Postcards from the Trail

Summer in Seattle and it is time again for Pink Martini. We saw them last year at Chateau St. Michelle and it was great. It was the first time we had been to St. Michelle for a concert and we had the perfect day. It was warm but we took a couple of umbrellas. We 'manger sur l'erbe' and a nice bottle of sauvignon blanc. The sun went day, the hot-air balloons floated in the distance and Mt Rainier turned pink in the setting sun.

This year they played at the Zoo. There is a series of concerts to raise money for the zoo every summer. The artists tend to be an eclectic group. It is not as good of venue as St. Michelle. The field is flat, no alcohol is allowed and children are admitted free. But it is a great place to spend a warm mid-week summer night.

I went up to Pasta & Company and got a selection of salads. The shrimp celeriac remoulade was excellent. I want to try to make it. The faro salad was also very nice - faro, chopped tomatoes and sweet onions in a light vinaigrette. A spicy ginger cookie and a nectarine for dessert.

We went early so we could find a parking place. It was very easy at the south side of the zoo. We got in line around 4:45pm at the south entrance. The doors open at 5pm although they didn't let us in until about 5:10pm. By time we got across the zoo and to the concert area, the field had pretty much filled in. I think next time we'll go to the North entrance which is closer to the concert area.

At 6PM, the opening act came on. It was a pretty forgettable duo of a base guitar and mandolin players. They played covers of songs you would not expect such as Paint it Black or Money.

Pink Martini came on just before 7pm and played for over an hour. It was a fun mix of hits from their three albums. Of course, the encore was Brasil. Here's a clip of one of my favorites of the night - "Sympathique" - title cut from their first album.

What a wonderful day! After a long stretch of cold dark damp gray days, we finally got a sunny break. G and I talked about getting out. We've had cabin fever stuck in the house. The forecast was for a good day on Sunday so we decided to travel up about 60 miles north of Seattle to the Skagit River Valley.

The Skagit River has a huge delta. Over the years it has created a rich flat valley that is still farmed. In the Spring, the fields are a patchwork of color created by the fields of blooming bulbs. This region is the number one region for growing bulbs in the US and second to Holland in the world. After the spring, the fields are used for a variety of crops such as potatoes, cabbage, broccoli and corn.

The farmers leave the corn stubble in the field over the fall and winter. Other farmers will plant wheat and rye as cover crops. This along with the abundance of marsh areas attracts hundreds of snow geese which migrate to the delta in the winter from Siberia. They arrive around October and stay until February or March. The estimation of the flock size is around 50,000 birds. In addition to geese, three types of swans migrate; trumpeter, mute and tundra.

Besides the migrating flocks, there are also hawks, owls and an increasing population of bald eagles that roost along the Skagit. The winter salmon steelhead runs attracts many eagles near Rockport and Concrete a bit upriver.

But it was the geese that we wanted to see. A birding friend had mentioned seeing them recently and that planted the idea. This would give us an opportunity to get out and also do a bit hiking. So we went on the search for the birds.

We started at an area call Big Ditch. I thought it would be good because it is a long levy that runs along the delta. We would have an opportunity to walk and stretch our legs. We arrived shortly after 10am. There were several vehicles in the parking lot; mostly hunters which had been out in the early morning. We walked a long for a while seeing very little. In the treetops, we spotted a red tail hawk. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement and heard a splash. I recognized the glossy dark brown fir. It was a pair of otters. That we so neat to see them. It was the first time for us.

We spotted nothing else so we started back to the car. Just as we arrived in the parking lot, we heard the sound of geese and a few gun shots to the south. The geese were on the move and heading north. They were in line to fly right over the parking lot and they did. What a magnificent sight to see and hear thousands of the large birds in formations flying overhead.

Now to see where they landed. We headed up to Hayton reserve on Fir Island. We had seen them in a distant field near there in other years. We started up the trail and looked west. There they were just a bit further up the road. We jumped in the car to see if we could get there before they left.

What we didn't realize was they were right next to the road. Never had we seen them that close and accessible. There were thousands turning the field white. They were feasting on the winter rye; honking and moving around. By now they were attracting quite a crowd. We walked a bit closer but remained across the road. I was certain they would take flight. But they didn't.

Another photographer moved across the road closer to the flock. The geese slowly moved away but did not take flight. Soon we all moved to the roadside next to them. They continued to eat and slowly move away. What was interesting is they moved towards a house but they didn't seem to want to cross the driveway and move onto the lawn of the house. They must have sensed the humans inhabiting the area. Thus they seemed to be bunching up into a small area of the field. A few spilled onto the road. I have no idea why they did not take flight with so many cars and people around. But they did not.

I was snapping photos like crazy. But it was also nice to just stand and watch them. We stayed at least a half hour and they never flew off. We finally decided to move on to La Conner for lunch still in awe of what we had seen.

After a lunch at La Conner Brewery, we traveled north to an area called West 90. This area is known for short eared owls. I ran into my birding friend and they told us the owls were flying in the area. We walked out into the marshy delta area and soon we also saw them. They flew around and fought a bit with some harrier (marsh) hawks. You could hear the gentle cries of the owls contrasted by the hawk shrieks.

The sun was getting low in the sky and we were getting chilled. We had a cup of coffee and then started home. Driving along Padilla Bay we spotted several herons and decided to stop one more time. We walked a short distance along the Padilla Bay trail watching the sun slowly sink into the west and burnish the ending day with gold.

For more information, here is a recent article from the Seattle Times. Also, this is a good map of the birding areas in the Skagit area.

And of course, I took pictures. Here are a couple of photos and a slide show at Flickr.

Snow Geese SlideShow

Saturday was such a lovely day. It was sunny, warm and you could see forever. Our local Farmers Market starts at the beginning of May. It doesn't get in full swing until later in June but you can still find interesting selection of food and goods.

Early in May, it is prime time for asparagus. Several of the stands had a good selection. There were also fresh leaks, young lettuce and radishes. The flower stalls were filled with tulips and doing a brisk business for Mothers Day.

I saw a couple of my favorite but I was intrigued with a new cheesemaker - Willapa Hills Farmstead Cheese. Their specialty is blue and sheep cheese. They had a good selection of both fresh and aged cheese. I tried two fresh;the Willapa White and Fresh with Ewe. Both were excellent. The White was shaped similar to a chevre but had a little more tang. But it was the Fresh with Ewe that won me over. It is fresh sheep milk cheese with a blue rind. A lovely lovely cheese. The cheesemaker recommended keeping it for another week. If I can....

I also stopped at another vendor selling beautiful fresh Halibut. For dinner, I rubbed it with the Bengal Masala Rub with Love from Tom Douglas and pan fried it. Add a fresh green salad and my new favorite mashed sweet and regular potatoes. I did not have enough sweet potatoes to make these sweet potatoes and onions but it was still very good with a few regular potatoes thrown in.

The farmers market is located near the firestation and right downtown. Edmonds has a small downtown - with a seaside feel. You can see the sound in the distance and hear the ferry horn. Many of the buildings in the main downtown area are historic and house interesting stores. I stopped by HouseWares to pick up some kitchen cleaning items and admire the stunning designs.

Moving on, I stopped in the Edmonds Bookshop to see the latest best sellers. Nothing caught my fancy. I had two more stops, one at Gallery North to see the current Photography and at Sculptors Workshop pottery sale.

It was good to see everything busy. The weather helped as did Mothers Day weekend. I loved seeing the mothers out. My favorite was the little girl and her mother who came out of one of the day salons. "Mommy - that was so much fun. Can we do come again?". Delightful.

