It was not unusual for us to throw a party whose guests were only ourselves — yet we still cooked an elaborate feast and dressed up as if we were entertaining visiting dignitaries. 

We visited museums, cathedrals, historic sites and ate all kinds of ethnic foods. Today this is not so unusual, but in the 60’s it was definitely not the norm. My childhood memories are almost exclusively about extraordinary experiences. One of those treasured memories is a picnic in the snow.  

A preposterous idea sticks

I remember my mother thinking that my father was crazy for suggesting this preposterous idea. I remember a pine forest park, clearing 6” of snow from the picnic table and trying to keep warm sitting on its ice-cold benches. This picnic in the snow has remained family lore, passed down two generations now, to my children and my granddaughter. For our family, winter picnics are a recipe for great memories: start with loved ones, add a little challenge — something that pushes your comfort zone — sprinkle in images of togetherness and laughter, add a pinch of nature’s fragrances and textures and top it off with delicious food.  

Photo courtesy 365thingsin365days.com

Passing down a tradition

The first winter picnic with my own children was part of our annual trek into the snowy woods in search of the elusive “perfect Christmas tree.” My husband was a bit of a humbug and wasn’t excited about the adventure, but the kids were all in! Expecting everyone to be cold and hungry, I packed some warm and tasty snacks. The food was never the main character in these ventures, but I brought thermoses of hot cider, bean soup, and cookies and made sure what I offered was food my family loved. After tromping around in the thigh-high snow, falling, laughing and losing the feeling in our hands, we brushed off some old stumps for our impromptu table and seating and enjoyed our lunch. I remember it being delicious, but let’s be honest, doesn’t food always taste better outdoors?

What you need to know to cut down a christmas tree on state forest land and how to get a permit. 

It’s about the food AND the adventure on a winter picnic

Remember, when you plan a winter picnic, you are planning an experience and, if you are fortunate, stories that will live far into the future.  

The first step is to pick your place. You don’t need to head to the mountains. Seattle has many wonderful parks, lots of them with tables and shelters. Seward Park is a great place for beginners, and there’s a winter picnic bonus: many of the shelters have grills. Lincoln Park in West Seattle is another terrific option, with tables and shelters in the forest above and waterside grilling shelters in the lower park. So build a fire and cook up something fresh and hot. Even simple hotdogs on sticks and toasted marshmallows take on an exciting new taste in winter. 

If you have a propane camping stove, perfect! Your options for a hot-food winter picnic just grew. Stay in the city or head to the mountains that surround the Puget Sound.

Photo courtesy 365thingsin365days.com

Foods to warm them up on their winter picnic

There is some art to picnicking in winter — sandwiches and a cooler of sodas just won’t cut it. But you do want to keep your menu simple and bring food that is hearty and warming. Our family has found these foods to be great winter picnic partners:

• soups or stews kept hot in a thermos or heated over a fire
• wraps, in foil to be warmed over a fire
• grilled sandwiches kept warm in an insulated bag
• simple loaves of bread, cheese, olives
• warm beverages like hot cider or cocoa 
• always a sweet treat at the end   

Invite kids to look deeply

Winter picnics will become part of your family’s storyboard. So invite everyone in your family to collect the details of an event:

• Make a point of noticing bird calls and any animal tracks. 
• Ask kids to consider what the air smells like. 
• Present questions for them to ponder: Is the light reflecting off the water or the snow?  
• If someone does something brave or funny or goofs up, invite each child to write their version of the story. It will all become part of the lore they pass on. 

Case in point for the latter suggestion: I know of a woman who cut down a tree and after dragging it for close to an hour back to the car discovered it was way too large to get in or even on top of the car. Some major surgery was required to bring that big-game trophy home! Having seen a lot of green in a lot of forests, I am certain that tree looked much smaller out in the woods. And now it’s part of her family’s storyboard, a part her children love to retell year after year. 

