Butterflies, Buddies and Bears, Oh %&#@!

Mount Baker, here today, gone tomorrow

view from living room downstairs 

Had a fun week my friends Robbie & Rhonda, who are in the NW this month, up from California. While they were here they participated in lots of hiking and sight seeing. The Olympic gods were with them as Mount Baker which can't be seen much of the time, was shiny and bright in the Northwestern Sky. It can even be spied from my house... downstairs, blocked a bit by a Corkscrew Oak and a powerpole... but present nevertheless. 

On their last day I drove them to many of my favorite spots to see Bald Eagles. On Holland Road we ran into a swarm of bees . None of us had ever seen a swarm outside of Ticktock. 

When we'd had our fill of the bees, we stopped at one of Sequim's 'Pick Your Own Berries and Lavender' Farms. Loads of Raspberries were picked, and wolfed down later in the day.

Robbie volunteered pick us some raspberries

Of course it is cruel to take someone to a lavender farm and not try out some lavender ice cream so that was next on the agenda. We got the Whitbey Island Ice Cream bars at a 2nd lavender farm, down the road from my house. 

Robbie tryed to convince the hen that ice cream was no good for her

Another day we drove up to Hurricane Ridge at the top of Olympic National Park. While while my

Comma Butterfly

friends hiked the high country, I roamed around closer to the Visitor Center. Spotted a nice 'new to me' butterfly and some Avalanche Lilies.

Avalanche Lilies

Then on our way down from Hurricane Ridge, barely a mile from the top, we spotted a Black Bear. You KNOW that made my month. This is the 3rd spotting of a Black Bear I've seen in the area so I'm thinking the bear population must be kind of HUMONGOUS.

Always a joy to see one of the park Black Bears

The bear had Cocker Spaniel eyes... so soulful,
as well as a mouthful of tasty grass

One of the days I drove them around to my favorite haunts, with the goal of showing them a baldie or three. We caught one in flight over the Holstein dairy farm. I took them around back of the Olympic Game Farm where after Bald Eagle chicks have fledged (left home, i.e., nest) can be seen sitting on fence posts, sometimes a half dozen at a time. But that day, no baldies at all. As a last resort I drove them to Marine Drive, about a mile from my house. Stopping at the roadside, I pointed to an empty branch up high in a coniferous tree that overhung a cliff. 

"Well, you guys are having crap luck today. Sometimes there are as many as a pair of eagles sitting on that horizontal branch..."

On cue, up from the cliffs below winged a massive Bald Eagle juvenile, obediently landing on the branch I'd indicated. 

"Ooops! Take that back, you two are having FANTASTIC luck today!"

Training that baby baldy really paid off big time.

Robbie & Rhonda ended up spending an extra day with me because they awaited a package at the post office. That made me sooo happy, because I so enjoyed having their company for the week. But finally the time came for them to leave. Robbie was to meet up with her hubby Bill up in Vancouver and Rhonda went to visit friends, in the Seattle area? Well somewhere up here. Fun and helpful house guests whom I hope return next summer. I might have a few more critters trained to show up on cue by then, you never know. 

Berkeley Hen Party

Robbie, bless her Hen Heart, concluded, another Hen Party was in order. Our last was a whopping 3 years ago, so you can understand her point. So with short notice the party was held this past weekend.

To the right here, is Hen Robbie who wowed I, the ultra lazy, by spending hours of the first day on her feet, baking and making a feast for her hen pals. I arrived shortly before Barbara, and we sat on our ample rears, watching Robbie prepare oodles of savories and sweet treats.

The best reason for Hen Parties is to catch up with what everyone is up to these days, and show photos of whom or whatever it is you have to share. 

On Saturday morning, Robin arrived. She came loaded with lots of stories & pix of her brood - all grown now & married - whom we've known since they were knee high to hens.

Saturday morning chat with Barbara and Robin 

We were all tickled that Hen Robin managed to visit with us, as she is always on the go. She is an honest-to-gosh, farmer, in Vacaville, CA.

 Rhonda 

Hen Rhonda came in on Sunday, having just flown in the previous night from Italy, where, as a scientist, she attended a grape grower's conference. Her tales of touring Tuscan grape groves and attending evening Italiano feasts with the locals & other scientists there kept us all in stitches.









Oh, and back to the food, because you gotta feed Hens, you know? Robbie prepared an amazing Vietnamese Pho soup for our dinner. It. Was. Awesome.

I have got to master the recipe for Pho soup. There was a tantalizing assortment of greens and sprouts to add to our soups as is done traditionally. My favorite was the purple Shiso leaves, from a plant of the mint family. I'd bought Shiso leaves but they spoiled as I did't know what to do with them. Well, now I know!


Robbie also knocked herself out the desserts department too.

Robbie made mini tarts from fresh apricots and a scrumptious apricot pie.

Yes, Hens eat pretty danged well

My 'PLEASE TAKE' cooking stuffs, all over Robbie's table

I'm busy breaking up my household lately, so I took this Hen Party opportunity to make everyone give new homes to the kitchen supplies I'm unable to take with me to Washington state. I fostered off generously gave all my flax seed & meal, nuts, bottles of grape molasses, orange water (for my attempts at Moroccan cuisine), as well as my cooking oils and much much more. Thanks for helping me unload my stuff... I mean, thanks for assisting me in re-purposing my fellow Hens!

[Update: I have yet to master the art of Pho soup as yet, but did find a great Pho restaurant in Port Angeles so there's that...]

