Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Postcards from Kona
Greetings from the Big Island of Hawaii!
First of all, isn’t it grand that Hurricane Kiko decided to weaken and move northwest? We haven’t seen a hint of trouble here.
Second, I didn’t necessarily plan to blog on vacation, but I don’t see the harm in sending a few postcards, do you? So you here go, from our first few days on the west side of the Big Island.
From our hotel in Kona at sunrise, the views were marvelous.
The hotel is situated perfectly with its own beach on Kailua Bay, next to the historic grounds where King Kamehameha I ruled until his death in 1819.
From the Pololu Overlook, at the northern tip of the island.
You can take the trail down to the beach below but it’s steep and hot coming back up, so we didn’t.
From the Place of Refuge, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, an important ceremonial site where people could escape to, if they broke the law (kapu).
Defeated warriors, women and children, could also take refuge here during times of war, a wonderful idea, I think, one we could use today.
There may be more postcards to come but this will do for now.
Aloha!
Susanne
Just a Kitty in a Tray
I went downstairs looking for Benji
and this is what I saw.
Just a kitty in a tray.
Happy Caturday from Susanne and Benji!
Sharing with #SixWordSaturday
Time and Again – at Cooper School
I’m hopelessly nostalgic, so when September arrives so do childhood memories of schoolgirl days at Frank B Cooper School. The building is still standing in West Seattle as sturdy as the last century, though it has been converted into the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.
The overpass is still there, too. We used it to cross Delridge Way, helped by students on patrol, wearing hat, and sash. Some on patrol, extended their flags with a sing-song ‘ready-walk’ to help us cross side streets below.
When I learned of the school’s 100th anniversary celebration a few years ago, I had to attend, hoping to trigger memories bound up in the hallways, smells of warm sandwiches left in lockers, shoes shuffling on marked-up floors.
I was welcomed by young greeters.
Had I ever been there before they asked? Yes, before you were born, but I didn’t say it, just that I’d gone to school there many years before. They encouraged me to look around with other returning alumni. I thought I might recognize faces through the years but did not.
I climbed the stairs and I was in 4th grade again, debating with my best friend Joyce, which group was the best, Paul Revere and the Raiders (her choice) or the Monkees (mine.) I remember Miss Warner interrupted and told us to stop acting like monkeys. We laughed at her words though I felt my group had been impugned.
Miss Warner was my favorite teacher. Her face and dress were golden tan, her hair the same color, short and tightly coiled. She wore black shoes like the piano she played – music that encouraged me forever. I hope she knows this.
I found the lunchroom where we lined up to buy a hot meal for 35 cents, from smiling ladies wearing soft shoes and hair nets. On Tuesdays we had hamburgers, they were delicious, the meat stretched by oatmeal, I think. If I brought a sack lunch, there was still milk to buy in tiny cartons for a nickel with two cents change in return. The best ice cream sandwiches could be bought for 12 cents, and I did when I could.
We ate in the same room that served up assemblies and Disney movies after school and where I stood on the stage and spoke in the Christmas program.
We played ‘red rover’ and ‘soak out’ in a space that now seemed much too small. The gym, where we also square danced to ‘pistol packin’ mama’, a song no longer welcomed but was innocent then.
I visited the Office where naughty boys were sent to get the paddle for their foolery.
Not me. I was an ‘office girl’ answering the phones with ‘Cooper School student speaking.’ (I guess I was destined to be in an office.)
After an hour of wandering the hallways I left, leaving the memories behind for now.
You can read more about the history of Youngstown and Frank B Cooper School here: Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.
~ Susanne
Bird Bonanza in my Backyard
They came in great numbers suddenly, while I watched from my kitchen window.
They were mostly there for the water though there was plenty to eat, too. Despite Seattle’s reputation, it’s been a long, dry summer, as usual.
The American Robins were most prevalent, with many youngsters, still in their spotted breasts. Mature Robins have a solid red breast.
They were fearless and bold, fighting for their time in the birdbaths.
Chasing away smaller birds who were often there first.
They prevailed over the Female Goldfinch below – or is it a Pine Siskin?
A few Stellar Jays joined the fun.
There was room for the tiniest birds too, who came and went quickly; a Golden-Crowned Kinglet and Red-Breasted Nuthatch below.
The party lasted for almost an hour while I took pictures through the window and Benji begged to go out. Sorry, no.
Just another day for the birds in the Great Northwest as summer comes to a close.
~ Susanne
Rainy Day in Paradise
We’d been in a heat wave for several days and were looking for a place to cool down. We found it in Paradise, on Mt. Rainier.
We didn’t mind the rain as there were fewer people on the trail to Myrtle Falls.
