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| My walking buddies gave an impromptu and very enthusiastic performance of my song last week during our hike on the Cushman Trail. |
My latest newspaper column is a take-off on the song "My Favorite Things," the one that starts: "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens ..." For the blog, I present my lyrics along with some of the thousands of photos that I've taken since I moved to the Northwest in 2008. Enjoy!
"Our Great Northwest Highs"
By Sherrie Spanger
Text and photos
Copyright 2010
Text and photos
Copyright 2010
Rainbows on cedars and moon light on harbors
Pale pink and red roses climbing on arbors
Lavender clouds streaked in tangerine skies
These are a few of our great Northwest highs.
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| Summer sunset in Gig Harbor. |
Ferries and fog horns and funky beach houses
Eagles and otters and seagulls surround us
Eagles and otters and seagulls surround us
Snow-capped Olympics with clouds sliding by
These are a few of our great Northwest highs.
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| Julia relaxes on the ferry to Seattle. |
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| "Snow-capped Olympics with clouds sliding by ..." |
Rhodies and garden slugs, big fat hydrangeas
Moss-shingled roof tops, wet ferns and bright zinnias
Kayaks and sailboats and birds flying by
These are some more of our great Northwest highs.
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| "Big fat hydrangeas" from Nancy's garden. |
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| Keith kayaks here two years ago on the winter solstice. It was only late afternoon, but look at how dark it was. |
(Refrain 1)
In the dark days
When the rain falls
When the sky's not blue
I slosh into Starbucks, pull out my gold card
And order my favorite brew!
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| Bridge between Gig Harbor and Tacoma. |
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| This was actually somewhere in Wyoming as I was moving out here from the Midwest. I stopped at every Starbucks that I could see from the highway. |
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| The original Starbucks in Pike's Place in Seattle -- always a crowd. |
Our wonderful neighbors named Dick and Rosemary
New friends and warm hugs and fresh Rainier cherries
Apples and blueberries piled into pies
These are a few of our Gig Harbor highs.
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| "Our wonderful neighbors named Dick ... |
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| ... and Rosemary" |
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| Fresh local fruit fills pies all summer and fall. |
Street fairs and Halloween down in the harbor
Beatniks at Skansie, but Elvis was wilder
Strolling on Cushman as summer air sighs
These are some more of our Gig Harbor highs.
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| Beautiful Gig Harbor. |
Dungeness crab cakes, grilled salmon, clam chowder
Ice cream at Kelly's as evenings turn milder
Ice cream at Kelly's as evenings turn milder
Mussels and geoducks down on the beach
These are some delicious Gig Harbor treats.
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| Salmon rules in the Northwest. |
In the dark months
Wrapped in gray skies
When it spits all day
I simply remember our Gig Harbor highs
And then I will be OK!
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| Walking in the rain at Chambers Bay. |
Sea stars, anemones, barnacles, crabs
Kopachuck Beach in the summer is fabs
Rich intertidal life, herons, blue skies
These are a few of our great Northwest highs.
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| Sea star on a Gig Harbor beach. |
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| "Kopachuck Beach in the summer is fabs ..." |
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| More fun on Kopachuck Beach during a low-tide walk with Harbor WildWatch. |
Mastering roundabouts -- not always easy
Training for Turkey Trot, getting quite wheezy
Herons hunched over, high-pitched eagle cries
These are a few of our Gig Harbor highs.
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| I found this scene right below our house. |
I don't care for rain but I do like the rainbows
Don't like the gray but I guess that's how it goes
Living out here is a give and a take
When it is wet I get Cutter's Point cake!
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| "I don't care for rain but I do like the rainbows ..." This one is on Wollochet Bay. |
In the dark days
When the rain falls
When the sky's not blue
I slosh into Starbucks, pull out my gold card
And order my favorite brew!
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| Make that a double -- somewhere in Oregon. |
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| Mt. Rainier viewed from Gig Harbor -- always spectacular. |
Have a colorful Northwest day!
7 comments:
LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! You said it all, Sherrie - my sentiments exactly. We've lived here for 30 years now & I still tire of the rain, but there are all the things you mentioned to balance it out. THANK YOU for expressing it so eloquently.
I can't imagine you writing such a great song about Rockford and the great upper Midwest! lol Glad you have embraced all that the PNW has to offer in exchange for a few dreary rainy days...
AAhhh, if only it were a FEW, eh Sherrie?
I've had this melody in the back of my head for over a week now... I think you should post your Rockford version, too! I got your email this morning and almost spit my coffee out at the "needles in alleys" line. I can only imagine the images you could use to accompany the verses.......
Beautiful photos to supplement the tune. Sorry I'm not a Northwestern (one of those dratted mid-westerners) but the ideas came through exquisitely even for someone who has only had small tastes of the PNW...
For me, it's the cold and snow rather than the rain... When it hasn't been above 0 for two or three weeks...
Thanks for your comments everyone. Glad you liked the post. I used to be one of those Midwesterners (lived in Illinois, Missouri and Kansas)and I think the gray months here are way worse than the cold and snow. But I'm trying to fill the gray months with friends and creativity.
Wow Sherrie! Just went to your blog...Very moving photos! You have captured many great shots!!! Get well soon! Belated Happy Birthday too!
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