Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Scenes from a Snowy Coulon Walk
We were housebound for three days but when the roads became passable, we decided to go for a walk at Gene Coulon Park. We bundled up and trudged around the lake mostly alone.
The stony walkers were dressed in their holiday finest and my husband decided to join them.
The trees wore their pretty lights and this one was joined by a little brown creeper.
The dogs were having a blast in the snow unaware they weren’t welcome – this is a dog free park –
while the ducks sported their finest headgear.
Enjoying the snow while we can but looking forward to warmer temperatures this weekend.
~ Susanne
Share this:
Benji and the Snow
It’s the third day and snow is still (unexpectedly) falling.
Benji loves to go outside but this is too much even for him. Yesterday, he ventured out in the morning and after 20 minutes or so I found him in the driveway.
After a few photos I picked him up and carried him back inside and felt him shiver. Poor little boy!
He found the best place in the house to warm up and was mostly cured of wanting out again.
~ Susanne
Share this:
About those Hummingbirds in the Snow
When I woke this morning it was 18 degrees outside. The snow was deep, dry and sparkly and the moon was still out.
I was waiting for the day to fully dawn before putting the hummingbird feeders back outside. I knew they depended on me.
Yesterday I was looking out my kitchen window when a hummer caught my eye. I don’t have feeders at the window and never have; the feeders are across the backyard next to the fence.
But there he was, this sweet little Anna’s hovering at the window to get my attention. “Hey Sue! The nectar you gave us is frozen solid!”
Indeed it was!
I hurried outside with a replacement and promised to do better. So last night I brought the feeders in and hung them again this morning. It wasn’t long before the hummers were back for breakfast.
Some of you wondered that hummingbirds were here at all – in Seattle in the middle of winter.
According to Seattle Audobon, of the four hummingbird species found in Washington state – Anna’s, Rufous, Calliope, and Black-chinned – only the Anna’s stays year-round, the others migrate south or east for the winter. “Historically limited to western California, in recent years Anna’s Hummingbirds have dramatically expanded their range northward as far as British Columbia. This expansion has been attributed to hummingbird feeders and gardens with exotic flowers that provide the birds with a year-round food source. Climate change may also play a role. They are currently very common across much of their range, and because they adapt well to suburban areas, should continue to thrive in the future.”
Since the Anna’s are happy to stay in the winter, I’m happy to continue feeding them. I’ll keep a watch and rotate the feeders as they freeze up. If I forget, they’ll let me know. 🙂
~ Susanne
Share this:
The Promised Snow Has Arrived! And Hummingbirds, too!
It was only a tease yesterday, the promise of a White Christmas for those who care about such things. But this morning the snow appeared, clothing the evergreens with its beauty and providing joy in the Great Northwest!
I bundle up and venture outside to keep the feeders thawed out and water available for my favorite little birds and they appreciate it.
Temperatures will drop down into the teens this week so the loveliness should stick around. Happy Day! 🙂
~ Susanne
Share this:
A Photo Challenge of Green and Turtles
For Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge – ‘Pick a Topic from My Photo’ here – I’m focusing firstly on the green!
Sure, sure, any excuse to share pictures of the hummers in my backyard. 🙂
After drinking at the feeders, the sweet Anna’s Hummingbirds zip up to rest in the evergreens, before dropping down for another round. They blend in perfectly and I only find them by their distinct song.
Speaking of birds, I found Canada Geese feeding on bugs in the bright green grass at Coulon Park where all of us had gone for a walk.
Finally, for the lizard in Cee’s photo! We don’t have many of them in the Pacific Northwest, but we do have turtles which I sometimes forget are reptiles too! I see them often at Lake Washington, basking in the sun on their favorite log, though not today with rain and snow in the forecast.
If you want to escape the rain and snow and still see turtles, just head to one of my favorite beaches: Punalu’u Black Sand Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Wish I was there right now.
~ Susanne
Share this:
Practicing Moon Shots
Yesterday was cold and sunny and last night remained clear. Time to practice some moon shots.
I turned out the lights and went outside to watch as the moon rose over the trees. I took my tripod and cameras and wore my warm jacket and head lamp.
