A couple weeks ago I followed along as volunteers from the disaster relief organization Team Rubicon removed burnable material from Zintel Canyon in Kennewick, Washington, as part of an effort to mitigate wildfires in the area. Kennewick has a higher fire risk than 92% of U.S. communities. Team Rubicon was started by a US Marine Corps veteran in 2010, traveling to Haiti after that year's devastating earthquake and has grown to include more than 160,000 volunteers helping respond to or mitigate disasters both in the US and internationally. Photographed for Crosscut/CascadePBS ( @cascadepbs ).
Thanks to Genna for taking the pitch and to Mai for her reporting on the piece, published this week on the Cascade PBS website.
(took a little break from posting over the past few weeks, but hopefully I'll get back into the regular swing of things)
Lacy #phacelia aka #purple#tansy is native to NW Mexico & SW USA - it's in the borage family. I've been using them as part of #pollinators#garden & as a natural aphids #PestControl for food plants. This pretty flowering #plant attracts hoverflies & those insects love eating aphids. When it's done flowering - you can cut it down & use cuttings as #GreenManure.
I just bought this tree (Merlot Redbud) for our front yard and I’m so excited! We live in a verdant green forest, which is beautiful - but having some additional color would nice. Two years ago we planted a pink flowering dogwood that bloomed this year and we love it!
I'm far too tired to cook dinner today. I ordered delivery food from Ferris' downtown. Got their bouillabaisse - local fishes, shellfish, tomato fennel broth, parsley, saffron aioli & fingerling potatoes. They usually deliver a good sized serving - I usually have enough for a late night leftovers snack.
Indoors - one of my tiger #orchids bloomed last night.
Outdoors - 1st #IrisNigricans, #NationalFlower of #Jordan bloomed & more to open this week. One of my Syrian friends gave me a pot of rhizomes 3yrs ago.
More grape soda #irises bloomed too.
Today in the garden: irises and chickens. Who doesn't love irises and chickens? The chickens are four years old this week (they are all sisters, or half sisters). The irises are at least 20 years old. They came with the house and I've moved them several times before settling on this spot. They're finally doing well here--maybe they like being near the chickens. #gardening #gardeningMastodon #bloomScrolling #PNW #chickens
Has everyone had enough #aurora photography? Probably.
But regardless - here's some attempts at tastefully processing my efforts from Friday night. The colours are indeed absolutely silly - I've left the saturation slider at zero, honestly!
I haven’t been to #Olympia since high school when I was in high school government and went with my classmates also in government to learn about how our democracy runs. It’s a nice college town with lots of restaurants and parks.
BTW, Olympia is also one of the few affordable cities left in western #Washington. As crazy as it sounds, you can still get a nice house for under $600k - which is really saying something in the #PNW these days.
#Olympia also has a terrific farmers market by the marina. It’s a great place to pick up some new tie dye, grab a great seafood salad, and take the dogs for a walk along the pier.
Everyone we met was in a good mood and very chatty. They would stop us and talk to our dogs. 😁 Weed is legal and enjoyed here.
The now abandoned #Olympia Brewery standing unused (sad waste of a beautiful spot) in Tumwater, WA. It looks like a commercial version of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water house. I remember touring the place with my parents when I was a kid. It was a fully operational brewery then.
I didn’t realize it was National Train Day, but it was a great day for a Cascade Bicycle Club group ride to visit every light rail station on Sound Transit’s 2 Line now that it’s in operation! We were even able to use a couple of recently opened bike connections, too #SEAbikes#2Line#PNW#Seattle#Bellevue#Redmond#BikeTransit#BikeTooter
This is so many levels of fucked up by government. They are selling invasive species to unaware citizens. This should be #ILLEGAL. The more #daphne spreads, the more this #corrupt BC NDP govt will use that as justification to spray more #toxic#glysophates over forests & more greenspaces!
Just around the corner from the cafe patio, with the gorgeous white wisteria trees, I saw these pretty #pink rose #azalea flowers 😍 They were so lovely!
Mount Hood looks stunning from up here on Table Mountain. I was informed by a frankly terrified-looking day hiker that black bears were seen up here last night. I’m proceeding with caution and will update you if I encounter them. 🐻🗻☀️
I explored the unmaintained Two Chiefs Trail on the way out of the forest. Saw some unique views of Table Mountain from the south. Had to turn back at Greenleaf Creek because there was no way to cross without getting soaked. It was great to be back out exploring new areas along the PCT.