Family, Flowers, Food

As documented in Martha's blog, she along with my mom, aunt, and uncle came and visited for a few days in April.
True to our food culture, we spent a lot of time making, eating, and talking about food. Martha took pictures of it, but I mostly watched her carry around our one colorful salad plate for three days because it was her 'accent plate'.
I stuck to taking photos of our trips to the Refuge (aka my favorite place in the South Sound) and Point Defiance Park in Tacoma.
Here, Aunty and Uncle watch bagels boil and puff up.

Here's part of the remaining freshwater wetland at Nisqually NWR, a view from the visitor's center platform.

Point Defiance is a huge park (there's also a zoo & aquarium) with multiple gardens embedded in it. We spent some time oohhing and ahhing over rhodies and azaleas

The little sneaky crabby spiders are out in force, capturing bees. Some of the rhododendrons had flowers the size of grapefruit, like the white blossom to the right.

Plenty of gorgeous azaleas too, not quite as in-your-face magnificent as the rhododendrons, a little more subtle.

 We then moved on to the native species garden...

 A tiny lily who's name I have forgot above, and intensely sweet smelling false Solomon's seal below

Currant berries fully formed already on a red-flowering currant, while shrubs elsewhere are still in full vibrant bloom. And a little anemone, not much larger than a quarter.
We found a place in the sun to eat our picnic, and watched the crows and robins stealthily advance on our position. And there was a heron. And Nancy found some turkey tails (fungus) which are rather pretty.

 All in all it was a good visit, and I know some of them rest easier having a reference point for where I live and where I go on mini adventures.

Today we are going to the Prairie Appreciation Festival, so we can properly celebrate all those millions of camas turning the prairie into a rustling blue lake.  Happy sunny Saturday!

A vibrant life-giving dictator...

The Sun has dubious control over my life. For the first few years in Washington the winters didn't really phase me, but now I look towards the dark damp winter and feel silent despair wave and ripple down my spine. At this point it is probably 90% psychological, but more and more I miss the suffocating dead heat of California and laugh unsympathetically when the locals whine when the mercury bumps above 80 degrees.
Sunshine rules my life. I curl up like a cat in the rectangle of sun that graces us in the morning through the sliding glass doors. I wake up increasingly early, now averaging a 5:40 wake-up without any attempt to train myself into the rhythm. It is with great joy I come to a day off and realize I can get up before everyone else (happily) and get errands done, stare at birds, coo at flowers, and put in a full 4-6 hours before the Otter even peeks his head above the sheets in his den. Sadly many businesses don't share my enthusiasm for the bright, clean early hours, but wonderful Winco is open 24/7, so I can always get the groceries done before too many other people get the same idea.
In such a fit of early morning wonder, yesterday I embarked on a little drive to Mima Mounds, convinced that the spring would bring something lovely to the lumpy prairie Brandon and I visited in February.
Suffice to say, I am very glad I went. Here, a chocolate lily nods along, one of a few to still be seen blooming.

 The common camas began in dribbles but soon swelled in number to dapple the prairie pale shimmering blue in the morning light.

 There is a much less common form of camas that blooms white.

 Camas by the thousands, if not millions

 Deep dark violets here and there, popping out of the low vegetation like little secrets

I wondered briefly if any shooting stars were still flowering, looked down to my left, and lo... Most already had little seed capsules.

 One small patch of the threatened Golden Indian Paintbrush and a more common orange paintbrush

Nice moss, about to release gametes

 Little star flowers beginning in the woods

 It was a gorgeous day, I spent a large portion of it reading in the sun. And that is life here, cheers!