THURSDAY MORNING WALK ~~ IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT ~~ PARTING SHOT

THURSDAY MORNING WALK

Last week we decided to go on a walk at Tahoma Cemetery. I know I have documented walks at this cemetery before, so I hope I don't repeat myself with pictures and videos already posted. Still, there were a few things going on there that were new.

A few days ago I saw a post on Facebook about a new memorial at Tahoma Cemetery to honor Yakima's only Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. Jack J. Pendleton. Linda and I found the memorial without much trouble because there was a blue flag flying overhead. It is a very beautiful memorial. The back side of the headstone tells the story of how Sgt. Pendleton ordered his squad to stay back while he crawled toward the enemy. He was able to distract the enemy long enough for another squad to advance and complete the mission by knocking out the machine gun nest. Sgt. Pendleton was shot several times and killed within 10 yards of the machine gun. I'm glad he was finally recognized for his sacrifice.

Yakima's Medal of Honor Recipient

Sgt. Pendleton's original headstone

Continuing on in the cemetery, we came upon another veteran's grave that was sweetly decorated for the holidays.

Sad but sweet

We like to walk the cemetery in the summer months because everything is nice and green and the huge trees are full of leaves, providing welcome shade from the hot sun. However, in the winter the scenery is very bleak, with bare trees and not much color to be had.

Linda spotted some activity in one area, so we walked over to check it out. There is a Japanese Garden in the cemetery that was started a few years ago but work apparently was put on hold. On the day we walked, there was a cement truck pouring concrete footings around the circle area, so hopefully they will resume work on the gardens in the spring. It would be nice to have some plantings around the archway.

Japanese Garden in the works

If you would like to learn more about the Tahoma Cemetery, click on the link here to read an interesting article from our local newspaper.


Walking on around the cemetery, we came upon a group of birds. Linda recognized them immediately. So now we finally know where all the quail have gone...to the cemetery! This group was busy foraging around in the grass beside the road. It was strange to note that most of the quail in this group were males, as evidenced by their large topknots and black throats. Even though these are fairly large birds, they can still move pretty fast! It was so nice to see them again.

IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

Yesterday Linda and I had a coffee date at Starbucks. We like to do this about once a month when we save up enough reward points to get a free drink. Our favorite Starbucks is the one on Summitview Ave, which is nearby our local bookstore, Inklings Bookshop. We like to go there and browse around after our coffee. One of the employees at the Summitview Starbucks made this gorgeous Christmas wreath out of coffee cups that had been dropped on the floor and were unusable. What a great idea! By the way, if you like an occasional holiday drink, but find them too sweet, ask for it "half syrup." Believe me, it is way better tasting!

A unique wreath

Nothing better than Starbucks holiday drinks!

PARTING SHOT

Summer Girl is taking every chance she gets to sleep on the big bed. I disturb her every now and then and I get a half-hearted "mew" for my trouble. At least when she's asleep she isn't trying to head-butt my camera!

Sweetie Pie!!

The Southerner in the Northwest is going to be taking some time off until after the first of the year, for holiday doings. Be sure to check back here on Wednesday, January 2nd, for our first 2019 post! I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and Happy New Year. Be careful out there, my friends!

A DAY OF NATIONAL MOURNING ~~ THURSDAY MORNING WALK ~~ SPACE NEEDLE AT NIGHT ~~ PARTING SHOT

A DAY OF NATIONAL MOURNING

Today our nation says goodbye to a former President, George H.W. Bush. Right now I am watching his funeral on CNN Live and it is really impressive. The eulogy by his son, George W. Bush, was truly heart-warming and heart-breaking. I don't recall the last time I watched a Presidential funeral. I'm sure it has been a long time. But today I witnessed our nation say goodbye to a loyal, honorable, respected, and honest man who had great integrity and humility. We should all be thankful that we had a president such as this to lead us.

THURSDAY MORNING WALK

With the onset of cold weather here in Yakima, Linda and I are trying to take a walk out in nature at least once a week. During warmer weather we are outside a good bit of the day. But as the temperatures go down, it gets more difficult for us to be out in the cold. So this past Thursday we drove over to Randall Park and walked a couple of times around the pathway. The first walk around is slow so I can take pictures. The second walk around is a little bit faster so we can get something that at least resembles "exercise." We pretty much had the park to ourselves and the ducks and geese ignored us as we walked past their napping area, with only a few getting up and walking around. The trees were still holding on to a few leaves but had dropped tons of them on the ground.