All Hens to Asilomar

The Pacific; photo by Rhonda

Time for a Hen Party, the 2nd of 2015. Hen Ingrid put the weekend event together rather quickly, and the weekend seemed to shoot by just as fast. Happily, one can hastily stuff a weekend's worth of fun and togetherness with friends in short order. We took possession of the luxurious new roost late Friday afternoon. I drove down, picking up Barbara along the way, and we arrived at dusk.

the Director's Cabin

Arriving at first I thought the cottage two different buildings. Nope, not a 'cottage' - it was more like a mini-mansion. Three bedrooms, three massive bathrooms, huge kitchen (you're getting the general idea), a sitting room with a convertible couch/bed and a patio deck big enough for a party of 30.




We divied up the many rooms. Practically needed a map -->
to navigate around...



As Ingrid prepared chicken Chicken in Grape Sauce and Polenta with a Salad ala Nancy, the reconnective chatter proceeded.  Note to those concerned, all Hens and their varied dependents are faring well. Most are now mercifully retired with Hen Robbie the next to join the ranks of those no longer in need of an alarm clock.

Ingrid cooking up polenta, while Rhonda & Robbie attack the Clementines

Quorum of Hens over dinner with wine... lots of lovely wines, compliments of Rhonda

Saturday morning, all woke and followed a trail of breadcrumbs to find the kitchen for breakfast.

Lolling about

Post-breakfast, a brief brainstorming session happened. Decisions were made for what activities - if any - would fill the day. Energetic Hens, Rhonda, Ingrid, Nancy and Robbie were off for a hike to Pacific Grove to see the Monarch Butterflies.

Ingrid and Robbie enroute

Rhonda's photo of Monarch Butterflies roosting in a Eucalyptus 

If you assumed I forgot to mention that everyone went on the 'energetic Hen's hike', you are sadly mistaken. One hen stayed to stand guard at the so-called 'cottage'.

While I went for a not-terribly-long walk to the Asilomar boardwalk,

There are interesting old Asilomar buildings nestled in the sandy scenery.

Shady boardwalk leading off to the dunes and overlooks

View of with the Pacific

Soon I met up with a few of the locals.

I guess it is not amazing that deer, who roam a land saturated with people become quite tame. I was able to walk right up to a doe and speak to her, for which she was annoyed, as we had not been properly introduced.

Despite both of us holding still, iPhone photo is still a little blurry

All my pictures were taken with the iPhone - becoming a bad habit really. Barbara mentioned "Think of families taking all their children's photos on cell phones, and will in a decade or so, be in for a shock, as we were, the children of the '60s with all our childhood photos now tinted in decade-revealing pink."  And that, my dears, is what photo-shopping is all about.

Post hikes, of the energetic and the sluggish types, it was time for the usual cheesy, winey Hen celebration. A galaxy of cheeses were provided courtesy of generous Rhonda: smoked gouda, Wesleydale with cranberries, and for amusement, if not flavor, there was Fat Bottom Girl Bleating Heart and Buff Blue Bleating Heart.

Creatures with udders worked hard to make our treats

Umm.. some rich 'Humboldt Fog'

And some garlicky 'Vampire Slayer'!

We had a nice selection of wines, and we weren't stinted on the beers. Rhonda brought this favorite for us to share, from Fort Bragg on the California Coast, some 'Brother Thelonious' a rich as Midas, Belgium ale.

And back to our weekend get-together, when Sunday morning rolled around, we were all in shock. Truly, for some mysterious reason, of all the Hen Parties we've held, this one shot by the quickest. It felt to all concerned like it had lasted only half a day, tops. Had some wizard or witch of another dimension cast a time relativity spell on us? How could 2.5 days and 2 nights shoot by so 'don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it' rapidly? We will never know, and we can only conclude we need to have another Hen Party, and fast!

Ah me! In closing, enjoy a few of Rhonda's wonderful sunset photos from Saturday night, from Asilomar's coastal dunes.

Berkeley Hen Party

Top to bottom, left to right
Nancy, Rhonda, Ingrid, Barbara, Robbie
and some chick in a red shirt

It's been three years since our last Hen Party. So Roberta, aka Robbie dusted off the welcome mat and in we all blasted in like an April storm; chat, chat, yak, yak, and not to be overlooked, eat, eat, EAT.

Robbie making her now famous, 'Khao soi'
a Thai Curried Chicken Soup

Hen Ingrid, back from Peru
She brought Peruvian Prezzies for everyone

Barbara & Nancy model attractive alpaca scarves; their pick of Ingrid's presents...
Hey! Is that a non-hen back there in the kitchen?

Hen Robbie brandishing the sacred pecking hens -
only to be enjoyed by she-who-hosts the latest Hen Party

Modeling one of the Peruvian gifts, an Alpaca wool glove

Hen Rhonda pouring out the oh-so-delish, after dinner aperitif

Um... Ice Wine, which along with other wines and some delightful cheeses were brought by farm adviser, Hen Rhonda. Ice wine, made from frozen grapes, is quite sweet.

There's that not-a-hen again. Bill, Hen Robbie's hubby
Very nice man, quite tolerant of chattering, nattering hens in his domicile

Also not-a-hen, girlie kitty 'Baby Cakes' wonders
why no feast food made it to her dish

All in all it was a great Hen Party weekend. It's nice getting together with old friends ever once in a bit, to share a little of our lives. It has been 3 years since our last get together so we hope to make up for that with another H.P. by year's end. Stay tuned.