Category Archives: travel

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Growing in spite of challenges

This tree is in Fish Park in Poulsbo. I was down there for an appointment last week and had some extra time, so walked through part of the park.

Did this tree get cut early, leaving the base? Or blown down by a wind storm or hit by lightning? It is growing anyhow and is a wonderful home for moss and lichens in the winter. Quite beautiful.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: off-kilter.

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Freeze and melt

Last winter, I walked Rock Creek Park with my son, daughter-in-law and daughter. There was a quite beautiful stream with wonderful ice patterns. We lost a button and then found it the next day, caught on the ice.

The ice formed beautiful patterns on the creek with the cycle of freezing and melting and air caught under the ice.

And the birds were out.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: melting.

The button story is here: https://drkottaway.com/2022/12/30/small-miracle-2/

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Wild light

Christmas 2018, my son, daughter-in-law, daughter and I drove to Roanoke, Virginia to see my two aunts and one uncle. We went to the science museum. Among other things, there were mushrooms that light up under black light.

I am not sure any of these are neon lighting. But they are wild light!

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: neon.

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Blueberry mountain

My maternal grandparents bought property in Ontario, Canada, a place on a lake, because they couldn’t afford holiday property in New York State.

My grandfather died at 79 but my grandmother kept going to the lake. We had our own names for the surrounding properties, including blueberry mountain. At around age 90, my grandmother said she wanted to pick blueberries. We loaded into the boat and headed for that area. Lake Matinenda is on the Canadian Shield, so it’s all rock, rock, rock. There was no path. At one point I was helping my grandmother from below and my cousin was reaching for her from below. My grandmother was about 95 pounds at that point. She was going up a face of granite and getting out of my reach. “Have you got it?” I said frantically, worrying she’d fall. “I don’t know,” she said. But she did and my cousin helped. At the top, the blueberry picking was not that good, but the views were fabulous. My cousin and I agreed, we were not bringing her up there again! If she fell, we’d have to get her down the hill, into a boat, into a car and 17 miles into town. She seemed majestically unconcerned and denied having any problem climbing. It was way too much thrill for us, worrying about her!

Which brings us to today’s music!

And another Fats Domino, fabulous!

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: thrill.

I took the photograph of Katherine White Burling in 1979.

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Heroes and Heroines

Another group that I saw at the nowhereelse festival is Ben Sollee. The group was him, his cello, and a drummer. And oh, my gosh, could they fill the tent with music! And he used that cello in all sorts of ways.

So here is his song about heroes and heroines: Cajun Navy.

I like this one too: Infowars.

The photograph is of Helen Burling Ottaway’s small etching, Dolphin.

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Pillar

I do think these are unique pillars. What sort holds up your castle and what does one call these? I know they are not Corinthian or Doric and we’ve pretty much plumbed my list of pillar types. They all look very muscular and very tired.

I took these in March 2022 in a castle.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: exclusive.

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Tornado

I am having nightmares most nights. I don’t think they are about work any more: I think they are about the wars and the people being killed and terror on both sides. That is what terrifies me.

I am in a very big hotel, down near the ground floor at a conference center. There is an announcement: “There is a very violent tornado on the ground, take shelter.” People at the windows are exclaiming. I go to the picture window and see a huge tornado. But I also see my ex-husband and another man, talking, facing me. How can they not hear the tornado? I want to shout, but they won’t hear me through the thick glass. The tornado swallows them and I find a place near the windows. I am on the floor, arms and legs wrapped around an old style radiator attached to the wall. I hope this will keep me from being sucked out as the windows break, and if the building comes down, I am near an outer wall.

I wake up.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: terror.

I took the photograph on a train going from Edmonds, Washington to Chicago, IL in July 2014. This is a beautiful and terrifying storm.