While still in our car, just below the Visitor’s Center at the summit, we had to stop to let a black bear cross the road in front of us. Phillip jumped out and followed him across the road to get this picture:

Rhododendrons and lupine are fading, and now roses and daisies are in fine form.  Hummingbirds are happily buzzing about the columbine, quail have made a cozy nest in our oceanfront garden, eagles ride our capricious wind currents, and the fawns are simply precious. 

The front yard of this bed and breakfast, which we’ve dubbed “Deer Garden,” has been adopted as a nursery of sorts for the local deer.  The does drop off their fawns for a few hours, while they trot off to explore the neighborhood, which lies between Sequim and Port Angeles.  This is the first time we’ve seen this behavior, but we’re delighted that the does and their fawns feel safe in Deer Garden.  (Can you see the three fawns in the photo?  If you can’t find them, click on the photo to enlarge it; then hit the back button on your browser to return to the blog.)

Three fawns at Sea Cliff Gardens Bed & Breakfast

Some guests have asked us if the deer are our pets, and others have thought they were garden statues (until the deer turn their heads). 

Bed and Breakfast Garden Statue or Friendly Fawn?

One guest was treated to a parking lot surprise.  They didn’t want to startle the fawn, so they waited several minutes for the fawn to wander off and give them access to their car.

Sea Cliff Gardens Bed & Breakfast - Perfect for Nature Lovers!

Have a wonderful summer, and we hope to see you soon at our Port Angeles bed and breakfast!  ~Bonnie

Rhododendrons in bloom at Sea Cliff Gardens B&B

Woodland walking path at our bed and breakfast

Summer has been a bit slow arriving on the Olympic Peninsula, with a good bit of snow still present at Hurricane Ridge. Here near Sequim, though, the sun pokes out nearly every day. 

 The lupines and irises are bold and beautiful, the columbine are clematis are sunny, even when the weather isn’t.  Dozens of rhododendrons are making a showy display.  And our first fawn was born last week. 

The baby tried to stand on its wobbly little legs, but after a minute plopped down for a long nap.  Mom wandered off, following a trail of tasty dandelions, leaving the fawn for us to photograph.  After five days, mom and baby and doing well. Baby can run almost as fast as Mom now!   ~Bonnie

Newborn fawn at Sea Cliff Gardens B&B

A Touch of Spring Whimsy in Our Port Angeles Gardens

With delicious temperatures in the mid-50’s, and blue skies beckoning, I’ve been spending every free moment in the gardens here at our bed and breakfast.  Half a dozen ornamental plum trees are in full display, and a couple of eager rhododendrons couldn’t help themselves; they had to celebrate the arrival of spring by throwing open their blossoms.  I figure it’s their way of laughing.  

The other day, when I saw a racoon ambling past,  I laughed too when I remembered our guests who had raised an orphaned infant racoon.  Carlos, they called him. 

One day, when Carlos was about a year-old, our guests returned home from shopping and found the rascal lying on their son’s bed.  Carlos was sound asleep, spread eagle.  What a cute little guy, right?  Right.  He was covered in Froot Loops, cheese, Legos, and a half-gallon of milk.  Apparently Carlos had learned how to use his cute little hands.  Every cupboard in the kitchen was open, and so was the refrigerator.   That’d be like having a puppy with fingers!

Hearing stories from our guests is an innkeeper’s delight.  Hope to hear your stories soon, too!  ~Bonnie

An Early Rhodie Couldn't Wait for Spring

A Quiet Place to Relax at Sea Cliff Gardens Bed and Breakfast

First Blooms

What a start to 2010!  Port Angeles, Sequim, and pretty much all of Western Washington set a record for the warmest January in history.  And our bed and breakfast was no exception.  This photo was taken today–February 2nd–the same day Puxatawnie Phil predicted six more weeks of winter.  Hmmm.  With temperatures hovering around 50 for the past few weeks, it has felt like more like spring than winter here on the Olympic Peninsula. 

I love these Dwarf Irises, which typically bloom in the early spring.  Today I spotted a dozen that had popped open overnight.   Fortunately, our deer don’t have a taste for “Iris Reticulata,” and they ignore these little purple beauties.   ~Bonnie

2006 Cabernet Franc (Gold Medal) and dark chocolate spiced with Cardamom

2006 Merlot (Excellent by Wine Press Northwest) and dark chocolate spiced with Cinnamon/Chili

2006 Syrah (Outstanding by Wine Press Northwest) paired with our Mediterranean Chili Molé

You can buy tickets in advance for the Olympic Peninsula Wineries’ Red Wine & Chocolate Tour at www.olympicpeninsulawineries.org.   

Price: $25 per person.

Red Wine and Chocolate Event

Today the sun, filtering through the cedars, made the heather blossoms sparkle.  Here’s a picture from a corner of our gardens that I took this afternoon, with just a glimpse of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the background.  It was a perfect winter day to sit by the sea.   ~Bonnie

Heather, showing off their January blossoms in our garden

Bald Eagle perched in our yard

Opportunists that they are, during the autumn months our local eagles hang out wherever hordes of salmon are battling their way upstream. One favorite spot is near Port Angeles, on the way to Sol Duc Falls. Now that the salmon have either made it home or made it into the food chain, the eagles have come back home.

A magnificent pair of eagles is remodeling their nearby nest, and we often see them gliding through our yard, talons outstretched, clutching twigs and moss.

Last week, on the way to its nest, an eagle was again taunted by a gang of noisy crows (probably well deserved).  But in this ongoing feud, we’ve never seen a lone crow try to bully an eagle. Even crows know that would be just plain dumb.

We snapped this picture today from the dining room.  See that black spot at the top of the branches?  The one with the white head?  That’s clear evidence that we need to get a better camera.   ~Bonnie

Sol Duc Falls (photo by Tammy Yee)

One of the great perks of owning a bed and breakfast is meeting interesting people.  With a B&B near the Olympic National Park, we are treated to nature-lovers who come from near and far to see firsthand nature’s incredible handiwork.  Panoramic vistas at Hurricane Ridge, cascading waterfalls at Sol Duc and Marymere, miles and miles of untamed ocean beaches, enchanted old-growth Hoh rainforest, glacial and serene Lake Crescent . . . these world-class attractions fill our guests with wonder. 

Today we are enjoying couples from Bogota, Colombia and from land-locked Iowa.  They may have arrived from starkly contrasted homelands, yet each was completely delighted with the natural beauty of the Olympic Peninsula.   ~Bonnie