Hurricane Ridge - Olympic National Park

We spent an afternoon hiking Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. The Park is in the northwest corner of Washington state. It is a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site, with rugged peaks, glaciers and subalpine meadows. Coast, forest, and mountain ecosystems combine to create a spectacular wilderness park. At an altitude of 5,242 feet, it was cold - in the low 60's. Clouds were pulling moisture off the ocean, rolling it over the mountains. Most of the time we were walking in clouds, and it was quite ethereal, very quiet.

We hiked for a little over two hours. I liked the tree roots on the trail. Such tenacity.

A Little Fun and Food On Broadway

Every Thursday Tacoma hosts a Farmers Market on Broadway, in the heart of the city. As I walked down 9th Street, this gentleman's soft saxophone droned in the cool air. The Market has between 80 and 90 of the finest farmers, craftsmen and processors in Washington State, selecting only premium vendors who sell fresh farm produce, fresh flowers and nursery stock grown on land they own or lease in the state. Also offered are processed farm goods, baked goods, high quality handmade crafts and ready-to-eat food prepared onsite.

Citizens concerned with the image of the city founded the Tacoma Farmers Market in 1990. Parts of the downtown area were deserted and dilapidated, run down. Three primary goals led to the birth of the Farmers Market. One was to dispel the perception that downtown Tacoma was an empty, unsafe place. Another was to create a sense of community by means of a Market that provided fresh, high quality produce. The third goal was to create a lively street atmosphere around Antique Row and the Theater District. In just a decade there as been a resurgence of building and restoring, which now makes this historical area one of the prime areas for entrepreneurs and investors. The Tacoma Art Museum, the Glass Museum, and the Washington Historical Museum are all within a short walking distance. On every third Thursday of the month, admission is free to these museums, providing an opportunity to see rotating displays.

The Farmers Market drew crowds of people on its very first day. People were delighted with the quality of the fruits, vegetables, prepared ethnic foods and handmade crafts. Over the next several years, the Tacoma Farmers Market grew substantially. Today there are between 80 and 90 vendors that draw between 4,000 and 6,000 customers every Thursday from May to October. I always bring home a bouquet of flowers, as they are very reasonably priced, and I can add additional greenery and flowers from my own garden to make quite a spectacular center-piece for my coffee table.

The Farmers Market is not far from Taraz's employment, the "One Heart Cafe", so I walked down there, too, to see if he was working his shift. This cafe offers sandwiches, mouth-watering desserts, smoothies and 'made to order' espresso drinks. It is in a fine old building, enhanced with a lot of art-work, hanging plants, and antiques. People sit at little tables, enjoying their morning coffee. It felt like just the place to hang out, relax and visit. Students from the nearby branch of the University of Washington were hunkered down with books, peering over their laptops. Taraz had his laptop sitting on a display shelf, so that in a moment he can feature the photographs and artwork on his blog.
I had a chance to visit with Taraz, and he showed me around. I also met his boss, who has several espresso-cafes in the old historic area of Tacoma. Taraz alternates between both establishments, and is also doing some film-making for his boss, a project featuring kids at the YMCA. He plans to commute to these jobs when he and Megan move to Olympia in September, saying "this is my dream job - I get to mingle with people in an artful environment, and do my creative work on the side". I'll finish out this post with this photo - these girls are putting all their practice to good use, earning a few dollars at the Market. They were so sweet, and really performed well. The owner of the 'One Heart Cafe', whose motto is, 'think love, be art, drink coffee' offers this on his website:

"Believe me, the Lord is like the sun; different races, religions and ideologies leave Him completely indifferent. It simply does not bother Him whether you are yellow, black or red, whether you are a Jew, a Catholic, a Protestant or even an atheist. We are all His children and He cares only about our qualities and virtues:our love, wisdom, honesty and generosity."
- Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

Tree House ...more unusual homes here...

Just A Little Of This And That - Left-overs

If you had come to my house for lunch, you would have had 'leftovers'. This was the dessert I made from a Korean 'roll cake' given to us by a friend, Myong. I chopped up strawberries and cherries, drizzled on a little home-made elderberry syrup from Montana, and added a dollop of plain yogurt on top. Just sooooooo good!

And, the main dish? Left-over stir-fry shrimp with garlic, and vegetables. This tasty entree was from our dinner out with Megan's family Sunday evening. I put a helping of my own brown rice and blackbeans alongside some finely chopped cauliflower, onion, and carrots. This last dish is something I eat in the morning rather than hash-browns and eggs. I season the veggies with garlic, stir-fry it very hot, and serve it with a little canned salmon, about 2 or 3 ounces.

