Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Grasmere (Showing Off a "Small Island" Part 9)

"I wandered lonely as a cloud," mused Spousal Unit (to-be).

"What?" I queried.

"We learned it in school," he replied. "You know, William Wordsworth?"

"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze."

It was 1990, and the first time I had ever been to Grasmere, England. And my Spousal-Unit-to-be is quoting William Wordsworth. (Actually, I am not sure he got past the first line.) But ever since, I have been in love with Grasmere, and this is one of the many events that made me fall in love with Spousal Unit. Of course, it was on the must-see list for my sister and her husband during their visit last summer. (See (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8) for previous posts.)

William Wordsworth (1770 -1850) was a major English Romantic poet who helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature. William lived in Grasmere for 14 years and called it "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found." William and his family are buried in Grasmere, in the cemetery of St. Oswald's Church.

I took advantage of this visit to St. Oswald's to capture more hand-stitched kneelers (see my previous post on this topic).

We 'wandered' on, and the winding road, ever hemmed in by dry stone walls, took us to Keswick, a market town in the Lake District. We checked in to our B&B, and taking our hostess' advice, walked to George's for an early dinner.

Although we all felt like falling into bed, it was much too early for that. So off we went for a stroll in Keswick on a rainy summer evening. It may not have been ideal, but for me it brought out some Keswick character worthy of a few photos.

And I found a B&B I am just dying to stay in next time, the next time I am 'wandering lonely as a cloud.'

Linking to:

All Seasons

Mosaic Monday

Our World Tuesday
Our World Tuesday Graphic

Sharon Photo Souvenir Blog Hop

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Jumpin' June

Is there anyone else out there that feels like 2018 is rapidly fading into the rearview mirror? Not entirely sure how this trip has already carried us to July 5, but here we are. (Inside voice: come on, you know June has been a hectic month - show them, and then it'll be clear how you got here!) OK, OK!

Reflection at our lake

ONE: Interior decorating

New dresser for loft bedroom

I am always mildly concerned that my posts become repetitive, so I reviewed my May re-cap, and noticed an overlap with three of my subjects planned for this post - interior decorating, landscaping and stitching. I suppose that should not be a surprise, as we have been working full tilt toward June 26 (arrival of my in-laws from the UK) and June 30 (a party for all those who contributed to our dream house). Of course, it was essential for the house to be in tip-top shape!

So, if you like antique/second hand shopping, this would have been the month for you. We must have made the rounds of our local antique shops at least three times - new things come in, and you see some items differently as the house continues to evolve. Take a look at our finds!

Left and top left: metal table and detail

Right and top right; chair with detail (floral motif embedded in ceramic)

Bottom left and right: bedside tables for loft bedroom

Echo Lake Café was established in 1960 by Dickie

Conley and his sister Betty. After being purchased

in 1996 by Bob and Christi Young, it was re-opened

in 1999.

All this bargain hunting makes you hungry; Echo Lake Café came to our rescue with a feast for our stomachs (the food) and our eyes (the lush garden).

At the end of the day, sometimes on-line shopping is the best source for a specific item, such as these red ottomans for the great room - as you can see, Josie approves!

Our talents also came into play - Spousal Unit made this key rack from reclaimed barn wood, and Pinterest provided inspiration and how-tos for a corner gallery wall on the lower level.

In the 2 pictures on top, paper represents each picture/item,

and allows you to re-arrange as needed before putting

holes in the wall!

And then there are the gifts that just fit perfectly into our theme, such as the jasmine plant in the metal bucket (a terrific complement to our rustic industrial theme) and this red anthurium (ideal match for the red accents in our great room).

TWO: Landscaping

Unloading plants from truck

This month, the talented crew from Forestoration completed our 'exterior decorating' with plants, shrubs and trees. I am very pleased with the results; it is amazing how much the greenery adds to the 'finished' look of the house! On a special note, back in May, Spousal Unit queried about my desires for Mother's Day, and I requested an apple tree as part of the landscaping, to honor my Dad. When I was young, we had several Winesap and Golden Delicious trees in our yard, and the memories of those apples are etched deeply. As it turned out, the varieties available at this time require another tree for pollination, so we now have a Honeycrisp in honor of my Dad and a Goodland in honor of my Mom.

Planting in progress; apple trees are on the left

Planting complete in front (top) and back (bottom)

Planting complete in side gardens

THREE: Stitching

All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl; I have made time for my ongoing tea towel project. "Friday" is now complete and "Saturday" is progressing well.

FOUR: Cooking

(Internet)

I am woefully deficient in meeting my 2018 goal to cook once a week, but I tried to make up for it a little this month. First, I hosted a gathering of our prayer shawl ladies, and we indulged in a Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake with our coffee. Second, it was a Father's Day breakfast in bed for Spousal Unit, featuring a Spinach, Feta and Artichoke Breakfast Bake.

Served breakfast on this galvanized steel bar tray, also a Father's Day gift!

FIVE: Time outdoors

As the ultimate stress reliever, nature is my go-to place. June has delivered, in spades.

Scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, grilled tomato and mushroom sauce

I don't normally focus on mushrooms when I'm wandering, but early in the month, our dear neighbor treated us to morel mushrooms she had personally collected. Spousal Unit concocted a mouth-watering sauce to accompany our breakfast, and we are hooked. My curiosity piqued, I studied the mushroom on the web, and realized that I had unwittingly captured a morel mushroom in my May 23 post. Here are a few other mushrooms from the neighborhood, courtesy of the abundant rainfall (at least relative to last summer, when it didn't rain for 90 days).

I just love the one in the upper left - I imagine small woodland fairies making their home under it!

The precipitation has also spurred the plants, and it seems every 24 hours I spy a new flower while I am out and about.

Upper left: Starry Wild Lily of the Valley; Upper right: Pine with water droplets

Lower left: Wood's Rose; Lower right: Groundsel

Left: Yarrow; Upper middle: Pink Wintergreen; Upper right: Blue-eyed Grass

Lower middle: Self-heal; Lower right: Bog Orchid

Upper left: Mariposa Lily; Upper middle: Hairy Arnica; Upper right: Bunchberry

Bottom: Aspen with water droplets

Of course, I rarely publish a post without some mention of four-legged wildlife, and today is no exception. On one of my trips to check my trail cam, I looked up from the path to see a BADGER. I couldn't believe it. Right in our back yard. As you can see in the video below, it was quite intent on excavating this hole, long enough for me to retrieve Spousal Unit and my phone from the house so that together we watched the process of this efficient digger hunting Columbia ground squirrel. The very next day I almost ran head-on into another badger (may have been the same one) as I was returning to the house. It was just coming past a stand of trees, and it hissed when it saw me. So, of course I gave it plenty of berth by retreating, and while I stood there watching, it 'floated' across the opening WITH THREE YOUNG ONES. According to the Montana Field Guide, "because of their shaggy coat and short stature, badgers appear to flow along the ground". My wildlife meter is full for quite some time with this unbelievable sighting!

BONUS: Ever since I started reading Not Afraid of Color (LeeAnna's blog), I seem to spot Phoenicopterus everywhere (that's 'flamingo' for the rest of us). This one's for LeeAnna.

Linking to:

All Seasons

Floral Friday Foto

Nature Notes

Saturday, June 30, 2018

My Hiking Journal: Entries 12 and 13

Yesterday, I was watering my neighbor's garden, and the tree swallows were dive-bombing me in an attempt to protect the youngsters in the nesting boxes nearby. It brought to mind our kayaking trip last July, when we floated past a large cliff wall riddled with holes made by bank swallows.

Friday, July 7, 2017 - Whitefish River - 8 miles

(Internet)

Our son shuttled us with a put-in at Kay Beller Park and a take-out at the Highway 40 bridge. During the 3-hour paddle, herons would lift slowly and silently from a marshy inlet to find a spot without people. Numerous painted turtles lined up nose to tail on every available log, and were ambivalent to the yellow creature drifting past. Only the yellow iris tucked among the still-short bulrushes, and the occasional goldfinch, could compete with the brightness of our inflatable kayak.

Mid-way through our journey, we approached a curve and immediately noticed a dramatic increase in bird traffic. And then we saw the cliff wall and the birds flying to and from it. As I learned later, the Bank Swallow is usually seen in flocks, flying low over ponds and rivers with quick, fluttery wingbeats. It nests in dense colonies, in hole in dirt or sand banks. Some of these colonies are quite large, and a tall cut bank may be pockmarked with several hundred holes. Despite their small size, tiny bills and small feet, these swallows generally dig their own nesting burrows, sometimes up to five feet long.

(Internet)

I took this video of the bank swallows on Whitefish River, and got a pleasant bonus at the end.

While Man with Hat didn't hook any fish that day, we watched birds on the wing snagging dragonflies and other winged insects that flitted about the river's surface. At one point, a bald eagle flapped serenely over the river, and unseen hawks called to each other from the thick stands of trees. A deer near the river's edge lifted a dripping, shiny nose to assess our threat, and then slowly retreated to the woods.

Two pairs of kayakers each shared the waterway that day, exchanging only a nod in our direction as they glided downriver. It seemed no one wanted to break the peace of the summer day, punctuated by nothing louder than the buzz of insect wings and the twitter of the birds.

Saturday, July 8, 2017 - Middle Fork, Flathead River - 8 miles

Yes, we went kayaking two days in a row. You might as well, when you have all your gear together, but it probably had more to do with our son's work schedule accommodating another shuttle!

We put in around 11 am at Cascadilla Creek, an apparently good time for entry given that we saw very little traffic ahead of us throughout the 4-hour journey (we stopped three times for Man with Hat to fish). The take-out at Moccasin Creek at 3 pm was a different story - clearly it was a key launching time for the rafting companies - at least a dozen craft hovered creekside while loading up tourists lathered in sun cream and bug repellent!

(Internet)

But I have skipped 4 hours of beauty, so let me re-wind!

A picturesque wilderness whitewater river offers many opportunities to the boater. Splendid views.