Wildlife rehabilitation

This morning Rob burst into the house and informed me that he and Chloe had just spotted an injured red-tail hawk down the street, flopping around on the ground. He found a large cardboard box and a couple of old towels to help capture it; I helped by tippety-tapping at the computer to find a nearby wildlife rescue group. It turns out that PAWS has a wildlife center open 7 days a week up in Lynnwood. Rob donned bicycle gloves to protect his hands and together we went back to the bird. The hawk was alert and definitely opposed to being captured, but Rob successfully managed to place a towel over it and gently transfer it to the box without much fuss. The bird's halfhearted struggle (and the way it sort of pathetically flopped over on its head in the box at first...) made me even more concerned about its condition.

We brought it back and left it in the driveway for a few minutes while I staggered about trying to find my glasses and get dressed. PAWS is across Seattle from us, but Sunday morning traffic was light and we were there in half an hour. They have this whole compound up there; I'd known of them as an animal shelter but had no idea they did rehabilitation and release of wildlife. The woman at the wildlife center transferred the injured hawk to their facilities and assured us that a vet would be out to take a look at him tomorrow or earlier. "When I transferred him to the cage he immediately clutched at it with his talons, so that's a good sign," she said. She took our address and the location where he was found, and said that if they can heal him they'll release him back here where he came from. "We'll send you a card to let you know what happens to him," she promised.

Here's hoping it's not too long before he's perched hungrily in a tree again like this one near Anacortes. (Ooo, terrible segue.)

Snow!

Sockcess!

I started knitting my first sock sometime back in...March, maybe? April? I found this very helpful online tutorial and knit away until I had produced one minimally screwed up ankle sock. Emboldened by my accomplishment, I immediately cast on its mate...and then that first half-inch of ribbing sat in my knitting basket for the next six months. Last week a few folks from work got together for a knitting night, so I pulled out the lonely second sock and returned my attentions to it again. Nine days later, I finally have a pair of socks!

Alas, this angle makes my ankles look enormous. Please don't judge me.



When I bought the yarn, I defiantly chose a colorway with all my favorite colors from about age 14. Teal! Purple! Blue! Why pretend I don't still love them; with these socks I reclaim my secret favorite colors once again. Next thing you know, I'll be carrying my dayplanner in a sparkly Trapper Keeper with a unicorn on the cover.



Alas, at knitting night last week I got a bit distracted, chatting and helping a coworker learn to knit. Can you see the sad wonky mistake I made, the first thing I notice when I see these socks?



CAN YOU SEE IT NOW?



It's okay, I'm still proud of them. I look forward to wearing them in the spring when ankle socks make sense again.

Seas and ponds

All on the same long weekend, I got to go sea kayaking with Sarah and quasi-hiking with Kristin. Does it really count as a hike if the trail is paved? Methinks not. But it was a pretty little stroll nonetheless.

First, the kayaking. Friday before Labor Day was a bit chilly and drizzly, but we stayed pretty warm once we were snugly tucked into our spray skirts and our life jackets, and exercising our arms.



We drove up to Anacortes, caught a water taxi to Cypress Island, and then paddled around the eastern side of Cypress Island. No orca sightings, but we did see several bald eagles, some sea stars (including a sunflower sea star with 20+ legs), some other birds whose name I've forgotten (Sarah, help!), harbor seals, and a glimpse of a harbor porpoise.



We paddled for a couple of hours and then beached for lunch in Eagle Harbor:



Another hour or so of paddling south brought us to Cypress Head, where the water taxi picked us up just as the clouds started to clear.



Then on Monday (a day graced by a bit more sunshine) Kristin and I drove east on I-90 to walk around Gold Creek Pond. It used to be a quarry, and now it's a serene little pool perfect for an afternoon stroll. We were a little perturbed upon arriving at the parking lot and seeing two trucks which had apparently parked there overnight (a nearby trail apparently went further into the mountains) and had their windows broken, glass fragments still strewn about the area. What a crappy thing to return to after a backpacking trip...But it was a lovely walk, and we returned to find Kristin's car intact.

Between Santa Fe and Taos

I told you Taos was my favorite site of the places we visited in New Mexico, but that was a filthy lie. Taos and Taos Pueblo were stunning, true:



But I think my favorite site was the little town of Truchas, on the "high road" between Santa Fe and Taos.



On a whim, Erin and I followed signs to "Turtle Rock Studio," one of several art studios and galleries in town. We spent a little time there, and took some pictures of the Truchas Peaks before contnuing on our way to Taos.

Hey, remember that time when I went to New Mexico with my friend Erin for a week? You might not, since it was four months ago now. I thought I'd post some photographic evidence of the trip. Finally.

This was an old church on the back road between Santa Fe and Taos:


At Bandelier National Monument we walked through Frijoles Canyon, peering into the accessible cavates and kivas and pointing out petroglyphs to each other, before hiking up the canyon to climb 140 feet up wooden ladders and stone steps to see the Alcove House:




My favorite site was Taos Pueblo:

New Route Home

Straight down MLK all the way...this definitely cuts some distance and effort from the trip. It probably doesn't save much time since I tend to ride the last 3 miles on the sidewalk (legal in Washington as long as one yields to pedestrians), but I do enjoy the decreased effort required overall.

They call it "half a century"

Done!

Memorial Day Weekend

Blog (n): A place to toot one's own horn

Last Saturday I decided to try for a longer weekend ride. I commuted by bicycle for eleven days in May, 20 miles every day, so I studied my handy King County Bicycle Trails map and headed for the Green River Trail. I estimated I could reasonably expect to go 30 miles in a leisurely few hours given that my 10-mile commute takes me a bit less than an hour.

