Swans

At Mendenhall landing there are 4 swans and several ducks. All there on there way South. As always i tried to sneak up on them, but they see me anyway. I am really not very sneaky :) They spread their great wings, at first that is quite a movement to make as you see here in the picture, but then they lift off very easily.
Don and i are at the landing to see if there are Shaggy Mane mushrooms, he found a meal elsewhere yesterday. And we love them. We had them for breakfast. For lunch we had Puff balls. Yesterday at the party we fried up the Meadow Mushrooms. (let me know when i start to grow moldy)

The Fireweed is in seed.

You can imagine when the wind will pick up, we are in a fireweed fluff cloud.
I will let you know how that is. One fluff will already be quite ticklish at my nose.

At the end of the day, when the light was turning gold, (now it is) I went High Bush Cranberry picking. These berries turn out to be abundant too this year, and hopefully i will pick again in a few days. The forest where i pick is magical, it is where elfin creek goes underground. Before i get there i smell the cranberries. The bushes bright pinkish red, or dark red, some still green. All the berries vermilion red, shiny like glass.
The forest; Spruce and the strong smelling, deliciously so, Balsam Poplars, which when i look up are turning gold.

By the way, i am all calm now, did do the things i wanted to, today (which didn't include housekeeping anyway)

laughter

Too much.
My days are just too short these days.
Or do i want to do too much?
Or don't i want to miss out on anything?
What ever it is, i better get this post done fast, because i really want to.... numerous things.

Last night after stopping at Virginia's, where i pick some meadow mushrooms and big puffballs, i hike into the Saltflats, and go to a partyYes, this is what i serve at the party, not bear-paw stew, but Red Samphire. It even looks more scary here as it does in the bowl. But everybody likes it and the bowl is empty fast.

I love this photo for the water, and again ask you which shorebird it is. A peeper, right Mary?

And this photo for the sky, because i meet two wonderful people at the Saltflats, Janet and Peter. Peter teaches me about sky photography, he has photos on Webshot (Internet), don't ask me more, i did find them, but don't know how.

And for the laughter. At the party, (Sylvie's farewell:(, we were so loud and had so much fun, it makes me wonder why i only go to parties 3 times a year, max. Too busy, i guess:)

warbler

Every day now, there are migratory birds in my yard.
Bathing and drinking from little puddles in the boulders.
Eating from all the seed heads.
Picking in the gravel.
Last Tuesday there were, white crown sparrows and warblers.
Among them this one.
If anyone out there can identify it, i will be happy to know.
Thanks.

ps. Sept 15 2009. Thanks Mary. It is very possible an Orange-crowned Warbler!

most amazing

I love all my hiking, but some days....
Yesterday's hike/bike was one of those, most amazing.

I do drive 20 km. to get to the spot were i start biking.
I have biked this trail before a few times. But always taken the same route. Today i plan to go straight North were i normally turn West.
The trail is good, and yes, thank goodness for trails. Only the first part i can bike, and after that i am pushing my bike up, it's a continues gradual incline.
And before i know it, i am at the start of the treeline, blueberries, dwarf birch, with scattered big wide Spruces. Soon the trail is littered with Harebells
the tiniest plant with one big bluebell as a flower.
Here i could still be ok without a trail, but then for a mile or so, I am in Willows up to my shoulders, here the path has Wormwood blooming. an inconspicuous flower, lovely never the less.
(i did put pictures on my wildflower blog and lots on flickr, see right hand column. My flickr account is called 'je zon')
This is a mountain on the East

I am going up the one on the West. I leave my bike somewhere on the trail against a big rock, next time i will continue the trail to see how far it actually continues. It seems to end on the moraine in between those two mountains.
I do have to bushwhack a little bit to the foot of the mountain. A beautiful stretch though, crumbly rock formations sticking out of the now only three foot high bushes, little dips here and there, some with a little flow of water in them.

The Mountain; first i have to climb a bit on fairly loose rock, but lots of vegetated spots in it for safe climbing. Several dwarf Spruce growing right out of the side.
Above the rocks its grassy slopes forever.
So many wildflowers were blooming here this summer! I will be back. Now they are mostly in seed. I do find some mountain Asters.
Soon it turns out my favorite kind of mountain. One side sloped and the three other sides more or less vertical.
(holy, now, when i am typing here, there is a real down pour going on outside and the sun is still shining!)
Anyway, a mountain i dream off and only a three hour walk(at the most, i didn't bring a watch) from the highway.
As i am at the East side, I follow the ridge to the highest point. And.., i think i am over the top :) I see some white rocks, not too far off (so much for my spotting skills) Suddenly one of the rocks moves!

Very soon they see me too, and wander off. Slowly i do try to get closer, which makes them run to the edge, where they wait a while. But do decide to go down towards the lake. Indeed down the vertical slope. I just watch them, they do cause some little rock slides, but it is amazing to see how they jump.
They don't go all the way down but circumvent the North slope and eventually end up underneath the moraine, where i loose sight of them. Two of them went East.
I explore the whole ridge. which is lovely. The views fantastic and to look straight down exhilarating. Fall colors appearing and only Harebells and Wormwood for flowers. Well and some always present, blooming Yarrow and Fireweed And some Heather. Then it starts to rain. I return to my bike. have an amazing ride down am totally wet and full of mud.
I better go clean that bike now (Alexander's Faith 2)

Sheep

I'll write later...:)honestly.

impermanence

Goodmorning!



my translation of a poem by Willem Overkleeft.

we are the leaves
whirling against the wind
curiously tasting
on unknown things
drifting out at sea

blowing soap bubbles
translucent, disappearing
on the air-current
to faraway forbidden places
bursting at the slightest nick

descending in the surf
washing over your skin
from which i lick
salt tainted
with the virus
that we call life

my own painting

On his website Willem has a a lot of new photos
click:
NEW PICTURES

coyotes

coyotes howling
in the cool misty air
grey clouds
above the mountains
underneath
white mist
in the valley
the moist air
caressing my skin
the path over grown
wet overhanging branches
brrr wet and cold
startling me
now with all this rain
i keep the fire going
really the house
gets way too warm
sleeping under only a sheet
as if it was still
this hot summer we had
stepping outside
everything is fresh
i like the look of
the big poplars
light grey
on the dry side
dark olive on the west
from which the wetness came
i want to draw
the forms it takes
coyotes howling
i shiver and
reluctantly
go back inside

(i wrote this yesterday morning.
Today, Sunday, was a warm sunny day,
just so you know:)