Parting shots

 

I always snap a picture of the house for luck before locking the door-- my little superstition. 

It was hard to leave on such a perfect morning, but a nice drive down the valleys to Wenatchee. The Columbia River (actually Lake Entiat) making a perfect mirror reflection of the desert bluffs. 

There was a fair amount of traffic, with big RV's suddenly back on the roads. Everyone is in a rush but I stayed to the right as usual minding my own business. 

Snoqualmie Pass is treacherous in April because they haven't repainted the lane lines yet. I guess the snowplows scrape them off in the winter. Anyway, you know what to expect after all these years.

It was a full on Seattle feel when I got back-- cloudy and chilly after dry and sunny central Washington. 

Look at all that pollen! Everything is kind of a mess outside--

 Might as well enjoy the bluebells. I've thrown in the towel on that. 

Smell of spring

 

The river has a wonderful fresh scent right now from the melting snow. It's clean, earthy, sharp and really hard to describe. All winter, the snowflakes form around tiny specks of dust, minerals, or pollen, and as they melt, the water releases this metallic scent.

The Methow River usually reaches peak flow in May or June. There is still plenty of snow to melt in the high North Cascades, but unless we get sudden heavy rain (unlikely) it's shaping up to be a typical run off year.

Last visit, we were overrun with turkeys, but this time I haven't seen a single one. They are hidden away right now, brooding their eggs. Before long, they bring out the parade of pouts. They're fun to watch, although turkeys have worn out their welcome in town.

 

But the young deer are in the yard, learning how to reach the new foliage. Each time this one got a tasty bite, she did a happy little frolic. The energy of youth...

 

Speaking of which. Maya had the chicks and ducks out in the sunshine for play time yesterday.

The ducklings will soon outgrow their box in the garage, and Tom was working like crazy getting the outdoor house ready for them.

As spring bursts into life on the farm, each day brings new discoveries. 

 

Fresh and bright

The Carlton farm is truly smack up against the wilderness. Just a short walk off the property takes you into the 2500 acre Golden Doe Wildlife Area, with a beautiful riparian loop trail. And just beyond that to the northwest, the vast expanse of Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest, encompassing 3.8 million acres along the east slopes of the Cascade Range. 

Amanda and I had Golden Doe all to ourselves this morning, and what a morning-- the sun quite warm although the wind still had a chill. 

 Back down in the orchard, a blooming paradise. Just one perfect tree of hundreds...

Will every blossom become a piece of fruit? 

The thought of that much abundance boggles the mind. 

So much to learn and discover this first year with many surprises (good and bad) along the way for the new homeowners. They are loving it, but think "money pit."

The big weekend project will be getting the complicated irrigation systems up and running for the summer-- the dry season is already here. 

Sip and Paint

 

 

It poured rain yesterday, always a drag on the freeway, but traffic was light and I left early. The worst traffic and drivers are just getting out of Seattle. 

The trip was uneventful and a sugary peach smoothie (spring tradition) at Lone Pine fueled me up for the last 60 mile leg to Twisp. 

No painting there, but last night I went to a watercolor class. Art books and YouTube can only take you so far-- there's nothing like live demonstration, especially for a dynamic medium like watercolor. 

Our next door neighbor, Bethany Wray, is a well-known  artist in the Valley. She sells her art at the Twisp Saturday Market, on Instagram, and at Arrowleaf Studio at Twisp Works. 

She also teaches popular watercolor classes in the community and I registered for "Sip and Paint" at Ryzo Wines in Twisp.  

Bethany taught art at the elementary school for years, so she knows how to break a project down into steps with easy-to-follow instructions. And keep people's attention. A group of talking women friends with wine is like trying to wrangle a third grade class! 

I learned how watercolor is a process like anything else, it gets better with practice, but some basic tips really help. There were quite a few aha moments for me. 

And look at that. A good teacher is always defined by the results! 

 And mine-- not bad for a first attempt.

 

We were all copying Bethany's print (above) of a wildflower meadow. 

Speaking of flowers, the Arrowleaf Balsamroot are just starting to bloom, everyone's favorite time of year. They grow in great abundance here, turning the hills golden for a few weeks. 

Unawares

John mowed yesterday and how nice it looked.  Not exactly all downhill from here, but this is the prettiest time for the yard, everything so lush and green. Soon the grass starts to turn brown...

Anyway, that first real warm day always seems to catch us unawares, when the temperature outside suddenly gets higher than inside the house. We keep the furnace set at 68 degrees, and the thermostat hit 70 yesterday. My, how nice to open a few windows for the first time. Fresh air. 

 

And that day called for a steak on the grill. We shared it, then I generously let John gnaw the bone. Ha.

I have a tricky grill master job when we share, as I like steak on the rare side and John more well done. "Pink not red" he always says, which they hate to hear in steak restaurants. (Red and grey are easy, pink is hard.) Anyway, most of the time I manage to please us both, and if not, marriage is about compromise.

Before we get too complacent, rain and cool weather return tomorrow, just in time to drive to Twisp. At least it won't be snowing. This is a solo trip, and I have some fun things planned. More on that later. 

 

 

Something different

 

 

The famous "Wedding March" from Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is instantly recognizable, and the Overture is a wonderful old chestnut in the classical repertoir. 

He wrote that Overture at the tender age of 17, then many years later composed incidental music for a stage production of Shakespeare's favorite comedy. I expected "just the music" yesterday, but we had the full show on stage with actors narrating and the Symphony Chorale in the background. It lasted over an hour and and very entertaining from the 4th row. 

More ducks and daffodils? OK. 

 Their first introduction to water yesterday, and well, they took to it like-- ducks! 

The pear trees just coming into full bloom. A magic time, with the full promise of Spring.