THAT AIN'T MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPING

It's poison oak! My favorite wildflower haunt is chock full of the stuff. Squat to shoot a Fritillaria meleagris, or for far more pressing reasons,and even when the damn shrubs aren't budded, you're flirting with serious discomfort.

Rather than itch and squirm in vain, here's a glimpse of why I sit in the loathsome stuff. First up, that fritillaria:
Now for the ubiquitous grass widow, the earliest Catherine Creek bulbs to put on a show:
Here's a gaggle in context, sunbathing by the water:



And a view that demands no risk to arms or tuchas, as we look eastward along the Columbia Gorge:

Worth the weep, huh?