At long last

Finally...the rain let up for a whole day, and we pretty much had our way with the Great Outdoors. After a week or so of dodging rainshowers, or just writing off whole afternoons to unrelenting downpours, springtime actually stuck around.  

Sky blue was long overdue, and sunglass sales must be spiking all over the county.

But no one's breaking out the barbeques quite yet - maybe just cranking up lawnmowers.

In the meantime it's nice to be bedazzled.

Sun break

Not much of a sun break this afternoon. Hardly enough time to get in a jog and check out the water-logged terrain around Lake Padden, three miles south of town.

Lake Padden, no worse for the wear

  

Pond sirens

Had to get a shot of these plants - they were just everywhere along the offleash trail south of Lake Padden. Sprouting up in ponds along the trail, these eyecatchers are called yellow skunk cabbage, swamp lantern, or western skunk cabbage - take your pick.





They're called skunk cabbage, because they...you guessed it...stink. We didn't venture close enough to confirm it (thank you 20x zoom), but apparently its skunky odor attracks its pollinators, flies. How enticing.

Western Skunk Cabbage or Swamp Lantern

Overlook, or High Anxiety

Farther down the trail, barely audible, were a pair of hikers with a dog. The kid just cannot help it - he has to get a better look and height is no object.

No matter the precipice, you can never be too careful.

The best sandwich in Bellingham

Ranting and raving about restauranteurs and food is almost never found in Casey's Worlds. Yelp we're not, but man, Brandywine Kitchen at the Market deserves a big shoutout for the new menu.


   




A continuous queu of anxious customers were excited with the line up of this year's sandwiches on the opening day on Farmers Market - the smoked salmon, sherry beef, the cochito. If you got there early enough there was the Brandywine Breakfast - local eggs, jalapeno gouda, Hempler's ham, and ailoi sauce. Makes you want to branch out with their catering fare. These guys are pros.

Brandywine's Jessica and Azizi

Chris, Jessica and Azizi cranking out the entrees.

But I've gotta say this, trust me, for two years running, the best sandwich in Bellingham is Brandywine's Caprese. A delicious combo of fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato, basil, aioli, and just the right flavor twist of balsamic reduction. Worthy of two, maybe three napkins. Awesome!

  

The Caprese by Brandywine Kitchen

The Market's wet start and new friends

The Bellingham Farmers Market opening wasn't cut any meteorological slack today with rain greeting an enthusiastic crowd and nearly 140 vendors.


Fresh produce, mostly organic, craftware, prepared foods, local and international, musicians, street politics, the Market's got it all.


The rain let up by lunchtime and a stroll down food vendor alley became the draw, if not the hook - everything from Kettlecorn to the catch of the day.


Poor guy - no dogs allowed. (The Market board doesn't realize that Border Collies aren't exactly dogs.) The back seat of the car is usually the holding tank until after lunch.



Luna, as a two-year-old service Border Collie, beat the system and got to socialize inside.



The twosome got aquainted at the entrance a little while later. And while it wasn't exactly a match made in heaven, they did seem like kindred spirits.

And in the meantime we're going to look into getting one of those

Service Dog vests on line.

No Scud running here

Scud, or Scattered Cumulus Under Deck, has been a regular late afternoon or evening occurrance for days now.

It's been a bane to young, bold aviators for years, thinking to skirt it was a good idea.



In some respects, kind of gloomy. But it always reminds me of the Robert Altman classic, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, which is in my top five list of Best Westerns (admittedly because of the Julie Christie performance). 



Scud to the west on Sehome Hill.



Warren lookout

Now that spring is upon us, though it's hard to tell from the steady downpour that we've been getting this week, other neighbors that have been laying low all winter are back. This little guy seems to be standing watch for the greenbelt warren.

Can't figure out the threat Fiver here senses from Casey, but there's no doubt he's spreading the Lapine alarm that we're still around too. 

Easy chair take over

Has this guy got it made or what?! No, the glass of wine was not poured for Casey, but he's co-opted the easy chair because he's figured his favorite Frisbee tosser will be in close proximity to the nearby glass of 2005 La Baronne. Pretty smart guy.

Spring is in the air, well most of it

The sights and sounds of spring were all over the neighborhood today.

Blooming shrubs and flowers (many we still can't name), neighbors and youngsters venturing out of hibernation (with Casey working them for a rubdown), and Mr. Robin...

Well he was back too.


L

Leaving his first tiny carbon footprint of the season...in plain sight.

Careful of the edible flourishes

So what's so interesting at the last breakfast sitdown at the B and B? Why are the guest cell phones and Androids snapping away at an edible flower garnish in the fruit cocktail?

Pure protein

Familiar digs

Be it ever so humble, Casey has no trouble at all settling back into the old routine of, well, settling in.

A favorite rawhide chew, his newest favorite squeeky tennis ball, and just coming and going as he pleases. Three days in the San Juans was fun but, come on, there's just no place like home.

Wrapping it up in the San Juans

The last day on the archipelago was a mini-rush - breakfast at Harrison House, a ferry stop at Orcas Island for a hike, a shot or two of espresso, bookstore and shop browsing, and then back on the Hyak for home.

 

The Art of Coffee in Eastsound is a must during a layover on Orcas Island. Located in Darvill's Bookstore is the draw, but the Pegasus roast that's served up is the real hook, an irresistable slow-roasted blend from Bainbridge Island.

 Orcas Landing

 Heading back to the mainland, until the fall. 

Friday Harbor twilight

MV Hyak, arriving

From the vantage point of a deck off of a different room in Harrison House, smaller but with a great view of the ferry landing and harbor, the final run of the Super Class ferry, MV Hyak, seemed like the only show in town.

Casey couldn't have cared less, but a murder of crows took up perches in a nearby tree as if it was reserved seating.

But even with all this sunset excitement, the fact that the weather has hung it there for the third consecutive day, hasn't been lost on us. Go figure, we should have easily been wielding umbrellas by now.



 

The Hyak, loaded up and eastbound