Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
May Day May Day and all is Well!
I don’t know why May Day is used to sound the alarm when from where I sit, it is a glorious day – soaking my bones in the hot tub, I can see the house finches busily working in their nest across the backyard.
They return every year to the arborvitae, a rather dull garden shrub where they find refuge inside.
I watch them drop down to the garden beds below, where it seems to me the missus does all the work while the mister stands guard.
They return with building materials and disappear back inside the shrubs.
I think they appreciate the maple tree behind and the clematis nearby.
I know I do.
Today, on this beautiful first day of May, we are expecting temperatures into the upper seventies. Hooray! So why use ‘mayday’ as a distress call? Here’s the history according to Wikipedia.
“The “mayday” procedure word was conceived as a distress call in the early 1920s by Frederick Stanley Mockford, officer-in-charge of radio at Croydon Airport, England. He had been asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would easily be understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency. Since much of the air traffic at the time was between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, he proposed the term “mayday”, the phonetic equivalent of the French m’aider (a short form of venez m’aider, “come [and] help me”). (M’aidez is non-standard French; the phrase Aidez moi is standard.) The term is unrelated to the holiday May Day.”
So now you know! When used in an emergency it is repeated three times, mayday-mayday-mayday!
But I shall say it once!
Happy May Day!
~ Susanne
Road Trip to Napa – Yountville, Calistoga, Sonoma and Trinity Road!
After traveling a day and a half from Seattle, we arrived in beautiful Napa Valley where we were greeted with mile upon mile of vineyards! According to Napa Vintners, there are approximately 700 grape growers in Napa County and 475 physical wineries in Napa County. (Yes, you read that right!!)
We stayed in the beautiful town of Yountville, but it sure looked like France when we dined at Bistro Jeanty. In fact, there are many world-class restaurants in Yountville, many with a French vibe, though some too expensive for us (French Laundry, anyone?)
We started the next day with breakfast in the town of Napa, then took the scenic drive to Calistoga on the Silverado Trail. I was welcomed by this cute sign, with my childhood name, and shopped the many boutiques in town, doing my best to support the local economy.
Afterwards we went to the nearby Petrified Forest, where we saw some of the largest petrified trees in the world, most ancient redwoods. We enjoyed walking the trails through the woods, both new and living, ancient and petrified.
“The Petrified Forest, in Calistoga, California holds one of the finest examples in the world of a preserved ancient forest. This unique site at the gateway to the Napa Valley was created following a violent volcanic explosion 3.4 million years ago. Seven miles northeast of the property lies the remains of an extinct volcano that today we call Mt. St. Helena.”
PetrifiedForest.org
Soon we were hungry and continued to Sonoma where we found a good Mexican restaurant for lunch. We also got a look at some of the town’s historic buildings, including the San Francisco Solano mission, founded in 1823, and Blue Wing Inn, erected by General Mariano G. Vallejo about 1840 for the accommodations of emigrants and other travelers. (I like old stuff.)
After lunch, it was time to head back, which I assumed would be continuing south and around the bottom to complete our loop trip to Yountville. But GPS had other plans. Why not skip the heavy traffic and go directly across the mountains on Trinity Road. No, you don’t see it on the map below, maybe there’s a reason for that??
Who were we to argue? We took the advice and I directed Bob accordingly, up and over a very, windy, twisty mountain road (with no guardrails I might add) where we became those crazy tourists, who held up the little local traffic there was. (Maybe not, as Bob continually pulled over to let them go by.)
I had to laugh when I saw the the route on my phone. Apparently, the speed limit was 55 mph, and we were going 20. After all we valued our lives. 😉 🙂
Fortunately, my husband is an excellent driver and has navigated many a mountain road in his day. Still, we were happy, when we finally began the descent into Napa Valley.
Honestly, I love that we took that road, even after I read stories of GPS sending many unprepared travelers across the white-knuckle drive. But isn’t that what makes travel fun? It’s the unexpected adventures that make for good memories !
We made more memories the next day, when we took the ferry from Vallejo to San Francisco but I’ll save that for a later post.
~ Susanne
Thanks, Benji
“You’re welcome, Sue. For what?”
“The new Fitbit, I really like it.”
“What are you taking about Sue, I didn’t buy you a new Fitbit.”
“No, you didn’t. And I wouldn’t have bought it either, if you hadn’t ruined the other one.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sue.”
“I didn’t like the look of the old one with your teeth marks in it, Benji.”
“OH, that! Sorry, Sue, I thought it was a toy.”
“My fault, Benji. I shouldn’t have left it out. I won’t do the same with the new one.”
“Good decision, Sue.”
~ Happy Caturday from Susanne and Benji
Editor’s note: The old one still worked fine as damage was only cosmetic. Still, it gave me a good excuse for an upgrade which I gladly took.
I love Road Trips! First Stop – Ashland, Oregon
Being a native of Seattle, and living in the Northwest corner of the USA, most of our road trips go south to Oregon and California and both states have much to offer coming and going!
We recently returned from a road trip to Napa Valley, America’s wine capital, just north of San Francisco. It’s a day and a half drive, so we stopped for the night in Ashland, Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I’m sorry to say, it was a short overnight stay, and there was no Shakespeare in our future. We stopped because it was roughly 2/3 of the way to our destination, and because the town itself is small and charming, and just off I-5.
We stayed at the historic Ashland Springs Hotel, on Main Street, from which everything we needed for a nice stay was walkable.
This from their website: “An oasis of gentility & elegance located in a quaint, charming town of Ashland, Oregon. Built in 1925 and lovingly restored, this downtown landmark is a haven of taste reminiscent of small European hotels.
