Devouring life, one bite at a time
My dad found this interesting lichen specimen when we stopped at the visitor center before hiking the mysterious Hoh Rainforest. Thought I’d share. There are few words for such an extraordinary place, but there are lots of pictures! Enjoy.
After leaving Hurricane Ridge, we continued west on our drive around Olympic National Park until we reached our next stop at Lake Crescent. A hike nearby gave us a preview of the rainforest ecosystem we’d be seeing when we went on to Hoh Rainforest, and …
Autumn is behind in California but just beginning in Washington.
It’s the evergreen state, for sure, but dramatic splashes of color are showing up. Along with the mighty Mount Rainier, which I’m seeing out my window for the first time.
Outside Olympic National Park, the trees are ablaze.
After cruising along the Columbia River Gorge and heading into Washington state on our way to my aunt and uncle’s house, a mysterious mountain loomed ahead. Actually, we had to exit and drive a ways first, but then we saw it … Mount Saint Helens, …
Before we left our brief introductory visit to Portland, there was something I had to do. See Bob’s Red Mill. Aka a baking pilgrimage of sorts. A paradise of organic bulked goods and health food products for bakers and gluten intolerants. My one bit …
For me, that was a red tide. This algae bloom was the first I’d seen, and you can see for yourself how it gets its name.
And fishing just a week before showed no trace of it. Even a mass as infinite as the ocean can change quickly.
The algae blooms are part of the season and provide food for lots of species- just harmful to us if we eat shellfish from the water during a red tide.
Bat in the cave! No, that’s not code for a booger in your nose, that’s a video of an actual, live, wild bat who let himself in when I was housesitting. I tried to capture him on video without screaming, but that was a challenge …
After a day at Tahoe without much hiking, the next two days needed maximum mountain use. My dad and I went on a beautiful hike up to Dardanelles Lake. I scrambled down some rocks to the water so I could get my feet wet. With …
The irony was that the little guy was a far more enthusiastic swimmer than the retriever.
At Tallac Historic Site, we got to walk on trails by the lake and get a little culture at the same time. This once upon a time resort had a museum and restored cabins capturing the essence from its heyday at the turn of the century.
Here’s an old icebox from the kitchen. I love old kitchens.
And old laundry rooms. It makes my visits to the laundromat not seem so bad.
I took the opportunity to snuggle up with Smokey the Bear. We were next to the big fireplace in the lobby, but he didn’t seem to mind.
The grounds were full of beautiful gardens to explore.
This is where I would sleep if I lived here- the nanny’s bedroom!
A few months ago, Inside Sonoma published this article on rare local foods. Sonoma County has four of the 200 regional foods recognized on the Slow Food Movement’s “Ark of Taste” list of foods under threat. Photo by Ariane, Inside Sonoma Our specialties include: dry …