Monday, March 30, 2020

Exploring Bellingham: Walking in My "Backyard"


A city-folk condo with a natural "backyard."
When you live in an apartment style condo, you don't have a real backyard. We have a deck off our living room and bedroom with a small table and two chairs so Wayne and I can get outdoors to enjoy fresh air.

From our lofty perch on the third floor, we have a birds-eye view of a creek with its protected riparian zone several acres in size. We chose to purchase this condo partly for that reason.


Morning coffee on warm days or evening wine with a view.
In the winter, we can see Mt. Baker in the distance. In the summer, the mature trees give us a forest view in the heart of the city. But it doesn't give us room for exercise.

Taking the stairs rather than the elevator helps, but it's not enough to overcome our current sedentary lifestyle. When we can't get out to one of Bellingham's uncrowded parks, we use our "backyard" path and neighbourhood streets for the exercise we need.


The path behind our buildings is very popular with dog walkers as well.

While out, we follow the six foot distancing guidelines. It sets an example for passing motorists and other walkers, though we rarely pass any.

Come along with me to walk through my "backyard."

The beaver dam before relocation was necessary.
Our complex path follows a creek with a natural riparian area. Here cedar, fir, maple and cottonwood trees grow. There are willows, horsetail, grasses, ferns and masses of blackberry bushes.

Small animals and birds frequent this spot of nature within city limits. One year we had two beavers build a dam. To prevent flooding, they and their dam had to be removed. It was fun to watch their activities while it lasted.


A deer in our driveway.
In addition to critters, we have lots of birds. Residents and visitors include seagulls, ravens, flickers, woodpeckers, jays, ducks, robins, juncos, starlings, sparrows and hummingbirds. Now that it's spring, I love to hear them sing in the new day at sunrise.

A Pileated Woodpecker at work.
There are a number of dead trees that woodpeckers and flickers enjoy drilling.

When my mom lived with with us here, we had a bird feeder that was very popular. I think I enjoyed watching the birds even more than she did.


Skunk Cabbage grows in boggy areas each spring.
Each spring one of my favourite plants blooms, Western Skunk Cabbage. It's also called Swamp Lantern, an apt name because of the shape and bright yellow of its large hooded flower.

The common name comes from the bad odour the flower emits. It sounds strange, but the smell is what attracts its pollinators, flies and beetles. Bears and deer (we do get a few here) eat them despite their strong smell.

Here's a peak at my backyard through the seasons.

Winter, spring, summer and fall in my backyard.

How are you handling staying at home? Do you have a backyard to use for exercise and to enjoy fresh air? If not, what are you doing instead? -- Margy

56 comments :

  1. Your condo is lovely, love the patio view. We went for a long walk with Buddy yesterday and the skunk cabbage here is in full bloom smell and all.

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    1. Thank you. It's the one my mom purchased when she moved here to be near us. - Margy

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  2. I enjoyed my walk through your back garden. I've never heard of skunk cabbage.

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    1. I hadn't either until we moved to Powell River. The first spring I was surprised to see it in the creek bed here. - Margy

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  3. How nice to get outside at this time of year. You have a beautiful condo and it's nice to have a place to walk. We can walk around our neighborhood...no traffic, or go out to a few of the trails that are still open. I need to get out and walk! Stay safe!

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    1. Because we are in a commercial vs residential area the streets are easier to walk and distance from people. - Margy

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  4. ...I've never been to Bellingham, it sure lots beautiful. Living on top of others wouldn't be for me though!

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    1. I much prefer living in our floating cabin, but right now this is the safest choice. - Margy

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  5. Lovely views from your deck. Thanks for dropping by my blog today Margy

    Much❤love

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    1. You are welcome. Blogging is a good to communicate right now. - Margy

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  6. Nice tour of your condo. Do you miss being on the road?
    The tulips are actually just coming up---no blooms yet but 1st of April things will start. So I think 'off with their heads' closer to the end of April
    MB

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    1. We miss being on the road and also miss our float cabin. This condo is usually just a temporary place to be now that mom has passed away. But right now I'm glad we kept it to be close to good health care. Thanks for the tulip update. - Margy

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  7. Hi Margy, thanks for visiting my post today. I have just spent a very enjoyable 30 minutes reading through your blog here and loved it. My husband and I spent ten years living in a fifth-wheel caravan - it was great.
    We have full lockdown in New Zealand and I am so thankful that we have a yard to wander around in. Yesterday I walked around the outside of the house several times, making circles around the cars and outdoor furniture. It must have looked funny, but it gave me the exercise! I do miss our parks and gardens to walk in though (I would need to drive to get to them, and that is not encouraged).
    Stay safe and look after yourselves :)

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    1. Glad you enjoyed some of my RV posts. I would love to visit New Zealand some day. Do they rent RVs? That would be the way to see everything. We aren't on full lockdown but can only go out for essentials and exercise while distancing. - Margy

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  8. Nice place to walk! I didn't realize you had stayed in Bellingham this year.

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    1. We decided to stay here to close to good health care. Powell River has limited capacity and a shortage of doctors so this made more sense. - Margy

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  9. Looks like all the bloggers will be seeing eachother's backyards in the coming weeks. I enjoyed your views.

