Black Friday on Whidbey Island

The Beach at Oak Harbor on a beautiful Black Friday

Every year, since Chris and Jason were young enough to need a reward for being "good at grandma's house," Ray and I have built a tradition of getting out to have fun with our family on what we used to call Black Friday. I say used to call it black friday because the meaning has changed. Back in the day, black friday meant that we did not shop or indulge in materialism the day after giving thanks to YHVH-God for all he has provided for us. It was also our reward for our restless sons who had abandoned their overalls and barn boots to dress nice and use the table manners we practiced at home, at grandma's table. They would rather have been out with the wild things. Now Black Friday just means that merchants are in the black on the Friday after Thanksgiving (if they are willing to wait that long) because of America's need to camp in a parking lot so that they can be the first of the crowd to fight for one of five discounted TV's.




Deb and Rudy Valentine at Fort Casey

 I digress; we made a picnic of turkey sandwiches and pie, grabbed our cameras, GPS's, dogs and winter jackets for a trip to Whidbey Island to go geo-caching and birding.

Bomber and Rudy

Please do not get me wrong. I am not against Christmas. Jason and Ray have promised to put up lights for me this weekend. Chris has been shopping. As I keyboard I am sipping my morning joe from one of my Christmas mugs. What I am against is the wild materialism that never brings lasting joy.

Killdeer

Christmas cookies are fun to make and give away. Dressing up in reds, greens and bright blues, accessorised with goofy socks, santa hats and gaudy flashing light jewelry is fun for me. That is a lot for someone who does not officially celebrate Christmas. I love my children and family and participate with them on a day that has deep meaning and precious memories. But do I think the Messiah was born in a manger on December 25? Not even!

The Olympics from Fort Casey

What is Black Friday to me? It is a day to spend with people we love, doing what we love. A day to extend our attitude of Thanksgiving, not just for our health, what we have, or what we have survived in the past year. It has become a day to show our love to each other. We bring our imperfect love with our sandwiches and spend a day outside of the house, away from our screens. We are far from being a perfect family. Ray and I parented by the seat of our pants. Our poor boys have had to struggle and adjust to our dysfunction. But we love each other. We are all for one, one for all even though each of us needs our space on occasion. Black Friday reminds us to come out of our corner (maybe more accurately, to come out from behind our screens), without TV, without gifts, to simply share a meal, listen, and play.

Ray tucks Rudy into his jacket to give him relief from the cold wind

Black Friday seems to make the upcoming holiday season all the more precious. Ray and I celebrate Channakua. Chris has a child like delight in the "magic" he can make for Christmas. He loves being Santa at events. As a fireman-EMT and a emergency room worker, he sees enough horror to permanently mess up his attitude toward humanity. But he still loves to spread joy to those around him. Jason does not really love or hate Christmas. He indulges friends and family with gifts whenever he is able but would rather not get up early to go visit extended family or even open gifts. All Ray and I know for sure is we love our Y'shua-Jesus and are grateful for these boys YHVH has loaned to us.

One of the tiny little Whidbey Island Black Tails

We talked, we laughed, we saw things we have seen so many times before. We walked trails we have walked before. We marveled at the change and took comfort at everything being the same. We loved. We renewed our hearts and stretched our legs. We felt the wind on our faces and watched children fly their kites in the same wind, on the same grass that we have flown kites on, the very place my parents took me and my brothers to fly kites. Maybe for their Christmas and Ray's Hanukkah I will buy everyone a kite. Maybe I'll just print pictures. No one can go back in time, even with a kite on a windy day.

Rudy and Bomber after a long day.

As long as YHVH gives me the strength I will spend Black Friday in the car, going someplace where we only have to buy gas, to eat turkey sandwiches, to remember a fresh how much I love my boys and my man. Life has been known to throw some stones at us. We have come close to breaking again and again. But always we find that under it all are the everlasting, loving hands of YHVH. No one knows what a day will bring. Buying gifts, wrapping them in pretty paper to be ripped open by a loved one brings a moment of happiness. Nothing wrong in that. But joy comes from hearts connecting. And maybe, at the end of the day, sitting quietly together, tired but satisfied, taking the same ferry ride back home that we have taken hundreds of times before. Remembering that contentment is an inside job, not something that I can buy for someone else.

Happy Holidays (said the old woman who doesn't celebrate Christmas but who does celebrate)

Gathering Leaves at Lake Conner

I have been moaning and groaning about not having any maple trees, or any other type of tree that drops leaves, for my garden.. There was joy on Sunday when Ray took me for a ride to Lake Conner, one of our favorite birding spots. He brought along a couple of yard waste bags and a rake just so I could have maple leaves in my garden.

