Arizona Trip

And So It Begins

First of all, this is being typed on a tablet so it's going to be short. But here we go... Baby plants!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

A touch late, but the year got off to a busy start.

 

As usual, I failed to make any NYE plans and found myself at home with Jack and Nora. After a movie, I went to bed around 9... which would be lame, but I decided to wake up as early as possible to greet the new year.

 

Jack and I hit the road before dawn and made the ferry just before sunrise. We were one of maybe ten cars onboard so we had the place almost to ourselves!

 

Since Jack was seven weeks old, he's been on these ferries. I remember stuffing him into my jacket a couple of days after I brought him home as we went across the Sound for our family's annual 4th of July cabin trip. I love how noisy and rumbly they are. To me, they are as close as one gets to the noise of a helicopter or other loud vehicles without being around the real thing. Vacuum cleaners on steroids. We practice obedience every time we hit the deck. People look at me like I'm nuts, but oh well. :)

 

One of the dog loving deckhands suggested we go up the elevator to the sundeck. We made it just in time for that moment when the sun is just about to crest over the mountains and the sky seems to flash with color.  

 

This is before the flash.



 

And during. Excuse the bird photo-bomb.  

 

 

I'm so glad I actually got moving early enough to see this. Grateful really. It was such a clear and beautiful morning, and to spend it quietly with Jack was just the ticket.

 

You can really see how empty the ferry is. I guess it's pretty empty at this time of year anyway, but we saw only one other woman braving the cold this morning.

 

My darn phone camera is all I have at the moment, so I tried a straight-on shot of the sunrise as well as a sun/mountain view.



 

Off the ferry, I could see the sun still hanging just over the horizon behind me, so I pulled over into the neighborhoods in Kingston and took some photos.

 

I could have sat on the ledge here and watched the fog on the water for hours. I had NYE partiers on my mind as I left to quiet Jack's barking after a few minutes.

 

But not before bringing him out for this photo-op.

 



 

At this point my hands were frozen, teeth chattering, and the heater in the truck was not working fast enough. I stopped at The Cup & Muffin, the seemingly only open business in Kingston that morning. I've driven by that place a thousand times and never stopped before. It was a pleasant surprise - especially given how cold it was! (And considering the Port Gamble coffee stand was CLOSED!)

 

We stopped at Seven Sisters Beach and there was not a soul in sight.

 

See, I'm not lying. Even the sand is frozen!

 

 

We walked all the way up and down the stretch. How many times can I say, "It was so beautiful?"

 

It was so beautiful.

 

Since I'm repeating myself, can I just say... I love this kid. He is so funny with pictures - he must be used to his crazy human pointing that weird box she talks into all the time at him, laughing, and then continuing like nothing happened.

 

This picture makes me cold.

 

And this one.

 

I tried to get Jack to wait while I put this on his nose, but he ended up eating the leaf. I should have known better.

 

Brrr.

 

 

 

Right after the walk on Seven Sisters, we went up to Ludlow Falls, which is in a super hard-to-find place, so it's usually totally empty.

Every once in a while, Jack will do this eerie I-smell-something-in-the-woods thing.. which, he's trained in search and rescue, so I anticipate he will always tell me if people are out there, but.. ehh.. gave me the heebie-jeebies. We didn't spend a lot of time out here.

 

Ludlow Falls is essentially a nature walk. The trail had a section washed out several months ago, so there's only one way to go. (If you can walk off trail for about 20 feet, you can do the whole loop, but it's discouraged.) Cross a small footbridge, head up the path (this is where Jack did the creepy smell-the-hiding-predator thing,) and begin the easy descent into the falls viewing area.

 

The stairs take you down to a landing at the creek bed. This is after the falls. In the summer it's fun to bring sandals and walk up the tamer bits of the waterfall.

 

 

 

Here's the creek after the falls. Jack is waiting for me to throw a ball in the water.

 

 

 

I love this tree. I think it's an Elm? No special reason, it just has character.

