Life on the Outer Coast

The last few days have been sunny and warm.
I've managed to get a few more things planted in the garden.

Planted one long row (about 20ft) of snap peas in the middle bed on the lower slope. In front of the peas, put in carrots. This year the varieties included: Red samurai, Purple haze, Mokum hybrid, Nantaise, and Nelson Hybrid. I've grown all but the first and last in the list with good results. Hopefully, the carrots will be good again this year.

Started a bit of lettuce at the end of one bed: couldn't resist the mixture of Merlot, Drunken Woman Frizzy Headed and Buttercrunch. Tossed in a few Easter egg variety of radish seeds for a good salad.

Planted out celery and onions and transplanted the tomatoes. The Brussels are coming along slowly. There are a couple of asparagus shoots growing in the upper bed, maybe if I moved the pine tree they might do a bit better.

The Erythroniums are in full glory, it took several attempts, but perhaps the included photo does them some justice. The newts are hiding under most of the boards around the garden beds. The one in the photo was on its own in the lower garden. Most of the other newts I found were in groups of 3 to 7.

New bloomers include the early columbines, dwarf and one flabellata, Claytonia (both pink and white forms) and the vine maple. A few of the Streptopus roseus are blooming in the garden. The Viola glabella is a bit past its prime.

There is one elderberry with flowers opening near the dock as well as one Ribes bracteosum.

Enjoying the songs of Orange-crowned and Townsends warblers, Hermit and Varied thrushes, Robins and pine siskins in the garden. The hummers are quite busy, I'm fairly certain that there is a nest in the bushes/trees between the wood shed and the burn pile, but I haven't searched for it yet. The winter wrens and chickadees are still around, but seem to have moved back into the forested parts of the lot.

Kayaked around the park Friday evening (5/23). It was a beautiful evening on the water or probably anywhere around Sitka Sound. Drifting past several whimbrels (7-8 ?) and a pretty flashy Caspian Tern near the point of the park was an added treat.

The commute has been relatively quiet lately. A few marbled murrelets, a pigeon guillemot, and mew and glaucous-winged gulls and many sea lions. The sea lion population in the channel increases with the charter fleet activity, lots of fish cleaning going on outside of the harbor.