A carpet of fallen leaves

As we walked past the napping area, a couple of very large geese came by, loudly honking at us. I snapped a couple of pictures to show both the male and female. I looked them up on Google and I believe these are African Geese (click here for info on this breed), although they are thought to originate in China.

Male goose, called a "gander"

Female goose, just called a "goose"

Moving on around the park, we came to the pond area. There weren't many ducks or geese out on the pond because most of them were taking their mid-morning nap on the shore. But business seemed to pick up as they spotted us over on the viewing platform.

Bibbed Domestic Mallard

Mallard couple

While on the viewing platform, we observed a Mallard couple displaying a common courtship ritual. (natural sounds on this video and the one below it).

On the shore of the pond there was a group of cattails growing in the water. The leaves on these cattails still had an autumn-like color to them.

Cattail plants

As we walked on around the park, we came to the little bridge across the creek to a wetland area. I stopped on the bridge to take a picture of some berries on a tree. I took a picture of these same berries back in October.

American Mountain Ash tree

Picture from October

High up in a tree near the bridge I spotted a huge insect nest. I don't know if this is a Yellow Jacket nest or a Hornet nest, but I do know it isn't a Paper Wasp nest because those are flat and comb-like and do not have a paper covering over them. Those pesky Paper Wasps are all over the place here in Yakima, and let me tell you from personal experience, they can really sting! Whatever kind of insect made this nest, it does not look like it is occupied now.

Hornet or Yellow Jacket nest

Along the shore of the creek is a small stand of some kind of birch tree. Since there are 30-60 kinds of birch trees (according to Google), I have no idea which one this is. All I know is that they are pretty.

Birch tress along the creek

The little creek that runs into the pond is small by comparison to Wide Hollow Creek (which is technically a "stream") on the other side of the park. I tried to find out if this little creek has a name, but apparently it doesn't. It is just a trickle at some spots, but it does supply the pond with run-off water.

As we left the creek area I put away my camera so we could take another circuit of the park without interruption. I remarked to Linda that I wished Kissel Park, near our house, was as nice as Randall Park. She reminded me that we are lucky to have a park that is just a few blocks from our house, so we can go on a walk there anytime we want. And you know what...she's right (as usual)!

SPACE NEEDLE AT NIGHT

Emily and John went to a play this past week at a theater near the Space Needle. Emily took some pictures and this shot below of the Space Needle all lit up with a Christmas tree and fountain in the foreground is just gorgeous! I can remember when I was in the sixth grade, I did a school project where we had to make a scrapbook of sights around the U.S. I remember putting a picture of the Space Needle in that scrapbook! Oh, how I wish I had it now, it would be fun to look at.

Space Needle at night

PARTING SHOT

Summer Girl has been holing up in her favorite wintertime spot lately. Guess where it is.

On the big bed

That's it for this week, my friends. Please check back again next week for another edition of "Southerner in the Northwest."

THANKSGIVING 2018 ~~ A WALK AROUND THE COLLEGE ~~ A TOUR OF STARBUCKS CENTER ~~ PARTING SHOT (a personal note)

THANKSGIVING 2018

One of our most favorite things to do is go visit our relatives in the Seattle/Tacoma area. If the pass is open and there isn't too much snow, we make the trip over there on Thanksgiving. This year we lucked out and didn't have any snow to contend with, although it was definitely a possibility. We drove over on Thanksgiving morning and arrived at Emily and John's around noon. Not long after we got there I discovered that Emily has hummingbirds come to her house year-round! This was exciting as we definitely don't have hummers in Yakima during the winter. As a matter of fact, we hardly have any in the summer. They don't nest in our area, so we only get them as they pass through in early summer heading up to breeding grounds in Canada & Alaska, or in early fall when they head back down to warmer climates in Southwestern U.S. & Mexico.

You lookin' at me?

An added treat was the fact that this is a different hummingbird than the one we get in Yakima. This one is the Anna's Hummingbird (click here for an article), and the one that flies through Yakima is the Rufous Hummingbird (click here for an article). The picture above shows a juvenile male Anna's. You can tell this one is a male hummer because he has a very colorful gorget, or throat feathers (click here to learn more about this feature). Since the gorget is not completely covered in colorful feathers, this indicates that the hummer is a juvenile. The video below shows off this hummer's gorget. He is momentarily startled by another hummer, but is able to continue on with his breakfast despite the interruption. (Note: Turn your sound up on the videos if you want to hear the music)

The female of the hummingbird species is almost always a dull brown or green color. Still, they are very pretty in their own right. This article (click here) explains how to tell a male hummer from a female.

