The east sides

 

How did we miss the Bellevue Botanical Garden all these years? In my working life, I commuted across Lake Washington daily, but now it's a big deal getting us out of West Seattle. Well, times have changed. 

Anyway, we decided to finally check out this garden on Sunday, the morning after the 4th, always a great time to avoid traffic and crowds.

 

 

 

The 53 acre site is a real treasure, including one of the largest public perennial gardens and a bird filled, forested natural ravine with a suspension bridge. 

 

The grounds were teeming with lovely insects. I want a bug snug. Given half a chance, nature is adaptable, being just a stones throw from the freeway, skyscrapers in downtown Bellevue, and some of the most coveted real estate in the country. Way to go, Bellevue. 

After a mostly sleepless night for me on the 4th, the early morning solitude and quiet in that garden was bliss. 

Like most sensible cities, it is illegal to set off fireworks in Seattle, but there's no enforcement so no one pays the slightest attention. I feel for people with pets and small children, not to mention, some of our veterans. Anyway, that's over for another year and I hope to be in Twisp in 2027. 

 

Speaking of east sides, I have bad fire news. To put this Watch Duty map in perspective, that is the exact location along the Columbia River of Lone Pine Fruit and Espresso! 

Zooming in, it appears the fire hasn't crossed Highway 97, so our beloved stop on the river side should be OK, at least for now. But those burned out hills will make a very different view the next time we drive over. 

This fire is 0% contained, moving toward the northeast. Homes and other structures have already been lost. Horrible thought, but all this destruction may have been started by fireworks. 

Postcards from the Italian Alps

 

Amanda said "like hiking through a fairy tale." Wildflowers, meadows, cows and ancient farms with the Alps shining above. Their Tour du Mont Blanc trek ends today in the wealthy Italian resort town of Courmayeur. 

Last night, sharing a room with 20 people at a hut-- tonight private rooms with bathrooms. Luxury! Everyone is tired and hungry but well. They have a flight to Brindisi tomorrow night, then off to new Italian adventures next week. 

All we can say is, what a trip.  

On to Italy

 

The Val Ferret is a famous segment on the Tour du Mont Blanc, the legendary hiking trail connecting France, Switzerland and Italy. 

Sitting directly beneath Mont Blanc, the valley has unobstructed views of the south glaciers. 

 

 

And this is where our eight trekkers find themselves tonight. They will have plenty of company. In the summer the area is bustling with mountain bikers, climbers, hikers and golfers. And plain old tourists. In the winter, this is a mecca for winter sports. 

 

They are probably staying someplace like this. 

 

We've enjoyed following along on the adventure (thanks, Amanda, for the morning photo drops.) It sure brightened up a long and cold week in Seattle.

Well. The sun finally burst out of the clouds last night about 9, just as it was setting. What a spectacular sight. 

Hoping for some warmer weather this weekend. Enjoy the holiday. 

Red. White. Blue.

I still love this flawed and beautiful country, but the 4th of July holiday leaves me flat. Above is my single patriotic contribution, and prettier than a flag. 

The 4th is more fun in Twisp with a small town parade (cowboys on beautiful horses!) then the Methow Arts Fest in the afternoon and a barbecue potluck at the house. Well, hopefully next year.

The world seems to be divided right now between those who follow soccer and those who don't. Ashamed to say, we are in the second category. 

The big news buzz this morning is the US team returning to Seattle Stadium on Monday to play Belgium. Good for them. The cheapest tickets are about $2000. Pioneer Square and the waterfront will be mobbed, with locals giving the area a wide berth. 

Basketball and football are made for TV, but I can't follow that little white ball on a screen.  

From AI: 

"The continuous, low-scoring nature of the sport and the wide camera angles on TV can make it feel incredibly disconnected and monotonous."

Right on that. 

On the trail

 

Finally a cool down in Switzerland, with some refreshing morning rain. Amanda said they slept well in the "crush of humanity" at the hut last night. Exhaustion helps. 

