Pumpkins and Peccaries

October 10, 2017 ~ Crystle ~ Leave a comment

Pumpkin Picking | Yea Yea Pueblo

Our last few Halloweens were frigid. It was traditionally 10 below with snow berms taller than the kids. This year, with our military lifestyle taking us to Arizona, I was so excited at the prospect of warm weather trick-or-treating with the kids, setting up Halloween decorations and carving pumpkins! Javelinas Fort Huachuca | Yea Yea Pueblo Pumpkin Picking | Yea Yea Pueblo

I had a feeling we put our decorations too early, but we’re Halloween People, and I won’t apologize for my zeal. I did, however, make one big mistake.

I unintentionally put out a royal feast for the local wildlife.

Pumpkin Picking | Yea Yea Pueblo We recently had a great time picking pumpkins and produce at Apple Annie’s u-pick produce in Willcox, Arizona. Our delicata squash was delicious, and our Apple Butter jar emptied quickly. But the pumpkins didn’t last as long as I wish they had. Sunflowers | Yea Yea Pueblo Pumpkin Picking | Yea Yea Pueblo Corn Pit | Yea Yea Pueblo Ardoin Family Photo | Yea Yea Pueblo

Five pumpkins went in the front yard; a few warty ones, and a few smooth, orange ones. I had plans to carve them the week before Halloween, but it didn’t occur to me in the slightest that they’d be eaten up well before then.

Six peccaries set up camp on our front yard this week. They wouldn’t run off when I tried to scare them away. They napped rebelliously on the lawn. They were little monsters with skinny faces and sharp teeth, unafraid of my spooky Halloween decorations, and content to destroy my Jack-O-Lantern dreams.

Javelinas Fort Huachuca | Yea Yea Pueblo They drove the dogs crazy, and just before our dinner get together with friends, Moose slipped through the gate and went after the javelinas. He chased them into a ravine, then up into the hills. We gave chase up the hill, but all I could see was Moose leaping above the knee-high grass, tail wagging, tongue swinging, and face filled with glee. I couldn’t see the javelinas, or their reactions to his attempt to turn strangers into friends.

Eventually Moose came to me, and after dragging him back into the house, we noticed blood dripping from his neck. He ended up with a puncture wound, and is currently on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. He’s also wearing the cone of shame. The hope is that he heals expediently, and doesn’t require surgery later. Pumpkins | Yea Yea Pueblo Javelinas Fort Huachuca | Yea Yea Pueblo Dogs and peccaries do not mix. And pumpkins are not for peccaries, although that rule is a hard one to enforce. Guess we’re going to have to settle for ceramic, plastic or inflatable jack-o-lanterns here in Arizona.

Bird Watching at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

August 4, 2013August 4, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 6 Comments

With only five weeks left here in Washington, it looks like we won’t be able to kick off all the items on our Pacific Northwest Bucket List. There is only so much you can get done on the weekends, especially with a baby. To our credit, it was a pretty long list, and we got most of it done.

At this point, priorities on our to-do list have changed. We hired a property management company to rent out our home, had movers survey our belongings to ensure a smooth moving day, and bought a trailer to haul behind our Subaru so we can have a little bit of home with us when we arrive in Alaska. I won’t go more than two weeks without my kitchen stuff, and with having a baby and a dog comes lots of extra gear. When did we become so conventional?

In an effort to savor the scenery of the South Puget Sound, we went down into the valley outside of our neighborhood to tour the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. It’s a shame we hadn’t done it sooner.

The Refuge is nestled in a fertile valley where the coniferous rainforest meets South Puget Sound. From this place, when visibility allows, the snow-capped mountains of the Olympic National Park jut into the sky across the water, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge spans the aquatic horizon to the north.

Rain or shine, birds skim the surface of the water, while jellyfish float gently below. The salty breeze carries waterfowl, sandpipers, hawks and kingfishers over the delta where bird watchers and their telescopes collect like barnacles.

At this particular refuge, a boardwalk two miles long, takes tourists out over the water to get a better view of the birds that frequent the shallow waters.

European Starlings, Canadian Geese, Blue Herons, and Great Egrets freckled the delta, while Sharp-shinned Hawks soared above. Bunnies hopped across walking paths, then disappeared under the ferns while Morning Doves feasted nearby on Wild Blackberries.

It was lovely to see them all independent of one another and not actively demonstrating their roles in the food chain.

After we leave the Olympia area, it may be a while before we experience the salty maritime breeze.

I am, however, confident there will be no lack of wildlife to enjoy in land-locked Fairbanks.

Tacoma, WA

July 3, 2013July 24, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 11 Comments

I will probably have no shame about being a tourist, ever. Even in my own town (whichever it may be at the time), I have no qualms about snapping photos wherever I go.

My family is in town to see Margot for the first time since she was born, and I’m glad their visit is to this area in Washington where the tourism opportunities are endless. Tacoma, WA is a beautiful city. Period. When I read up on this area, I tend to see a lot of comments on how rough around the edges it is, but as long as you don’t hang out in Hilltop at midnight, I see no problems.

Downtown is especially beautiful since it’s adorned with blown glass by local native Dale Chihuly. Abstract architecture and early twentieth century masonry create a unique skyline on Commencement Bay where Marina and Industry coexist. I can’t get enough. Truly.

Kicking around the town giving our usual Tacoma tour, we ran into other residents who were giving the same tour to their out of town family. What a coincidence, we all end up gawking at the house that starred in the film The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, strolling through Stadium High School, and crossing the Glass Bridge. “This is where Heath Ledger serenaded Julia Stiles back in the 90s”, I imagine many a Tacoman explain at the gates of the Stadium Bowl. Maybe even a brief explanation on the School’s history as a hotel is provided. They may give a quick bio of Chihuly, or explain the landmarks around Commencement Bay. The conclusion is the same: Tacoma has colorful highlights.