.. nestled in the Rogue River Valley where travelers came from far and wide to experience the wonders of nature and the acclaimed curative waters of the mineral springs and now enjoy Tony-award winner, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, exciting local food scene and diverse wine region, endless outdoor recreation opportunities, and the beauty and joy of returning to a simpler time.”
Yes, all that. Too bad we didn’t stay longer, but unfortunately Ashland is always on our way to someplace else!
Still, we had a nice stay, a lovely dinner that night and a walk through Lithia Park the next morning. Every town needs their own oasis of nature, and we enjoyed bubbling Ashland Creek and the beauty and fragrance of azaleas and camelias in bloom.
After our walk we were on the road again, and within the hour had entered California where we were greeted by this sentinel – 14,162 ft., Mt Shasta!
So far, so good! Next up: Napa Valley!
~ Susanne
WordPress reminded me…..
It’s been 9 years since I started this blog – April 22, 2016, to be exact!
Since then, it’s mostly been tales of these two – Tiger and Benji – along with my travels and gardens, et al.
It’s been a fun and challenging hobby, both from the angle of the software (changes daily without warning) and from developing content. And after nine years, I sometimes wonder: Do I have anything more to say? But if I bow out now – what happens to all my hard work??
It’s the losing of my stories, if I shut down my blog, that sometimes keep me going. Not a good reason so if you know of a way to download posts in a readable format, please let me know in a comment, should that day come.
In the meantime, I press on, much like Lewis and Clark did ages ago, and hope you’ll keep following for as long as I do. We appreciate it! 🙂
~ Susanne and Tiger and Benji
Celebrating #Earth Day with a Walk through the Redwoods
Today is Earth Day and we celebrated early by walking under the shadow of the giants a few days ago.
We just returned from a road trip to California, which included a stay in beautiful Napa Valley, America’s wine capital – more on that later. We came back on the Redwoods Highway – wouldn’t you? – so it seems only fitting to share these pictures for this week’s Sunday Stills Challenge. (Coincidentally, for those who notice such things, I shared the same trees from a similar trip last year! What can I say?)
Magnificent as always, these ancient trees reach for the sky!
Perhaps our favorite stop was at Founders Grove, dedicated to the founders of the Save-the Redwoods League. According to the brochure, “In 1917, several prominent men traveled to Humboldt and Del Norte counties to view these magnificent redwood groves. When they found these trees were not protected, they formed the Save-the Redwoods League, to preserve representative areas of primeval forests. by 1921, the first grove was purchased by the League in what is now Humbolt Redwoods State Park. Since then, the League has contributed over 57 million dollars to protect 170,000 acres of redwood land in the 35 California State Parks, Redwood National Park and Sequoia National Park. “
Founders Tree recognizes those early visionaries. At 346 feet high, with a circumference of 40 feet, it was once considered to be the world’s tallest tree, when discovered in the 1930’s.
Redwoods can live to 2,000 years old and average 500 – 700 years old. They have no known diseases and can continue to live even after sustaining significant fire damage, due to their thick fire-resistant bark.
When they do fall, usually due to wind, they supply an abundance of organic matter and water that other plants and trees depend on. The Dyerville Giant once stood 362 ft. tall with a circumference of 40 feet, for more than 1600 years.
The fallen become nurse logs to supply nutrients to grow new trees and plants, often the first to grow is Redwood Sorrel, which looks like clover.
“Redwoods once grew throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The first redwood fossils date back more than 200 million years to the Jurassic period. Before commercial logging and clearing began in the 1850s, coast redwoods naturally occurred in an estimated 2 million acres (the size of three Rhode Islands) along California’s coast from south of Big Sur to just over the Oregon border. When gold was discovered in 1849, hundreds of thousands of people came to California, and redwoods were logged extensively to satisfy the explosive demand for lumber and resources. Today, only 5 percent of the original old-growth coast redwood forest remains, along a 450-mile coastal strip.” Save the Redwoods League
It would have been amazing to see before logging occurred, when over two million acres still covered the area, but I’m grateful for conservation efforts that saved at least some of these ancient groves.
~ Susanne
Curvy Benji, then and now
Then …..
and now …
Happy Caturday!
~ from Susanne and Benji
Which Mountain?
No, not Rainier, though nearly as tall, at 14,162 feet.
From any angle,
it hasta be Shasta.
-Susanne
Grand Canyon in Purple
The grandest of canyons is of course, beautiful during the day,
where you’ll enjoy walks along the rim,
and have many photo opportunities for yourself,
and the wildlife below.
But the real magic occurs at sunrise and sunset when the canyon walls turn various shades of purple,
and the sky does too.
So my advice to you if you plan to go: stay overnight if you can, to see the best the Grand Canyon has to offer.
Sharing with Sunday Stills Challenge, Purple
~ Susanne
Travel Stories from the Artifacts – Maui
It was our first trip to Maui, and we were in awe of everything. We managed to score a room on the beach at a nice hotel south of Kihei. It was Maluaka Beach and here is a picture – the first artifact you might say, not my picture, I purchased it from a gallery on the island.
There we relaxed and swam with turtles.
One morning after breakfast we walked through an open corridor where tables were set up and Hawaiians selling their wares.
A cute little bracelet, and though I’d never wear it after this trip, it would make a nice memento.
“My grandmother makes them,” said the woman in a colorful mumu.
A nice souvenir, regardless, I thought and for only $10 (or was it $5?) it was cheap.
The next day we visited an outdoor Maui Market, and came across scores of vendors, selling fruits, jams, shave ice, jewelry, and other handcrafted goods.
More than one of the tables had plastic bins, filled with trinkets, imported from the Philippines, one of them full of Maui bracelets for a $1 each.
I had to laugh.
What a busy grandmother.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 