Words to inspire: There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes. By the deep sea, and music in its roar. I love not man the less, but nature more. ~ Lord Byron
Continue reading...24. June 2009
I found a bright orange, spindly Pacific Blood sea star in the high drift at Crescent Bay recently. Though sea stars are uniquely designed intertidal creatures able to endure both pounding surf and periods out of water between the low and high tide marks, they still do best in tide pools or clinging to damp seaweeded rocks. They are not meant to bake in the sun on the sand. This one must have died at sea and simply coasted to shore on a raft of kelp. I’m surprised a gull hasn’t nabbed it for breakfast—it would surely stand out from any low cruising altitude. (Unless, of course, gulls are color blind?)
Continue reading...23. June 2009
I’ve always adored orchids. Growing up as I did the daughter of florists, I saw hundreds of orchids every year. Mostly nestled into sparkly corsage boxes ready for some clumsy guy to pin onto his date. They were also big at Mother’s Day, back when dutiful children took Mom out for Sunday dinner all gussied up with a huge cattleya attached to her chest. Then of course there were the various white orchids wired into showy bridal bouquets.
Continue reading...22. June 2009
Oceanspray, an aptly named wild shrub of the Northwest coast, washes across bluffs and woods with its creamy, billowy clusters of flowers. So flagrantly does it bloom, that its stems and leaves nearly disappear, enhancing the impression of wind-tossed spray. At first it blushes along pale pink stems. Then as each floret opens, the stems fade to a mellow white. To discover its fragrance, I must tickle my nose in its gentle midst. It has a delicate scent, like forgotten handkerchiefs found in my grandmother’s dresser drawers, still tinted with her perfume.
Continue reading...21. June 2009
I was middle-aged before I ever rowed a boat, but since moving to the Olympic Peninsula, I’ve made up for lost time. In this magnificent region, there really is water, water everywhere—and most of it is safe to row in during the warmer/calmer months of the year. Most people up here paddle around in kayaks, but I wanted to be able to take my dog with me, and I needed a boat I could manage all by myself. So I got an inflatable boat, which tucks into the trunk of my car and allows me to explore some wonderful places. All I have to do is hook up the pump to my car’s lighter and voilà—in 15 minutes I have a boat.
Continue reading...19. June 2009
A young couple at the far curve of Crescent Bay toss kites into the morning breeze off the Strait. The bright shapes zoom aloft like gargantuan tropical birds. So what’s the appeal of flying kites? Is it delight in watching something earthbound improbably lift into the air? Is it holding onto the tether, hoping to understand by the gaudy bird’s tugging the essence of flight?
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where I enjoy personifying various inhabitants and aspects of the natural world. My most recent Tweets are in the box below.
29. June 2009
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