Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday has progressed to P. Click on link or banner to see how other bloggers have interpreted it.
Candace took me last Thursday to Oakland's Lake Merrit Park, an urban gem in the center of the thriving city. My camera and I (below) are on the outside of that cyclone fence that keeps mere humans from intruding on the water fowl. The birds are free to come and go in this area of the lake set aside as a wildlife refuge.
In the distance you can see a pelican on the shore among other feathered friends who have flown into this safe harbor. The park has built five artificial wooded islands edged with reeds. There they can breed and nest.
Just yesterday I went to a genuine community event in this town of Port Townsend, Washington, where I expect to make my home for at least part of every year and perhaps permanently.
May 1 was the annual opening of the Saturday farmers' market, a street fair where local purveyors of farm and nursery products and handicrafts have weekly booths. Unfortunately I left my camera at home, so I was unable to photograph the many colorful booths. Fortunately this left me free to roam in my trusty wheelchair to simply enjoy them. I was sorely tempted to buy a quilted hot pad that had at its center "Home is where I park my stuff while I go buy more stuff." Also fortunately, Peter Wiant, a local photographer has posted a gallery of photos taken yesterday. I have borrowed a few.
There was entertainment.
Copyright 2010 Peter Wiant Here is the unofficial audience facing the official entertainment stage and Cal's Beach Band, one of the many groups in which my son Otto and his wife Kristin take part. That is the back of Otto's head with the billed cap in the lower right corner of the photo as he holds his concertina...
Copyright 2010 Peter Wiant ...and here is Kristin with her fiddle and her infectious enthusiasm.
Most of venders at the booths not only sell their products by the pound, dozen, bag or tray but also sell snacks such as sandwiches, soups or (paper) plate meals to eat at one of the many picnic tables. Hungry for a Baja style fish taco? You can find it here. How about a wild salmon and fried egg sandwich on local sourdough bread? It will be prepared before your eyes, and you can buy at the same booth a whole salmon or salmon steaks or fillets to take home for dinner or your freezer.
But perhaps you are in the market for handicrafts. There are dozens of booths selling everything from gorgeous cloaks of hand-spun handwoven fabrics (with the spinner working at her wheel) to whimsical hats and toys, beautiful hand-thrown pottery, jewelery, woodcarving, etc. etc.
Copyright 2010 Peter Wiant Wheels and backpacks.
One of the reasons that I want to have a home in Port Townsend is that it is really wheelchair friendly. Friendly also to bikes, trikes and backpacks.
What did I buy at the market? Two pots of young sun gold tomato plants for the garden I will have here after May 15, and a beautifully silk-screened official Port Townsend Farmers' Market shopping bag made of environmentally-sound cloth - to carry to MY home MY future "stuff" from the market.
The Sunday Scribblings prompt is WONDER. And I may just get under the wire, since daughter Candace and I took advantage of this glorious warm day for a wheelchair trip (Candy pushing, me riding)around the Marina paths through the territory where folk were flying kites, walking dogs, picnicking, and shedding their winter wear.
Candy with kites just showing over hilltop.
Fathers were launching kites with the "help" of excited children.
Big Dog.
And what child's sense of wonder could fail him at the sight of this humongous dog floating above him or her? They ran back and forth beneath him shouuting with laughter, trying to catch a giant paw. While this is literally a kite filled only with breezes from the bay through that flapping slit between his eyes, it's greater weight required a booster kite, at a much greater height, buoying it up.
Booster Kite,
Nor were children the only ones taking part in the joy and wonder of kites! Here are a few other kite photos taken today. Many may be practicing for the renowned Berkeley Kite Festival, which takes place in July.
Here are a few more kites sighted today:
Airplane kite
There were many rotating kites.
Dragon rising.
And then there were the ground squirrels everywhere. A sign at the entrance to the walks warns "Please don't feed the squirrels." It seems that the park is suffering from squirrel over-population. Well, here are a few of the little varmints:
One squirrel...
Two squirrels...
And so it goes. And the squirrel population grows and grows. For some other blogs participating in Sunday Scribblings (probably not submitted as late as this one) click on links or banner.
