
2009 has been a rather prickly year. I am not sorry to say good-bye. I hope this next decade brings happiness and joy to us all!
I caught the last launch of the Walla Walla Balloon Stampede out a second story window. We used to go all the time, but it's been a while. Maybe I'll remember next year and get some close-ups!
Amazingly, these clouds were just the beginning. It got darker as the day wore on and I couldn't believe it when my gmail background showed snow! None of it stuck, but it was COLD and there were flakes hitting the windshield as I picked the boys up from school. It did seem like some kind of cosmic April fool's prank!
Trees everywhere are bursting into springtime beauty! They've had to use the wind machines at night during this cold snap (low of 16 deg.) so that the orchards don't freeze. It's a beautiful time of year, but whoever said the country was quiet didn't have to sleep with the sound of a herd of helicopters out their windows!
Poor guy, he just keeps slipping deeper into the muddy rocks. He and his friend worked on it all day yesterday, but not even the tractor can get enough traction. He heard that the ground is saturated 5 feet down. So our riverbed land, that is usually as solid as concrete, has turned into a trap. Meanwhile two storm fronts are colliding overhead bringing a cold winter wind, rain and later in the day even hail!
Feeling sick, I woke up with the sun already streaming in through the chinks in the blinds filling the curtains with patterns of light. My photo! I raced down the stairs and pulled aside the drapes. An enormous puffy cloud glowed white and gray right outside. Was that fog at the edge of our property? Where was my camera? I finally found the boys' and as I raced to add batteries the light in the house dimmed. It was like someone turned out the lights. I peeked out again and it was dark gray fog. I could still see yellow sunshine coming in the sunporch door. I raced out there as I turned on the camera. "NO"The sun was a glowing yellow disk in the disappearing sky.
"Cancel!"I snapped the above picture as the monster fog cloud gobbled us up. It was amazingly fast, and beautifully dramatic. I wish I could have captured it better!
On the right is a bud on the earliest blooming tree in the valley. I think its called a tulip tree? On the left is something I've never seen before...is it a yak?

Yesterday,
All my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they're here to stay,
Oh, I believe in yesterday...