Howdy, fine fellow. The Swiss cows must be used to legions of hikers tramping along the trails. The sound of their clanking bells is omnipresent, day and night. That big bell with the deep pitch means he is the alpha (no argument there) and the others can follow the sound in the fog. 

Speaking of heat, it's so cold our furnace is running. This comes courtesy of Alaska, with a low pressure system pulling damp cold air down our way. July 1st? Sometimes it is downright weird living up here in the left hand corner.

Too bad we can't sell the country some of this natural air conditioning.  

 

Yesterday's mashed potatoes

 

Life is pretty dull in Seattle right now (compared to trekking in the Alps) and it doesn't help that we've been under a cold blanket of grey clouds all week. 

While rest of the country is sweltering, we're the contrarians as usual. Seattle might finally get back to a toasty 70 degrees in time for the 4th of July. Food has been on the heavy side, to match the weather. 

Who eats corned beef in June? Well, there was one languishing in the freezer, along with a container of mashed potatoes, so I mixed up batch of potato pancakes to go with. They soak up the butter and olive oil like a sponge. 

Last night I made homemade fried chips to go with the tortilla soup. Good grief. You would think it was February.

The girls would hate this picture so good thing they don't read the blog. The trekkers have now crossed the Switzerland border. Amanda said it is still very hot, just like when we were there a few weeks ago. 

Temperatures in the Alps are rising at twice the global average, melting glaciers and changing the ecosystem before your eyes. It will be a different place if Nova and Maya ever bring their children here. 

The families are staying tonight at a Refugio near a tiny town without even a general store. Amanda said the kids have an amazing yurt to themselves, but the adults have "mattresses on the floor in a massive communal situation." Her words. 

 

 

Now that's my idea of a restful night after a long day of hiking!

They have excellent cellular service (Europe is ahead of us in many ways) so we look forward to the pictures and messages she sends every morning. 

There is WiFi at the Refugios, although tonight is an exception, so the kids are bummed. They are roughing it because the parents didn't get them expensive international plans for their phones. 

Very cute, unless you're a teenager stuck in an isolated yurt on a mountain. Well, memories are made of this. 

 

Postcards from the French Alps

 

It looks incredibly beautiful (and civilized.)

Au revoir sizzling Paris

And hello, hot Alps. We are enjoying their trip second hand through Amanda’s photos. Family and friends above waiting to board the high speed train in Paris, headed to Chamonix (near Mt. Blanc) via Geneva. 

Arriving after a long day of travel, with the final hours standing room only on the smaller trains.  

A pretty French town, but still unseasonably hot-- the loaded kids making their way to the hostel. 
 

The week long "hut-to-hut" trek started today. Although hut is a misnomer, because these are like rustic hotels or hostels (called Refuges) with communal meals and sleeping areas. 
 

Enjoying the view at Refuge de La Flegre, where they stay tonight. I’d just take that gondola up haha. 

If you are interested in details, here's the itinerary: 

Monday: Le Tours

Tuesday: Trient

Wednesday: Champex-Lac

Thursday: La Fouly

Friday: Val Ferret

Saturday: Bonatti Hut

The distance and terrain between these stops varies, but I think most are about 10 miles a day.  

After that, an Italian adventure begins. They collect their luggage that was (hopefully) transported to Bonatti, and find a way down to Turin for a flight to Brindisi. Then several days relaxing in southern Italy (with a rental car?) and finally a stay in Rome before returning home. The fun is just getting started.

The heat goes on

The Paris heat wave is finally easing today, with rain and thunderstorms moving across France. Tonight the families are taking a Seine and Eiffel Tower tour (from the ground) then off to Mt. Blanc by train in the morning, where a different adventure begins.

 

Here on the other side of the world, we woke up to a drizzly, cool morning. After that little taste of summer, we won't get back to 70 degrees until next weekend. There is an old saying in Seattle that “summer doesn’t start until the 5th of July." 

Nothing exciting for us, just a quiet weekend at home.  Have a good one. 

