Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
The Birds were out, and the Mountain was too, at Coulon Park
It was a gorgeous summer-like day when I went for my walk yesterday at Coulon Park.
All the usual birds, along with their young, were out and about, too.
I walked the paved trail along the lake
past the sailboats,
and the turtles,
and didn’t see the mountain till I rounded the corner.
There she was – Mt. Rainier in all her glory –
– is there a prettier mountain?
~ Susanne
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Treated to a Rufous, On her way North
Anna’s Hummingbirds visit my feeders year-round, male and female both dark green, the male especially handsome with his ruby red crown.
But this weekend, I saw flashes of brown and rust on a first-time, smaller visitor, the Rufous Hummingbird.
She was a beauty, though like the Anna’s, the male is more striking, with more intense coloring, including a copper-colored crown.
I watched her land and keep an eye on her surroundings, alert for intruders.
Soon an Anna’s showed up
and I watched them spar until the Rufous was driven off,
the Anna’s the winner, at least for this round.
Hummingbirds are the smallest birds, with the ability to fly straight up and down, sideways and backwards, and hover while they use their needle like bills to sip nectar. The Anna’s is medium sized 3.5 – 4 inches long, the Rufous a bit smaller at 3.5 inches. The Anna’s doesn’t migrate but stays on the Pacific Coast of the US year-round. The hardy Rufous migrates almost 4,000 miles solo, nesting as far north as southern Alaska, wintering as far south as southern Mexico. They can be seen in the Seattle area in the spring and fall.
I was happy to provide a source of food and water for them on their journey.
~ Susanne
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Benji, One Year Later – Still Soaring!
“Benji, you’re so inspirational!”
“Why do you say that, Sue?”
“The way you adjusted this past year. Actually – more than adjusted. You embraced your new life with gusto!”
“Just living my best cat life, Sue.”
“The accommodations help. First the steps,
then the window seat. All appreciated.”
“Glad to hear it, Benji.”
“Even more, I’m glad you let me go outside. I was worried when you kept me in so long.”
“It was a hard decision, Benji, but we knew you wouldn’t thrive without the outdoors. You’re part wild, you know.”
“Who me?”
“Uh-huh. And we didn’t know you’d be able to run so fast with only three legs!”
“I do what I can, Sue.”
“Mostly, I wondered whether you’d be happy as a tripawed; now I know I needn’t haven’t worried.”
“No question about it, Sue. In my dreams, I still soar!”
“Just like before.”
“Indeed, you do, Benji.”
~ Susanne
P.S. A year ago this happened and we had to make a decision for Benji – lose his leg or lose his life – we chose life. We’re glad we did.
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Bees on Blossoms of Lavender
I love this time of year, when the lavender begins to bloom attracting bees, which in turn, attract me. Bumblebees and honeybees are things of beauty with their fat, furry bodies, tiny legs and sheer wings.
I watched them yesterday and snapped a few pictures with my phone.
Soon heavy rain began to fall, and we all went back inside, though where inside is for them, I don’t know.
This morning, I went out again under gray skies with my Sony RX10, to see if I might do better.
Not sure I did.
I liked the color better, it seemed truer to me, though maybe it was time of day and weather. But I didn’t get good closeups of the bees; I haven’t used my Sony in a while so I’m rusty on the controls.
Fortunately, it’s still early in the season. I’ll have many more opportunities to watch the bees on the lavender, and more cameras to play with.
~ Susanne
P.S. I didn’t realize when I posted this, that it’s World Bee Day! Or maybe I did know? 🙂
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Synchronized Flying on the Cedar River Trail
Last week I took a walk along the Cedar River and shared the trail with ducklings.
The trail follows the river on one side,
and the Boeing Plant on the other, (the plant to me, looking like the Twilight Zone.)
They build airplanes there, the 737 in particular, and have since World War Two, when they built the Superfortress, B-29.
The Cedar River Trail ends where the river flows into Lake Washington. In addition to the Boeing jets, I saw many birds in flight, including a crow pestering an eagle.
The crow was the aggressor, fearless, likely protecting its young, following the eagle closely. I like both birds, so I hope they worked it out.
I saw a more friendly form of synchronized flying, by a pair of Great Blue Herons, with perfectly matched wing strokes.
And that will do for Sunday Stills, #Flight
~ Susanne
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On the edge, with Benji
“So tell me, Benji. There’s something I need to know.”