Four squares of garlic, 2 soft-neck and two hard-neck. There is also a square of Shallots under the leaves in Box 2. About Shallots, I'm told by those who claim to know, that shallots should be planted on the shortest day of the year and harvested on the longest day of the year. I cannot imagine that would be enough time. Still, I plan to pick some up from the health food store in December just to see if this is true. By the way, the same "they" assure me that garlic goes in on the last day of October. Something about vampires? Never seen a blood sucker (not counting misquotes) in my life, only politicians.

The sweet smell of fresh cilantro. This is one weed that I let live.

Though it doesn't look like I got very much done, and it is true that I still have a lot more to do, I feel like I accomplished something!

In these two boxes there is Chard, parsley, cilantro, and leeks. Under the leaves of box 2 there are 4 squares of garlic and one of shallots. If the weather hold (and this time of year it probably will not), I'll clean up boxes 3 and 4 (a double box) and work on cleaning up the fence side of the box so that my pictures do not look so ratty.

Just for you, a bonus! A short film of the birds and mushrooms I spotted at the edge of Lake Conner.

Cedar Wax Wings

Photo by Ray, Pure delight came from God

Just in case you did not know, a Cedar Wax Wing is a small bird. They were abundant at Silver Lake where we had family camp again this year. The following video was shot on day 2 of camp. Usually Silver Lake is all about Canada Geese and what they leave behind. This year it seemed as if the beautiful Cedar Wax Wing was begging for attention..... with far less to NOT step in.

By the way, the great shot above is from Ray. Great job!

Ellensberg

Ellensburg has gone green. My mind has a picture of Ellensburg that is dry and yellow except for the cottonwoods that grow along the river banks. Maybe I've just not been to Ellensburg in the spring. The hay fields were green, lawns were green, everywhere I looked the dominant color was green. Oddly enough the town itself has gone Al Gore-Obama green. Coming into the city from Blewett Pass we were greeted by giant white windmills. Driving out of the city we saw bank upon bank of solar panels. That was kind of kewl. At first I thought, "What an eyesore" but I quickly pictured what a dam would do to the landscape and decided that green electricity isn't nearly as bad.

Like it does with everyone else, the economy is not smiling upon us. We are still finding opportunities get out camping. However we try to have a duel purpose to our trips. No more long, exciting trips to Yellowstone and beyond. This trip was about scouting for a deer camp this fall. Too often we go cold, settling in a spot hoping that there will be an animal to harvest.

Last time we got out to camp for a few days we dug clams. They were expensive clams but never mind. The good thing for us is that we love our home state of Washington. As much as we love to travel, as much as we hate what politics have done to our wild places, we still love Washington.

Chris and Bomber came on this trip. Chris just finished his second Tear Drop Trailer and was trying it out. He was pleased with the work. People were sure interested in it.

We loved the signage on this tree. The humor of people who live off the grid cracks us up. The truck was moving when I snapped this, normally I would not post a picture this fuzzy but the picture describes what I saw better than anything I could write. The top sign is a neighborhood watch sign. The next one says, "No Light Beer" and the last one says "No Video Games". Sounds like good rules for life. I wonder what caliber the neighborhood watch is?

Point no Point in Washington

We thought we got up on time for Sunday School. Both Ray and I were dragging. Too sick to even watch TV last Sunday we wanted to be there this week. By the time we were both dressed and ready Church was three-quarters over. Maybe if we just got out and did something we would start feeling better. Point no Point on the inside thumb of Washington's peninsula is always refreshing. With a full thermos of coffee and a jacket on Rudy and we were off.

Our favorite January bird, the Scoter, was dining on mollusks that clung to the pier at the Edmond's ferry landing. It seemed like a good start to the day. I think we both fell asleep on the boat ride even though we had a "window seat". Beautiful views for such a gray day.

Like all the beautiful places in Washington, Point no Point has become thick with expensive homes. Day trippers like us are lucky that no one has figured out how to get expensive houses on the beach or bluff...yet. There is still a lonely feeling walking the shore, though it isn't like it was even just a few years ago. We could see many couples and their dogs doing the same thing we were. The one exception we noted with disgust is that most dog owners are not inclined to pick up after their dogs. Yuck. It isn't that difficult.

Even on a gray day the water tends to run a deep crystalline aqua green. Like most western states, Washington has been overwhelmed with rain this winter. We suspect that there has been so much run-off that the inland waters are thick with runoff. I cannot remember a time when gray was such a dominant color, even with the gray sandy beach.

You cannot see it here but Seattle is just across the water. The clouds eventually rolled away to reveal small boats scattered everywhere, drifting in the current with families jigging for black mouth. A man and a young boy were walking the beach with a bucket and shovel gathering shrimp and beach worms for bait. Right on the point they had placed comfy folding chairs and were casting from shore for black mouth.

