturdays like this.