Rain on the highway

I’ve gotten spoiled this winter. The weather has been so warm and dry, that is until this week. The clouds are back and I’m having to sleep with earplugs again on windy nights. This weekend is supposed to be nice again. Here’s hoping

Pony and Princess on Washington Street

Sometimes you just don’t know what you’ll see in PT. I was driving over the hill on Washington Street and saw this girl dressed up as a princess and riding her pony. A bit later they were at the Haller Fountain with some other young girls gathered around.

Pitchers of ice water

These pitchers have nothing to do with Port Townsend. I just like the shape and the texture of the water drops on their sides. There’s also the fact that they remind me of the old Kool-Aid ads. I didn’t realize that there were actual pitchers with this shape until I saw these.

An outside/inside cat solution

Yes, our cats have a fenced yard. As you’d expect for a cat, it’s covered on top. It isn’t large but has a fair amount of vertical space with shelves and a board up high for Mr. Lily to cross on.  He spends hours every day out watching the birds at our feeder.

There are a number of reasons for not letting a cat run free. From an ecological viewpoint it protects small wildlife. Statistics on cat predation are startling. Cats kill hundreds of millions of songbirds in the US each year. I’ve seen statistics from the U.K. that show a similar impact on birds.  Many people believe that their sweet little kitty doesn’t kill anything.  She’s well fed.  Look at her, she’s so cute.  She’s harmless.  Baloney.  That’s simply wishful thinking. Cats are hunters by nature.  They will hunt, hungry or not. And, since they’re healthier than native predators, they’re much more effective at killing.

The other reason to keep cats in is to protect kitty. Around here we have a growing coyote population that loves to hunt cats, day or night. I’ve several friends whose cats simply didn’t come home one day. It’s sad, but is the people’s own fault for letting their cats run. Again, wishful thinking won’t keep reality from striking. In urban areas it’s no better. Cars, disease and dogs shorten the average lifespan of cats who roam compared to what indoor cats can expect to live. Sure, there are cats that roam and die of old age. But chances are against them living that long. Those are the cold, hard statistics.

Spider plant cascading over table

Getting a photo a day is a challenge. Some days there are so many I have a hard time choosing. Other days I have a hard time even thinking of a shot.

Here are my favorite photos of the year. A couple were not published on the blog, as they were taken the same day as ones I did post.

Old Boat on the Beach

Captain

Bywater Bay Sunrise

Bywater Bay Marsh

Old Timer

North Beach Sunset

Point Wilson Lighthouse at Sunrise

Rec Center Moon

Beaver Valley Rainbow

Sunrise Fisherman

Snow Creek Mud Flats

Moon Over Admiralty Inlet

Point Wilson Lighthouse at Sunrise

County Courthouse

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French press and coffee

With something as important as coffee, it is nice to have nice stuff to brew it in.