Seasonal Transition

It's officially Autumn. Weeks past the autumnal equinox, the hours of daylight have grown noticeably shorter. Evenings are cool enough to trigger the off switch on chlorophyll production in deciduous leaves and fall colors blaze in full neon glory throughout the region. Drifts of dry, faded leaves from our vine maple litter the yard, blown into corners by swirling winds. 

But Mother Nature seems confused by our recent stretch of unseasonably warm weather, triggering flower bud formation on magnolia trees, blossoms on rhododendron bushes and fruit on our Asian pear trees. It's October, so what's up with the new pears developing on trees that have already produced a bountiful crop? 

I'd settle for an extended period of mild Indian summer weather, but forecasters predict a return to cool, wet and windy any day now. It's Seattle, so changeable weather is no surprise. Keep the rain gear handy, but head outside with a camera and enjoy the change of seasons.
  

Construction Clutter and Progress

Construction clutter must mean progress, right? If that's true, there's evidence of progress all over the house, garage and yard right now. Piles of important clutter abound, all visible signs of progress on our various house projects. No single project is finished yet, but there are signs of work-in-progress. 

Step inside the house and you'll note every room on the first floor is either empty or full of furniture and furnishings, "stuff" from other rooms. Repair and restoration goes on, hidden from view behind protective drapes of plastic, clearly several works in progress.

The exterior clutter includes discarded siding, trim, roof shakes and doors, all waiting to be loaded into a trailer and hauled away. The construction crew picks up tools and equipment, sweeps up miscellaneous debris and leaves an otherwise tidy job site each night... except for those piles of clutter.

Unpredictable wet weather meant the unfinished replacement siding was stained, sticked, stacked and stored in the garage to dry. Our previously large garage seems to have suddenly shrunk by half. Access to the mail slot and freezer involves tricky maneuvering and careful footwork. 

The door scorecard reads 2 doors removed, 1 new door hung still needing trim, 1 door opening covered with plywood waiting for replacement door to arrive on site, and door #3 still waiting for any action. Next week could be Finish the Doors Week. Stay tuned.

A new square window replaces the old acrylic half-dome bubble window, dramatically increasing the great room balcony's light and framing the view to the south. Those are bonus features, the important fix dealt with a sneaky leak. I can hardly wait for a clear day to snap a photo of Mt. Rainier in all its glory as seen through this new 4x4 pane. 

A Busy Week in the Neighborhood

There's never a good time to suffer through the flu, but this week was the best time to recover from Flu: Round Two. I had planned on hours of television time, watching Sochi Winter Olympic events, clicking from station to station on US and Canadian channels. I did some of that, but there's only so much curling I can view before dozing off.

No chance of dozing when the rumble of heavy equipment invades the neighborhood. Vroom, vroom! Thud! Crash! More vroom, vroom! Chunk by chunk a neighbor's house disappeared, knocked down by one man with a tracked Komatsu machine with a toothed bucket. Demolition is noisy and exciting. 

The next day the world outside my window turned black and white, blanketed by a light dusting of snow. Such a lovely visual gift, though not appreciated by anyone who had to traverse Seattle's hills on that day. It was a good day to stay inside and enjoy the view, in between naps and Olympic events. 

Later in the week I thought it curious that a group of crows kept doing power dives past the upstairs window, flashing by close to my reading chair. Local crows are known to pester osprey and eagles in flight, just for fun or hoping to steal something edible. It's hard to ignore large, winged objects hurtling past your head just feet away so I stepped to the window to check out the action. What a circus as crow after crow swooped down to harass an osprey that had landed in a neighboring yard. Oops! one young crow might have misjudged his approach and was now captured - osprey prey - soon to be osprey dinner.  

This was quite an interesting week in the neighborhood. Flu recovery wasn't at all boring.  

Fall Color at Coulon Park

The lure of a warm, blue-sky Fall day was irresistible, so we headed out for a sunny walk through Gene Coulon Park. This impromptu visit to a favorite waterfront park might have been our last opportunity to enjoy 2013's changing colors since, WHAM! Mother Nature is switching gears tonight. At least we had a glimpse of that Autumn display, before the last of those colorful leaves blow away in the upcoming storm. There's no way most of those fluttering leafy bits will hang on after the next few days of wet, windy, cold weather. I know, I know... it happens every November, but I hate to trade this vivid leafy beauty for the drama of storms and stark tree silhouettes. At least until a wonderful Winter walk reminds me how much I love the quiet beauty of that season.

Photo: Green leaves turn to gold...

Photo: Yellow leaves shine like spotlights in the landscape...

Photo: Neon colors are show-stoppers in the landscape...

Photo: Coulon Parks's buildings are wonderfully eye-catching

Photo: The park's sailing fleet is put away for the winter.

Photo: Bare tree limbs reveal an interesting nest - I wonder whose home?

