The pileated woodpecker who lives in a big snag next door has finally discovered our suet feeders… and brought along a junior member of the family. They now visit regularly but it’s a little difficult to get a good photo. In this little clip it’s hard to appreciate this little guy’s dimensions: he’s a good 14-18 inches tall! We also get a large number of downy woodpeckers and while not so gigantic they are quite beautiful critters.

I stepped out of bed this morning, glanced out the window and there was a largish black bear strolling through the yard. Just passing through, thank goodness. He looked quizzically at our little water fall and then headed back into the woods thankfully not noticing the chuck full bird feeders just off the patio (which had been raided by raccoons overnight).

We were advised to replace our old, underpowered, and inefficient furnace so we had a heat pump installed. Now we have heat and air conditioning too… for those three days over 90 we get every year.

It’s that delicious time of year in the Pacific Northwest; it’s why we moved here. The days are sunny and mostly in the 70s and evenings and morning are cool enough that you need a sweater or jacket. Plants love it. Here’s one of the scores of blossoms on the Clematis off the back patio.

It turns out that the baby elk (see the June 29 post) is not an orphan after all. This afternoon when I got home from the practice range the baby was in the front yard nibbling on the wild violets. I grabbed the camera and was snapping a couple of photos from inside the house when mother appeared and directed the little one away from the threatening human in the window. The pair meandered through the front yard and out into neighbors’ lots. It’s good to know the little one isn’t alone.