Safety first

Picnicking in winter is fun, invigorating, and sometimes frustrating, but always an adventure. Keep your adventure safe:

• Have a plan in case your car gets stuck in snow. 
• Tell someone not on your trip where you are going.
• Be prepared for the weather.
• Dress in layers, including waterproof outer layers and footwear, gloves and hats.
• Keep extra clothes and blankets in your car and extra socks for wet feet.
• Have a fully charged cellphone with you. 
• Along with delicious food, carry a daypack with the remaining nine hiking essentials: a navigation tool, extra water, extra socks or clothing, a first aid kit, a knife, matches or other firestarter, a light emergency bivy, headlamp and sunscreen (yes, even in winter).

Try something new and different this year. Plan a winter picnic and if your kids grumble and complain, just tell them “We’re creating forever memories! You’re welcome!”  

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At the same time, they also offer a surprisingly wide range of services—classes, events, craft sessions, homework help, and other activities—for free. They act as anchors for the communities where they are located, places that not only showcase books and other media but foster local art, culture, and connection. 

“Each of our locations is an essential part of the neighborhood it serves, and the design, collection, and art of our libraries represents its communities,” says Elisa Murray, digital communications strategist at the Seattle Public Library. “Visiting a library can be a great start (or end) to a neighborhood exploration.”

Visiting all 77 libraries in the Seattle Public Library and King County Library System (plus the University of Washington!) would be quite a feat, but we put these six at the top of our “don’t miss” list:

The red floor at Seattle’s Central Library. (Photo courtesy Seattle Public Library)

First up, the mothership!

Seattle Central Library is the largest library in Washington. Located in the heart of downtown Seattle, the towering 11-story glass and steel building is awe-inspiring. Its architecture, including the unique checkering of its 10,000 (yes, 10,000!) windows, is a reason to visit the library. Explore the whole building: Young kids will be fascinated by the conveyor-belt book return, the all-red floor (painted in 13 shades of red and pink), and the giant octopus mural lurking by bookcases and other wonderful art. 

The main library’s expansive children’s section includes not only books, but a craft area, tactile toys, a big blue ox jumping from the walls, a vibrant red peacock perched on a branch and a shimmery dragon slumbering atop a bookshelf. 

Note: Due to a cybersecurity event, several Library services are unavailable. The buildings remain open still. Learn more here.

Location: 1000 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104

Best neighborhood library

Richmond Beach Library in Shoreline is part of the King County Library System. The 5,250-square-foot library has an open floor plan and tall wood-beamed ceilings. The children’s section is small, but it is a wonderful, cozy place to spend the day with ocean-themed artwork on the walls, small tables and computers geared toward children (the panda headphones were a hit for my kiddos). Outside, Richmond Beach Community Park is only steps away, featuring a playground and views of Puget Sound. From there, head a few blocks south to Richmond Beach Saltwater Park to read books on the beach, play in the sand on sunny days and watch trains speed by from the bridge above the tracks.

Location: 19601 21st Ave NW, Shoreline, WA 98177

A library to boost their love of nature

Want to foster your child’s love of nature? The UW’s Elisabeth C. Miller Library is the perfect place to visit. Located at the Center for Urban Horticulture near the University of Washington, the library is home to more than 15,000 books and 400 magazine titles — the most extensive horticulture collection in the Pacific Northwest. 

In the back corner of the small but comfortable library is a children’s section replete with toys, puppets and sensory books in little baskets in a bright alcove. Learn alongside your kids in subjects like gardening, botany and more. Then take what you learn outside: Surrounding the library is a short trail system to wander. Miller Library hosts virtual storytimes for children ages 3 to 8 and their families.

Location: 3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA 98195

One shipshape library

Seafarers will be enthralled by the Beacon Hill Library, home to Miles Pepper’s boat sculpture the “Dream Ship.” The sculpture appears to move in the wind and flies high above the branch. This library is bright and welcoming, and the whole building is reminiscent of a wooden ship. You can almost imagine the hull as you gaze up. Another thing we love: The words of 11 Beacon Hill-area writers have been immortalized on the building. Can you spy haikus on the quarry rocks outside? 

This branch will host family-friendly events like Family StoryTime and Kaleidoscope Play and Learn that are great entertainment for the little ones. See their upcoming events here.

