Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
A Background in Apricot
I love all shades of yellow and orange but trying to find the color apricot for this week’s Sunday Stills has been daunting.
“Warm yellowish-orangish hue.” Well, I guess that nails it down! 😉
Here’s Benji willing the closet door to open so he can jump inside and hide a while.
But is he surrounded by shades of apricot?
Peach I know because according to Fire King the glassware in my kitchen is called Peach Lustre. Depending on the lighting they look a bit like apricot.
But the best shades of yellow and orange are found in nature, and it won’t be long until they dominate the landscape. These trees down the street dress up nicely for fall.
And I can’t wait to visit Coulon Park next month when the maples will be ablaze in shades of yellow and orange and peach.
I’m pretty sure apricot is in there somewhere.
And that will have to do.
~ Susanne
Share this:
Cat Shenanigans
“Why the title, Sue?”
“You of all cats should know, Benji!”
“We missed you, Sue! That’s all.”
“It was only 3 days. When are you boys going to realize we will ALWAYS come back!”
“You can’t be too sure, Sue. I have abandonment issues from kittenhood. You know that. “
“Me too, Sue.”
“Yes, Tiger, I know. But after all these years, you’d think you boys could handle a few days without all the shenanigans.”
“What shenanigans?”
“Surely you remember our first night back, Tiger. All your wanderings and whining!
“Sorry, Sue.”
“And you, Benji! Bringing a LIVE critter into the house? I’ll have to check more carefully before I let you in!”
“It was a gift, Sue!”
“Thank you, but I can do without those kinds of gifts.”
“Sorry, Sue. I promise to do better next time. Anyway, we’re glad you’re back.”
“Me too, Benji. And just so you know. I miss you both when we’re gone. I’m done ranting. You can go back to sleep now.”
~ Susanne, Tiger & Benji
Share this:
Sunset over Astoria
In my last post I shared with you an unexpected moonrise over Long Beach – in fact I posted it while still on the road. Sometimes pictures burn a hole in my pocket and demand to be shared sooner than later. 😉
The next night there was an amazing sunset in Astoria, the historic town across the Columbia River in Oregon.
By then we’d heard about the wildfires in eastern Washington, and the wind finally brought the smoke to the coast.
It was otherworldly.
I’m home now, looking out my office window. The sky is dark – pink, orange and red, with terrible beauty due to terrible wildfires.
Hoping the rain comes soon to extinguish the fires and clear the air.
~ Susanne
Share this:
Moonrise over Long Beach
A few days getaway to Long Beach.
After dinner we went to watch the sunset over the beach. Just as we were arriving we saw the clouds roll in. Nice, but not a great sunset.
Then I turned and saw the moonrise over the sand dunes and was not disappointed.
– Susanne
Share this:
Staycation or Vacation? Yes, Please!
This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge explores the topic, so I thought I’d jump in with some vacation and staycation pictures taken during the Covid era.
I’ll start with Oahu where we vacationed in February of 2020.
Little did we know a month later the world would shut down – remember that?
We’re going again next month, and the pictures remind me why. Nothing says vacation like Hawaii!
In between these Oahu bookends we’ve done many staycations out of necessity.
It was March of 2020, and we weren’t even sure we were ‘allowed’ to go out.
Those days were strange, we were in lockdown and our city parks were closed. But Kanaskat-Palmer State Park was off the beaten path, so we took our chances and headed out for a walk in the woods on the Green River.
Can you say refreshing? It was so soothing to the soul! We continued traipsing in the woods close to home throughout 2020 and beyond.
Until the world began to open up again – slowly at first – and vacations resumed of the road trip variety. Vaccinated and safe in our car, we headed down the coast to San Francisco in the spring of 2021, then to Los Angeles the spring of 2022.
We like to revisit our favorite places and that includes the national parks. There was a road trip to Yellowstone last fall for the 7th time and I hope there’s an 8th.
There were trips to Olympic National Park closer to home
and Mt. Rainier even closer.
I could go on and on but I better stop here.
So which is better? Staycations or vacations?
You decide.
But I like both.
~ Susanne
Share this:
September Kismet and School Daze
September is my favorite month, the blending of summer and fall, a time of beginnings and endings.
It reminds me of those early days of grade school – seven years to be exact – spent at Frank B. Cooper School.
