...We took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
(With sincere apologies and thanks to Robert Frost)
And that's been our story...we come to a fork in the road and we usually take the one less traveled and that, that really does make all the difference.
And here's where the road begins...taking out the trash as we head to the Mini. I got the trash and Carol got everything else. Sounds fair.
And here's where the road begins...taking out the trash as we head to the Mini. I got the trash and Carol got everything else. Sounds fair.
I checked the weather and today was suppose to be cloudy but no rain. Tomorrow would be a different story but today it wasn't suppose to rain.
Ah, blue skies and a view down Renton Avenue South. It's an old neighborhood...you can tell by all the overhead wires. Do they really put up telephone poles anymore? I'd think the telephone pole would be heading the same way as the pay telephone, ash trays in cars and honest politicians.
Heading north, we were traveling to Washington Park and the Arboretum there.
Once again, I went to Google and looked around for something interesting and accessible that we could visit. I actually had two places in mind today. First up was the Arboretum at Washington Park and then I intended to go on over to Magnuson Park.
Hahaha, it was a case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach!! I hadn't realized how big the Arboretum was and how much there would be to see there.
Hahaha, it was a case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach!! I hadn't realized how big the Arboretum was and how much there would be to see there.
I guess this shows the level of my awareness of the simple things in life, but I was also surprised to see they had this large visitors center with a gift shop for those coming to the Arboretum.
Oh, and the skies...they were still blue.
This was looking a bit larger and more interesting than I had first thought. I think I'd expected some rose bushes and some trees surrounded by a park. It definitely was much, much more than that.
Here was another inkling to my rather naive and disorganized mind that this might be enough for a one-day trip.
WTW!?!
Rhododendron Glen? Winter Gardens? Azalea Way?
I began looking for Primrose Lane and Lonely Street!!
And this caught our eye.
Hahaha, we're Citizen Scientists!! Who'da thunk!?!
Unfortunately, we came at a bad time and the most we saw were some junkos. There were some birds up, way up in the tree tops, we could hear them but didn't see them. With one notable exception...later on.
And, for the seasonally-challenged, like me, there was this handy reminder.
"Ohhh, yeah, they're totally right, Man!!"
First stop, naturally, was the gift shop. Hahaha, I was happy to get out with just buying one huge, delicious and quickly eaten Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookie.
Uh, Mmmmmmm...
But this was cool.
This caught Carol's eye because she used to make these kinds of things.
And some local Artist jewelry. Oh, they had lots of books, too.
This one was ready to go!!
Heading out on the paths...and there were a lot of paths. Good thing I am a reg'lar Ol' Dan'l Boone when it comes to getting around!!
Hahaha, not true!! I get lost sometimes just going to the bathroom in my apartment!!
But I do get lucky every so often and today I was able to avoid getting misplaced...too badly.
I had to pose with this ridiculously large Sycamore Leaf just to show you how ridiculously large this Sycamore Leaf really was.
Seems I was rather happy about it. Strange.
CB
It was a glorious day with plenty of blue sky...for now.
This Arboretum and the park it is in is well-used by the locals. There were lots of people out walking, jogging and taking pictures. In fact, I saw more folks taking pictures than I normally do. And when I say that I'm not talking about people with their iPhone...no, these guys had real cameras and were out snapping happily away.
What Autumn foray would be complete without a picture of some Fall Leaves.
It's an Arboretum, fer cryin' out loud!!
Expect it, people!! Expect it!!
"Up in the air!! Is it a bird!?! Is it a plane!?! No, it's a big Jet!!"
Hahaha, we were on the route for planes coming into SeaTac and so I had numerous opportunities to practice shooting planes way up in the air.
Why, you ask? Cuz my new camera has a viewfinder and now I can.
Hahaha, sometimes I can be a huge ass!!
Aren't these interesting? Day lilies seed pods.
And this tree, this paper bark tree was really interesting. They had a sign telling us, the interested visitor, that peeling the bark off could injure or kill the tree and so, even though I wanted to, I didn't reach out and get myself a little bit.