Note: Due to a cybersecurity event, several Library services are not available. The buildings remain open still. Learn more here.

Location: 2821 Beacon Ave S #5813, Seattle, WA 98144

Over the river

Imagine looking out the window of a library and seeing water run beneath the floor on which you stand. That’s the experience at the Renton Library, part of the King County Library System. The building forms an 80-foot bridge over the Cedar River atop 12 concrete columns. The visit here is all about cuddling up with a book next to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down every now and then to watch the salmon, ducks and other aspects of nature on the river. Not to mention the library offers some of the best seats in the house on the day of the Renton Ducky Derby, when hundreds of rubber ducks bob down the Cedar River.

Location: 100 Mill Ave S, Renton, WA 98057

Swimmingly busy and sustainable in Ballard

The Ballard Branch is one of the busiest branches in the Seattle Public Library system, and it was also the first major branch. Located near charming downtown Ballard, this 15,000-square-foot building includes a nautical-themed green rooftop. The library has a large children’s section, games and a bright, open floor plan. You can’t miss the large green wall near the front door, but there is something about it that’s quite unique. Gaze between slats in the wall and a periscope will give you a peek at the greenery on the roof. Interested in maritime? There’s has a whole section dedicated to fish.

Note: Due to a cybersecurity event, several Library services are not available. The buildings remain open still. Learn more here.

Location: 5614 22nd Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107

Library services and most programs are free, but you’ll need a library card to check out books. Go to any library to apply for a card or go to the Seattle Public Library or King County Library websites to apply online.

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Climbing into two Wagoneers (“Big Red” and “Big Blue”), barefoot, wearing only swimsuits, we traveled the country roads from South Bend, IN, across the state line into Michigan, through the town of Three Oaks. We called out the names of the streets: “Ash, “Beech, Buckeye, Cedar!” 

Knowing that just a few more miles down the road was Warren Dunes State Park. We piled out of the car, hopping and skipping along the burning hot pavement in the parking lot. Staying on the yellow-painted lines helped. We raced to the top of the gigantic dune, Tower Hill. 

Our feet would sink into the hot, golden soft sand. We climbed and crawled up, slipped back down and climbed again until we crested the top, where the sand was refreshingly cool. We lingered for a while cooling our toasted feet, but not for long. 

You could see the blue water of Lake Michigan down below and it beckoned us. We ran, leaped, and rolled down the hill, picking up speed and laughing all the way. We spent the rest of the day riding the waves, splashing along the shore, building elaborate towers and moats and searching for crinoids in the pebbles. 

Heading home, we were tired, sun-kissed, happy, quiet, and very hungry. Dinner would come together as Dad grilled hamburgers, a few of us would shuck a couple of dozen ears of fresh-picked corn and one of us would mix up fluffy shortcakes from the “Joy Of Cooking.” As dusk set in, we would search for fireflies and finally, as night fell, we would drag our tired, dirty bodies up to bed. The perfect day: barefoot, swimsuit all day, sand, waves, treasures collected and farm fresh food at its peak of freshness.

Elizabeth Bullard is the executive director of Seattle PlayGarden and also the visionary behind and founder of the PlayGarden. She has worked with children and families in the Seattle area since 1985 and enjoys working and playing alongside PlayGardeners of all ages.

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Wagner’s European Bakery & Cafe has been a popular lunch spot for all ages for several decades and is located just off campus. A stroll around all or part of the 2-mile Capitol Lake path, stopping at the lake’s interpretive center and playground along the way, is a great way to digest.

From there, head to the popular Hands on Children’s Museum to play the rest of the afternoon away. With more than 150 exhibits and a space for outdoor play, children will have plenty of opportunity to explore and use their imaginations.

Finally, take a guided tour with any of the docents from the Puget Sound Estuarium. From beach to bird walks, these knowledgeable experts will share a wealth of information about Puget Sound, its waterways and the marine ecosystem.