Samish Bay Cheese

Residential street just a block from the market

Traffic circle at the center of downtown

Worldwide headquarters of Rick Steves Europe

Everybody loves a parade. It has been years since I've been to a parade. The last parade was the Fremont Solstice Parade which is totally different. G had to work this year so I decided to check out the local 4th of July parade in Edmonds.

The crowds had already started to gather around 11:30am. I joined in and followed several families down to where the parade was starting at 6th and Main. People were lined up with their chairs along the route. Today was pretty hot and most of places were in the sun. I walked a block or so and found a place under a large tree in the shade. Perfect.

It wasn't too crowded at all. Everyone right at the sidewalk edge had low chairs. I was talking with another woman and she said this was the 9th parade and it is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses.

It had a little bit of everything - but mostly decorated cars and marching groups. It only lasted an hour but it was fun and different thing to do.

Happy 4th everyone!

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Before we bought our current house in Edmonds, we used to live on the edge of Innis Arden. The history of Innis Arden neighborhood is very interesting. In 1925, William Boeing (yes, the plane builder) bought up much of the land along the Puget Sound north of Seattle, from what is Blue Ridge in Seattle to roughly the county line just south of Edmonds. Much of this area was logged and several communities were built such as Blue Ridge. In 1940, the area north of the Highlands and next to Richmond Beach was laid out as the community named Innis Arden and sold to affluent upper middle class buyers from $1000-$5000 per lot. The cleared land provided unrestricted views across the Sound to the Olympics. The Innis Arden community had strict covenants that prevented buildings and trees to block views. This area continues to have gorgeous unrestricted views and lovely homes built in the older Northwest style. We lived just over the ridge and did not have a view but I would often ride my bike down along the curvy streets and enjoyed the expansive views.

Just next to Innis Arden at the bottom of the hill and along the Sound is Richmond Beach Saltwater Park. It is one of our favorite parks. We feel like it is one of our neighborhood parks even though it is across the county line and in a different city. We used the stairs at the park when we were training for Mt. Whitney. I will often drive over and walk along the beach. I find it very peaceful and calming. Just before Christmas, the city of Shoreline sponsors a huge winter bonfire along with carols provided by the local Christmas Ship.

It has been a while since I visited the park. They were doing renovations last year and we did not visit for a while because of the construction. Friday was a glorious Fall day and I stopped by. Wow! Lots of nice changes.

They have built several new picnic areas, added many new benches and view points and are working to replace the invasive non-native plants with natives along the hillside. They have installed several signs describing the history of the park. It was a sand and gravel mine in the early 1900's which provided building materials for early buildings in Seattle. It also explains the steep terrain. It was sold to King County in 1959 by the Great North Railway. The Parent Map has a great page on the history and details of the park.

There is also a new art installation, Reflex Solaris. It is an interactive sundial. I figured out the sundial portion but totally missed the reflective portion of the artwork. I saw several mirror on the hillside above. At first, I thought they were some type of solar panel for generating electricity. There is one near the upper trail and I noticed that it was just a mirror. Hmmmm... I thought maybe it was for navigation purposes. From the blog post linked earlier, it is a set of mirror that reflect the different solstice and equinoxes. I'm going to have to go back and check out what is reflected along the hillsides. I also think they need something to explain the mirrors - I totally missed it!

I climbed the hill and walked along the upper path. The vistas were amazing in the clear Fall afternoon. Later, I walked down to the beach. Just as you reach the beach is a wonderful 10-foot bronze sculpture of a Salish Welcoming Figure carved by artists Steve Brown, Joe Gobin, and Andy Wilbur. I looked back and saw now how it all fits together - from a sand quarry at the turn of the 20th century to a wonderful public park today.

Here are some photos from my walk (click any picture to enlarge):

Picnic area on hillside at Richmond Beach Park Reflex Solaris
New picnic area
New plantings and stair climb
Along the beach
Welcoming Figure carved by artists Steve Brown, Joe Gobin, and Andy Wilbur

Panorama View from the Bluffs

One of hidden gardens gems of Seattle is Kubota Gardens. Located on 20 acres in South Seattle, the garden is a testament to the endurance of Japanese immigrants and over 50 years of loving labor. The gardens were design by Fujitaro Kubota. He immigrated to the United States in 1907 and started his gardening business in 1923. He designed and planted Japanese style gardens for families here in the Seattle area. In 1927, he bought 5 acres of swamp land off in Rainier Valley and started his dream. Over the years he was able to expand the gardens to 20 acres by the time of his death in 1973. In 1981, the garden was declared a city landmark and in 1987 the city purchased the land. Today, the city continues to maintain and expand the park.

I don't know why we had never visited the gardens before. We knew of the gardens from our friends but never made the time to visit. It is easy to get to and well signed from the Marginal Way exit on I-5.

This year has been outstanding for fall color. The summer was hot enough for the leaves to store ample amount of glucose creating strong reds and yellow as the plants shut down for winter. The Fall is an excellent time to visit. We found a riot of colors throughout the garden.

For more on this history - Kubota Gardens from HistoryLink.org
Directions and information - Kubota Gardens website.

Trumpter Swans

Do you ever have one of those serendipitous days where you decide to visit an area but you don't have any specific plans and the day ends up magical? We had one of those days on Monday.

We called up a friend who likes to bird watch and suggested that we go to the Skagit Valley. He couldn't go on Sunday so we decided to go Monday. The forecast was unpredictable as usual in January in the Pacific Northwest. It has been extremely unseasonably warm and dry. Gray still but warmer and drier.

Skagit Valley is about 1 hour north of Seattle. The Skagit River forks just south of the city of Mount Vernon into two branches and creates Fir Island. This is rich farmland and also the winter home of snow geese, swans and bald eagles. Flocks of these bird migrate south from the summer breeding grounds in Alaska to over winter in the rich fields. We have seen the flocks increase over the years.

Birders share this area with hunters in the winter months up through January. Washington state Fish and Game have several areas set aside which are open to both hunters and bird watchers. It can be a difficult mix but part of economy of wildlife.

Fir Island is easy to get to. Driving north on I-5, you exit at Conway and head towards La Connor. We had just crossed over the south fork of the Skagit when we spotted a field of Trumpeter Swans. We have two favorite spots to stop. First is the Hayton reserve. We had seen a bald eagle in the trees west of the parking lot last year. Wow! This year there were at least 4 bald eagles in the trees and also a huge nest. We brought out the scope and watched the birds. We also noticed several bald eagles just sitting in the fields and one returned to the tree with a catch and we watched him eat it. We think it was some type of rodent caught in the field.

Bald Eagle

We moved on and headed to the end of Rawlins Road where we could access the dike and over look the salt marshes. A large flock of snow geese were in a field so we walked about 1/4 mile along the dike until we could see them. We had passed several hunters along the road and we could hear their runs in the distance. The flock were a little agitated but we had a great opportunity to watch the geese as they went through the field.

It was time for lunch so we headed to La Connor and the La Connor Brewery. There are several great places to eat in La Connor, the brewery, Palmers and Calico Bakery are good. We like the brews at the brewery so we always stop there.

After lunch we headed north towards Edison. This is the Padilla Bay and the estuary for the Samish river. We had heard that there might be a snowy owl near the out take of the Samish River. First we stopped at West 90. We saw very little bird life other than a Marsh Hawk. But on the way back we stopped to watch a flock of Trumpeter Swans near the highway. We were fascinated by their head bobbing just before two pairs would take flight. They would travel a ways out of distance and then after waiting a couple of minutes - they would return. We watched and listened to the gentle honking in waning light of the late afternoon.