Photo: Year-round resident Canadian geese look well-fed and content 

Photo: Local gulls are quite fearless and cheeky as they beg for food

Photo: Ivar's fish and chips plus seafood chowder is a traditional stop at the end of a park visit... unless we are tempted by neighboring Kidd Valley's burgers instead.

Coulon Park in January, 2011

Coulon Park in November, 2008

Seattle Japanese Garden in Fall

Photo: Cloud Reflections in the Koi Pond at the Japanese Garden (photo by RL))

Exuberant Fall color grabbed my attention, drew my eye and the lens of the camera immediately at the entrance to the Japanese Garden located in the Washington Park Arboretum. The sky may have been overcast today but the landscaped 3.5 acres were a riot of color as vivid golden-orange leaves of lace-leaf maples contrasted with the bright yellow display of ginkos and the deeper crimson hues of several other species. 

The garden's technicolor display may have peaked a week ago or more. Several early-turning trees were already bare while others held leaves with fading hues, no longer brilliant, their edges going brown and crisp. Without a distracting cloak of neon-colored leaves, branch structure is highlighted, then smaller details clamor for attention.

I love walking through this tidy little garden in any season, any weather. Form, pattern and texture have a constant presence to share with anyone who takes the time to pause and observe. But today, it was all about dramatic punches of color highlighted against a background of evergreen trees and mosses, color so vivid it was as though a spotlight shined here and there and there...

Seattle holds many wonderful parks (link), but the Japanese Garden and Kubota Garden are high on my list of favorites. Set aside some time to explore a few, and remember to take your camera.

Osprey in the Yard

More precisely, the osprey was in a tree, but just barely. How DID that large bird balance all of its bulk on the slender, flexible, topmost leader branch of our cedar tree? and WHY was he in the area? Neighbor Marcie reports that osprey are common around the lake, sighting them frequently near the Rowing Center. How is it that this is the first osprey we have ever seen or heard locally?  An osprey's call is distinctive, loud and piercing enough to draw the attention of even non-birding humans. It was this repeated high-pitched call (link) that prompted us to stop and look up. The bird remained in place for ages, perched comfortably atop a 65-foot tree, long enough for us to grab the cameras and snap off a series of shots to use for identification. 

The wicked-looking curved beak indicated the bird was a flesh-eating raptor, but it definitely was not an eagle or a hawk. A comparison of our shots with some bird book photos and several on-line images indicated it was an osprey (Pandion haliaetus). Click here for a brief but interesting article about osprey. 

For some impressive still images of osprey in flight, visit Graham Owen's website, or check out this brief BBC YouTube video of an osprey fishing (link). These birds are impressive, sitting still or in motion. Capturing an image of an airborne osprey might become a new photo challenge, paired with my ongoing effort for improved eagle action images (link). 

Garry Oaks and Duwamish Canoes

It was a typical quiet weekend morning with our energies focused indoors on house-related projects when a series of unusual background noises caught our attention. Rhythmic shouts and occasional thumps, human sounds apparently not mechanical, grew louder and closer. One long canoe, then another passed the house, heading south and approaching the shore near a local park. Curious, we grabbed the cameras and headed to nearby Martha Washington Park to investigate. There were two overlapping activities taking place, both reflecting history and current day concerns. Two canoes paddled by members of the Duwamish Tribe arrived at the park as a group of conservation volunteers gathered to clear underbrush from a stand of Garry oaks (link). 

I knew that oak trees lined the park's shoreline, but have never thought much about this species or their history beyond gathering a few baskets of fallen oak leaves for Autumn decorations. 

Photo: horse chestnuts in a bowl of oak leaves

It seems Garry Oaks are native to Puget Sound, with large groves once widely distributed throughout the region, but now harder to find as development has displaced them. They are magnificent trees, and Martha Washington Park and Seward Park boast two groves and volunteer groups who work to keep them healthy. 

Field notes

Garry oak(Quercus garryana)Puget Sound's only native oak, this striking deciduous tree has white-gray furrowed bark and round-lobed leaves. Resistant to fire, the oak withstood frequent burnings by Native Americans who used fire to manage the growth of desired plants and berries. Oak acorns were a staple food for those who visited and possibly lived along the shore between today's Seward and Martha Washington parks. They pounded and soaked the acorns to leach away bitter tannins. seattletimes.com/html/outdoors/2003717960_nwwnaturalwanders240.html

One branch of the Duwamish Tribe has ties to the lake (link) and the land around it, the one-time prairie that still holds some Garry oaks,  aggressive patches of blackberries and used to support camas and other harvestable plants. This tribe, though small in number, is an active group that continues its long fight for federal recognition.  

The land, the Garry oaks and the Duwamish paddlers share a history and a somewhat uncertain future. I like to think both were celebrating and celebrated at the park this weekend.