 

 

And the falls. There are two drops on this trail. This is the first one, and you can walk almost all the way up on the side. There's a long lull in between so, say your dog jumps in... the water is shallow, not super fast moving, and there are lots of rocks to walk across on. Or do yoga, or take pictures, or sit and watch... I've done them all. :)

 

 Icicles at Ludlow Falls!?!?! No. No. No.

 

On the way out we passed an older couple coming down the trail, which was just about perfect timing. We each got the place to ourselves and Jack didn't scare the bejeebers out of unsuspecting hikers.

 

After checking on the cabin, we walked down to the boat ramp to find the tide all the way up so we went to the park a block or so away instead.

 

Now, when I graduated from college, I had this romantic idea that I would live at the cabin, work at the golf course, write every day, become a famous author, and spend my free time walking with my two dogs (fantasy dogs at this point) on the beach.

 

Obviously none of that happened. I still spend tons of time up at the cabin, and "work" on my novel (by "work" I mean stare at what I've already written and hate-hate-hate it.) But I don't live there. SAR is my new life-consuming hobby. And... m'dog is crazy.

 

I still cling to the fantasy that one day I will look down at Jack, he will look back at me, and we will sit in silence for several minutes on the beach and watch the wildlife.

 

I cling to that idea because what happens now is this:

 

Jack: "I think we're going to the beach!" [BARK, WAG, BARK, PICK UP STICK, RUN, BARK.]

Me: "Hey, Buddy. Let's go to the beach."

Jack: "WE'RE GOING TO THE BEACH!" [Runs to beach.]

Me: [Throws ball/stick for a million hours.] "Buddy, I played with you for a million hours. Let's walk a little and then take a rest."

Jack: "I WILL NEVER REST!"

Me: "Let's sit here and watch the porpoises. Just for a few minutes."

Jack: "Sitting still is the devil!" [BARK, BARK, JUMP ON COURTNEY! BARK!]

 

Okay, so that did happen, but when we got to my favorite sit-still place, I sat on a piece of driftwood and pulled him in front of me, and sort of braced him with my legs on either side of him (which I know is super offensive and horrible-awful in dog world, but screw it) and I'll be damned if he didn't sit there with me for maybe five minutes.

 

I forgot my cell phone so I couldn't take a picture, which in a way, made it all the more special.

 

One of my top five moments with Jack yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birthday Hike

 

So on my birthday this year, I decided to.. hide. I mean hike.

 

Jack and I started off the morning around the neighborhood. For short walks, especially through dumb city-dogs-are-people-too territory, Jack with a large toy in his mouth is for the best. Don't tell Uncle Bobby we stole his football from the cabin. Oopsie.

After rush hour died down, we went up to the Tokul area for a loop and play in a big field up there. My mom told me she was sick of all the pictures of just Jack, so I took a selfie, hiking with dog style. I love that he's looking at the camera.

 

 

After lunch at the North Bend Bar and Grill, we hung out at Snoqualmie Point Park. Basically the day was jumping from one big place to play fetch to another. Once he knows where we are going, he grabs a ball and pulls me until we get to the field. Like a Labrador Retriever pulling to the lake I suppose.

 It was so windy up there. He's not pleased that I'm staging this photo. Note the mud all over his face. We had a fun day. :)
 

Oh, here's the mud. And the ball. On the way back from the field. Noticing a trend here...

 

Here's another selfie. That word sucks. Here's another picture of the two of us. Jack looks like a horse here, but the other ones I took are either him barking or my hair billowing in my face. Horse picture it is.

 

 

Nice day off from work spent at a slower pace with my best buddy. We went home and I met a couple of friends and my family for dinner too - lucky me!

 

The day ended with a quick walk through the park near our house. Credit where credit is due, Jess took this picture, but I had to use it here. I love it so much - even considering the sissy daisy leash.

 

I often toy with the idea of tattooing the silhouette of his ears on the inside of my finger. Those crazy batman ears deserve a tribute. :) 

 

 

 



Is that how you spell "Porpoise?"

 

Our family is fortunate to have a place to "get away from it all," that isn't hard to get to. The cabin is located in a tiny little blip of neighborhood near the Hood Canal Bridge, leaving us with miles of empty beaches for leash-free romping with dogs, historic towns to explore and overall quietness to absorb.

