On Monday, I went for my first hike this year, taking a friend to hike Hamilton Mountain on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. It's a good thing I did, otherwise I would have had trouble finding something to share this week for Wednesday Vignette, hosted by Anna of Flutter & Hum. I'd tried several times on Sunday to go out and take pictures of the garden, but every time I did, it would start raining, and then hailing. But Hamilton Mountain provided a wealth of beauty from which to select a vignette. There were many to choose from, but there was something about this shot that really struck me. The wood, rock, water, and moss just look so beautiful. This was taken on the bridge below the Pool of Winds, a waterfall in a round chamber with only a narrow slot to let the water escape. I'll share a picture of that later.
Truth be told, I was really trying to get a photo of the dipper flitting up and down the waterfall, with only half a mind towards composing a nice picture. Below is a cropped version of the photo above. See the grey, bird-shaped blur near the center of the picture? Just at the right edge of the waterfall? It's almost the same color as the rocks. These fascinating birds flit and run about the rocks, catching insects. They also dive into the water, half flying and half running along the stream bed underwater. They're name comes from this underwater hunting, as well as their habit to bob up and down when standing.
I may not have managed a clean shot of the bird (I really needed a telephoto lense) but I do love the original shot above for all the other elements in it. The bird is almost a hidden bonus, a feathered Where's Waldo.