Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Sunrise on the Seventh
The sun rose a huge ball of fire over my backyard, suspended, brilliant, through the trees.
I heard the rooster crow
and rose to capture the fire on this 7th day of September for #SevenforSeptember, yes, while listening to the crowing of my neighbor’s rooster.
Happy Saturday!
~ Susanne
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Boeing Jets in Sevens
As you probably know, Boeing was born and raised in Seattle (so was I) so there’s much to see in the way of jets and planes around town at the plants that build them, such as these in Renton.
“Boeing’s 737 factory at the Renton, Wash., site leads the industry as the most efficient airplane factory in the world. More than 14,500 commercial airplanes (707, 727, 737, and 757) or about 30 percent of the worldwide fleet flying today were built in Renton.” Boeing.com
You’ll also find them in abundance at the Museum of Flight where they’re displayed along with their history.
If you’re lucky you’ll see history in the sky as we did one day, while walking the Cedar Trail next to the Renton Boeing Plant, a Flying Fortress, a B-17 taking off and landing again and again, probably for paying customers.
“The B-17 is one of history’s most significant aircraft for its role in the European and Pacific theater during World War II. It’s an iconic plane in the Boeing pantheon and has the statistics to prove it: the B-17 dropped more bombs in Europe than any other plane and was a deciding factor in the Allied victory.”
Museum of Flight
Sadly, Boeing has fallen on hard times lately, and we can only hope they return to their former glory soon.
By the way, there are so many SEVENS in the Boeing lineup, which is why I squared my photos to share them with #SevenforSeptember, a photo challenge.
~ Susanne
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Seven Squared Bugs?
What’s that you say?
Squared pictures. Seven of them. Bugs. (I use the term loosely. All bugs are insects, not all insects are bugs!)
So I can ‘double dip’ into two photo challenges, #Sunday Stills and #SevenforSeptember.
I’ll start with an ordinary ‘bug’ resting on a nasturtium. The focus is obviously on the flower not the bug, perhaps a metaphor for life.
On the opposite side of the yard and the color wheel as well, is a bee in a blossom. An insect not a bug, a helpful pollinator.
The nuthatch was looking for bugs in the Douglas Fir tree; I’m sure he found them deep in the furrowed bark.
Perhaps the wren found bugs to feed its young from the same tree.
The skippers are out and about in my garden. They’re butterflies, pollinators, insects with big eyes, antennas, and wings.
And legs. Don’t forget the hairy legs.
Finally, I’ll close with a spider (an arachnid, neither insect or bug!) who caught an unsuspecting bug in his web. Spiderwebs are everywhere now, so watch your step, lest you too be snagged.
And that will do for today’s seven!
~ Susanne
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Coulon Park – for All Seasons
I took a walk at Coulon Park yesterday, before summer turns to fall. The sun was shiny, and the lake was sparkly, enjoyed by turtles and boaters alike.
The Olympics were mostly bereft of snow, that will change soon enough.
Mt. Rainier is never bereft of snow, covered by more glaciers than any other mountain in the continental United States.
If I love visiting the park in summer, I love visiting in autumn even more, to see some of the best fall color around.
Winter brings its own beauty, quiet and peaceful.
By now the mountains are covered with snow, but just as often, shrouded in clouds.
Sometimes the clouds contain a rainbow or accent a glorious sunset.
Trees leaf out in spring and flowers begin to bloom.
Turtles emerge
and ducklings learn to swim.
Seasons change, and the cycle of life continues.
No better place to enjoy the change, than at #CoulonPark in Renton.
~ Susanne
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Eight Years with Benji
“How time flies when you’re having a good time, right Benji?”
“I always have a good time, Sue! What exactly do you mean?”
“I can’t believe it’s already been eight years since we brought you home from Seattle Humane. You were so tiny then! And the most photogenic cat I’ve ever had despite your scruffy ear.”
“I bet you say that to all your cats, Sue.”
“No, really, Benji. I mean it. You’re special. And those eyes!”
“You mean these?” he asked.
“Indeed, I do, Benji! So expressive!”
“Aw thanks, Sue.”
“I think it was your eyes that won you a spot in the International Cat Care calendar. Remember that? You were pinup kitty for the month of May 2020! I was so proud of you.”
“Aw thanks, Sue! I was happy to be your first published picture. Maybe we should try again! How about this?”
“That’s a winner, Benji! You’re the best.”
“Here’s to another eight years!”
~ Susanne and Benji
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Nature Shots Before and After
I rummaged through my pictures from last week, looking for some to fit the theme of this week’s #Sunday Stills Challenge, Before and After.
