Morgonian's wedding

My dear friend Morgan got married last weekend in Cape Meares.  It was so much fun to be able to be with him on this amazing day.

Rin got gussied up for the event, and people gushed.

 The wedding itself was on the beach in this wonderful little spot

 Morgan and Susie

 Happy kids

California visit

In the last week of free time before I started teaching again (semester systems suck in the fall!), Eric and I took a road trip down to California.  We stopped in Davis Sunday night to see Stephanie and Eliska.  I got to meet Stephanie's new dog Louis, super adorable.

We then spent most of the week at Grandma's house so Eric could see it before she moved out.  Dave came up too so I got to see him.  And we took a hike up the pass.  

As you can tell, the camera didn't come out much, but we had a grand time

Riot's visit

We dogsat this big lunk of love for Kimbyl a few weekends ago.  He's a hound great dane mix to my best guess.  He looks huge but actually only weighs 80 lbs.  But he only has to stretch a little to eat things directly off the table top...

His name is Riot and he seems to think he is a lot smaller than he really is

House august

They have been working on putting the siding up on Eric's house.  The cedar looks super pretty

but on the bad side, I've discovered purple loosestrife in the lakeside area.  Another invasive to deal with!  This one is pretty though.

the house is slowly coming along

Des, looking gargantuan

Olympic Peninsula

Last week Eric and I took a trip up to see his parents in Ocean Shores.  It was the first time I've been there when we weren't rushed and that was so nice.  One of the days we took a trip north. Here is the biggest cedar tree

Pretty beach.  We stopped for lunch and Eric and I took a couple walks.  Almost got trapped by the tide in one direction, saw a big bald eagle in the other

There was a lot of beautiful drift wood

On the way back we took a detour into the Olympic National Park around Lake Quinault.  We stopped the car to check out a waterfall and the car was immediately swarmed with big fuzzy yellow and black stripped flying things.  Then Eric shrieked as one bit and we all panicked as the swarm split and surrounded each of us.  Rin was still in the car with all the windows down and I had visions of him trapped and attacked, but it's a fancy new car so you can open the back from far away.  We took off down the road trying to get away with the extra panic inducer that Nancy might be allergic.  Jim into the woods, Eric contemplating the river, Nancy just moving, Rin running up to me and gifting part of his swarm...  Eventually, the biologist in me kicked in and realized something was up, these were not behaving like normal hornets and they didn't look like yellow jackets.  

In fact, they were horseflies.  

Yes, flies.  

lordy

Creek walk

Eric has been so busy with work this summer that our grand backpacking plans were starting to look horribly improbable.  So I decided to take a quick trip of my own. I decided to retrace the trip up Eagle Creek that I did years ago. 

I found this parasitic plant, had to take the picture to show my students how biology never fits into a perfect box.

The creek was lovely

but I must admit it was a little more difficult than I remember (gee, am I no longer 20?)

Stink currant

lots of moss covered rocks

I dont know if this is a fly or a little native bee

the view from one of my campsites

a really cool cave, though unfortunately my camera got a little wet so its foggy

My trip was cut short unfortunately though.  Rin was thoroughly miserable (I somehow didn't think that the dog who hates water would mind crisscrossing a creek all day, woops).  I had to carry him across some deeper parts, scoop him out when he fell in, comfort him when he thought I was abandoning him.  And then I thought I broke his tail.  It was bent down in a very odd position and he yelped if I went anywhere near it.  Luckily it was only a sprain.  When I started feeling crappy I decided to head home for both our sakes.  

but, it was a beautiful trip!