Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
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
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
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
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
Looking for Yellow on a Visit to Soos Creek Botanical Garden
It had been a while, so when I was finally feeling better this week, I celebrated with a visit to Soos Creek Botanical Garden. It’s one of my favorite local gardens, just a short drive down the road in Auburn.
One of my goals was actually to find some yellows, dark yellows, as in the color you might define as ‘mustard.’
And I found some, in varying degrees of intensity.
My favorites that day were more subtle – in the center of lovely white flowers where the pistils and stamens are (yes, I had to look it up to remember what those reproductive parts are called.)
And that’s not all I found! 🙂
I might have missed this tiny frog if I hadn’t been looking closely!
Photography encourages me to pay attention to the beauty of the world, a color challenge even more!
Sharing with Sunday Stills Color Challenge, Mustard.
~ Susanne
Hiking in Paradise – Reflection Lakes, Bench Lake and Snow Lake
Our last day in Paradise had a bit of everything – mountain views, crystal clear lakes, wildflowers and wildlife. We woke up early and left the Paradise Inn for the trailhead to Bench Lake and Snow Lake, just a few miles down the road.
Stopping to look at wildflowers along the way,
we saw deer in the woods, always a treat.
We continued to Reflection Lakes where there was just a bit of reflecting under clear blue skies.
Soon after we arrived at the trailhead which was almost deserted.
The trail was moderate, 2.5 miles RT to Snow Lake, climbing through meadows and forest, with views of Mt. Rainier behind
and Unicorn Peak ahead.
Sometimes it was smooth and flat under open sunshine,
other times it was steep and rocky
with strange creatures seeming to rise out of the ground to grab me.
There were wildflowers and wildlife both seen and unseen – more on that later.
After a mile we arrived at a fork in the road.
Our original intention was to go to Bench Lake, but we heard from other hikers that the trail down to the lake was a bit of a scramble.
So we continued on to Snow Lake, a good decision it turns out as it was by far the prettier of the two.
After enjoying our snack and soaking in the beauty of the place we headed back down the trail. I scanned the nearby peaks looking for mountain goats – it seemed a perfect place for them to hang out – but came up short.
I should have been looking for bears. As we were coming down, some backpackers told Bob they’d seen a bear on the trail. He didn’t tell me until we were safely back at the car.
Why worry my pretty little head, right? 😉
According to the National Park Service website –
“The trail is a succession of gradual ups and downs as it crosses a series of low ridges. The path first reaches Bench Lake after .75 mile, then continues another .5 mile to Snow Lake. Most years these lakes do not melt out until late July and the trail can be muddy until then.. In mid-summer, this area explodes with a variety of wildflowers and an abundance of bear grass. In the fall, mountain ash and huckleberries color the scene. Quite visible is a silver forest of trees which remain from a past fire. Expect good views of Mount Rainier on clear days. There is always a chance of seeing black bears as well.”
Maybe next time. 🙂
~ Susanne
Out of Covid Jail – Hooray!
I got the new test kits in the mail and tested negative last night and today. So, after 12 days I’m officially out of covid jail.
I thought I’d celebrate with these charming sea otters from Morro Bay. (I’ll take any excuse to share them again!)
~ Susanne
A Covid Tale and a few more Skippers
Okay, I didn’t mention that I’ve had Covid the last 10 days. It came as quite a surprise. I woke up with a sore throat, felt lousy that first night, and the rapid test confirmed it the next day. Felt like a combined flu and cold with aches and pains, congestion and fatigue my main symptoms. I’m so thankful it wasn’t worse.
I’m feeling much better today and getting bored being housebound. I ran out of the test kits and expect more in the mail today. Once I test negative, I’ll be free to go out again. (I may still go out masked, even if it’s positive, since after 10 days you are not considered to be contagious.)
You may have noticed my blogging has continued throughout my illness. I’m happy it’s kept my mind off things. I’ve been hanging out in the backyard with my camera; the birds and the bees don’t mind.
Yesterday I showed you the little butterflies in my garden, known as skippers.
I took those pictures with my older camera – the Sony RX10; I’ve been using it lately, so I don’t forget how.
But I also took pictures of the skippers with my new camera, the Panasonic Lumix, FZ300 – what a difference a longer zoom makes!
So here they are again – close-up – courtesy of the Lumix.
Cute little buggers, aren’t they?
~ Susanne
Moth or Butterfly?
I wondered as I watched them flit from flower to flower in my herb garden.
I’d assumed they were moths, and I was wrong.
“Butterfly or moth? There are ways to tell them apart. Butterflies generally have long, smooth antennae that are rounded on the ends, while most moths have thick, feathery antennae. Moths also tend to have larger, fuzzier bodies than butterflies. Most moths fly at night, while most butterflies fly during the day. Because of when they’re active, butterflies tend to be more colorful than moths, but that’s not always the case.
You can see another difference when they’re resting: most moths flatten their wings out over their bodies, while most butterflies raise them up and against each other. And although both butterflies and moths develop in a chrysalis, most moths also spin a protective cocoon.”
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/butterfly-moth-and-skipper
It turns out these little flyers are called ‘skippers,’ of the group ‘Lepidoptera’ that includes all butterflies and moths. At one time they were considered to be a third category within the order but are now considered butterflies, of the distinct family Hesperiidae.
I suppose a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Still, a ‘moth’ doesn’t get the same respect as a ‘butterfly’ does, so I was happy this little skipper is a butterfly. Regardless, its a welcome pollinator in my garden.
~ Susanne
Still Soaring After all these Years
From the early days – In his own words
“This is Benji, and I’m not what you call a big cat. From the beginning they called me the runt of the litter. (No thank you for that.) Sue even doubts my birthday – much too small to be that old, she said, and the vet readily agreed.
But when I’m asleep, I show them all wrong. In my dreams I soar!”
And now – a little older, and a little wiser – he’s still soaring!
~ Susanne and Benji
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 