Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Northern Flickers Making Home in the Snag
Some years ago, my husband noticed one of our trees out front was dying, perhaps already dead. He brought out an arborist to take it down, who instead, convinced us to leave it standing as a snag.
He topped it and removed most of the branches, leaving a peculiar looking tree indeed and we had some explaining to do to the neighbors. (In fact, we had the arborist return and remove some of the scruffiest branches near the top.)
But he was oh so right! The birds love it!
According to the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, “Standing dead and dying trees, called “snags” or “wildlife trees,” are important for wildlife in both natural and landscaped settings, occurring as a result of disease, lightning, fire, animal damage, too much shade, drought, root competition, as well as old age.
“Birds, small mammals, and other wildlife use snags for nests, nurseries, storage areas, foraging, roosting, and perching.
“Snags enhance local natural areas by attracting wildlife species that may not otherwise be found there. All trees of all sizes are potential snags. Unfortunately, many wildlife trees are cut down without much thought to their wildlife value or of the potential management options that can safely prolong the existence of the tree. “
These pictures were taken last week, a pair of flickers, both busy working together, hewing out a nesting place to raise their young.
I was thrilled to watch them.
I hope the whole family finds the accommodations suitable.
~ Susanne
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Eight Years Later
How time flies!
When you’re having a good time!
Thanks to all of you who follow, view, like and comment! 🤗
We appreciate it!
Susanne, Tiger & Benji
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The Space Needle -It happened at the World’s Fair 62 Years Ago!
Not that I would remember!
Regardless, I was fortunate to inherit a stash of mementoes from my mother-in-law, including the original book from the Seattle World’s Fair, which opened 62 years ago today.
The Space Needle has changed a bit over the years, but not much.
We visited recently, after a long hiatus; our last visit was years ago for an anniversary dinner in the revolving restaurant on top.
While we waited in line, we learned some history and saw pictures of the early construction.
We also saw pictures of the revolving restaurant where we dined some twenty years earlier. Too bad they took it out, but some folks said the views were better than the food. I enjoyed both.
We didn’t see Elvis, but he did film a movie here back in the day. Not exactly a classic except perhaps to Seattleites because, ‘It Happened at the World’s Fair.’
We were whisked to the top and enjoyed 360-degree views of Seattle from the Observation Deck, taking care not to get too close to the edge, glass enclosed or not. (Others were bolder, standing on glass benches leaning against glass windows for photo ops. Um, no thanks.)
We took the stairs down to the site of the original restaurant, which was replaced with a small bar and the world’s only glass revolving floor for the brave to walk on.
Surprisingly I was one of them, my husband was not.
Actually, I lasted maybe 30 seconds before deciding it was enough.
Safely back on the ground, we had lunch in the Armory building (old ” Food Circus,”) then walked around, admiring the Space Needle from all angles.
The grounds of the Seattle Center haven’t changed much. The tall spires of the U.S. Science Pavilion still adorn the Pacific Science Center. The old Coliseum is now ‘Climate Pledge Arena” (strange name, don’t you think?) And there are a couple of new museums (Chihuly Glass and Museum of Pop Culture) but I’ve not been to either. Maybe someday.
To me, the star of the show and symbol of the City of Seattle will always be the Space Needle.
Happy Birthday to the Needle!
~ Susanne
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A Walk with Ducks and Turtles and Eagles
It was earlier this week, silver and cold.
The rain was over and gone, but clouds still filled the sky and reflected upon the lake.
A flock of ducks swam together in a most orderly fashion,
while turtles were out to catch some rays.
I heard an eagle overhead and as I looked for him in my viewfinder, a crow landed above.
Clearly annoyed, the eagle maintained his dignity and stoic look so I could get another picture.
A wonderful walk at my favorite local park, Gene Coulon Memorial Park, in Renton.
~ Susanne
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Quartz, Minerals, Rocks, and Other Gems
Who can keep them all straight?
I’ll start with the largest hunk of quartz I’ve ever seen, an 8,000-pound slab from Arkansas, newly obtained by the Smithsonian.
“Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the Earth’s crust. As a mineral name, quartz refers to a specific chemical compound (silicon dioxide, or silica, SiO2), having a specific crystalline form (hexagonal). It is found in all forms of rock: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary. Minerals Education Coalition
This next piece was touchable, also at the Smithsonian.
“Pure quartz is clear. Color variance due to impurities: purple (amethyst), white (milky quartz), black (smoky quartz), pink (rose quartz) and yellow or orange (citrine).” Minerals Education Coalition
We found this heart-shaped amethyst at the Perot Science Museum in Dallas.
We found more quartz inside in the Gems and Minerals Hall. The Eyes of Africa is a gorgeous specimen of quartz adorned with ‘alien eye’ fluorite.
This may have been my favorite display of minerals anywhere. Here are a few more, they may or may not be quartz, as I’ve lost the labels. Still, aren’t they beautiful?