Bragging rights

 

We have geraniums in pots every summer, but this year they are really exceptional. It's been so warm and dry, but now a big change with rain in the forecast (welcome) and in the 60's for the next week or so. 

This cool weather will make the locals happy again. When it gets a few degrees above 80 we have those "severe heat warnings" on the news. 

Speaking of severe heat, this a tough week to be in Paris. Some of the major tourist attractions abruptly closed today (Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc.) which is disappointing because reservations were made months in advance. 

But the families are staying in a small hotel in the heart of Montmartre, which has great street ambience. For teenagers, enough just to be in Paris, isn't it? And the girls look like they fit right in.

 

 

Off to the (hopefully) cooler Alps on Saturday. 

 

The quality of air

 

 

It is such a pleasure to hold and read a beautifully bound book. Especially while breathing in the scent of lavender. John found me this classic illustrated copy of "The Magic Mountain" by Thomas Mann on Ebay. 

Published in 1924, the setting is a sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland, and the story of a young engineer who comes for 3 weeks and stays for 7 years on the "magic mountain." 

Switzerland was famous for tuberculosis sanatoriums in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Before antibiotics, fresh air and rest were the primary cure, if you could afford it. Alpine air was considered medicine.  

These historic sanatoriums have mostly been converted to luxury hotels, but you can still go to Switzerland and take expensive cures for modern aliments. 

When we were in Switzerland, I thought about "The Magic Mountain." It was unusually hot, and after a long day of train and bus travel, we finally arrived at Hotel Reine Victoria in St. Moritz. There was no air conditioning, but I opened the waist high, screen free windows letting in birdsong and the coolest, cleanest, sweetest, high altitude air. (Such are the small memories you retain from a jam-packed trip.)

OK. Speaking of trips and hot weather. Amanda, Tom and the girls flew out last night should be arriving about now in sizzling Paris. Over one hundred degrees in France today? Unbelievable. 

Here are the travelers yesterday morning in Carlton, just starting out on their epic long journey.  

16 hours

 

 

Happy summer solstice. We have sixteen hours of daylight in the Northwest and true darkness lasts for only about 4 hours. The birds wake up with me about 3:45. 

We heard good old Beethoven's 9th at the Symphony yesterday for the season finale. Seattle audiences love Beethoven! Not to mention, big choral music productions. 

Frankly, the 60+ minute work is kind of a slog (apologies to a musical masterpiece of Western civilization) until the final "Ode to Joy" catchy movement. Then chorus finally gets to stand up. And then the audience goes crazy with a standing O. 

A lighter take from Mr. Bean:

 

 

 

Big!

 

Everything looks so big this year. The hydranges are enormous and lilies and roses over my head-- is it my imagination, or maybe I'm just shrinking. At this rate, I'll soon be an old crone pottering around under the vegetation. 

The busy gardener's mind cannot help but jump ahead to when all this rampant annual growth must be cut back and hauled from the yard. It makes a person tired just thinking about it (so don't.) 

Anyway, it feels good to be back after an easy drive home. The trick is to leave as early as possible this time of year. Most of the traffic was headed the other direction. 

Back to normal routines after much travel. We have a symphony on Sunday-- the last of this season. 

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads in our family. 

 

Twisp Ponds

 

The Twisp Ponds is an excellent place for a quiet nature walk close to town. It was established in 2002 when the Methow Salmon Recovery Foundation purchased the 37-acre property to prevent development and restore salmon. 

My friend Karen's husband, Bruce Morrison, is a local sculptor who created some of the art installations (above) along the trail. 

 

Anyway, we had the place to ourselves on a hot morning, and found a comfortable log to sit and yak by the river. Life is good. 

Today is Amanda's bittersweet last day at Family Health Center, where she began her nursing career over 10 years ago, working her way up from Medical Assistant to Registered Nurse to Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. 

When they return from Europe, she starts a new position with Confluence Health, a larger organization based in Wenatchee offering much more in the way of benefits and professional support. A big step up and a new phase of her career begins. Congratulations!

I've been invited to a party tonight with her friends and coworkers. Fun. Tomorrow, back to big city life.