BTW, this is a Betula Albosinensis of the variety Septentrionalis...or, for you common laypeople, a Chinese Red Birch.
From China.
(Pretty impressive, eh!?!)
Hahahaha, I had help.
But I did find a rather sizable piece of the bark lying on the ground and I did feel it. It really did feel like paper. Wild, Mother Nature really is a kick in the pants.
What Blog Entry would be complete without some pictures of flowers? Hahaha, this one is totally complete. Even at the end of October we can find flowers.
Here's some Winter (?) Rhododendrons.
CB
I'll build a Stairway to Paradise,
With a new Step ev'ry day.
I'm going to get there at any price;
Stand aside, I'm on my way!
As the picture above suggests, the park, like most of Seattle, was hilly. It was actually pretty gentle but there were definitely some up and down there.
We handled it like the well-conditioned athletes we are.
Huffing and puffing and taking numerous breaks.
Here she is. It was a nice day for a walk in the park.
I just thought this interesting. Hmmmm, does moss grow on the north side...or the south!?!
Backlit leaves.
Surprisingly, we didn't see many webs. In fact, this may have been just one of maybe three that we saw. This one just happened to be the one we could actually photograph.
Don't ask.
I don't know.
CB
Now this was interesting. Seattle did begin as a logging community and you can forget that as you look at the city and its suburbs today.
As for the park, it was developed on land that had been logged for sixty years. The parcel of land where the park is was split in two in 1920. The eastern 200 acres was made into the Broadmoor Golf Club and the western 230 acres were given to the city. That parcel became the 4th City Park in Seattle. The arboretum was developed by the city and the University of Washington in 1934.
Blue Skies
Smilin' at me,
Nothing but Blue Skies
Do I see.
We were walking along and ran into this lady who was walking her two Brindle Whippets. Both she and the dogs were friendly. The one on the right will be a Momma soon and, no, that's not her husband there, the one the left, that's her brother.
We had an animated conversation about birds and sightings and dogs. We, and by we I mean Carol, can strike up a conversation with anyone anywhere.
The trick, for me, is to be able to get their picture for my harmless and totally not gonna be shared across the great, vast Ethernet blog!! Folks can be a wee bit suspicious...even of ME!!
A big, fat, lovable Teddy Bear.
Up, down and all around. It was really a pleasant walk, saunter, amble and/or stroll through this beautiful park.
The long and winding road that leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before it always leads me here
Leads me to your door.
Camellia Sasanqua
(Thank goodness for Carol or you'd never get any of the names of these flowers. I'd just say something like, "Here's those pretty flowers again!")
And some mushrooms. There were plenty of these flat-headed brownish mushrooms growing there.
Redwoods!!
The redwood species contains the largest and tallest trees in the world. These trees can live for thousands of years.
CB
John Steinbeck wrote about the redwood:
"The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable.
From them comes silence and awe. It's not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time."
Arboretum Shadow Selfie!!
There were some magnificent trees there. These pictures can't quite convey all the beauty of these trees.
But we try. We do try.
CB
I think I've mentioned that I have a new camera, right? Today I tried shooting with one of the many features they include in these powerful cameras...Vivid!! It's really simple, slide the ring over to this setting and, BOOM!! Colors really pop out!!
I don't usually use this feature but I thought I'd try it out today and see what's what.
This is with Vivid.
What do you think? I feel it's too unnatural...too...much.
It really does blow out the color, though.
I think I'll use it, sparingly. I can tend to over-do things...I need a bit of restraint in my work...if not then it starts to resemble a Jim Carrey movie...way too much of a good thing.
Looking south, we could see the storms coming.
One of the shelters. This one has a garden growing on the roof...
...and this inside.
Here's a picture taken with the Vivid feature.
And these, too.
Snowberries...
This whole place was photogenic.
And quiet. Occasionally, we would hear some traffic but for the most part it was, blissfully, quiet. Carol could hear the birds but I didn't unless they were pretty loud.
What a great way to spend an afternoon.
These things always look so much better while you're standing there taking the pictures...and, for me, they're always a bit of a let-down when I get back and download them. It's beyond me to get trees and still get some of what I saw.