It was time to head home. We decided to head back across Fir Island. There was an opening in the clouds and G was predicting a nice sunset. We crossed over the bridge onto Fir Island and I noticed a flock of Snow Geese near Maupin Road. I decided to stop. Just as we pulled up, the sun peaked under the clouds and the sky was starting to turn golden. We looked towards the north and saw groups after groups of snow geese heading towards us. We stepped out of the car and watched in amazement as each group approached over us and glided to the field for the night. It was so magical. It was one of those moments that you just could not capture.

After a short while, another car approached and for some reason, the geese were spooked. All at once the flock took flight and headed toward the water. The golden sunset was speckled with their wings.

It was growing cold and dark. We headed back to the car and Seattle. A satisfying end to a glorious winter day.

Skagit Estuary

Arriving for the evening

A field of Snow Geese

Snow Geese in the mud

Snow Geese taking flight in the sunset

Here are some links:

• Short Trips: Birds and birders flock to these fertile fields
• Trumpter Swan Society
• Skagit Valley Tourism
• Skagit Wildlife Area
• Watching winged friends
• Snow Geese in the Skagit - our previous visit in January 2008

Flowering Plum 'Thundercloud'

My neighborhood is pretty in pink - fluffy wispy clouds of pink blossoms! Spring is here.

The early spring has continued here in the Pacific Northwest benefits of El Nino. March came in like a lamb. I sure hope it doesn't go out like a lion. The flowering plums are in full bloom and without any rain, the pink clouds dot the hillsides and neighborhood. I feel like I'm walking in a forest of pink cotton candy.

I took my camera with me on my walk today and captured everything that was in pink. Check out what I found that was 'pretty in pink'.

Mediterranean Pink Heather

Flowering Quince

Azalea

Rhododendron

Camelia

Pieris japonica

And look what else I found! I couldn't believe it. Definitely pretty in pink.

I need a little reminder of the beautiful days we had last month. Here are a few pictures of the Edmonds waterfront area. There are several public art installations along the waterfront. This guy is crawling up the stairs from the sand. It is part of the work called "The Locals" by Georgia Gerber.

Farther along the waterfront is a fishing pier. It has a whimsical metal art work representing salmon swimming - "School of Fish" by Buster Simpson. Turning around - a great view of the marina and Olympic mountains in the distance. Art by mother nature.

More on the public art in Edmonds - Public Art Collection

"School of Fish"

View from fishing pier

We did not have any special plans for Easter Sunday so we decided to spend it in a garden. One possibility was to go to the Tulip fields again since they were in bloom but it would have been terribly crowded on Sunday. Instead we decided to go South to Lakewold Garden in Lakewood just sound of Tacoma.

We typically visit in mid-March so this would be our first visit in early Spring. The day was overcast but the garden was lovely. And we had it almost to ourselves.

The gardens were started in 1910 as part of a summer home on Lake Gravely. The original design was influenced by the work of the Olmstead Brothers. The property was sold several times over the years until it was sold to George Corydon and Eulalie Wagner in 1938. Eulalie Wagner loved to garden. The landscape gardener, Thomas Church, first visited the garden in 1958 and returned to advice on the garden over the years. The garden opened to the public in 1989.

We love the location and the different rooms of the garden. As you arrive, you can walk along a long circular driveway lined with 20 feet Rhododendrons. This takes you to the door of the house which looks over the Flag Pole Lawn. There is a large Paulonia tree that we would love to see in bloom but we will need to return late in May or early June since it is late to bloom.

From the Flag lawn, you can enter into the small fern garden room. It is filled with interesting small shade and woodland plants. The triliums were in full bloom. Exiting the Fern room, you walk along the brick path lined with boxwood beds filled with tulips. The two majestic Mt. Fuji cherry trees were budded but not yet in bloom. The walkway leads to a lovely statue at the end of the path - but off to the side is a curious Quartrefoil pool. I love the pool and the symmetry but it is the hardest thing in the world to photograph.

Continuing down a side path, you can enter into several rooms lined with Japanese Maples and other beautiful trees such as Stewartia and Parrotia with beautiful bark. There are several trees of distinction in the garden. There are also several view points across the lake or up the lawns to the house. There is a new rock garden that is still getting established. Along several of the walkways were large naturalized swatches of fawn lilies (Erythronium). We have several native versions of this flower but I love the larger garden varieties.

Returning to the house, there is a large wisteria arbor over the outdoor eating area. Nearby is a knot garden, rose garden and perennial beds. Throughout the garden were several varieties of cherries in bloom. I loved the light yellow cherry blossoms of the Ukon cherry.

Before leaving, we made a stop at The Garden Shop to make a couple of plant purchases. We had to get a couple of blue poppies and a replacement Chilean Fire Bush (Embothrium coccineum).

Here are some photos of the garden:

Driveway to the house entry

Cherry Blossom

Brick walk

Garden bench

Quartrefoil Pool and flowering cherry

Closeup of statue at end of brick walk

Woodland room

Garden detail

House

Wisteria arbor

Knot garden

Fawn Lilies - Erythronium

Hunter statue along the Flag Pole Lawn

Related Posts: Lakewold Garden - May 2007

Prairie is not a place you imagine of when you think of Washington state or the Puget Sound area. But prairie grasslands were an intrinsic part of native American food sources. These rolling grasslands were scattered throughout the sound and can still be found south of Olympia. The grassy areas may originally have been created by the glaciers that covered the area and left open rocky meadows. Native Americans maintained these grasslands by burning them to restore the plants and keep the larger invasive plants at bay. The predominant plant they harvested was blue camas - Camassia quamash. These plants in the Agavaceae family have starchy bulbs that they harvested in the early fall, roasted and dried for food throughout the year. They also harvested other bulbs and berries that grew well in these savannah grasslands.

Today, the prairies are an endangered land. Only about 2% of the grasslands still survive. Much of it was used as farmland and later housing. Once a year, the Glacial Heritage Preserve is open to the public on Prairie Appreciation Day which was last Saturday. This prairie is managed by Thurston County Parks, the Washington department of Fish and Wildlife and restored by the Nature Conservancy of Washington and Friends of Puget Prairies. They have done a tremendous amount of work to clear the invasive non-native plants such as scotch broom from the fields.

Early May is prime time for the blooms. The roads in the area are lined with blue camas. Last Saturday was sunny with lots of fluffy white clouds. The blue blossoms created a blue haze over the grassland. I took the longer self-guided trail along the edge of the prairie and was amazed at the fields.

Near by is the more well known prairie - Mima Mounds. It is a lovely place to walk through these strange mounds that no one really understands. Was it a glacier? An earthquake? Gophers? May is a wonderful time to visit since the mounds are tinged in blue with camas and violets but anytime is a good time to visit and contemplate the mystery.

• South Puget Sound Prairies
• Seattle Times article on Prairie Appreciation Day
• Seattle PI article on Prairie Appreciation Day
• Washington Trail Association reports on Mima Mounds

"Eagle" by Alexander Calder at the Olympic Sculpture Garden along the Seattle Waterfront

The Olympic Sculpture Park opened in the Winter of 2007. I was very excited when it opened. The area where it is located is one of my favorite vistas in Seattle. Located at the end of the waterfront near Pier 70 and at the beginning of Myrtle Edwards Park, it has always been an outstanding location for views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.