M is the letter to which Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday round 6 has advanced. To enjoy other posts of M, follow the above link or click on the banner.
OF MYTHIC BEASTS
I’ve never tried to trap a unicorn. It’s not more graceful, say, than a gazelle, an earthly beast I’m sure would do as well; and what’s so great about a single horn? Nor have I tried to snare a horse with wings. I’ve flown across the sky, but in a jet. I see no earthly use for such a pet; I’ll save my sugar cubes to sweeten things.
But dragons! Ah, now that’s a different story: great flailing tails that slither, thrash, and crash, tough armored scales to hide the wicked core, the iridescent wings a blue-black glory, the knobbly claws whose talons rake and slash! My favored mythic beasts breathe fire, and roar!
Just in case you don't believe me, above is one proof of my loyalty to dragons.
Below, however, is my favorite dragon. I have done animations of him, but have not found a way to upload animations to blogspot.
Of course he flies by day and night and once had a home in a cave with other dragons.
He also has a wife named Trog. Here is a picture of her on her wedding day.
Really! I am visiting in Port Townsend, where, in Otto and Kristin's house (not the separate building with music studio and Otto's office), there is no printer. Kristin is trying to put together a box of gifties to send to Johnny and Pookie in Thailand, and only my gift is lacking its tag. Otto is out in his office, so I e-mailed the design below for him to print, then cell-phoned him to tell him it was on his e-mail. But he, too, has a time problem in that he is in the midst of down-loading some programs!
I am notoriously late with birthday greetings, even though they are printed right there on my calendar. I missed your birthday yesterday, granddaughter Ruthie. Happy belated birthday! The next gift I send will be a wedding gift! I am determined to remember that granddaughters Anna and Gwen have April birthdays. Or have I already missed yours, Gwen?
A happy deadline is May 15 when the tenant in the little house across from the Otto Smiths will have vacated it and I can begin moving my "new" (acquired at Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity thrift stores) furniture into what will be my part-time home. I will still keep my Berkeley house, at least for the near future.
The prompt today could not have been more relevant! For more responses to it, go to Sunday Scribblings.
Granny Smith rides again on the streets of Port Townsend!
My Keen Kinetic new electric wheelchair means that I have the independence to go places without the constant accompaniment of someone else. Even though their companionship might be delightful and welcome at times, I don't want to need someone to go with me when I just want to enjoy the blossoms and dandelion-studded lawns of Port Townsend WA where I am visiting (see photo above). What a lift to the spirits!
Southwest Airlines has added even another Keen Kinetic Key to my independence. When I fly to and from Berkeley and Port Townsend I drive my happiness vehicle straight through Oakland airport or SeaTac right to the door of the plane where a flight attendant helps me to a seat while my wheelchair is whisked away to be loaded as cargo. At the end of the flight the process will reverse itself and my wheelchair will soon appear at the door of the plane. (This is my completely voluntary and guaranteed non-paid tribute to an airline that not only carries my wheelchair at no extra charge but also doesn't charge anyone for the normal number of checked bags unless the bags are overweight.)
(image lifted from Southwest Airlines Website)
For other interpretations of the letter K go to ABC Wednesday.
This is not a new poem, but I think it is appropriate for the prompt and I don't feel quite up to writing something new since I am still recovering from pneumonia. By some odd quirk of previous work on another computer with now out-dated programs, this was stored as a graphic rather a writing program. I hope you can read it! Of course I should copy it instead of pasting, but I have only my little netbook with me - and, yeah, it seems like a little too much work!
Born in Berkeley, although I have lived much of my life in other places. I now live across the street from my son Otto and his wife Kristin in Port Townsend Washington - a delightful town to live in and wheelchair friendly,
Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday has progressed to P. Click on link or banner to see how other bloggers have interpreted it.
In the distance you can see a pelican on the shore among other feathered friends who have flown into this safe harbor. The park has built five artificial wooded islands edged with reeds. There they can breed and nest.
Here is a closer view of the pelican
intent on getting those feathers cleaned