Since George got his diabetes, our meals have changed drastically over the past months. We seldom have sweet desserts, and most of our meals are vegetarian. I've also been watching my cholesterol, with the hope of reducing it - not that it has ever been high. I've had excellent readings, but, the cholesterol that I do have seems to be drifting and getting stuck in areas around the nerves to my eyes. It interferes with sending messages, and alters my vision - perhaps, it is related to low blood pressure. Since I've never really had a weight problem, I figured I could eat anything, and I always did - lots of homemade pies and cinnamon rolls, etc. I just always worked off that energy, rather than stored it.

I've since come to understand that I have to eat like a hunter/gatherer - whole grains, nuts and seeds, fish, cottage cheese and yogurt, and lots of fruits and vegetables. It makes 'doing meals' a very simple task. Meals become smaller and more frequent.

Eating out is a whole different story - this stir-fried shrimp, as tasty as it is, was a meal intended for one person, yet it will take about 4 - 5 meals to use everything up, as I add my own rice, beans, and vegetables. Portion sizes in restaurants seem to be astoundingly large, so this is what I do. Also, if George and I are out together, we will often split a dinner, rather than order so much food that we can't finish at one sitting.

Boating Accident on Lake St. Claire

Taraz, Megan, George and I had just pulled our canoes up onto the bank of Lake St. Claire when we saw a fire truck and ambulance drive up to the boat-ramp to attend to the injuries of a man who had an accident while water-skiing. Perhaps he hit a submerged log, or lost his balance and crashed onto a boat dock. We never asked any questions. But, the poor man had a broken leg, and required emergency on the spot treatment, with 'resetting' and splinting. I found it odd that people kept putting their boats in the water, or pulled them out, just feet away from this incident. Nobody wanted to wait until the medics were finished. For them, I guess, it was just another incident on the water, but I stood back and quietly watched, praying that the poor man would not suffer too much more. Taraz, Megan, and George loaded up our canoes and we headed home. George went to the office to prepare notes for some classes he will teach at Antioch University this coming week, and Taraz and Megan and I went out to dinner with Megan's parents Kevin and Therese, and Grandma Pat and Uncle Roger.

Our day started out without much fuss or circumstance. We took a circuitous route down to Olympia, then drove through bucolic hillsides dotted with farms and mini-ranches. This area is not far from the Evergreen College, where Megan will be taking classes for her Masters Program. They'll be moving down to that area, about 45 minutes away from Tacoma, in the middle of September. Our last paddle together was on the Black River, not far away, and Lake St. Claire is also nearby - both are favorites of mine. I'd forgotten just how busy the Lake can be in summertime, though, with the noise from children, families barbecuing out on the patio, and the many watercraft and skiers. It was a busy place.
In this photo, it looks quite peaceful, but that was not the case today.

We were just a few minutes into the paddle when I realized I'd forgotten to buy a cup of coffee at an Espresso stand. No chance to go back now, I'd be holding everyone up. Now, I figured this might happen someday. So, I was prepared. I always bring along an emergency shot - doubleshot - of Starbucks coffee. I'd kept it in my camera box, along with some crackers, mixed nuts, and cranberry juice. I found it in the bottom of the box, pulled the tab, took a taste, and it was just perfect! Then, George asked me what the expiration date was.....well, sometime in 2005!

We also fit in a bit of a hike along a trail through the nature preserve at McLane Creek. It is mostly a boardwalk stroll, a little over a mile, which features a pond, reeds, beaver mounds and the usual mallards and red-winged blackbirds.
Taraz and Megan getting acquainted with the old-growth forest. In just a few months this area will be saturated with rain, and remain that way throughout the entire winter.
Wind-fall, and a chance for Taraz to walk on wood.

And lastly, a most peculiar sight - looks like someone came along and chopped off every limb, to a certain length, then left and let the moss grow.

Of Harry Potter, Eunice and Little Lake Mowich

Our son Rue took the family on a five mile hike Thursday, starting at Mowich Lake in Mount Rainier Park. This was one of the last photos taken that day, at the very end of a fairly strenuous hike. There is a sign at the trailhead that says:

