Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Some Favorite Photos for #Bloganuary
I haven’t participated much in #Bloganuary; for some reason the questions haven’t resonated with me. And I was going to skip this one too – as it is unanswerable.
“What is your favorite photo you’ve ever taken?”
Are you kidding me? A single photo??
Instead, I’ve decided to pick out a handful from the hundreds I call favorites.
The Birds and the Bees
I love this picture of an Anna’s hummingbird suspended midair, watching me, as they often do. I also like the colorful backdrop, which I miss since the woods were razed behind our house.
I also love watching the bees and other insects as they work my herb garden. I’m blessed to have them visit.
Favorite Places
I’m also blessed to live in Washington State with Mt. Rainier in my backyard. Too, too many pictures to choose from, but I’ll give you this one taken near Paradise, at Reflection Lakes.
And I will never, ever, get tired of Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula.
Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for! You didn’t think I would leave these two out, did you?
Tiger
Benji
Together
And that will do for my ‘favorite photo’ at least for today! 🙂
~ Susanne
Morning Shenanigans with the Cats
After I feed the cats, I make my coffee, then retreat to my office to enjoy both – Benji’s on my lap,
Tiger wishes he was.
Tiger finds consolation in the catnip infused toys…
until Benji decides it’s his turn.
Afterwards, they settle in for their morning nap – Benji on the perch, Tiger to places unknown.
A great way to start the day.
~ Susanne, Tiger and Benji
Rhapsody in Blue – Sculptures, Eagles and a Mountain in Tacoma!
Yesterday we visited Tacoma and found everything blue!
Outside the Art Museum was a sculpture by Marie Watt: Blanket Stories: Transportation Object, Generous Ones, Trek;
and nearby was the Chihuly Bridge of Glass.
At Ruston Way the blue sky merged into the bay
where we saw harbor seals playing
and bald eagles overhead.
And by the end of our walk, the mountain emerged from the clouds and hovered over the city.
It was a rhapsody in blue!
~ Susanne
A Challenge in White
Just when I thought it was time to put away my snowy pictures, along came a photo challenge in White from Sunday Stills. What could I do? Share a few more from our recent snowstorm, for starters!
But enough with the snow! I’m ready for spring! Let’s move on to flowers with these beauties from Soos Creek Botanical Garden.
Finally, there’s nothing quite as white as clouds against a blue sky!
And that should do for white!
“Ahem!”
“Oh, sorry Tiger!”
Here’s the handsome Tiger – relaxing with touches of white –
from head to toe.
And now, that will do.
– Susanne
Third Day No Rain – Just Barely
It’s the third day with no rain in the Great Northwest but it was foggy, damp and cold and the sun never showed his face. Does it really count??
We bundled up anyway and went for a hike at Saltwater State Park and on the way my phone buzzed with an alert – beware – tsunami headed for the West Coast – its impact on Puget Sound uncertain.
Duly advised, we continued on our way, finding only calm waters beneath a milky gray sky.
After checking out the beach, we walked through the park in the woods where all was green and damp – as it should be I guess – in January.
But I was most intrigued by the giant stilts – was a monster overhead? A transport out of Star Wars?
No, it was just a bridge, looking a bit out of place if you ask me.
Still, it added interest to our walk.
~ Susanne
First of Three Days
Yes, that is sunshine you see here in the Great Northwest! According to the local news, we are about to experience three rain free days in a row, for the first time since last September!
To celebrate day one, I went for a walk at Coulon Park yesterday wearing a baseball cap to shield my eyes from those foreign rays.
I was not the only one out.
It was a gorgeous day with temperatures reaching close to 60 degrees. But please note, I did NOT say it was cloud free.
This is still January after all.
~ Susanne
The Power of Snoqualmie Falls
We had some errands to run yesterday in the Snoqualmie Valley and stopped by Snoqualmie Falls on the way home. The river has been at flood stage all week – with many parts of the valley flooded. The falls were raging with power, with more water coming over than I’ve ever seen before.
We tried to get a better look and I got drenched by the spray.
Snoqualmie Falls drops 268 feet, higher than Niagra Falls though certainly not as wide. Here’s how it looked on some of our earlier visits different times of year when we hiked further down for a better view.
I wish I had a picture from almost 40 years ago – no smart phones then – when Bob and I dined at the restaurant overlooking the falls – on our first date.
Well done, dear!
~ Susanne
Snow on Berries
An ordinary garden shrub sits outside my front door which makes it an easy object of my photography. On the first day of our winter storm in December, I went outside to capture the snow as it began to fall and collect on the berries.
Happy to share white snowy pictures for Cee’s Midweek Madness challenge, White.
~ Susanne
A Rainy Day Lament
After the snow and deep freeze that followed, we’re now enduring heavy rain in the Great Northwest, courtesy of another atmospheric river. The cats are getting restless.
“When’s it going to end, Sue?”
“I wish I knew, Benji. Believe me, I’m tired of it too.”
“But at least you have plenty to do, Sue. I’m bored. Can’t you play with me?”
“I did, Benji, but I can’t all the time. Can’t you play with Tiger?”
“He plays too rough for me,” Tiger replied. “Maybe you could just put the boy outside.”
“How about that, Benji? You want to go outside, maybe hunt a few varmints? It looks like the rain is slowing down.”
“Benji?”
“Wise choice.”
~ Susanne
Birds of a Feather at Juanita Bay
After a break in the weather yesterday we visited Juanita Bay Park, a protected wildlife area on the shores of Lake Washington.
We took the boardwalk and joined other birders who pointed out the bald eagles high in the evergreens above. (Yes, I had my Lumix and zoomed in.)
There were visiting trumpeter swans below, and in the distance behind them, a great blue heron fishing.
As we continued on our walk, we passed the heron looking just as I expected.
Until he perked up at some disturbance, thrusting up his head feathers,
transforming himself into some other flamboyant creature, at least to me.
Lake Washington is the second largest natural lake in Washington, bordering Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, and Renton on the south. Many wonderful parks dot the edges of the lake, all offering something unique. We’ve been to many of them, but this was our first trip to Juanita Bay in Kirkland; I’m sure it won’t be our last.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 