Basket dyed with Phaeolus schweinitzii "dyers polypore"

The bottom of the basket was dyed with dyers polypore. At first I used ammonia as a mordant, later I put in vinegar and the dye went from brownish to yellowish, oh and I threw some alum in at some point. As the basket dries it is getting more yellow. There are two rows of cat tails as well as cat tails on the basket handle. The cat tails were dyed too. The only undyed parts are the main reeds going up and the section of small twined reeds near the middle. It took me about 5 hours to make this basket, not counting the time it took to collect the materials. Most of the materials were purchased in a thrift shop. I happened on to a huge box of way underpriced basketry material at a thrift shop about 8 years ago. I don't normally buy basketry materiel, as it is so expensive. I normally use cat tails (after they wilt in the fall so as to not rob energy from the plant)  and English Ivy.

 English Ivy is a fun material to use; it is one of the few materials that does not require drying or soaking before use, it can be used fresh.  English Ivy is also an invasive weed that kills trees so I strongly encourage people to use it for basket making.

Here the body of the basket is almost done. Finishing off the rim is the most time consuming (and confusing) part for me to do.

Here it is all done but still wet. This is the first basket I have made in about 6 years.  I designed this basket to fit inside of my day pack.  My day pack is tall and narrow and I did not have a basket that fit inside of it.  I also made the handle short so it would fit inside my pack.

DNR does not honored disabled pass holders

 

 

 

The DNR needs to get its act together and start honoring all disabled people and not just disabled veterans.  Many disabled people could never have beome a veteran at any age, due to their disability.  It makes no sense to discriminate against disabled people who are not veterans.

 

I have PTSD (something that a lot of disabled veterans have) and I can use my 5 year state disabled pass to park for free at State Parks, but not on DNR or Fisheries land, nooooo they won't honor my pass.   I also have another disabled pass that allows me to park free at National Parks and National Forests.  The only place I can't park  for free with my disabled passes is in a stinking DNR clear-cut.  WTF ???

 

The same goes for my spouse who has a physical disability, with his disabled parking placard, he can use that at State Parks and he could get either a senior or a disabled pass for National Parks and Forests.  But he can't park in a DNR clear cut. 

 

This is a terrible system and this is why I no longer hike in the Capitol forest and we don't take our kids to Mima Mounds.  We won't buy a pass just to access DNR clear cuts when we can park for free everywhere else.  I've always hated the DNR and the way they "manage" their clear cuts.  This Discover Pass issue just gives me one more reason to hate the DNR.

The Department of fisheries (WDFW)  is just as bad, so I don't fish and I don't dig clams. 

 

Disabled veterans and other State Parks pass holders: The Washington State Legislature has created pass programs or certain visitors to Washington state parks. These existing passes reduce or waive camping fees for qualified limited-income senior citizens, disabled veterans, foster parents and people with disabilities. These pass holders are not required to display the Discover Pass while visiting state parks but are required to display the Discover Pass while on WDFW or DNR lands.

Pass holders visiting state parks need to display their free- or reduced-price pass on the dashboard or fill out a self-registration envelope and include the pass number on the envelope.

Disability placards or license plates: The Department of Licensing issues these disability permits and license plates, and holders of these are exempt from needing the Discover Pass on State Parks lands, pursuant to RCW 79A.05.065. Holders of these permits and plates do need to have the Discover Pass to access WDFW or DNR lands. For information about DOL-issued disability permits, visit www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/parking.html

Opal Creek Lichen Foray

Cauliflower mushroom

Edible with caution, may cause gastric distress

Yew tree

Tiny school bus

Usnea longissima lichen

Very full cargo van

Hydroelectric creek

One stuffed van

A long walk

Old mining stuff

lichens in the dark

pretty yellow lichens on old truck

Leaf springs

What's wrong with ths picture?

Big beautiful lacteria

Cladonia Bellidiflora Usnic Acid Type (British Soldier Lichen)

Lichen lecture

Lichen Foray

Proletariat Housing

$12.00 Breakfast

Swiss restuarant weather station

Pretty unknown mushroom

Unknown Lichen to key out

Lichen foray

Fugus dye workshop

Crustose lichen

Pretty colors

Chow line for $10.00 lunch

Yew tree

Upscale housing

old cars come to life at night

The penthouse

Fall stuff

Lower South Fork Skokomish with my class, sort of

Beautiful Amanitas to Study

Lower South Fork Skokomish

This was to be a class field trip but I got a jump start on my class so I could look for that cauliflower mushroom that I only picked half of the last time I was out there. I arrived at the trailhead at 9:45; my class was due to leave the college in Olympia at 9:30. I strolled down the trail to my cauliflower spot and found that someone had picked it, darn it. They pulled it up by the roots too, so I don’t think it will grow back there. A bit further down the trail I found another cauliflower mushroom stump.

I wandered casually down the trail until about noon and then I realized that my class might be worried about me if I did not come out of the woods. So I skipped my lunch and rushed back, while making my usual 10 mile loop. When I got back my class was not there. Had my class arrived at the trail head and left in the time I had been out picking? I never got the vibes that a big group was on the trail behind me. Sounds carry a long way down that river and I usually have a sixth sense that tells me when there are large groups of people on the trail.

I checked Brown Creek camp on the way out and my class was not their either so I brewed up my tea, ate my lunch and did some stretches. Then I decided to walk around the campground loop as a cool down hike. I was instantly rewarded with a cluster of Shaggy manes.

After I was done walking the loop I drove home. While I was driving home two ambulances (one with its lights flashing) and three forest rangers passed me going the opposite direction. I have never seen an ambulance way out there on the 23 before. I hope it had nothing to do with my class. I’m not entirely convinced that the professors knew how to get to the trail head. Did they get lost out past Spider Lake and roll a van over?? I hope not. I also hope that I get full credit for this field trip even though no one saw me there!

My new ankle brace is great! It did not cause me any pain until I had hiked 7 miles and by then both of my feet were hurting, so I can’t blame the brace for that. I did not sprain my ankle at all; I think the brace saved my ankle about half a dozen times. Perhaps I am ready to hit the trail again??!!! Oh boy is I going to be sore tomorrow though, I did ten miles and I have not hiked for five months! My average moving speed was 3MPH because I hiked at about 3.2 MPH on the way out.

I saw chanterelles, sulfur tufts, Zellers boletus, rotten reshi conks, volvaria of some sort, rotten chicken of the woods (in 4 places), slippery jacks and cauliflower stumps. The mushrooms are a bit sparse this year. I only found 6 chanterelles in the spot I call chanterelle heaven, but they were nice clean ones.

10 miles in six hours.. Almost no elevation gain. I’ll post pictures later, I need to find out what happened to my class first.

There are a few nice new bridges up on the trail and the trail has been re-routed around the washout where I used to have lunch. The river no longer flows at my lunch site, it has moved to the other side of the valley.

Admirable bolete with  asco infection

Pretty poison Agaric cap

Pretty poison Agrics

Pretty poison Agaricus

Shaggy Manes at Brown Creek Camp

Angry garter snake tried to bite me

 Pigs ear mushroom mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms

Old reshi conk

Hard slime molds

Nice new bridge

Fall colors on the Skok

The river has left my lunch spot

Shaggy manes