That's Gneiss! #94 ~ Frolicking amongst the ferns
My goodness it has been a busy week. It already seems like ages since we went camping, and it was just a couple of days ago. Having a full weekend after returning home has been a stroke of good planning on my part, I say!
The trip went really well and we had a great time. Camping relatively close to home has it’s benefits, such as not feeling tired from the drive when you get there (or get home). It’s just 56 miles to the park from our house. Yay!
Rasar is one of the overlooked state parks here in Washington. Despite only having 38 sites, I’ve never had trouble getting a reservation to camp. Granted, we couldn’t get a weekend slot but we were able to reserve two nights on fairly short notice.
The park is in the western foothills of the North Cascades, along the Skagit River just west of Concrete. That area gets an average of 65 inches of rain each year, and the forests are lush green and draped with moss. Even the hottest days of summer (86 degrees when we got there) are pleasant in the woods.
Over three miles of trails criss-cross the park. Rowland loves rambling around - and looking for chipmunks!
He was just sure it had run into a little hole in the ground, then saw it scampering up the hill. It eluded him, of course.
So many ferns!
It was such a relaxing trip, especially waking to the dulcet tones of - - -
chainsaws?
Yes folks, loggers somewhere near the park fired up chainsaws before 7:00 am both mornings, and the sound was punctuated by the occasional crash of a tree as it fell to the ground. The good news? They finished fairly early, I suppose after they cut enough trees to fill a truck.
Here’s a large tree that’s safe and sound inside the park. I think it may be a Black Cottonwood.
The chainsaws were far enough away that they really weren’t too much of an annoyance.
On the second day we took a very short trip out to the Birdsview Brewing Company to have a beer. The outdoor seating was dog friendly, so Rowland got to enjoy hanging out with us and watching the other other dogs that were there. I think we’ll have to return for lunch on a day trip in the near future.
Back at camp we continued relaxing. Michael brings along his solar radio, and sometimes we listen to whatever station we can get. As we really weren’t too far from civilization, this time we could tune in a classic rock station out of Bellingham, 92.9 KISM.
Those of you who know us well know that music is our life - and you also know that what we listen to generally doesn’t include “classic rock.” As the songs carried on, Michael kept asking me who was playing. This turned into an hilarious game that went on into the evening as I told him who they were - bands he knew the names of, but had no idea what they sounded like. Here are some of the bands he was unable to recognize:
The Cars
Pearl Jam
Rush
ZZ Top
Bon Jovi
Van Halen
Van Halen w/Sammy Hagar
Scorpions
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Aerosmith
Very little of this music made it to England and onto Michael’s radar when it was popular here in the states. He was horrified by how bad some of it was. I had to agree in some cases, and boy oh boy Pearl Jam has not aged well. It sounded awful.
What was horrifying to me is even when I couldn’t remember the name of the band playing, I could often sing every word to the song. Yikes! The don’t have a playlist archive that goes back to last Thursday, but the Recently Played list is fairly close to what we heard. They probably don’t bother to change that list out - no matter when you listen, they’ve just played most of those songs!
I am so glad to listen to the variety of music I do. But if I ever need to save my life by singing along to classic rock, I’ll be fine.
Until next week - cheers!
Tidbits
25 Books to Read Before you Die: Pacific Northwest Edition - how many have you read? (Only four… I have some work to do)
Top 100 websites (monthly visits) - hmmm…
Wellness gurus? More like criminal charlatans preying on the vulnerable.
Speaking of criminal charlatans - the strange tale of an escaped baby-killer impersonating a long dead member of Sha Na Na.
Reading: I finished The Traitor Baru Cormorant. It got to be a bit of a slog and almost lost me, but the bit at the end got me interested in the sequel. I also finished the excellent collection of short stories The Pugilist at Rest. I’ve started reading The Truffle Underground: A Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and Manipulation in the Shadowy Market of the World's Most Expensive Fungus, and an advanced reader’s copy of Walking: One Step at a Time.
Recently eaten: somebody brought a S’mores cheesecake to a staff event and it was delicious. I did not eat it all.
Making: I tried inking a bit on some of my alcohol ink pieces, and it works fine. Today I spent a lot of time messing around with my inks, and tried some new things. I really like how this one turned out! Hopefully I’ll be able to reproduce that effect…
Video of the week
Yesterday Rowland saw his favorite kitty on our afternoon walk, and I was able to catch a video and some photos. He tries to treat it like a small dog and sniff at it, but after a bit it wasn’t having it anymore!
Question of the week
If you feel like answering the question (or to just say hello), hit reply to this email. Answers will be shared next week - always anonymous.
Do you have favorite color, or palette of colors that make you happy no matter when or where you see them?
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Last week I asked about your favorite book when you were a child.
I should say ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ but the reality is it was ‘Fritz the Cat’ and ‘Mr. Wonderful’.
I had early access to adult comix of the time as my father was a professional artist. Loved that subversive 60’s-70’s stuff.
I was particularly fond of ‘The Monster at the End of This Book.’
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