Going on vacation can remind you just how special home is. I loved my trip to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California, but I also came home with a new appreciation for the Pacific Northwest.
I was reminded just how much I love it here by Friday’s trip to Belfair. Even the ever-present Song Sparrow’s

song seemed refreshingly new.
A Northern Pintail is just as beautiful at Belfair as in Sacramento.

The common House Finch may not compare to the flashier Pyrrhuloxia, but red feathers still shine against a gray sky.

A seldom seen Fox Sparrow is nearly as welcome as a never-seen Cactus Wren.

The flashing Cooper’s Hawk still thrills the heart

and who could ignore Red-tailed Hawks circling over head

rising ever and ever higher?
Nothing better than making new friends unless it’s meeting old ones.