Gorgeous Gorge - July

On the way home from the Friends of the Library meeting tonight it started 'graupeling'.   Not raining, sleeting, nor snowing - something inbetween all of those things.  The TV forecaster wasn't sure how much precipitation we would get since he wasn't sure what form it would take so I thought it best to take Whip out on our nightly constitutional as soon as I made it back home.  I usually like the quiet of winter but it was noisy tonight.  The lack of leaves on the trees and the snow smoothing out the terrain makes sound travel further I think.  Could easily hear the train wheels running on the rails through town.  A pack of coyotes was yipping excitedly.  Both Whip and I thought they were just on the other side of the house but they were probably further away.  Could hear the din of a lone snowmobile on the trail just over the ridge.  All of this while tiny graupel bits were pinging off my jacket.