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Fairmont Olympic Hotel: Holiday Tea

December 1-15 & 16-30, 2024

Olympic Bar Hours: December 1-15, Friday, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

George Hours: December 16-30, Monday-Sunday, 12:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Location: Olympic Bar & The George, 411 University St, Seattle, WA 98101

Cost: $95 per person, $50 per child (ages 5-12) at Olympic Bar. The George is $110 per adult, $50 per child (ages 5-12)

Celebrate tradition with Fairmont’s 100th Anniversary Festive Tea. Enjoy a special blend and take-home gift in the timeless charm of the Olympic Bar (December 1-15). The George will have the holiday tea from December 16-30. Gather with loved ones over fine loose-leaf tea, house-made scones, holiday cookies, pastries, and sweets. Reservations required.

Cafe Flora Holiday Tea

December 9-13, & 16-20 2024. 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Location: Cafe Flora, 2901 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112

Cost: $55 per adult, $25 per child.

Cafe Flora and The Flora Bakehouse are bringing back their popular Holiday Tea this December for the second year! Tea will be offered for a limited run, available December 9-13 and 16-20, with both adult and children’s tea trays available. Each adult receives a pot of tea of their choice, and children can choose herbal tea or hot cocoa.

Paisley Parlour in Issaquah

A modern and chic establishment located in Gilman Village, the Paisley Parlour high tea service is available at a variety of levels to suit small or large parties or appetites. Sugar cookies and pink lemonade are a kid favorite here; adults may have a hard time choosing from the wide variety of baked goods, sandwiches and hot teas. Take your tea in or take a box to-go for a picnic tea at a nearby park, beach or at home.

Hours: Monday-Friday., 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday., 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Location: Paisley Parlour, 317 NW Gilman Blvd #49, Issaquah, WA 98027

Cost: Pricing is $62 per adult and $28 per child.

The Lodge at St. Edward Park in Kenmore

Hours: Thursdays & Fridays, 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location: The Lodge at St Edward Park, 14477 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore, WA 98028

Cost: $72 per person, reserve your spot here.

Served every Thursday and Friday from 2:30-4:30 p.m., afternoon tea at The Lodge at St Edward Park includes a variety of foods fit for a young prince or princess with an adventurous palate. How adventurous? They’ll be feasting on beet-marinated deviled eggs, smoked salmon sandwiches and macarons. A post-tea walk or playground session in adjacent St. Edward State Park rounds out a wonderful afternoon. They also have a Black Friday afternoon tea session.

Queen Mary Tea Room in Seattle

America’s oldest independently owned tea room, the Queen Mary Tea Room offers brunch and lunch in addition to high tea. Dine on English favorites like bangers and mash or curry beef pastis. Reserve a spot for children’s afternoon tea, great for kids under the age of 10, and nibble on purple cotton candy, royal chocolate fudge tea cake and Queen mum’s shortbread. Round out your afternoon with a visit to the Tea Emporium and stock up on your favorite loose-leaf tea. Guests not ordering full meals are welcome on a “first come, first served” basis

Hours: Open Wednesday to Sunday, Brunch, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., Lunch, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Location: 2912 NE 55th St, Seattle, WA 98105

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Where do you go to find delicious fare, a little ambience and a level of baby-friendliness that means you needn’t stress if your colicky baby erupts mid-meal? My newborn daughter and I went on a scouting mission around Seattle and the Eastside to find out. Here are our picks for eateries with excellent accommodations for even the fussiest babies.

Casual Breakfast

Portage Bay Cafe (South Lake Union)

Portage Bay Cafe is well known for its kid-friendliness and excellent brunch fare. With its relaxed vibe, it’s a perfect first outing for tired parents in need of a little pampering. As a new mom to a colicky baby, I appreciated that the staff was understanding and the overall noise level in the restaurant provided excellent white noise and a little cushion when my baby started fussing. 

They cater to food allergies, you can bring strollers or car seats to the table, there are changing tables in bathrooms and the staff is happy to accommodate children. The only trick for this location is parking. Take advantage of street parking on the weekend, or visit one of the local garages. We also recommend the Ballard location.

Address: 391 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Hours: Mon-Wed., 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Thurs-Sun., 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

DERU Market (Kirkland)

It’s cozy. The food is delicious with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. An  most importantly, they love babies at this Eastside eatery. And they’ve been known to treat new parents like the special people they are. Not to mention that DERU cake slices are often the same size as newborns. Plenty of people have taken photos of a piece with their baby!

