Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
A Magical Walk in the Woods
You never know what you’ll find on a walk in the woods.
But in the Pacific Northwest you’ll see douglas fir trees accented with vine maples.
And if you’re lucky you’ll see a stream with waterfalls and pools,
like we did at Whatcom Falls in Bellingham.
And if you’re really lucky you’ll see an owl. We would have missed him, so well did his feathers serve as camouflage. Another hiker pointed him out and told us it was a Barred Owl, and said hiker carried a huge camera while I unfortunately had only my phone.
Still I did what I could and even attempted some video though my hand is unsteady and my skills sorely lacking,
even catching the owl in action, diving for a crawdad.
By the way, did you notice that all my photos are squares?
Go ahead, take another look.
For Becky’s Squares Challenge, Trees.
~ Susanne
My first Square Tree
It’s an ordinary tree perhaps – if any tree can be called ordinary – but it was also striking against a clear blue sky and fit nicely into a square.
“For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
Isaiah 55:12
For Becky’s Squares Challenge – see here for yourself – #TreeSquare
~ Susanne
Summer Weed or Flower?
The dandelion is an herb with medicinal properties, traditionally used to treat various ailments and infections; it can be made into tea or wine and used in soups and salads. I’ve never eaten one. I still consider it a weed, growing tenaciously where it shouldn’t in my garden, its long taproot almost impossible to eradicate so it returns again and again.
Still, isn’t it beautiful?
For Cee’s Flower of the Day
~ Susanne
A Gift from Benji
It’s tough on the boys when we go on vacation. Not that they want to come along; they just prefer we remain at their beck and call. To let them in and to let them out. To dish up canned food early in the morning. To sit with them in the garden. To hand out treats and cater to their every whim.
So when we come home they let us know they’re happy we’re back.
And so it was, late on the evening of our return, after Benji had gone outside I heard him cry through an open window. Not his usual cry – a distress signal of sorts I thought. So I opened the front door – too late to see what was in his mouth – which he brought inside and dropped at my feet.
Fortunately the mouse was already quite dead – not an ounce of life left in him.
I knew it was a gift so I received it while he pranced around wild-eyed.
“Welcome back, Sue!”
Yes indeed. It’s good to be home.
~ Susanne and Benji
Outdoors in the Pacific Northwest
Last week we enjoyed the great outdoors on our trip to Oregon where we found giant bubbles at Seaside,
took a cool walk at Cannon Beach
and visited Herman the Sturgeon at the Bonneville Fishery. Herman is over 10 feet long and 80 years old in case you wondered.
We returned from our trip just in time for the heat wave – today is the third day in triple digits, absolutely unheard of in Western Washington.
It was 104 in Renton yesterday and we’re expecting a high of 111 today; the average temperature for June is 71!
Still I was up early and went for a walk at my favorite local park before the weather became intolerable. Gene Coulon Memorial Park has the best walking trail on the southern shore of Lake Washington as well as a swimming beach, boating, fishing and eateries.
The turtles call it home too.
It was a cool 84 when I left the house and 90 when I returned. As I type this it’s noon and already 102. Not much relief in sight though we’ll hopefully leave the 100’s behind tomorrow.
Inspired by this week’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge, Great Outdoors.
~ Susanne
Rolling on a River
All of our road trips to Oregon start and end with the Columbia River since it forms the southern border of Washington State. And so it was this week – we managed to get a few days away to Oregon. We spent our first night in Astoria and our last night in Cascade Locks in the Columbia River Gorge. It was there that we enjoyed a 2 hour dinner cruise on a Sternwheeler.
We also visited Horsetail Falls, my new favorite waterfall in the Gorge, before we started back home.
The spray was cool and refreshing. Perhaps the memories will carry me though the coming week. Yes, that is the real and actual weather forecast for Renton, just south of Seattle.
Suffice it to say we in the Pacific Northwest are not accustomed to these temperatures. On the other hand, who is? 113 belongs in Death valley, not the Pacific Northwest! So I’m getting this post out tonight while it’s still cool and will save the rest for later. My office doesn’t have air conditioning so I won’t be spending much time in it the next few days. I guess I need to find another river.
– Susanne
Sunset Over the Grand Canyon
Sometimes the highlight of a good vacation is catching a beautiful sunset. And it doesn’t hurt when the landscape is as epic as the Grand Canyon. So for this week’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge, I remembered our trip in 2017 and the sunset over the South Rim.
This was our second visit to the Grand Canyon – the first was a drive-by many years before. On this November trip we spent two nights in the park which gave us the opportunity to enjoy both sunrise and sunset.
The first morning we joined the crowds at the Mather Point Overlook to watch the sun come up.
Later that night we gathered at the same spot to watch it go down again.
But the next day we asked a ranger for his favorite place to watch the sunset and he recommended Yaki Point a short distance east. So we left the crowds behind and made the walk from East Rim Drive. The show started after 5:00 and peaked a half hour or so later.
It remains one of my favorite sunsets and a great memory of our time at the Grand Canyon. Sometimes it pays to ask.
~ Susanne
A Photoshoot with Benji and Tiger
“Hey Benji, you’re looking good there! Let’s do a photoshoot!”
“Sure Sue. What did you have in mind?”
“Well honestly I’d like to experiment a bit, play around with black and white and some different image presentations. You just sit there looking handsome and I’ll do the rest – you won’t feel a thing.”
“Sure Sue, whatever you say. “
“Thanks Benji! I appreciate your cooperation. Now how about giving me a profile?”
“Something like this, Sue?”
“Perfect Benji! You’re the best!”
“What about me, Sue? Aren’t I photo worthy?”
“Of course you are Tiger! I was just about to ask you! Stay right where you are.”
“Now let me get a close-up of your handsome face!”
“Something like this Sue?”
“Beautiful, Tiger!!”
“Thanks to both of you for your cooperation! You can go back to sleep now.”
For Cees Black and White Photo Challenge, Pets.
~ Susanne
Whimsical Iron Sculptures at Mt Rainier
Not far from the Longmire entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park you’ll pass the Recycled Spirits of Iron Sculpture Park. Don’t. Be sure and stop to wander the grounds among the whimsical sculptures, the creation of Dan Klennert. He shares his wonderful creations with everyone for free, though donations are welcomed.
We stopped by earlier this spring on our way home from Mt. Rainier where we’d gone fishing at Mineral Lake.
Afterwards we headed to Paradise, the highest visitor center in the National Park, stopping by to enjoy the waterfalls that line the road.
We made it all the way to the top and got a close-up view of the mountain.
This is one of our favorite day trips and I think you can understand why. We caught this lovely moonrise on our trip last December! It actually caused a bit of a traffic jam as everyone stopped to witness the scene.
I consider myself lucky to live in Washington State. Wouldn’t you? 🙂
~ Susanne
Finding Pink on a Weekend Road Trip
Pink is the theme of this week’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge and I found some on our weekend getaway.
We stopped by Mt. Vernon in the Skagit Valley and I was reminded this is Tulip Country.
I love to visit the tulip fields when they’re at their peak in April and found lots of pink from previous visits in my archives.
In town I found a beautiful mural sprinkled through with pink, celebrating the contributions of immigrants to our native lands. Entitled FROM THESE WATERS, it was presented by Rachel’s heART ARt Camp, a program run in memory of Rachel Damski who escaped the holocaust as a teenager, migrated to the U.S. to start a new life, and began painting at the age of 80.
Can you find some famous immigrants in the painting?
I found even more pink the next day In Bellingham on our morning walk, I don’t know the name of the flowers forming a massive display next to the bay – do you?
And that’s enough pink for now! 🙂
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 