I ended up going all the way to the end of the Green River Trail (map viewable here), or at least to where it intersects with the Interurban Trail and seems to end. After 15 miles I didn't feel like turning for home yet, so when I found myself at the Interurban Trail after 19 miles I felt pretty triumphant. I ate a (disgusting) (really, those things are good for nothing besides energy...even the "chocolate" flavored ones require almost an entire bottle of water to help choke it down) Clif Bar and drank some water, watching some folks fly a remote-controlled airplane at the park between the trails, and headed home.

Miles: 38
Time riding: 3 hours 18 minutes (Time gone: about 4 hours 15 minues...I dawdled a lot)
Rabbits hopping away from the trail: 3
Oblivious people milling about (and even sitting) on the trail where it runs alongside the soccer fields at Fort Dent Park: approximately 200
Near-misses with vehicular traffic: 0
Horses heard neighing in a stable near the trail: 1
Arms sunburned due to my apparent inability to remember what the sun can do to me: 2

This is the perfect trail to ride on if you want to do that when you visit. It's flat, shady, mostly quiet, and uncrowded. There are plenty of access points, lots of parks along the way with restroom facilities and water for refilling bottles. A+. I'm definitely going to ride this one again this summer.

Tour of the House (36 Pictures!)

Hey, why not take a tour of our new house? We don't have many pictures on the walls or anything yet, but slowly it's coming together. As a bonus, anyone who completes the photo tour is eligible for a free stay in the guest room at your convenience! (Valid only in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Residents of Puerto Rico not eligible. Some rules and restrictions apply; please see blog operator for more information.)

Walk in the front door and look in at the living room:



Cross the living room for now and go through the door past that blue chair, into the kitchen:



Turn left to admire the brand new microwave and the brand new red teapot. So cheerful!



Enjoy the views north and east from the kitchen windows, and admire the craftsmanship of that clever cutting board on the counter.





Pivoting to your right, you see Chloe's feed station and the pantry cupboard, which holds a lot more food than you'd think. You might think to yourself, "Wait, I pivoted too quickly--I want to see the little deck off the kitchen!" But Becky forgot to take a picture of that, so you'll have to redeem your FREE STAY to see that detail. (Offer expires December 31, 2020. Taxes not included. Void where prohibited.)



Having pivoted 180 degrees, check out the sturdy steel front door and step back into the living room.



Turn to your left and scan the south side of the living room. Boy, in this natural light it's a lot easier to see the difference between the yellow and the green. The green isn't quite that minty in reality, though. But close enough.





Now walk toward the hulking furnace in the hallway there.



Whirl around in time to see Chloe creeping up onto the couch. Sternly tell her to get off. Check out the wee closet under the stairs while you're there.



Whirl back around (whoa, careful, don't let all this spinning make you dizzy) and continue into the laundry room. How about that utility sink?



Itty bitty stacked washer and dryer. They may be small, but they are the first washer and dryer I have ever in my adult life not had to share with other residents of a building. I don't have to go upstairs or downstairs to use them, I don't have to put quarters in them, I don't have to wait impatiently for someone else's load to finish. Luxury indeed.



It certainly is nice to have all that counter space in a laundry room, isn't it? Politely pretend not to see the air-drying socks slung over the handles of the drawers.



One of the odd little features of this house is the way you have to walk through the laundry room to get to the main bathroom. Ah well, here it is with its little shower and new cabinetry.





Turning around in the bathroom, you look back out toward the living room. Notice the clever pocket door between the laundry room and the bathroom.



Oops, you almost forgot to peep in here--as you come back out of the laundry room, look to your right and glance into the very tiny second bathroom. There's a roomy linen closet behind the door of this one!



Now turn and enter the master bedroom behind you. Wow, someone really should have straightened out that comforter before they went and documented it.



Chloe's bed looks nice and vacuumed. Walk toward that corner.



Turn around to leave the bedroom. Aww, someone's following you!



Maybe you enjoy, as I do, the original details like the doorknobs and even the closet doors.



Walk back out into the living room. Hey, did you notice that new couch the first time through? It's nothing fancy, but this is its first home! Notice that it's stopped raining.



Time to go upstairs.



At the top of the stairs turn right and look around in the music room. Wow, it certainly is...orange, in here. At night when it's only lit by candlelight it's quite cozy, though. You might wonder, My goodness, how many guitars can one person possibly need? The correct answer approaches infinity, I believe.





The other room at the top of the stairs will be the guest room / storage space / office. (Guest room! Why, that means you'll be using this room when you redeem your free trip!) (Must be 18 or older at time of purchase. May not be combined with any other offer. All rights reserved. Please keep arms inside the vehicle at all times.)



It's a nice room. When the rain is rattling on the metal roof above, this room feels quite cozy. The window looks north up Martin Luther King Boulevard, along which a light rail line is being constructed. When it opens in 2009, the light rail will run from the airport to downtown Seattle, right past our house. Convenient!



If you could see inside these boxes (obviously there is more unpacking to do), you might wonder, My goodness, how much yarn does one person need? Again, the correct answer approaches infinity.



And another closet; both upstairs rooms have little closets. We pulled up the corner of the carpet in one of them, and found fir underneath. Ahh, another potential project!



Look back across into the music room.



This is the little nook at the top of the stairs. I'm thinking bookshelves.



Turn and retreat down the stairs. Feel free to use the handrail as the stairs are slightly steep. Retrieve your coat from the hook at the bottom of the stairs.



And that's the end of the tour. Thanks for visiting! Be sure to see the concierge on your way out to get details on redeeming your free stay! (Rated E for Everyone.)