Distance: 5 miles

Elevation Gain: 400 Feet

Hiking Time: 2-3 hours

High Point: Approx. 5,350 feet

What we came to know about this part of 'the Mountain' was that millions of mosquitoes and other flying insects seemed to hatch simultaneously, all converging on Annie and her cousin Eva Karin, who were bitten and bothered mercilessly for the first few hours of the hike! After an upward climb of several hours, going deeper and deeper into the forest, they lost their zeal and we parted, with Annie and Eva Karin going back to the car to read (Harry Potter's new adventures were an anticipated 'pick-me-up'). And, Taraz, Rue and I were left to swat the critters while we climbed to 5,350 feet, gasping and winded!
You've undoubtedly seen the classic pictures of Mt. Rainier from Eunice Lake, considered one of the prettiest lakes in Mount Rainier National Park. (To get the shot in that link, we'd have to hike completely around the the lake, which would have put us to the trailhead way after dark.)
We began our hike with lunch on top of this big boulder, at the trailhead, at Mowich Lake.
The trail ascends for about mile to a low pass, switches back, and traverses through forest to Ipsut Pass. Then, we took the trail's left fork toward the lake. The left fork drops 100 feet initially, making the trail seem refreshing, but eventually it levels off, and becomes considerably steeper, with many switchbacks as we approached the lake.
The wildflowers in the meadows at Eunice Lake were abundant - the beargrass favors a high alpine meadow.
This is the multi-colored heather that squats low along rocky ridges. The growing season for wild shrubs is only two months, so 60 years worth of growth can be almost minuscule. It is exceedingly important to stay only on trails, so native plants are not bruised or damaged.
While Rue and Taraz dried off from a swim (Rue in Mowich lake, Taraz in Eunice) I explored the rocky outcroppings and trails around the lake. The air was vigorously refreshing and fragrant, and the air cool.
This is Rue's strategy for warding off mosquito attacks. As we descended the mountain, we met an older gentleman who was hiking alone, which is generally discouraged. I asked him if he'd hiked the trail before, and he had. So, he knew what kind of demands the trail made. Rue noticed that he didn't have a backpack or a water-bottle, nothing to rely on, so he gave the man one of our bottles of water, as a safeguard. I thought that was a very kind thing to do, and it was one of my sweetest memories of the day.

By the time we got back down to Mowich Lake and the trailhead, most of the hikers were gone, the lake was basking in early evening light, and the girls were several chapters ahead in Harry Potter. Rue got out a thermos of wonderfully hot coffee, flavored with French Vanilla Coffeemate. It tasted so good, and just hit the spot! Then, he brought out a huge thermos of Annie's homemade chilli - just wonderful taste thrills for the end of the day.

Precious Annie's Birthday Celebration

Our daughter-in-law, Annie celebrated her 23rd birthday with a celebration at her parents home, out in the countryside near Gig Harbor. The Halls built a big fire, and started to barbecue chicken and hot dogs. Everyone else brought side-dishes or salads.
This is Tim, Annie's dad, making a point. Can't quite recall what it was, but he sure did laugh when I told him about our lawn mower. It is so old, that when I was cutting the grass last week the whole rusted- out frame dropped down onto the grass, with the blades still rotating, scalping a huge circle in my nice lawn. It still sits there, where it fell apart. When I asked George how we dispose of an old power-mower, he said "just keep it there, parked in the grass. It looks like a lawn ornament." Humph. That was not the answer I was looking for!

This is Taraz goofing off with our grand-daughter, Daisy.

After we had dinner, we played badminton and threw a Frisbee.

Annie pulled these little ones in the wagon, around the property and along the paths.
George and our son Rue, roasting hot-dogs. Rue barbecued his famous chicken.

Annie opening her gifts.

Megan and Zoey. She kept him on a leash, and walked him along the far edges of the property, to give Zoey some exercise.( P.S. This is a very well-behaved pooch.)

This is the Pistachio Pudding-cake that Kathy, Annie's mom, made for the celebration. It was simply heavenly, very light, and slightly sweet. It was so good that I want to include the recipe here, thanks to Kathy: Ingredients: 1 chocolate cake mix; 3 small packages of instant pistachio pudding; 4 cups of whole milk; 1 carton of Cool Whip; 5 Butterfinger candy bars. Bake the chocolate cake in a 9 x 13 pan as package directs. Cool. Top with: 3 pkgs. instant pistachio pudding mix mixed with 4 cups of whole milk. Beat 5 minutes. When set, spread on top of the cake. Put Cool Whip on next. Crush 5 Butterfingers and sprinkle on top! Refrigerate.

And lastly, this is the Greek Salad that I brought, and fortunately there were some left-overs which I enjoyed for my lunch today! Red, yellow and green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower, carrots and red onion, olives and feta cheese on salad greens and spinach. I garnished it with fresh oregano from my garden. I'm biased. It was good!

A River of Words - The Poetry of Place

It was late afternoon when Taraz and Megan, George and I canoed a section of the Black River, one of the most beautiful rivers in western Washington.

