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Whitney Gardens and Nursery Part 2

*Picture heavy post!

In this post, I am continuing our lovely walk through Whitney Gardens and Nursery.

Come along and enjoy!

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

The watercolor club members simply set up wherever the scenery inspired them for plein air painting.

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

What a pleasant way to spend the day!

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Longtime friends finally meet face to face!

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery Part 1

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

See the world around you!

Whitney Gardens and Nursery Part 1

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

*Picture heavy post!

Hubby has a special internet friend who lives on the West Coast. Since we were vacationing there, Hubby and his Buddy arranged to meet in person.

Hubby’s friend belongs to a watercolor club, and they love plein air painting. So when it was suggested to meet at Whitney Gardens and Nursery, I was happy to ride along!

If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know that I love to photograph colorful blooms!

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Whitney Gardens specializes in rhododendrons, and I need to come back in the spring when hundreds of varieties are in bloom! If I lived nearby, I would be spending an enormous amount of time here (and maybe my budget, too)!

Whitney Gardens and Nursery

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

See the world around you!

Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve

Early one morning, while on vacation and on our way to somewhere else, our daughter-in-law, Hubby and myself, spotted a turnout on the side of the highway. We decided to check it out, so we parked the car and took a look.

Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve

There were no signs and no one else was there.

Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve

So very peaceful…a really lovely spot!

Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve

We didn’t know it at the time, but we happened upon the Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve. While editing photos, I learned about this wonderful spot from reading here and here.

Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve

Turns out that this area is quite fabulous! Here is a bit of what I read about it:

The mudflats protected at Kennedy Creek NAP provide critical feeding areas for more than 140 species of birds including large concentrations of shorebirds and predatory species like peregrine falcons and red-tailed hawks. In a single day, 10,000 migratory shorebirds have been counted in the estuary. Each winter, an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 dunlin spend the cold months at Kennedy Creek. This is the largest concentration in central and southern Puget Sound. The site also supports one of the largest concentrations of wintering and migrating black-bellied plovers in the region.

 Kennedy Creek provides habitat for coastal cutthroat trout, steelhead, and Coho salmon. The site is known for its robust run of fall chum. Between October and December, on average 21,000 chum return to spawn in 2.5 miles of freshwater at Kennedy Creek. After spawning, the salmon carcasses provide important marine derived nutrients to the riparian and estuarine ecosystem, sustaining the health of the flora and fauna. The nutrients from the thousands of carcasses supplement the diets of newly emerged chum fry along with more than 60 different species of wildlife, including the northern river otter, red-tailed hawk and bobcat. Invertebrates living in the intertidal muck consume the carcasses that wash down the creek, after which they are, in turn, consumed by shorebirds. 

Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve

Now I want to go back…maybe more than once…and definitely see this spot in the winter! There is much more to explore!

Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

See the world around you!