Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Monday Musings
Stormy weather all week, within and without.
It makes for some pretty windshield art as trees drop the last of their leaves.
Inside, Benji has the morning crazies and after a bit of play I send him outside to cool down
while I make lattes for me and mom.
~ Susanne
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After a Long and Busy Week
It’s good to rest.
Happy Sunday from Susanne and Benji. 🙂
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Morning Hunter’s Moon
I was up in time this morning to see the moon hanging low in the western sky so after making my coffee and feeding the cats I decided to run outside and capture it before it set.
The Hunter’s Moon is the first full moon in the Northern Hemisphere of the fall season. It should still be full tonight so if the skies are clear I’ll try again as it rises. If I miss it, I’ll have to wait for the next one – November 19th.
~ Susanne
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Peak Fall Color at Coulon Park – Too Good Not to Share
My life has become very busy lately and I’m finding I have less time to blog. It’s okay – life calls. But in between two appointments today I managed to swing by Coulon Park and found the trees at their peak color. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
It was too good not to share. 🙂
~ Susanne
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Fall Color at Stevens Pass and Tumwater Canyon
Earlier this week we took a little road trip to Wenatchee to celebrate our 39th Anniversary. Yes, it’s been a wonderful THIRTY-NINE YEARS, a funny number that begs to usher in FORTY!
We went via Highway 2 to see some of the best fall color in Washington State and were welcomed by Bigfoot,
before heading up Stevens Pass where the mountains were already dusted with snow.
We climbed to over 4,000 ft. before dropping to the other side
to follow the Wenatchee River where bright colors saturated Tumwater Canyon.
We were greeted with sunshine and enjoyed our few days away in Wenatchee and surrounds. I may have more on that later.
We’re already looking forward to the big 40 next year which we’ll hopefully celebrate farther afield in some exotic land. But this worked great for 39. 🙂
~ Susanne
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The Salmon are Running and it’s Beautiful to Behold!
One of my favorite things about living in Renton is seeing the salmon return to the Cedar River each fall.
After spending several years in the Pacific Ocean they return to the rivers and streams of their birth to spawn. Coho, Chinook and Sockeye all return to the Cedar River in the Renton and Maple Valley areas, but the Sockeye are easiest to see because of their bright red orange bodies and green heads.
I started at the downtown Renton Library (yes, a river runs through it) where trained naturalists provide information, answer questions and help you spot the salmon in the river.
I saw a few salmon from the bridge there, but I found the best viewing with the most salmon further upstream at Riverview Park.
I even got to see them wiggle and splash as the females laid eggs and the males fought over them nearby. Clear spots in the river mean eggs have been laid there, as algae was disturbed.
It’s always a thrill watching nature’s show as the salmon return each fall.
And that brilliant color? It’s hard to describe but I think blood orange works nicely, so I’m sharing for Sunday Stills.
~ Susanne
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Yesterday in the Garden
I came home yesterday after a very busy week and had a few minutes before I needed to start dinner. So I grabbed my camera and went out to the backyard where I found
my new dahlias in bloom –
fuchsias – the most beautiful of the difficult flowers to spell –
Benji enjoying the catmint –
Anna’s hummingbirds coming to feed –
and I was refreshed.
Isn’t that what hobbies are for?
For Sunday Stills.
~ Susanne
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Wax Begonia – Workhorse of the Garden
After yesterday’s rain I went for a walk in my garden and found wax begonias blooming heartily where I planted them earlier this year.
I may have neglected them but they didn’t neglect me. Next year I shall add to their numbers.
Sharing with Cee’s Flower of the Day and Past Squares.
~ Susanne
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Computer Woes with Benji
“I don’t mean to complain Benji, but technology is failing me badly these days!”
“I can see you’ve been frustrated, Sue. Tell me about it.”
“Well on the blog front WordPress is getting buggier. Not only does the functionality seem to change daily, even the basics don’t work as well as before. I can’t even edit a post without the Block Editor freezing up.
And my computer monitor? The one I purchased earlier this year? It’s already defective. A blue vertical line suddenly appeared dividing my screen in half. It’s under warranty but who wants to ship it off to who-knows-where?”
“Are you listening, Benji?”
“Of course I’m listening, Sue. Keep talking.”
“Good. Because I wasn’t done with monitors. I visited mom last week and must have looked at her monitor cross-eyed or something – it went dark for days.”
“Then the other day I was working on a post and Xfinity crashed. There was no internet or TV for hours. Fine I said, I’ll read a book.”
“Always good to read a book, Sue. Anything else?”
“Well yes, now that you mentioned it. I was going to share my last post to Facebook but the button was gone! Oh great, I thought, now my settings are messed up! But it turns out it was bigger than that. The entire Facebook died for a few hours! When it revived so did the share button.”
“Wow, Sue. Incredible! Now if you’ll excuse me…..”
“Where you going, Benji? I haven’t told you about my camera yet.”
“Sorry Sue. It will have to wait till after my nap. Maybe you need one too.”
“Maybe I do, Benji.”
~ Susanne and Benji
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On a Ferry from Bremerton – the Ride’s the Thing
While it’s true that Washington State Ferries – the largest ferry system in the USA – provide much needed transportation on Puget Sound – sometimes the ride’s the thing.
We drove to Bremerton over the weekend to look at a camper (don’t laugh but we’re still on the prowl.) It was a no-go but it didn’t matter. It was a beautiful day so we decided to take the ferry back home to Seattle.
After we boarded, we went up top and I watched the water explode from the submarine sculpture at Harborside Fountain Park.
Then we left port for one of the most scenic ferry rides in Washington.
After leaving the inlet we rounded a corner and were greeted by Mt. Rainier – a little bit under the weather but still majestic.
Around the next corner my favorite city appeared.
Seattle.
I never get tired of that view.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 