whataday!

Yesterday was one of those days that make people say "THIS is why I live in Seattle."  When the sun comes out, there is no more beautiful place (unless it is at the ocean, of course)

I took advantage of the sun and dry weather and went out to Rattlesnake Lake to do a little walking/hiking.  Me and about 300 other people.  Note to self:  don't go out to RS late in the afternoon on a sunny warm day--especially on a holiday weekend.  There were people ALL OVER the place...even though the lake is still high, even little tiny bits of exposed shoreline had been co-opted, sometimes with only room for a folding chair.  But, I wasn't there to swim, or sun--I was there to hike.

I hiked the length of the lake, and then I went a short distance up the trail to the ledge, mainly because I hadn't come prepared to hike all that way and certainly wasn't going to do it solo (although there were so many people on the trail it felt as busy as downtown).  There were still stretches of the trail where it was empty and quiet and more what I had come to enjoy.

 Occasionally the sun would come at just the right angle through all the trees and illuminate just one branch of a Doug Fir, making it glow in the dark shade.

 And I don't care how many times I see it---just a glimpse of that jade green water through the underbrush just makes my heart sing.  I mean--LOOK at the color of the water!!!

 Of course, I managed to find a Magic Window, too  (AKA a puddle)

 And there, by the side of the trail, completely unexpected, was a daylily!  How on earth did that get there?  This isn't a wild daylily--this is a cultivar.  The yellow blossoms were like sundrops amidst all the greenery.

 And, as a perfect end of the day, "our" mountain caught the sun against the clouds.  Gorgeous!  I am so blessed to live where I do.