B is for Berry

Early this summer, Cara discovered the joys of fresh berries. After a winter of reading “Jamberry’ (a wonderful story about a rhyming bear and a boy who make their way through a variety of berries) without every having tasted the real article, Cara became rapidly attached to the blueberries and raspberries acquired on our weekly trips to the farmer’s market. “B’s” became one of her early words, and no summertime breakfast was considered complete without a bowl full of her favorite treats.

Himalayan blackberries grow like weeds in Seattle. We nurture blueberry and raspberry bushes, but mercilessly battle blackberry incursions. That said, when the blackberries ripen in late summer, Seattleites can be found diving though the bushes in parks, next to the Burke Gilman bike path, on the roadside and nearly everywhere else (as the bushes pretty much grow everywhere) harvesting buckets full of sweet, juicy berries.



Thus Cara and dad struck it lucky on a hike down the bluff and onto the beach at Discovery Park. We ambled down the trail on a warm, ‘partly sunny’ Seattle day, watching hawks play overhead and marveling at the boats traveling about in Puget Sound. Dad was thinking of a playing with sand and driftwood on the beach, followed by a picnic lunch. Several friendly dogs demanded attention on our walk down the bluff, after which we struck out along a trail that paralleled the beach. Which was where we discovered tracts of blackberry bushes, all bearing lovely, ripe berries. Our timing was perfect- we’d found ripe bushes that had not yet been picked over. After devouring handfuls of berries dad picked for her, Cara decided to pick some herself (‘self’ being a much-used new word to tell mom and dad that their girl wants to try doing something without their help). Although unsure of what to do about the thorns and a little unclear on the concept of ripeness, Cara managed to pick her fill of berries.



Dad filled a small container with berries to be saved for lunchtime and then persuaded Cara to leave the bushes to play on the beach. Although our girl insisted on keeping a berry or two in her hands for the rest of the morning, Cara and dad did manage to enjoy some digging in the sand and a bit of toddler driftwood sculpture. A little lunch, more blackberries, fun with seaweed, more blackberries and then the climb up the bluff and back to the car. All of which left a tired little girl who fell sound asleep in her car seat on the drive home.