a1) Pretty easy for me, Olympic, Rainer, North Cascades and Yosemite. #ParkChat

They do get big, I cut them back as the season progresses. The leaves make a good mulch. I enjoy the stuff though.

ext A bunch of long, red and tender rhubarb stalks grasped in a hand, yellow foliage at the

First rhubarb of the season, I forced this growth by placing a garbage can over the emerging stalks, makes it grow faster, more tender and not as astringent. Wife made a cake. 😋 #Gardening

For sure, to me the best editors spotted grammatical errors and typos, wrong tenses and such, but didn’t change the structure of my stories. We are human and make mistakes. But don’t change my lede! I did have some great editors who demanded a better lede, and I wrote one. Not often though.

I always considered editors a necessary evil. Sometimes they improved my copy, especially when I was inexperienced. But later almost the same amount of time they screwed it up. Some writers really need good editors, especially young ones.

A large beaver sitting on its haunches in tall green marsh grass at the end of the water scratches its belly, its mouth a bit open so you can see its orange teeth.

That's what this one told me this morning 👇

Nature is the only thing for sure real in this life I believe.

Nice shots, one with the moon is outstanding, the twin peaks on the left are The Brothers. I think it's Mount Anderson under the moon.

As well they should. Long time it’s been painfully obvious the orange turd loves Pooty and hates Z, the leader he’ll never be.

How are you doing Flint? If I recall right you were dealing with a health issue? Lymphoma survivor here, sending good wishes.

And then he disavows it all, claims he never said those things. At yesterday's hearing angrily insisted he never said black kids are on violence-inducing drugs and need re-parenting. He is a shameless, bald-faced liar.

Platner strikes me as a Fetterman type. If he wins I’d expect him to revert to his conservative previous self. He’ll vote with the Republicans. That’s not even considering his racist, ableist tendencies.

Nothing worse when you're sober than a bunch of drunken robins! 😜

Man you are having fun, I am jellyous!

Hiker pauses in front of a giant mossy Sitka spruce tree in a dense green ancient forest.

A4) Too many great forest hikes here in the PNW to have a favorite, we have some big trees. Here’s one memorable one, Queets rain forest, Olympic National Park. #ParkChat

That was a special one.

A brilliant sunrise of pink yellow and orange above a point of land beyond a lake.

A3) Probably the best I’ve seen are at my local wetlands park where we walk/hike often in the early morning. Juanita Bay, Kirkland WA. #ParkChat

I’m surprised, she’s a Republican I figured he’d support, votes for his racist agenda anyway.

A large brown beaver floats on the surface near the mouth of a creek, close to brown marsh grass, seemingly unconcerned. Seconds after I took this frame it dove suddenly and whacked its tail on the water loudly.

Blurry photo of the beaver diving, its tail up in the air in a spray of water.

What the hail, beaver tail! Giving this one a perfect 10 for amplitude and acoustics, loud! #Hiking

Love that stuff but 7,000 feet is too high I'd think. I've seen it mostly 2,500-3,500, and it does occur in scattered patches in the lowlands of WA. But yeah, probably not a great choice for your suburban Puget Sound landscape.

I #BoycottAmazon, it ain’t getting my money.

Steady drizzle here on my morning hike. Enjoy sunny San Diego. 🙄

Hell yeah, just talking with my best buddy about getting out soon in some burn area east of the Cascsdes. I need to find morels, it’s been awhile!

Holy smokes those are terrific photos, props to the shooter. And the model!

Despicable, just adds to the heap of disappointment I have in the hopeless, helpless Dems. Disaster looms and he's busy perving around. 😠

Four months later, gee, wonder if mid-terms are looming. 🤔

An adult otter swimming in the rain under gray skies and light, its head above water and wet, its whiskers surprisingly long, its ears short, it nose large and nostrils open. It is wet brown and seems to be frowning at the human behind the camera.

Got the stink eye from an otter during a 3.5-mile hike in a steady rain this morning, the only event of any significance. #Hiking

Doing that, getting outside, seeing the forest, the beach, all the critters and flowers, hiking, fishing, growing my garden. That‘s what keeps me sane. Nature ain’t gonna bullshit you.

Dumb move, which suggests some heavy shit about to come down.

Think I would skip it. Along with lutefisk and any kind of Icelandic fermented fish. Love fresh fish and smoked fish though. Well, and tinned little fish. Even pickled herring. Gotta draw the line though.