Up, up, and away

A small spider shoots out a strand of spider silk as it attempts to balloon off of a small sapling in a hazelnut orchard near Elkton in western Oregon on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. Ballooning, sometimes called kiting, is a process by which spiders move through the air by releasing one or more gossamer threads to catch the wind, causing them to become airborne. 

Spring flower

A ladybug forages on a small wildflower growing in a pasture on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.

Just floating around

A wild Pacific tree frog floats in a pond on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Saturday, March 16, 2019. As the days begin to get longer and the temperatures warmer, western tree frogs are beginning their annual migrations to ponds for mating and egg laying. 

After noticing the camera in his face, the frog makes a dive for the safety of the deep water.

Youth Climate Strike in Eugene, Oregon

Students march through Eugene, Ore., as part of the world wide Youth Climate Strike on Friday, March 15, 2019. Student-led climate strikes, inspired by Swedish youth activist Greta Thunberg, took park in 130 countries Friday with students, teachers and parents demanding that world leaders address climate change.

A pair of owls

A mated pair of barn owls perch together in the rafters of an old barn on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Thursday, March 14, 2019. In most cases the adult female barn owl is larger than the male. 

The silver lining

It's been 15 days since a snowstorm downed thousands of trees and shredded the electric grid in and around our home in rural western Oregon. We're still without power. On the bright side, my amazing border collie Lily has lots of new trees to climb.

Lily is the Queen of the Oak

Lost in the snow

Last week when the snowstorm hit we lost power. An hour after I took this photo the electricity at our house went out and it's still not back. Hundreds of trees came down and shredded the electric grid. The power company is predicting 2-3 more weeks before the electricity is back on the ranch. 

Red Cross emergency shelter in Elkton

Cots have been setup at the American Red Cross emergency shelter in the gym of the Elkton High School in rural western Oregon on Sunday, March 4, 2019. Residents of the area are continuing to be effected by a massive snowstorm which hit the area a week ago and left thousands without electricity. The local power company if predicting 2-3 more weeks before they can restore electricity to some rural areas in and around Elkton.

The shelter is offering hot showers, food, water, snacks, cots, and a place to charge cell phones for the people in the area. Here Lilly and her mom Terry check in to use the shower facility.