I arrived in Seattle in the mid-70's and my first job was working in a pathology lab in the Denny Regrade area just up from where the garden is located today. Our building had stunning vistas out over Elliott Bay. Ferries seem to glide across the water. On blustery days, the wind would whip up white caps while we were secure in our offices. Myrtle Edwards Park was located just about 4 blocks down from work. Later, when I worked on Elliott Way, I would walk from the Magnolia Bridge to Pier 70. It was a contrast of the working soul from the grain elevators which shipped out the wheat from Eastern Washington to Asia to the sea of Japanese import cars waiting to be transported down the West Coast.

Several Microsoft and other software professionals had a vision. A sculpture garden to rival the view. They banded together and slowly created this extension of the Seattle Art Museum devoted to sculpture and native plants.

I had visited the garden right after it opened and loved the mixture of art and native plants. I made one more visit the following year. I had intended to return but through layoffs and changes, I never made it back.

I had a chance to return last Friday on a beautiful sunny May day. How it has grown! I parked nearby on Western Avenue and entered the garden through the Aspen Grove. The leaves were quivering in the gentle wind. The white bark provided a contrast to the stark black sculptures scattered through the grove.

I exited the grove and walked over the Seattle Cloud Cover Glass Bridge down to the waterfront. The bridge to the water passes by Schubert Sonata by Mark di Suvero and Love & Loss by Roy McMakin. I continued into Myrtle Edwards Park pathway. I sat among the daisies and let the air gently blow through my hair. The Olympics were in the distance, the PI globe turned behind me while joggers ran by.

I returned to the park and the Z path. The orange steel "Eagle" sculpture by Calder towered above the rail tracks and meadows. The path curved back to the skyline of Seattle. I took one of the side paths through the dogwoods covered with ivory colored blossoms to the rusty undulating steel sculptures of "Wake" by Richard Serra . I love walking through the steel canyons with the "Eagle" and Space Needle peeking above.

The park is free and open to the public. On the warm day, joggers, school children, sun lovers, mothers and senior all enjoyed the art, native plants and gorgeous sea views. Highly recommended.

I finally had a chance to visit PowellsWood Garden in Federal Way. This is a relatively new garden. It has started to be open to the public more frequently than a few special days. There was a special open house on during the Federal Way's Buds & Bloom Festival on Mothers Day. It was warm and sunny so I headed south to take a look.

The garden is amazing. The Powells purchased the land in 1992 and started turning what was previously a dumping ground into a spectacular 2 acre urban garden. Much of the early years were spent restoring the soil polluted from the years of dumping. Once the soil was restored, the plantings began.

Today there are 8 different garden 'rooms'. You enter with the bright entry garden which has a tropical feel. Then you move to the entry overlooking the perennial borders. The stairway is absolutely stunning. I loved the large leafed petasites and hostas on one side and ferns and rhododendrons on the other. Meandering on, you come along a stream lined with ligularias and a pond. Next are the shade and woodland gardens which take advantage of the towering Douglas fir trees. Circling back, you move into the Spring garden lined with flowering cherries. These were finished blooming but I could image what a cloud of blossoms they were in the spring. The final room is the new House Garden which I loved. It used lots of interesting combination of dark foliage and hot yellow and orange flowers.

I really want to return and see how the beds progress through the summer. They are participating in the Garden Conservancy's "Open Days" Tour on June 12th. They are also open Tues - Saturday 10am - 3pm. For more information - see the PowellsWood website.

Petasites japonicus

Hosta

Stairway to Perennial Border Garden

Perennial Border area

Cherries leafing out in the Spring Garden

House Garden

Vista from bluff above Ebey's Landing on Whidbey Island

We went camping on Memorial Day and stopped at Ebey's Landing on the way. I had heard about the unique flowers that could be found on the bluffs and wanted to explore. Ebey's Landing is a unique micro climate in the center of Whidbey Island. The area is a National Historical Reserve created to preserve the working landscape, historical buildings and natural habitat. I love the windswept prairie that spills onto the rocky beach. We had not explored the bluffs just north which is home to Opuntia fragilis - a prickly pear cactus that is native to the islands of the Puget Sound.

There are two trail heads to the bluff trail. We decided to park at the Prairie Overlook. The first quarter of a mile or so is along a private road next to several houses that overlook the prairie before it turns and runs along the edge of the prairie. I love the spacious vistas and the tall prairie grass. Along with the weathered fences, buildings and fir trees, you almost feel as if you are in Maine. At the bluff, you have a massive vista of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Olympics and the bluffs north and south. We meandered along checking out the flowers. We kept an eye out for the cactus and found one patch near the trail. The trail runs along the edge of the bluff to the top of Perego’s Lake, a small lagoon along the beach. We found a place to sit and have lunch and mulled whether to go back along the bluff or walk along the rocky beach. We decided to go down and walk along the beach. It would have been a great walk except light rain started up and the wind was blowing it towards us. I was not happy.

You continue along the beach until you come to the parking lot and the second trail head. I convinced G to walk back the last 3/4 mile to the car and come pick me up. Fortunately, neither of us got too wet, mainly just a little damp and we dried off before arriving at our campground.

The next day we went over to Fort Casey to see the Admiralty Lighthouse. The weather was cold windy and drizzly. We took a quick walk around the lighthouse before heading back home.

Ebey's Landing is a perfect place to explore. It is also a great hike in the winter or early spring. We will definitely return. Next time we want to also camp at Fort Ebey's State Park.

Reference Links:

• NPS - Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve
  
• Nature Conservancy - The Robert Y. Pratt Preserve
  
• Hike of the Week - Ebey's Landing
  
• Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce

Bluff Trail at Ebey's Landing

View at start of trail from Prairie Overlook

Heading to the bluff

Rosa Nutkana was in bloom all along the trail

It feels like Maine and the country of Andrew Wyeth

Across the prairie

On to the bluff

She is still a happy camper here. :)

Windswept forest along the bluff edge

Perego’s Lake

Beach at Ebey's Landing

Admiralty Lighthouse

Ebey's Landing bluffs in the distance

In Atlantic City or out in Malibu
Or any where between, I'm telling you
When you feel those balmy breezes on your face
Summer time is the best time any place

'Cause it's summer
Summer time is here
Yes it's summer
My time of year
"Summer" - War

Finally! After a long gloomy June, summer has arrived. We have a saying here in the Seattle area that summer doesn't arrive until after July 4th. And right on scheduled, the weather has turned hot. Believe it or not - Sunday July 4th had a high of 59 degrees! Thursday July 8th, it broke records with a high of 87.

I took full advantage of the warmth today. I started the day out with a cup of coffee and my netbook on the deck. Just before noon, I went to the Marina beach in Edmonds. It was not as crowded as I expected but there were many families enjoying the sun. I thought of going in the water but I had no interest after seeing the green slimy algae. So after a bit of sunbathing, I packed up and headed to Yost Pool. It is one of few outdoor pools in the region. The public swim started just before 1pm. It was so refreshing. I don't mind the crowded pool although I could take a little bit less of the pre-teen girls screaming.

I am now back out on the deck. It is currently 87 again but there is a light breeze. I smell a whiff of the citrus herbal smell of the linden tree just starting to bloom. Sinatra is on the iPod singing Summer Wind. Kitty is sprawled out next my chair on the deck. Perfect!

The forecast is for it to cool a bit and become partially cloudy by Sunday. We're thinking of heading to the Washington Coast for to camp. It sounds like it will be pretty cool and overcast in the morning but we're going to give it a shot.