For the most part our birding days are behind us. We cannot convince Rudy that birds are only for looking at. Monika, the photographer extraordinaire and author of "Orca Watcher" (her link is on my side-bar. SJI is San Juan Island), already has one hundred birds on her list for 2011. I read her with envy. She lives the life that Ray and I used to dream about. We are trying to stay content with Scoters spotted on the Ferry. On this trip we also saw Red Breasted Mergansers, Golden Eyes and Cormorants. Birds that everyone easily overlooks. They are everywhere. There might have been a Grebe by the Port Townsend Ferry landing. It was this seagull with his prize starfish that gave us pause. We have seen seagulls toting all kinds of things but this was the first time we have seen one swimming with a starfish. It must not be too rare. There was a second gull down the beach doing the same thing.

I don't know if Ray slept on the Ferry ride home or not. We both crashed once we got home. Our spirits felt a lot better though.

Swans and Snow

The snow was tardy. We were promised snow and snarled traffic last night but at first light the garden all but glowed green. We decided to go do a little birding. This snow shot was toward the end of our day near Lake Bosworth.

There have been rumors of a Sand Hill Crain grazing with the Swans in Stocker Field near Snohomish. We did not see the crain but as we drove past Harvey Field (which is actually a little airport) we did see my nephew David getting the mail. He works at the airport.

Looking toward Everett, it doesn't look like snow clouds.

Walking the dike along the Snohomish River. Swans. Coots too. There were mallards.... or maybe they were just decoys. Hunting season seems to attract lifeless birds.... and I don't mean the feathered kind

Pretty Abby and her mom. Turns out Abby is frightened of gunshot and mom didn't realize it was hunting season. The sound of guns do not bother Rudy so she walked with us for a while thinking Abby would notice that the sound did not bother Rudy. Isn't that funny? Everything else seems to bother Rudy. It was all for nothing. Abby was still freaked out by the sound of shotguns. Poor thing. At least she didn't drag mom back to the car. Mom got her after a thunder storm. Found her running from the sound. Humm.

It is hard to tell but when we got to Lake Conner (a pond really) It was just starting to snow. You can see it against the trees. Or maybe this is just a really bad picture.

Swans from Ray's camera. This was still along the flats.

Really Rudy, I wanted the shot of the Birds, but if you really want your picture taken, ok.

Hey, the Seahawks won! Everywhere we went today people were saying, "Can you believe the hawks are plaing in a play-off? What a joke." Sounds like the joke was on the Saints. Whoot, whoot!

It wasn't exactly a Christmas Bird Count

Belted Kingfisher; Fort Casey Ferry Landing on Whidbey Island.

Most of my morning was spent at the dentist for my semi-annual visit with the hygienist. She is sweet enough but sitting in her chair is not my idea of a good time on one of the rare PNW pretty winter days. Double that sentiment on December 21, the shortest day of the year. From sunrise at 7:56 AM (that is 4 minutes before 8 AM if you think like I do) to sunset at 4:17 PM we do not have much daylight to play in. I am good about brushing and flossing, I don't know why it takes so long to polish my teeth but I've been seeing the same dentist and hygienist for years and we like to get caught up on each others lives. It was close to 11:00 before I was out of the chair and on my way to Whidbey Island with Ray and Rudy Valentine.
Our normal plan is to not have a plan. Ray got some pictures for me from the ferry deck while I sat in the truck with Rudy, waiting for my Advil to kick in. I have a nasty case of TMJ from a minor motorcycle wreck when I was 18. A trip to the dentist reminds me that my jaw is falling apart quicker than my teeth are succumbing to old age. Looking at his pictures reminded me of the days we used to participate in the Christmas bird count on Tweeter. Rudy does not have the same attitude toward birds that we do. He would love to catch one for lunch, not just count them. At least I think that is what all the singing is about when he sees one.
The short trip to Whidbey Island. The sky looks brighter across the sea than over Mukilteo.

First Stop, Langley, Washington on Whidbey Island.

I tried to get Rudy to sit by the boy and his dog, but Rudy doesn't like brass dogs any more than he likes ceramic bunnies. He was having nothing to do with Langley's brass boy.

Brass boy must have thought it was Mardi Gras. He has beads on.

Good ol' Bug Bear wasn't afraid of Brass Dog. He sat bravely for a picture.

The little park at the Langley Marina. For only $250 a night you too can wake up to this view. There are houses to rent. Between us we didn't have money for a cup of coffee so we will not be staying at the charming little house any time soon.

The brand new Ferry "Chetzemoka" that makes the run between Fort Casey and Port Townsend. I know that there is a reason behind the name. I am sure it is a contest winner and has a kewl meaning. But I don't get it. I know what a "moka" is, a popular Washington coffee drink (or is that Mocha?). But what is a Chetze? Ray's only comment was that someone needs to tune the engine. He thought it was making too much black exhaust for a new diesel.

