Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Blue Jays – the Teenager of Birds
I don’t know if I’ve posted about Blue Jays before, but I do love these funny birds!
To me they are all teenagers, friendly and talkative if not screechy, hopping about in the trees above, voicing their opinions about everything and everyone on the ground below, and hoping that a kind human will throw out some peanuts.
I haven’t done that in years, but after today’s show in the trees maybe I will!
We grew up calling them Blue Jays, but they are technically Steller’s Jays, so there is that!
My bird group in Facebook is always happy to correct me. 😉 But old habits die hard!
~ Susanne
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Reflections on a Lake over Chinook Pass
It made a nice day trip over the mountains with a good excuse – to look at a camper for sale in Yakima. (We can’t seem to give up the thought of camping.)
We headed south to Mt Rainier via Highway 410 and up and over Chinook Pass, where just last month we went for a hike to Sheep Lake over this ridge.
Only then it was a perfectly sunny and a suitable day for a hike. On this day, fall was in the air, and the pass damp and shrouded in fog. And still beautiful.
The fun thing about crossing the Cascades to the east side of the state is the almost guaranteed sunshine and blue skies you will find on the other side; that along with a change in the landscape, including golden cliffs and caves.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the Naches River, part of a campground and RV park serving up delicious fare, and afterwards headed into Yakima to look at the camper. It was a no-go, and we’re finally convinced only a hard side will do – no tent trailers for us.
But honestly, it was just an excuse for an outing, somewhere to go for the day. After stopping for dessert and to pick up some fresh peaches and plums, we headed back the same way we came, just in time to avoid hitting this beauty crossing the road.
Chinook Pass was still shrouded in clouds and though there was no view of Mt. Rainier to be had, we captured beautiful reflections on a small lake, under Naches Peak.
It was a fun day, and we noted the many campgrounds along the rivers on both sides of the pass, that we hope to visit again sometime, perhaps overnight, in a camper.
We shall see.
~ Susanne
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Happy Belated Gotcha Day, Benji!
“So sorry, Benji!”
“What’s up, Sue?”
“I totally forgot your ‘gotcha day!’ We brought you home from Seattle Humane 7 years ago August 26th. I’m a week late but I still wanted to let you know what a great kitty you’ve been. Well, most of the time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well…….”
“Okay Sue, I see your point.”
“Don’t worry, Benji. Even when you’re naughty, you’re so much fun.”
“Aw thanks, Sue.”
So Happy Gotcha Day, Benji! 🙂
~ Susanne
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Autumn Comes in on a Cloud – at Coulon Park
After a very warm and dry summer, the rain arrived last week, the tail end of one of many storms that slammed the West Coast.
It was inevitable and welcome.
I went for a walk at Coulon Park where the beach was deserted.
Billowy clouds filled the sky.
And colors were beginning to show.
Welcome, September!
Sharing with Sunday Stills.
~ Susanne
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Wakin’ Up is Hard to Do
Just ask Benji.
Happy Monday!
~ Susanne
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Black-Capped Chickadee
The little bird that caught my attention many years ago and turned me into a birdwatcher.
Cheerful and talkative, still one of my favorites, presented first in black and white, then in living color.
“A bird almost universally considered “cute” thanks to its oversized round head, tiny body, and curiosity about everything, including humans. The chickadee’s black cap and bib; white cheeks; gray back, wings, and tail; and whitish underside with buffy sides are distinctive. Its habit of investigating people and everything else in its home territory, and quickness to discover bird feeders, make it one of the first birds most people learn.”
the Cornell Lab All About birds
Saying farewell to Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge!
~ Susanne
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A Forgotten View of Mt. Rainier – from Crystal Mountain
I was reminded by Facebook Memories that once upon a time we took the Gondola at Crystal Mountain.
I’d heard of Crystal Mountain before but since I don’t ski, I’d never been there. But one day on a trip to Mt. Rainier, we saw the sign and decided to swing by. Who knew you could take a gondola to the top of the mountain during the summer?
It was a little scarier than I thought it would be – a 12 minute ride – 2,400 vertical feet up, and neither Bob nor I are good with heights. Still, we survived and would do it again.
We had lunch on top at the Summit Restaurant, at 6,872 ft, Washington’s highest.
The food was good, and the view of Mt Rainier was exquisite.
This was before I carried a good camera with me on my outdoor adventures so these pictures were taken with my LG phone. Next time I’ll carry a real camera and when that happens, I’ll let you know, probably not this year. The end of summer is rapidly approaching, and the window is closing.
More about Crystal Mountain can be found at Crystal Mountain Resort in case you’re in the area and would like to visit.
~ Susanne
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I Love My Hummingbirds! #Wordless Wednesday
~ Susanne
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Long Beach, Cape Disappointment and Two Lighthouses
We love visiting the Long Beach Península on Washington’s southern coast, not only for the beach but also for the rugged scenery and history (this was the end of the road for Lewis and Clark), and the two lighthouses that help guide ships over the treacherous Columbia Bar, one of the world’s most dangerous crossings.
We rode our e-bikes on the Discovery Trail, a paved path through the dunes along the Pacific Ocean,
climbing through forest
to the North Head Lighthouse for views of the beach and mouth of the Columbia River.
“North Head Lighthouse was built to provide an aide to navigation for ships approaching from the north. Those ships could not see Cape Disappointment lighthouse, two miles to the south, in time to safely enter the Columbia River channel.
Construction began on North Head lighthouse in 1897 and it was completed and lit on May 16, 1898. “
History of the North Head Lighthouse
Later that day we drove to the Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center in Cape Disappointment State Park
and got a good look at the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, the first in the Pacific Northwest, completed in 1856.
On the way down we stopped by Waikiki Beach, so named I assume, for its soft sand and protected waters, making it safely swimmable.
But not always.
Photographers flock here during storms to catch the waves.
Someday, I may try to do the same.
That’s all for now.
~ Susanne
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A Trip to the Beach without Benji
We just returned from a few days at the ocean, perfectly timing our visit to escape the heat wave in Seattle. Honestly, we got lucky, it was twenty degrees cooler at Long Beach.
We had a great time. Bicycling. Hiking. Enjoying the sights.
And once again, Benji was not invited.
Which reminded me of this.
********
“Watcha doin’, Benji?”
“Getting ready for the big trip, Sue.”
“What trip is that, Benji?”
“Wherever it is your going. I’d like to come along if you don’t mind.”
“But you hate riding in the car. Have you forgotten? I think you’ll be much happier at home. And I’ll bring you back a present, I promise.”
A few days later I did.
He was enthralled.
Hope to share more photos from Long Beach soon.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 