Address: 723 9th Ave, Kirkland, WA 98033

Hours: Open daily, 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Casual Lunch

Ghostfish Brewing (SoDo)

With a super-relaxed atmosphere and tasty pub food, this is an excellent lunch or early dinner destination for new parents. We love the beer-tasting flights, and anyone avoiding alcohol will surely want a second glass of the non-alcoholic GhostFizz hopped seltzer that tastes a lot like beer! I recommend picking lunch or off-peak times so there is plenty of room to maneuver and care for your little one. High chairs and booster seats are available, and free street parking is easy at off-peak times. I’ve never needed to go more than a couple of blocks. All the pub-style mains are excellent, but don’t skip the super crispy onion rings and churros even as the healthier fare, like the tasty chili and veggie pasta, call your name.

Address: 2942 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

Hours: Mon/Tue., 2 p.m. – 9 p.m., Wed/Thur., 12 p.m. – 9 p.m., Fri/Sat., 12 p.m. – 10 p.m., Sun., 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Agua Verde (University District waterfront)

An old Seattle favorite, Agua Verde offers a fresh take on Mexican cuisine that we call “Northwest-Mex” in our house. The breakfast burritos and salsa bar are my favorites. Have friends or family visiting the new baby? We love bringing our guests here to watch the boats go by and marvel at the houseboats.

A parking lot is located across the street and there’s metered street parking in front. Agua Verde does not have changing tables in the restrooms, so we changed our little one before arriving and in the car before we left. While they recommend visiting at a less busy time to accommodate strollers, they assured me that they will work with you to meet your needs anytime you visit.

Address: 1303 NE Boat St, Seattle, WA 98105

Hours: Sun-Thurs., 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Fri/Sat., 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Razzi’s (Greenwood)

Razzi’s is a relaxed Italian restaurant with specialty pizzas and dietary-friendly paninis, salads, pastas and other options. They offer vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free substitutions in many of their dishes and have cross-contact protocols for the most sensitive eaters. True to Italian culture, they are always welcoming to families and have a little play area for toddlers. At this kid-friendly location you’ll find a changing station in the bathroom and stroller and car seats come to the table. There is plenty of room, especially at off-peak times.

A few parking spots are out back, there is some street parking, and a paid lot is less than a block away. My favorite items on the menu are the Gasping Goat and Prosciutto and Spuds pizzas. 

Address: 8523 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Hours: Sun-Thur., 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Fri-Sat., 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.

Serious Pie (Totem Lake Village)

True to its name, Serious Pie takes their pizzas seriously. The location at Totem Lake Village is my pick for baby-friendly pizza on the East Side. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and you have Salt and Straw right next door for ice cream afterward. The parking garage on the east side of the village is very close, there is a changing table in the restrooms, and high chairs for older babies. Call ahead or visit at a less busy time for the best experience. 

Address: 12540 120th Ave NE #122, Kirkland, WA 98034

Hours: Sun-Thurs., 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m., Fri-Sat., 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Dinner

Kisaku (Wallingford)

If you were avoiding sushi for the duration of a pregnancy, then run (don’t walk) to this Seattle sushi favorite! Tucked into the quaint micro-neighborhood known as Tangletown in Wallingford, they are very welcoming to babies, strollers and children of all ages. They love having children and babies here. There’s a changing table in the women’s bathroom. Pro Tip: Make a reservation ahead of time so they are ready with stroller space or a high chair.

Address: 2101 N 55th St Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98103

Hours: Open daily. Lunch and dinner hours.

Ivar’s Salmon House  (Lake Union)

This Seattle classic is extra fun if you want to wow visitors (or yourself) with the waterfront. The Northlake location is well known for catering to families and having ample space to maneuver. I recommend Ivar’s Famous White Clam Chowder and alder-smoked salmon. Parking is nearby along Northlake Way, and there is room for strollers and car seats and a diaper-changing station by the bathrooms.

