Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Tis the Season for Raindrops and Berries
~ Susanne
Fun with Snowberry
I’m still dreaming of snow but until it arrives I’ll have to settle for snowberrry!
A few years ago we planted some common snowberry shrubs and they thrived – filling in empty spaces with bright green leaves and tiny flowers in the spring. But in the winter the tiny snowball berries take centerstage after the leaves are gone.
I was hoping to catch the tiny water droplets as they fell from the berries but even as the wind blew and the branches swayed they hung on tight. Water droplet photography is a thing but I doubt I have the patience to pursue it.
~ Susanne
Colors of the Pacific Northwest
Despite my dreams of a Winter Wonderland there’s no snow yet in the Great Northwest only rain, rain, and more rain. What’s a person to do? Time for an indoor project and it so happens I’ve got one.
For the last couple of months I’ve been going through the photos on my blog and resizing them to save up media space. I use free software, either ‘Paint’ or Sony’s ‘Play Memories’ that came with my camera. (Remember file size matters? )
In so doing, I’m cheered by the beautiful colors of the Northwest which I happen to need during this gray and dreary time and I’m hoping they’ll cheer you too!
Here’s an oldie but a goodie, a visit to Skagit Valley a few years ago during the Tulip Festival with Mt. Baker in the background. Hopefully by April the Tulip Festival can safely resume with the rollout of vaccines to curtail this miserable virus!
How about some purple hydrangeas? I’ve never seen any prettier than these at Soos Creek Botanical Garden. Fortunately the garden was open to masked visitors all season long.
I found the azaleas at the Washington Arboretum – the yellow and orange are my favorites. I hope to return in the spring to breathe in their sweet fragrance.
The salmon are all colors of the rainbow as they return to the Cedar River to spawn.
Finally I’ll close with one of my favorite hummingbirds who seemed to wink at me while I took his picture.
That’s enough for today.
~ Susanne
Winter Wonderland #Sunday Stills
Good Morning! I’m delighted to be hosting this week’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge while Terri Webster Schrandt is off the grid and on the road! 🙂
Today’s theme is Winter Wonderland. Do you hear sleigh bells ringing?
Well maybe not but in the lane snow is glistening!
In my version of Winter Wonderland I wake up to snow falling on evergreens.
I’m happy when it continues all day and through the night until the world is covered in white and you can hear the sounds of silence.
We don’t get much snow in Seattle – just a few inches most years – and it doesn’t usually stick around for long. So when it does I’m HAPPY!
So is Benji who can be seen flying through the backyard.
I join him outside to take care of the birds – adding fresh water to the birdbaths and thawing out the nectar. The hummingbirds appreciate it and reward me by posing at the feeders.
And at the end of the day – doesn’t sunset look better when accompanied by snow?
So that’s my version of Winter Wonderland – what’s yours?
Tell me about it in the comments. Or create a post and link up below!
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge
- Create a new post for the theme with a different title than mine
- Create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post. You can also add your post’s URL into the comments.
- Entries for this theme can be shared all week. Use hashtag #SundayStills for sharing on social media.
Thanks for joining. Terri will be back next week!
~ Susanne
Plovers in Black and white
Yesterday we stopped by Potlatch State Park at the southern end of Hood Canal, on our way home from Port Townsend. While Bob practiced casting I enjoyed watching the shorebirds.
I think they were Plovers though I’m not certain of the particular variety even after consulting a field guide. Regardless, they were so charming. They stood perfectly still on the shore, their colors blending in with the sand and fragments of oyster shells.
Then they started running along the beach in fits and starts, as fast as their little legs could carry them. Use the arrow slide to take a look at them in color.
I kept my distance but they still eyed me warily. When I dared approach further they flew off in a hurry giving me an earful of their delightful chatter.
Aren’t they beautiful?
For Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge – Birds.
~ Susanne
Happy #TRT – Tummy Rub Tuesday (Week 331) — Katzenworld
I haven’t given Tiger enough time on the blog lately, but he was more than happy to pose today on Kaztenworld! 🙂
The post Happy #TRT – Tummy Rub Tuesday (Week 331) appeared first on Katzenworld – Welcome to the world of cats!. Hello everyone, Welcome to another week of Tummy Rub Tuesday! We have setup a Katzenworld Forum and would like to encourage everyone to make their entries for Tummy Rub Tuesday on our dedicated Tummy…
Happy #TRT – Tummy Rub Tuesday (Week 331) — Katzenworld
Monday Morning Sunrise
One thing I love about winter approaching is the sun rising later in the day. This was the view this morning looking out my back door.
Hope your day is full of color too. 🙂
~ Susanne
The Bluest Skies You’ve Ever Seen
Are in Seattle – sang Perry Como. He was talking about this week.
The first five days of December – rain-free, for the record books.
Spent a day at Lincoln Park – where sea and sky merged blue,
save for the peaks – the Olympics.
A friendly harbor seal said hello, warm in his thermal skin suit;
At Alki others tested the waters – where temperatures hover near 50 degrees.
The seagulls were content to watch.
Done in sixes, did you notice?
A photo challenge, Six Word Saturday.
~ Susanne
Close Up on Benji
It’s been too long since I’ve showcased my favorite feline on the blog (don’t tell Tiger.) So for Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge – I thought I’d bring you some close ups of Benji.
First from the garden – where he loves to spend his time when the weather is suitable.
When it’s not, he spends more time in his other favorite place – our shared office – where we both like to look out the window and ponder.
That’s where we were this morning when I got out my camera to take some fresh close ups. He settled into the empty bag which I thought was a tight fit and told him so.
‘What’s it to you?’ he seemed to say.
Silly boy.
~ Susanne
Textures of Puget Sound
In response to this week’s Sunday Still’s photo challenge I went looking for textures and found them on the shores of Puget Sound.
Bob wanted to practice fishing – fly fishermen are always testing new equipment and techniques – while I would wander and take pictures. So we visited Saltwater State Park and Dash Point, which like many other parks on Puget Sound, have forests that almost reach to the shore, views of the Olympic Mountains, and nice paths for walking.
The first beach was strewn about with drift logs – which worked nicely for textures I thought – but not so good for fishing.
We moved on and I found nice views of the Sound through beach grass,
with the Olympics behind, wearing fresh snow.
Bob found a better spot to fish – until the wind picked up.
We’d come back another day.
I love Puget Sound.
An inlet of the Pacific Ocean, Puget Sound stretches from the Straight of Juan de Fuca in the north to Olympia 100 miles south, the second largest estuary in the United States. I grew up exploring its waterways, glacier-carved channels and basins, and the many parks that line its shores. Indeed it has become a rich texture to the backdrop of my life.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 