Arches National Park: Mule Deer

Our first sightings of Mule Deer which is indigenous to western North America. In the northern section of Arches National Park we were coming back from Landscape Arch and found these deer in the grasslands near Tunnel Arch.

Mule Deer buck on the trail around Tunnel Arch.
These deer have white rump patch and a small white tail with a black tip. 

Keeping a keen lookout to see what the buck was up to. The gentle looking does with their 'mule-like' ears

Arches National Park: Double Arch

With more than 2000 arches this park is a geological marvel. National Parks in America are so well designed and here in Arches each destination is a mindfully curated experience. Being here in winter is a joy too as the park is not busy at all. 

Our visit to the Windows Section of the park was a revelation starting with the spectacular Double Arch. There is no hint of what you are going to see at the start of the short hard-packed trail and then the blue sky starts to peep out as does these two stone arches.

Approaching Double Arch, its scale is spectacular.

Double Arch is a pothole arch, they were formed from a small depression on the top of the rock mass merging with an alcove on the rock face. I do not always understand these geological forces but they are they quite awe inspiring.

Fred sitting high up in Double Arch. 
a rather precarious adventure with the slippery rock and the fall off behind him!

The Double Arch in all its grandness.

The Windows Section of Arches National Park

 

Arches National Park, Utah: and our first viewing of the iconic Delicate Arch.

Delicate Arch from the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint, a short sharp trail to view the Arch from across a ravine.

Our first day exploring the Arches National Park on a clear, big blue-sky day. 

Our road trip to Moab, which lies just south of the park, brings us to this time and this place-both Fred and I have always spoken about coming back to Utah and taking in the magnificence of Arches. Fred already has hundreds of photos but it's perfect to start with Delicate Arch. It is synonymous with Utah, from stamps to vehicle license plates and everything else imaginable. 

And it is completely magnificent. 

Delicate Arch in context from the viewpoint.

A quiet meditative moment, completely at peace and marvelling at the beauty of Delicate Arch.
The special aura of time, silence and scale.

PS: Thank you Adrienne for this Tennyson quote, it resonates on all levels

On the road: good morning Utah

 

The beauty of Utah

Our road trip from Denver to Moab in Utah is underway. 

Some adjustment needed to winter road tripping, it's very cold. We would normally be out and about very early, walking shoes on and finding a trail, but minus 5 is just too harsh. So a more relaxed start is needed and warm coffee shops are a pleasure.

Bucket List: Seattle Kraken Ice Hockey game at the Climate Pledge Arena

Bucket list: our first Ice Hockey game!

Walking into the Climate Pledge Arena in Downtown Seattle and seeing the hockey rink was such a thrill. 

The arena throbbed with noise and the excited fans were dressed up and ready to party. We had a birds eye view of the game and it is a true skill. The speed and agility of the players as they finesse the puck with their hockey sticks is so impressive. American live sport is certainly unique and entertaining. 

I am a fan and was shouting 'go go Kraken' right from the first shot.
 

Remarkable! Noise, music, lights, extraordinary fans, speed and skill is quite breathtaking.
Go Seattle Kraken, a 3: 2 win over the NY Islanders.
Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, 

Bird Connect Seattle

 

A Song Sparrow, a morning outing with Bird Connect Seattle.

We joined our second bird outing with Bird Connect Seattle this morning. Conditions were not ideal between the noise of the highway construction underway and a typical wet Seattle morning. We did however manage to id another new bird for my list, the Spotted Towhee, I also got more insight with the difference between the two Kinglets and Fred got this nice photo of a Song Sparrow.

Seen on our walk along Portage Bay, Seattle
It is a fine way to describe Seattle.

Big and small circles, a Monkey Puzzle hunt

Being away from home for long blocks of time requires a slightly different way of travel. And I think about my days as 'big circle' or 'small circle'. 

Big is where we boldly venture out, explore and take in the place we find ourself. Small is needed to regroup, gather myself together, do some laundry, some admin, blog, sort photos, cook, read, knit, research, spend time with the family... The small circle days we find ourselves walking around the neighbourhood, looking at the different styles of homes here in suburban Seattle, having a coffee, provisioning for a meal and these last fews days I have been on a hunt for the Monkey Puzzle.

Taha Ebrahimi's illustrated walking guide to street trees in Seattle got me going on my small circle day today. The rather amusing part is that the Monkey Puzzle tree mentioned in the book is a rather poor specimen and I then noticed them much closer to home, in fact over the road!

Now to fetch the little ones, take Kirstie to swimming and James to his soccer social, dinner, reading and then bedtime. 
 

Araucaria Araucana, an evergreen conifer from Chile with an interesting story and a rather bizarre look.
The sharp triangular leaves that shape the upturned spiny branches are fascinating as are the upright cones. The tree also has a perfectly rounded crown.

Extract from Street Trees of Seattle by Taha Ebrahimi. 

And Bryant is our neighbourhood, hence the search for a monkey puzzle.

Purple in Downtown Seattle, twinkling lights, a tower of wine and an indulgent menu.

