Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Mt Rainier Up Close and Personal
Did you know there is a Paradise on earth? Well yes, there is! And it can be found at Mt Rainier National Park!
After being teased by beautiful local views of the mountain we decide to take the drive to the National Park for an up close and personal look at Mt. Rainier. No, not for the first time, but for the first time this year. A sunny day is promised and the roads are clear.
We arrive at the south entrance to the Park at Longmire, and after lunch at the historic National Park Inn, take the drive up to the Paradise Visitor center.
Mt Rainier National Park was established in 1899 and was the fifth U.S. National Park. It was the first to be designed from a master plan to include entrance arches, rustic buildings, scenic lookouts, trails and visitor centers, becoming a pattern for National Parks to follow. We stop at many viewpoints and waterfalls on our way to Paradise.
Near the top we spot a red fox by the side of the road who wisely climbs the snow bank to safer ground.
We arrive at the Paradise Visitor Center at 5,400 feet and enjoy close-ups of the 14,410 foot volcano, the second highest mountain in the continental U.S. It is from here that climbers make their way to Camp Muir at 10,188 feet so they can rise under the darkness of night for the climb to the top. Over 10,000 people a year attempt the climb and almost half as many make it. With binoculars, you can already see climbers making their way up to Camp Muir. Others are content to play in the snow a little closer to the ground.
After our visit we head back down for a short hike at Longmire in an area where meadows meet the forest. We take the boardwalk through hot springs, skunk cabbage and fragrant woods.
Under the tree canopy I tell Bob to look for the buried treasure ahead. ‘X marks the spot’ I say, but he walks on by.
We complete the loop, following the trail into golden meadows where more views of Mt. Rainier await,
until we are finally back to where we started.
On the drive home we pass by the Recycled Spirits of Iron Sculpture Park near the small town of Elbe. For just a donation you can walk among the unusual sculptures created by artist Dan Klennert which we did,
finishing up with a song.
And so after a wonderful day under sunny skies at the most beautiful mountain in America we head back home, once again counting our blessings that we live in such an amazing part of the world.
~ Susanne
The Mountain in our Midst
Always there though not always visible, tonight’s walk at Gene Coulon Park yielded these views of the mountain in our midst ~ Mt. Rainier.
Happy to be living in the Pacific Northwest.
~ Susanne
Kitty Bliss
Most mornings after I rise I settle into my office with coffee in hand and shortly thereafter a kitty will appear. If Tiger, he will saddle up next to the chair for a good scratching. Benji will take the lap as he did this morning and enter into a state of kitty nirvana.
One might think such a deep state would last longer; but Benji can go from kitty bliss, to kitty this, at a moment’s notice,
until I am driven completely from the chair.
Good Morning everyone from Susanne and Benji.
Reflections on Deep Lake
After a lovely dinner and drive in the country we ended up at Deep Lake in Nolte State Park.
It was a study in green.
~ Susanne
After the Rain
After the promised high temperatures enjoyed their run for little more than 24 hours, they left abruptly and thunder and lightning and heavy rain took their place. We sat inside, watching and listening, occasionally poking our head out to see the jagged spires light up the sky.
After the thorough pounding and rumbling and crackling for hours on end, the rain finally took a break and I ventured out to see what the storm had done, which was to make everything cleaner and fresher and greener.
Looking up I was most impressed by the clouds which hung dramatically and beautifully every direction I turned.
I hurried back inside before the next explosion of thunder and rain occurred, bringing with it a flicker of power outage while writing this post. Through my office window I capture the last image of the day. Oh!
That’s enough for tonight.
~ Susanne
A Tiger in the Garden
While waiting for my coffee to brew this morning I took a quick walk through the garden. The dew was still fresh everywhere and I found the Lady’s Mantle covered in jewels.
I also found this handsome Tiger sleeping.
Maybe that’s why they call it a garden bed.
~ Susanne
Sunset on a Sunny Day
After months of rain here in the Great Northwest we were promised two seventy degree days in a row. The first arrived this afternoon and we reached the promised temperature. I knew we would likely have a fabulous sunset and so I headed to Gene Coulon Park with my camera. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea and the parking lots were full. Somewhat discouraged I drove around as the sun was setting until I found a nearby hilltop and enjoyed the view.
I think it was worth the effort.
~ Susanne
Today’s Reflections from Benji
Good Morning to humans everywhere and especially to Sue, my paws down favorite. Today I am in a reflective mood, pondering the mysterious intersection of the feline life and the human life. It is a wonderful intersection indeed, though not always easy.
We get along well most of the time yet we are different in many ways. This requires that we cats make continual adjustments to satisfy peculiar human inconsistencies and foibles. (It is obvious that we are the ones to make the adjustments, at least if we aspire to indoor living.)
For instance, I have yet to understand the human aversion to the natural feline sharpening of the claws. It seems to me their own claws would become much more useful if they practiced this habit as well, rather than remaining purely decorative. Many surfaces exist throughout the house for this purpose. If only they could see this! Alas they are unwilling to learn in the smallest matter! And so I am forced to use the inferior small posts inside, saving the most rigorous scratching for the trees outside. Speaking of outside, it is certainly a puzzle that so many food sources go unclaimed by them. We felines learned long ago that anything living and smaller than ourselves is good for food. (The hunting itself provides invigorating exercise.) They also seem to be untrainable in this.
Fortunately I have big brother Tiger to help me understand these matters. He reminds me that felines and humans are not the same species and this alone explains much of the challenges we face.
(Read Tiger’s story for yourself in the link below.)
He has also taught me that when the going gets tough inside, I must demand to go outside. There I can spend time in the wild alone, or with my own kind. A few hours thus spent solves most of the problems.
And so I sign off,
~ Benji
Benji from the Dog House
This is Benji and today Sue put me in the ‘dog house’ (her exact words). I don’t really know why though I suspect it had something to do with the chair incident.
Every morning I like to join her in the office while she drinks coffee and reads. Tiger would too but he’s slow and I usually beat him to the punch. I am very fast. I’m so fast in fact, I can climb up the back of her chair in under a second, this after I’ve finished sharpening my claws on said chair. (It is important to keep the nails filed properly at all times. Sue should know this.)
This seemed to bother her this morning (or should I say it bothers her every morning but some days she is more tolerant. Maybe more coffee was needed.)
And so after a brief altercation I was forcibly put into our bedroom, which apparently bears the moniker of ‘dog house’ if I am closed in alone.
Sorry Sue. I’ll work on the chair thing.
~ Benji
Rainy Days and Setting Sun
By now you may have heard that we are experiencing the rainiest October through April in Seattle since 1895 when records began to be kept. We have received almost 45 inches of rain since October 1st and April is not over yet. And yes, it feels like it.
Still, when the sky clears, I’ve become fond of chasing sunsets which manage to make an occasional dramatic appearance rainy day or not. Earlier this week I settled for the golden glow in the garden shortly before the sun went down.
And a few minutes later I enjoyed colorful clouds behind the evergreens.
One rainy day followed by a clear evening with two different garden views gave me a little more practice with my camera and the setting sun.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 