Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Downy Woodpecker
This handsome bird dropped by my backyard this week for some suet and was kind enough to stay till I could grab my camera.
(I’d just moved the suet to a new location which I hope will thwart the squirrels from eating it all too quickly. I left some for them in the old location for now.)
Not the clearest of pictures as it was getting dark, and I snapped them in a hurry before he flew away.
The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America; the male is most handsome with the bright red patch on the back of his head. They feed primarily on insects, but supplement thier diet with seeds and berries, and suet when available.
~ Susanne
What do you see in the Clouds?
I see skies of blue, trees of green …
sung by Jimmy Durante!
What do you see?
For (mostly) #Wordless Wednesday
~ Susanne
Life is Better in Color – On the Snoqualmie River
Last weekend on a cold and crisp, clear, sunny day, we headed east to visit the small towns and parks that surround the Snoqualmie River and Falls. In my last post, I drained the color from the landscape and the scenery became almost frightful, so I thought I’d better show you the world as it really is – in living color.
Snoqualmie Falls is much more beautiful lit up by sunshine and fall foliage. Did you know you could drive to the bottom? Much easier than taking the hike down from above.
Afterwards, we had lunch in the small town of Carnation, then stopped by Tolt-MacDonald for a walk in the park.
We crossed the suspension bridge and the river flowed calm and shallow underneath, after a low-water summer.
We’re barely half-way through fall, but we have frost in the mornings and snow has arrived in the foothills of the Cascades, heralding winter to come.
That’s all for now.
~ Susanne
Making the Ordinary Frightful
Yesterday we enjoyed visiting the small towns that dot the mountains and valleys just east of here, on a crisp, cold and beautiful fall day.
But I couldn’t help but notice some of the same scenes were almost frightful when drained of their color.
Would you stay at this old Roadhouse? I wouldn’t, in black and white. Built in Fall City in 1920, imagine the stories it could tell.
Why was it called Fall City? Because of this – Snoqualmie Falls – just up the road.
The falls aren’t exactly frightening but how about these penstocks nearby? Connecting to the powerplant at the bottom, they looked out of this world.
At Tolt-MacDonald Park up the road we crossed the suspension bridge and it swayed, causing us to quicken our steps, lest we be plunged into the water below.
(Yes, I’m exercising a bit of poetic license here.)
On the other side were trees, especially frightful in black and white.
Even the frost was treacherous.
I’ll be back later this week to show you some of these sights as they belong, in living color.
But for today, I’m sharing the ordinary made #Frightful for Sunday Stills.
Susanne
Cruise to Alaska -Leaving Endicott Arm for Rainy Juneau
The 4th day of our cruise started early – 1:00 a.m.to be exact, when the captain came over the loudspeaker to tell us the northern lights were up ahead. I got up to see the dim, green highlights in the sky, then went back to bed; I learned later the colors were brilliant at 3. Oh well. Morning would come soon enough as we would sail into Endicott Arm before sunrise.
All was peaceful as we entered the fjord and slipped past the Hanging Glacier under the cloak of darkness.
Slowly, the sun began to rise, illuminating the beauty surrounding us.
At the end of the fjord we came face to face with Dawes Glacier (as close as a giant ship can safely get.)
Wrapped in a blanket with coffee in one hand, and camera in the other, I enjoyed the marvelous views outside as we continued through the Inside Passage – the mountains, forests, islands, and ice floes.
“Shaped by the staggering force of massive glaciers millions of years ago, Alaska’s Inside Passage stretches 500 miles along the Pacific Ocean and boasts wildlife-filled fjords, tidewater glaciers, and lush island scenery. The Tongass National Forest— the largest national forest in the United States and the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world — covers the vast majority of the Inside Passage.”
Travelalaska.com
The weather held the next few hours but as we approached Juneau it was not to be – we were greeted with heavy rain.
I was glad we hadn’t purchased an excursion. Instead, we carried umbrellas and walked the few blocks to the Alaska State Museum where we saw historical artifacts including this Thunderbird Screen from 1905.
“In Southeast Alaska, Tlingit clan history was preserved in precise detail between generations. Stories of their origins and early activities were passed orally over thousands of years. These histories are also represented in song, personal and place names and as symbolic crests on regalia, totemic carvings and other decorated objects.” This screen documents the history of the House of the Yakutat Tlingit.
Alaska was considered a colony of Russia until purchased by the United States in 1867 for 7.2 million, a purchase known at the time as ‘Seward’s Folly.’ (There’s been quite a return on investment.)
The native inhabitants of Alaska protested the ‘selling’ of their land which was never owned by Russia, but it would take years before any settlement and payment to the natives would occur.
After the museum we headed back into the rain which hadn’t abated – in fact the wind picked up, turning our umbrellas inside out.
We gave up any ideas of shopping and returned to the ship for an early dinner.
No, it was not a good day for sightseeing, but fortunately we explored Juneau on our first cruise to Alaska a few years ago,
including a visit to Mendenhall Glacier, a few miles from town.
And that will do for now.
~ Susanne
Sharing with the Squirrels
It’s that time of year when I put the feeders out for the birds in my backyard.
