Four young deer stopped by our backyard to help trim the grass the other day. This is the innocent look that two of them gave me when I suggested they not go after our tiny, defenseless snowberry bushes for dessert.
Author: Kay
Trust the man with the star
Here’s a step back in time: a beautiful vintage Texaco gas station, which, as far as I can tell, is simply a labor of love. Or it’s closed on Sundays. It’s behind a fence next to a private residence, and well off the typical beaten path where service stations are usually planted. This is flawlessly nostalgic. I remember driving into service stations like this in the days when I was very small and the backseat of the car was endless. . .as long as my brother stayed on his own vast side.
The main reason I suspect this is a hobby station is that I never ever have seen a station so clean. There’s not a grease-infused fingerprint in view. I didn’t find it in Primarily Petroliana, a listing of oil and gas museums and restored gas stations.
If you can’t see it, the sign on the door has the old Texaco motto “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star. Service with a smile.”
Do any locals know the story of this place?
First wild blossom
Red-flowering currant (ribes sanguineum) is one of the earliest natives to bloom here. Lately I’ve seen leaves unfurling on the winter wood of these bushes. This is the first and only blossom I’ve seen so far, found on a bush near the Dungeness River last Thursday.
Update: Today I saw more red-flowering currants in bloom and noticed they didn’t look like this one. Miriam clarified for me by noting that this is a salmonberry. Thank you, Miriam!
The upside of rain
It can rain and rain and rain. But if there’s an occasional rainbow it’s hard to stay unhappy.
This photo is part of the Weekly Top Shot hosted by Madge at The View from Right Here. To see other Weekly Top Shots, click below:
At long last!
Our wonderful friend Miriam gave me bags and bags of flower bulbs. I planted these so I could enjoy them from the kitchen window. It seemed like the buds were swelling for weeks. Yesterday, at long last, they finally began to bloom. Time for a happy dance.
Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association, 2
The Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association (WOTFA) isn’t limited to fiddle musicians and they have jam sessions twice a month at the Sequim Prairie Grange Hall. In addition to the fiddle, banjo, bass and guitar above, musicians played bass, mandolins, harmonicas, piano and a concertina.
WOTFA began in 1965 with 10 members. There are now 1700 statewide. The organization is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and perpetuating the art of old time fiddling and the associated acoustic instruments’ arts and skills and music. They perform locally at retirement centers, nursing homes, the county fair, and other local events and donations from these performances support their youth scholarship program.
Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association, 1
Last Sunday was the fifth annual spring concert of the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association (WOTEA). “Rosin the Bow!” was a showcase of talent from our local district and an opportunity to hear a great variety of traditional acoustic music.
The music is played by young and old, and the concert was held to raise funds for the Association’s youth scholarship program. In this post I’m featuring the old and young. Shown above is the man considered the dean of local fiddle music, Ralph Byers. Ralph is a charter member of the Association and plays a mean fiddle. He’s 94 years old and although his walk is slow, his fiddle really blazes.
This nine year-old was Sunday’s youngest performer. She played with great stage presence and more than held her own, performing both with a group of adults and as a soloist.
There are 200 members in the local WOTEA district and their scholarship program provides weekly fiddle lessons to 20 youth. Thirteen students performed on Sunday.