A trip to the Flower and Garden Show

A few months ago Jeff and I joined our local community center. They hosted a nice orientation lunch which included a  drawing. I won a free trip of my choice, and  decided that the NW Flower and Garden Show would be perfect.

At 8:30 AM our happy little band headed to Seattle. www.gardenshow.com/the-show

This year's theme was Gardens Go Hollywood, and the gardens really captured the spirit!

From sleek and chic,

 



To the rugged outdoors.



From the ridiculous

to the sublime,

there was something for everyone.

One of the display gardens had a little evergreen that has been a "mystery plant" in my garden. Now I know that it's a type of hardy hebe.

The orchid display, though smaller than previous,

was oh so vibrant.



Sign at a nearby deli!



Walking around the show and taking in many of the 300 booths can cause a mighty hunger, so  we headed out for lunch and a little walk around downtown Seattle.

After an afternoon of further browsing and a very interesting seminar on Art in the Garden, we headed back to our little van for the ride home.

Fun, easy. I'll definitely do more of these trips!

Another Unlikely Visitor

I'm learning how to paint fog in my watercolor class. Very timely for this extremely foggy winter.

As I was snapping a photo of the fog-shrouded trees on the bluff I noticed a large dark form chugging down the beach towards me. The black swan was back; he undoubtedly had heard about all the seaweed brought in by Monday's storm.

A few minutes and several pictures later, a large white form was  swimming towards me, but much more slowly.

 

Cedric, our local one-legged gull and unofficial gossip was on hand
and tells the following story-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BS: Hey check out all the good seaweed, it's delicious!

WS: I'm not hungry, think I'll head back to the shore and tidy up.

BS: You really should stock up, never know when you'll find such a great spot again.

WS: No I'm  still full from our feast this morning at the point.

 

WS: Can't you  stop eating for just a minute?

 BS:  slurp slurp.

 

 WS: OK, I'll see you later.

 BS: All right, time to get some more grub!







? a broken wing?



WS: thinking, ....another exciting afternoon on the bay


BS: Hey I'm back!

WS: Hmmmm...

BS: Sure you don't want to go down there for a little grub?

 

 

BS: OK then. I'm off for a little dessert.

WS: I changed my mind. Wait for me!

An Unlikely Visitor Part Two

The swan stayed around the bay for just a week; fed mightily on our abundant seaweed, and then last Monday, as I was taking this picture it swam off and didn't return for days.

 

Black Swans are not wild birds in our hemisphere. They're called "exotics" and are usually seen in zoos or  private collections.

Here's what Wiki has to say about them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan

We determined that our swan was either an amazing long distance flyer or an escapee.

As the days went by, we figured that he had flown away. But Friday, low and behold, he swam by the house! We saw him briefly heading south yesterday as well. Apparently he has found  a calmer bay or better seaweed. But at least he's around and hasn't been captured.

An Unlikely Visitor Part One

Jeff and I are settling in to our  quiet life on Camano. The house is becoming a home; most of the unpacking is done and our favorite photos and paintings are gracing the walls. We're finding that there is a lot to do here and are slowly meeting people and building our new community. I love the peacefulness of this place and don't think I'll ever  tire of just staring out the window which I spend a fair amount of time doing !

Monday afternoon I noticed a large dark bird-like shape swimming along just off the beach. As it approached I realized that it was a black swan. It was heading toward the sandbar, an area very popular with hungry wildlife. Folks walking along the beach were as taken as I was and actually got quite close to the bird to take a picture. The swan hung out at the 'bar' all afternoon.

The next day it was back. Same time, same routine: feeding, preening, swimming around. This large bird is not wild. Sibley's book describes it as an "exotic" bird, usually found in parks or private collections. It is about 60 inches long from beak to tail. Again it was feeding for hours.

On Wednesday, we arrived home to see our visitor had attracted people with large nets. Twice they tried to surround it only to have it fly off. I'm not sure who these people were. But I was happy to see that the swan prevailed.

Today was a sunny calm day, and our visitor had returned again.

It fed for hours, preened, and then appeared to take a nap.

I hope this guy stays around for a good while.