As some of you know, we gave them a canoe as a wedding gift last September, and it has given us a chance to get together for excursions out on the water. It was an incredibly peaceful day, perfect for meandering, replete with sunshine, a cool breeze, and the sounds of current trickling over beaver dams.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate (1995-1997) Robert Hass has written in "A River of Words" that early American history is steeped in a passionate attraction to wild places but that during the last one hundred years industries have been busy transforming the landscape and extracting from it. He got involved in “River of Words,” an annual, nationwide art and poetry contest for elementary and high school students. River of Words involves young people and their teachers in learning about the water ecology of their local environments

Robert Hass writes, " I invited about 30 American writers in the environmental tradition, from poets to scientists, to novelists, to essayists - as many of the writers in the country who write about “place” as I could gather- to come to Washington and read their work and talk about issues in the environmental tradition in American writing. And we thought, why not use my tenure as an opportunity to get kids involved early on in this kind of writing; to try to figure out ways of linking together in the schools the culture of knowledge and care about wild places with literature and science studies? By doing this, we could educate future generations of adults in a different way than we were educated."

The idea ultimately took form as a poetry and art contest for kids on the theme of getting to know their own watershed, the rivers and creeks of the places where they live. That was the origin of “River of Words.”

The history of this country is so much a history of the culture of rivers. It doesn’t matter whether children are urban or suburban or live in the country, their relationship to water is fundamental.

The first posters put out said, “What is your ecological address?” so that they could get in the habit of locating themselves and the place they live by understanding how water flowed through, how it was used, what other life forms were supported and were there because of the waters that flowed through the places where they lived.

Hass writes, "We also hoped to put teachers and students together with activists who are cleaning up creeks, making hiking trails around reservoirs, educating in state parks in community after community around the country."

John Muir wrote in the 1870s, “We’ve got compulsory education. What this country really needs is compulsory recreation. I want people to go to the school of the wind and the trees.”

I think it’s important to have young people understand that part of their education is an informed knowledge of the place where they live. Also, the experience of the people who are working to protect the environment will give them a sense of empowerment that they'll need to take care of our rivers.

The Measure of a Mountain

Mount Rainier is the largest and most dangerous volcano in the United States of America. The summit reaches 14,410 feet above sea level, so high and superimposing that it creates its own weather. When our Baha'i friends Shaun and Leila, new to Seattle, asked to join us on one of our excursions here George and I jumped at the chance to show them the remarkable beauty of Mt. Rainier.
We met at the visitor center at Sunrise at 10:30, and spent the next 6 hours hiking along the Berkeley Park trail, one of the more strenuous hikes offered at Sunrise. (At 6,400 feet above sea level Sunrise is the highest point in the park that you can reach by vehicle.) We completed a 8 mile hike, including an extension through adjacent snow fields and meadows, along the Sourdough Ridge and the Northern Loop.

There is a 1200 foot elevation gain with the hike, which alternated with moderate descents into the Berkley meadows. The Berkley meadows are astoundingly beautiful this time of year - lupine, potentilla, pasque flower, Indian paintbrush, purple aster, penstemin, phlox, and an abundance of low-lying shrubs.

We walked slowly, engaging in conversation along the way. This hike which was 6 hours, seemed like 3, because the conversation was so rich. We enjoyed getting to know our new friends, who have recently moved here from Haifa, Israel. Leila and I got to know each other from blogging. While on the trail, I told her of my recent library acquisitions, a book about Georg Steller and Vitis Bering up in Alaska, "Steller's Island" by Dean Littlepage, and another "The Measure of a Mountain - Beauty and Terror on Mount Rainier" by Bruce Barcott. The latter has been a delightful acquaintanceship with the nuiances of the mountain, the landscape and its visitors.

"...the Rainier he finds is a marvelous complex of bearded hemlocks and old-growth firs, ethereal formations of rock and snow, thinning air, and fractured glaciers steadily grinding the mountain down." "Its snowfields bristle with bug life, and its marmots gnaw on rocks to keep their teeth from turning into tusks. Rainier rumbles with seismic twitches and jerks - 130 earthquakes annually -- and threatens to heave an unstoppable wall of mud down its slopes."

Barcott details the dormant nature of Mt. Rainier, saying "The more scientists learn about Mount Rainier, the more nervous they become, because in the last few years they've discovered that the danger doesn't lie, as they thought earlier, in a volcanic eruption. What's got the geologists spooked is the fact that the mountain could collapse at any minute." It has something to do with the movement of the Juan de Fuca and Pacific plates. We had such a good time, that I'll admit that we spent very little time considering this possibility!

This is one of the last images I took of the mountain as we drove down. The heavy fog was rolling in gentle currants, blanketing the mountain in moisture. We said our goodbye's to Leila and Shaun, then spent two more hours exploring the area around Tipsoo Lake, hiking up to another little lake, where we sat on a huge boulder together, reminiscing about the beauty of the day.