Chicken Coop 101

I recently spent the day on Whidbey Island, WA. One of the touristy places on the island that I stopped at was the Lavender Wind Farms. At this farm they had everything you could think of to purchase with a twist; it contained lavender in one form or another. They even had lavender ice cream. However, it wasn't the lavender plants that intrigued me, but rather a chicken coop. From a short distance, I saw signs posted all around the area around the chicken and curiosity got the best of me, and I felt compelled to go and read these signs (I couldn't suppress the readoloic in me). These signs were infused with education and a hint of matter-of-factness that merited a blog posting.

Here are the pictures in their storytelling order. The captions under each picture are the paragraph from each sign. I think this could be classified as "Chicken Coop 101."

Our coop is built on skids so we can move it when we want to have  the chickens in a different part of the yard. We had them run around freely but they dug up our gardens and we did not like that.

Do hens need roosters to lay eggs? No! They will lay eggs with or without a rooster. But if you want baby chicks, a rooster has to be there.

They like to roost on branches or twigs off the ground at night. So we built this chicken ladder for them to sleep on. they love it. And it tips forward for cleaning.

Chickens like their own door. Just their own size. We like to be able to lock it so RACCOONS can't open them. That's why we have carabiners as latches, they're hard to open.

Chickens lay eggs to make baby chicks. So they want a safe place to put their eggs, like these boxes. They are just the right size for the hens. Too bad we collect the eggs every day. 

The Skinny on Baby Pigeons

A while back, a facebook friend of mine posted a status "Where in the world are all the baby pigeons?" It was definitely a status that made me reflect (yes deep reflection going on) back if I ever saw a baby pigeon before; I couldn't remember a single one. Since moving to Seattle I have noticed that seagulls are the "pigeons" of Seattle: they are freakin everywhere, they are loud/annoying, and their feathers are everywhere on my deck. Just once I would like to encounter Scuttle from the Little Mermaid and have him teach me about dingle hoppers and snarfblats. Since I moved to Seattle I once in a while will see a pigeon and then be reminded of this unanswered question my friend posed on facebook. I now have my answer and thought I would share it with everyone else. I found this passage from the following website http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon970905/skinnyon.html Disclaimier: After reading this passage, you may never be able to look at the milk or cottage cheese the same way again...

First of all, unlike dippy little English sparrows or robins, pigeons hide their nests.  .

Heppner said that back when they emerged in Asia (evidently, they were nature-living animals, once), pigeons were cliff-dwellers. So now they balance their messy nests of sticks inside the guts of bridges, or atop tall buildings, or on top of your air conditioner.Secondly, pigeons are parents non pareil. They lay only two eggs at a time, and spoil those babies shamefully. "The parents will feed the babies until they're totally feathered out," Heppner reported proudly. "By the time they leave the nest, they'll be about the same size as the adults. You know when people eat squab, that's when they take 'em -- when they're nice and plump." Squab, for the culinarily challenged, being baby pigeon.

And the doting parents don't feed these butter-balls your typical bird baby-food.  .

These birdlets get something called "pigeon milk," and the faint-of-stomach may not wish to explore this paragraph further. Both parents manufacture in their crop, or throat, a rich, fatty "milk" that looks, Heppner says, much like yellow cottage cheese. They ralph this delicacy up and expel it into the throats of their darlings. "You can see this white stuff glowing in the crops of the squabs," Heppner says. "They're just full of it."After eight or 10 days of this ambrosial diet, the parents begin mixing in solid food and water. "They'll eat heavily, then drink a lot of water to easily chuck up the grain," Heppner enthuses, and offering between these fascinating facts to send me photographs of fancy pigeons. "And did you know pigeons drink like horses? Hens will lift their heads up to swallow. But pigeons put their head down and just take a long draught." And do the parents flinch at all this work, this cheese-making, this grain-chucking, this drinking-like-a-horse? Of course not. "If all's going along well with the first nest, they'll build another, right near by, and lay the next batch," Heppner says. "They'll take turns sitting on the next set, while the other feeds up the squabs." And they'll do that four to six times a season. So, not only are there baby pigeons, there are baby-pigeon assembly lines.And when the fledglings do finally leave the nest, Heppner says, their plumage and size are so similar to those of the flock they hang around with that only the practiced pigeonophile would be able to pick out the babies.

