Well, that was interesting

Chanterelle trail in the rain

Today Melanie and I tossed out our earlier plans for a long drive south, or even to the Mt. Baker Highway for a beloved hike, because our weather changed. Drastically. From last week's extremely hot temperatures, today we woke to a light rain and a cold front. The forecast called for a light rain in the morning, changing to sunshine by early afternoon. We decided to stay close to home and hike up the Chanterelle trail. It rained on us for most of the way.

The viewpoint 

I grumbled about the rain, which barely let up at all as we made our way up the two-and-a-half miles to this point, but just as we approached the viewpoint, the rain stopped and the clouds began to clear. It was like a switch had been flipped. Just like that, the heavy rain was gone, and August had returned after an interlude into fall-like weather.

Vibrant thistle

And just like that, my spirits lifted and I was suddenly interested in the flowers and plants surrounding me. Melanie suggested we walk up the trail for a short bit so we could extend the hike into a five-mile round trip excursion, and I agreed.

A beautiful drippy yellow flower

I'm not sure what this pretty flower is, but notice that it is still covered with lots of rain. It was such a quick change that it gave me a chance to get some lovely shots. And, as I said already, my mood went from gloom to sunshine, along with the skies.

A fairyland

Just before we emerged from the forest into the open, Melanie pointed out this spot, where the damp forest changes into a beckoning landscape, from darkness into light. And then we walked into partial sunshine as we made our way back down to the car. It was, all in all, a lovely outing, and I now feel quite happy to have been willing to get wet today.
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Hanging in there

Trail with leaves

We are now experiencing quite lovely weather, with the temperature hovering around 70°F (21°C) and a partly sunny sky. I know it might sound cool to some of my readers, but for me it's perfect. I just returned from a four-mile walk in the neighborhood in order to get in my 10,000 steps for the day. I was surprised to see that we are already losing some leaves, as you can see in the above shot, a precursor to fall, when the scene will be covered with more gold.

Magnificent old tree

I feel incredibly fortunate to have so many wonderful places to get out and enjoy during this summer. This gorgeous old cedar tree stands on the trail to Fragrance Lake, which is just a short trip from my home. Well, relatively speaking, that is. I can get to the trailhead in a few minutes, but then climbing up to the lake would take awhile. I do stop to say hello to some of my favorite trees when I'm there.

Waterfall

And last Thursday, my friend Mel and I saw this lovely sight on the Heliotrope Ridge trail, off the Mt. Baker Highway. My spirits are lifted by sights like this one, and the wonderful feeling of the spray took my breath away. If I must be limited in my activities these days, I cannot express my gratitude enough to state what a difference it makes for me to be in nature, taking a "forest bath" now and then.

I hope you are able to get out and enjoy the outdoors wherever you are. It really does give you a chance to adjust your attitude and will bring a smile to your face, I hope.
:-)

Heliotrope Ridge

Me and waterfall

Today marks the first day this season when we made it up to the High Country. Melanie, Dianne and I headed up to Heliotrope Ridge off the Mt. Baker Highway near Glacier. When we started out, we noticed how warm it was, but still rather pleasant, since we were at a higher altitude than in Bellingham. This is the first stream crossing out of three (other than the one that has a bridge over it at the beginning of the trail). It was easy, and the water coming off the waterfall was simply delightful. But it turned out to be the only  crossing we were able to make.

Second stream crossing

Now this might not seem to be all that hard to cross, but after spending considerable time trying to find a way to cross without getting our feet wet, we watched several other hikers trying to cross, too, and nobody made it across without putting on water shoes or going barefoot. I had brought water shoes, too, but Dianne had not. We decided to turn around, retrace our steps, and instead go up a side road and look at wildflowers.

Mt. Baker

We also had a wonderful view of Baker, since we couldn't get near the glaciers on foot, we had to admire them from afar. That's goat's beard in the foreground, a lovely and very prolific plant in bloom right now.

Lupine

We saw plenty of lupine, one of my favorite summertime flowers, on the side road. That's a lone Indian paintbrush looking very red, too. By the time we were snapping these pictures, it had grown very hot indeed.