Address: 401 NE Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98105

Hours: Mon-Thurs., 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Fri-Sat., 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

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This spot seeks to reclaim and reintroduce traditional Indigenous foods in a modern cafe setting, according to the Chief Seattle Club website.

The cafe includes a full espresso bar and offers Indigenous cuisine created from traditional ingredients predating the colonial takeover of North America — Great Plains bison, the Three Sisters of Indigenous cooking (squash, maize and climbing beans), Northwest salmon, wild rice from the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota, Dakóta berry sauce and more.

Indigenous music provides the background to this welcoming space, where live-edge Spruce tables are surrounded by seasonally changing art from Indigenous artists.

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Find out what’s on the menu each day by going to Lect’s FaceBook page.

What doesn’t change is the cost – each bowl is less than $10. Are the words soup and sammy inseparable in your family? No problem, the sandwich menu here is lengthy and most are big enough to share. lectssoupstop.com

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Tiny warblers flit through the forest canopy. We can hear them, but seldom get a good look. The bull elk stalks through the forest, holding his enormous antlers back so he doesn’t tangle in the brush. The woodpecker chisels for food and cavities in dead wood. Small mammals creep along under the edge of down logs. Cougar and bobcat slink around the forest edges. 

These animals are nearly always invisible to our eyes, especially in the winter months.

And yet, with a little practice you and your kids can learn a lot about which animals move through these landscapes. You can learn to see the unseen. The key is keen observation.

Keep a Record:

I encourage nature enthusiasts of all ages to keep a record of what sort of wildlife they observe and encounter in their own backyards as well as in places they frequent. Otherwise, it’s easy to forget details. Keeping records allows kids and parents to compare what they’ve discovered year to year and to become experts on the wildlife that inhabits the places we love. 

Beaver sign. Photo by Ken Bevis.

 Look for sign

Many animals will leave behind what we in the wildlife service call “sign” — that is, something that tells us of the animal’s presence and habit. A tiny feather lying on the ground beneath a tree, a footprint with conspicuous thumbs standing out in the mud along a creek bank, deer hooves in the snow – all these are sign. Take a moment when you see a sign and imagine the animal in their world.

Elk poop. Photo by Ken Bevis.

Investigate poop

Droppings (poop, scat) can help us identify many species. Pull out your record and note the shape, location and freshness of the droppings. Pull it apart using a stick and see what’s in it. Take your notes to the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management   (ICWDM) website, for help identifying animal scat. The experts there ask even more questions to narrow the possibilities and you can too:

1. Where did you find it? Under a tree? On the trail?
2. Are there pieces of bone or hair? Seeds or fruit pits?
3. Where are you? What kind of habitat is it? What animals are common in the region?

It won’t be long until your whole family knows the difference between different forms of deer poop and can easily identify bear or coyote scat.

Bobcat paw prints. Photo by Ken Bevis.

Take note of tracks

Deer and elk leave obvious two-toed tracks. Moose have big feet and distinctive tracks. Bears and cougars are very different, with toe pads and sometimes claws visible in the tracks they leave behind. It’s harder to find the tracks of smaller animals, but it can be done. Take phone photos of what you find and check tracks against graphics on the ICWDM.

Tracks are distinctive, but we see them best in certain substrates. Mud is perfect, as is light snow in winter and dust in other seasons. Walking with a landowner east of Colville, for example, it was clear where his big golden retriever had passed a muddy puddle – right after a lone wolf had passed through. The dog track was about 3 1/2 inches long (photo). The wolf track was about 5 inches long, indicating a much bigger canine.

Consider critter parts

Sometimes bones or feathers give us clues. Hard and white larger bones are mammal. Bird bones are delicate, and even the largest bird (eagle, raven or goose) has relatively small bones compared with small animals like raccoons or snowshoe hare.

All animals share the same basic anatomy – even reptiles. With that in mind, encourage your kids to do this “CSI wildlife” exercise:

• Pick up bones, feathers or related matter you find and lay it all out.
• Using your imagination and knowledge of mammal structure, try to reconstruct the body of the creature from what you’ve collected. 
• Next, see if you can identify the animal. 
• As you consider, ask questions: Did the animal die from predation? Was it scavenged? How many pieces did you find and how old are they?

