There’s a kind of rose I’ve got used to calling a primrose, and which some of you lot swear are not, so I figured that since all you had to go by was the buds, I’d best post some blooms. Then you can duke it out amongst each other, and I’ll know whether I’m on a primrose path or not.
bit o’ fun
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UFD: Raptor Ready
Yes, yes, I said I was doing a reader submission next. I lied. I’m dying to know what this fellow is.
Sunday was sunny and warm, so I hiked my work over to one of our picnic tables. Those are usually full of families having birthday parties, but this week, the whole strip was deserted. Sun and solitude? Combo not to be missed.
So there I was, beavering away whilst basking in the sun, when I heard a raptor scream. And the bugger flew right overhead in its full glory before I could get the camera out and on. I can tell you several things about it. It’s not a bald eagle – the coloration and markings were completely wrong, even for a juvenile. It was a kind of yellowish-tan hue with dark spots and creamy bits. It was utterly lovely. And it, being a bird and therefore an unutterable bastard, decided to go show off from a distance by the time I’d got my camera ready.
It Wasn't Bluffing
I took my boys to Discovery Park for a little lovely geology. We’ve done this sort o’ thing before, but it wasn’t quite as exciting as this.
Started off rather quietly. Nice, leisurely breakfast at a Thai food place, ramble through the meadows and down the bluff. Mind you, there was a bit of foreshadowing.
In Which Pumpkins are Hurled. Plus, a Horse for RQ.
Deary me. It seems all of you can hardly wait for the moment where you get to sit on the edge of your seats and watch Trebuchet and I launch pumpkins from, well, trebuchets. I’d meant to inflict horses upon you today, but never let it be said I neglect my readers. Well, not badly neglect. I’ve done the hack-and-slash on the video I shot, and here you are: two trebuchet vids!
Continue reading “In Which Pumpkins are Hurled. Plus, a Horse for RQ.”
Baby Bullfrogs. That Is All.
Sigh. Seattle’s doing this let’s-hold-on-to-summer thing that it rarely does. I want to be outside so bad it physically hurts. And, of course, it’s now that they’ve closed the vacation calendar and are making noises about mandatory overtime. Combined with some of the other stuff going on, it’s enough to make me scream.
So it’s nice to come home and spend a few minutes with frogs. I haven’t got time or energy for anything in-depth, but you won’t care. Baby bullfrogs. That’s all I need to say.
Life is Short, and It Was Hot
Doctor Who fans will have begun grinning as they read the title to this post. I hope they heard it in a Jamaican accent.
It’s also part of my excuse for being absent without leave. Work became, how shall we say, challenging. I began to feel like Bilbo Baggins: needing a very long holiday. Wanted to see mountains again. And the bastards had closed the vacation calendar, but I finally said fuck it and took a mental health day. I wandered down to Snoqualmie for a look at the Falls in fall, when the volume of water is lower, because I plan to do you up a nice set of posts on the place. Eventually. And I dropped by Three Forks Natural Area whilst there. The views of Mount Si will make you sigh with happiness, even when the air is hazy from fires burning on the other side of the Cascades.
That one isn’t the best. I’m saving the best for another day. Also, three stages of bullfrogs. Oh, my darlings. One of the happiest end-of-summer days is the one spent on the bank of a slough, watching baby bullfrogs.
World Premiere: The Delectation of Dragonflies
When you return from an outing with a camera full of dragonflies in flagrante delicto, as it were, there’s really only one thing to be done: dust off the “Pornochz” track your dear friend Eric Kenning composed for your article on writing bedroom scenes and create a movie of surpassing educational interest. Eric has been kind enough to allow this retasking of his tune. The movie itself came together in a trice, as if it were meant to be. And now, after causing you to shiver with anticipa….tion, I click upload, and embed, and present to you, for your viewing pleasure:
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The Exclusive 'Things With Water Lilies' Collection
I didn’t intend to write today – this was supposed to be my completely-off weekend, in which I didn’t nothing but watch Doctor Who and read and play in the sun. But I’ve just been going through my Juanita Bay photos from Saturday, and had a major squee moment that couldn’t wait.
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Mystery Flora: Lilies of a Day
Flowers, unlike birds, don’t fly off and hide when I approach. They’re like rocks in that regard: delightfully immobile. Perhaps that’s why we get on so well.
But unlike rocks, flowers are brief. A few days, a few months, then gone until next season. These lovely lilies from atop Marys Peak blazed in the warm summer sun: now they are no more.
But they’re glorious while they last. No wonder Ben Jonson eulogized his infant son by speaking of lilies.
UFD: The Only Unabashed Bird on Mount St. Helens
I know. I have an inbox full of UFDs from other parts of the country, even the world, some of which may pose an actual challenge, and here I am posting yet another Pacific Northwest UFD that you’ll probably have identified within, like, 30 seconds.
Thing is, it’s the only damned bird I photographed at Mount St. Helens. I think I know what it is, but I’m not positive. And it’s a denizen of Mount St. Helens, which sort of fits the theme we’ve had going on for a while.
You have no idea how excited I was when I saw this little bugger perched on a lamp post at Johnston Ridge Observatory. I’d just spent the majority of two days hearing birds everywhere. Nearly every stop, on every hike, birds burbling in the trees, rustling round in bushes, letting me know they were there and weren’t about to pose. On the hummocks trail, some absolutely adorable fluffy golden ones were busily flitting here and there, tweeting madly, and I actually saw them – behind enough branches to confound my camera. I was desperate. And then, at very nearly the last minute – a bird! A bird not flying away!!
So it’s probably a common species. We’ve possibly even identified it before. It’s not the greatest set of shots in the world. But it’s mine, my only MSH bird, and I loves it. Hopefully, so do you. If not, there will be more and better birds along shortly.