Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Blue Skies over Port Townsend, Gray and Rainy at Dosewallips
We managed a quick getaway to Port Townsend this week on the most promising day of the week, weather-wise if not health-wise, and skies were mostly blue.
A bit of shopping, a bit of walking, and we decided to drive back along Hood Canal, with a stop by the Dosewallips, the river and state park. It was rainy but we were dressed for it and didn’t go far, just enough to enjoy the fresh air and stretch our legs.
According to the Washington State Trails Association, “The Dosewallips River flows through some of the most scenic portions of the Olympic Peninsula, weaving through rain forest to the shoreline of Hood Canal where, at the mouth of the river, sits one of Washington’s most popular State Parks.”
The giant eagle’s nest was still there, though I saw no eagles. Do they go somewhere to hide in the rainy weather?
We made the same trip last year and saw this:
Neither did we see elk, though they were plentiful on previous trips.
We did see other mysterious lifeforms hanging from the trees and sprouting from logs below.
Speaking of mysterious life forms, I was both surprised and not, when I tested positive for covid after we returned home. I’d suffered from cold symptoms off and on for the last few weeks and tested negative several times earlier this month. So I didn’t think too much about it when I woke up and felt a sore throat coming on, until later that night I was feeling pretty miserable.
Thankfully, I’m feeling good enough to be up and posting and hope it will pass soon.
~ Susanne
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Birdwatching at Coulon Park
I went for a walk at Coulon Park on a gray and cloudy day.
A Crow was also out for a walk,
and startled when I took his picture; I assured him I was on his side.
Another bird landed in a distant tree and I snapped a photo by faith; I couldn’t see him clearly, but my zoom could. It was a Kingfisher, not uncommon, but a first for me.
A pair of Hooded Mergansers swam by,
the missus took the lead, the flamboyant male followed.
A Cormorant looked like batman, drying his wings.
while an Anna’s Hummingbird rested, deep in thought,
pondering the day.
I don’t remember exactly when I became a birdwatcher. I only know it makes a good walk even better and gives me Something to Do.
~ Susanne
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Benji and the New Post
“Good morning, Benji. Just wanted to thank you for your cooperation.”
“Who, me? What for, Sue?”
“I think you know, Benj, but I’ll spell it out for you anyway. For using the new post.”
“Oh, that? Not to worry, Sue. My middle name is cooperation.”
“Hmmm. Not so sure about that. I think it had more to do with the catnip.”
“It’s a start, but I’d like you to use it without that. I can’t have you turning into a junkie.”
“Don’t worry about it, Sue. You can trust me.”
“I hope so Benji. But let’s keep working on it. In the meantime, you may still use the chair for sleeping, just not scratching, okay Benji?”
~ Susanne and Benji
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Favorites in Aquamarine – From my Travels
Who doesn’t love aquamarine? Not me, but it’s in short supply here in the Pacific Northwest during the rainy winter months.
So for this week’s Sunday Stills Challenge, # Aquamarine I went looking in my archives and found it in my travels.
I’ll start with the Canadian Rockies.
Can you name this lake? She’s famous, one of the most beaufiful in the world.
Lake Louise
Moraine Lake
Not far from Lake Louise, Moraine Lake is just as beautiful, maybe more so, I never could decide.
Perhaps I need another visit to Alberta, Canada!
Big Sur
Further south in the Lower 48, is Big Sur, California. It’s hard to find a better road trip than this beautiful coastline.
And while you’re there, be sure to stop and stretch your legs,
for a peek at Pfeiffer Falls. You’ll be glad you did!
Now let’s head further south and west, for a look at some wonderful beaches in Hawaii.
Makaha Beach, Oahu
Makaha is on the remote leeward side of Oahu, home to big wave surfing in the winter, only the experienced need apply.
I was happy just to walk on the beach and sink into the deep and velvety sand.
Meanwhile, on Maui
There’s no shortage of accessible beaches on Maui in all shades of aquamarine. So many in fact, I’m hard-pressed to remember the names of these below. Perhaps you’ll recognize them.
Finally, I’ll leave you with a rather subdued aquamarine at sunset, Turtle Bay, Oahu.
And that will do for today’s dose of aquamarine.
~ Susanne
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Cats Behaving Badly – or just Behaving as Cats
“Benji, guess what? I got a new book. It’s called, “Cats Behaving Badly - Why Cats do the Naughty Things They Do,” by Celia Haddon.
“Is Tiger acting up again, Sue?”
“Actually no, Benji, I was thinking of you.”
“Me?? What on earth are you talking about?”
“Honestly I was considering some of your behaviors, and how we might change them.”
“Which behaviors, Sue? This one?”
“No, not that. I allowed you to mess with my crafts, even found it cute.”
“Is it that you don’t like me sleeping in your camera bag?”
“No, I don’t mind that as long as my camera’s not in it.”
“How about your inbox?”
“No, that’s okay, Benji. Just don’t shred the papers.”
“Well then, what’s the problem?”
“I was thinking of my chair, Benji. The one you can’t refrain from scratching every morning. I was wondering why the squirt bottle hasn’t worked.”
“Then I read this, ‘Cats that scratch furniture in the presence of their owners have discovered that it is a way of getting human attention, if not human approval.’ I think you just want my attention in the morning. Is that it, Benji?”
“You’re slow, Sue, but that’s part of it.”
“It also says, ‘An indoor cat has to scratch somewhere in the house and, if there are no posts available, he will scratch your furniture.’ Honestly Benji, you’re not exactly an indoor cat, you’ve got the whole backyard at your disposal. What more do you want?”
“I’m not outside all the time, Sue. And the little cardboard box on the floor isn’t great. I’d rather stand and stretch my legs while I scratch.”