Table for 4 please. Hadfield and Kersten party at Purple Cafe and Wine Bar in Downtown Seattle. 

The bubbles, an Italian Sparkling Contratto Alta Langa, to start the evening celebrating Shawni's 40th birthday. Our starters with the bubbles were the Dungeness Crab Cakes, Spicy Prawns, Oysters and Baked Brie. 

And the Oregon Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley with the deep rich flavours of Duck Cassoulet, Squid Ink Linguine, Braised Short Rib Pappardelle and for Shawni, a first, Pan Seared Steelhead.

Dessert, a vast bowl of Vanilla Creme Brûlée. My only 'complaint' no Italian espresso only American drip coffee which was a pass.

 

And Shawni turns 40, looking back through photos!

Shawni has started to get happy birthday messages from New Zealand, so she is 40 already in parts of the world. Here we celebrate tomorrow.

I have been looking through photos remembering these past 40 years! Shawni was a remarkable baby, a joyful young girl, a feisty teenager, a fascinating young adult, a smart career woman, a much loved wife and a dedicated, loving mother. We have watched her grow and flourish and have participated in her life with so much love and pleasure. Fred and I  appreciate being here in Seattle to be part of this special milestone.

Happy birthday Shawni, we love you Mom and Dad.

The early years, having a brother to pest and play with, moving to France and already travelling the world, starting nursery and primary school in Norwood, lots of special times with family and friends.

And the years pass, onto St Mary's for high school and to the University of Cape Town, always a dedicated clever student, sport, skydiving, career kicks off, loads of focus on family and friends and of course, meeting Craig at EY in Johannesburg.

A career move to Nassau and a wedding in the Bahamas.
Magical on all levels.
 

And the joy of her own little family with Craig, James our first grandson in 2016 and Kirstie our only little girl in 2019.
The careers that evolve and take shape, they work hard, they live life to the full, they love to travel and care deeply about their friends and family.

 

Books and Coffee, Capital Hill, Seattle

 

 Seattle's independent bookstore.

Our Sunday morning was the wonderful combination of coffee and books. Buying coffee, drinking coffee, browsing books and buying books. For me, a completely wonderful combination. On my to do list was picking up the new Louise Penny novel, The Grey Wolf, which was launched on the 29th October.

Our next stop was Starbucks Reserve Roastery in the vibey Capital Hill neighbourhood. The space is dramatic in its scale and show cases the art, science and the theatre of roasting coffee. Heaving with Sunday brunching and lunching, we tasted the special Xmas roast, watched the coffee roasting process happening and enjoyed connecting with the myth of this coffee company. Some of our Starbucks coffee experiences in the Seattle suburbs have been below par but the Reserve is excellent.

Impressive Xmas decor at Starbucks Reserve.

I will return to pick up the Starbucks Reserve Christmas for under our tree. The beans come from their farm in Costa Rica, combined with beans from Sumatra and from Indonesia, after that intro we were sold!

Magnificent Western Red Cedar

Fall is not just about the beauty of the turning leaves, Seattle has magnificent evergreen trees and I am particularly taken with this giant conifer tree on our pavement. The Western Red Cedar is native to the Pacific Northwest and can live up to 1000 years. Also on our pavement is a rather hostile holly with its spikey leaves which are tricky to rake and pick up!

Our home for our 3 months in Seattle with the family. 

 

Seattle has a thing about crows.

American Crow

As we have flocks of Rock Pigeons in South Africa, here in Seattle it is the American Crow that dominates the skyline and the bird sounds. As winter approaches the crows gather at dusk in huge numbers to move to their resting grounds and this in itself is a Seattle attraction.

I has been watching crows from the kitchen window and the crow-filled sky is certainly Hitchcockian, a 'murder of crows' and all the other associations. This is a clever bird, well adapted to urban life and seemingly very happy in Seattle.
 

Discovery Park, a morning along the shore of the Puget Sound.

Picture perfect weather, a morning walking along rocky and sandy beaches and up flights of stairs into the mixed woodlands of Discovery Park north of Seattle. 

The pleasure of the crisp sea air, the clear views across to the Olympic Mountains and looking for the wintering birds in these diversity of habitats made a wonderful outing today. We even had Mount Rainier in our sight. 

Grebes, mergansers and scoters out the sea, ducks in the fresh water habitat and the excitement of a new bird in the woodland, a Bewick Wren!

Walking along the trail with the Puget Sound in view, almost had to pinch myself appreciating that I am in this beautiful part of the world. 

West Point Lighthouse constructed in 1881, with its stunning setting on the Puget Sound, is still an active aid to navigation on the Sound. 

 

The trail through the mixed coniferous-deciduous forest of the Pacific Northwest.

American Wigeon in the freshwater area of the park.

Detail of the ubiquitous snowberry which is a North American shrub of the honeysuckle family.

Fred managed to get this shot of the Bewick Wren, I was so impressed as it flits and moves rapidly through the scrub.
Another new bird for our USA checklist.