We have taken a likin' to camping and we went again this weekend. The weather has been good so I was hoping to go to the coast. We had two places in mind. One was close to Forks - the Twilight Capital. But the weather looked poor for Sunday night so we made a call and headed to Central Washington where the summer weather is more reliable. The Cascades are a perfect rain/cloud barrier.

Sunday dawned cloudy. G packed up and we were out by 9am. Our destination - Entiat Valley. This is a valley between Wenatchee and Lake Chelan. We had never visited it in all our years of living here in Washington. Silver Falls CG was recommended in the Tent Camping book.

It took about 2 hours to make it over Steven Pass even on a Sunday Morning. There were a lot of people heading out to hiking or visiting Leavenworth.It was another hour up along the Columbia River to the turn off and another 30 minutes or more up the valley.

The valley was very interesting. It is a very warm microclimate and it was lined with orchards up past Ardenvoir. We entered the forest and we were soon at Silver Falls CG. We cruised through the camp and found a site along the river and quickly set up camp.

We relaxed reading the paper and napping. I decided to go for a walk to Silver Falls. It is a beautiful falls that cascades and falls down the side of the fall right across from the CG. It is a national recreation trail and is beautifully built. Each bridge is hand build with lots of details. There are also steps of granite climbing steeply up both sides of the fall along with several spots to sit and admire (or rest).

I did not go far and returned to camp with G took a nap. We had our dinner and started a fire. We had several deers passing near our camp in the early evening. Soon it was almost 10 and we headed off for the night. I awoke once and gazed at the bright stars.

The next day after breakfast, G & I both headed to the top of Silver Falls. It is actually a loop trail that loops from one side to the other crossing the stream at the top. It was steep but short. It is about 1.7 miles in loop but 700 ft gain. We took our time taking photos and admiring the views.

We returned and broke camp. We had seen a sign for a dirt backroad to Lake Chelan just down from the campground. It was 31 miles but we had time so we decided to take it. I'll describe what we saw in the next post.

Our tent with sides rolled up for ventilation in the heat.

Lovely handwork on one of the bridges on the Silver Falls Trail

Cascading stream

Climbing up

Places to rest along the way

The largest fall

View of the Falls from opposite side

Bridge at the top

Warm Sunny Day on the Trail

Wildflowers amid the destruction

On the way in to our campground, we saw the sign for FS5900. We looked at the map and it looked very interesting. It was 31 miles to Lake Chelan shoreline at 25 Mile Creek. It passed over Shady Pass. We knew nothing about the road other than Shady Pass was at 6000ft and only 8 miles from the Entiat Road which was 2900ft. That meant the road was going to climb over 3,000 ft in 8 miles.

We were game. We figured it would probably take at least 1 1/2 hours since I usually travel about 20 MPH on a good gravel road. The road was well graded and in good condition. As we climbed, we noticed swatches of brown dead trees. The pine bark beetle has gotten a good foothold and is killing many of the large lodgepole pines.

Up to Shady Pass - The brown trees are dead

We climbed higher and higher. The trees got shorter and shorter. The lupine went from purple blooms to buds. We finally emerged onto the summit area with wide open vistas of the craggy peaks in the Entiat Mountains.

Entiat Mountains Vista from Shady Pass

We did not expect what we found next. We entered into a ghostly surreal world of destruction. We entered the extensive stark silver burnt remnants of the Tyee Creek Fire. The Tyee Creek fire burned over 135,000 acres and burned for almost a month. It is the second largest fire in Washington's history. What amazed us was lack of regrowth. The fire occurred in 1994 and very little had regrown. It was amazing since we we have been in other areas that were also burnt in 1994 that have good regrowth. The fire must have burned extremely hot and the soil must be very poor.

There was extensive swaths of wildflowers on the south facing slopes. Bright purple of lupine and penstemon - dotted with brilliant red blossoms of scarlet gilia and paint brush. The road narrowed and was rocky. Fortunately, we were able to make it with our Honda and we never met another car. The road was almost like a wagon path with a center line of wildflowers. It was amazingly beautiful.

We finally reentered the forest and descended down to the Chelan shoreline. It had taken 2 hours to drive. We still had four hours to drive.

On the drive home, we had passed a fire along the Columbia. It had expanded quite a bit and was billowing smoke over the Columbia. The area had been burned several years ago and the plants were still green so the fire staff were able to keep it somewhat controlled although it is still burning today.

Lewisia tweedyi

Calochortus macrocarpus

Lake Chelan Shoreline

Swakane Fire along the Columbia

I am back in training. We want to see the silversword in its native habitat so that means we have to hike down into the crater of Haleakala on Maui. I am not certain yet what hike we plan to do - Sliding Sands or Halemalu'u. Sliding Sands definitely looks to be an easier hike. Both start at the crater edge which is about 8,000 ft and descend about 1500 to 2000 feet into the crater.

I need to get in shape to be able to do the hike so I've started training. I'm starting out rather easy with a local hike - Meadowdale Park.

I normally use this park in the winter since it is a great place to go off season but since it is so close, I am using it as a training hike. It is a 2.2 mile round trip with a 450 elevation gain. It is good to trail to start.

I hiked the trail this week before the weather turned. I loved the filtered light from the alders and the babbling stream. It was a clear crisp day when I reached the beach. The Olympics were in full view. I was intrigued by the two fishermen along the shore where the stream emptied into the sound. The tide was low and the old fishing pier north of the beach was exposed so I walked along the beach. Several Asian women were harvesting seaweed along the rocks. Whidbey Island peaked through the pier blocks under the dock. It was a little spooky hearing the footsteps above.

I meandered back and climbed up along trail of Lund Gulch. It is such a great resource to have such a wonderful open space to explore. Hopefully it will do the trick and get me in shape for Haleakala. Here is a wonderful trip report of the Halemalu'u trail.

Haleakala from 14ers.com

Just leaving the parking lot and starting the decent into Lunds Gulch

Dappled summer sunlight along the trail

Alders climb high above the trail

Sword ferns shadow the trail

Along the rocky beach

Old fishing pier - now a beach camp

Peaking under the pier toward Whidbey Island

Trains rumble by on their way to Canada

Late Summer day along the Puget Sound with the Olympic Mountains in the distance

End of Summer - the chill is in the air

We are planning on hiking into the crater at Haleakala on Maui. This is not going to be easy. First off - the altitude. The trail starts at visitors center which is at 9774 ft. The hike down will take us to about 8400ft. Coming back up is going to be a gruel - both with the thin air but also the slippery sliding pumice. Also no shade.

I've been walking and hiking to get in shape. We've been able to do 3 hike2 (one a week) in October. These have been usually 5 miles with about 1500 ft gain - just about what we plan on doing.

I've also been walking around the Edmonds bowl. Usually I walk along the waterfront which is flat but I've switch to going up towards the top of the crest above Edmonds. I have been using MapMyWalk website to get ideas, plan my walk and measure my mileage. It has been a great tool. Today I did a four mile walk that I found from the suggested walks. It was a beautiful day. I started downtown - parked right across from Rick Steves and the walked over to Walnut and the up to Yost Park. Then turn south and then back to down to the sound on Pine. The view was gorgeous. The Olympics were all dusted with snow. We had an early storm and it brought snow to all the mountains. Mt Rainier where I hiked last week had 18 inches! How quickly it changes.

I walked all the way to the waterfront where I was greeted with the beautiful scene in the picture above. I walked along the marina and then back up to my car. It took me an hour and half. Not great but a good workout. And I got about 400 ft elevation workout on the way up.