The building is still there in West Seattle, standing strong and proud as the last century, more than a hundred years old.
We used the overpass to get there – up and around and twisty across the busy street – helped by students on patrol.
Inside were sights and sounds and colors and smells of times ago, the pictures below from decades later after the school became an art center.
Still, it hadn’t changed to me.
The stairs were scuffed and worn and carried me back in a school daze to 4th grade. There Miss Warner greeted me, her face and hair and dress all gold, her short hair tightly coiled. Her heels were black and upright – just like the piano she played – the music that encouraged me forever.
Yesterday I planted flowers, Kismet Orange Coneflowers, the color of the sixties like those golden school days. Intense and bright and fabulous.
Kismet means fate or destiny – meant to be – lot or portion.
I think I believe it.
~ Susanne
Share this:
Doesn’t this Sink Fit Me Perfectly?
“Well yes, Benji. It fits you better than me. But I must insist you NOT play with my charger, okay?”
“Sure, Sue. Whatever you say.”
~ From the sink of Susanne and Benji
Share this:
Tipsoo Lake and Little Naches River
One day last week we were looking to get out of the house and chose Tipsoo Lake, where we had views of Mt. Rainier and no crowds.
After an easy walk around the lake, surrounded by abundant wildflowers,
we continued on over Chinook Pass so Bob could do some flyfishing. He remembered a turnoff we’d taken last time along the Little Naches River, a deserted stretch of road with beautiful cliffs on one side, and the river on the other.
He found a good spot to access the river and caught four trout just for the fun of it – he’s a catch and release guy.
Afterwards we headed up the road for dinner at Whistlin’ Jack Lodge and Restaurant. We’d passed by many times before without stopping, usually eating at Gold Creek further on. But Gold Creek was closed so we finally gave Whistlin’ Jack’s a try. It had surprisingly good food! It would be a fun place to stay too, since the lodging is next to the Naches River. Maybe next time!
After dinner we headed back up the pass and stopped at the overlook. We had a bird’s eye view of the expansive wilderness of the Wenatchee National Forest – the William O Douglas and Norse Peak wilderness areas to be precise.
“The Cascade Mountains were created by uplifting and volcanic activity along a north-south axis. Formed during the Pleistocene Ice Age approximately 2 million years ago, alpine glaciers flowed from the mountain range into the lowlands. As these glaciers retreated they left U-shaped valleys divided by sharp ridges.
The view from the overlook into the Rainier fork of the American River illustrate this type of glacial formation.”
Soon after we were back at Tipsoo Lake,
and discovered another hidden lake tucked away across the road.
Endless beauty in the Evergreen State, no?
And that’s all for now.
~ Susanne
Share this:
Celebrating Six Years with Benji
I can’t believe it’s been six years since we brought Benji home from Seattle Humane. A young tabby, with almond eyes and a scruffy ear, we were won over by his sweet spirit and spunky disposition.
Happy Gotcha Day, Benji! 🙂
~ Susanne
Share this:
Living it Up with the Birds!
When you share about the birds in your garden as often as I do, you become hard-pressed to find new titles for your post, hence the name above! Still, it’s not far from the truth.
The birds do indeed seem to live it up in my backyard where they have trees, housing, food, birdbaths and even a stream to enjoy.
(Click on pictures in the galleries to enlarge them)
Okay, so maybe Bob went a bit overboard on the birdhouses. At least that what I told him recently. Then again, they’re seeing a lot of action this summer.
The nuthatch was busy checking this one out high above the ground.
He also checked out a colorful, swinging, model as a chickadee waited nearby. It’s a tight market – you snooze you lose.
Whichever house they choose, they all appreciate the amenities offered in the yard
Splish splash they were taking a bath!
The brown creeper hides in plain sight – completely camouflaged! Not sure whether he’s interested in the new house mounted nearby.
There are no nesting boxes for the hummingbirds, they’re not cavity dwellers. They build their own tiny nests in the trees though I’ve never seen one.
Still they’re pleased to come to the feeders every day, often reminding me when they need a refill. The Anna’s hummingbirds are year-round in my yard, rain, shine, and even snow.
The males are the handsome ones with the ruby crown and neck. What female could resist him?
And that’s enough of the birds for today!
Until next time. 🙂
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 