Tikun Olam-תיקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

Frink Park waterfall

My dog, Gede is a yellow lab & as such loves water of all kinds. She chases sticks into Lake Washington even in the coldest part of winter. Today, she was in heaven as I threw endless vollies into the water and she did the dog paddle through the water clear as glass to fetch the sticks.

The roses are starting to leaf out, apple and the early cherry trees are sprouting their pink and white flowers in profusion. The scent of daphe odora perfumes the air. The unfortunately named (and no less beautiful for it) skunk cabbage has sent its yellow cones forth from the ground. In Frink Park, there is an entire bed of them sprouting from a a watery bog beside the old Lake Washington Blvd. My two or three year old spiketail (stachyurus praecox) growing on my deck has a profusion of yellow bell-like flowers hanging from its branches.

Spiketail (stachyurus praecox)

Unlike most shrubs, its flowers come at the close of winter along with new buds.

I was so jazzed by the warmth and general Spring stimulus that I hopped on the Frink Park swings and toppped out near the maximum height. The up and down motion almost made me dizzy with fun and pleasure.

We stopped at the Leschi Natural Area for one of the best views on the western shore of Lake Washington. As I sat on a massive rock drinking in the sunshine and view, the cool, bracing wind rippled across my face. I was sorry at that moment that you can’t photograph the wind. I so wanted to convey its effect to you in some tangible way. I guess words will have to do.

To view these images in larger format and see all my Frink Park photos, visit my online photo gallery: Into the Great Wide Open