It's The Journey...

Saturday, September 9, 2023

Reflection

"Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible."

Thich Nhat Hahn

Over this summer I have visited some of the same local parks, beaches, trails and gardens a number of times. I began to notice that each time the experience was like coming upon the place for the first time. The fact of impermanence is found everywhere in nature. It was striking to me how little attention I actually paid to the constant presence of impermanence that was all around me.

Nature is showing us every day how the world never stays the same. In every second, the nature around you has shifted. One moment, there’s a wind. The next, a bird flies by. The next moment, a leaf falls from a tree. Next, the clouds clear to let in the sun’s light. All of this—and so much more—can happen in the space of just a few moments in one single place where you stand.

To demonstrate this I've chosen one place, Camano Island State Park. And I'll share from three visits there over the summer: June 27, August 4 and August 18.

Above, June 27 in the late afternoon; cloudless skies, still, bright and quiet.

August 4 at sunset; popcorn clouds, stiff breeze and fading light.

Looking across to Whidbey Island and the Olympic Mountains.

"All through your life, the most precious experiences seem to vanish. Transience turns everything to air. You look behind and see no sign even of a yesterday that was so intense. Yet in truth, nothing ever disappears, nothing is lost. Everything that happens to us in the world passes into us. It all becomes part of the inner landscape of the soul and it can never be lost."

John O'Donohue

And below, August 18th at sunset; cloudless skies, smoke in the air from fires north of us and a chilly evening breeze.

"Impermanence is a principle of harmony.

When we don't struggle against it, we are in harmony with reality,"

Pema Chodron

As the season changes from Summer to Autumn, I'm grateful for this little exercise in the necessity of impermanence. I'm looking more carefully. And appreciating nature's bounty even more. Being mindful of the ever changing scene all around reminds me that everything is in process, including myself! Thank you for joining in this reflection on "everything must change".

Friday, May 19, 2023

Day Trippin'

Kayak Point Park
Snohomish County WA

Our sense of enchantment is not triggered only by grand things; the sublime is not hiding in distant landscapes. The awe inspiring, the numinous, is all around us, all the time. It is transformed by our deliberate attention. It becomes valuable when we value it. It becomes meaningful when we invest it with meaning. The magic is of our own conjuring. ~~Katherine May

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April 30, 2023

I asked the women in my family to celebrate my 75th birthday with lunch and a trip to the Bellevue Botanical Garden. It was a wonderful prelude to my May 1st birthday.

Above is The Japanese Garden(left) and my Grand Nieces, (L to R) Harper, June and Hailey.

Below with June on the left. And the whole party above the waterfall on the right.

"It becomes valuable when we value it."

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The Discovery Garden

Tended by the Master Gardeners of Skagit County, this is a lovely stop in any day to take a break, listen to the birds and see what is growing, depending on the season.

As Katherine May says "The magic is of our own conjuring." The Discovery Garden was abundant in colors, textures, sounds and breeze powered movement that combined to make the best kind of break on a Wednesday afternoon. And certainly a new magic will be there the next time I stop in to enjoy the respite.

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April daffodil fields in the Skagit Valley.

Perhaps the quote from Katherine May will inspire us to think a little differently about what is "travel" in our lives. I know it is working to that affect in my life during these longer days with warmer temperatures. Enjoy your travels.

Until next time.....

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

2022 - Off year for adventuring!

Hello Friends

2023 has arrived and 2022 is in the rearview mirror. My "adventures" during 2022 were unfortunately limited. In the middle of July last year I had full joint replacement surgery on my left knee. Time was spent mostly focused on the pre-surgery planning, the surgery itself and then, the rehabilitation. I'm still in the rehabilitation phase as we begin 2023 but anticipated travel is a motivator to stay on track. I wanted to post at least a few pictures taken despite not being able to travel in my usual ways. And I wanted to be in touch. So here goes...

This picture was taken in January of 2022.

You could call it "Quintessential Skagit Valley with Snow Geese".

#2 "Quintessential Skagit Valley with Snow Geese"

January 24, 2022 on the Pacific Flyway, a busy highway through Washington State for migrating birds. Here they find a place to rest and restore before moving on in their journey.

Taken in March 2022, you could call it

"Quintessential Skagit Valley with Daffodils".

