SQUIRRELY DAY ~Lake Sacajawea Walk

Jared was going to be showing up bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed this morning to clean my windows, skylights, and gutters: I needed coffee, and lots of it.

It was very frosty this morning, when I looked out the windows drinking my coffee: getting on the roof was going to be squirrely, so when Jared showed, I told him to skip the skylights if it looked unsafe to him. He didn’t seem to be concerned, and the skylights got done 😊

The moon was still 'UP' when I got up, this morning! 7:10 AM

BRR; 7:13 AM; even the phone was still on night-mode.

Frosty roofs sparkling like they've been sprinkled with glitter; 7.44 AM

We caught up on the months’ happenings since he’d last been here: he’d been to Europe for two months, giving lectures on Van Gough’s life (and we both laughed and said at the same time, “Imagine! From Longview, a {regular Joe} gets invited to lecture Professor’s on Van Gough!”): I was happy for him – and, he said he noticed that Bob's beautiful Coho Bench was gone …

Coho Bench.

… and I told him I’d asked my BIL to come and get it, in August; and Kerry did when he got off the mountain, and into town. I know it went to a good home (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2022/10/living-neanderthal-man.html).

After Jared left, the temperature was predicted to get warmer around 1 PM, so I decided to go walking around the Lake; and this time, I remembered to grab the peanuts 😉

The traffic on Ocean Beach Highway was a madhouse, driving to the Lake: back-to-back bumpers coming and going – it looked like Portland traffic!

I knew I’d be driving a different way back home.

The Park turn-out-parking space was full, so I drove around the block twice (and saw a cool house!), before a spot opened up: I nipped in quick before someone else snagged it – this is very desirable “off-street” parking space.

I bundled up with my heavy Carhartt hooded jacket, fingerless gloves, and furry earmuffs; and enjoyed my walk. The squirrels were active … and things got a little squirrely when the gulls and ducks tried to grab the peanuts before the squirrels: but the squirrels managed to snatch their treats and make a clean get-away 😊

Afternoon temps ...

I remembered the peanuts!

Cute corner house with a corner turret; the door on the frontside is pretty cool, too.

Bundled up.

I only did the upper end of the Lake Trail Hike today.

This frisky little squirrel had to scurry quick, because the gills and ducks were after his peanut.

Mallard ducks & Canadian Geese.

Upper end of Lake Sacajawea Park.

Bright color among all the drab ...

Squirrel snatching my thrown peanuts.

Same squirrel enjoying his snatched treat.

An hour brisk pace ... FEELING IT.

Perfect end to my Shabbat Rest.

Bypassed the back-to-back traffic on Ocean Beach Highway, by driving Washington Way to Industrial Way; then, I drove the #432 Industrial Way loop home (the upper lefthand corner is home).

When I got home (and before kicking my shoes off to relax), I refilled the birdfeeder – and slipped a suet block into the suet cage, too, that Bob had affixed to the feeder for me; in 2017. It’s cold: the little birds need the energy suet will provide for them 😉

Restocked the birdfeeder ...

Worked the kinks out, too ;-)

“Shava Tov!” = “To A Good Week!”

SHABBAT SMILES ~Lake Hike

I got to bed late: around 3 AM this morning. I had stayed up playing two of my favorite computerized games (solitaire & poker) for hours on end. I tend to do this around this time of year, when weather forces me indoors and boredom snags me.

Anyhoo.

I was sleeping peacefully in a dreamless state of total rest, when the phone jingled and jolted me awake with an incoming text – which I answered, and promptly put out of mind … as I fluffed my pillow and rolled over, and tried to recapture the peaceful weekend laziness.

No go.

I was awake.

Time to rise … even if the shine would be delayed several hours 😉

5 hours of shut-eye would have to get me through the rest of the day.

Coffee perked, poured – and working on the second cup, I stripped the bed and got the sheets swishing around in the washer machine: then, I switched pj’s for outdoor clothing, and got busy winterizing the outdoor faucets, storing the hoses in the Shed, and tidying the carport (nothing major, just sweeping leaves, and storing/rearranging flower planters).

Then I checked the weather report to see how the day will kinda unfold: I immediately saw that if I wanted to get any productive walking in at all before next Spring, today was my only shot. I do occasionally try to get some hikes in during the thick of Fall and Winter – but generally, the weather (monsoon rainfalls & icy roads) keeps me penned in-house, the majority of the Fall and Winter months.

Today's the only chance for a pleasant walk in the Park.

Today, according to the predicted weather pattern; would really be the only chance to give my hiking shoes a workout, this month.

So, that’s what I did 😊

I left the wet sheets in the washer (they’d get dried later), and drove to Lake Sacajawea Park, fervently praying I’d find an empty parking space off-street.

YES! A parking spot, off the street – ((((THANK YOU)))), YESHUA!

I saw a Great Dane dog walking it’s human past me as I exited the Highlander, and was reaching for my walking stick; the dog’s coat was a beige color – I’ve never seen this color on a Dane before, and I would have liked to have gotten a picture of it … but it got out of photo-shot-range (those loooong legs on that long body, you know) before I could get my phone out of pocket and ready to aim ☹

But I did see several other interesting big dogs walking their humans – as well as other interesting sights – as I walked along the Lake Hike Trail 😊

A nice walk after home chores were completed.

Something new; the Band-Aids have got to be replaced with cotton patches ...

Giant Schnauzer dog.

Busy squirrel & marching geese.

Businesses are setting up candy stations for kids walking the Lake Trail in halloween costumes.

I sat on bench for a few minutes, just watching people & animals; reflecting on Yeshua's creative abilities (He is Creator).

The trees are flamboyantly strutting their stuff. LOL

These Park squirrels, preparing for Winter, have a Curious George characteristic; 'who's in my neighborhood' 😉

A Komondor & Bouvier des Flanders mix-bred puppy.

A Shetland pony being prepared for its afternoon activity.

The popping leaf colors; pistachio, yellow, & crimson red – across Nichols Boulevard Street, is very perky.

Geese are everywhere in the Park.

The contrasting canary yellow & wine-red burgundy leaves is eye-catching.

The half-naked tree ahead, was doing the Fall Burlesque Shimmy. Hahaha.

I LIKE THIS; pretty orange leaves in various stages of showiness.

Geese, ducks, and gulls ...

Muscovy duck ... so ugly, they are interesting; Iridescent green back plumage; it's saving grace.

Although the Muscovy is called "a duc", it is technically not a duck. The Muscovy is a South American waterfowl that only resembles a duck in part; it has the body of a duck, but behaves like a goose ... hissing, rather than quacking; it has a breast like a turkey, and is assertive like a rooster. Muscovey ducks also have instincts to chase down small critters because their native diets consist of the ususal duck diet: as well as small rodents, lizards, snakes, and other small land critters.

Hmmm: it sounds like a feathered garbage disposal 😉

I was hoofing it pretty good around the Lake (the quick pace had my butt and leg muscles burning by the time I got back to the parked Highlander); and got back home a little after 1 P.M.

I finished drying the sheets (and made the bed), drank a few cups of green tea with honey sweetener, and enjoyed a peaceful closing of this Shabbat 😊