William Finley Wildlife Refuge

 Bill and I had a nice little break this last Saturday as we drove through the William Finley Wildlife Refuge. We had never been there before. We really enjoyed it!

I truly cannot resist another heron picture.

 I love licorice fern. This old gnarled oak was nicely decorated with them.

A heron looks pretty funny when it is looking at you straight on!

 Robins have BEAUTIFUL color in the winter, and this was the most killdeer I've seen in one place. There were several of them clustered around a bunch of mole hills. I wonder what the relationship is?

I cannot resist pictures of reflections. We saw many birds, ponds and trails. We cannot wait to go back when the weather is better. These pictures were all taken from our car!

Visiting Great Grandma

 Megan recently visited with her children and they had a nice visit with their Great Grandma.

 Never too old for hugs!!!

A New Home For Mom

 Mom moved to an adult foster care home in Salem during October of last year. However, we were not satisfied with that home and we recently moved her to a different location. We hope it will be very comfortable for her, and we think she will like her new caregivers. They are very kind and compassionate. They are also hard workers. We are so grateful that Mom has been provided for!

Cold and Frozen, but Beautiful!

 I don't know how much longer this fog and frost is supposed to last, but I've enjoyed the visual feast! Even the weeds are very beautiful!

January 1, 2013, An Amazing Day!

 On the first day of the year Bill and I decided we wanted to go somewhere where there was snow, so we headed toward the Little Northfork of the Santiam River. I saw an Egret among the sheep in this field near our home and decided I needed a picture.

 There was a lot of frost, so I played with my macro lens.

 We stopped at Salmon Falls and walked down the trail to get a better view.

Beautiful trail to the falls

 The mossy trees were gorgeous, especially in the late afternoon light.

 This is Salmon Falls framed by the surrounding trees and vegetation.

 We drove to Three Pools on Opal Creek and headed down to the river.

 Three Pools is one of Oregon's most beautiful destinations.

 Bill's walking stick is balancing on the ice.

 As we headed home, I snapped this old barn.

 I saw a large bird fly across the road, and when Bill stopped the car I realized it was an owl! I was pleased to get a couple pictures before it flew away. It was a Barred Owl. I cannot think of a better way we could have spent our day!