(I once took a nature photography class, and the instructor spent an entire session on safety. I thought it strange at the time, but not since, and am careful when I venture out, especially at night. But I digress)
I started with my Sony RX10 and liked the pictures of the moon lassoed by branches the best.
I followed with my new Lumix FZ300 for the best closeups; the 600 mm zoom clearly outperforming the 200 on my Sony.
Both cameras have their place and I’ll continue to practice with both when the weather cooperates. I woke to snow falling this morning – already turning to slush – and rain and snow are in the forecast all week.
Sharing with Sunday Stills, Lighting the Night!
~ Susanne
Share this:
The Weather of 2021
There was record breaking weather everywhere this year, but I’ll focus on my own little corner of the world – the Greater Seattle area of the Pacific Northwest.
It started out normal enough. In January there was pounding rain and sunshine, with balmy temperatures at times, making us think we’d already had spring.
Until February and March came along bringing snow, not as much as I like, but enough to have pictures to show for it.
Then winter gave way to spring and the clematis grew furiously trying to escape my yard,
while the bees were happy to stay in the herb garden.
By the end of June, temperatures soared to the highest on record – from 108 to 113 – depending on whose thermometer you believe. With higher temperatures came drought and no measurable rainfall for more than fifty days, while smoke from wildfires turned the sun orange.
We thought it would never end and craved the rain. But soon fall arrived and not to be outdone by summer, became the wettest on record. Over 19 inches of rain fell from September through November, the most of any meteorological fall.
Later, the frost arrived along with colder temperatures.
And still the rain poured, an atmospheric river above, causing flooding, and heartache for some, but also beauty for others.
And now as December draws to a close, what’s next?
Hopefully snow, but no need to be record breaking. A normal year will do.
~ Susanne
Share this:
Metallic is for the Birds!
It’s time for another Sunday Stills Challenge and it’s all about Metallic, which for my purposes is defined as having a quality of metal that includes shiny, lustrous or sparkling colors!
It so happens I found a cormorant preening on Lake Washington this week, and the lake looked like molten silver, rather metallic I thought.
Closer to home in my backyard, the neck and crown of the male Anna’s Hummingbird looked metallic when he turned his head just so.
But if these aren’t metallic enough for you, I’ll close with ‘Firebird’ – an 18 ft. sculpture also known as ‘Disco Chicken’ – I found in front of the Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, North Carolina!
And that will do for now.
~ Susanne
Share this:
Hiking Yosemite’s “Mist Trail”! Here’s Our STEEP Climb To The Vernal Waterfall!
Have you been to Yosemite? My brother takes you there on his blog today, up close to some fabulous falls!!
“The last few hundred meters up the Vernal Falls trail are stairs cut into the cliffside…”
With that simple line, the National Park Service warned us that a very steep climb was ahead of us!
Welcome To Yosemite’s “Mist Trail!”
Welcome back to Yosemite National Park, roughly a 7 hour drive northeast of Los Angeles, and about 3 hours slightly south and east of San Francisco. The “Mist Trail” hike is 3 miles round trip to the Vernal Waterfall and back, but you can go much further as well, as this park has trails lacing it like Christmas ribbon!
We were here a few days before Thanksgiving, and the park’s shuttle buses to the trailhead weren’t operating due to Covid restrictions, so we added another 1.2 miles walking over from the legendary Ahwahnee Hotel.
To get to the Mist Trail, you get to follow the gorgeous, serene Merced River on…
View original post 701 more words
Share this:
A Medley of Frosty
I wanted to participate in this week’s Sunday Stills Christmas Song Lyric Challenge and went looking for the holly and the ivy. Unfortunately, they were not full grown so I had to settle for these berries in my garden.
Then I considered other Christmas carols:
O Holy Night! ~ Hark the Herald Angels Sing! ~ Silent Night!
but there were no pictures to adequately convey the spiritual nature of these songs.
I soon realized I was getting too complicated so when I saw Frosty the Snowman next door, I went down a frosty path.
All that frostiness reminded me of another of my favorite holiday songs.
“Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire’s so delightful,
and since there’s no place to go –
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!”
Yes, I love the snow and hope we’ll get some this year! But if we don’t we can head to Mt. Rainier,
and if we’re lucky we may see the moonrise over the mountain.
Which might do for Silent Night, after all.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 