Bear Creek in early spring

A creek is a lovely thing to see on a spring walk. Bear Creek reflects the sky, hinting at approaching warm weather.

We drive across this one whenever we travel north from home, but rarely stop to take a closer look.

Creeks change every day. A couple of months ago, this one was in full spate, the water so high it almost touched the underside of the bridge I stood on to take this picture.

Now the water flows low, slow and clear. Soon the banks will be choked with brambles and wild orchids, and later, there will be blackberries.

In the fall, there will be salmon swimming upstream to spawn and die in their home streams, a yearly miracle visible to anyone who pauses long enough to look.