Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Big Sky After Sunset
~ Susanne
Springtime at Seward Park
Since rediscovering Seattle’s Seward Park last year, it has become one of our favorite places to walk. Less than 30 minutes from our house, this beautiful park on Lake Washington has beaches, old growth forest, hiking trails, picnic areas, and scenic views of Seattle. Yesterday’s walk was chilly yet bright and full of color.
The welcoming garden at the entrance to the park was fragrant with rock daphne in bloom. The 8-ton Taiko Gata stone lantern in the center was a gift from the City of Yokohama in 1930, to thank the citizens of Seattle for their assistance to Japan after the devastating Kanto earthquake in 1923.
We explored different areas of the park this time, including the amphitheater where young people were playing the latest outdoor games.
From there we walked through the forest,
then back to the lake via the Hatchery Trail.
There we saw a handsome mallard duck, alert yet as still as a decoy, watching his mate nearby.
We finished our walk around the park on the lakeshore trail,
and enjoyed views of the Seattle skyline, dwarfed by the massive cloud hanging overhead.
There were clouds yes, but fortunately our spring walk in the park was rain free.
~ Susanne
Benji the Cover Cat
“Hey Benji, remember when you were just a young lad and we took pictures of you for American Rescue Cat? We had to take a lot to finally get one that was suitable. They’re all here in The many faces of Benji
“Wow Sue, I really was young then, wasn’t I? And pretty wound up, judging by the pictures. I hope I wasn’t too much trouble for you.”
“Not at all Benji. You were lots of fun. You still are! But now that you’re a mature cat of two, I thought we could get an updated head shot of you.”
“Sure, no problem. How’s this?”
“Ha! Very funny Benji.”
“Just kidding Sue. I know just what you’re looking for. How about this?”
“Perfect Benji! You’re still the best cover cat!”
~ Just for fun, from Susanne and Benji
Rise/Set – Weekly Photo Challenge
What could be better for this week’s photo challenge than Sunrise and Sunset? It’s impossible to pick just one picture so I will give you a few of my favorites from recent travels.
First, Sunrise!
I’m not much of a morning person so I don’t often get many of these. But a couple of years ago we were on the island of Kauai (my first and only time) when a hurricane was forecasted to land early the next morning. Needless to say I slept light and arose early enough the next day to catch this wonderful sunrise. Fortunately the hurricane failed to materialize.
This next picture was taken in Florence over the Siuslaw River on a trip to the Oregon Coast last year. According to my husband, the early riser, it started out in shades of brilliant red. Still, I was happy to catch the unfolding golden colors over the river.
Sunset!
No early rising necessary, so I have quite a few more pictures of the sun setting in my collection, which makes it very hard to choose just two. But here you go. The first is from Lincoln City during the same trip to the Oregon Coast last year. You can’t lose with a sunset over the ocean.
But they’re pretty spectacular at the Grand Canyon too, where I took this photo last fall.
That is all.
~ Susanne
Columbia River and Ginkgo Petrified Forest
Starting from the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, the Columbia River winds through my home state of Washington before flowing into the Pacific Ocean. I like to sing Woody Guthrie’s song whenever I cross the River.
“Green Douglas firs where the waters cut through
Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew
Canadian Northwest to the oceans so blue
Roll on Columbia, roll on!”
Last weekend before we crossed the River at Vantage, we stopped first at Ginkgo Petrified Forest, where the stony trees seemed to glow under gray skies.
According to Wikipedia, “Around 15.5 million years ago, the region was lush and wet, home to many plant species now extinct. A number of these trees were buried in volcanic ash, and the organic matter in the tree trunks was gradually replaced by minerals in the groundwater; the resulting petrified wood was protected for millennia by flows of basalt. Near the end of the last ice age, the catastrophic Missoula Floods eroded the basalt, exposing some of the petrified wood.”
The visitors center was closed and so after a short walk we headed to the other side, stopping to take in the vast size and beauty of the mighty Columbia, flowing silently under dark and heavy clouds.
The view of the River was amazing as was the view of these wild horses above (officially called ‘Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies.’)
It was well worth the stop on both sides.
~ Susanne
The Kitties and the Catnip
I used to have a nice patch of catmint growing next to the fence, a bit ratty looking at times but loved by both kitties. One day, after a zealous weeding frenzy, my husband asked me to come out and take a look at his work. ‘Oh!’ I had replied – ‘I hope you didn’t take out the catmint!’ – which of course he had. So…. off to the store I went to get some more but instead of finding the prettier catmint I found the better known catnip and brought it home with other herbs and flowers. I left them together in the box on the deck until they should be planted.
Benji was the first to discover the catnip. ‘What’s this?’ he thought to himself.
I removed the catnip from the box so he could get a better look. And a taste. Until a state of euphoria set in.
The catmint never did that to him so I deduced that catnip was indeed more potent. I removed a few of the leaves for him to enjoy before bringing the plant into the house so as to save it. Enter the Tiger who started sniffing around the kitchen looking for the goods. ‘I know it’s here somewhere,’ he said to himself.
Fair is fair, I thought, and so I removed a couple of leaves for him and off he went, to wherever cats go under the influence.
Good stuff that catnip.
Can’t wait to get it in the ground.
~ Susanne
Favorite Place: Lake Crescent
For this week’s photo challenge I take you to one of my favorite places: Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula in my home state of Washington.
.It exudes beauty, calm and peace. I wish I were there right now. How about you?
~ Susanne
From Winter to Spring
Yesterday’s trees looked ragged and black against the cloud filled sky.
Today’s sky was bluer and clouds were fewer to let us know spring has arrived.
~ Susanne
Happy Birthday Tiger!
“Happy Birthday Tiger!”
“Really Sue? It’s my birthday? How old am I?!”
“You’re ten years old Tiger! In fact you and I are almost the same age in cat years! But you haven’t changed a bit! I found a picture of you when you were a kitten – you still have those gorgeous green eyes!”
“Aw thanks Sue. You haven’t changed a bit either! Though I can’t say for certain since I didn’t know you back then. How old are you anyway in human years?”
“Sorry Tiger. Females never tell their real age, especially the human species.”
“I understand, Sue. I’m sensitive too.”
“I thought you would. Happy Birthday Tiger!”
~ Susanne and Tiger
March Skies in Color
It’s the last week of winter and the sky put on quite a show for us here in the Pacific Northwest. Earlier this week I caught this sunrise.
Last night I enjoyed a different color palette with this sunset.
Both were wonderful.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 