I love collecting rocks, but I’ve never been lucky enough to find hunks of quartz lying around. But when I’m walking on a sandy beach, I’m walking on tiny particles of quartz and feldspar, minerals grounded down over millions of years from igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Rocks? Minerals? Crystals? Who can keep them straight? Not me, so I’m including one more definition before I close.
“A rock is any two or more minerals bonded together, while a mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic element. A crystal refers to the structure of a mineral, and there are many different kinds of crystalline structures. A mineral can be part of a rock, and a crystal can be a mineral, but the terms are not synonymous.” How to find Rocks
So there you have it.
Sharing with #Sunday Stills.
~ Susanne
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Little Anna’s through the Window
I have many other things I could be sharing on this dull Monday morning, but instead, I bring to you this flying jewel, a handsome Anna’s Hummingbird, seen through my office window.
A welcome distraction.
~ Susanne
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Lots of Activity at the Mason Bee House
The mason bees have emerged from their little house, which hangs under the eaves of my big house.
Mason bees are solitary pollinators that nest in tunnels that they seal with mud or clay.
They lay female eggs in the back of the tunnel and male eggs in front, so males emerge first when they hatch in the spring, followed by the females. (Smart little bees, aren’t they?)
After mating the males die and the female looks for a nest.
Then she collects pollen from shrubs and flowers and deposits it inside the chamber. Once she has a sufficient nugget of pollen, she lays an egg on top, then follows up with a partition of mud to seal off the compartment – hence the name mason bee.
She does this repeatedly until the chamber is filled with eggs, then plugs the entrance to the tube.
Inside, the larva eats the pollen, then spins a cocoon and enters the pupal stage, maturing and hibernating through the winter. In spring the males exit the nest first, then females, and the cycle of life continues.
Just another miracle of nature!
~ Susanne
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The Daffodils of the Skagit Valley
Though the Tulip Festival in April gets more press, daffodils are the stars of the Skagit Valley in March. But neither adhere strictly to the calendar so when we visited the tulips at Roozengaarde last week, plenty of daffodils were still in their glory.
“According to Brent Roozen, owner of RoozenGaarde and the Washington Bulb Company, RoozenGaarde grows more than 450 acres of daffodils, compared to 350 acres of tulips. Fields of daffodils are left intact through the bloom cycle and beyond, unlike tulips which are ‘topped’ toward the end of their bloom cycle.”
~ Susanne
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Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Rain or Shine
Last week while enjoying our unintended staycation, we traveled north to the Skagit Valley for the Tulip Festival. The weather was fickle – it rained off and on, leaving dark gray clouds hanging low over the fields. But it didn’t matter, the flowers lit up the sky!
This year’s brochure described the event as follows:
“The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is a month-long celebration centered around the blooming of millions of tulips and our agricultural heritage. The festival is comprised of multiple display gardens, tulip fields, events and activities spread throughout our beautiful valley.”
All the pictures above were taken at the largest of the gardens, RoozenGaarde.
Sharing with Sunday Stills, #April Flowers.
~ Susanne
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Vacation – Staycation- A Sampling
Last week we headed down the Oregon Coast, intending to end up in Northern California and the magnificent Redwoods. We’ve made this trip many times before and never get tired of it; there’s always something new to see, beach to explore, and Redwood grove to hike in.
It was a gorgeous, sunny day when we arrived in Seaside for the night, a quintessential beach town on the northern Oregon coast. Condos and motels line the beach and shops and eateries line the small town’s streets. We found the best ice cream in town, and I was happy to find my favorite flavor – licorice! – fortunately for Bob, without the color that usually turns my lips and teeth a lovely shade of charcoal-green.
We were too full for dinner so turned in early, which meant rising early the next morning and having the beach to ourselves.
We continued south with stops at Cannon Beach and the tiny towns of Nehalem and Wheeler,
and lunch at Pacific City where we enjoyed wonderful views of Cape Kiwanda, a large beast of sandstone.
We crammed a lot into those two days and it’s a good thing, as just past Lincoln City, we got a call that would cut our trip short, life happens, right?
We returned home and after our personal universe settled down, we were left wondering what to do with the rest of the week. We didn’t want to resume the typical cares and responsibilities of home, so we decided upon a staycation, which is really just a state of mind, to those who are retired.
Still, it meant we could eat out with abandon and find local things to do, starting with bicycling the Foothills Trail in Buckley where I tested out my new bike. (The battery died on my old bike and refused to be resurrected.)
What to do next? We considered going up in the Space Needle (it’s been years) or going to a Mariners (baseball game) also years. But then I remembered the Tulip Festival in the Skagit Valley so off we went to the town of La Conner for lunch and shopping, then to Roozengaarde, my favorite tulip field. Which, honestly deserves its own post, don’t you think? Me too. So I’ll save my pictures for later, except for this sneak peek.
Suffice it to say, the week didn’t go as planned but we managed to salvage it and enjoy it just the same.
Back soon with more daffodils and tulips!
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 