Cats and Trails and Garden Tales

Life is Better with Clouds

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Susanne Swanson

I love clouds. I suppose it’s a good thing as here in Seattle we get our fair share of them, though not lately. We’ve had a surprisingly lengthy dry spell this summer, so I’ve dug into my archives to find some special clouds to share with you.

The first are of the soft and billowy variety; I took the pictures from my house earlier this year, when the sky was still blue in spite of them.

I took the picture below from the park at the end of my street where I go to watch sunset when I’m called by the colors through my office window. It’s always good to heed the call.

The next set of clouds filled the skies one summer morning in Wenatchee where we were camping on the east side of the mountains; I don’t know the reason for them, but these are some of the most interesting and unusual clouds I’ve ever seen.

I enjoyed the clouds below at sunset from Sun Mountain Lodge in the North Cascades. You have to agree clouds make sunset special.

But what about dark and gray clouds that fill the sky, blocking out the sun, and threatening, if not pouring rain? I don’t usually take pictures of them 😉 but I did once a few years ago from the deck of our cruise ship.

After we boarded and were settled, I stood and watched rain fall over the landscape in the distance,

and on a passing ship.

We were still in port, and I must admit I was a bit concerned about the timing of our cruise, late as it was in the season.

Fortunately for us the rain stopped by the time we set sail and later that night we witnessed our first sunset at sea.

Oo-la-la!

I was hooked on cruising.

And that’s enough for now.

~ Susanne

Green and Blue Over Seattle

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Susanne Swanson

28 Comments

It’s hard to say which is most striking – the green or the blue.

All I can say is I haven’t found a prettier place from the sky than Seattle.

I was born and raised here so I may be biased. Still, I urge you to get a window seat when you fly into or out of our fair city.

Last week we flew out of SeaTac on a clear day and rather than heading directly south towards our destination, the pilot headed north before swinging back around.

The first views were of south Puget Sound with the mostly snowless Olympic Mountains in the background.

Soon that workhorse of a river – the Duwamish – took center stage,

flowing into Elliott Bay, and with good views of West Seattle.

Next were views of downtown and the waterfront. Look closely and you’ll see the tiny wheel, one of the newer attractions I have yet to ride on and may never do it. Look again to the right and you’ll see the Space Needle, an older attraction, built for the World’s Fair in 1962. I’ve been up in it many times, but not since they renovated it to include a glass floor and raised the prices accordingly.

I worked in downtown Seattle for many years in a couple of different skyscrapers and have fond memories of doing so. I loved the views from on high and the walks at lunchtime to the waterfront and Pike Place Market. (The work wasn’t bad either.)

A bit further north we had good views of Lake Union and the Ballard Locks, a manmade waterway that connects Lake Washington and Lake Union to Puget Sound.

Our farewell to Seattle occurred further south with views of Mt. Rainier, another reason to get a window seat.

Fair is fair so I gave Bob the window seat on our return trip home but still managed to get a few good pictures from a different angle.

Here, facing Seattle with Elliott Bay in the foreground and, Lake Union and Lake Washington behind.

Heading back towards the airport there were more views of the Olympics and Seattle, but I focused on the docked cruise ships in the center below. We’ll be boarding one of them this fall for another cruise to Alaska. Can’t wait for that.

Sharing with Sunday Stills Challenge, #Blue.

~ Susanne

Home again, Home again, and the Cats are Happy

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Susanne Swanson

20 Comments

Even though they’re well cared for while we’re gone, the boys are so happy when we come home.

But it takes them a while to get back to normal.

“You needn’t worry so, Tiger. We will always come back. I even thought of you while we were gone.”

“You did, Sue?”

“Absolutely, Tiger. When I saw this picture, I thought of you. All you need is the glasses.”

“Aw thanks, Sue. I can relax now. Welcome back.”

“And Benji, I thought of you immediately when I saw this one. You are nothing short of a super cat.”

“Thanks, Sue, I do my best. We sure do miss you when you’re gone.”

“I know you do, Benj. But I’m home now. This lap’s for you.”

“Thanks, Sue. I’m on it.”

It’s good to be back home.

~ Susanne

Happy 4th to You!