 

Not a particularly pretty cabin, but who the hell cares? It's by the beach and away from the city.

 

Jack normally starts to bark once we hit the bridge, and I swear, I can feel stress lift off once the truck tires hit the grating of the bridge.

 

In the fall and winter, there isn't a soul in sight. Pull through the Port Gamble coffee stand and hit the bridge (not literally, don't do that.) Once in Jefferson County, take your pick - Teal Lake, Ludlow Falls, the tidelands, the golf course loop, or our own secret places, found during explorations over the years. Jack and I know them all.

 

This is our secret place. With the exception of the summer months, which tend to produce masses (and by masses, I mean five or 10 people) of strangers tromping up and down the shoreline, this place is deserted. Sometimes we slip kayaks into the water and glide through the frigid water - without the disturbance of a heavy boat motor, seals, otters, and Dahl's Porpoises make their appearances known with little reservation. Once, a small pod of porpoises took the crab out of my pot as I pulled it to the surface. In a kayak, no less.

Here we are as a family, on (what we have named) Seven Sisters, this small inlet near Dragon Head Island (also not an official name.) When the tide is out like this, you can walk all the way to the island. When tide is in, the water is all the way up to the tree line there. It is, without a doubt, one of my most favorite places in this universe. It's also where Romeo, my brother's dog, learned to swim. :)

 

I think this was Mother's Day or something. My mom always gets mad when I take pictures of her (wonder where I get it) but I am so happy I snapped this picture. My brother's girlfriend and Romeo are there too, behind Dad. 

When I first bring friends up to the cabin, they always seem shocked that I carry a beer through the neighborhood and walk Jack down to the beach without so much as a collar on. That's just the nature of the territory. (Plus I have a ball in my pocket and Jack wouldn't leave his toy for anything.)

 

I was lucky to spend several warm evenings like this one last summer. I think this trip was Jess, Daisy, and another friend. We hauled the fire pit out of the shed and loaded up with some firewood, two salty, soggy, and blissfully tired dogs, and a beer or two.

 

We actually do this in the winter too - just pile on the blankets and trade the beer for hot cocoa. :)

 



 

I'm one of those dog parents that think everyone in the world wants to see pictures of my buddy. Because he's perfect and handsome and, and, and... Sorry. I take a lot of pictures of Jack.

 

Below is a photo I took in Port Gamble at the aforementioned coffee stand. He's looking across the big fields that they do Civil War reenactments on, towards the woods that he knows we are about to run into. Port Gamble is a tiny (teeny tiny) historic town people have probably driven through on their way along highway 104.

 

Sort of the same deal as the beach near the cabin. Summertime yields a surge in tourism, but it's still not a huge attraction. The General Store just opened up a new café and bar - if I lived there full time, the ol' pocketbook and I would have a situation on our hands. It is so good. So delicious, friendly staff, and a young feeling respite in the middle of an old timey area. Oh - and the best damn catsup you'll ever have in your life. I don't know what it is, but the waffle fries and catsup are a must have. The garden burger is a delight as well. Okay... now I'm trying to justify taking a ferry across tonight.

 

Deep breath.

 

Seriously though, if you're already planning on passing through Port Gamble, I highly recommend the General Store Café. You won't be sorry.

Remember when you were a kid (and maybe now too) when you would wake up with ease on weekend days, and have to claw your way out of bed on weekdays? Kind of the same deal here.

 

This is sunrise. You know.. like.. at the start of the day. I see almost all the sunrises at the beach. Each one a little more beautiful than the last.

 

Curse the spots in the photos. Arg.

 

These are from October, judging from the color of the leaves. I can't tell who is in this photo, maybe Daisy and Jessie.

 

Here is a sunrise picture from the very break of day. Jack was chasing a crab here I think. I love this shot because of the obvious solitude and silence and.. majesty? Perfectness?

 



 

Who is Princess Porpoise, you ask?