Tiger lilies

We also saw lots of these pretty tiger lilies, which were everywhere along the side of the road. Although there were plenty more flowers, I was getting very hot and wished we could get back into the car where there was air conditioning. By the time we made it down to the town of Glacier, the temperature had reached 95°F (35°C), way too hot in my opinion. We also hadn't hiked very far, having been turned back from the trail, only having gone maybe four or five miles, before calling it a day.

But still. It was the first trip into the Mt. Baker wilderness this year, so I am happy that we managed to make it before the end of July. Next week we will try again, and hopefully it won't be so hot.
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Hot time in the old town tonight

Rose beauty

Well, all that cool and cloudy weather we had last week is long gone. I just returned from an early walk, since it's getting way too hot in the middle of the day for me. Right now it's 74°F, which is about as hot as I ever want it to get. I know that there are lots of people who think that's on the cool side, but I'm not one of them. It is expected to get over 80° this afternoon, but Seattle is expecting it to reach the mid-nineties. Summer has definitely come to the Pacific Northwest. Somehow, I'll make it through.

Lady ferns and maidenhair ferns

We have so many beautiful ferns growing in the forests around here, and I just happened last week to see this juxtaposition of two of my favorite ones: lady ferns and maidenhair ferns. I learned some interesting information about them from those links. The maidenhair are those in the middle, looking roundish, and the outside ones are the lady ferns. Lady ferns are edible, enjoyed by grizzly bears, elk, and deer. From that link:

The leaves of the lady fern were used by native tribes to cover or place food onto, especially for berry drying. The fiddleheads were eaten in early spring. Lady ferns are a very popular landscaping fern due to their graceful and lacy frond.

I have always loved the maidenhair fern, because of its different look. I imagined its name came from perhaps young maidens placing them on their heads to look like a crown, but the name comes from quite a different source:

Maidenhair fern history is quite interesting. Its genus name translates to “non wetting” and refers to the fronds’ ability to shed rainwater without becoming wet. In addition, the plant is the source of an aromatic, volatile oil commonly used as a shampoo, which is where its common name of maidenhair derived.

So I've learned something interesting about these lovelies, and I've passed it along to you as well. I guess I've done enough today to give myself permission to continue my binge watching activity. I can never seem to find a way to stop, unless I get completely bleary eyed or fall asleep.
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Fun, although without sun

Gate at beginning of Fragrance Lake trail

Today my friend Melanie and I went to Fragrance Lake instead of the long drive south we intended, because somehow the weather turned out to be less than stellar. At first we expected rain, but that changed quickly, although there were low clouds and no sun, meaning that it made more sense to stay close to home. Maybe we can get that hike in next week, but for today, we chose an old favorite, Fragrance Lake.

Bellingham Bay from the viewpoint

We took a short side trip to the viewpoint of the bay, since we knew this would not be a long hike and wanted to add some distance. The clouds reminded me of the wings of doves, soft grey and really quite lovely.

Pretty Indian Pipe

We didn't see many flowers, but Melanie had seen this plant on her last trip up into the area. I told her I had heard it called "ghost pipe," and it's actually quite an amazing plant. I found this information on the internet:

Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost plant (or ghost pipe), Indian pipe or corpse plant, is an herbaceous perennial plant native to temperate regions of Asia, North America and northern South America, but with large gaps between areas. The plant is sometimes completely waxy white, but often has black flecks or pale pink coloration.

The thing that makes it so interesting is that it contains no chlorophyll, instead getting its energy from photosynthetic trees. I also learned from that link (above) that it has medicinal properties, having been used as a medicine that inhibits anxiety. Here's a closeup of the flower:

Monotropa uniflora

Also while on our way to the lake, we saw numerous beautiful ancient cedar trees. I asked Mel to take a picture of this one with me in it, so you can see the size of this beautiful old tree.

Two ancient artifacts

And then we headed to Fragrance Lake. As you can see here, there was little breeze, and the cool air made it seem very unlike midsummer. Not that I was complaining.