“I see. A new scratching post, a deluxe model, will that help?”
“That should do, Sue. I’ll let you know after you get it.”
“Okay, Benji.” I’ll go shopping this week.”
“Thanks, Sue. I’m glad the book helped you!”
“It did, Benji, just not the way I hoped it would.”
“When cats behave in ways that are difficult for us, we are the ones who have to change. we can’t change them, except by changing ourselves.”
And all the cats said, ‘amen!’
~ from the desk of Susanne and Benji
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San Diego – the Kiss, the Hope, and the Ship, USS Midway
It was just last month that we booked a few nights in San Diego. This was the first time we stayed on the waterfront, a perfect location for touring the aircraft carrier and museum, USS Midway.
It had rained the night before and was a bit cloudy but still warm enough for a pleasant walk on the Embarcadero.
We passed many eateries and shops on our way to the Midway, and eventually saw the ship ahead.
But first we stopped at the Kiss, (“Unconditional Surrender”) a statue of the iconic moment captured by Life Magazine after WW2 was finally over. Many visitors staged their own versions of the Kiss in front of the statue.
Nearby we found Hope – Bob, that is.
I remember his shows in front of the troops (on TV during the Vietnam era, not WW2, just so you know.) Thanks for the memories, Bob!
After the Kiss and the Hope, we boarded the Aircraft Carrier USS Midway, and spent most of the day exploring the many decks, narrow passageways and rooms below.
The ship was commissioned in 1945 as the largest ship in the world. It has 18 decks, weighs 69,000 tons fully loaded, and is 1,001 feet long. This City at Sea carried 4,500 crewmembers, served up 13,000 meals daily, handled 43,000 pounds of laundry weekly, and 80,ooo haircuts annually. We tried our best to imagine living aboard this giant ship and wondered how sailors didn’t get lost in the maze below (they did.)
The Flight Deck above had great views of the city and naval base across the bay.
There we listened to retired pilots describing the challenges of launching and landing jets on a moving ship in the middle of the ocean, often at night and under radio silence. We heard more stories at home from our son-in-law, a former Navy pilot, of his own exploits landing an F14 at night. Not for the faint of heart, hats off to all of them!
After a full day on the Midway, we walked back to the hotel, stopping for dinner as the sun began to set.
It was a perfect day.
~ Susanne
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A Cold Walk at Nolte, New Bird Sighting, and the Green River Gorge
Yesterday was the last day of the bitterly cold weather here in the Northwest, at least for this round.
Regardless, we bundled up for a walk in the woods, around Deep Lake at Nolte State Park. Much of the lake was frozen and I wondered at the ducks; even with hat and gloves I was feeling rather frozen, myself.
Warmer in the lake than outside of it, I reckon.
Still, it was a beautiful day, and I got my steps in, if only the easy mile and a half around the lake.
There were all the usual sights, tall evergreens, ferns and mosses,
and trees fallen long ago by the side of the trail.
There were also occasional views of the lake, with its ice floes.
This backwater was frozen solid; it took a few tries, but we finally landed our stones and heard them bounce on the hard surface.
As we neared the end of the trail I heard an unfamiliar bird call, and stopped to find the source.
It wasn’t hard to do as his bright red head stood out against the trees.
A red breasted sapsucker, I confirmed later. New to me, it’s a variety of woodpecker whose main diet is – you guessed it – sap.
Afterwards we headed to the Black Diamond Bakery for lunch, with a stop by the Green River Gorge on the way. I walked across the one-way bridge and gazed over the side
at the falls far below.
This was the view of the river from the other side,
and giant icicles hanging above.
I never get tired of seeing the gorge, and occasionally making the trek down into it, but not in the winter.
~ Susanne
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Hummingbirds through the Window
Due to the cold snap this week, I decided to add additional feeders for the hummingbirds, and that included a new location, the maple tree in front of the house.
I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before; they love perching in the tree before dropping down to feed. And since they’re much closer, it’s easier to snap a photo through the window, I don’t have to leave the house. (A plus when it’s 18 degrees.)
I took the first two pictures below from my living room. Same bird seconds apart, but notice the color of his head and throat changes from black to red – or is it purple?
I took the next set of pictures from my office above, and the reddish-purple color of the male was still visible, but nothing compared to what followed.
Same bird, but with a twist and turn of the head, his crown changed to iridescent fuchsia!
How does he do that??
Would you like to change your hair color with a flick of your head?
He’s not telling but to me it’s purely magical.
Sharing for this week’s Sunday Stills Challenge, #Looking at Life through a Window.
~ Susanne
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Feeding the Hummingbirds during the Cold Spell
I was up at 7 this morning, put on some boots, and while still in my robe, put out the feeders. It was 18 degrees Fahrenheit! I have three locations now. Two in the back, and one in the front. The newest location in front is perfect and I can watch the hummingbirds from my office window.
After I took these pictures, I went out to replace the feeder as this one was already freezing. A hummingbird hovered nearby and waited, and immediately began to feed when it was back up.
I do love these sweet little birds and they need us during this cold spell!
More pictures because… why not?
~ Susanne
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Winter Scenes, Frigid Temps and Feeding the Hummers
The snow didn’t arrive but frigid temperatures did, along with a bit of hail; it made for some lovely winter scenes.
It also highlighted the need to keep the hummingbirds adequately fed.
I brought the feeders in last night and returned them outside before sunrise this morning. The hummers were there immediately.
A couple hours later the feeders were mostly frozen, so I replenished them again and will need to do so all day.
There was more than one hummingbird wanting to feed and they are territorial, so I added a new location, this time in front of the house, where I can also watch from my office window.
Within a few minutes, a hummingbird was feeding, and afterwards rested in the branches.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 