THE SUN! The sun came out Today!

Well, maybe you don't think that is much to get excited about... but for those of us here who have experienced the long run of days that we have had without even seeing the sky (because of the overhanging fog everywhere), this is the kind of excitement that makes you get out of bed early on a weekend morning!

This past weekend, the sun came out for just one day... one day... oh but that day was just glorious! (as I write this post, the clouds, fog and rain are back)  But...  for just one day it felt like spring in February - 55 degrees!  We couldn't believe it!  55 degrees when our temperatures usually are hovering in the 20s and 30s!  Just about all the snow melted too.  That part makes me sad!

As the sun was rising early in the morning, I just KNEW it was going to be a glorious day - after all, how could it not be with such a glorious sunrise!

As the light played across the horizon mixing with the dark shadows, there was a great anticipation about it all.

Even with the fog lifting from the ground rising to meet the warmer air, I knew that today would be different.  Today we were going to get to see the sun!

After watching the rosy skies push the darkness away, even Annie was excited about the prospect of a sunny day!

Missy was really happy to see the sun too!  Well - we were ALL happy!

Blue skies!  Oh be still my heart!

Melting snow - not so pretty!  Sad really!  After all, it is still February!

I would like to name this picture Annie's Last Stand.

Annie was sad about seeing the snow melt too, even though we were all happy to see the sun!

She just stood there on her patch of remaining snow, trying to hold onto it as long as possible.

I understand how you feel Annie!  How can you feel happy and sad at the same time!  Happy to see the sun, but sad to see the snow melting away!

Annie's favorite thing to do in the winter is to find a snowbank, stand on it, and howl away at whoever will listen.  Sometimes I think she has part wolf in her, especially when she does that!  ... but we know she doesn't. Still... I love to see her get up on a bank of snow, and just smile at the world!

We didn't take the dogs with us as we left to take a drive, and enjoy the sunshine with all the beauty it brought to us. They were sad about that!

As we drove along, we saw the clouds perched on top of Mount Spokane.  It was beautiful to see.

We passed some cows who stared at me as I stopped to photograph them.

This one cow especially was quite intense as she watched me take her picture.

Haunting eyes, aren't they!  I would have sad eyes too if all I could find to do was stand in muddy water!

We continued on down the road, and honestly, you would really think from this picture that it was early April with no snow on the roads!

Another glimpse of Mount Spokane from a different angle.

In this picture, I used my telephoto lens, and actually was able to zoom up close enough to see the power lines on Mount Spokane! Wow!

Amazing to see how the fog and clouds were hanging over the mountain, while the sun shone everywhere else!

Stopped by a little lake close to a resort in this area.  This lake freezes over during the winter, but you can see that it is already starting to melt.

This little lake is a nice fishing spot in early spring.  It looks like any day now, you could begin fishing here, since the ice is melting very, very fast.

I just love how the melted ice water picks up the view of the clouds and trees above.  My husband and I sat on the rocks and just soaked up the lovely sunshine and views for a long while.  It just was a day that you had to take slowly, and enjoy!

We drove into town, and as we crossed the river, you could see the cloud cover slowly moving back in.

We went to the City Beach, as there are always some great views of the mountains, and the lake there.

The park area had completely lost its snow, and there were huge puddles of water everywhere.

I love the contrast of colors in this picture of the blue water set against the purples of the mountains, and the browns of the winter foliage.

The beach was mostly deserted as we walked out onto the pier.  There were a few people walking around the park, but no one down on the beach.

Lady Liberty of the Northwest!

Such incredible serene beauty.  Again, we lingered around the park, savoring the beauty of the day, and yet seeing the signs in the sky that it was coming to a close.  The clouds were gathering themselves back together.

Soon the clouds began piling up in the horizon, casting a slight shadow over the water as they gathered.

But even with the gathering clouds, it seemed all the world was proclaiming that spring was arriving early, and it was a happy thought!

If this balmy spring weather continues, it won't be long until the trees will be graced with green buds of life! Hard to believe we are seeing this in February, when we are usually still up to our knees in snow!

After we returned home from our outing, the dogs were begging for a chance to take a walk.  I gladly obliged.  It was probably our last romp in the snow for the season.

Both dogs were a handful this time as we walked through the remainder of the snow left in our woods. Apparently some deer had been through earlier, and their scent was everywhere.  With the snow melting, and mud underneath, and the excitement of the dogs, I found my boots slipping and sliding, trying to keep up with the excitement and energy of the dogs.

At one point in our walk, three deer ran across the trail in front of us.  I really had all I could do to hold both dogs back from chasing them.  I was very glad I had a firm grip on their leashes.  Their excitement was almost too much for me to handle!

I made the dogs sit after the deer ran across the trail in front of us.  They weren't happy about that at all, but did listen.

My arms were worn out by this point, not to mention the slow going through the mud and soft snow.  I made the girls sit and wait for several minutes to let the deer get on down the trail.

The cloud cover had made its way across the mountains, and our beautiful day of sunshine was slipping away.  I was glad that we had the time to make the best of this beautiful day, as we will have to hold onto its memories, since we have more rainy, wet, soggy weather on its way!  Apparently the east coast is getting their allotted amount of snow plus some, while we are chugging along full speed ahead towards spring!  Life seems to be dotted full with moments like we experienced today - a bit of sunshine mixed with cloud... and that's okay.  I'm thankful for the sunshine we had today, and while I know more sloggy soggy weather is coming... I can look back at these pictures and be thankful for the sun that we enjoyed today.  :)