On the town

 

Maya is almost old enough to ride her bike down the hill to our house alone. I said maybe next year. 

Having grown up here, Twisp really is these girl's oyster. During the Saturday market, Nova and her friend walked around and went to the bakery and thrift shop by themselves. That was a first and pretty exciting for the young ladies. You can't imagine 12-year olds doing that in Seattle. Twisp is a small town and everyone knows everyone, which of course has it's advantages and disadvantages.

As the seasons change, so does the wildlife. I watched a pair of Belted Kingfishers fighting over the river, one of the noisiest birds in existence, putting the jays to shame. They are solitary hunters and compete over fishing territory. 

Mergansers float by on the river, a lovely waterfowl with bright red crested heads. The turkeys are always hanging around, practically domestic. They look at us, like what are you doing in OUR yard? They sit on the neighbor's picnic table preening in the morning sun. I think of Thanksgiving dinner, but probably nothing like a Butterball.

What else? Haven't had many deer lately. They ate my trees and left. It will be interesting to see if more hang out in town during hunting season. 

The week flew by, back to Seattle tomorrow. This will be a different view in a couple of weeks, with the river cottonwoods turning yellow and losing their leaves. By the end of the month, the nighttime temperatures down in the 30's. We'll turn off the irrigation for the season and wrap up our winterizing chores.  Snow in October is not unusual in the valley.