Some sections of the rugged trail involve navigating around impassible cliffs, with ropes and makeshift ladders to help with ascents and descents. Very challenging, on your hands and knees in places while carrying a fully loaded backpack.
They've been backpacking on the Washington coast since the girls were quite young.
How much stuff can you hang on those ancient Seattle City Light poles? Yet they're stringing even more heavy cable lines to support the dense (and getting denser) population in West Seattle. No wonder we have so many power outages these days.
I told John, it's starting to look like Bonneville Dam from my seat at the kitchen table. Such is progress.
Anyway, coming home from Safeway yesterday with $120 of groceries (granted, 4 bags) I had to park in the next block and schlepp past a worker who was just standing there, as they seem to do most of the time. Much "pondering" goes with these high paid jobs.
"Guess I picked the wrong day to go shopping," sez I. "Sorry about that" was the reply and he went back to his coffee. Life in the big city.
The local valley newspaper ran a color photo spread this week covering the 4th of July activities, and what a good time it was in town. That's Nova (on the left) with three of her friends at TwispWorks after the parade.
Speaking of the family, they are currently backpacking a 16-mile stretch of wilderness on the Washington coast. The logistics of such a trip coming from all the way from the Methow Valley are complicated (not to mention carrying five days of food for a hungry family.)
Today they park their car at Ozette Ranger Station, then the trailhead shuttle service transports them and their gear around the peninsula to Shi Shi Beach, where they begin the hike.
An almost unworldly beauty exists on the wild and remote Pacific coast, and it can only be reached on foot. Over the years, they have done several different routes along the coast. Of course, no cell phone service, so we always look forward to the camping pictures when they return to civilization.
Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park
Amanda sent this picture from Twisp yesterday of a smoke plume far off in the distance. There are several fires burning in the North Cascades right now. The weather in Central Washington has been hot, dry and windy, putting everyone's nerves on edge.
It's still nice and cool in Seattle this morning, but we have a heat advisory for tomorrow and Wednesday. Ninety degrees is uncomfortable here, with the general lack of air conditioning and the simple fact we are not used to it.
I mostly spent the weekend recovering from the Shingrix vaccine I got on Friday, being one of those unlucky people who get that "strong immune response." This included fever in the middle of the night and random jabbing pains all over my body. I've also had that scary and harsh reaction from the flu and Covid shots. Fortunately it doesn’t last long.
By Saturday afternoon, I was just plain old tired. Apparently the reaction to the second Shingrix shot tends to be much worse. Now there's something to look forward to in a few months.
By Sunday I had enough energy back to make a fresh peach pie. No photo this time. Just type "pie" into the search box and see how many pie pictures a person can post over 15 years.
This is a big weekend in West Seattle, with the annual street fair going on at The Junction. As the population here has swelled, the annual event evolved from a simple merchant's sidewalk sale in the 1980's (which I loved) to a bigger event called Westfest, and now the hugely popular Summerfest.
It's pretty much like any other street fair across the city, with bad food (sorry) and all the same vendors. Crowds are not John's thing, but I always walk down there to have a look around. The street in front of our house was already parked up last night.
This is followed by the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 19th. I found out yesterday that our Thursday ukulele group was invited to participate on short notice, but we still need to find a flatbed truck or float to haul us safely down California Avenue while we're strumming away. Stay tuned on that.
The brief period of cloudiness has passed, and the next week stretches ahead sunny and hot. Amanda, Tom and the girls are going backpacking on the Olympic Coast and should have excellent weather.
See you Monday.
July 10th is "Teddy Bear's Picnic Day."
Bing Crosby recorded this version the year I was born, but the song goes way back. The melody was composed by John Walter Bratton in 1907, and the lyrics added in 1932 by songwriter Jimmy Kennedy.
The yard is dry as dust and Seattle could really, really use some moisture. But we're in a typical rain shadow pattern today and all we get is grey clouds overhead with rain all around us. The Olympic Mountains sometimes block the rain coming in from the Pacific Coast.
At least it's cool and comfortable to putter outside this afternoon. I need to deadhead flowers as the garden transitions into the final round of summer. Why does it always go so fast?
Not much else is new except I have two big red mosquito bites on my face! The annoying thing is it happened in our bedroom here, not Twisp, which wasn't buggy at all this past weekend. We had a nice dinner party on the deck without getting pestered, but by August, the aggressive yellow jackets make it impossible to eat outside.
Having been stung a few times, it is the one creature I cannot stand.
Nova is also a life guard and swim instructor at the Twisp pool this summer. Maya just had her first babysitting gig. Which pays quite well these days and little kids naturally love her! Anyway, we are incredibly proud of these lovely girls.
It's amazing how butterflies zero in on a little patch of their favorite food. They are so intent on the flowers, you can take spectacular up-close photos.
I got caught up in the 4th of July parade and didn't take many pictures. The parade started with a mounted color guard on stunning Western horses, followed by lots of small town sweetness, blessedly free of blaring politics. It was also longer than parades in the past. The parade has become a highlight of the summer, with crowds of people enjoying the ArtsFest at Twisp Works.