From Camano Island in February, Mt. Baker in the crisp, clear air.

My knee surgery was on July 12. So now we fast forward to September!

As part of the knee rehab I had been doing plenty of short distance walks indoors and out. But this picture on September 4 marks the first time doing some trail walking on the Centennial Trail.

On the first day of Autumn I was back for more on another section of the Centennial Trail.

The trailhead for this portion of the Centennial Trail includes a "heritage barn" which is part of the Snohomish County Centennial Trail Past > Forward Interpretive Project.

The site of this heritage barn on the "rails to trails" Centennial Trail was once a dense forest, then a lumber mill and later a dairy farm, operated by the Nakashima family.

It was a beautiful day for an early Autumn walk, taking the new knee out for a turn.

In October I met a friend in Mukilteo for a visit to the new ferry terminal, the historic lighthouse and more walking. We included a stop at Ivar's for lunch of fish and chips, a classic culinary experience in the NW.

For you lighthouse aficionados...these are for you!

And on to Christmas Day for a winter walk on the Padilla Bay trail.

Good to know that as of December 21st we are turning toward the light!

And then the first day of the new year.

Walking the berm at the Leque Island Estuary.

Time will tell what 2023 will bring in the way of travel adventures. I'm grateful for the opportunities I have "close by" to relish the beauty of the outdoors, the fresh air and the life of the natural world.

May your 2023 be one of hopeful adventures that feed your zest for living.

Thanks for spending time with this posting!

MARY

Sunday, January 2, 2022

Closer to Spring than we were in September

Hello Friends. It is year end and Winter is upon us. But we are closer to Spring than we were in September. This posting comes at the 7 month mark of my move back to the Pacific Northwest. And I want to share some more places I have found and scenes I have photographed while getting settled. The months that have passed since I last posted have included family birthday parties, kids sports activities including soccer, gymnastics and basketball, as well as Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. What I will share with you is mostly time spent outdoors finding new places to walk, explore and take in the sights and sounds.

But let us start indoors at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner.

The artist is Dan Friday and the medium is glass.

This school or shoal of fish, moving along together as a synchronized group was especially delightful, represented in blown glass as they are. Traveling in schools or shoaling is a social activity the fish engage in to protect the group from predators...more eyes to see danger approaching.

October 10

Gordon's Pumpkin Patch

What says Autumn more than a trip to select the Halloween pumpkins?

It was a blustery day with a serious nip in the air. Summer was in the rear view and Fall was here.

Livingston Bay, Camano Island.

October 11th

Barnum Point Preserve

Camano Island

This spot has a variety of walking trails and has become a favorite go-to for me.

There is a trail to the beach, trails in the woods, vistas of the Saratoga Passage and a pond area pictured here.

Mt. Baker from Fir Island on November 8th.

I just had to pull off on the side of the road and snap this picture.

Mt. Baker again from Iverson Spit Preserve on Camano Island.

November 18th

Another morning walk at Iverson Spit Preserve on the day after Thanksgiving.

And my companions on the walk.

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Snow Geese and Trumpeter Swans

During this time of year thousands of Snow Geese make their way to the fields, estuaries and tide flats of the Skagit and Stillaguamish Rivers. In September they leave their summer home in the Artic tundra of Wrangle Island in Russia, entering the Pacific Flyway to make a 3000 mile journey to the Pacific Northwest. Some stay until April but others continue on their way to the central valley of California.

Trumpeter Swans arrive from their summer home in the tundra of Alaska and Northern Canada in November and stay until mid-March. Trumpeter Swans are the largest native North American waterfowl with a wingspan of 6 feet and weighing in at 25-30 pounds.

They are a sight to behold whether in flight or feeding on farmland residue crops or salt marsh plants.

November 10th.

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Atmospheric Rivers and Skagit River Flooding

November 17th

A term I was not familiar with (but I am now) is Atmospheric River. A series of this phenomenon brought serious flooding, landslides, power outages and havoc into the lives of many in Northwest Washington in November.

An Atmospheric River is simply a narrow corridor or stream of highly concentrated moisture that travels through the sky. It is not uncommon but when the strength and duration are what we saw in November, a state of emergency is the result. I've included a couple of pictures I took of the Skagit River at flood stage in downtown Mt. Vernon.