The Missing Moon

Where have you been of late, my friend?
I miss you, now you’ve gone.
The trees seem empty now and bare
The night breeze sings no song;
And only darkness comes to call,
The clouds hold you at bay.
I knew you’d never stay too long,
That seems to be your way
But if you come back once again
I’ll dance beneath your gaze
I’ll bask within your gentle light
And curse the garish days.

Finally, the Full Moon!

Fortunately we got to see the full moon tonight because on Sunday we go from today's clear, hot 80 degree weather to rain and the 60's and 70's.

And isn't she a beauty? Low on the horizon still, large and golden colored.

This shot is almost wine colored. They were both taken within moments of each other and yet such a difference in color.
Okay, No more moon pictures... for a while! :)

99% Full

As the Poet said:
The Moon was a ghostly galleon
tossed upon cloudy seas...

More of the moon in the trees. I really need to get home before it gets dark. However, we have had so few clear nights this year that it's a rare treat for us to have all these clean shots of the moon. And tomorrow, it's FULL!!

The Waning Gibbous Moon Over Home

There seems to be a theme here,
Or is it that I simply don't get home in time to see the daylight right now?
Either way, she's stalking me!

Ghost Moon Through the Trees

Shhhh,
There’s a ghost in the sky tonight
Hiding out behind the trees
Silently drifting on the wind
Like a ship on coal black seas.

Hush,
It’s waiting out there in the black,
Ling’ring just outside my room;
Hovering at the edge of sight
Wrapped in a foreboding gloom.

Shhhh,
There’s a ghost in the sky tonight
Peering down through the dark trees;
Breathing down the back of my neck
In a muggy, summer breeze.

Sunday's Peace

The quiet canopy of green
Rustles in the breeze
The squirrels chatter overhead
Among the ruffled leaves.
The jay is calling to his mates,
“Come see what I have found
There’s a windfall pile of nuts
Scattered on the ground.”

It’s Sunday and the day is long,
The rains have finally passed,
The breezes sigh a summer song
And I can rest at last
Among the sounds from nearby homes,
The children’s laughing play,
I find the quiet sounds of peace
That come at close of day.

And as I sit here quietly
Beneath the wide blue sky
You sent a precious gift to me
An eagle just flew by.
I had recalled it, just today,
The sign you gave before,
But there’re no eagles where I am…
And yet one just flew o’er.

And so, cocooned in Sunday’s peace,
I linger in this place
Of jays and squirrels and passing signs
Of Your eternal Grace.

Cool Summer Nights

I thought tonight that I’d complain...
It’s August! Why do we have rain?!
But as I hear it coming down
I must admit I like the sound.

It washes clear the dusty air
It tosses all the leaves and trees
It lifts the fragrance of the blooms
And scatters it upon the breeze.

Although, the chill that fills the air
Has made one more thing pretty clear…
I sure do think that we could use
A bit of Global Warming here!!!

Mt St Helens

Mt St Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. 28 years later the devastating power of the volcano is still obvious all around her. Even from a distance of almost 50 miles, her shattered profile shrouded in clouds, one gets a sense of the destructive force unleashed on the southwestern corner of Wa State on that soft spring day in 1980.


As you get closer, the stark reality of what if took to blow off the top 2/3 of this mountain becomes more obvious.

It looks like a moonscape, but it is the result of great lahars, flows of mud, ash and debris, that literally buried the area around Mt St Helen's.

Even outside of the area of the mud flows, the full force the eruption is still apparent. entire forests of giant trees were blown down or shattered by the force of the inital blow out.

And yet, even in this harsh austere setting, life is returning. The earth is patient in healing its injuries. Life is returning to devastated foot hills of Mt St Helens

When the eruption occurred, Spirit Lake was buried under almost 300 feet of mud, ash and debris, but nature has again found a way to heal herself. The lake is returning and it's waters are reclaiming a place at the mountain's foot.

And even the wildlife has returned to the mountain. This little guy was very friendly and completely willing to pose for all the pictures I was inclined to take. (Bottom right hand corner)

Amid the broken bones of a devastated forest, new life springs forth and green slowly becomes the color of the mountain again.

Contrasts in color and grey tones, vibrant life and harsh devastation.

Mt St Helens leaves one with the realization that the earth is more resilient than we give her credit for being... and more incredibly beautiful than we usually stop to notice. Somehow, that beauty is more pronounced when it is highlighted by such enormous destruction.

And at the end of the day I found myself at home...

in the shadow of another volcano.

Sleep Sweetly, Mt Rainier, Sleep on!