Not Exactly a Heat Wave

I hear it's been Too Darned Hot in other parts of the U.S.A.  I watched a baseball game aired from Chicago in which players left due to the heat, and the home plate umpire sported a towel around his neck.  I watched this while indoors during the early afternoon here in the great Pacific Northwest, when it had just cracked 60 degrees.

Please don't envy us, Rest of the U.S.A.!  And please don't move here!  Yes, we have more moderate weather in general than other spots, but we also have The Gray and The Damp.  In June.  In LATE June.  Nay, even yesterday, on the FIRST of JULY, I had to turn the HEAT on in my house for a few minutes in the morning.  Steer clear!

However, we did get glimmers of sunshine now and then, during which I ran outside to bask (or tried to, with my jacket and hat on).  Surely it must be Summer by now--for the flowers are all in full bloom, and I saw butterflies in my yard:

This is a Western Tiger Swallowtail.

Sometime in August we will have a week of 90+ weather during which many people (including me) will complain vigorously, since nearly no one here has air conditioning.  In the meantime, BRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Which meant I didn't get out to sketch.  I tried, though!  One day it actually reached 65 and there were blue holes sneaking through The Gray, so I tootled down to my favorite spot, Magnuson Park.  Having sketched a whole lot of it already, I searched for something new.  There were old naval station buildings undergoing remodeling--I spied them as I drove around, and thought they looked fun.  I parked a mile away to give The Hounds a walk, but when I arrived at the construction site, I found chain-link fencing all round, which I found uninspiring.  Thwarted!

We hiked back to the car.  I remembered getting a glimpse on another recent drive of intriguing landscaping at a nearby children's hospital.  This time I wisely parked within two blocks.  But the hospital campus was ginormous, the paths were confusing and often ended in locked gates, and while the various bits and pieces of landscaping I found were pleasant enough, they were smallish with no good focal points.  Drawings should have strong focal points!  Thwarted again!

And there were hills.

Back at the car, I remembered a wee park and community center nearby where I'd successfully sketched before, so once again I tootled off, snagging a spot in the parking lot.  Alas, just as I was lining up the best view (with focal point!), I heard the dulcet tones of power tools.  Right behind me a Parks Department worker had fired up his leaf blower.  Seconds later, another fellow started up a massive riding lawn mower.  I have tinnitus, and even if I didn't have tinnitus, these sounds would not prove melodious to my ears.

Thwarted, I tell you--THWARTED!

I'd been out and about for nearly three hours.  I was tired.  I was hungry.  I had hefted the dog stroller in and out of the trunk far too many times.  Reluctantly, I headed homeward.

I took a different route back, and TWO BLOCKS from the community center park, I spotted a delightful church made of stone and wood with lovely decorative windows and lovely landscaping.  A perfect place to sketch!

I drove on.  I was tired, and hungry.  AND THWARTED all over the dang place.  Next time, though, I'll just go straight there.

At least, this past week, there were birds:

I spent over three hours at the Montlake Fill on Saturday morning, keeping Connie Who Practically Lives There company while her intermediate birding class students scattered over the place on a bird scavenger hunt.   We birded and chatted while the Hounds expressed boredom by rolling in stuff.

The scavenger hunt which Connie deviously devised included items such as "find an American Goldfinch and state the bill color", and "describe the breast spotting pattern on a juvenile robin", and "what is the flight pattern of the Downy Woodpecker" and so forth.  I wasn't in her class and not participating, though at one point while we chatted, I happened to glance up to see two birds flying towards a tree and shouted, "Downy Woodpeckers! Undulating flight!"  Alas, there were no students anywhere near.  Connie awarded me five points.

Later, I briefly abandoned her to take a stroll through the swamp, where I snagged another five points for "what color are a Barred Owl's eyes, and is it solid or not?"

The owl had its back to me at first, but when I snapped the photo, my camera made a little beep, and the bird slowly turned its head my way.

Another photo, another beep, and....

Hoorah!  It's back was still towards me, of course.  It just swiveled its head round as they do.  Amazing birds.  And the eyes are solid black:

And this past week wasn't a total loss art-wise, as I managed a very quick sketch at the Fill (AKA the Union Bay Natural Area) while we birded and chatted:

Now that you've managed to reach the end of this rather lengthy post, I shall reward you with the required weekly dose of dachshund adorableness--this is Pippin with his best girl Chloe.  Enjoy!