Female Anna's Hummer

I was in hog heaven with these hummers flying around. The reason Emily is able have hummers year-round is because she has a heated feeder, which keeps the hummer food from freezing. Otherwise the hummers would not come to her yard if there is no food available. Here's a nice video of a hummer visiting her feeder. You can see the light in the bottom that keeps the nectar warm.

Hummingbirds are not the only birds that Emily has coming to her yard. She also gets a lot of Northern Flickers, the Western version (link here). These birds are very large compared to the hummingbirds. The picture below shows a male Flicker, and the video below that shows a female Flicker. Notice that the male had a red mustache, sometimes referred to as a mylar.

Male Northern Flicker (red-shafted)

After much bird watching, we finally settled in to the business of the day...Thanksgiving dinner! I think everyone outdid themselves this year as the feast was absolutely delicious. Prior to eating, we all raised our glasses in a toast to Linda's Mom & Dad, as well as to my parents.

To absent family members

A family tradition that is carried out every year the day after Thanksgiving is decorating the Christmas tree. Linda and Emily usually take care of this, and are assisted by John most of the time; however, he was out of town on Friday this year. I took on the job of recording the event for posterity. Emily has some absolutely beautiful ornaments, which were all spread out on the dining room table. I think everyone probably has "special" ornaments that evoke a sweet memory whenever they are put on the tree. To me, that is the best part of putting up the Christmas tree.

Special ornaments

The decorating staff

The finished tree

All this activity was being supervised by Tabitha, also known as "Tabby," who had the best seat in the house. The best place for a kitty on a cold, rainy day in Seattle.

Tabby relaxing

A WALK AROUND THE COLLEGE

The next day, Emily took Linda and me on a walk to North Seattle Community College, which is near to where she lives. On the way over there we stopped at Licton Springs P-Patch, a community garden that still has some vegetable and flowering plants growing, as they had not had a hard freeze in this area yet. In the video below you can see some nice, big Kale plants that have quite a few leaves on them. And the red-stemmed Swiss Chard plants are just gorgeous! There is also a huge cabbage growing right in the middle of the garden. I felt a bit sad because my veggie garden has been gone for about a month and a half.

Flowering plants in the community garden

The college campus was just a couple of blocks from this garden. It was so nice to walk around and see the beautiful and creative art that was interspersed all around the campus. A lot of the art offerings were very whimsical, almost comical. Some were just a offbeat representation of something you would recognize. Some were hard to figure out. All were enjoyable!

On our way back to the house we walked along a nature trail that runs beside the college campus. This is always a good opportunity for some shots of pretty plants and trees, and the occasional out-of-the-ordinary item.

A TOUR OF STARBUCKS CENTER

After lunch we took a trip downtown to visit Starbucks Center, the world headquarters for Starbucks Coffee Company and the place where Emily works. The building was constructed in 1912 for Sears, Roebuck & Co. and was occupied by both Sears and Starbucks until recently. Sears has now moved out and Starbucks rents the entire building, except for a small section rented by  AmazonFresh Pickup. You can see the head of the Starbucks Siren at the top (click here to learn more about the Siren).

Starbucks Center

Siren Logo (top) and Mission Statement (bottom)

After our tour of the building (well, the part of it that Emily works in), we went back out through the front doors and walked right next door to the Starbucks Reserve SODO Store (click here for info) Oh my, it is coffee heaven! Wonderful, small-lot Starbucks Reserve coffee drinks, Princi bakery food (sandwiches, pastries, cakes, bread, etc), bags of coffee, coffee cups, mugs and other coffee paraphernalia was found throughout this beautiful store. It is a darn good thing we had already eaten lunch or I would have just HAD to get one of those sandwiches!

Starbucks Reserve SODO Store

Sunday we had to head back home, so after stopping off at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, we made our way back over the pass to Yakima. We had an uneventful trip, but were glad we once again had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with family. After all, that is what Thanksgiving is all about.