Care to practice finding the youngsters? Look for them in the spring and summer.  They may have stray strands of down poking through their feathers They may retain a trace of the "lip" around their beak that gives the parents a wider ralphing target. Their heads may be narrower. They may be shy. "They're more time," Heppner explains. "They won't be professional in going after the best food." So  if you really want to see a baby pigeon, throw down a fried clam. That'll separate the men from the boys. .

Mount Rainier: Round 2

So I had such an amazing time that I couldn't wait to go back to Mt. Rainier; I returned back to the mountain a mere four days after my first trip. I had some friends visiting from the midwest and the mountain was on their list of things to see. I now had the mindset that I was a pro in hiking (I am a very humble individual) and shared my experience with them so the only surprise on the trip would be the breathtaking views.

Thankfully, all the highways were open, so it only took us about 90 minutes to arrive to Paradise. We went on a Thursday, early in the morning (we left Seattle at 5:30am) so we were able to park at the Paradise Visitor Center; which was absolutely great not having to ride the shuttle.

We ended up doing a mini version of the hike I did before, and then we drove to Reflection Lake. Then we drove to Crystal Mountain to ride the gondolas. We encountered a lot of road construction on the way. After driving through all the road construction, we needed to find a gas station pronto. We then ate at the most delicious little diner called Peter's Inn Restaurant in Packwood, WA, I definitely recommend ordering anything with hash browns.

At Crystal Mountain they have ski lifts and gondolas, and the gondolas take you to about 7000 ft of elevation and you have a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier and additional mountain peaks and ranges. I particularly remember Mount Unicorn being visible. At 7000 ft elevation there is a gift shop, two restaurants and comfy lawn chairs to sit on. One gondola ticket is good for a round trip.

Crystal Mountain has an array of trails from easy-strenuous; however, we did not participate in any. From Crystal Mountain to Seattle was about another 90 minute drive. It was nice to see the Seattle skyline when returning. I do enjoy spending time away from my beloved city but I am always more than happy to return to its embrace and cell reception.

At approximately 7000 ft elevation, Mt. Rainier in the background

On a gondola and going up the mountain

The gondolas at Crystal Mountain

Mount Rainier Wisdoms

Have you ever gone on a trip and wished someone had shared with you the "sparknotes" version of what to expect; well, I recently had one of those experiences. The kind of experience that mades me noticed similarities that happened on my trip to that of the TV show, Gilligan's Island.

On my Seattle Bucket List, I had visit Mt. Rainier; so a friend and I embarked on the journey to the mountain. Typically this road trip would take approximately 1.5 hours but because we were such "lucky" travelers it took us almost four hours. The increase in time is due to the fact that we were traveling on the one weekend of the year where two of our needed highways were going to be closed. Therefore, we embarked on the journey of follow the orange DETOUR signs.

Once we got to Paradise Visitor Center we were definitely excited to get our hiking on. Now this is the important tidbit of information to realize: this was the first time either one of us had ever hiked anything besides a hill (one of us was from the midwest and the other one from Florida). Therefore, the following information can be classified as "Mount Rainier Hiking for Dummies."

Mount Rainier Hiking for Dummies:

