Mail Call - Thank you Ajdin and Sandy

 Hiya Gang,
Wolfy and my pal Choya here (Little Fox is out hiking or on some other adventure) but we have the keys to the blog today and LF left a note saying to do the mail.  So here we are.

“Who’s first?” Choya asks.

“Let’s start with the second oldest message. It looks like it’s from LF’s creative friend, Ajdin.”

Ajdin always has some kind of side business going—these days, he’s in the magnet business. It was incredibly kind of him to send these our way; they were a wonderful gift. The Sequoia magnet now sits proudly on the fridge, right in full view of the roommates. 

"Next up is some mail from Sandy and crew." muses Choya.

 

"Yep,   Sandy sent a post card from London and his time hanging out with Beanie and the gang." 

Choya grins. “A postcard—from London. Looks like he’s been running around with Beanie and the gang.  Does Sandy ever slow down?” 

 According to the note it seems Sandy is on an Art Deco Photo hunt (LF is  going to San Francisco "this summer - maybe there will be some Art Deco out there?).

“In unison—happy birthday to you, happy birthday, Little Fox!”

Little Fox's birthday came and went this year in mid January without much fanfare.  No cake, no hike, but Sandy and crew came through with this awesome card of polar bears wanting cake (Little Fox knows the pain of wanting cake and not getting anything from the roommates, not even a crumb.

Finally, a nice sympathy card from Sandy and Crew.   We are 100% sure that Sequoia is having a ball playing with Minnie, Rascal, Daisy and Spooky.

A Spring Adventure: Wildflowers, Ice Cream and Wine.

 Hiya Gang!
Little Fox here, it's been a while since I have had a chance to blog.  It's Spring and it's wildflower season.  A few new hikes were discovered this year.  

A perfect day.  The Lupine and Balsam Root are blooming at the same time.  Such a treat for May. 

A short little hike on an unknown trail (aren't those the best?).  Came across a few other hikers with their dogs, a man on a horse (for real) , and a deer escorted us along the trail too. 

Afterwards a little reward for my effort.  All of these flavors are handmade in the back of the shop. 

Ended up with Apple Crisp and Strawberry Rhubarb.

Then we zipped over the Washington side of the gorge for a little wine tasting. 

What a view eh?  

The Trail is Quieter Today.

 It is a heavy, somber day in my corner of the woods. My tail is low as I share some heartbreaking news with you all.

A few days ago, my dear hiking companion Sequoia suffered a neurological event. Despite his strength, it was a mountain he could not climb back from. The vet gently let us know it was time for his soul to find a new path.

Sequoia was the ultimate master of the trail. While I was carried in the backpack, he was always there—nose to the earth, cataloging every scent the wind carried.

 He knew the best spots for a long drink of icy creek water and never, ever missed the crinkle of a wrapper that signaled a shared snack of cheese.

The forest feels different now. The rhythm of his paws alongside mine is a melody I will miss every time I step onto the dirt.

Onward my friend. May your new trails be endless, the creeks always cold, and the cheese always plentiful.

LF

First Hike of March

 Hiya Blog World.

Finally a blog post (a'hem) and a hike.  One of the best photos came from the start of the hike before the roommates even left the car.  The purple flowers were the main wildflowers out today but they were abundant. 

An old telephone pole, perhaps I will be learning about this in Archeology 301 this quarter? 

Some damage of last years fire, a lot more on the other side of the trail but someone (ie the sekrebeary) decided pictures of the dog were more important than me documenting the fire. 

Such a nice day, Spring is so close. 

**cough cough** Oh yeah… I do have a blog… and, wouldn’t you know it, it’s about Everett, Washington.

 Little Fox has been quiet on this blog lately, not out of neglect but because my roommates keep stealing my time, my focus, and possibly my snacks.  Typical, but I finally got an adventure.

Today, I'm scampering through the waterfront and downtown of Everett, Washington, letting the salt air, ferries, and city corners tug me back into the world (and back into writing).

I came across this cool building at Boxcar Park—it was once the headquarters for Weyerhaeuser Lumber, a company founded in 1900 by Frederick Weyerhaeuser that grew into one of the largest timber and wood-products companies in the world, shaping much of the Pacific Northwest’s industrial history.

Now, it's a coffee shop and whiskey bar. It's early so no whiskey but a coffee and scone for sure. 

While waiting for my coffee, I  paused by the old safe, imagining it once guarding the forest’s worth of secrets—ledgers, wages, and the quiet weight of a lumber empire locked behind cold steel.

The old safe no longer guarded secrets of lumber and ledgers, but had been reborn as a hoity-toity vault for customers’ whiskey and red wine, which felt both suspicious and very human.

Fortified with coffee and scones, Little Fox set off on foot—the best way to explore—leaving Boxcar Park behind and trotting onward in search of Grandview Park, a historic hillside park established in the early 1900s and known for its sweeping views over Everett and Port Gardner Bay.  

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As I wandered around town, I trotted past the luxurious homes of timber and railroad barons and the more modest houses of the workers, a reminder of Everett’s rich history of labor and union organizing that shaped the city’s streets and spirit even to this day.

Then Little Fox wandered past the quirky and colorful corporate headquarters of Funko, a playful contrast to the historic lumber and railroad buildings dotting Everett; inside, the company designs and produces its iconic pop culture collectibles—vinyl figures, toys, and memorabilia that celebrate everything from movies and comics to music and sports.

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Time to move, Little Fox thought, trotting off to a cozy coffee shop for lunch—where breakfast burritos and sandwiches ruled the menu—and my eyes couldn’t help but linger on a painting for sale that seemed to whisper, take me home.

Sigh, Little Fox’s pockets weren’t deep enough to take the painting home, but I could still enjoy it—and speaking of enjoying, the weather was amazing, with sun glinting off the water and a gentle breeze ruffling through the streets of Everett; sure, the majority of the state may just drive through, but one would be amiss to skip this charming and historically rich town.