I found a sunflower, all wound up and tightly coiled, before blooming;
and his neighbor, sad and droopy, after.
And I found an osprey, just before he landed,
and after he touched down.
And that will have to do.
~ Susanne
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Close up on Ospreys!
I witnessed something marvelous in Wenatchee the past few days, on a high platform above the Columbia River, (them not me,) a pair of Osprey with their young.
The platform was in front of our hotel, fronting the river, and the two adults came and went all day long,
hunting and feeding the chicks, with fish from the river.
It was hard to tell exactly who was who. Both male and female parents do the hunting and feeding, and the chicks were already quite large, perhaps ready to leave the nest soon.
Can you imagine their first jump off that platform? Yikes.
“Osprey are a migratory raptor that prefer to nest on the tallest snags or structures, as close as possible to the shoreline where they fish. Power poles tend to be attractive for osprey nesting, which is not always a safe option for the birds and increases the risk of fire and power outages.”
Platforms were constructed by Chelan PUD, to protect both the birds, and the power lines. We saw several along the river, all occupied. More on that here.
In case you wondered, I took these photos using my Lumix FZ300 and its incredible zoom, as good as carrying high powered binoculars to watch the show.
~ Susanne
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Benji from the Box
Nothing to see here.
Just a cat in a box.
~ Susanne & Benji
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Skagway – Another Soggy City in Alaska!
It was almost a year ago that we took our second cruise to Alaska, an easy trip to make when you live in Seattle. Perhaps it was the heavy rain this weekend that reminded me of our soggy stop in Skagway!
It was late in the season and rain was to be expected – Southeast Alaska’s rainiest months are September and October. Though Juneau’s average precipitation is 66 inches and Ketchikan’s a whopping 153, Skagway only receives an average 27″ per year. Unfortunately, some of those inches fell on our watch, go figure.
We arrived in the morning under heavy rain, but ready for our excursion.
We boarded a comfortable motor coach and our knowledgeable guide drove us through the historic town.
In case you don’t know, Skagway was born in the 1890’s during the Klondike Gold Rush. Prospectors hoping to strike it rich could board a ship in Seattle and land here in southeast Alaska, before making the dangerous climb to the Klondike area of Canada’s Yukon Territory via the Chilkoot or White Pass. More of that history can be found here
Then we headed up to White Pass, where the scenery was phenomenal if not for the rain! 😦
Our destination was the Yukon Suspension Bridge, this side of the Yukon Territory.
We enjoyed our stop, and the gorgeous fall colors, and were happy we’d remembered to bring our umbrellas.
Afterwards, we made our way back down the highway, entering once again into the U.S. of A.,
for our final stop in Liarsville (yes, autocorrect, I said, ‘LIARSVILLE.’)
“Walk the fine line between folklore and gold fever. The Liarsville Camp, near Skagway, was originally named after journalists who came here during the Klondike Gold Rush and cooked up all manner of tall tales. Today, you can enjoy a fun history lesson, a feast and the chance to find some gold—which, for the record, was here all along.”
There we enjoyed a delicious meal of grilled salmon, with all the sides and history you’d expect, while the rain never stopped.
Then it was back to the ship and out through Lynn Canal, not a canal, but a fjord more than 2,000 feet deep, one of the longest (90 miles) and deepest in the world.
By then the rain let up enough so we could enjoy the waterfalls lining the canal, listen to the guide dispensing native history, and watch hundreds of ducks and birds migrating south for the winter.
Our second cruise to Alaska may not be our last, as we’d love to visit Skagway on a sunny, clear day just like in the picture, here!
Maybe next year.
~ Susanne
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Lessons from Benji and Musings on Fall
“Benji, you’re amazing.”
“Why do you say that, Sue?”
“Because, you haven’t let your accident define you.”
“What accident?” he asked.
“You know. The one that … um.. damaged your leg. Did you forget something’s missing?”
“I guess I did! Look at me run and jump!”
“Wow, still so fast, Benji! Like I said, you’re amazing!”
“Nah, nothing special. I just moved on, that’s all, like the season. Did you notice fall is in the air? The dry grass smells like hay.”
“And the apples are turning pink. Have you tried one yet?”
“I did, Benji. It was delicious. Tomatoes will follow soon.”
“The cantaloupe has a way to go. We’ll be lucky if they ripen in time.”
“Each on its own schedule, Sue. There’s already color in the maple out front and whirligigs have formed. I love to watch them twirl to the ground, don’t you?”
“Indeed, I do, Benji. Thanks for being such an inspiration.”
“It’s nothing, Sue. Better to enjoy what you have than focus on what you lost.”
~ Susanne and Benji
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 