1. Check the highways/interstates for closures (especially if you are going in the winter time) for your planned route to Mt. Rainier.
2. You are required to carry chains for your tires November 1st- May 1st when entering Mt. Rainier National Park.
3. Fill up on gas before you enter the park because if you are are near empty you will be scrambling to find a gas station. The nearest station at anyplace in the park will probably be 30-40 miles away from you and it will be expensive. 
4. You will not have cell reception once you enter the park; therefore, take the necessary medication to deal with your technology separation disorder.
5. It costs $15 for a one-day pass for entry to Mt. Rainier. Keep your receipt that the Ranger Station gives you and can come and go from park as you please. If you plan of visiting multiple times throughout the year, purchase the annual pass which is $30.
6. The map the Ranger Station gives you upon entry sucks. There's no eloquent way stating that; you must ask specifically for other maps of the park and trails. I would recommend visiting http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/trails-of-mount-rainier.htm to explore the different trails that are available and the level of difficulty before your visit so you will know what map to ask for from the Rangers.
7. So you now have your sucky map in hand and then you begin driving to Paradise (or whatever parking lot you are choosing to park) and you may notice the scarcity of signage telling you where to go. Don't feel bad, because we totally felt like we were going the wrong way but it all ended out okay.
8. If you want to be able to park at Paradise Visitor Center parking make sure you arrive early, which we did but did not count on the increased traveling time. If you arrive at the park and the sign indicates that the Paradise Lot is full then you will need to park at an additional lot. I recommend Cougar Rock because there is a free shuttle that comes and picks up from Cougar Rock. The shuttle fills up really quickly, we had to wait for two of them before we were able to get on the shuttle and it stops ever 15-30 minutes.
9. Bring sunscreen. Then remember to put on sunscreen (very important step that I did not do).
10. Bring bug spray. Believe it or not this is not for ticks but rather for the persistent blood-sucking mosquitos that are everywhere (and not just by water). If you forgo this step then you will have red bumps all over your skin in about a day and half, and then about day three you will have unbearable itching. We sadly did not bring bug spray and suffered the consequences.
11. Bring lots of water. Think of how much water you think you should bring and then double  or triple that (depending on if you are a mouth-breather).
12. Bring some snack foods: fruits, granola bars, nuts, jerky, etc. Remember the saltier the food the more water you are going to want/need.
13. Bring a backpack (not a drawstring bag) to carry things in.
14. Wear some old tennis shoes or some hiking boots because you will encounter a variety of terrain: pavement, rocks, dirt, gravel, mud, grass, and snow
15. Prepare yourself for sucky signage on the trails as well. There was a point on our trail that was reflection lake was 1.1 miles and then it was 2.2 miles away and we "thought" we followed the right trail. Then there are paths that split and you have no idea which one you should take; so good luck, you have a 50/50 chance of being right.
16. I had a Mona Lisa comparison upon glancing upon Mt. Rainer from Paradise Visitor Center. Let me explain: From Seattle on a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier and it looks gigantic; however, at the base of the mountain (from Paradise) it didn't seem like it was big enough to be seen all the way in Seattle....hence my Mona Lisa comparison. 
17. If you want to see Reflection Lake you don't have to hike to it, because there is parking available right by the lake. The trail from Reflection Lake back to Paradise is nothing but incline, and even in one stop you come upon a road...do not take the road. You must cross the road to the other side and about 50 feet from the road there is a sign that lets you know that you are back on the right trail (remember sucky signage).
18. Remember when you are hiking to not just look ahead but look behind you as well because the view constantly changes.

Okay so it sounds like I may have been complaining a little in the above list, but truly these are just things I wished I knew; however, they hardly impacted the AMAZING experience I had hiking. I really do not think the pictures really capture the experience I had.

At the base of Mt. Rainier at Paradise Visitor Center

At the base of Mt. Rainier at Paradise Visitor Center

Our hiking adventure on Skyline Trail

Wildflowers were in bloom

One of our highest elevation points on the Skyline Trail looking down on an unknown lake

Reflection Lake: you can see the reflection of the peak of the mountain in the water

Bucket List Accomplishments

It's hard to believe that I have lived in Seattle for 3 months, time really does fly by when you are having fun and the city you live in is just absolutely awesome. This week I was able to cross off three things from my Seattle Bucket List: Riding the Giant Wheel, attending a play at the 5th Avenue Theatre, and visiting the Gum Wall.

Giant Wheel:
This ferris wheel just opened June 29th and has instantly become a Seattle favorite for observing amazing views that rival the space needle and is located at the waterfront. I had my first experience at sunset and I got to see the sun disappear behind the Olympic Mountains. The views were breathtaking and  the experience was unforgettable with friends. I encourage anyone visiting the Seattle area to give the ferris wheel a whirl because you won't be disappointed!

Above picture:After riding the ferris wheel and the sun was set I got to capture this picture from Alaskan Way



This is a picture of the sunsetting 

Gum Wall:
There's no better sticky situation that the Gum Wall located right under Pikes Marketplace. It seems like many people take advantage of getting their iconic picture with the most salvia-covered wall in Seattle and then bypass all the other gems in the alley. I got to have dinner at Alibi Room and had a Greek Pie and it was AMAZING, and it is right across from the wall! Don't forget to have a stick of gum in your purse so you can contribute to the artwork on the wall, and then definitely use hand sanitizer.

In front of one of the walls in the alley

5th Avenue Theatre:
I got to say I may be one of the few people that didn't really care for the movie Rent but I had the expectations that I would love the play....and I did. I mean you cannot watch Rent and be immune to humming "Seasons of Love" for the rest of the night. It was a great night for people watching and the theatre was even more pretty than the Orpheum theatre in Omaha.