Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Happy National Feed the Birds Day!
If you plant flowers, herbs and shrubs, and add a water source, they will come!
I became a backyard birder accidently some years ago at my home in Seattle, when I planted a garden.
The birds were attracted, so I hung feeders.
I don’t have a lavish garden at my home in Renton; most of my yard is shaded. But honestly, it’s a bird bonanza!
I still feed the hummingbirds and they come year-round, multiple times a day.
Varied native plants supply seed for other birds and the trees provide all the bugs a bird could ask for. During cold winter spells I put up additional feeders with seed or suet.
All the birds appreciate the water. I have two birdbaths and a stream my husband built.
Most of the birds that visit my yard are small, 4- 7 inches or so. But occasionally larger birds drop by, my favorites are the woodpeckers!
I was surprised to see a Northern Flicker checking out the lodging in the snag this morning.
The snag has been quite a hit with all the birds, including the chickadees,
and this surprise visitor!
Did you know that February 3rd is National Feed the Birds Day? Well now you do!
Sharing with Sunday Stills, #Feed-the-Birds
~ Susanne
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Stormy Weather, Flooding Rivers and Cheerful Hummingbirds
It was just last month when the Pacific Northwest was hit with torrential rain that lasted several days, flooding our local rivers.
In Renton, the Cedar River rose over 18 feet, higher than the previous record, closing the Community Center.
This was the view from the same area last fall, when I went down to watch the salmon spawning.
The flooding will likely have a negative impact on the salmon’s already dwindling numbers.
The river ran high through town,
though no harm was done to the library.
This was the view at normal levels in October.
I was considering how much worse the damage would have been if the river had not been rerouted into Lake Washington over a hundred years ago.
“In 1911, there was a major flood along the lower Cedar River. This prompted the city of Renton to make a diversion canal so that the Cedar River emptied into Lake Washington instead of the Black River. The diversion was completed in 1912.” Wikipedia
The river is still running high, but January has been milder overall. The Anna’s Hummingbirds are still feeding, bringing life and color even to the dreariest days;
and are wondering,
Is it Spring yet?
Sharing with Sunday Stills, #Storm.
~ Susanne
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Tiger, My 100-year-old Cat
“Who me, Sue? I don’t feel that old.”
“Yes, you, Tiger! According to the doctor. She said 18 cat years is like 100 human years, never mind what the charts say.”
“No wonder I’m so tired.”
“She said you look pretty good for your age, and I think so too.”
“Thanks, Sue, but it’s time for my nap. Would you close the door on your way out?”
“Sure will, Tiger.”
We took Tiger to a new vet this week; no wonder he has so many issues, he’s an old man!
We’re awaiting the results of lab work, but regardless of the outcome, we’ll keep Tiger as happy and comfortable for as long as we can.
Annie, the oldest cat I ever had, made it to 21 and she let us know when it was time to help her over the Rainbow Bridge.
Tiger will let us know, too.
~ Susanne and Tiger
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Top 10 Pacific Northwest
I once picked up a travel book on the Pacific Northwest and was surprised at their top 10 attractions. There was nothing listed from Washington State except the Burke Museum of Natural History in Seattle – huh? Have you ever been to Washington? So I decided to create my own list, and I admit I may be biased. (All such lists are subjective.)
#1 – Olympic National Park, Washington
#2 – Oregon Coast
#3 – Mt. Rainier, Washington
#4 – Columbia Gorge, Oregon
#5 – Seattle, Washington
#6 – Skagit Valley, Washington
7 – Victoria, British Columbia
#8 – Port Townsend, Washington
#9 – Sequim, Washington
#10 – Astoria, Oregon
Now that I put the list together, I see how hard it is to choose only 10! Vancouver, British Columbia should be on the list, but I haven’t been there in years and have no current pictures. And many other charming towns deserve a spot including Oregon’s Florence and Washington’s Bellingham, home of my alma mater. But I have chosen what I have chosen and that’s my final answer for this post, which was inspired by #Sunday Stills, 10’s
~ Susanne
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Best Waterfall on the Columbia Gorge – Latourell or Multnomah? You Decide
Multnomah Falls is the more famous of the two, and one of the top attractions in Oregon, receiving 2 million visitors a year. It can be reached easily from the main Gorge Highway, 84.