Some leaves done in Vivid.
A lot of ferns...and I found it interesting that they were even growing out of the sides of the trees.
Oh those crazy old people back then. I guess you had to find ways to entertain yourself before there were computers, iPads, Xboxes and such.
Here's a view of the "Speedway" today. Down there, where the asphalt track is.
A rolling stone gathers no moss is an old proverb, credited to Publilius Syrus, who in his Sententiae states, People who are always moving, with no roots in one place, avoid responsibilities and cares. As such, it's often interpreted as referring to figurative nomads or, as we call them today, our Valued Homeless, who avoid taking on responsibilities. Another interpretation equates moss to stagnation.
The conventional English translation appeared in Heywood's collection of Proverbs in 1546. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable also credits Erasmus and relates it to other Latin proverbs, Planta quake sepias transfers non coalescit, or Sepias plantata arbor fructum profert exiguum, which means that a frequently replanted plant or tree yields little fruit. It appears the original intent of the proverb saw the growth of moss as desirable and that the intent was to condemn mobility as unprofitable.
The contemporary interpretation of equating moss to undesirable stagnation has turned the traditional understanding on its head: Erasmus's proverb also gave the name Rolling Stone to people who are mobile and never get rusty due to constant motion. And, eventually, to an upstart British band with an obnoxious and irritating lead singer.
This whole rant started because I was wondering about the old adage that moss grows on the north side of a tree and so you can use it to help guide yourself if you get misplaced.
Actually, moss doesn't only grow on the north side of trees, it just mostly grows on the north side. Also, that rule only applies in the northern hemisphere - in the southern hemisphere, moss mostly grows on the south sides of trees.
Well, that's interesting. Obviously, this rock is not rolling.
There was a lot of moss growing everywhere.
Along the Speedway, aka Azalea Way.
Pictures always look a bit better if you include some human element. As I've mentioned, my old habit used to be to try and keep people out of my pictures...and now I've evolved as a photographer and so I do try and put some people in some of my pics.
You wanted to know all that, right? Yeah, I thought you did.
Oh, look!! It's a rat with a cute, furry tail.
I know, plenty of places to wander.
And an occasional flower.
There is, and I'm not trying to get philosophical or Artsy here, but there is so many things that are worth looking at if you take the time.
After the Arboretum, we decided to take the short walk over to Foster Island. It's a small island in Union Bay and has a wetlands area around it. This island, and the nearby Marsh Island, were created when Chittenden Locks were built and the lake receded about 8-10 feet. And they got the wetlands, too.
And, of course, the ducks.
And showing the great common sense they're famous for, the City named this marshy area Duck Bay.
Here's a picture of the wetlands, Duck Bay. You can see it's getting late in the afternoon and the clouds are starting to roll in. See that structure a little bit above center in the picture? That's the University of Washington Husky Stadium about a mile and a half away.
Another look at the wetlands.
There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rolling in,
The afternoon is heavy on your shoulders.
There's a truck out on the four lane, a mile or more away,
The whining of his wheels just makes it colder.
Ok, clouds are rolling in and you can see just a bit of the 520 there a bit above center. Hahahaha, I'm always up for a song most anytime and most anywhere.
That's been somewhat embarrassing at times.
And, for originality, some Autumn Leaves.
Oh, wow!! Autumn colors reflected!!
Hahaha, I am not a cliche. I just act like it a lot.
Again, just showing off and seeing if I could...and I can!! I did a quick grab shot of this seaplane coming in for a landing on Union Bay.
I guess the real question is, why did I include this?
Don't ask.
I don't know.
On Foster Island.
When the men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving slow
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know.
Hahaha, whenever I see a mushroom this song pops into my noodle. Not that I ever tried any of that stuff...cuz I didn't.
Washington State Route 520 cuts right down the middle of Foster Island and now they're doing some upgrades on the Route. As a result, the island on the far side of the 520 is closed to foot traffic. We had to stop here. These new improvements evidently have the environmentalists in an uproar because they say it upsets the wildlife in the wetlands.
The ducks didn't look too upset.