I wore open-toed sandals, so my feet got wet, but I had a windbreaker and hat and was otherwise warm. The deer didn’t seem to mind the rain at all, and they were out feeding on the lush foliage.
After our short hike of half a mile, we reached Edith Creek at 5,600 ft., the source of Myrtle Falls and just as lovely.
I took the few steep steps below and saw Myrtle Falls in all its glory.
Is it hot where you are? Maybe you’ll enjoy the spray in the video.
It was all downhill going back to the Paradise Inn, with views of the Tatoosh Range.
After lunch at the Inn, we took the drive down the mountain and headed for home.
“Paradise is famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows. When James Longmire’s daughter-in-law, Martha, first saw this site, she exclaimed, “Oh, what a paradise!”
National Park Service website
I couldn’t agree more.
~ Susanne
Which Tree? Why the Douglas-Fir, of course!
It should be Washington State’s Tree, but apparently Oregon has that distinction. (Washington’s is the Western Hemlock.) But the Doug-Fir is the tree I see the most, or perhaps the one I recognize most easily on the trail.
Tall, dark and handsome with thick bark – the tree I mean,
often surrounded by Vine Maples adding beautiful contrasting color.
You’ll find ancient giants in the Grove of the Patriarchs in Mt. Rainier National Park, though you can’t get to them currently. They’re on an island in the Ohanapecosh River, and the only suspension bridge was damaged a few years ago, yet to be repaired. (Not me on the bridge.)
Across the bridge you enter a wonderland of ancient trees, over a thousand years old, some close to 300 feet tall.
Yes me with the twin firs, to show you just how big these trees are.
“The coast Douglas-fir variety is the dominant tree west of the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest. It grows in the coastal regions from west-central British Columbia south to Central California. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous from the eastern edge of the Cascades west to the Pacific Coast Ranges and Pacific Ocean.” Wikipedia
I have both Douglas-fir trees and Western Hemlocks in and around my yard, and sometimes can’t tell the difference.
I know the big one below is a Douglas-Fir,
and is a favorite of the birds, including this recent visitor, a Hairy Woodpecker.
A few years ago we had what I thought was a dying Doug-Fir but the arborist told us it was a Western Hemlock. He also strongly encouraged us to leave it as a standing snag for the wildlife which we did. The neighbors weren’t thrilled at first, but the birds loved it.
Sharing my favorite tree with Sunday Stills, #Trees.
~ Susanne
Still Soaring, Nine Years Later
Nine years ago we brought this sweet boy home from Seattle Humane. We’d gone to get a companion for Tiger, a mature cat would be good, I thought.
But Bob and Mom picked Benji out from the others, captured by his sweet disposition. I wasn’t so sure, he was still a kitten. They were so right.
“Benji, we made the right choice. You’re the sweetest boy ever.”
“Aw thanks, Sue. I bet you say that to all your cats.”
“No, really, Benji. You’re something special. So entertaining.”
“Aw thanks, Sue. Just living my best life.”
“And the way you’ve overcome adversity is something to be admired.”
“We do what we can, Sue. You’d do the same.”
“I hope so, Benji. Anyway, you’ve been inspirational. After all these years, down a limb or not, I’m so happy you’re still soaring.”
“Happy Gotcha Day, Benji.”
~ Susanne
Reflections on the Green River
While walking through the park I saw a chase in the sky – dog chasing dog – more likely ducks.
I entered the wooded trail to the river, and came upon an animal tree, he offered his back for a place to rest but I continued on.
I saw the river through the trees, and signs of life on the shore.
We watched from a distance, the last few days of summer.
We wouldn’t go back if we could
though maybe we would.
~ Susanne
A Visiting Woodpecker – Downy or Hairy?
I heard the loud pounding in the trees above and assumed it was a woodpecker.
It took a while to spot him – he wasn’t that big and he’s not a regular in my yard. He moved up and down the trunk of the Douglas Fir tree, hopping from limb to limb, backwards and forwards, sometimes upside down, pecking furiously.
He persisted for almost an hour, giving me time to run for my camera, then sit and watch him.
At first, I thought he was a Downy but after doing more research, I think he’s a Hairy; both are black and white speckled woodpeckers common in Washington.
According to Audobon.org the main difference between the two is in overall size and bill shape.
“The Downy’s bill is dainty and about one-third the length of the bird’s head. The Hairy’s bill is a railroad spike in comparison, and almost as long as its head.
The Downy is a little over six inches tall, while the Hairy is almost 50 percent taller.”
Judging by size, I’m going with Hairy Woodpecker. It may have been the first time we had such a visitation; I hope it’s not the last.
Sharing with Sunday Stills #WingsandFeathers and #BirdsoftheWeek.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 