While waiting for the perfect house to turn up, Truman and Pippin and I have been out Doing Stuff, since the alternative is hanging around Not Doing Stuff, which is rather dull on the whole.
On Friday we went to the Farmer's Market, which takes up a good three blocks of a small shopping area every week from June through October.
I bought two loaves of bread: asiago, and maple-bacon. The Hounds were quite popular (and they weren't the only pups there in a stroller!).
The Market is close to the river, so after shopping, we tootled on down there, passing the art gallery on the way.
We went for a walk through Howard Amon Park (named for an early settler) in 75-degree sunshine.
The Hounds enjoyed cooling off in the Columbia River.
On Saturday I met up with the local Audubon society group for a bird walk on Bateman Island. This 160-acre island is connected to the land via a causeway (pedestrian only), and had just re-opened after a fire destroyed much of the habitat over a year earlier. It has rebounded nicely.
We spotted 60 species during the 3-hour walk, including this Downy Woodpecker:
We heard and saw at least ten Gray Catbirds.
We were pretty sure this is a juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler:
This is a Western Tanager:
We had a grand view of the Columbia River at the end of the island trail. There were plenty of birds out there -- just too far away to photograph. Pelicans, cormorants, egrets, gulls, shorebirds galore. Plus Caspian Terns diving for fish, which was ever so fun to watch.
We had some non-avian critters as well:
I'm fairly certain this is a Valley Grasshopper, thanks to my copy of Pacific Northwest Insects (by Merrill Peterson), which I helped proofread.
And this is a Cabbage Butterfly:
There were around 25 people on the walk, and I chatted with half a dozen of them or so, and they all seemed like fine folks.
On Sunday the Hounds and I returned to the riverfront in Richland, where a riverboat was at anchor:
We had another nice stroll:
And another dip:
Then we checked out the annual Tumbleweed Music Festival, which features folk music, art/craft vendors, and food. Here we are checking out the craft vendors:
And here we are listening to music.
And at lunch time I grabbed a burger. The Hounds may have gotten a bite or two.
I couldn't help noticing that there were no big crowds anywhere. Perhaps they came later in the afternoon or evening, but while we were there, it was low-key and pleasant, and quite a change from attending any kind of event in Seattle. I was able to drive there in five minutes, found parking right away, right at the park, and was able to walk around without being squashed by my fellow humans.
I even got a quick sketch in:
Afterwards, the Hounds were a little wet and a little tired.
As for house-hunting, there isn't a lot available at the moment. I drove by several prospects, but did not like one thing or another about them, and I went to one open house which looked a whole lot better in the photos than it did in person (which I know from my own house sale is all due to trick lighting). I also checked out the house next door to my mother's, and it was swell, though most likely not available until the end of October.
Stay tuned to see what happens next in the Atomic City!
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