I take heart in reading from Professor Mass Weather blog that La Nina is showing signs of breaking apart and we might nave a better Summer this year.
Winter has been long and dreary and I wish I could say I did many fun and interesting things.
I did join the Nisqually Land Trust in their property planting and invasive weed pulling. These work parties are always enjoyable. Once again we were fortunate in the weather and most work parties went off without a hitch. One was cancelled for snow. That was the weekend I traveled to the ocean and did beach clean-up.
I returned to the ocean in February and totally had a weekend of doing things I had not done before. I am venturing into the game of Geocaching. Using a GPS unit, I find my way to a hidden box planted by another cacher. It is a fun way to get out into the environment and see new places. I am eager to discover some of the boxes planted in remote areas of eastern Washington. I am currently looking at my Desert Hikes book for ideas for April wildflower destinations.
One cache had me on the beach below Cape Disappointment. While I did not find the tricky find I certainly discovered some other fun things.
A wrecked boat with an old rusty engine. I had a good chuckle over the engines face.
In the woods this little salamander was out and about. It must have been very cold as it let me pick it up for a careful looking over. That is my glove so you can get and idea of its size and unwillingness to move.
It was a clamming weekend and I always love watching people pursue the crafty Razor Clams.
burrrrrr
Sanderlings were everywhere in busy flocks, working the same low tide as the clammers.
I rode a bike for the first time in 40 years. I stayed once again at Adrift Hotel and Sunday morning I checked out a little bike for a quick trip along the beach Discovery Trail. The bike was too small for me, but my level of confidence was pretty shaky at first. I would have been more at home on a horse.
I finally got to the Kite Museum. There was a master class on kite fabrication going on. I watched some interesting videos on Kite Fishing and Kite Fighting. There were extensive collections of kites from Asia and the Middle East.
My favorite exhibit was the bird kite collection.
But best of all I flew my own kite. Something I have never done before. I visited the amazing Gasworks Kite Shop
http://gasworksparkkiteshop.com/
after a visit to the dentist. I figured a root canal deserves a toy from the toy chest.
The store is amazing and filled with fun. The wonderful staffer showed me all the beginner kites that could self launch. I had a hard time choosing and settled on a butterfly kite. I have my eye on an amazing "long tail" kite as well.
It launched right out of my hand and I could get it quite high in the air. Made of nylon, I have it in the trunk of my car and have pulled it out a few times since when I found a place with a good clear area to fly in. It is an amazing, relaxing activity.
I grabbed this photo with on hand while flying my kite. I saw it setting up and mentally I wished the father and son to climb that hill and set up the shot. They read my mind and this picture is one of my favorites in a long time
So Spring is here. Birds are giving their all, I even saw a Pacific Wren building a nest Saturday.
Sunday I visited a raw open area looking for early swamp and marsh residents. See the frosting on those distant hills? Wisely it seems the ducks are in more sheltered areas than this open area. Marsh Wrens were busy nest building and Redwing Blackbirds were just starting to fluster about setting up territory.
Skunk Cabbage are everywhere.
Pussywillows are, to me, the essence of Spring. This one is spangled with rain or snow, it was certainly cold enough yesterday for it to have been either.
Spring is Here
