Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
In May I posted a photo of the barn that once occupied the land in this photo. When I took this shot recently all that was left was the silo. The land is being repurposed for modular housing.
Here’s a shot that I took of it in 2014.
If there’s anything I’ve been doing a lot during home quarantine it’s cooking. Some days I’m more enthusiastic than others. But sometimes I miss things, often ethnic cooking, that I know I can’t cook as well as well as someone with skills and seasonings I don’t have.
The other day we got takeout from Sergio’s, a local Mexican restaurant. A chili rellano and enchilada verde with all the trimmings, including homemade chips and salsa. Enough food for two heavenly meals for this cook.
These signs have continued to show up around town. I posted one in another location last April here. I called it a virtual hug then. It still feels that way.
Summer is the best time to see the American Goldfinch here. It’s always amazing to see them perched in a thin weed stalk no thicker than a pencil lead as they peck for a meal of seeds. This is a male in his bright yellow, showy plumage.
I was close enough yesterday that I heard a “crunch.” When I investigated I discovered that one of my favorite trees at the Dungeness Recreation Area had suffered a devastating failure.
Fully half the tree collapsed. No great wind did it. When I looked through the shrubbery that surrounded it I saw massive rot around its base. Time had taken a toll.
This is one of our native willows — there are three types around here. They are relatively short-lived. Two types, the Pacific or red willow and the Sitka, live in moist soils as this one does. The Scouler or fire willow is a third that is common and also given to wet sites.
The recreation area staff expects to start clearing these branches away today. I hope the remaining upright portions of the tree can remain…if it’s safe. I’m glad no one was nearby when this occurred.
This is one of my favorite trees. I have featured it before. This link will take you to a series that featured it in several seasons. And here it was last January during a snowstorm with a link to other shots.
I can think of few things that haven’t been disrupted in one way or another this year. So it’s no surprise how enthusiastic I am to find comfort in natural cycles that haven’t been interrupted. Birds are back for the summer. My garden is producing on cue. And wild summer berries are coming along nicely. Who would expect that ripening blackberries would bring comfort?
We were enjoying the afternoon on our deck when I saw this flier off in the distance. As we watched he came nearly overhead.
I had opportunities to hang glide in my younger days. Never felt the desire. This apparatus doesn’t appeal either though the views are probably wonderful.