Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Walking on a Carpet of Red – on the Cedar River Trail
I felt like I was walking on a bed of roses yesterday on the Cedar River Trail, but they were fallen leaves and just as beautiful.
On one side of the trail is the Cedar River heading north into Lake Washington.
From that vantage point, you can see the Seattle skyline on the west, and the Bellevue skyline on the east, with Mercer Island in between.
All manner of ducks and birds call Lake Washington home.
There was a convention of Cormorants yesterday, with Bellevue’s skyline behind here,
and Coulon Park behind, here.
There were flocks of American Coots in front of the Boeing plant.
The Boeing Plant was established in Renton in 1942, to manufacture the B-29 Superfortress during World War II. Since that time, it’s been the home of many other significant planes, especially the 737.
Back on the trail many birds abound in the trees above, including this Black-capped Chickadee, one of my favorites.
This one enjoyed a handout.
Not my hand.
And that will do for now.
~ Susanne
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Prettier in the Rain – Flowers at Point Defiance
Timing is everything.
We’ve been to Point Defiance in Tacoma many times, but don’t always hit the right season to find the gardens in bloom.
One year we did.
There were Roses – I’m partial to the orange ones.
There were Dahlias – I love all colors.
And there were Fuchsias – the most difficult flower to spell. (Every single time.)
And all were made prettier with a few raindrops.
Sharing with the #Flower Hour.
~ Susanne
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Scary in the Woods
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, are they not?
But they can be scary too. Bob and I love to hike and over the years, have been on too many hikes in the woods to count.
Many times, while we’re on the trail, he’ll remark, “wouldn’t it be scary to be lost in the woods?”
“Well, yes, it would.”
The shapes more sinister as the sun goes down.
Cold. Critters in the night. Every rustle, unsettling.
“Why do you say that?” I ask, and he tells me of a childhood friend who went hunting with his dad. They got lost and had to spend the night in the woods. Not uncommon in the fall when the sun goes down early and everything is suddenly dark. Fortunately, they made it out the next day.
It almost happened to us, on a hike to Coal Creek Falls on Cougar Mountain.
Not that far away but unfamiliar. And the trails were not well marked.
We made it to the falls. They were fine.
But we couldn’t find the trail back to the car.
It was going on 4 o’clock. It was late October and the sun would be setting soon.
There were signs here and there that we weren’t happy to see.
Giant holes in the ground to beware of, from mining a hundred years ago.
And then there was this: Nike Missile Base a relic of the Cold War.
Seriously? People like to hike here?
I guess they do but to me it was creepy. And a little bit scary when we got lost in the woods.
Fortunately, we found the right trail and made it out before sunset. We have no plans to go back.
Sharing with this week’s #Sunday Stills Challenge, Scary.
~ Susanne
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Color before the Storm
It’s raining heavily now, and more rain is in the forecast. Fall’s stormy weather is upon us.
But earlier this week I returned to Coulon Park for a final look at the color on its famous boulevard.
Nearer to the lake, there were other beautiful trees and shrubs to enjoy.
Sharing my leaves and flowers with Terri’s new photo challenge, The #Flower Hour.
~ Susanne
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Taking a Break with the Birds
It’s a beautiful fall day and I’m inside doing paperwork.
Time for a break.
The birds had the same idea and were everywhere.
The Robins were most plentiful.
Handsome.
Friendly and inquisitive.
There for the watering holes.
There were other birds too, smaller and faster, I couldn’t catch them all.
Chickadees.
Wrens.
Sparrows.
And then they were gone, back to their birdy activities, and I back to mine.
We were all happy for the break.
~ Susanne
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Favorite Fall Florals
Not this year’s garden. I didn’t plant any new fall flowers, and previous promised perennials don’t always come back; their high prices mean I sometimes hold a grudge.
Still, they live on in my archives, especially this favorite: Kismet Orange Coneflower.
I really should give it another chance.
If only for the bees.
Sharing for #Sunday Stills, Plant Life.
~ Susanne
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The Salmon are back! Spawning in the Cedar River
It’s been a long, long journey for these sockeye salmon, but they have returned at last to their spawning grounds in the Cedar River.
Not the greatest video but stick it out to the end to see the female lay her eggs.
I love #Renton, where a river runs through it.
~ Susanne
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Back by Popular Demand – Fall Color at Coulon Park
They come from far and wide to see the trees in glory.
At Gene Coulon Memorial Park in Renton.
~ Susanne
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Playing in Light Room – Black and White in Hawaii
I’ve already shared a few times from our trip to Hawaii last month, but I thought I’d take another look for this week’s Sunday Stills Color Challenge, #Black & White.
There’s a lot of black to be found on the Big Island, because of the volcanic eruptions that created it; lava of all ages is everywhere.
There’s plenty of color too! I’ve used the slide show option in the next two sets of pictures from Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, so you can compare.
Here are a few more snaps from the Big Island, a gecko I found on a jungle walk to Akaka Falls,
and Liliuokalani Park in Hilo.
And how could I forget Punalu’u Black Sand Beach
and the gorgeous turtles resting there?
Moving on to Oahu, we found this spooky scene at Kualoa Ranch where dozens (hundreds?) of TV shows and movies have been filmed, this one, Kong: Skull-Island.
Finally, I’ll close this Hawaiian adventure in black and white with a beach scene from Waikiki.
Fyi, I recently subscribed (again) to Adobe, for Light Room Classic, as it makes it much easier to edit my pictures in fewer steps, than the free tools I’ve been using.
That’s all for now.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 