Thursday, May 21, 2015

Start of the summer season

Steve, Diane, Peggy, Kirk, Sharon, Al, Rita, Sue, Carol, Jonelle
Our Memorial Day hike (a few days early), is a short one around Lake Padden's horse trails, and culminates in a potluck party afterwards. Eleven of us showed up for today's hike, and around the same number joined us later, on an absolutely beautiful day. Al has been cleared for any activity he wishes, except for driving until he either has another episode or six months have passed. He's learning the bus system and getting around fairly well. He took the bus to the Senior Center this morning, getting there in plenty of time.
A short break for water and clothing adjustments
As you can see from the way we are dressed, it was warm; actually it was just perfect for the day's hike, and having Al at the front made everything feel like all's right with the world. Someone pointed out a bushtit nest, which I would certainly have missed by myself, plus I wouldn't have known what I was looking at.
Bushtit nest
These birds would sometimes visit my feeders, and I think they are just the cutest little guys. They were nowhere to be seen this morning, but I learned more about their nests here. They are made from moss, spider webs, and grasses, forming a pouch with a small entrance.
Enchanter's nightshade
There were places on the trail that were quite dark because of the deep forest cover, and I just happened to see this patch of something illuminated by the sunlight. Peggy, who knows her plants, said it was a patch of enchanter's nightshade, which of course I looked up online. It will eventually flower, but I was so pleased to catch that moment of light against the darkness.
Finishing up our hike
I am constantly amazed at the beautiful place I've been so fortunate to find here in the Pacific Northwest, with so many trails and nature preserves. After about two-and-a-half hours of exercise, we headed to the reserved pavilion where we would have our lunch. We pulled out our goodies and joined those who came for the food and skipped the hike. A few of the hikers' partners brought their food and joined us. We enjoyed salads galore, from spinach to potato to kale, and sat down to savor a colorful and healthful meal.
Rita's colorful plate
Kirk brought the salad that was such a hit last year, his kale salad with blueberries, cranberries, roasted cashews and, oh yes, kale. Carol brought a beautiful homemade rhubarb pie, Rita brought a cake, but I skipped both of those desserts to enjoy this.
Watermelon
This watermelon came from Diane and Udo; it had been wrapped in foil and carried in ice, so it was cold and crisp and completely delightful. I fear I ate way too much of it, but I figured it was just watermelon, so what could be the harm?
We couldn't eat any more
The space between Peggy and Carol was occupied by me until I decided I just had to get a picture of the aftermath of the potluck. I was so full that it was hard to get up, but I did it just so you, my dear reader, could enjoy this along with us. I think it's appropriate to say it was a FULL day, and now that I am home and relaxing a little more, I cannot thank these wonderful people enough for all that they did to make it such fun.
:-)

17 comments:

  1. love the lay-out after lunch! :) and really love that shot of 'end of our hike'. wow. stunning. so glad to hear al is back to almost all things normal! the driving will come in time, too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, hiking without jackets. That's pretty amazing, alright. As for that watermelon, where did it come from? Who has ripe watermelons at this time of the year?

    ReplyDelete
  3. How lovely to hear that Al is back with you. Loved the beauty of this post - all of it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Haha. I would be like some of the others who skipped the hike and joined the lunch crowd. Wonderful salads and watermelon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a very lush time of the year as far as plants go. It looks like you had the colorful food to go along with the green forest.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks like a fabulous day! Love the photo of people stretched out against the ground - siesta time!

    ReplyDelete
  7. We had a potluck this week too, and we had perfect weather for our paddle today.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great bunch of people you have to hike with! I love the potluck idea. A bunch of my hiking friends always climb a high point in the Gorge on summer solstice and have a potluck dinner (complete with wine!) on top.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That looks like a very good way to celebrate Memorial Day. And now you can stay home while everyone else is out clogging up the wilderness.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You should share the recipe for the kale salad! We have been getting some great half watermelons here...we so enjoy them, the colder the better!
    Good to see Al back with the bunch! He is lucky...our neighbors boy when he was 17 had a seizure while driving, drove into a field hit a tree and the car started on fire, he was in the burn unit a long time. He takes seizure meds now and has the same Neurologist as Far Guy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Such a beautiful day to be out hiking,and you have some wonderful pictures. I've not seen that type of bird nest before. You all deserved a bit of rest!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Don't we live in the most beautiful place?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I would be like you...choosing the watermelon on top of all other offerings!! Yum!!! Crisp, cold, and naturally sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  14. No jackets nor rain gear?? Am I at the right blog?? Seriously, so glad Al is back and feeling up to taking lead again. You all really know how to eat right.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Looks like you all had a great time ... including the watermelon!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a perfectly delightful day! You know Art would have joined you to enjoy those watermelons. We just had some for lunch.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Looks like a perfect day and yes, so strange to see you all without jackets!

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.