You can try to figure out bird species based on color, pattern and size of found feathers. Seattle Audubon’s Birds of Washington State site is a great resource. Which part of the bird did it come from? What likely happened to the bird? For example, a pile of feathers on a log may indicate a kill by a hawk. Hawks are known to pluck breast feathers from their prey.

Track tree sign

Beavers are the only critter to chew through large tree stems. Deer and elk rub saplings. Woodpeckers leave distinctive holes in trees for feeding and nesting. Bears can strip the cambium off small-diameter saplings in wet forests. Tree sign is among the best signs of wildlife in a region because it lasts a long time.

Wildlife can be elusive, but animals are not invisible when we are alert to the clues they leave to help us understand their world. 

A version of this article appeared originally in Washington State University’s Forest Stewardship Notes. For more information on managing small forest woodlands, please visit: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/LandownerAssistancePortal.

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Observing the questions

As destructive and disheartening as that public debate has been, I’ll admit that I’ve been observing it with a bit of remove. For me, the questions around gender identity are playing out on a more intimate level, much closer to home. For sure, the political backdrop can’t be ignored — but up close, these questions seem both more important and less abstract.  

Their nonconformity is your invitation 

Although I don’t think there really is such a thing, our 11-year-old Pippa has never been what most people think of as a “typical” girl. She’s always been interested in dragons more than princesses, tree-climbing more than tea parties, and martial arts more than ballet. She’s always been physical, and loud, and rough around the edges. Sometimes, she says or does things that at first seem odd or difficult to explain, and we have to remind ourselves that if she were a boy we might not be so concerned.

As I’ve watched her grow, her nonconformity has forced me to acknowledge and address some of my oldest, deepest biases in ways that nothing else could. I was a child of the 60’s and 70’s, when the standard insult among boys was a homophobic slur, and when bullying anyone who dared to be different was a form of daily entertainment. It’s embarrassing, now, to remember how ignorant and cruel we all were when I was her age. It’s taken a lifetime to scrub away the residue of that upbringing, and I have Pippa to thank for removing several layers. She’s made me a better, more conscious person–not through some abstract ethical argument, but through the unmistakable truth of who she is.

She looks like herself

Over the last year or two, she had become a little more moody and secretive. We chalked it up to normal pre-adolescent angst, but it still worried us. Then, a few months ago, she declared that she wanted to cut her hair short. After shearing off a couple dozen inches of her beautiful, thick hair, she seemed noticeably lighter. Some of the sullenness lifted away, and her sense of humor returned. We took her clothes shopping, and she picked out some things she’d never had the chance to wear before, including some camouflage pants and a clip-on bow tie. She’s clearly delighted with all of this, and when you look at her, it’s hard to argue with her choices: it all suits her. She looks like herself. 

Freedom to explore

Her grandparents were befuddled by all of this. They vacillated from game wokeness to frank cluelessness, struggling to make sense of it all. Is she trans, they asked? Is she gay? Will she suffer in her life because she’s “different”? What does this all mean? 

In the end, the answers they needed came in the undeniable form of Pippa herself. Spending time with her, we could all sense her relief and delight at being free to explore who she is in this world. How could we feel anything but happiness for that? What better gift could we give to someone her age?

I’m excited for her

For the moment, Pippa identifies as female, and she hasn’t landed on any particular sexual orientation. There’s plenty of time for all of that. I’m sure she’ll figure it out, and the answers may well change over time. I’m excited for her. How lucky she is to live in this time and place, where options really do exist, and where labels have so much less power to constrain. 

The gift of discovery

As parents, we get used to deciding for our children. We decide what to feed them, how to clothe them, where to school them. After a while, it becomes second nature. That’s why it’s such an unexpected pleasure to let her decide, for once. Finally, we get to be curious instead. We get to sit back and watch Pippa discover who she is–and in the process, we get to discover it for ourselves. 

More at Seattle’s Child:

“Talking gender, allyship, and identity at Gender Odyssey Family 2015: A conversation with trans activist Kate Bornstein”

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