I guess it goes without saying that I take a lot of pictures.  Either I get lucky, or the sheer volume dictates that a COUPLE come out nice, every so often one will stand out from the others... I'll try to put those here.

Some of you have said I was a month behind, but that's just because the picture is from the month before...  I don't know what THIS month's best pic will be... I might not have taken it yet!

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This Zebra, which lives in the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, in San Antonio, Texas, which is a drive-through animal farm, seemed to smile every time I pointed the camera at him...

We got a big kick out of his toothy grin!  I guess its true... It's the simple things in life that are the funniest!  
 

 
With a steam and ash plume billowing out of the crater, Mt St Helens provides an excellent backdrop for a sunrise over Cold Water Ridge Observatory.  Built in the early 1990's, Coldwater Ridge is the second-closest observatory in the Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument.  It is filled with several displays, a movie theater depicting the blast and natures recovery, a place to eat, and of course a gift shop.  Its an excellent way to catch up on the latest at The Mountain.  The sign lets you in on the danger the volcano presents to getting any closer.  
 

 
Often called a "Blood Moon", the reddish glow of the eclipsed Moon was believed by Pacific Northwest Indians to a foretelling sign of a particularly difficult Winter. 

In between innings of Game 4 of the World Series, I managed to take a gander or two of this historic event, which was itself eclipsed by the Red Sox winning the Championship for the first time in 86 years.  
 

 
During the Fall and Winter, foggy mornings are not all that uncommon. 

On one morning, I happened to have the chance of being near the Capital building during the morning ritual... and I managed to grab a pretty decent photo...  
 

 
This old truck, outside of the Lewis County 5th District fire barn, is one of the highlights of Napavine, a small town in the middle of nowhere. 

One can only imagine how many fires this old truck as helped put out!  Looking as pristine as ever, this truck is probably retired... but you'd never know it.
  
 

 
During this year's Capital Lake Festival, I managed to capture this photo from the Ferris Wheel... the colors for the sunset were STRIKING!!! 

The views over the lake were spectacular, too!  
 

 
 
New to the Pacific Northwest, Krispy Kreme has really given Winchells, the local doughnut chain, a run for its money...  

 
This bee, its legs covered with pollen, busily collects more, basically ignoring the camera lens completely. 

I don't know what kind of flowers those are, but there's a big bush in the back yard covered with them, and almost every flower has a bee on it, so it must be a popular one among the bees in the area.  
 

 
 
The Texas Rangers came to town, and we managed to pick up a game.  There's just something about a baseball game that being at the ball park somehow makes the game more important.  The opportunity to spend time with friends and family is the reason I like going to the games so much.
 

 
Erected in 1897, this lighthouse, the tallest in Washington at 107 feet, has quided ships into Westport's Port for more than 100 years.  Originally built on the shoreline, this lighthouse now stands about 3000 feet from shore, in the midst of an impressive fir tree stand.  
 

 
This butterfly was teasing me.  If it had opened its wings, I would have been treated to a powerful splash of bright blue, white, and purple in a dazzling display of color... but it must have known what I wanted, because it refused to open its wings while I was waiting, so I moved to where I could catch a glimpse of the color, and took the picture.   

 
This view of the Olympia waterfront looking over Capital Lake is seen from the Capital Complex, which overlooks the city.  It's a man-made lake, made mostly to ensure the mudflats remained covered, cutting down on mosquitoes and the smell long before we had rules in place to keep you from doing that sort of thing.  The body on the far side of the buildings is named "Budd Inlet", and its the southernmost portion of the Puget Sound.

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