Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Sunset and Moonrise in Color
At Long Beach.
#WordlessWednesday
– Susanne
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Day in the Life of a Tri-Pawed
It’s a cat’s life. A three-legged cat, that is.
I took Benji outside to the backyard for his morning constitution.
Sometimes he’s content to rest in the grass and watch the birds; other times he only has escape on his mind. This was one of those days, so I came up with Plan B.
How about a chaperoned trip to the front? No, it’s not fully fenced, but it’s set back from the road with a long driveway and lots of trees. I would watch him carefully while he enjoyed a change of scenery. What could go wrong?
He settled under the trees and we both enjoyed the birdsong. I didn’t realize the greater variety of birds out front, due to different spaces, trees, and shrubs.
All were out and about, robins, towhees, hummingbirds, juncos, wrens, chickadees, and nuthatches, all quite vocal.
It was a peaceful time and I imagined a new morning routine.
And then.
In the midst of this peaceful setting, the local wanderer suddenly appeared in the driveway, the (dreaded) orange cat, intruding on Benji’s territory. My worst tri-pawed nightmare!
All of our instincts took over. Benji on the chase, fast as a 4-legged cat, me trying my best to hang on to him, managing only to grab his tail, (sorry, Beni) while he slipped my grip.
The orange cat disappeared while Benji pursued him, and I pursued Benji.
I chased him two houses over; he was riled up, and so was I. I picked him up, wrapped in my windbreaker, despite his angry protests, and carried him back home, up the stairs, and into our shared office. I put him on his perch and closed the door so we could both recover; it took me longer than him.
There would he no more forays out front. Escape routes might still be found in the backyard, but at least the orange cat is less likely to find his way in.
All is forgiven and we are out back.
Just a day in the life of a tri-pawed who still can’t understand what all the fuss was about.
#SaturdayCaturday.
~ Susanne & Benji
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Views from Mt. Walker – Finally!
I don’t know how many times we passed by the road to Mt. Walker, perhaps dozens! The signs on 101, north of Brinnon point to the summit. I spent lots of time in Brinnon, a tiny town on the west side of Hood Canal, as my grandparents lived there for years when I was growing up, and my mom moved there later.
We did start up the road once years ago, only to turn back when we realized it was one-way and pretty rickety at that. It still is, but on our recent camping trip to Dosewallips State Park, instead of passing by, we finally said, ‘let’s do it.’
There were only a few other cars on the road, and no close calls. It was a beautiful drive up the mountain and there were massive numbers of rhododendrons, more than I’ve ever seen in the wild, magnificent in pink and thriving in the shade.
At the summit (2,804 ft,) we took the short trail to the South Viewpoint
for a look at Hood Canal below, and Mt. Rainier straight across, shrouded in the clouds.
The skyscrapers of Seattle could be seen off in the distance.
The views at the North Viewpoint were tremendous, of the Olympic Mountains, including Mt. Jupiter and Mt. Constance.
“Mt. Walker is densely covered with 100 year-old Douglas-fir trees that have grown up in an area once burned by wildfire. Native Pacific rhododendrons grow along the road and at both North and South observation points. The large flowers are bright purplish-pink and bloom May to June. Mt. Walker is the only peak facing Puget Sound that has a road to its summit. Both viewpoints have short trails to the viewing area with interpretive signs. The south viewpoint has short, compacted gravel accessible trail out to the lookout area that also provides a nice bench.” Olympic National Forest website
Now that we’ve broken the ice, we’ll need to return on a cloudless day.
~ Susanne
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Handsome in Green
The indomitable Benji.
#WordlessWednesday
~ Susanne
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An Assortment of Red, White, and Blue
For this week’s #Sunday Stills Color Challenge I went looking for red, white and blue and found it firstly in my own backyard.
I’ve been trying to capture hummingbirds in flight (not as easy as I’d hoped) and got an unusual silhouette that will work for white and blue.
I found many more shades of white and blue on a ride at Disneyland.
We drove home from that trip, on Highway 1 and stopped by Morro Bay for a look at the rock. (We were glad we did.)
We enjoyed the views and hues around Morro Rock; I admit to enhancing the blues.
We ate at a restaurant overlooking the bay and the food was great, but it’s the dessert that works nicely for red and white.
Finally, no challenge on red, white, and blue would be complete without a look at our flag, Old Glory.
The first one hangs behind John Wayne at the small airport named after him in Santa Ana. I’ve been through that airport many times on trips to Southern California and I always stop to say hello to the Duke.
The flag below is from the Coho Ferry as we sailed for Victoria from Port Angeles, with the Olympic Mountains in the background. (A trip I highly recommend.)
Lastly, I’ll close with an interesting shot of a windblown flag I took near Wenatchee, in the middle of the state.
And that will do, for red, white, & blue.
~ Susanne
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Hummingbirds in the Garden
I’ve been waiting for the hummingbirds to drop by my garden beds while I have my camera in hand and yesterday, they obliged.
Sorry, so many pictures, I couldn’t pick my favorites.
These last two are somewhat blurry but I liked the different angle.
After watching, I began to wonder, do they feed until they’re full? Does the nectar ever dry up? Are they good pollinators? I did some research to learn more about their feeding habits.
Hummingbirds are specially adapted for eating nectar from flowers. They have long beaks and long tongues for consuming the nectar. The tiny birds can maneuver easily around flowers because they fly backward as well as forward and can hover in midair. This hovering ability makes it easy for them to feed from flowers.
