On my Byrne Creek ravine loop this morning I was shooting spiders and webs, and a young woman passing by on the trail stopped and asked me what I was taking pictures of. Usually when I answer “spiders and webs” I get the “crazy old man” look.

But she beamed and said, “Cool, can I show you a spider I shot on my cell phone?”

Uh, OK. She held her phone out at arm’s length, and sure enough she had a neat video of a spider working on a web.

And then later as I was approaching our back gate I saw a young mother with a stroller staring up into the trees. “Look,” she said, “a Pileated Woodpecker!”

Sure enough she’d spotted one of the gorgeous birds and we watched together for a minute while I fired away.

It warms the cockles of my heart to see others taking delight in nature.