Turkey trot

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. 

While we were waiting for Nova  to close the store (she does everything there) we browsed at Trails End Bookstore next door. With windows overlooking the river, it must be one of the prettiest bookstores in the world.

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!  

 

Summer Solstice

 

Hot summer weather is expected across much of the country, but as usual, we are the contrarians in the Northwest. In fact, a rare winter storm watch is in effect for parts of Montana, with heavy "summer" snow in Glacier National Park.

Looks like wet in Seattle (yea) and here in the Methow Valley, the Summer Solstice dawns cool, cloudy and dry. It is pleasant laying in bed with the window open, listening to the river and breeze in the cottonwood trees. Last week was very hot here. 

The Summer Solstice occurs 7:42 pm. It's hard to believe (and accept) we now start the long, slow process of declining daylight hours until December rolls around. But as usual I'm getting ahead of myself-- one day at a time.

Speaking of that, I have the day to myself. Amanda and Tom are at work. Nova is busy with life-guarding (she loves it) and horse chores. Maya is in soccer camp, and both girls are in swim team again. What a relief to the community, having the community pool open after the closure last summer.

 A doe just dropped by with her new born Bambi-- sweet sight. 

The turkey families are around, and I hear the hens and poults talking to each other in the grass along the river. They communicate like that even before hatching, so they imprint quickly once out of the egg. Each hen knows her own offspring and vice versa, but they move around in large flocks as mutual guardians. 

They say dinosaur mothers did the same thing. What an image. 

 

North Cascades

 

Amanda, Tom and the girls went backpacking last weekend in the North Cascades. This is their family tradition, celebrating the end of school and Fathers' Day. 

They hiked back to Martin Lakes, about a 15 mile round trip, which is an easy-peasy walk for them. The elevation is almost 7,000 feet, hence the snow in June.

I'm heading over the mountains today. I might take the northern route over the North Cascades Highway, but it just depends on traffic. Getting north of downtown in rush hour traffic can be tough, so it's usually easier to hop on I-90. Not as interesting a drive, but the car knows the way and I have my regular stops so I don't have to think about anything but the road. 

International Panic Day

 

Sorry, but June 18th really is "International Panic Day." And there's plenty of fuel for the panic fire right now.

Anyway, life is too short to waste on worrying about things we can't control. Spend some happy moments with your loved ones instead. Along those lines, I'm heading to Twisp tomorrow for a few nights at the house. 

Interesting weather ahead this weekend in central Washington, with some rain (always welcome) and thunderstorms (in fire season, not so much.) 

 Thought for the day:

“Only 8% of our worry will come to pass. 92% of our worry is wasted. DON'T PANIC”
― Mark Gorman  

 

Try something difficult

 

Bearded iris are hard flowers to draw, like roses. This took a couple of hours and isn't bad, although you're probably thinking it could use some color. 

I like plain pencil drawing, because the tools are so simple and you can do it anywhere. My iris was copied from this how-to-draw-flowers book. 

Maybe that's not as creative as drawing from life, but I find copying engaging, because the concentration quiets down the busy right side of the brain. For a few minutes, at least. Anyway, the hardest part of any drawing is staring at the blank paper and getting started. 

We've passed the halfway mark of June, and not a drop of rain has fallen in Seattle so far this month. We might get a touch of wet over the weekend, which will be welcome. 

An old farmer saying: 

"A good rain in June sets all in tune." 

Make that two, please

 

We heard the super star violin virtuoso, Hillary Hahn, play the Beethoven Violin Concerto yesterday. It was an amazing performance, especially from our excellent 4th row seats. The packed Benaroya Hall audience went crazy, and then she played two encores! 

Including this haunting Bach Partita: 

 

Anyway, in decades of going to the Symphony, we've never heard more than one encore, and even those are getting few and far between. What a treat. 

The second half was Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. His ballet music is good (at the ballet) but I'm not a huge fan of Mr. Prokofiev's big orchestral works. The loud crashing music sounds like the end of the world has arrived. Well, the Russians didn't have much to be happy about when he wrote it in 1944.

Other than the concert, it was just a weekend of cooking and eating at home. 

Homemade corned beef hash and Amanda's wonderful eggs on Saturday...

Strawberry crepes on Sunday...

A big vegetarian pizza on Saturday, then beef stew from the freezer when we finally got home from the Symphony. 

Downtown was jammed with cars and crowds of people, having fun in the blinding June light. The Solstice is just around the corner, and sunset after 9 pm in Seattle.