Another break in the weather. The clouds cleared off and sun came out. I went for a walk again using the same route. It is an excellent workout with just the right amount of uphill, downhill and level. It continues to take me about 1 1/2 hours to do four miles. Not great but it will do.

Heading downhill - I will walk all the way to the waterfront below the building in the center

House all decorated for Halloween

Olympic Beach - a different angle - I do like the previous shot better

End of the Marina - The beautiful Puget Sound - time to head back to the car

November and December are always unpredictable. It always keeps G on edge. When will the first frost happen? How long will it freeze? Will it snow? How many days of rain? The weather forecasters predict a colder and wetter year than normal for the Pacific Northwest. It started today. Snow arrived around 10am but fortunately it did not stick around. It never got warmer than 36 degrees but that was fine. I spent the day cooking.

But tonight, the clouds have parted, the sky is clear and the thermometer is dropping. It is 30 degrees at 7pm. It will probably get down to the mid 20's. But the moon has come out. Tonight is a blue moon. I thought a blue moon is the second full moon in a month but there are actually two definitions. The second definition is the third full moon of a four moon season.

"The Old Farmer’s Almanac defined a Blue Moon as an extra full moon that occurred in a season. One season – winter, spring, fall, summer – typically has three full moons. If a season has four full moons, then the third full moon may be called a Blue Moon." - What makes November full moon a blue moon?

I have never heard that before. I've only heard the more recent definition of the 2nd full moon in a month. No matter what the definition - it is beautiful.

Here's one of my favorite versions of the song "Blue Moon" - Cowboy Junkies

It was a rain-free night so we decided to take the opportunity to check out the lights in Edmonds. Our main destination was the Edmonds Yacht Club and the public docks just next to Anthony's restaurant. The night was perfect for a walk and the lights were beautiful.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

It has been cold - very cold. But we bundled up to take a New Years Day walk. The temperature started at 19 degrees but by noon it was almost up to 32 degrees. Still cold enough for me to put on two layers of thermal underware and a thick sweater.

We headed down to the waterfront to do our usual walk along Sunset Avenue and then along the waterfront by the marina. We had noticed something was going on when we passed by Daphnes. There was quite a crowd several dressed in white robes.

We realized that there was a polar bear swim in Edmonds. We did not know if it had already happened or not. We parked and went on our walk.

The day was crisp and clear. The snow covered Olympics glistened in the distance. The grasses were dusted with white frost. We were returning and almost to the ferry dock when we heard a large cheer. It was 1pm. It must be the plunge.

We rushed to the beach near the ferry dock and it was mostly over. Everyone was milling along the shore and several people were toweling off. A few late comers plunged in screaming the whole way. We noticed several people in white robes with Edmonds Uplift Society embroidered on the back. The Society has been doing the plunge for the past four years and is headquartered at Daphnes - Edmonds Uplife Society. What a fun and crazy idea.

Mt Baker in the distance

Taking the Plunge

Crowd at Brackett's Landing in Edmonds for the Polar Bear Plunge

Jefferson County Courthouse in Victorian Port Townsend, Washington

It has been ages since we went to the Olympic Peninsula. I have a love-hate relationship with the trip. It always start out great with a ferry ride to Kingston from Edmonds. The traffic can be congested but it is good to get you to slow down and enjoy the ride. But I always end up hating the trip back especially on Sundays. There never seems to be an easy way to catch the ferry back. It is one boat or in the prime summer season - over 2 hour wait to catch the return ferry. And it ain't cheap - $32 roundtrip in winter.

But it can be a glorious time while on the peninsula. We headed out on Sunday and easily caught the ferry after a short wait. I do love the vistas and it was great to look back at the area where I do many of my walks. Edmonds slowly disappeared in the distance and we moved forward to catch views of Whidbey Island and approaching Kingston shore.

We headed towards Sequim, passing scenic Port Gamble - a restored 1800's mill town, crossing the Hood Canal Bridge and joining up with Highway 101. The sky darkened and rain started as we got closer to Sequim. So much for a walk at Dungeness Spit. It was miserable looking so we turned around and headed back with our backup plan of a day shopping in Pt. Townsend.

Port Townsend is a small Victorian seaport town on the tip of the Olympic Peninsula. It was a major port in the late 1800's. Many large Victorian buildings and homes were built in this time. But the town slowly died when the major rail line was never extended from Olympia up to city. A paper mill opened in the 1920's but it remained small. Because there never was another major industry, the town retained its Victorian qualities and quaintness. In 1970's, the historic district was declared a National Historic Landmark.

The main district is along the sound and it has a series of interesting shops ranging from art galleries to the typical NW souvenir shop. We enjoy spending a leisurely time in the bookstores and kitchen shops. There are several good places to eat. We choose Sirens, a hip bar with the young crowd serving good food and an excellent selection of beers and cocktails. It is located up a long flight of stairs in restored historic building overlooking the port. It was crowded so we sat at the bar which gave us a good view of the action. We both had a local Pt Townsend IPA which was very tasty - a little more citrus than herbal hops but good. The place was very crowded and have to say it was slow getting our food. The service was good - it was just very busy and the kitchen was pretty small. We did enjoy watching the bartender make one of their specialty drinks - Spanish Coffee, 151 Rum flaming with Kahlua, Cointreau and coffee. The sprinkling of cinnamon sparks was awesome. They also got points for having a bottle of St Germaine behind the bar.

We had noticed a lot of cars and young guys in town. We did not figure out exactly what was up until our next stop - Fort Worden which I'll talk about in the next post. Meanwhile, here are some of the sights of the trip to Port Townsend.

Looking back on the Edmonds Waterfront - my favorite place for a walk

On board the Puyallup Ferry

Kingston on the horizon

You'll never see the ferry this empty in the summery

Typical Victorian buildings in Port Townsend historical downtown

Great sidewalk shopping

Looking up from the Wharf towards the bell tower

Interesting Virginia Creeper covered building

The striking Jefferson County Courthouse

After our tasty lunch and sightseeing in downtown Port Townsend, we headed to Fort Worden State Park. Located at the tip of the Peninsula and the entry to the Puget Sound, Fort Worden was built in 1902 as part of a trio of forts to protect the entrance to the sound and Seattle. We visited one of the other two forts - Fort Casey on our trip to Whidbey Island last May.

Fort Worden is a beautiful part with lovely vistas across Admiralty Inlet. But the old bunkers and officer quarters are the most fun. Do you remember the movie "The Officer and a Gentleman"? Remember the barracks and army grounds where Richard Gere trained? This was filmed on Fort Worden. Today the officer quarters, houses and dormitories are used as a conference grounds. Many classes and major music events are held throughout the year. But it is available for everyone to tour and roam along the beach, dunes and army bunkers.

We noticed that there were a lot of Volkswagen cars coming and going on the grounds. I think it was the group taking pictures of their cars that caught my eye and clued me into something going on. It also matched up with why we saw so many cars in Pt Townsend and why it was so crowded. It was the Port Townsend Cruise for European automobiles - a local car rally. There were over 400 cars participating in the rally and gathering in Port Townsend. That explained why it was so busy in early March!

But the sun came out late in the afternoon and we enjoyed a few moments of rays before returning home. And it satisfied our need for a bit of beach time.

Army building around the center plaza

Officer housing now available for rent

Remnants of the gun bunkers

View from within the bunkers

Soldiers walked these paths in the early 1900's

All that remains are the concrete walls

The Beach

The Birds

The dunes

The trees and ruins

I love the minus tides that happen every year in May and June. If I am lucky, they will happen on a day when I am off work and the weather is good. You never know - especially this year. But everything aligned and this week was warm and sunny. And it was minus tide time.

