Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Trek to Tacoma and Ruston Way
Okay, so full disclosure here: I am a native Seattleite through and through and very loyal. When I grew up here you only passed through Tacoma on the way to somewhere else (usually to grandma’s house) and you did it quickly while holding your nose due to the Tacoma aroma. (A large pulp mill was the main feature of the city.)
But in the past few years, there have been some wonderful developments in this city to the south including a UW extension campus and some very nice museums.
Today was sunny and we were looking for something to do outside. We considered the Tulip fields north of Seattle but shunned the terrible traffic we knew we would encounter. (We’ll save those beautiful tulips for a weekday because we can.)
Instead we head to Tacoma and explore Ruston Way, an area we had heard about but never been to. What a pleasant surprise! It turns out that Tacoma has a very pedestrian friendly waterfront perfect for exploring. We find beautiful views, sculptures, docks and old pilings, under mostly blue skies and with half the number of people (at least) you would expect to find on Seattle’s waterfront. (Not to mention free parking.)
We stop to get the time from this sundial and found out it was going on noon; it obviously did not spring ahead for daylight savings time.
We get a history lesson when we come across Chinese Reconciliation Park which commemorates the forced expulsion of the Chinese population of Tacoma in 1885.
We walk the winding path in the small park and learn about a very ugly period in our history. One of the stone plaques reads:
“Anti-Chinese sentiment was fueled by a widespread economic depression in the 1870’s that depleted the job market. Anxious to blame someone for their woes, unemployed and frustrated workers made Chinese immigrants scapegoats because of their race, culture, and willingness to work for lower wages. The Chinese became targets of violent rallies, riots and local laws that limited their rights. National political pressure only encouraged the intolerance of the Chinese people as Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This was the first U.S. immigration law to single out a specific nationality for discriminatory treatment.”
I marvel at the similarities of today. Is there nothing new under the sun?
When it’s time for lunch we head up the road and find an entirely different look at Ruston Way. It is bustling with new development, businesses, lodging, theatres and restaurants. Children are roller skating and families are riding in surreys. Clearly it is up and coming.
On our walk we meet a young woman who recently moved from Seattle to Tacoma. Forever the Seattle snob (refer back to my first paragraph) I inquire. “Really?? Why?”
“We got priced out of Seattle,” was her reply. “And I’m finding I love it here.”
Okay so she was not a native. She was originally from Nebraska and had only lived in Seattle the previous eight years. To her, it was about the same. Only affordable. And less crowded.
I’m starting to get it. I will always love Seattle, but it is no longer the Seattle of my youth. But then, neither is Tacoma.
~ Susanne
The Professor
A true tale from my college days…..
“Do you know how many times you’ve said ‘okay’ in the last minute?” she blurted out.
(Twenty times by my reckoning. She was not the only one counting.) He stopped. Public speaking was not his forte, though economics may have been.
“Twenty-three times!” she announced.
“Sorry,’ he said. “Didn’t know I was doing it.”
The rest of us knew and thanked her. We were on edge waiting for the ‘okay’ and winced when it came. No sentence was immune.
“I’ll work on it, okay?” he promised. “But when it’s quiet you’ll know what I’m thinking, okay?”
Okaaaay! we shouted.
Tonight’s Sunset
Though we had intermittent rain most of the day it stopped long enough tonight for a lovely sunset.
~ Susanne
Benji’s Bathtime Antics
Good Morning from Benji!
As you know we felines are the cleanest animals in the kingdom and do not need nor do we rely on any human facility to remain so. In fact, humans have much to learn from us about continuous and natural cleansing. Even so, the bathroom is a fun place to visit and greet my favorite human first thing in the morning.
Today, the door was open just enough to allow me entrance to the shower facilities.
I am lithe and nimble and successfully nosed my way in. These are the benefits of being a small cat.
While I wait for Sue to finish I decide to freshen up.
When she is finally done, I drink the fresh water that remains behind. I don’t know if she approves of this, but she has yet to reprimand me. (I have learned she doesn’t like me to drink from the swirling bowl and I admit I do not understand all the rules.)
All in all, a good start to the day.
~ Benji
A Daytrip to Lincoln Park and Alki Beach
We finally got the rain free day we were waiting for and decide to spend it on a trip to Lincoln Park and Alki Beach in West Seattle.
After a short drive we arrive at the park and hike a lovely trail through some patches of old growth forest to the bluff overlooking Puget Sound.
A slight wind is blowing as we descend to the beach below where it is crisp and cold, and the Olympic Mountains are seen in their full glory. The fresh air and saltwater do us good!
On our return through the park we come across this giant and stately maple tree.
Then it’s onward to Alki Beach where the first group of white settlers landed and founded the City of Seattle in 1851.
We stop to eat at nearby Spud’s Fish and Chips for the best fish and chips in Seattle. Founded in 1935 it’s also Seattle’s oldest fast food restaurant. On it’s walls are pictures of early Seattle history including Luna Park, considered the Coney Island of the West, which operated at Alki Beach from 1907 – 1913.
I was pleased to see photographs taken by O.T. Frasch, an early Seattle photographer who also happens to be my great grandfather. (Maybe that’s where I get my interest in photography?)
