Musings

Deep underground in the public passageways at “the world’s busiest airport” (they repeat frequently), the decision-makers have installed durable artwork. This blue-and-green installation is accompanied by bird calls, and seems to evoke a forest and its dappled light. About half-way down, there’s a clearing in the “leaves” and I could hear ducks quacking, although the birds aloft (sorry, no photo) were clearly geese. Brazen, I’m saying, brazen artistic license.

We departed the Deep South in sprinkles, and the sunlight that greeted us in the PacNW became spitty rain two hours later…providing aesthetic cloud cover for this Puget Sound inlet. […with both north- and south-bound trains—coal and autoracks, respectively.

Seems like a wild rose, but that’s a guess…your flower for the day.

And, with the time change…yawn…and, gee, it’s now quite sunny out!

Posted at 6:40 PM | Comments Off on Shifting weather

I’ve been tweaking photos in Photos, and lately I’ve been thinking that the colors get boosted they didn’t using the same strategies I’ve always used. Pretty, yes, but a bit hyper-real.

Golden-yellow flowers; don’t know the name.

Someone’s ready for the D-day anniversary tomorrow…seventy-five years ago. I know where I was that day: nowhere.

Posted at 8:16 PM | Comments Off on I know/don’t know/know

Blue pH. Not the same as a PhD.

Stunning purple clematis.

I call this (lower right) a lawn roomba. It was active/scurrying; I don’t know about the mowing quality.

A century ago: women got the right to vote in good ol’ USA. Mostly white women, I’m pretty sure, and probably not everywhere initially, truth be told.

Posted at 7:26 PM | Comments Off on Color me…¿observant?

Little bit of precipitation last night…wowzer, these (redbud) leaves look mid- to late-summer.

I don’t think this means the bus tumbles. I hope.

We missed Summerfest in the neighborhood this weekend. Not sure what these are but my guess is they were to catch wastewater (like from sinks in food trucks).

First big basil harvest here in the ATL. Also have Thai basil for some Thai curry—wonderful eats this week!

Posted at 6:51 PM | Comments Off on Odds, ends

You would not be the least bit surprised, I bet, to learn that the street that goes along under this railroad track is called Arches Street. Poetic or pragmatic?

Abandoned building—not a fine place to sleep any longer. Does this mean that in each room there was space for a bed, dresser, and a few hangers—and that’s it? Or does it mostly mean no cooking facilities? I’m mystified.

Note: not Colombia. I find it interesting that the facade was expanded in 1969 to include a street door to the far right. We zipped by and I couldn’t tell if this bank is still open; however, a bit of searching, and yes!

After all day on state highways and a few US routes, we finally popped onto the interstate maze, and followed this for a few minutes as we approached the northern metro area. Time for you to generate your own caption.

Posted at 10:20 PM | Comments Off on Roadside sights

I hoped the apple buds would open, but no, too cool a spring for them to open in May.

Tulips and forget-me-nots, on the other hand: stunning. Thank you, dear gardening neighbors.

On the road we encountered a long military convoy. They were moving an assortment of vehicles, about half in OD champ and half in desert beige. However, the vehicular theme of the day, of all our long miles, was Equinoxi. Is that the plural of Equinox? I’d guess that one of every eight or so vehicles was an Equinox. Go Chevy.

No, I definitely do not covet one.

I can’t remember the last time I saw tent caterpillars. Do I spend too much time in the city? Do they avoid the Sunny South? …Answers I do not have.

Then, as we crossed into Ohio, we drove into rain. Heavy rain. And more rain. Later with a few hail balls, bam bam. And when we drove out of the precip, within two minutes, we were driving on dry roads. Funny. But the truck is less muddy and decorated with fewer insect bodies. Sunset: a normal orange with a few clouds.

And a happy good night!

Posted at 10:19 PM | Comments Off on Equinox day

Seems to me that up here, during the grass-growing season, we are in one of three states: going to mow, just mowed, almost time to mow again. Today, the Guru had the big mower out, and all of a sudden there was a noise and it stopped dead. Not to be restarted. Loaded it into the pickup and took it to the fix-it neighbors (a real business). Then, the Guru got out this old machine (not to be confused with the ca. 1950 electric, but that’s another story). Don’t know when it was purchased, but the logo typography indicates almost two generations ago. It started right up. After not being used for at least a decade. Yay! Currently, however, it won’t restart, leaving a small patch unmowed. But only a small patch. In a low-priority place. And that’s today’s grass-growing season story.

Rather exciting: found a nascent lupine bloom. Wouldn’t you know I’d take only one snap, and that’d be out of focus. Apologies!

Posted at 6:40 PM | Comments Off on Growing season

Yes, here in the great northland, the grape hyacinths are still blooming.

And the lilacs are coming. Push, I say! I took a cautious sniff, and, oh happy day, I could smell lilac-ness…faint, but still!

Posted at 9:24 PM | Comments Off on Flower report

Last night’s pinkish-red sky did indeed herald a gorgeous day…not sure about sailors (or shepherds for some), but we sheep-less landlubbers enjoyed it.

I’m still grooving on the trilliums, whether one or two…

…or by the dozens on the forest floor. BTW, the leaves have gone from tiny to almost mid-sized in the six days since we arrived. I sat on the sun-porch with the windows open this afternoon. I think we can say it: summer is here!

Posted at 6:10 PM | Comments Off on Magnificent and marvelous

This is the largest morel I have found this year. Mighty fine eating!

A clump of ramps that survived picking; I took this deep in the woods. I read that folks can pick ramps in the National Forests for personal use, but only leaves and pluck them here and there so as not to kill the bulbs/roots.

And the lake was quiet today. Yay! No erosion. On the other hand, the biting insects were aggressive. Corollary, no?

Posted at 7:21 PM | Comments Off on More foraging