I happened to have to work late on Thursday. Part of my job is to cover Asia-Pacific. So when my co-worker in Sydney takes a day off, I work a late shift - 3:30pm to 12:00am. It can be tough especially switching between my normal 10-6pm shift and the late shift. I had to cover for him on Thursday so I decided to make the most of it.

First I headed to the Edmonds Marina to have lunch at Anthony's . I has seating outside along my walk path. I got there about 11:45 and got a nice table overlooking the Marina. It was a little cool but not bad. I had the Blue Plate special which was scampi and a nice cold Weise beer from Pike Brewery.

I decided to walk a bit after lunch and headed towards Marina Park. The Olympic Mountains were visible in the distance and still dappled in snow. As I crossed over the bridge to the park, I saw how far out the tide was and remembered it was Minus tide week. WooHooo.

I headed out to the tide flats. There is a dog off-leash area next to the park and all the dog owners were taking advantage of the extra beach area. The dogs were having so much fun running, splashing, sniffing and digging in the sand. There were also several groups of young children - probably part of a pre-school splashing through the tide pools in brightly covered rubber boots.

I walked and walked - slipping and sliding over the eel grass and ribbon seaweek. The sun was warm, the air salty - the day perfect! I still had to go to work but it was so much easier after having spent the day at the beach.

I don't know why it took us so long to visit Bloedel Reserve. Maybe because it is on Bainbridge Island and a ferry ride away. Maybe we did not like you previously had to reserve a visit. We known of the garden for many years but just never made the time to visit.

We finally made a point to visit this year during their open garden and plant sale in late April. Of course, the day was cold and dark but it did not stop of from enjoying the garden. The garden is the estate of Prentice and Virginia Bloedel. Prentice was the head of the Canadian timber company McMillan Bloedel. They were the British Columbia equivalent of Weyerhaeuser until they were bought out by Weyerhaeuser in 1999. Prentice retired in 1952 and moved to the property that they had purchased on Bainbridge Island where they spent over 30 years creating the reserve.

It is quite amazing. It is over 150 acres which are broken into several different section or gardens. One of the main gardens is the Japanese Garden which includes a lovely guest house, zen garden and pond. The Japanese garden was created by Fujitaro Kubota who also created Kubota Gardens. There is also a moss garden. Who knew moss could be so beautiful. It feels wild but controlled. The path through the moss garden leads to the lovely reflection pond. It was cold and dreary but you could imagine a summery garden party within the walls of yew. The paths intertwine and meander to the house or out to the wild bogs and ponds on the edge.

Here are some pictures of these sections of the garden. I will do another post showing the waterfall and birch gardens. We hope to enjoy it again in another season.

Start of the moss garden

Moss and stones and trees and snags give the garden a wild NW feel

Skunk cabbage along the creek

Reflecting Pool

Entrance to Zen and Japanese Garden

Zen Garden and Guest House

Pool and garden below guest house

Looking back to guest house

One of the magnificent pink Magnolia in bloom

The Estate House

Boardwalk across the marsh

Along the path lined with Skunk Cabbage to the bird watching area

Edges of the reserve

Continuing with photos of springtime at Bloedel Reserve. My favorite area was just off the main estate house. Following down the waterfall, the path leads us to the Birch Garden and Rhododendron glen. It was a wonderland of wood land plants. Later in the spring the Rhododendrons and hydrangea bloom with woodland orchids.

Himalayan Birch line the path

Birch Glen

Beesia deltophylla - I love these leaves

Podophyllum pleianthum - Mayapple

Local Pink fawn lily - Erthyronium revolutum

Not our west coast trillium - Trillium sissile from the east coast

We have been having a terrible cool summer. Some people love it and others are getting grumpy wanting heat. Traditionally the last two weeks in July are always sunny and hot. Chance of rain is really low so I asked for a Monday off last month and we planned on camping. We decided to increase our chances of heat and decided to go to the eastern side of the Cascades. We had not been in the Naches area between Mt. Rainier and Yakima in many years and there are lots of forest service camp grounds.

We left about 10am after G had finished watering. The road goes through Mt. Rainier where the tourists were jocking for views of the mountain. We continued on to Chinook Pass. This is where one of our favorite hikes is located - Naches Trail. The Ranger report said you needed an ice axe for the trail. We pulled over to the vista and the trail is definitely covered still in several feet of snow. So was Tipsoo lake.

We continued on. Pleasant Valley and Hells Crossing campgrounds were recommended. They are just a couple of miles apart. We pulled in and did a drive through on both before deciding on Pleasant Valley. We loved the open meadow besides the American River. We thought it would be perfect for relaxing. Everyone else was leaving since it was Sunday so we had our choice of the spots. We choose a site near but not right next to the meadow. We noticed that there were some ants in the camp and discovered a large ant hill between the site and the river. But we decided we could share it with them and they never bothered us. We set up camp, relaxed a bit and ate our lunch. The mosquitoes were out but a couple of Off wipes took care of them.

After lunch, we headed to check out Boulder Cave. We drove in and the parking lot was packed with cars parking on the side. The ranger checked our America the Beautiful Pass and wrote down our number. We circled the lot once and scored a parking place. The trail was packed with families including one or two pushing strollers on the trail. The actual cave was pretty short.

One the way back to the parking lot, we heard many sirens. It was kinda spooky just after the shooting in Norway. On our drive back to the camp, we detoured and drove up the Rimrock Lake Road. There were several aid cars coming out of Camp Fife. A bit further, we came across motorcycle accident and turned around not really wanting to see it.

Back at the camp, we relaxed a while and made dinner. I brought along pesto pasta and watermelon feta salad. We built a fire and I took a walk out along the river. It was warm so we decided to leave off the rain fly – mistake. I woke up about 2am and noticed the stars were no longer out. At 3am – it started to drizzle. I woke up G, pulled the rain fly on and went back to sleep to thunder. It was still drizzling when we woke up. We hung out for a while and then moved over to the picnic shelter to make a fire and have breakfast.

Meadow at the camp

Pumping Water at the camp

Interesting clouds above the meadow

Vanilla Leaf

The picnic shelter

Entrance to Boulder Cave

Prerequisite 'scary' flashlight photo in the cave

Bridge at the Boulder Cave Exit

Coffee and a fire on a drizzly morning

This has been a very mild winter. Temperatures and rainfall have been average but we have not any major freezes and snow. Winter has really just gotten started but we usually have some significant freezes or long periods of cold but not so far this year.

We went for a walk this morning along the Edmonds waterfront and we were both surprised to see some signs of spring. Witch hazel and camellias were in bloom. I have been seeing camellias since Christmas. It is so different from last year and the witch hazel was not blooming until almost February. But looking back two years - we are right on schedule.

Let's hope it continues to be mild.

Witch Hazel

Camellia trained along the fence

Flag at half-mast in memory of the ranger who was killed at Mt. Rainier on New Years Day

USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier arriving in Puget Sound

Dock were the fire occured on Dec 30th

Okay... okay... I will take the blame. I should not have written about Spring in my previous post. Yes, I know... I was tempting the Fates and I jinked us. Snow arrived in the Puget Sound area on Saturday. The Arctic cold that had been shy and staying up in the Northern Territories and Alaska decided to spread out and finally swung down to the northern US.

It started on Saturday. We went out for our weekly errands and it started coming down fast and big flaked. Always a sign that it is not that cold. It was so funny at the store. It was suddenly empty - everyone was rushing to get checked out and home. The Civic was fine on the few hills home.

