Mukilteo Musings

Some This and That

1. The first day in the fall that the mountains come out and reveal their new cloak of snow is always exciting to me. Yesterday was the day. I took this photo yesterday from the top of the hill in my neighborhood (Where Chennault Beach Rd. slopes down to Marine View Dr.) of the Olympic Mountains.


2. I've written about stumps before on this blog and how they are an integral part of our lives in the Pacific Northwest. Trees have been cut from the turn of the century to allow our houses to be wedged in and the evidence is everywhere. These photos were taken either across the street or within blocks of my house.

Stump completely covered with blackberry vines


Stump incorporated into landscaping (fake seagulls)


Stump casually incorporated into landscaping


My favorite stump--which is as big as my car. You can see where lumberjacks at the turn of the century cut a wedge to hold their feet while they hand sawed the giant down.


3. And finally, you can tell from the pictures that basically we live in a jungle that constantly needs to be pruned and cut back to keep it all from overtaking your home like the stump above. Two recent news stories illustrate this wild vegetation issue.

The first was a sad story in my neighborhood. A woman went missing one year ago. Her car was found near a wooded area. Her friends knew she was distraught with the news that her breast cancer had reappeared. The area was searched but to no avail. The wooded area where her car was found is two blocks from the Mukilteo police station--just two blocks. Recently, kids playing in the woods (an area where I also have walked my dog) found her decomposed body along with a gun. She evidently had killed herself and nobody could find her for a year--next to the police station.

The second was a happy story that made the national news. A 17 year old girl had driven her car off the road in Redmond. Folks, this was not out in a rural area but right near Seattle. For eight days nobody could find her--eight days! She managed to stay alive in her wrecked car and it took somebody who had a dream to find her amongst the trees, bushes, and blackberry vines down in a ravine. She is going to fully recover.

I always wonder what else may be hidden that never is found.