Autumn and our Eagles

The record breaking drought is finally over. Nearly 90 days with almost zero in the rain gauge. The baby eagles are now fledged, and mama and papa are back to normal. Hanging out around the 520 Bridge, waiting for a naive salmon to swim under the bridge or a cocky seagull to fly too close to those waiting talons. But now they have only themselves to feed, do Ethel and Ernest, and not those pesky, ravenous youngsters. We have seen one or the other on the light posts west of the western high rise about every other trip across the bridge. When we do.....the toll we pay to cross the bridge seems a pittance. Winter is coming. Prognosticators are not agreed upon what we'll see in this area this year. Evidently it is neither a La Nina nor an El Nino pattern. It was the former mischief maker which brought us all the snow last winter. El Nino usually produces nothing but Pineapple Expresses, miserable warmish rain and wind storms that soak us for days and enhance our over-stated reputation for being a 'rainy place'. It is actually 'neutral years' like the one coming that have historically produced the greatest snowfalls around here, but it doesn't always happen by any means. However, the winters of 1968-1969 (70 inches snow) and most recently 2008-2009 (60 inches) were both 'neutral years'. We kind of like it when our precip falls fluffy and white....at least until we get really sick of it. So we will see. And no matter what winter brings we look forward to seeing more of our friends, Ethel and Ernest. And are so thankful they have chosen to make their lives in our neighborhood.