Sunday we had thought about going out to the movies and see "The Artist" but we decided to stay home and we were a couple of couch and internet potatoes. G watched the football games and later we watched the first episode of Downton Abbey. Dinner was a warming sweet potato enchilada casserole.

I have Monday off for Martin Luther King Day (gotta love union contracts). I decided to head out for a walk around the neighborhood. It was surprising quiet for a Monday. The temperature was just above freezing so the streets were slushy but still slick. I watched my balance. Not much going on a few snow ball fights and a couple of interesting snow people. The wind was slightly biting but refreshing.

Here are few pictures from my walk and a tune from Fleet Foxes which were perfect tune for a snowy walk.

Around the corner - other people were also out for a walk

A two headed snowman

I loved the humor in this snow woman

Chase Lake which is just behind our house

The lake is just barely hardening in a freeze and the ducks were walking on the frozen lake

Another view of Chase Lake

Here is one of my favorite tunes while out for a walk

Skagit Valley barn near Big Ditch

Our birding friend meet us with us at our house. We decided to start near Stanwood and then head north. Our first stop was Boe Road. We saw a large beautiful flock of snow geese but they were a bit away. Next we headed to Big Ditch. Surprisingly - no one was in the parking lot. We headed first towards the end of the stream but saw nothing and then headed back along the ditch where we saw a couple of raptors in the tree. We were surprised that there was little activity. We met a couple of groups and one said that they had seen some snowy owls back at Thomle. Hmmm..

I was hungry we we continued north. We stopped at Haydon reserve. The eagles that we normally see were not nesting there this year. There weren't any geese near the road either. We saw lots of trumpeter swans in the fields. We headed on up to Anacortes for lunch at the Brown Lantern.

After lunch, we discussed where to go. We decided to make one more stop south of Stanwood along Thomle Road. G is so good at spotting and he saw the snowy owls along the dike. They were too far to get a picture with my camera but we were able to see them well in the bird scope.

Overall a nice birding day.

I love the birds that visit our garden in the Spring. Today was one of those busy bird days. We had visits from everyone. The Robins have been coming through the yard in packs - cocking their head from side to side listening for worms. Their cousins the varied thrush has been kicking through the bird seed detritus looking for grubs and seeds. The suet cakes have been busy. Mr and Mrs Downy woodpecker have visited several times along with their cousins the Northern Flicker. I had to chase one off twiss yesterday. He kept drilling on the side of the house. We have been really happy to see Mr. and Mrs Mallard Duck fly in the past couple of days. She must be getting ready to lay her eggs. He is so attentive over her but I know once she is one the nest he will leave. And of course, the usual squirrel traffic.

Here's some pictures:

Female Downy woodpecker

Male Downy woodpecker with his brilliant red head patch

Female Northern Flicker

Varied Thrush

Finches at the feeder

Bushtits

Male Mallard - on alert

Every present Squirrels

Related Post: Spring Menagerie April 2009

Olympic Range from Dungeness Spit

Spring is continuing to drag its feet even though we are already into April. Today is Easter and although it has been nice, today is overcast with a chance of some sun. That is the way it seems to go when you only have one day off together. The chances of a great day, even if the forecast is for good weather, is very slim. Oh well, to make the best of the day.

We head off for the 8:50 ferry and fortunately the line is not that long. The fare is now $33.00 RT and that isn't even Summer fares. The crossing is cold, breeze but you can see the mountains. Yesterday, I went for a walk to see the brants along the Edmonds waterfront and we spot a few here and there before we arrive in Kingston.

The drive is easy. There isn't a lot of traffic. Either everyone is in church or the cost of gas which is about $4.10/gallon is keeping people off the roads. Our destination is the Dungeness National Wildlife Reserve and a beach walk along the spit. It is 5 miles from the parking lot to the lighthouse which we probably won't do but it will be good to at least get outside.

We sign in. It is a National Wildlife Reserve so the fee is $3.00 unless you have a National Pass which we do in which case you just put your pass number on the form and in the envelope. The trail is nice and wide with several kiosks along the way with information about the forest and beach. The trail descends through the fir forest to the edge of the bluffs and the start of the spit.

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is on the west and a tidal lagoon on the left separated by a wall of driftwood. We spy some herons and ducks in the lagoon and listen to the lapping of the waves.

G wonders if we can see whales and scans the horizon with binoculars. He spots a pod surfacing in the distance. They are orcas and we watch them swim out towards the ocean - too far for a picture but it is cool to see their black and white fins.

The rocky pebbles crackle beneath our feet as we meander along the shore. We see a Caspian Tern patrolling the beach - back and forth. The seagulls are harvesting clams from the lagoon and dropping them on the rocks to break them open. The Olympics ring the horizon to the south still covered with snow. To the north, the beam from the lighthouse blinks on and off and Mt Baker white cap is visible in the distance. The smell of the sea is fresh.

We walk about a mile or a mile and half down the shore until our stomach tell us it is time for lunch. The walk is much faster on the return. We headed to 3 Crabs on the other side of the spit for a couple of sandwiches. Halibut for me and crab for G. Just right.

We head back to Kingston and catch the 4:00 ferry. It still is not that crowded but there is a bit of blue in the sky. Northwesterns can not resist standing on the front edge of the ferry, cold wind blowing, enjoying the tips of the Seattle skyscrapers and Mt. Rainier in the distance.

Leaving Edmonds

View of Dungeness Spit from the trail

Dungeness lighthouse at the end of Spit

Looking for whales and birds

Red Breasted Merganser Duck

This is the best I could do to photo the Caspian Terns

Dungeness Spit - Olympic Range

Another view of the Olympics

Driftwood along the spit

Ferry ride home

I’ve started to try to walk regularly. I have several routes that I do in my neighborhood - typically going west from my house. A couple of weeks ago, I wanted a change so I went east. This leads to the busy state route and the houses are a little more run down but I wanted to explore a park that we are always driving by.

It was an elementary school when we first moved in the neighborhood about 25 years ago. It was closed sometime after that because they had found asbestos in the building. It was one of the low single storied schools built in the 60’s when the dangers of asbestos was not known. It stood abandoned for many years until they got the funding to tear it down and clean the site. A couple of years ago, they dug up the field to build an underground storm drainage system. Let’s just say the park hasn’t appealed to me.

But I got curious lately. It is a huge park, over a block. There are two play fields; one a baseball field and the other had been used for soccer. Off in one corner is a large acre or more stand of forest.

I set off to explore it and ended up loving it. I walk around the perimeter of the fields and through the woods. It is not heavily used but there usually is someone in the park. Many neighbors use it as a dog park. I love to watch the dogs chase balls and get their exercise. Other times, the a little league baseball team is practicing batting and fielding. Young high school lovers are smooching in the forest. I also enjoy standing in the middle and having a view over the neighborhood. It isn’t very scenic – the roof tops of a storage company or a church but I love to see the open sky and horizon.

I also discovered that if I add a couple more blocks on, I can do a little bit of hill climbing. We live towards the high point in the area and our water district has a large water tower at the top. I can actually do about 100ft elevation gain in the short mile and half. Combine that with a weekend walk from the waterfront up to get about 300ft gain and it can start to get me in shape.
By the way – I love the site Mapmywalk. It is perfect for charting my distance, showing me the elevation gain and keeping a calendar of my walks.

Here are a few pictures of the park.

Fallen blossoms of Kwanzan variety of cherries