Fidalgo Island Crossings

Photo:   Klick Health This will be a bit of a rant so consider yourself warned.  Also, I don't wish to start an argument.  These are my own experiences with my own devices.  There are no ulterior motives or conflicts of interest here.  You should make your own decisions based on experience, study and evaluations, as I did. In the spring of 2010, I purchased a 3rd generation iPod Touch .  It was a nifty little device, especially the apps.  The Sibley, iBird Pro, Tide Graph, mSecure, Terminology PH and iFeltThat were some of my favorites.  I could go to the barber or sit in the lobby at Les Schwab and keep up with my Twitter stream or do a little reading with Kindle or Nook.  By 2012, I had started thinking about a larger tablet.  At the time, the iPad seemed a bit much for my needs.  Then Google announced the Android Nexus 7 tablet .  It came with the much-lauded "Jelly Bean" OS.  The announcement was accompanied with...

Time 5:40 PM, Temp 57.8° F, Dew Pt 53.6° F, Hum 86%, Wind 7 mph G 15, Barometer 29.69 in Spring and fall can bring interesting and rapidly changing weather conditions.  We have been experiencing what is called a "minimum temperature heat wave."  That means our low temperatures for the day have been unusually warm.  In some places, the low temperature has been greater than the average high for the date.  Now, we are anticipating an "atmospheric river," another strange weather term.  This one means lots of rain is coming. The light can also be interesting.  As the sun was setting below the clouds, I caught this unusual arrangement of light, shadows and colors over Skagit Bay.

I heard this song the other night for the first time in a PBS pledge drive special.  The program featured the folk music of the late 1950's and '60's.  Performances by the Kingston Trio, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, a latter-day Barry McGuire and others brought back great memories.  This song, in particular, caught my attention.  Bobby Darin wrote it in 1969, but I missed it altogether back then.  I was in graduate school, not enjoying much TV or radio. Bobby Darin began his music career as a teen idol.  As he matured, he became more Sinatra-esque.  Towards the end he was exploring folk music.  Awards included a Grammy Lifetime Achievement issued posthumously.  Darin also appeared in movies and was recognized with a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.  It was a shock when he died in 1973 at the age of 37. Like my father, he  suffered rheumatic fever as a child.  This is a streptococcal infection that can damage th...

I was at the Kukutali Preserve this morning looking for some fall color.  No luck with that.  There wasn't any wildlife to speak of either.  Even the Banana Slugs have ducked for cover.  After yesterday's rain, that surprised me. When I got back to the parking lot, I found this guy taking a snooze on the hood of my truck.  At least I had something to show for the morning. After verifying that I had a valid Discovery Pass , I surmise that Kukutali Kitty took on the task of watching over my truck.  Or perhaps the warmth of the engine just made an inviting spot for a nap. Meanwhile, this is what fall in the Kukutali Preserve looks like right now.  It is still mostly green around here.  Nevertheless, it was a very pleasant hike in the woods.

Go hiking. I'm serious. On Saturday, there was some dryness in the throat.  Was I coming down with a cold or just a little dehydrated?  I drank water.  By Sunday the nasal congestion was setting in.  It was a cold.  I drank more water.  All weekend, I planned to hike out into the Skagit River wetlands at Wiley Slough on Monday.  I wanted to see if the Cedar Waxwings had come to devour the wild Pacific Crabapples that grow along the dike.  This was quite a spectacle in 2011,  Would a cold compel me to cancel my plans? This morning, I woke up with a fulminating, stage four cold.  I was terminal.  It was time to write my will.  Then I recalled an article I read about how getting outdoors seems to treat depression.  Maybe it would also be good for a cold.  I decided to go anyway.  First a shower which always makes me feel better, then off to Fir Island .  I armed myself with a packet of tissues and my...

...when the Heermann's Gulls stop by at West Beach in Deception Pass State Park.  There are four in the photo.  They are the gray-brown gulls with red beaks.  Click or right-click the image to open it full size. Heermann's Gulls have a unique migration habit.  After the breeding season, they come north as far as British Columbia.  In December, they will start back south to reach their breeding grounds in Mexico.  Their breeding season there occurs between March and July. While I watched the gulls, this Song Sparrow perched nearby to watch me watching the gulls. A gang of about a dozen juvie gulls was hanging out in the West Beach parking lot.  They reminded me of high schoolers at the drive-in.  Does that date me?  These are park birds, accustomed to cars and people.  One was so at ease, he decided to take a nap right next to my truck.  It was a cool, overcast morning.  I am guessing the gulls were enjoyi...

I was at the Kukutali Preserve today.  One of the interesting things I spotted was this blooming  Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana) .  It is a bit out of season for this native shrub.  May, June and July are the peak times for blooming, not September.  Right now they should be displaying their hips.  The shrubs at Kukutali are no exception: Nootka Rose is an outstanding choice for the native wildlife garden.  Their flowers. fruits and leaves attract a number of insects, birds and mammals.  Thickets provide cover and nesting sites for birds and small mammals.  They are also excellent plants for stabilizing slopes . As an ornamental, they are every bit as attractive as their cultivated counterparts.  They are especially effective in thickets and hedgerows.  Because they are natives, they are also hardier and less demanding than other roses.  Their only drawback is a tendency to spread aggressively, so give them a spot where...