I fill them with seed and suet, and both are welcomed by the chickadees, nuthatches and finches.
You know who else gets their fill?
These guys.
Sorry to say, the Eastern Gray Squirrel is not native to the Pacific Northwest and thus not welcome at the feeders by most backyard birders.
On the other hand, they are charming and acrobatic, and virtually impossible to keep away, despite everyone’s best efforts.
I don’t begrudge them; everybody’s got to eat, and the birds don’t seem to mind. So I just keep the seed and suet coming.
They appreciate it.
~ Susanne
Benji in the Funny Pages
I’ve had many cats in my day, and all were unique and wonderful. But none made me laugh like Benji so I’m happy to share him for this week’s Sunday Stills, #Funny Pages.
Benji and the Mystery Cat
Scaredy Cat
Invasion of the Cat Snatchers
“Take me to your leader.”
Hideaway Cat
If it fits…
or not,
there’s only one Benji.
~ Susanne
What is Metallic and Black?
Cars, of course! And old ones at that.
It was Henry Ford who remarked that his new Model T could be ‘any color as long as it’s black.’ Though it’s never been my choice of color for a car, it looks good on the ones below.
How about a Corvette? I found this one in Washington DC’s Air and Space Museum
Perhaps it was the color that made this racecar a champion, at the NASCAR Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Did you know that stock car racing evolved during Prohibition when moonshiners modified their cars to outrun the lawmen? Well now you do.
We rode in this old Plymouth to dinner, courtesy of our hotel in Astoria, Oregon.
Also in Oregon, you’ll find a lot of black cars, including this old Packard, at the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum (WAAAM) in Hood River, a hidden gem.
They are all are fine looking, don’t you think?
But I prefer a bit of color in my cars – see for yourself – with more from WAAAM.
Which do you prefer?
Sharing with Sunday Stills Challenge #Black #Metallic.
~ Susanne
Cruising from Seattle to Alaska – On Board the Discovery Princess
I’m back for another installment from our cruise to Alaska – was it just last month? – this time focusing on our experience at sea on the Discovery Princess. Launched in the spring of 2022, the Discovery is much larger than either of the two ships we’d sailed previously and was our home for seven nights.
We boarded the Princess at Pier 91 in Seattle and went up top for photos – this one taken by travelers from Baltimore who asked us to take their picture. We did and they reciprocated. This was welcome as we have never taken a successful selfie.
You can see the Space Needle in the background, the mid-century icon that makes our city recognizable around the world (at least I think it does,)
along with a ghostly apparition of Mt. Rainier hidden by cloud cover.
Later that night we enjoyed dramatic skies at sunset with the clouds foretelling what was ahead the next couple of days.
Soon we were exploring the ship inside and out, getting acquainted with18 decks, restaurants and entertainment venues, a quest we continued all week.
The Princess Theatre is the largest venue and many shows and presentations occurred here throughout the cruise. We attended a few of them.
My favorite was the naturalist, Michael Modzelewski, who shared his extensive knowledge of the Inside Passage, covering wildlife, native culture, glaciers and more.
In addition to the times in the theatre he also kept us apprised of the nature around us throughout the cruise, pointing out a whale here and seals there, especially in Endicott Arm, a highlight of our trip.
Food is a big part of any cruise and we enjoyed all the offerings. Half the time we opted for the buffet, the World Fresh Marketplace, which had every kind of food imaginable. We ate in the dining rooms a few times (not on formal dress-up nights) and on our final night at sea, paid the upcharge and dined at Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, with too many courses, all very good.
Suffice it to say, the entire cruise was fun and relaxing. Yes, there were occasional high waves and rough seas, but our giant ship and competent captain managed them well.
My only disappointment was the missing Promenade Deck. Well, not exactly missing, Deck 7 Promenade existed, but was not completely walkable around the entire ship, which was one of my favorite things to do on previous cruises. Instead, there was a ‘jogging track’ on an upper deck, shorter and not under cover so not great for rainy days. (I may opt for an older, smaller ship on our next cruise with the traditional promenade deck.)
That’s enough for now.
Here’s Ketchikan and Endicott Arm from previous posts if you missed them.
I’ll save Juneau and Skagway for another time.
~ Susanne
You’ve Come A Long Way, Boys!
Seven years ago we brought Benji home as a companion for Tiger;
Tiger was skeptical to say the least,
and demanded the following be put in writing:
“Sue has confirmed that I shall retain #1 Feline status which means that Benji must needs be #2. Entitlements and responsibilities below:
Tiger #1 – Entitlements
Exclusive rights to sleep on the big bed upstairs, unless permission granted.
Exclusive rights to Sue’s office (includes blogging rights with picture,) unless permission granted.
In and out privileges at will.
Full submission from #2 in all things, all matters and all disputes.
Benji #2 – Responsibilities
In and out privileges at will.
Submission to #1 in all things, all matters and all disputes.”
The rules are continually tested and enforcement challenging,
but most of the time we have compliance and peaceful coexistence.
Happy Saturday from the boys!
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 