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Methow Arts Fest

In addition to a parade, the Methow Arts Fest happens on the Fourth of July in the Twisp Park near the confluence of the Twisp and Methow Rivers. All afternoon, there were hands-on art booths, music, dancing, food and more. Methow Arts sponsors this fun-filled and creative event.

 

 Methow Arts – The Legend of the Superhero!

 

 

One of the Methow Arts Superheroes!

 

Charlotte – Volunteers are Superheroes too!

 

This goldendoodle is also a Superhero. She is a Therapy Dog!

 

Superhero stockings

 

There were lots of murals of local Superheroes for participants to paint. Many thanks to Erik Brooks for designing them.

 

Salyna’s Scheherazades – a belly dance troupe and part of the Methow Dance Collective.

Dancing Superheroes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Examining his art projects – magic potions for Superheroes

 

Ken’s mom, one of our personal Superheroes, paints a landscape at the watercolor booth.

 

A member of the Wanderlust Circus performs graceful midair stunts.

 

The Music Man director Julie Wenzel and music director Wayne Mendro watch excerpts from the play.

 

Another arts Superhero – Mark Wenzel stars in The Music Man

 

The last musical act makes a dramatic entrance

 

Superheroes in the audience

 

 

Captain America arrived to join the others

 

On a Harley! How many Superheroes have a Harley?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twisp Fourth of July Parade

Yesterday Twisp celebrated Independence Day with a homegrown parade. Participants gathered at Twisp Works to prepare for the four block march down Glover Street. There were lots of dogs, bicycles, some horses, Roller Derby Girls, polticians, old cars and firefighters. It was a perfect day for a parade.

His parade face

It’s an election year

Vote with your feet

Not sure what they are voting for

Appropriately dressed spectators

Derby Girls don’t like candy under their skates

There goes the winner of the Doggie Dash!

Cast members from The Music Man hamming it up

The theme of the day was Superheroes

Why is this man smiling? He is running for office.

Firefighters – true Superheroes!

Otto

Chorus Frog

We often find these tiny chorus or tree frogs on our deck, in the potted plants, even in the bbq – we need to open the grill before lighting it – and also in the garage. I don’t know why they think that these places are good frog habitat but here they are. There is no open water for them and we never hear a ‘chorus’ of them, just lone frogs here and there. Once, in the fall, when I was bringing plants back in the house before cold weather set in, a frog came in and its calls of protest were so loud, we were encouraged to find the animal and return it outside, to its ‘natural’ habitat!

 

 

 

 

Here is some information about these wide-spread frogs.

Out of the Ashes

Back in April, there was a fire on our hillside – you can see the images from that day here. Our neighbor’s place suffered a lot of damage and he asked me to document the recovery over the course of the growing seasons with my camera. He set up a photo point for me to visit on a regular basis and after 2 1/2 months, it’s easy to see that recovery is well on its way. So far, there has not been a big influx of weeds in most places. In fact, the native wildflowers are doing well – even more abundant than in the areas that were not burned! The bitterbrush, a favorite food for the local mule deer, does not seem to be sprouting back. This will be a major change in the habitat. Grasses and forbs are doing well.

 

April 20, three days following the fire. The yellow rebar marks the photo point.

 

May 1. The burned pine tree on the right and bent over to the left burned bitterbrush show up in all the images in this series.

 

May 13

 

May 22

 

May 30

 

June 14

 

June 28

 

Balsamroot bloomed very well in the burned area.

 

Lupine is blooming more abundantly and for a longer season in the burned area compared to the non-burned area.

 

Douglas sunflowers are also more abundant.

 

Lush growth

 

The day of the fire.

 

 

Six Years Later

In 2006, the Tripod wildfire raged through Okanogan County. Between late July and snowfall, it burned more than 175,000 acres of forest lands. Unlike the fires currently burning in Colorado and Montana, it did not burn any homes. Six years later, regeneration is producing a new kind of forest with wildlife friendly snags, wildflowers and new growth of willows and aspens. I spent part of Monday afternoon walking through a tiny bit of the old burn listening to birds and small mammals and admiring the flowers.

 

Burnt snags reflected in a small pond

 

 

Roger Lake – some trees survived in the boggy edges of this lake and it continues to be a great place for birds and other wildlife

 

 

Snags criss cross on the trail

 

Bog orchid grows in a wet spot

 

lupine

 

Spent flowers remind me of the fire

 

Lupine bud

 

Lupine from above

 

Scarlet gilia

 

Wild rose

 

Penstemon

 

Here is an article about the fire. And here is an article about a study on the effects of the fire.