Looking up and Looking Down

We made it to Washington State! And I don't actually know what day it is, but we have seen the east and west parts of Washington. Stunning in so many ways. We stayed at two WA. State Parks, Potholes east and Fort Townsend west.  The eastern part of the state is full to the brim with sage brush, and home to Sage Grouse. And while I'm dispensing scintillating tidbits,

did you know that sage brush is not related to the herb sage, but is part of the Sunflower family?  Yup, and here we are back to those mysterious Sunflowers...hmm.

Driving out of the flatness of sagebrush.... cliffs emerged and all John and I could say to one another was different versions of Wowness Wonder. We had to stop...to just Look Up! sometimes you know the beauty won't show through your pictures, but you take 'em anyway; I did.  And then I looked down and the whole roadway way a trash dump, even too ugly to be called litter...just trash. So, there is Beauty and there is Ugly, together. It's important to look. 

We landed for tonight in Fort Townsend state park.  On a walk with, you know who, I looked up into the giant beauty of trees, and down to the shore. There was just Beauty this time. I know life will balance that out, perhaps, but I'm storing up as much beauty memory as my brain synapses can store! I'm throwing in one of a heron John interrupted eating an evening meal.

And here is my favorite picture of the day It combines what could be Big Ugly for a tree...getting cut down to a stump, and what I call kick butt Beauty...a new trunk growing up from the stump. Win and win!