 

She only comes out in summertime, when sitting in the sand is tolerable. And she lives near a huge boulder that the porpoises surface out from, unofficially named "Porpoise Point." I've yet to capture them on camera - usually because I'm not carrying one at the beach but also because they're fast buggers, and cell phone cameras just ain't that quick yet.  

 

Okay this is getting long and weirder by the minute.

Ode to Sky Nursery at the Holidays

 

Now that I work so close to Sky Nursery, I can often swoop in for a quick coffee break at their NEW coffee stand. (Do you hear me, Sam?!) Up and running as of last week, the stand offers a soup of the day, bagels and pastries, and of course, coffee. Coffee in all its splendor. Oh, the toddy mocha is the stuff daydreams are made of. Seriously, I shall never tire of running in, avoiding the major line and crabby attitude at the Starbucks across the street, and making a loop in the greenhouse with my hot drink in hand, before returning to work.

 

But. It gets better.

 

Really.

 

Come my child, I will show you the way.

 

Christmas at Sky Nursery.

 

Can we talk about how wonderful this place is? Starting.. mmm.. Halloween, the nursery begins to undergo its transformation. The walls of seed packets and gift items are pushed to the sides and back of the nursery and nearly half of the indoor supply area is dedicated to ornaments, gifts, and decorations for the holidays.

 

Add one more thing to the fifteen minute coffee break. Jump into car. Race to nursery. Buy coffee. Take lap in greenhouse. Frolic through Christmas area. Go back to work.

 

Here's a taste of the magic:

 

Berries. On sticks. For decorating. I must have these.  

 

I love this green. And the foliage is soft - not prickly like non-holiday shrubbery.

 

And the primroses! In every color imaginable. Sometimes to cheer myself up (and our front yard,) I just buy a couple (MILLION) of these to plant in pots on by the front door.

 

By now in my daily walk, I have probably spilled coffee on myself as I crouched down to pet a dog walking through the greenhouse, picked up and put down about a hundred different plants I can't live without, and am emotionally preparing myself for the look-don't-touch walk I must force upon myself.

 

Ready?

 

The sign near this fellow reads, "Better Gnomes and Gardens."

Wit and Christmas? I can't take it.

 

 

Oh there's the sign. See?! Amazing.

 

 

Different trees for different themes, of course. Above is the mushroom/fairy/gnome/magicalness tree. Below is the camping and nature-y section. I almost bought the teardrop trailer ornament for a friend (who may or may not have let me and Jack stay in her teardrop trailer one night.)

 

Santa Clauses and snowmen are my one true weakness.

I could go on forever, because, well, the Christmas section goes on... forever. But I won't. I will exercise restraint. Also, it's 11:21 p.m. and I have to be at work at 8:00 tomorrow.

 

One last thing though.

 

Christmas tree.

 

My family always jokes (can jokes be serious statements delivered without a laugh or a smile?) about how traumatic Christmas tree selection was during my brother and my childhood. Granted, I do recall that... anything regarding one item being purchased for both kids resulted in a tantrum of some kind, I always remember the Christmas tree purchase fondly. Maybe that means I always got my way.

 

Anyway. My parents insist on a fAkE tree. Ugh. Alas, their house knows no longer the sweet aroma of pine. Their carpet stays clear of the trail of pine needles and that sticky pitch crap, and no one chucks the broken strands of lights off the deck. Yes, Mom and Dad simply pull the dreaded item out of its hellish box and plop it down in the corner.

 

But not Jess and I! Ah, the search for the perfect tree commences, and we disappear into the maze of green, the lights hanging above illuminating (HIDING IMPERFECTIONS?!) the different types and sizes as we pass by.

 

Sigh, nothing like a crisp winter's night. Families all bundled up in the annual (bitch fight) search for the tree upon which to lovingly place prized family treasures.

 

In actuality, Jess had two trees picked out already and I didn't give a crap which one we bought because it was suuuuper cold. Also, we had to shove the tree into Jack's dog crate in the back of my truck which, I must say, ruined the romanticism a bit. (On the plus side, Jack smelled like a pine forest for a week afterwards.)