The State Park at Fort Casey was nearly deserted except for an old guy in a Subaru who probably was counting birds for Christmas and a younger man who came down the trail from the Fort, sat on a picnic table and played his trumpet to the cold wind, probably until the trumpet got too cold for his lips to press against. Beautiful view, good music and interesting old guy counting birds while we ate our simple lunch in the truck looking at the birds.

From the truck we saw Golden Crowned Kinglets (a first for Ray), Zebra (or is it a white crown?) Sparrow, Song Sparrow, a Northern Flicker and a Spotted Tow Hee. There was a bunny too. There were more but as soon as I rolled down the window to take a picture, Rudy started singing that song of his and they all scattered. We hope to spend New Years Eve at Fort Casey but I think Ray works that night. We at least hope to get there sometime in January. Rudy can stay in the trailer while we say hello to the birds.

January is when we usually see Scotters in the Keystone ponds. It is so close to January that we made a stop at the ponds on our way back to the Clinton Ferry to look for them. To our mild disappointment they were not there. Common Mergansers and Buffelheads were in the ponds but no Scotters. On the ride back to Mukilteo we were given a window seat. There were flocks of birds at the ferry landing. I put my binoculars on them to see if I could discover more than the usual cormorants and buffel heads among the flocks of black birds.

Scotters. There were flocks of them at the Clinton docks. We've seen them here before but usually we find many more that are easier to see at Keystone. Whoo-hoo! We did get to see our favorite January bird (in December) before we left the island.

Remember those birds we saw at Mukilteo before we set out on our adventure? The birds that reminded us that this was a good time of year to see Scotters?

They were Scotters. (Yep, I can see that two of them were Buffelheads or Golden Eyes)

A Weekend in the Rainforest

We came for a wedding. Ben and Rebeca sent an invitation for us to witness their covenant to forsake all others, in good-times and difficult, to love, to cherish, until death parts them. A beautiful couple, a good match. Family came, everything was ready.

Ray and I also came, anticipating a warm August weekend both in solar heat and family. Family was warm but during this unusual weather year, the rain forest lived up to its name. Generally we can count on days of sunny bliss in August. Not so this year. At the last minute the wedding was moved to a hall in Arlington. Maybe not as breath-taking of a setting, but a place were the promise of growing love and commitment was made just as sincerely. Even so, Ray and I stayed at Turlo Campground in Robe Valley and remembered why we love this place.... and why we are now content to visit instead of living there.

The plan was to walk as many of the old paths that we once counted as familiar friends. We had a good start but the wet kept us close to the trailer. We marched all over Turlo and Verlot. Chris came with Bomber on Saturday. He and I walked while Ray slept. The noise in the Hall pierced through Ray's temple and he needed time to relax the sound away. The rains were just starting, softly on our faces, a sensation I miss in town. What I had forgotten was how these soft rains can leave me feeling wetter inside my clothes then outside. A simple walk left our skin soaked but not our jackets.

Twilight comes early in a mountain valley. The sun sinks into the fingers that are the cragy peeks the encircle the river. There is no TV, not Internet or cell-service to interrupt our appreciation of all that the Creator, Elohim, has provided in this portion of His Creation. Never mind that the cloud cover was low and thick. There was no star-gazing to be done, but the rain was there to sing her lullaby on our tin (aluminum actually) trailer roof. It is a song we adore when it only lasts a night or two. In the morning, the song of the Thrush was missing. But the blue Stellar Jay could be heard. It brought a smile to both of us.

Breakfast at a cafe in town for a final family gathering before we all went our own ways again. It is sweet to be part of such a big, raucous group. So many little ones, just as it should be. We laughed, we teased, we got caught up with each others lives, than we hugged good-by (till we meet again.

Back to the rain forest for Ray and I for yet one more night to relax in the embrace of her wet love. A little Geo-caching (very little), a little camp cooking, a lot of kicking back and just talking of what comes next for us. Dreaming.

Congratulations Ben and Rebeca. We pray for you that love serve you well. We pray that the one who proclaimed, "the two shall become one" be precious to you. Honor Him and He will walk with you, in good times and bad, and you both shall live. The favor of Elohim, who brought you together shine on your marriage from this day forward.

Flowers of Olympic National Park

Day Trippen, round trip from our home in Everett to Obstruction Point Road off of Hurricane Ridge Road in Olympic National Park. A sunny Friday On July 30th. Most of the park was nearly shoulder to shoulder crowded. Unlike Mt Rainer National Park, the vast majority of the cars we saw had Washington State plates on them. In Rainer nearly one third to half of the cars have out of state or Canadian plates. The Olympics are our little big secret.

My submission for Fertlizer Friday....