Knitting with Friends...and Critters!

I promised in my last post that there were several other candidates for photo of the month from my California road trip, and two of those photos were taken while I was at the Northern California Knitting Retreat, which I attended again this year. You can view those two photos at the end of this post.

But first, I want to show you a little bit of the main activity at the retreat: lots and lots of knitting, going on all throughout the weekend.

 Knitting in the Fireside Room

That's my roommate, Debra (JavaNut), and Tracy (Thumperina)

Some serious concentration going on

Gayle and her gorgeous (and growing) blanket

There was also some stash enhancement and stash reduction going on in the destash room. I contributed some yarn to this picture, but didn't bring anything home.

The peaceful setting is also a big part of of the retreat experience. Despite cold (for California) temperatures and some rain, I managed to get out for a walk every day. This is where the critters came into the story. Look at what I was lucky enough to see and photograph early one morning:

Yes, those really are three male wild turkeys displaying in front of one lucky female. I imagined her saying, "Hmmm, which one of these hot guys should I choose?"

The next morning I captured a moment of perfection: the sun peeking over the horizon, and another wild creature greeting the day.

Knitting, Nature and Friends (Old and New)

Two weekends ago, I made a quick trip to California to attend the Northern California Knitting Retreat. While there, I experienced two days of hanging out with other knitters, making new friends, reconnecting with old friends, going for walks at dawn, and generally having a wonderful time.

In today's post, I want to simply share some photos from those magical two days. This is truly a case of a picture being worth a thousand words. Take a look, let your imagination take flight, and enjoy!

Birthday in Birdland

The inviting pathway above is at the entrance to the trails at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, where we went two Saturdays ago, on my birthday. It was a cool, cloudy day, perfect for exploring this little natural gem, which I have driven past many times on my way to and from meetings and events in Olympia, which is only about ten miles further south.

The wildlife refuge is especially known for the wide array of birds that live or pass through it, so Mr. D brought the binoculars and I brought my camera's long lens. We were not disappointed.

Not long after starting our walk, we encountered this male Downy Woodpecker. I have never been able to get a good clear photo of one of these intriguing birds before.

The trail initially followed the Nisqually River, and we spotted these Hooded Mergansers swimming purposefully through the water. I love how my photo captured both the still and broken up tree reflections.

Eventually, we reached the estuary, where the Nisqually River and another waterway meet and intermingle with Puget Sound. It is such a beautiful vista! In the photo below you can see a bit of Mount Rainier on the horizon.

The trail continues on a long earthen dike, that eventually leads to an even longer boardwalk. While still on the dike, we came upon a Great Blue Heron.

By the time we reached the boardwalk, the tide was beginning to recede, and we encountered this shore bird (either a Dunlin or a Dowitcher), looking at its reflection in the sand.

A little further on, we observed these Green-winged Teals nibbling something tasty.

We even saw an eagle, but he was too far away, and flying much to fast, to get into a photo. When we returned to the Visitor Center, I was able to get a photo of this flock of geese, heading north.

As you can tell, we had a magical morning, and it was a perfect way to start the next year of my life. Happy Birthday to me!