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    1. In a way it's nice. We usually write about places and things, not ourselves. - Margy

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  10. Very nice - I think you get more wildlife in your garden than mine! Although my post for today is a garden wildlife one. I suspect that there may be a few more to follow!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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    1. Seems that way. We ride our quads in the bush and see less wildlife than in town with visiting bears, deer and whatnot. - Margy

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    1. It isn't bad, but it isn't as natural as your place or our float cabin. - Margy

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  12. I'm glad to see that you have a way of getting out for a walk. I don't think I would like to be apartment living in a city right now. Stay safe and thank you for visiting my blog this week. I put a note over there about the "page tabs".

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    1. Not sure there is any place safe, city or country right now. Thanks, I'll check out the tabs answer on your blog. - Margy

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  13. Thanks for sharing your very local nature walk. I cannot imagine living in a high rise apartment right now.

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    1. It's funny, you rarely see other people. For now, if we run into someone at the elevator we wait for the next trip. - Margy

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  14. Margy - glad you have your riparian zone for some exercise and fresh air. It amazes me how much wildlife can be found in even such a small slice of the forest! Nature has a way of working its way in. We are very blessed to have our "back forty" for exercise, and we also have a treadmill. Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday. Stay well, my friend!

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    1. Our back forty for now is city streets but the sidewalks are very empty so I feel relatively safe going outdoors. - Margy

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  15. I think you chose that condo wisely. Great views with quiet walks just yards away. Lots of birds, lots of sounds but peace and quiet. And the coffee balcony is just wonderful to spend those times when you want to stay home.

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    1. We do too. It wasn't an easy choice, but the best we could do. Having a spot of nature next door makes it even better. - Margy

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    1. It was such a surprise. We haven't seen them in quite a while, but a neighbour that lives closer to the creeks open area says they are there almost daily. - Margy

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  17. you seem to have really nice areas close by. Great place for hiking,
    I deleted the sick comment of anonymus and have changed the settings, so hopefully he is gone from my blog. Idiots.

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    1. Some people have tipped over into the crazy realm. Things are scary enough without that. - Margy

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  18. Hello, you do have a nice area around your condo. The view of Mt Baker is nice. It is great to have the birds and deer nearby too. I love the cute deer and the Pileated Woodpecker. Great series of photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Enjoy your day and week ahead. Stay safe!

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    1. Finally, after two months of camping in our RV to finally get critter pictures at home. - Margy

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  19. It is lgreat to have such a small deck or balcony in an apartment house - to relax for a while and have a cup of coffee. Seems the nature is very near - lovely views!

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    1. Yes it is. We have a larger one at our condo in Powell River. It runs the full width of our condo and it has an ocean view. - Margy

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  20. What a beautiful place to live. Wishing you well and have a grand week!!

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    1. It is a cozy place. Indoors we have a gas fireplace to warm up our home and to watch the flames. The cost of the gas is included in our condo fee so we use it instead of our electric heaters. - Margy

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  21. Replies
    1. Yes, it does make staying here nicer. The trees are starting to get their leaves so it will be even prettier soon. - Margy

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  22. You have a nice backyard! So many lovely flowers and birds. Unfortunately we are no longer allowed further than 100 metres from our home. Waiting for this to pass :(

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    1. That is a short distance. With that restriction we couldn't go father than the exit door. That would make our balcony even more important. - Margy

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  23. I must have missed the explanation of why you were required to remove your birdhouses from the shore. It would appear to be a sorry story?

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    1. Our BC water lease doesn't allow shore structures. A legacy shed had to be removed two years ago and that's where my birdhouses were mounted. I still have one in the corner of my floating garden. - Margy

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  24. Beautiful view! Appreciating nature is the best way to keep one's sanity in stressful times!

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    1. So true. You have a nice big property where you can get out but you also have lots of animals to care for. Are you able to get enough feed? - Margy

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  25. Your Bellingham residence looks very comfortable and enjoyable with beautiful views, Margy. Stay well!

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    1. Having come from Los Angeles, it's rare to find an apartment style condo so close to a natural area. - Margy

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  26. We are spending time in the backyard each day, gives us fresh air and exercise. The garden cleanup job have been started and just as long as the sun stays out we are soaking up the rays by sitting on the deck for a bit each day. We miss walking in the parks and trail areas as most are shut off now, and with only going out when necessary (grocery store) we are just about in self isolation. We did have a driveway visit with the kids last week when it was Murray's birthday, lovely to see and talk to them even if from a distance.

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    1. Your yard is a treasure at all times, but especially now. We go out for groceries tomorrow. I buy enough fresh food for about a week and a half so we don't have to go so often. Plus, we are using the order online and pickup feature to minimize exposure. Glad you got a family visit. These times call for unusual measures though. - Margy

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  27. You have an incredible view! Wow. It's hard living so close to other people in the best of times and having a natural area so close must be a God send.

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    1. It is a nice view from either our living room or outside deck. We chose this side of the building when we bought because of that view. Now I'm really glad we did. - Margy

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  28. Hello,
    nice exploration of your "backyard".
    You can enjoy a vast part of nature...

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    1. It is one of the reasons we chose this condo. The ones on the other side of the hall only get the parking area and shopping center view. - Margy

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Thanks for stopping by. Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome. - Margy