This leaf was an unusual shape for this area. And that, my friends, is why it is here.
Strange the way life turns on the smallest of things.
Here's one of the big reasons I have rarely used Vivid. It can really turn colors. Like these, these trees weren't really blue. Honest. Yet, there it is.
Just interesting...part of the wetlands.
And this...another rat with a cute, fuzzy tail.
He's had a few scrapes considering the notches in his ears.
He did know how to strike a pose, though.
Who could resist clouds reflected on the water?
Hahaha, reminds me of an old cigarette ad in a magazine. Again, with the Vivid, colors tend to get blown out.
Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should!!
Hahaha, think of all the great advertising we're missing out on by banning cigarette commercials!!
The wetlands.
A professional photographer shooting a family on Foster Island. This was the second family we saw with a pro shooting them. The other one was over at the Arboretum.
My daughter, Michelle, does this with her family and they've got some great family pictures as a result.
The clouds were definitely rolling in.
OK, I know I've used this to death, but I honestly can't help myself...
De plane, Boss!! De Plane!!
(For you who are too young to remember, this is a famous line from the TV show, Fantasy Island. Interesting fact, the house with the bell tower, where Tattoo rings the bell, is the Queen Anne Cottage, located in the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California. The plane, 'arriving' with the guests, was filmed in the lagoon behind the Queen Anne Cottage. Sometimes, outdoor scenes were filmed at the Arboretum. And, final fun fact, some of the Tarzan movies were partially filmed here.)
Here it works!! Really works...using Vivid colors on the marsh water's reflection.
And...cue the duck!!
Oddly, they call this area Duck Bay. Hmmmm, I wonder why?
It's a Crocodile!
At least that's what I first thought when I saw this log in the water.
And, no!! I never did use any of the drugs Grace Slick used while writing White Rabbit. I just have a really great imagination!!
Only that and nothing more.
OK, I had mentioned that we didn't see any birds other than the junkos and some creepers...with one exception...and here's that exception.
Carol spotted him and this was the best view we got of him. Mind you, he was over 150 feet away. Hahaha, and she tells me she has bad eyes. Hah!!
See his blue tail there?
This was it. I had wanted to see a blue jay and, by golly, I did.
Just not much of him is all.
However, there were plenty of ducks!!
Plenty!!
Now isn't that a nice shot? I shot it without the folks and then saw them coming up so I waited and got this better shot.
Oddly enough, seems things do go better with people in them.
Carol fell deeply in love with this dead old tree.
She loves the idea that this is a home and so much more for all the wildlife in the area.
I have a weakness for reflections in water...and windows..and, really, most everything.
Hahaha, it's an illness.
Whoa!! WTW!!
I want to rent one!!
I want the job that the girl in the middle has.
Sit back and enjoy.
Artsy-Fartsy Alert!!
Hahaha, reflections in puddles with leaves around it.
Win-Win!!
For me, at least.
Duck Bay Selfie!!
And some clouds reflected in the water, too!!
And I got this shot, totally unposed shot, of Carol reflected in a puddle.
We were heading back home and got to participate in this mini-traffic jam on Lake Washington Blvd. This is, evidently, a common occurrence as it was like this when we drove in earlier today and it was even worse when we came this way a couple days ago.
And I didn't curse...not even once.
On the way home we stopped in Jack in the box.
Not for the food, although we did get a couple of Jumbo Jacks. No, we stopped there for...
...this!!
Hahahaha, it's a Seattle Seahawks Jack!!
Totally cool, right!?!
And, to top off a great day, Carol went out and got this shot of the sun setting towards the west.
Not bad, Carol Anne.
CB
My great plans didn't quite work out but in a good way, not in a bad way.
There was just too much to see at the Arboretum to get it done in the hour or so I thought we'd be there. In the end, we spent almost four hours walking around the park.
Time well spent...Hahahahaha, right now you're thinking that's about the same time as it took to read this blog about the park, aren't you!?! C'mon, be honest!
Hahaha, tough toenails!!
We had a great time and the weather held all day long for us.
Life is good!!
Hooah!!
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