Daily Find
Fashion and philanthropy come together at the Thaw fashion show on Thurs., May 3, at Western Bridge.
By Kathy Schultz | April 26, 2007
Daily Find
Every year when April rolled around, my mother used to turn our house into a veritable Easter basket. There were painted eggs, stuffed bunnies, and table centerpieces decorated with daffodils and chickadees. While I tend to avoid any kind of cutesy décor in my own home, I do like to embrace the season with a little whimsy. But finding tasteful items can be tough, especially for spring.
By Sarah Jio | March 16, 2007
STEVENSON -- You need to look near and far to fully appreciate spring hiking in the Columbia River Gorge.
What grabs your eye immediately are the expansive textures of a precipitous chasm created millions of years ago by basaltic lava flows and burnished into its current form by epic glacial floods 9,000 to 12,000 years ago.
However, if you focus your vision near at hand, you'll also notice a variety of colors, say the rose-purple fairy-slipper blossoms of calypso orchids, or the showy yellow blooms of balsamroot.
By Greg Johnston | May 11, 2006
Birders' Top Spots
Location: Part of Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, northeast of Othello, Adams County, in Eastern Washington.
Habitat: CNWR site with two miles of Crab Creek, more than 100 acres of riparian marsh and shrub-steppe backed by a basalt butte.
Best seasons for birding: Spring and summer.
May 27, 2004
Birders' Top Spots
Location: Near town of Index, Snohomish County.
Habitat: State-owned 400-foot granite wall with mixed forest at base along North Fork of Skykomish River.
Best seasons for birding: Spring and summer.
Birds commonly seen: Peregrine falcons nest on cliffs. Check the Skykomish River for harlequin ducks and hooded mergansers, and the riparian willow and cottonwood trees for warblers and swallows.
Viewing tip: Walk to the base of the cliff to view peregrine falcons April-August.
April 22, 2004
Birders' Top Spots
Habitat: Family-friendly municipal park by Blackman Lake in city of Snohomish, with conifers and riparian wetlands.
Best birding seasons: Spring and winter.
Birds commonly seen: Watch for mallards, northern shovelers, hooded mergansers, northern pintails, American wigeons, ring-necked ducks, lesser scaups, western grebes, double-crested cormorants, dark-eyed juncos, chestnut-backed chickadees, house finches, spotted towhees, and red-breasted nuthatches.
June 13, 2003
Birders' Top Spots
Habitat: Confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia rivers in Eastern Washington. Freshwater wetlands, owned by Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County.
Birding season: Year-round; best in spring and summer.
Birds commonly seen: Osprey, American white pelican, double-crested cormorant, spotted sandpiper, turkey vulture, northern harrier, western tanager, western wood-pewee, willow flycatcher, Wilson's warbler, black-headed grosbeak and ring-necked pheasant.
April 28, 2003
Tulips are beginning to bloom and the daffodil fields are in full bloom as the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival continues throughout April. Sites and events include:
Roozengaarde three-acre display garden, gift shop, bulbs and fresh flowers, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily or later, weather permitting, 15867 Beaver Marsh Road, Mount Vernon (866-488-5477 or www.tulips.com);
April 3, 2003
King County mountain bikers in the know always look forward to Tax Day, April 15. That's also the annual date when the Washington Department of Natural Resources lifts the seasonal closure on the 12 miles of sweet, single-track bike trails in Tiger Mountain State Forest.
The 13,000 acres of Tiger Mountain, between Issaquah and North Bend, constitute a working forest but also represent the heart and soul of mountain biking locally. It's the biggest chunk of public land in the area to hang out the welcome shingle for mountain bikers.
By Gordon Black | May 2, 2002
The cake: Drought. Low snow levels. Dry slopes.
The icing: Extra-large servings of creamy, delicious alpine access.
Low snow levels throughout the Cascades and Olympics will provide an extra four to six weeks of access to the state's most treasured high-country trails, scenic vistas and wildflower meadows. Indulgence awaits.
By Ron C. Judd | June 14, 2001
