Today we set out for a day of crabbing. What a beautiful day! Sky was blue. Sun was out. We got our fill of crab – both dungeoness and rock crab. We boiled them up at home and were treated to an exceptional dinner.
At one point during the day, a bald eagle circled right above us for a while, riding the thermals. This was the best I could capture. Pretty bird.
A pretty purple vine growing on Noreen’s back yard arbor: 
We hopped on the ferry tonight to watch the Mariners play the Angels. A group of ten of us sat together in King Felix’s court, rooting for the Ms. As the sun was setting I popped up to the 300 level to get a peek over the Port of Seattle towards Elliot Bay. The haze is still thick. The sun was like a pink ball glowing in the sky.
And we won!
We met Fran and Art for a beer after work yesterday. This is the view from the outdoor beer garden. The air is hazy from the smoke of nearby fires. That is Vashon Island in the background. Last fall I posted about a guy living in a shed on a floating raft anchored off this point. Well, his shed burned down since then, and now he’s got a teepee on the raft. A gaggle of geese are crossing in front of it.
I flew back home, again, yesterday. But this time, my Mom is not here. God took her back. It is the sad, but inevitable, end to a wonderful lifetime. I am proud and oh so happy to be her daughter. Today we say goodbye and celebrate her life. ‘Til we meet again, Mom… I love you.
As we approached Seattle, I was treated to beautiful views of the Cascades. Fires are again raging in Washington, both east and west of the mountains, so the view was a bit hazy. In this one looking south, Mount Rainier is in the front, center. Mount Saint Helens is slightly above and to the right of Rainier; the gray, hazy, low peak with no snowcap. The leftmost peak is Mount Adams. And between Adams and Rainier, in the distance, you can faintly see Mount Hood.
We dashed out to Mayfield Park today to see the peacocks and the pretty grounds, found a geocache, and then climbed atop Mount Bonnell to enjoy the view.
A nice day, indeed.
I took a walk around the hood tonight to hit my step target. And I came across this little lady who was very wary of me. I said hi, took a picture and kept moving on down the road. I’d like to think that she has a similar snap of me.
I’m enjoying watching this verbena that I planted this spring thriving.
A glimpse of the beautiful sunset last night.
The hibiscus bushes are in bloom. So lovely. 
I took a walk through our greenbelt and neighborhood after the immense amount of rain stopped falling. I looked up and was treated to this before sunset:
Mammatus clouds after the storm.
We headed out to the lake yesterday. The rains have FINALLY been falling over the basin that flows into Lake Travis. We have been watching the LCRA lake levels like kids in a candy store. The lake is up to over 648′ today! which is up about 25′ from where it has been stuck for the last few years. We still want more – 30 more feet and brimming would be nice – but boy was it thrilling to see. I actually felt my heart rejoice. 🙂
The band of grey, exposed limestone is thinner now. Sometimes Islands are islands again! I’m glad I spent one afternoon walking the length of the peninsula while it was exposed earlier this year.
Our marina has moved half of its dock back to shore. All of the ramps for the letter docks are floating. And one of our boat ramps is usuable again. We went for a sail with Kurt and Kevin. We saw alot of debris in the water. And alot of these….. balls of red ants floating in the lake. Beware folks, you do NOT want to swim into one of these!
We anchored in our cove and spent the afternoon marvelling over how great it was to finally have our lake back. 🙂
Oh, and…. i want one of these:
As long as we are blessed with rain and mild spring weather that we haven’t enjoyed for years, I’ll keep snapping photos of what’s blooming in our yard.
This is a fuchsia I planted about a month ago. It’s over transplant shock and loaded with buds. So pretty!
The lime tree out back is loaded with bunches of baby limes (the green centers of those white blooms). Each of the ones that make it is destined to become part of a refreshing frosty beverage.
Sheila365 