Gossamery.

These leaves made me swoon on a Washington walk with the Johnsons. They were like traces of themselves - in protracted form, sitting there on a bench in the woods (the kind of woods that never get brighter than a dusk tone, the trees are so dense). They looked like spiders had spun them in just the right gray tone. I found the droppings below very delicate...and the fungus looked too high fashion to be real.

Merry Christmas Green.

Washington for the weekend.

...a last minute trip to Washington for the weekend to visit my parents and family. My parents spend a good portion of their lives outside, near or on mountains. So the very first act involved biking & hiking near Mount Rainier. I am always stunned by the overgrown size of everything in this part of Washington - trees, plants, waterfalls, the drops down to a river.







The one thing that was not oversized was my dad's jacket. Ironically, the man who is notoriously well-outfitted neglected to put his backpack in the car before leaving. It was 50 degrees cooler in Seattle than in New York (no exaggeration!) and jackets were a requisite here, especially up in the mountains. So, he borrowed one of my mom's and I think it really suited him.

Johnsons in the wilderness.

Any Johnson gathering means a lot of movement in outdoor spaces. Age is no matter. Rain - not a problem. Gear, we've got tons of it. Coming home is like going to singing/dancing/cooking/competitive sports/nature camp.




Andrew helps everyone brush up on Thriller skills.




Marc acts like he owns the hinterland.

Firs.

Snowshoeing.

Elephant car wash.