But we walked home after the parade to rest and get ready for the evening party. There were 9 of us--Amanda, Tom and the girls, my brother Dave and friends Bruce and Karen, who are becoming part of the family. It was a perfect evening to eat bratwurst on the deck with baked beans, salads, and watermelon finished off with a blueberry pie John picked up at Lone Pine.
We went to the Twisp Saturday Market this morning and just taking it easy on this hot afternoon.
The house was a toasty 88 degrees when I arrived, but the air conditioner has been doing its magic all afternoon and it already feels comfortable at 80. Heat is relative.
I was tired when I left Seattle, but got my second wind on the road. Traffic was still pretty light. Tomorrow is the big holiday rush, but John and Dave should get an early start and be here by early afternoon.
The daisies made it all the way from Seattle. We're planning a big party here on the 4th.
They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream.
Ernest Dowson, "The Days of Wine and Roses"
A lovely poem. And in Seattle, the summer evenings when you can comfortably sit outside are not long. The yard is teeming with busy insects, but very few of the annoying varieties here, like mosquitoes and wasps.
Can you even imagine, wide open windows without screens in most parts of the country?
The olive tree is blooming and humming with honey bees visiting from the hives across the street.
The little stick from the West Seattle Nursery grew into a beautiful tree that has survived many harsh winters and even a vicious ice storm that bent it to the ground.
People always ask me if we "get olives." The answer is yes, thousands of them, about the size of BB's. Our Northwest summers are too cool for fruit to mature.
I read an article once in the local paper about a persistent gardener who managed to get an olive crop in Seattle. Of course, olives are bitter as gall right off the tree, and have to soaked, cured in brine, etc. etc. so the work is just getting started. I'll stick to Trader Joes and Costco, where I can buy a gallon of them for under $10.
Other than a touch of welcome rain, June was amazing. Nothing across the country can match a beautiful June in Seattle.
We're exactly halfway through the year and never mind those depressing New Year's resolutions that didn't last until February. Imagine some simple wins that will make you feel good about yourself, come dark December.
Today is Social Media Day. Since I already spend (waste?) so many hours blogging, I don't miss Facebook. But this weekend I set up an Instagram account out of curiosity and to follow our Twisp neighbor, who has a watercolor studio at TwispWorks called Arrowleaf.
Yesterday Nova gave me a crash course on navigating the complexities. What a surprise, Instagram already knows so much about me, showing videos of kitchen tips, and pictures of charming country cottages that just break your heart with envy.
Since Nova has an account, it immediately linked to her best friends, as well as dozens of people who "sound familiar" but I can't place for the life of me.
Is that the first sign of senility, or a typical social media experience? Maybe both. Anyway, talk about Pandora's Box. No wonder people get hooked.
We have a busy and fun week coming up, with a trip to Twisp for the holiday.
It rained for about an hour yesterday afternoon, wetting down the parched yard. Not enough for the deep watering the plants need, but the sound and smell was sure lovely. June has been quite dry.
Amanda, Tom and the girls will be in Seattle this weekend for Amanda's 30th high school reunion. (Imagine that.)
They have a packed agenda, but we look forward to having them for Sunday breakfast before they head back to the valley.
Have a good weekend.
Sorry all you sweltering people across the country. I went to Safeway this morning without a jacket and it was COLD. Tomorrow might be a record low high in Seattle, topping out at about 65 degrees.
No worries, warm and sunny weather will be back in time for the weekend.
John is cutting up a 5-pound bag of Walla Walla Sweet onions I bought at Lone Pine. They take hours to cook down to make a base for French Onion soup on this chilly day. The house smells great (if you like onions.)
That's about all the news fit to print.
Being a sucker for blue glass, I bought this antique looking hummingbird feeder at the feed store in Twisp. Amanda was in there selling her extra eggs and I tagged along.
Of course, hummingbirds are most attracted to red (ugly plastic feeders abound) but blue supposedly works too, once they figure out there are goodies inside. I hung it in the olive tree-- we shall see.
Moving a little slow this morning after the long drive yesterday-- a day of housecleaning, laundry and garden catch up.
We've had untypical weather in central Washington this past weekend, with cloudy skies and cool temperatures.
A break from the summer heat is appreciated, but unfortunately the heavy cloud cover brought hardly a drop of rain to the parched valley. Twisp is notorious for being in a rain shadow. You can see it coming down all around but it often misses us.
On Friday morning I walked up Mill Hill trail above town, but the cold, dry wind tuned me around before I got to the top. That showy flower grows out of dry gravel along the road. It is aptly called "Giant Blazing Star."
I've enjoyed watching the turkey flock come through, a group of several hens herding dozens of poults running hither and thither. It looks chaotic but somehow they keep the gang safely together.
The doe brings her frolicking fawn to the yard every morning about the time the sprinklers go on. Aw.
Amanda and I picked Nova up from work yesterday (in a few weeks she will be driving herself) at the nice clothing shop (above) where she works in Winthrop most weekends. She lifeguards weekdays at the pool in Twisp. So capable and mature for her age, we are really proud.
This morning I'll close up the house and head back to Seattle. We'll be back for the big 4th of July weekend.
My neighbors just invited me over for homemade sourdough waffles on the way out of town. Can't turn down a kind invitation like that!
