One of the great things about living in the Pacific Northwest is seeing wildlife . . . even in an urban area . . . in your own backyard.
We don't see deer every day at our home in the North/West End of Tacoma, but we see them quite often. They do eat some of Peg's flowers and other plants, but the beauty and joy of them being so close almost outweighs the problems they cause.
We see a profusion of animals from deer to coyotes and eagles to scrub jays, although we haven't seen an eagle fly over our deck in a couple of years. We can usually spot deer and raccoons from our breakfast table or my office or Peg's office. When we see something, we share with the other, so we can both enjoy the sight.
We normally have Sunday breakfast in the Tacoma-Gig Harbor area with friends. This Sunday two couples decided to walk the Nisqually Delta area before breakfast. This worked on fine. Peg needed a little extra sleep. We all decided meet at Hawks Prairie in Lacey.
Our friends had a great time. While we drove through pouring rain, they only had a few sprinkles as they saw deer, an eagle, a hawk, and a blue heron. The last time we spent in Nisqually, was when we stayed a weekend at the Hampton Inn in nearby DuPont. The beauty of the delta area is phenominal.
As we exited from I-5 and drove into the parking lot of Hawks Prairie, Peg didn't recognize the location. It has been growing and growing over the last few years. Heading north on the freeway, this is an excellent place to stop. If traffic is at a stand-still crossing the river, you can take a back road and get back on I-5 by the Fort Lewis Golf Course.
Peg and I arrived before our friends had finished their walk. This gave us a chance to read the Seattle Time and just chat over coffee and tea. Once Donn, Debbie, Mike, and Jan arrived we looked over the menu and ordered and the laughed and caught up on activties from the last time we had seen each other . . . roughly 36 hours before.
Jan and Peg had the crustless quiche with a whole grain muffin and a big chunk of pineapple. All three elements, although not artisticly placed on the plate were excellent.
I had told Peg that Hawks Prairie does an excellent job of breakfast. It's a good selection and most everything is cooked well and served quickly.
I used to spend two days a week in Centralia and would sometimes stop at Hawks Prairie on the way south. Evidently we were too late for the wondrous scenary of California poppies and foxglove that grow wild along the hills leading up from the floor of Niqually Delta, but we still had a nice drive even in the rain from south Tacoma through Lakewood.
I ordered the pork chops with my usual hashbrowns "burnt, burnt, burnt . . . with an onion cut up in them." The over-easy eggs, gravy, sourdough toast, and potatoes were excellent. The think pork chops were over-cooked and a little tough. I knew I was taking a chance, but you never know. I've had great luck with the chicken-fried steak before. The 10 oz. pit ham steak was intreguing, also.
We all discussed the latest news, and talked about our upcoming afternoons. Nothing was too exciting. It seemed like we each had combinations of little home projects and a little rest and relaxation. All of this seemed pretty normal for a gray spring day . . . and somehow comforting.