Hummingbirds get nectar from plants, and plants get pollinated by hummingbirds. When the birds feed from flowers, they brush against them, and the pollen sticks to their heads and throats. As they go to the next flower to feed, they transfer some of the pollen to that flower. While bees and other insects also pollinate plants in this way, some plants have evolved so that hummingbirds are their main pollinators. Such flowers tend to have petals joined into long tubes and long stamens (the part of the plant that holds the pollen). Stamens are arranged in such a way as to brush against the hummingbird when it feeds on the nectar.
I also learned from other articles that nectar producing plants replenish their nectar daily, some even hourly. I don’t know for sure, but I do know the bees and hummingbirds visit my garden beds many times throughout the day, moving from flower to flower, perhaps after the nectar has run dry.
~ Susanne
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Independence Day? Not yet for Benji
For the past month or so, we’ve been letting Benji out into the great outdoors of our backyard. You think he’d be happy with that, and he is, but what he really wants is freedom.
Freedom to explore outside the confines of the fence.
And though we keep blocking the outlets we are aware of, he keeps showing us more of them.
Bob built a new fence cutting off what appeared to be an escape route; he’s finding other ways to access the forbidden territory.
I watched him yesterday in the opposite corner that I thought was safe, but he disappeared a few minutes later into the neighbor’s yard. Thankfully, I was able to go out front and retrieve him; he’s willing to come when called.
I told Bob and he plugged what I thought was a gap in the corner. Unfortunately, minutes later, we saw Benji climbing up the fence post next to it, and if that’s possible, it’s futile!
So Benji is back to normal, minus one leg. We’ll continue to do our best to protect him, but in the end, freedom will win, even though it’s fraught with risk. I guess it’s innate in the species. Maybe ours too.
Happy 4th of July!
~ Susanne
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Landscapes of Olympic National Park – Staircase
On our recent trip to Hood Canal, we ventured into a remote corner of Olympic National Park, that surprisingly, we’d never been before – Staircase. We drove south on 101 from our campsite at Dosewallips State Park to Hoodsport, then west, past lake Cushman and into the wilderness on a rugged logging road, full of potholes.
It was worth it.
We had our sack lunch with a view of the Skokomish River, before heading out on the Rapid Loops trail.
The trail through the forest was marvelous and well maintained.
We stopped to pay our respects to a giant fallen cedar tree, 14 feet in diameter.
There were plenty of other cedars still standing, including this one with the beautiful feet.
It wasn’t long before the trail began to follow the river.
Glimpses of the rapids through the trees, to me looked rather like art.
We arrived at the suspension bridge at the top of the loop and paused for more river views.
The trail back from the other side was easier and downhill, so it wasn’t long before we arrived back to where we started and headed down the bumpy road to highway 101 and Hood Canal.
We’d heard of ‘the Staircase’ for years but never visited, preferring the westernmost areas of the park with the lakes and beaches. Surprisingly, (or not, for it’s truly wilderness,) there’s no direct connection to the west side from Staircase (You can see Staircase on the lower right section of the map from the Olympic National Park website, here.)
Its closer and just as beautiful and there are other hikes we’d like to take.
Now that we found it, we’ll be back.
Sharing with #Sunday Stills, Landscapes of the Great Outdoors.
~ Susanne
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Now that was a hike! Big 4 Ice Caves
Never was there such a payoff for such a short hike, 2.2 miles round trip!
A drive north on the Mountain Loop Highway brought us to Big 4 Mountain, known mostly for its (dangerous) ice caves. I remember hiking to those caves once on a very, rainy day, sometime in the last century, but totally missing the mountain above shrouded in clouds.
Not this time; it was clear and sunny, a perfect day for a hike.
We first stopped for a look at the mountain, at the site of a resort that stood here back in the 1930’s. Only part of the old fireplace remained standing.
We made our way to the trailhead, warned not to venture near or into the caves, which we did not intend to do.
The trail took us across the Stillaguamish River and into the forest.
It wasn’t long before the face of the mountain was in full view, and even these seasoned hikers were a bit awestruck.
We stopped at the end of the trail not venturing further out, though some did.
Look closely and you can see tiny people. The ice caves were still buried under the snow, not usually visible until August.
If you’re ever in the neighborhood (that would be in the great state of Washington,) I highly recommend you swing by Big 4 to see it for yourself. Even without the ice caves visible, the mountain is a sight to behold.
~ Susanne
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Mornings in the Garden with the Cats and the Birds
I’ve always enjoyed spending time outdoors, in my garden, and lately it starts earlier in the day.
As a tripod, Benji must be supervised outside, and I’ve been yielding to his demands first thing in the morning, only fair since he lost his night out privileges (that got him into trouble in the first place.)
I make my coffee, grab some reading material, phone and camera, and settle down for an hour or two. Mornings are special with a cool breeze and birdsong; don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.
So what’s in my garden? Plants, of course and lots of them, a tangled mess of herbs in my garden beds to be enjoyed by cats and birds alike.
Next to it, is the shady corner bounded by the garden shed, trees, and a stream, built by my husband.
It’s a favorite spot of the birds. This chestnut-backed chickadee hangs from the branches of the Douglas Fir above, while feasting on insects.
Recently, I caught sight of a wren, collecting dinner for the young back in the birdhouse. I hadn’t even realized they’d been nesting in there.
All these are regulars as are the hummingbirds that visit throughout the day, starting at the feeder.
Afterwards they swing by the garden beds and hover, so delightful to watch, as they move about from blossom to blossom. I’m often sitting nearby, unfortunately without my camera. At least I had my phone with me this morning to capture them as best I could.
Finally, I look around and see work to be done and dig in; amazing what a little bit each day can do.
Sharing with Sunday Stills, #Plant Life in the Great Outdoors.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 