In last night's post I told you that my wife and I went for a nice afternoon walk down at Capitol Lake. It's trail that goes around the lake is a popular spot for people who either like to walk or walk their dogs. (NOTE: we knew right away this was not a dog!) We were about half way around the lake when I stopped dead in my tracks and told my wife "Honey....LOOK." Yep, there is a local woman that happens to (legally) own a somewhat tame Bobcat. I wish I had backed off and taken a shot of her, the Bobcat and her two dogs. The dogs weren't even on leashes. Evidently they've grown up around the cat and are completely comfortable around it. They acted like it was no big deal. There were other dogs that came by that the cat appeared to eye very closely licking it's chops. The owner kept a pretty tight grip on the leash, but I was surprised how long of a leash she used. It was probably fifteen feet long which seems like a lot of lead for an animal that could do the damage this one could. We stopped and talked to the lady for a while. A group of teenagers stopped and took a ton of cell phone pics. A couple of them actually did get to pet it, but she wouldn't let any small kids close. Definitely a beautiful animal, but it sure caught us off guard.

This evening seemed like a good night for pizza, so we headed over to Brewery City Pizza and filled our bellies. Well, my belly is not quite as full as Krise's but you get the idea. After dinner we decided it was too nice out to just go home so we drove to Capitol Lake to take a nice relaxing stroll and watch the sunset. Tomorrow I'm going to show you what else we saw there. It's going to surprise you.

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For this Skywatch Friday I thought I'd share a photo that has a wide enough view to remind you of some of the places I've shown you on here. The lake is Capitol Lake. Recently I showed you another angle looking right back where this shot was taken near the Legislative Building. In the distance to the left you see the 4th Avenue Bridge. I took this shot from underneath it. See that building in the distance to the right? I told you the story of that right here.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday weekend. If you'd like to see more Skywatch Friday photos click the link below.

As those of you who regularly follow along here know, Capitol Lake is one of our favorite places to go on a nice day. It's a great place to walk the dogs, take in some sun and photograph the goings on. I just couldn't pass up a scene like this.

Another shot taken this past Sunday, (Mother's Day) on our walk around Capitol Lake. How perfect is this? Our youngest daughter and our French Bulldog Otis were ready for a rest at the same time. Why not share a shady spot with your best friend?

Have a great weekend!

Taken this past Sunday (Mother's Day), these little fellas were just two of nine babies with their mama down at Capitol Lake.

For more Watery Wednesday shots click the link below.

Taken at Capitol Lake this past weekend, Mother's Day to be exact.

A quick stop at Capitol Lake on the way home. My wife and I stepped out onto the dock and thought this view was worth capturing.

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One of the many things that turned up when they drained Capitol Lake recently.

See the world in a different light over at The Monochrome Weekend.

The nice days have been sort of hit and miss around here lately. While taking a drive around Capitol Lake the other day this scene caught my eye. I hope everyone has a simply wonderful weekend.

For more SkyWatch Friday photos click the link below.

Recently in these previous posts here and here I showed you a very similar view of Capitol Lake here in Olympia. I showed you a news clip explaining the "invasion" of the New Zealand Mud Snails and the fact that they are not that easy to eradicate. Well as my wife was driving to work this morning she noticed the lake was a bit lower than usual. Quite a bit. That meant that they were draining the lake, then hoping the backfill of saltwater would help kill the little monsters. After work we took a drive to this familiar vantage point so we could show you the difference between today and your last view of the lake. For a better explanation of what is taking place click here.

Taken Sunday evening. The path around Capital Lake is one of our favorite places to walk.

To see more contributions to Watery Wednesday click the link below and enjoy!

On the heels of last yesterday's post I thought I should bring you all up to speed on what has happened to our beautiful Capitol Lake. It seems that the New Zealand Mud Snail has managed to not only set up home there, but multiply like you wouldn't believe. That has closed the lake for an indefinite period. For a more in-depth explanation click here to watch a short news clip.

Taken on the way to work this morning. This dock is located at the Capitol Lake Interpretive Center.

For more Watery Wednesday shots click the link below.

As I mentioned, this past Saturday after work I headed to Capitol Lake to photograph the beautiful fall colors. While I was there I was fortunate enough to catch this guy chillin' on a log, as well as a variety of colorful foliage. Down at the other end of the lake however, there was a miracle a happenin'. A seagull that walks on water. Of course as soon as he saw me he just stood there as if nothing was going on. Show off!

Staghorn Sumac at Capitol Lake. Taken about twenty feet from where I took yesterday's photo. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

For more Scenic Sunday shots click the link below.

Seeing as the weather cooperated today I decided to go out after work and photograph some of the wonderful fall colors down at Capitol Lake. As things worked out you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to see those. This Great Blue Heron convinced me that he needed to be front and center on today's post. This is the boss of Capitol Lake. You might remember I posted a night shot of him not too long ago. I don't think anything spooks this guy. I could just about walk right up without him even moving a muscle. The only thing he did was turn his eye my way.