They are especially active in the early morning; at least three or four times a week their call pierces the morning stillness, but this is the hardest time to see them because it is dark and we are still in bed. (Or one of us is in bed, and the other is rocking Michael!) Neither of us had actually seen the eagles until a few weeks ago when Emily caught sight of one flying overhead during the day. Then one Saturday during Gramma and Papa Rauer and Uncle Tim's visit we were loading into the car around 11 am, when we all heard them call. We looked up and saw two eagles flying low overheard, and then they turned around and flew back. It was exhilarating to look up and see their white heads and broad wingspan. On that occasion and in sightings since, they never seem to flap their wings, so their flight has a poise and dignity that is so beautiful to watch.
Then just last week on President's Day I was taking Michael for a walk around the property at dusk while Emily got his dinner ready. We heard an eagle call, and when we looked up we saw one fly up to a perch in a tree beside our cottage. He perched there for half an hour, which gave us enough time to grab the camera for a picture:
Alas, the light was fading, so you can only just make out his size and his white head. He looked stately as ever on his perch, and as you watch them, it is easy to see why it was chosen as a national symbol. On this topic, here's some trivia I just learned: Benjamin Franklin did not want the bald eagle to be our national symbol because of its "bad moral character" (not sure how he arrived at this opinion) and favored the turkey instead. Now that I've had a chance to observe both birds, I can say that I am glad Franklin's preference did not carry the day. (Emily just informed that she already knew about Franklin and the turkey. Am I the only one who didn't know this story?)Our most recent encounter with the local wildlife occurred just this morning when we looked out our kitchen window and saw this four-legged friend:
Of course, it didn't take long for the deer to notice us and give us that deer-in-headlights look:
What we did not expect was how quickly Michael would be able to imitate the look:
A final encounter with the northwest wildlife took place last week while I was riding the ferry to work. About halfway through the trip the captain came on the PA system and announced that there were two whales swimming off the south side of the boat. Amazingly, not everyone jumped at this chance to see some whale tails. I sure did and so did the woman across from me, who was so excited she knocked over her ceramic coffee mug. (Who commutes with a ceramic mug? It's a ferry, not a diner.) After helping her pick up the pieces, I hustled over to starboard where sure enough, two orca whales were swimming along us. They bobbed up and down about four times and then went under for good. The scene looked something like this:
The only difference is that this is a picture of Michael's bath toy. The whales I saw were real, and they were in the Puget Sound. Another difference: the whales I saw were not chewed and then "beached" on the bathroom floor, which is the nightly fate of the toy whale.
Now the "whiskey" part of this blog posting refers to a new distillery that has opened on Bainbridge Island, called Bainbridge Organic Distillers (http://www.bainbridgedistillers.com/). As you may know, my Celiac disease has meant that for the last few years my occasional beer has been replaced by an occasional glass of whiskey. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered that there was a distillery right here on the island (in the same plaza as our pediatrician, no less). It is one example of micro-distilleries that are popping up around Washington State, and the Bainbridge Distillers use wheat grown organically on the nearby Olympic Peninsula and processed right here on the island. (The gluten is lost in the distillation, making it a Celiac-friendly beverage.) 
It is rare to buy anything these days that's produced locally from beginning to end, but here's an example of just such a product. I am eager to try it, but with a few special visitors on their way in March, I'm saving my first glass till they arrive. I don't claim to have a great palate for spirits, but I'll pass on my thumbs-up or thumbs-down after it's been tested. In the meantime, check out their website and and check back here for new tales from the wild (north)west.
Of course, it didn't take long for the deer to notice us and give us that deer-in-headlights look:What we did not expect was how quickly Michael would be able to imitate the look:
A final encounter with the northwest wildlife took place last week while I was riding the ferry to work. About halfway through the trip the captain came on the PA system and announced that there were two whales swimming off the south side of the boat. Amazingly, not everyone jumped at this chance to see some whale tails. I sure did and so did the woman across from me, who was so excited she knocked over her ceramic coffee mug. (Who commutes with a ceramic mug? It's a ferry, not a diner.) After helping her pick up the pieces, I hustled over to starboard where sure enough, two orca whales were swimming along us. They bobbed up and down about four times and then went under for good. The scene looked something like this:The only difference is that this is a picture of Michael's bath toy. The whales I saw were real, and they were in the Puget Sound. Another difference: the whales I saw were not chewed and then "beached" on the bathroom floor, which is the nightly fate of the toy whale.Now the "whiskey" part of this blog posting refers to a new distillery that has opened on Bainbridge Island, called Bainbridge Organic Distillers (http://www.bainbridgedistillers.com/). As you may know, my Celiac disease has meant that for the last few years my occasional beer has been replaced by an occasional glass of whiskey. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered that there was a distillery right here on the island (in the same plaza as our pediatrician, no less). It is one example of micro-distilleries that are popping up around Washington State, and the Bainbridge Distillers use wheat grown organically on the nearby Olympic Peninsula and processed right here on the island. (The gluten is lost in the distillation, making it a Celiac-friendly beverage.)So far they've developed a vodka and a whiskey and they have a gin in the works. They only make small batches, so when I received an email that their second batch of whiskey was out, we scooted over and bought a bottle.
It is rare to buy anything these days that's produced locally from beginning to end, but here's an example of just such a product. I am eager to try it, but with a few special visitors on their way in March, I'm saving my first glass till they arrive. I don't claim to have a great palate for spirits, but I'll pass on my thumbs-up or thumbs-down after it's been tested. In the meantime, check out their website and and check back here for new tales from the wild (north)west. 
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