Fragrance Lake

We watched a young man walk out on that limb, all the way to the end. Although he was careful not to slip, he took his cell phone out of his pocket and placed it out of harm's way, just in case he might be taking a quick dip in the water.

We went back along the service road instead of the trail, giving us a nice six-mile loop. By the time we reached the trailhead, we were both happy to have been out and about, and pleasantly tired. but not tired out. It was a lovely time outdoors, and I realize how important it is to my mental health to enjoy the forest and turn my attention to the natural world. Although lately my Thursday hikes are mostly nearby and easy, it doesn't make them any less important to maintaining my equilibrium during these trying times.
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My day as we start a new week

The coffee shop threesome this morning

I know I put a picture up last week of John and I in our new hangout place in front of the coffee shop, but when Gene joined us this morning, we got the attention of the barista, who took this picture of us as we drank our coffee and chatted. It doesn't look like the coffee shop will open to indoor customers any time soon, but we don't let that stop us from getting together. It's nice to have friends who are willing to get up early and venture out.

I just finished Mary Trump's book, the tell-all about her family and her Uncle Donald and how he became the person he is. It's not a long book, and it simply tells the story of a dysfunctional family unit that has lots of money, most of it from Fred Trump's dirty dealings long ago. After having read the book, I now understand why Trump doesn't want his tax returns to become public: they probably show that he owes millions in back taxes.

It also helps me to understand why Trump is so psychologically damaged. It was mostly his father's cruelty, something that came about when he was unloved and abandoned as a toddler. I don't know if that actually excuses his own cruelty, but it explains it. Mary does not seem to have much of a sense of humor herself and I found her no-nonsense account to be a little annoying at times. I'm glad I read it, but I'm not sure I would give it another read. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know, just from watching the news and having read other people's experiences about dealing with Trump. I think I learned more from Tony Schwartz's description of having ghostwritten "The Art of the Deal" with him.

Garden bounty

On a more positive note, our community garden is producing wonderful goodies. Now that our dry season has begun, I am going to be watering the garden every morning. It's so wonderful to see all the good food at my fingertips. To be honest, I have just about had my fill of zucchini, but I am now snatching up the cucumbers. Lots of delicious possibilities. I'll be showing more as they begin to ripen.
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A gentle morning walk

Pileated woodpecker having breakfast

Melanie and I decided to have a short walk this morning, along the Interurban trail, since she had made plans to have lunch with friends, it being her birthday and all. For once, I decided to let her be the one to determine today's excursion, from the possibility of driving south to one of her favorite hikes, or whatever she desired. When we started, we heard this fellow making quite a racket, pounding away as he made dozens of holes in this snag, looking for breakfast. He didn't fly away while we snapped lots of pictures.

Unidentified plant

We saw this lovely flowering plant by the side of the trail, new to both of us. I'm sure someone can identify it, since we couldn't. It looks similar to a lilac, but has no smell and a different leaf. It's pretty, though, and Melanie's favorite color. We also saw a couple of eagles swooping quite low overhead, probably just wanting to say happy birthday to Mel (that's what I told her, anyway).

Bellingham Bay

At one point, we had a good view of the bay, and it was a bit surprising to see all the whitecaps, since we were in the trees and insulated from the wind. The weather was overcast for the entire morning, but by the time we finished around noon, it had begun to clear and the wind had died down over the bay.

Ferns galore

The view along the gentle trail is quite lush and verdant at this time of the year, with so many ferns at this point I had to show them to you. I love the different shades of green.

Our turnaround spot

We got to this point, where the Larrabee state park lands begin, and turned around to head back the way we had come. It was almost exactly three miles in each direction, giving us a nice six-mile jaunt, almost completely flat with only one little dip to descend and climb back up. Nothing, really, to speak of.

Next week we'll be doing something a bit more challenging, Mel promises me, but I did very much enjoy a lovely walk on the Interurban trail with her on her birthday. And now it's time to return to my book (I'm reading Mary Trump's memoir).
:-)