A Misty Day at the Landing

Early this morning I heard the rain on the roof. It had started late yesterday afternoon then let up. It is not like our cloudbursts in Colorado. Here it is more misty with brief periods of rain drops. Everything is green with most flowering trees in full bloom. The cherry trees are losing their blossoms and streets have pink petals all over them and collected in the gutters. It is like someone is spreading petals for you to stroll on.
     The tops of the high ridges across the river had a dusting of snow this morning and the forecast called for ice pellets, reinforcing my decision to pause here in Skamania Landing and let this weather move out ahead of me for some days. Meanwhile, my phone is giving me winter weather advisories for back home in Colorado starting Friday, yet another worthwhile reason to stay here.
      This morning I went with my host and joined the Friends of the Library to set up the annual book sale in the downstairs event room. The Fort Vancouver Regional Library, a district, is a lovely modern building that had a children's event going upstairs, great wifi and lots of books. I was able to resist all the books for sale by ignoring the possibility of shipping and the lack of carrying space on my motorcycle. It was a wonderful group of people that were fun to be around. While we were in the Skamania County Seat of Stevenson Washington, we stopped at a little soup and sandwich place run by a delightful couple and had a cup of soup for lunch while we watched the mist swirl up on the ridges. It seems as if the trains, sounding their horns at each crossing, are more mournful on a wet day such as this.

      Yesterday we actually had sun early in the day. When I got up I saw the cruise ship come by on a shakedown cruise for the upcoming season. The water was smooth in the early morning air as the ship cruised downriver through the edge of the eddy here. This ship does seasonal cruises from Astoria Oregon to Lewiston Idaho. Generally people do the trip for about a week, one way and then are returned to their beginning port by bus. It is lavish, with suites and fine dinning. It was lovely to see it slide down the river as the sun rose.
     Spring is definitely here in the pacific northwest, the blueberry bushes outside the house are in bloom, flowers, fruit trees and early gardens planted. The green of the woods after a really wet winter. A lot of clean up going on after a hard wind about a month ago knocked some trees and and broke some off half way down. There was a slide on a steep hillside next to Hwy 14 into Stevenson where a huge pine tree, root ball and all, slid down the hillside to remain upright on the edge of the road pushing the power lines out of line along the road. That must have been interesting to see. It is all cleaned up now and just another story of winter.
       Today though, it is sit cozy inside, with lovely jazz playing and listen to the rain on the roof as the mighty Columbia River slides by on it's way to the Pacific Ocean.

Will by he River