Every year, we have a pair of flycatchers nest in our parking shelter, an old cattle loafing shed. They LOVE this space to nest. Sadly, the first batch of hatchlings were all destroyed by a variety of cannibalistic birds! It was terrible. But I’m happy to say that all 4 in batch 2 have made it to the fledgling stage, are flying around willy-nilly, and will soon learn to hunt for themselves (the above exhausted parent and I both agree this needs to happen very soon).
Last week my honey took me rock hunting. I have a thing about rocks. We thought we would explore a dirt road up in the mountains, one that required the 4×4. Packed a picnic lunch and off we went. According to what we “thought” our daughter had said (a regular off-roader), the road ended up in Cowiche.
It was a hot but gorgeous day. So very dry everywhere (except where the wildland firefighters had just finished putting out a fire-we met them on their way back down the one-lane dirt road!). The desert needs some rain!
We stopped off for our picnic lunch in the shade of huge pine trees. We “thought” we were well on our way to the other end of this road. Hahahahahaha The joke was on us!
The dirt road, complete with rocks, potholes, and 4×4 climbing options, kept going up. We’d hit the top of a hill, think we were as high as we were going, have beautiful views across the top of the hill, dip down for 100 feet, then head straight back up. When we saw Mt. Rainier off in the distance, we knew our expectations were not correct.
So. Maybe the road ended up out in Tampico, way out west from where we live. But there was no sign of any going down. Just up, up, west, up, up, up. We resigned ourselves to get home really late.
Regardless of the long distance, heat, and dust, we had exceptional views. For a hot day in July, I was amazed at how many wildflowers were still in bloom.
And good thing for us, there were two cell towers! Way out in the middle of nothing. I finally decided to just call the daughter. “Where are we going to come out? Where are we?”
And after some thinking, she finally figured it out-just as we pulled off to look out over a valley with what we suspected was Rimrock lake, AND Mt. Rainier, she said, “Oh, that’s probably Jump Off Joe. There should be an old building you can go in.”
I looked right, and there it was, a bit further up the road on a different rock spur. Wow! Jump Off Joe (named for obviously sad reasons) is an old fire lookout tower. Pretty creaky if you go inside, and I was walking careful! But the views are fantastic!
Also. We did not hike it. We thought we were driving a through road. Nope. We had to turn around and drive back down, between 12-13 miles from Highway 12. The hike is only 10 miles RT, but also. You have to work it to finish that hike! The only other people we saw were the firefighters, dirt bikers, and a group of 8 women driving their 8 Subarus on adventure (the guest book signature said that). We figured it out as they flew past us kicking up clouds of fine dust.
Look at that view, both the handsome guy and Mt. Rainier. Just beyond the lookout is a very steep drop-off. Definitely keep track of small children in this area.
Rimrock Lake and Mt. Rainier. No wonder the mountain kept getting so close! This is not Cowiche OR Tampico.
It took us about an hour and a half to drive back down the road, using first and second gear. But we stopped at the Tieton River so I could stand in the cool water. Ahhhh.
Next time we go rock hunting, I will talk with Chelsie first. Just to make sure.
Gardening day began early since the heat was headed up to the triple digits. Monet LOVES when mama works in the garden. She is often on guard. Or supervising. The fence is new from the middle of last year’s garden, and it seems to be doing a wonderful job of keeping wild bunnies from free-grazing the crops.
First up was harvesting about half of the onions. They are de-greened (I’m sure there is a fancy name for that) and drying in the shop. Only one has gone to seed!
The carrots are doing well. Last year, the wild bunnies* ate off the tops as fast as they grew. I didn’t get anything but stringy roots. This year, ta-da! Now. Next year’s goal is to THIN them so I can get normal carrots. I think of all the crops growing in the garden, freshly harvested carrots smell the best. Mmmmm.
It got hot fast. Monet and I recovered in the breakfast nook aka shade patio west of the sunflowers. The mornings are lovely in this spot. The afternoons are brutal. Bountiful SUN. For the sunflowers.
“We” (Monet???) also harvested another large bowl of peas, 4 zucchini (2 days ago, I only saw 1), and wax and green beans. Tomatoes are coming. The kale is doing fine. Herbs are great. Sadly, there’s a bumper crop of weeds, especially crab grass. Yuck. I harvested a wheelbarrow full of weeds as well.
Now we’re hiding from the sun. But I’m thinking a swim with the grands would be a good fit.
How’s your garden doing this year? How are you staying cool?
*Our wild bunnies came from people dumping “formerly pet” bunnies in the neighborhood. They are adorable when small, but destructive when adults. Digging holes, eating everything, attracting predators, and reproducing like crazy.
Two things.
People. Both does and bucks can be altered by a veterinarian! I did not know that, but now I do. The “neighbors” have six pet bunnies and all but one have been spayed or neutered. Practice crowd control.
People. Life in the wild is fraught with predators. We have personally witnessed a run-by cat (not Monet) who snatches baby bunnies and hauls them off for a meal. This happened several times. There is a hawk nest not too far away, and every year the parents raise one or two baby hawks. The raising involves teaching them to hunt. Guess what they hunt? Bunnies. I once saw something weird over the fence and went to investigate. A hawk had landed on a baby bunny. I scared it off and the bunny ran off. It was okay, but later a cat got it. Before you commit to having a pet bunny, remember how long they live. Don’t be a dumper.
Patting myself on the back here. I found a recipe in a magazine and had nearly ALL of the ingredients on hand! Now that right there is amazing. But also, fresh frozen halibut from a fisher friend, dill growing in the garden, and ginger in the freezer.
We’ve had several good experiences with fish tacos. But I am a careful sort of cook with fish.
And. Ta-dah! This recipe works great! It wasn’t too hard, didn’t have too many steps, and nothing weird or difficult to find at the store.
Success was confirmed by my own taste buds, plus my honey loved them, and leftovers (how long can you keep fish taco leftovers anyway?) were devoured and seconds requested by Jamie and Donavyn next door.
After cleanup, and several photos, because yes, I am one of those people who take pictures of their food, I dug out the magazine. Two stars for me!! This recipe came from Bon Appetit. What?!!! The prep was pretty simple and the taste delish.
It’s a keeper. Anyone else have any fresh caught or frozen halibut?
Love, Laughter, and Life 