Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Yesterday, with temperatures in the nineties, on the last day of our heat wave, we headed to the hills for a look at Snoqualmie Falls. I was surprised at the amount of water still flowing, as it thundered while dropping 268 feet below. Once… Continue Reading “Still Thundering at Snoqualmie Falls”
I’ve always loved birds but became an avid birdwatcher after I picked up photography years ago. (To me, the zoom on a good camera, is even better than binoculars.) I see a great variety of birds in my own backyard: hummingbirds, chickadees, wrens, towhees,… Continue Reading “Graceful Swallows in the Great Outdoors”
We love Victoria, our Canadian neighbor to the north, and getting there is half the fun! We set sail from Port Angeles on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and headed across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We’d waited until we were promised sunshine after several… Continue Reading “Victoria – Getting there is Half the Fun”
I’ll start with the one closest to home, the Foothills Trail next to the Carbon River, through pastures and small towns, with views of Mt. Rainier. The 21-mile paved trail is built on top of an old railroad bed. We loved it. The 8.2-mile… Continue Reading “#Bicycling Washington State – 3 Favorite Trails – a Mountain, An Ocean, and a River”
It was a busy week in the garden for the birds, though not for me and Benji – we preferred to watch. But back in the corner a family of Wrens have taken up residence in one of the nesting boxes on the shed.… Continue Reading “Birds and Blooms – Busy as a Wren in my Garden”
Not long enough, though I should have seen the signs. It was eight years ago when Bob called out an arborist to take down our dying Hemlock. Instead, he convinced us to keep it standing for the sake of birds and other wildlife. According… Continue Reading “How long does a Snag Keep Standing?”
It happened March 20th this year, the astronomical start of spring. The March equinox (also called the vernal equinox) is the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumn equinox in the Southern, when the sun crosses above the earth’s equator and night… Continue Reading “Welcoming the Spring Equinox in the Pacific Northwest”
I’m happy to be hosting Sunday Stills this week for the Color Challenge: Jade Green, Light Green, Peridot. My feature photo is a Fire King mug in Jadeite, collectible glassware from the 1950’s. I love the shape and the color of the coffee cup,… Continue Reading “A Gallery of Green for Sunday Stills”
Washington State has many wonderful beaches, and I especially love those on the dramatic northern coast, wild and scenic. I’ll start with Rialto Beach, isolated and primordial, with ghost trees and sea stacks, and the starting point of long hike north into the wilderness,… Continue Reading “#Seascapes of the Washington Coast – for #SundayStills”
I’d heard of Ridgefield before as a birder’s paradise – and yes, a bird’s paradise – but this was our first stop at the Refuge. Off the beaten path, it’s located north of Vancouver, Washington, near the Columbia River, and on our way home… Continue Reading “For the Birds – At Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge”