Taxonomy

Day 264 (bonus): This was sent to me by a friend who obviously understands my dilemma.
It's sung to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic:

Mine eyes have seen the splitting of the genus I adore,
It’s been slyly subdivided into families galore,
And with every publication comes another genus more.
The names go rolling on!

Hemstitching a Tube

Day 264: If anyone knows how to hemstitch a tube or double-wide cloth on the loom, I would appreciate a detailed description of the procedure. I always hemstitch both ends of my pieces, and it's a right pain when the fabric is not under tension (i.e., off the loom). To hemstitch on the loom if you're using a floor loom, there seems to be no way to do the bottom layer at the beginning unless you want to lay on your back underneath the fabric. In this case, I'm working on a rigid heddle, so I flipped the loom over. Even so, it was awkward working in amongst the brace pieces. This is a "stash-busting" project. I'm trying to use up some 3/2 cotton I was sent by mistake. It's substantially heavier than anything I would normally weave, so I'm making seamless bags with it.

Pilophorus Acicularis

Day 263: Anyone who comes to visit me should know to expect at least a few botany lessons, so when Rob, Mike and I went up to Longmire, I just had to introduce them to Pilophorus acicularis, aka "Devil's Matchstick Lichen." It's one of my favourites. A "pioneer" lichen, it is one of the first to colonize the surfaces of freshly broken rock, although the definition of "freshly broken" can extend twenty years or so into the past. This particular specimen is on the road cut just south of the wooden bridge between Longmire proper and the volunteer campground. The bridge is currently in need of repair, and Rob and Mike checked it over thoroughly, studying the architecture and welds while I worked my way along the ditch trying to remember exactly which bump of rock held my pet Pilophorus. When I finally found it, I called Rob over to show it to him. Pffft! I don't think he was sufficiently impressed! But then, National Parks hold different attractions for people with a wide variety of interests, don't they?

Rob's Quilt

Day 262: I figured I'd already spoiled the surprise before they left New Zealand. I mean, you can't ask questions like, "How much room are you going to have in your luggage when you leave my place? Will you have space for something about the size of a briefcase?" without someone getting suspicious. I think Rob knew this hexagon quilt was going back with him before he got here. I was ready to suggest wrapping themselves up in it on the plane (after all, it's winter in New Zealand), but they managed to fold it to fit inside a wheeled suitcase. And like I told him, this is his combined birthday/Christmas gift this year, 'cuz I sure as heck wasn't going to mail it!

Rob and Mike at Reflection Lake

Day 261: Yesterday was Rob and Mike's last full day here, so we went on a whirlwind tour of the west side of Mount Rainier National Park, hitting iconic sites such as Christine Falls and Reflection Lake (above). Even at 8:30 AM, the parking lot at Paradise was jam-packed and people were already parking a mile down the Valley Road, but I had expected that. Visitation to the Park has grown exponentially since covid. We walked the loop at Box Canyon, took photos of the Mountain from several spots, including Backbone Ridge which was our turn-around point. Rob was intrigued by the engineering, particularly of the stone bridges which occur throughout the Park. Mike (an avid gardener) and I talked botany while Rob studied bolts and welds. A brief visit to the Longmire gift shop finished the tour except for a stop at Kautz Creek and again at the Nisqually Entrance which they had not yet seen (I'd brought them in through the "employee" gate), and of course Rob took photos of the arch framing the entrance. We stopped at home for an hour or so, and then it was off in a different direction to have Chinese food after viewing Mossyrock Dam from both sides. It was a long day for us all, but hopefully, it will have been an unforgettable experience for them.

Rob's Teddy Bear

Day 260: My guests had a busy day yesterday and today (their last full day) promises to be even more active, so I thought I'd show you Rob's "teddy bear." This is the slime mold he found at Longmire. Of course if you've been following along, you'll recognize it as Fuligo septica which bears the unpleasant common name of "Dog-vomit." It was inside a rotting stump, too high for me to have observed from the ground, so when Rob found it and called me over, he hoisted me up so I could see it. I climbed up the opposite side of the stump to take the photo. His view of it looked even more like a teddy bear than mine! Then I proceeded to explain slime molds to Mike (Rob's dad), who was intrigued by the fact that they can move. I was so tickled that Rob had spotted it that all through the remainder of the day, I kept inserting, "You found a sime mold!" into our coversations.

In other news, I am happy to report that the top of the Mountain came out yesterday evening, so they were able to see it, albeit not in total. We'll remedy that today. My botany partners dropped by in the evening to meet them, and to show them pictures of the bear they'd spotted at Paradise. Rob and his dad were also able to get a glimpse of the northern hemisphere's night sky, although dawn was already beginning to dim the stars when we went outside. Tonight's viewing should be much better. Tomorrow they begin the journey home, and one thing is certain: Merry is going to miss terribly the wonderful new friends who came here just especially to meet him.

Off the Beaten Path

Day 259: Before they arrived, I had warned my New Zealand guests that there wasn't a lot to do here in the Back of Beyond unless you were an avid hiker or a mountaineer. The skies have been cloudy, and they've only seen the tips of Mount Rainier's three summit peaks poking up above them. In the hopes that we might get above the clouds for a Mountain view, I decided to take them up to Paradise yesterday even though the webcams showed the area blanketed in fog. There was little chance they would actually get a view, but I thought I could offer a little excitement en route with a brief visit to a little-known area. Obviously, Rob enjoyed the diversion! In exchange, he was able to provide a trip highlight to me: he found a slime mold (it will appear in a subsequent post). We paid Kevin a visit at the office, and as predicted, Paradise was a rainy, nippy washout. With two days left before they start the trip home, there's still hope that my visitors may both see the Mountain and the night skies of the northern hemisphere. It's supposed to clear up.