Friday, July 31, 2009

Bugs and flowers

I finally went to the Google troubleshooting guide to see why I couldn't download any more pictures, and I did everything they suggested, and sure enough! Now I seem to have fixed the problem by emptying the cache and deleting cookies, but just to be on the safe side, I also downloaded these pictures using another browser (click any to enlarge). These lupine were so profuse on yesterday's hike I couldn't help but admire them and keep them for posterity (as an image; I would never pick a wildflower).

We also saw some very interesting fuzzy things, I have never seen anything like them before. Does anyone know what this is?
My husband thought it looked like an alien. Someone on the hike thought it might be something called "bear (something)" but I looked and could not find anything. Is it even a flower??
We also marveled at this pretty pink flower, wondering also what it is. It is just now getting ready to blossom at the end of July in the Mt. Baker wilderness, at about 6,000 feet altitude. Could it be what they call "monkey flower"?

We had to deal with biting flies and mosquitoes all day long -- until it began to hail, that is. Then all the bugs went away, and nobody would have minded a little rain. Marble-sized hail was a bit much, but believe it or not, it was preferable to the bugs. Some hikers (Marjan and Frank) knew what we would be dealing with and brought head nets. I'm definitely going to have one before the next hike. All this warm and dry weather has made the bugs more intense than I thought possible. I also had some wimpy natural bug repellent, which worked for about two minutes and then needed to be reapplied. Next week, DEET, no apologies!
But you know, it was still so much more fun to be out in the woods with the bugs and the hail and the wildflowers than to be home in the heat, wishing for time to pass. (That's the way I spent Wednesday.) I have a few little welts still left on my scalp where some really big hailstones made contact, and a few sore muscles, but now I am sitting at my beautiful iMac and communing with my new pals in the blogosphere. I can't complain.
:-)
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11 comments:

  1. Historical sites with charmineJuly 31, 2009 at 12:35 PM

    Hi,I hope you read all the comments i left you...scroll down 4/5 posts.That is horrible,dealing with bugs and hail .The wild flowers are very pretty,even that strange looking thing.Hope you were fully covered ,keeps bugs at bay.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stella JonesJuly 31, 2009 at 1:25 PM

    The plant you couldn't identify is, I think, called "Old Man's Beard". It is a wild clematis :)

    Lovely post. Sorry about the biting insects. I like the head nets.

    Blessings, Star

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stella JonesJuly 31, 2009 at 1:27 PM

    Forgot to say, the beard is the seed head.

    :) Star

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lillian RobinsonJuly 31, 2009 at 1:47 PM

    I need one of those hats for the campfire! Do they have a hole for the marshmallows to pass through?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Linda CollisonJuly 31, 2009 at 4:34 PM

    I love the woods! And the wildflowers, spectacular! Good eye on that "old man's beard" or wild clematis, according to Star. It reminds me of a sea anenome.

    ReplyDelete
  6. BuzJuly 31, 2009 at 6:42 PM

    I've never been much into flowers or plants - just ask Phyllis - but for some reason, that lupine picture, when I enlarged it, actually took my breath away for just a moment. Absolutely gorgeous. So thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AlJuly 31, 2009 at 7:56 PM

    Flowers, bugs, new species of entities, are just one of the things you will encounter while hiking. During one of our travels I even saw a mysterious looking plant which look like a human hand, and OMG I was terrified I didn't even took a pic of it. I ran away haha.

    I like the photos, and I prefer DEET rather than that hat...but the one I got interested with is your beautiful iMac which I know you hug and greet often. Who would say NO to a Mac!

    AL

    ReplyDelete
  8. NancyJuly 31, 2009 at 10:18 PM

    Those flowers were really something - especially the one with the rock-star hair! We hiked yesterday and some of the hikers coming down said they were climbing and were hit by golf-ball sized hail - making it hard to climb. It was about a 900 ft incline in about a mile. I can imagine the hail didn't help.

    Interesting hats.

    ReplyDelete
  9. SquirrelQueenAugust 1, 2009 at 5:45 PM

    All of your hikes look like fun, the bugs and weather are just part of being in the wilderness. Go with the stronger repellent, no apologies necessary.

    The flowers are beautiful, great photos.

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  10. SusanAugust 1, 2009 at 10:03 PM

    I haven't seen anything like that white, fuzzy alien-looking thingy either but it's neat.

    I could use one of those net hats when I go up to my cottage in Haliburton. I get eaten alive this time of year. Maybe I'll knit myself one. Hahahaha

    I agree - hiking and enjoying the sights (even in the company of bugs) must be a lot better than sitting in the heat.

    Take good care of those welts on your head. That must have been quite a hail storm.

    Hugsss, Susan

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  11. The Retired OneAugust 2, 2009 at 4:22 PM

    I have one of those hats for gardening in the spring when all the blackflies attack...
    but I don't like to hike when the bugs are that bad....You are much braver than I.
    ha

    ReplyDelete

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