“Sure, Sue, what is it?”
“The way you sleep on the edge. At first I thought you only did it to me but now I see you do the same thing to Bob.”
“And your point is… what, Sue?”
“Why do you do it? Aren’t you afraid of falling?
“We cats are very nimble, Sue. You know that.”
“Well, that’s fine for you, Benji. But on our side, we’re pinned in! We can’t move!”
“Then it works” he said.
Happy Caturday from Susanne and Benji!
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Have you been to the Ballard Locks? Why don’t you play tourist the next time you’re in Seattle!
It had been many years since we last visited the locks, so on a recent sunny day, we headed north to the Hiram Chittenden (aka ‘Ballard’) Locks. We stopped by the Visitor Center, then watched the boats go through from Puget Sound to the Ship Canal.
You can think of the Locks as a Boat Elevator. They can elevate a large vessel 26 feet from the level of Puget Sound to the level of Salmon Bay in 10-15 minutes.
We watched an Argosy tour boat approach and enter.
You can watch too!
After the water level was raised to match the lake, the ship went on its way. Doesn’t that look like fun? An Argosy tour is now on our list!
“Construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks was completed in 1917 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Connecting the waters of Lake Washington, Lake Union, and Salmon Bay to the tidal waters of Puget Sound, the canal and locks allow recreational and commercial vessels to travel to the docks and warehouses of Seattle’s busy freshwater harbor.
The complex of locks sits in the middle of Salmon Bay and are part of Seattle’s Lake Washington Ship Canal. They are known locally as the Ballard Locks after the neighborhood to their north.
The locks and associated facilities serve three purposes:
US Army Corps of Engineers
- To move boats from the water level of the lakes to the water level of Puget Sound, and vice versa.
- To maintain the water level of the freshwater Lake Washington and Lake Union at 20 to 22 feet above sea level.
- To prevent the mixing of sea water from Puget Sound with the fresh water of the lakes (saltwater intrusion)”.
I got a great perspective from above on a flight home to Seattle. This is the view toward the east, with the Cascade Mountains in the background and Lake Washington in front. Lake Union and the Ship Canal is in the center, and the Locks are near the bottom of the photo, near the outlet to Puget Sound.
By the way, these are the busiest locks in the country, as well as a top tourist destination in Seattle. There’s also a fish ladder that’s fun to visit in the fall when the salmon running, one of the few in the world where saltwater meets freshwater.
After watching the ships sail through we went to Shilshole Bay for lunch,
and had this view of the Olympic Mountains.
It was a perfect day to play tourist in Seattle.
~ Susanne
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Who gets the window seat?
We take turns when flying. Since I’m the travel agent, I get the window going, Bob gets it on the return flight.
But here at home, there’s no denying it.
Benji owns the window seat.
Tiger is content below.
Happy Caturday from the boys!
~ Susanne
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That’s why they Call it the Green
The Green River that is. Originating in Washington’s Cascade Mountains it flows through the small towns of Auburn and Kent before joining the Duwamish and emptying into Puget Sound. It can be accessed from many places along its 65-mile course, but we visited the river recently in Flaming Geyser State Park in Auburn. (Don’t be fooled by the name. The geyser has long since run out of gas.)
We crossed the bridge over the river into the park and were met with gorgeous meadows and happy birds.
We wondered which trail to walk, and my husband offered to show me his favorite place on the river to fish, which I will now share with you.
We took a short trail through the woods, rich in spring color, till we saw the clearing up ahead
and arrived at the most peaceful stretch of the river, and it was GREEN, indeed!
It was ours alone to enjoy, save for the geese who also appreciated the solitude.
A rope swing on the other side tells another story in the summer, when the young dare each other to make a splash, most likely with plenty of hooting and hollering. Wouldn’t that be fun??
But Bob does his fishing in the fall, when it’s cool and quiet and the salmon are running. He does it for the sport and it’s catch and release. I’ll come along to watch.
I’ve shared other spots along the river before, including the dramatic Green River Gorge, a wild and glorious place of high cliffs and waterfalls.
We took the rickety stairs into the Gorge a few years ago, and I shared about it here, if you missed it.
And that’s enough of the Green for today. If you’re ever in the area, be sure and check it out, at Flaming Geyser or Kanaskat-Palmer State Parks or at the Green River Gorge.
~ Susanne
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Sleeping with Abandon
#Wordless Wednesday
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 