There and Back Again

I spent the past month visiting friends and favorite places in the Puget Sound region.  The next few posts will recap that little adventure.

My first outing was to the Skagit Valley in search of a Black Phoebe, with the help of my bird dogs.

This bird had successfully eluded me for two years in a row but the third time turned out to be the charm, and thanks to a friendly fellow birder, I was able to see it.  Life bird!

Also on view in the Skagit, a lot of raptors, such as this Red-tailed Hawk:

And look at this lovely wide-open view:

I love wide open spaces, one of the reasons I retired to southeastern WA.  You can see for miles, without all those hills and pesky evergreen trees in the way.  The Skagit Flats are like that, too.

Truman seemed to approve.

The next day I visited two of my favorite dog-and-birding parks in Seattle, Magnuson and the Montlake Fill.  At Magnuson I got a lovely view of this Pied-billed Grebe:

And the Hounds got a lovely view of the ponds.

And here is Pippin at the Montlake Fill.

The highlight at the Fill was a Virginia Rail with a fluffy black chick:

Later than same day we headed off with friends Tina and Nicole for the annual Georgetown Garden Tour, when folks in this quaint old neighborhood open their private gardens for viewing.

Naturally, the Hounds had to tag along.

We found a spot where we could do a bit of sketching.

The gardens gave me lots of ideas about what to do with all that grass in my current yard.

A summerhouse!

Surely I need a summerhouse?

The Seattle Urban Sketchers group were also at the garden tour, and we met up after a couple of hours to share our work.

I spent a lot of time during the month going on sketch outings with Tina and Nicole all over the dang place.  And I also spent a lot of time taking the Hounds out for walks hither and yon.  Naturally, we had to go to the Sound for a taste of saltwater air -- this is Richmond Beach in Shoreline:

Notice how I managed to spend a lot of time in those aforementioned wide-open spaces.  Being back in the Puget Sound area reminded me of why I dislike the Puget Sound area -- too many trees!  I always had to drive through miles of towering evergreens in order to reach a wide open space. 

I have claustrophobia, so all those trees crowding in around me is not good for my psyche.  The trees get in the way of the view.  Some folks claim that the trees are the view, but I know better. 

So I'm pleased to report that this return visit confirmed that my choice to move was a good one.  During the drive home yesterday, I was surrounded by forest for two solid hours, and when I finally came out of the foothills and could see the open vistas beyond, my heart soared.  Freedom! 

Darn pesky trees.  Of course there are plenty of trees in Richland, but for the most part they are nicely spaced, well-mannered deciduous trees that don't cluster together on steep hills or crowd around you on all sides as you're driving.  I like them very much.

I'll continue the sage of the Long Vacation next week, with more favorite places, more sketching, and more birds (and bird dogs!).