At 622 feet high, it’s one of the tallest in the country. It’s a beauty and you should definitely see it, preferably in the off season without the crowds.
But there’s another waterfall at least as beautiful as Multnomah – Latourell Falls, the first you come to going eastbound on the Historic Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway 30. We visited last week and took the scenic route winding through the fog till we arrived at the falls.
Latourell Falls drops 224 feet, into an amphitheater of columnar basalt, brightened by golden/chartreuse lichen. You can see it from road or take the short path down to the base and feel the spray on your face.
A beauty, don’t you think? You can get closer to it, without the crowds; it has my vote.
There are several other waterfalls on the scenic route, including Shepherd’s Dell Falls, most requiring no hiking, unless you want to. (We didn’t.)
This route will also take you to Multnomah Falls, so you can easily do both from Historic Highway 30. I highly recommend it.
~ Susanne
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For the Birds – At Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
I’d heard of Ridgefield before as a birder’s paradise – and yes, a bird’s paradise – but this was our first stop at the Refuge. Off the beaten path, it’s located north of Vancouver, Washington, near the Columbia River, and on our way home from our road trip to the Columbia Gorge last week, we decided to stop.
According to the website, “Ridgefield NWR was established in 1965 to provide wintering habitat for the dusky subspecies of the Canada goose whose habitat is extremely limited. Since then, smaller pieces of land have been added to create what is now Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
Staff and partners strive to work with the community to restore and conserve Oregon oak woodlands, pastures and wetland habitats. These lands provide the perfect environment for state and federally protected species such as Columbian white-tailed deer, Sandhill cranes and other wildlife.”
It’s much larger than I realized, and there are two major sections. We went to the River S Unit and took the auto tour, stopping to view the birds and wildlife, only exiting our vehicle when allowed, at blinds.
The one-way gravel road surrounds an area that includes several lakes, marshes, and a river. There were a handful of other slow-moving vehicles, drivers and passengers with binoculars and cameras in hand.
In addition to the lakes filled with ducks, geese and swans,
we saw plenty of egrets and great blue herons hunting and fishing
or just out for a stroll.
Other birds soared overhead.
Afterwards, we stopped at one of our favorite burger places, In-n-Out, only recently arrived in Washington, the only one so far, at Ridgefield. (We used to get our fix of the delicious burgers on our annual trips to California.)
Now we have another reason to go back to Ridgefield – for the birds and the burgers. Next time we’ll walk the trails of the Carty Unit of the Wildlife Refuge, hopefully, this spring.
~ Susanne
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For Icy Blue and Aquamarine – Just Look to Alaska!
I love a good color challenge, especially with my favorite colors! So for this week’s Sunday Stills I went to my archives where I knew I’d find icy blue and aquamarine on our first cruise to Alaska.
In fact, it was our first cruise to anywhere – what a way to travel! Our ship left from Seattle which meant, we packed our bags, got dropped off at the pier, boarded, and left the rest up to Holland America!
It was all wonderful, but a highlight of the trip for me was the day we spent cruising in Glacier Bay.
According to the National Park website: “Covering 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, dynamic glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coastlines and deep sheltered fjords, Glacier Bay National Park is a highlight of Alaska’s Inside Passage and part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site—one of the world’s largest international protected areas.”
And to think I’d never heard of it before our cruise!
It was cold and rainy, and visibility overhead was not the best, which means I missed the backdrop of frosty mountain peaks. Which also means I need to go back to see this magnificent place in all its glory, earlier in the season, when we might have better weather.
Maybe this summer? We’ll see!
~ Susanne
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Bright Red Berries
No snow yet in the lowlands here, so I haven’t been able to capture berries covered in snow, the pictures below are from past winters.
I’m still hoping for snow, but the berries on my doorstep are still beautiful adorned with raindrops, which are plentiful year-round!
Sharing with The Flower Hour.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 