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Susanne Swanson

10 Comments

See you next week. 🙂

~ Susanne

Ducks, Herons and Swallows on the Cedar River Trail

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Susanne Swanson

6 Comments

As the temperatures are heating up and summer is in full swing, I’ve enjoyed getting outside for some exercise and nature therapy. This week, I managed to get in two walks on the Cedar River Trail where it flows into Lake Washington. The first day I was greeted by a family of friendly ducks, teenagers I thought, as they headed toward me.

‘Hello,’ I said. ‘Welcome to the world! Sorry I’ve got nothing to give you and they don’t allow it anyway.’

They seemed to understand, and I continued on my way.

Further on, I stopped by the river and watched a heron standing completely still, staring into the shrubs.

I thought maybe he was facing the wrong direction, but I’m not a heron so what do I know?

He paid no attention to the kayakers going by, though he did seem to glance in my direction.

There were more herons near the bridge but too far away for me to capture with my phone. And when I returned the next day with my camera there were no herons to be found anywhere. Go figure.

There were still plenty of ducks, so I captured this family sunning themselves.

I continued my walk to the end of the trail where the river flows into the lake.

I saw swallows launching themselves from their nesting place in the boathouse.

They were too fast for me to capture in the air, but fortunately this handsome one posed for me. Isn’t he a beauty?

The duck posed for me too, bottoms up.

And that’s the end.

~ Susanne

In a Rose Garden At Point Defiance – Now and Then

Posted on June 29, 2023 by Susanne Swanson

26 Comments

Yesterday was a perfect day for visiting the Rose Garden. Temperatures were in the mid-seventies where we like it, not in the upper eighties as forecasted for next week. I had promised to take my mom to Point Defiance to see the roses, and a signboard, too. I’ll explain why later.

The Rose Garden – Now

I don’t have many recent pictures of mom and I together so I will treasure these. (Thanks to Bob for playing chauffeur and photographer.)

Rose Garden Then

The last time I visited the Rose Garden, I came across a sign at the entrance with some history. But what caught my attention was a photo in it that I recognized from our collection of those taken by O.T. Frasch, an early Seattle photographer.

What’s special about the photo is not merely that it’s taken by O.T. Frasch, my mother’s grandfather, but the subject matter: her mother as a young girl in the early 1900’s, with her grandmother, whom she never met as she died in childbirth a few years later.

Here’s a close-up of the photo I have at home.

Dedicated to my mom, grandma, and the great grandma I never met.

And that is the Now and Then from the Point Defiance Rose Garden.

~ Susanne

Waterfalls of the Snoqualmie River – Snoqualmie Falls, Twin Falls, and Franklin Falls

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Susanne Swanson

23 Comments

The most famous of course is Snoqualmie Falls, a popular tourist destination, and good for a visit any time of year, no hiking required, though you can take a trail to the bottom if you like.

We love to stop by when we’re in the neighborhood, just to enjoy the power, beauty and spray of the falls. But our favorite falls for hiking is on the south fork of the Snoqualmie.

Twin Falls

The trail is an easy to moderate 2.6 miles round trip, and starts out next to the river.

It winds through lush forest, filled with moss-covered trees and vegetation,

then climbs to a viewpoint where you see Upper and Lower Falls in the distance and the bridge above, your destination.

Look up and you’ll see a third waterfall, quite lovely, and wonder at the name Twin Falls rather than Triple Falls. No matter; it’s three for the price of two.

Look down from the bridge into the valley and you’ll see Upper falls beneath your feet flowing into the river.

So where’s the best view of Lower Falls? You may have passed it on your way up to the bridge. So if you didn’t stop then, be sure and stop on the way down at the Twin Falls Lookout.

Take the stairs down to the narrow platform and you’ll come face to face with Lower Falls, and perhaps the best views of the hike.

Franklin Falls

Lastly, I bring you Franklin Falls, also on the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River. It’s a popular hike so perhaps it’s surprising I’ve only been once, at least that I can recall.

We went on a hot Saturday in the summer, along with everyone else, it seems. The trail was nice, but crowded, as were the falls at the end. The spray was thick even from a distance and the rocks slippery, so I didn’t go to the pool underneath but left it to the younger ones to cool off.