PARTING SHOT  (a personal note)

Summer Girl has relinquished her Parting Shot spot this week so that I may pay tribute to my cousin, Robert Harris, who passed away on Wednesday after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. During our childhood he was the brother that my sister and I never had. Although I didn't have much contact with him in later years, my sister and he lived close to each other and were good buddies their entire lives. I credit him with getting me interested in photography when I was fresh out of college. He was a great guy who had a wonderful sense of humor. Rest in peace, dear cousin. You will be greatly missed.

This week's post will be delayed because I am experiencing technical difficulties. Hopefully I will be able to get it up by tomorrow or Friday. Thanks for your patience!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

There will be no blog this week due to preparations for Turkey Day! 

Linda and I both want to wish you all a very pleasant, happy, and delicious Thanksgiving Day!!

TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY

Last week I mentioned that Linda and I would celebrate 20 years of being together on November 9th. We decided to celebrate by going out to lunch at our current favorite restaurant, Provisions Restaurant & Market. We had been there once before and really liked it, so we decided to go again.

Provisions Restaurant & Market

We went inside and were promptly seated at a nice table near the bar. The restaurant is decorated in the style that is common to most restaurants these days, with an open ceiling and slate-type floor. This makes for a noisy atmosphere, which is what most people enjoy. I would have preferred it to be a bit quieter, but that's just me. Right behind where we were sitting was the display of bottles and glasses above the bar, which was quite lovely.

Wine, anyone?

Since it was lunchtime, we did not partake in any adult beverages, but decided to save that celebration for "drinkiepoo" time since it was Friday. We checked out the menu and both of us decided to order something different from what we had last time. Linda went with the Greek Lamb Burger and I chose the Provisions Burger. Both of our sandwiches came with the most interesting take on French Fries that I have seen in a while. They were like curly ribbons. Of course, I had to get Fry Sauce with mine. It was absolutely delicious. I told Linda that it was the best hamburger I have had in a long time.

A huge, yummy burger

After a nice lunch (which we only ate half of because the sandwiches were so big), we went into the Market section to check out what they had to offer. We had briefly been in there the last time, but we wanted to look at it more closely.

A few of the local wines available

The shelves in the market are packed with specialty items having to do with cooking. They have a lot of gluten-free items to offer, plus plenty of salts, oils, spices, rubs, baking mixes, etc. We had a good time perusing the shelves.

Lots of items related to cooking!!

The Market also offers sandwiches made to order, so we decided that this would be a good place to get some for a picnic next spring. Since it is close to the Yakima Greenway and Arboretum, it will be very convenient.


Not only did we go out to lunch on Friday, but a couple of days before that we had our traditional coffee date at our favorite Starbucks.

Love the new Christmas cups!

We also received a few cards congratulating us on our 20-Year Anniversary. Of course we had to display them on our mantel.

It doesn't seem like it has been 20 years

After all the celebrating on Friday, we got up on Saturday morning to this. I know my friends back East are cringing.

"RealFeel 26"??  I don't think so

At least this gave me a good excuse to turn on the fireplace while we were having our morning coffee.

Warm & Toasty

FREEZING FOG

With the colder temperatures we have been increasingly having, the prospect for any moisture to turn into something other than water exists. On Monday when we got up we were treated to a most beautiful phenomenon that usually occurs around this time of year. Click on this link here to read an interesting article about how Freezing Fog occurs. The result of this phenomenon makes for some stunning pictures, as you can see below. I do not ever remember seeing this in North Carolina, so I guess it is because we are close to the mountains here, plus Yakima is at a much higher elevation than Lumberton.

Rosebud on the Dad rose (photo credit to Linda)

BirdsNest Spruce branches

Rose leaves

Another rosebud on the Dad rose

One thing I love about the Freezing Fog is that you can see all these little tiny strands of spider web that would otherwise be invisible. If you look closely, you can see a few in the pictures above.

ANOTHER PUZZLE BITES THE DUST

Last week on the blog we had just finished putting together one of the puzzles that Linda's sister brought us when she came to visit a few weeks ago. This past week we put together the other puzzle she brought. I don't think this one was as hard as the one of the deer, but it was still a lot of fun to do. This one was named "Frederick the Literate" from the Cats of Charles Wysocki collection of puzzles. Click on the link here to read an article about Charles Wysocki, written by his son, Matt.

Frederick the Literate

PARTING SHOT

Summer Girl is a little sweetie for the most part, although sometimes she can get on your nerves. Here she is doing just that because I have no idea what she wants!

That's all for this week, friends.  Join me again next week for another edition of Southerner in the Northwest!