The endless summer, cont.

 

Seattle hit 88 yesterday, another weather record smashed. Although there was something discombobulating about such a hot day with the sun staying (relatively) low in the autumn sky. 

A nasty cover of wildfire smoke kept the temperature down on Saturday. Until we finally get some rain, the fires continue to burn and smoke drifts from one side of the state to the other. 

The air pollution level was high this weekend so we stayed mostly inside with both air purifiers running. Listened to the endless Mariners baseball game on the radio which dragged into the evening with 18 innings. I felt for the 45,000 fans sitting out in the stadium for 7+ hours. After all that? Yup. They lost. 

On the bright side, we still have tomatoes. I pruned the roses lightly for winter and cut these red beauties along with the last white dahlias.

There isn't much fall color in the neighborhood. I think it's just too hot and the plants are parched. Most of the leaves on our pretty Japanese maple turned brown and fell on the ground. Friday is the next chance for rain, and only 60% at that. But it will come, and before long I'll be complaining about the endless rain. 

My drive back to Seattle was fairly easy and oh, what a difference with our bridge open again. I have to pinch myself. Headed over to Twisp, we were already 40 miles down the road in the time it once took to navigate the detour out to the freeway.   

On Friday headed west, the hoards were mostly traveling eastbound on the passes so that was good. I stopped as usual at the Lone Pine Store along the Columbia River, where we often pick up an apple, cherry or blueberry pie. 

This time I scored a pecan. Not even a holiday, so a pretty decadent choice. An exceptional pecan pie is rare-- not overly sweet and with just the right gooey-ness. We had little slices for dessert all week. Pecan is the King of Pies when it comes to calories, but worth it now and then for a really good one. 

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen

 

 

Yesterday felt like a summer afternoon and I sat by the river one last time watching the ducks. It was heavenly. Then I carried the chairs up the garage for the winter, along with the other outdoor furniture. A big fall housecleaning inside, and everything is ship-shape for winter. We'll be back in November and December, but all too soon the weather will have a say on when, and for how long. 

Nothing much to take back to Seattle this morning except laundry and recycling. Looks like nice driving conditions, but I expect lots of company on the roads. Seattle is warm and smoky, as this strange weather goes on and on. A big weekend for sports, with the Mariners (maybe) overlapping with the Seahawks at the downtown stadiums.

The days fly by

 

That's Nova, tacking up "Buttons" for her lesson yesterday afternoon.  Methow Riding Unlimited is a non-profit academy just across the road from the Methow Valley Elementary and High School. It's a great location because the kids can walk over. Annie B, the beloved and highly respected director, has taught therapeutic riding in the Valley for 30 years. No one knows horses (and kids) better than Annie.

 

This is a small outdoor facility, so when the snow arrives the horses get a well-deserved rest. Then the winter activities begin. Not surprisingly, there's an especially good Nordic skiing program coached by several former Olympians. 

The quality of adult coaching, teaching and mentoring is amazing. Isolated from the realities of urban life, life in the Valley for these kids is a bubble, frankly. They have incredible opportunities to participate in sports, drama and the arts that don't exist anywhere else.

Yesterday morning my friend Karen and I hiked to the top of Amanda and Tom's property. It's just a few miles outside of Twisp, but feels like wilderness land. We saw many deer and birds on our slow walk uphill-- the road is steep.

It was yet another perfect fall day ho-hum this is getting old (not!) then in the afternoon I drove Nova to Winthrop for her lesson and met up with Amanda and Tom at the elementary school for an open house with Maya. A huge community turn out for that.

We were back in Twisp before dark (I don't night drive here) everyone hungry and tired but just a typical work and school day. The time goes fast, even days when I don't have much planned. Back to Seattle tomorrow, so I'll get the house cleaned and ready for November. Bring the summer chairs up from the river, and a last bike ride around town before winter. 

Wordless Wednesday

 

October 12th "Old Farmers Day."

Dark

 

I finally saw some deer this morning. Of course, they're still around. Life is good in Twisp city limits, especially during hunting season with the remains of people's gardens to polish off.

12 pairs of eyes lit up like fluorescent bulbs in my flashlight. They come through the yard at the usual times, it's just too dark now to see them. Deer have incredibly good low-light vision. They can see in the ultra-violet spectrum, invisible to human eyes. How do you begin to imagine colors that can't been seen?

 

 

Speaking of light, after 6 am now and barely a glow in the east. For a number of depressing reasons, aging human eyes see poorly in low light, making the dark time, well...even darker. They say we should just embrace the seasonal dark, a time to go within physically and spiritually. Easier said than done, especially this far north. Just my opinion, but the healthiest routine is 12 hours light, 12 hours dark. Life near the Equator. 

Anyway, a quiet day ahead here. The nice weather continues.

 

In perspective

 

The Methow River in Twisp is flowing at 273 cfs (cubic feet per second) today. To put that in perspective, during a typical Spring run-off, 12,000-14,000 cfs is a normal high. It makes you appreciate what a volume of water the channel can handle. Then again, that might just be wishful thinking with a house on the edge of a 100 year floodplain.

273 cfs is below average flow for this time of year. The mountain snow pack is long gone and we haven't had measurable rain this month, all across the state. The temperature is 10-15 degrees above seasonal normal and the house furnace has yet to switch on.

Amanda and Tom were married 13 years ago today on a chilly afternoon in Twisp City Park, and that evening the temperature dropped into the teens. 

Happy Anniversary!

 John is headed back to Seattle, I'm staying on to enjoy a few more days of this exceptional weather.