After lunch we move on for views of Seattle’s skyline, starting with a sneak peak at the Space Needle and the Cascades behind.
Speaking of mountains, in addition to the Olympics and Cascades we also find nice views of Mt Baker to the north;
while Mt Rainier can be seen blending into the milky sky to the south.
This outing should tide us over until the next rain free day which according to the current weather forecast may be a week out.
Such is life in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
~ Susanne
Rainy Days and Mondays
Another cold and rainy day in the Pacific Northwest and a Monday besides. Though all things are green in the garden, work will have to wait. We have been promised a day of sunshine this week and are hoping the promise is not vain.
Tucked inside, Mom and I play cribbage (don’t ask who won) and Tiger watches nearby, happy to be where we are.
Benji is tuckered out from last night’s prowling about and curls up for a good nap near the fire. He is dreaming of tonight’s adventure.
There are worse ways to spend a Monday I suppose.
~ Susanne
Sunbreaks
And patches of blue ..
Enjoy them while you can for they are fleeting….
Brought to you by springtime in the Pacific Northwest.
~ Susanne
Working in the Garden on a Rainy Morning
I woke up this morning to the sound of another torrential downpour and after much consideration over a steaming latte decided I would not be deterred. There would be enough breaks in the rain and places to shelter; I would proceed with plans to work in the garden.
I would target my herb bed where the rosemary had become a tree crowding out everything else. Out he would come to be replaced with a smaller version that hopefully would be contained. I would add another variety of lavender to the bed and surround it with some new varieties of mint. One simply cannot have too much lavender.
I would plant the fuchsia starts along with some basket stuffers and hope they do better than last year. Isn’t spring gardening (like spring baseball) all about hope?
And I would stop to admire the delicacy of the azalea, the faithful and often underappreciated workhorse of the Northwest garden.
That would have to do for today.
~ Susanne
A Harrowing Night in the Shed
This is Tiger and do I have a harrowing tale for you! It all started out innocently enough yesterday. Benji and I were sporting about in the garden, helping Bob and Sue with various tasks, digging, chasing, and advising on work to be done. Bob and Sue tired of the work before I did, while Benji went off to play in the woods. When raindrops started to fall I sought refuge in the shed as the door was open and welcoming.
I must have been really tired. I dozed off and on for what seemed like hours until I woke up, disoriented to a freezing, dark and dingy room. As my eyes adjusted I could make out the tools and rakes and gloves and chairs and remembered I had entered the shed earlier. I heard the owls hooting in the woods and the scuffling of the small night beasts and knew it must be after midnight. How I wished I was snuggled in grandma’s warm room having a midnight snack of kibble! But that once welcoming shed door was shut and I was trapped inside. I shuddered and pondered my fate.
Long ago fears rose up reminding me I’d been abandoned before. Old lives came back to haunt me bringing memories like arrows with them. Had Sue given me up? Humans were changeable after all. I tried hard not to panic and replaced my fears with all the good memories of Sue and Bob and Grandma (and even Benji.)
Then from a distance. It was Sue. She was calling, calling, calling. I cried back as loud as I could though it seemed in vain; she was so far away. I cried louder and her voice got louder in return and I knew she was approaching. In the yard. Near.
“I’m here!” I said. “In here! In the shed!”
And when she opened the door I’d never been so happy to see her.
“Oh Tiger!” she said with love and concern and (dare I say) remorse in her voice.
“Poor boy! What are you doing in there??” And I knew that she had been roused from her sleep to seek me out and they hadn’t really meant to trap me in there; she was a good human after all and really did love me. And so I followed her into the warmth of the house and accepted her apologies which were heartfelt and profuse.
It wasn’t easy. But I do feel stronger for having survived such a night. I shall have to tell Benji all about it. And it was great to see the humans come through. I always knew they would.
~ Tiger
Cat on a Cold, Wood Roof!
First let me say I have had many cats throughout most of my adult life. Black ones. Brown ones. Gray ones. White ones. Long haired, short haired. Small and large. I saw them jump. Play. Chase. Hunt. Climb trees. All the things that cats do. But I never, ever, ever saw one of them on my roof.
Until today.
I had come home from church and was met by my mom who had a story to tell. She had heard a loud kerplunk on the roof and when she went to investigate guess what she saw. A bird? I said. A raccoon? I wondered. Guess again. Guess again.
I give, I give, I said. But I already knew.
It was a cat! That crazy boy, Benji to be more specific.
At first she thought she might try to help him down (she could almost reach him from the back porch she said) but had decided against it. (Thank you mom. I would have been more distressed to find you both stuck.)
She finally figured, well, he got up there somehow, he would have to find his own way down. And he did. And when he came in the house after his big adventure, she had a good talk with him and he promised never to do that again. Uh-huh. That’s what he said.
Except he did. In the next hour. I helped him down twice. That’s it, I said. No more!
I shall have to talk to your father when he gets home I said. Until then you are on restriction.
Now please do not think me a poor cat parent. This one has a wild streak and we are doing the best we can with him.
But honestly. Isn’t he cute when he’s asleep?
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 