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Article: AS HIKING SEASON WANES, SHORT JAUNT TO MELAKWA LAKE DRAWS A CROWD.(Getaways)
- Article from:
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Article date:
- September 18, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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I feel sad when I find gentians, a late-blooming summer flower that marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Blue gentians occur about the time of my birthday, as if to emphasize the changing seasons and the passing of time.
Gentians bloom in meadows and thrive on moisture, though they close when it rains, perhaps to prevent the cup-shaped flower from filling with water. Herbalists write that gentians make an excellent stomach tonic and they are also used as a tonic for the elderly or ill.
When I see gentians, can Gore-Tex be far behind? The golden meadows, the seed pods, the ragged hellebore, blue mist in valleys and a sweet chill in the ...