Saying Goodbye to Summer...in January

GASP! What a lapse in blog updates. I point directly to the crazy autumn quarter we had. R and I were so busy we worked one weekend day every week, and often were back at it after dinner until 10:30 or so. Way out of balance. Luckily it is a new quarter, a new year, and we have a new take on spending our time. We aren't going to let work life take over livin' life! To remind me of the good life, I want to update some of our adventures from the end of summer. The bookend to a lovely summer was a trip to the best hotel/cottage we have ever been to. Thanks to R's DJ skills, we had a gift certificate for two nights in a two-bedroom cottage in Pacific City. Stainless steel kitchen appliances, marble counter, jacuzzi bath tub with view of either ocean, or flatscreen tv (there was a bath viewing of Pride and Prejudice on my part). We cooked a lot, drank wine, read books, hiked up sand dunes and stargazed from our little ocean front property. It was BLISS!
Yes, Haystack rock view from tub or bed...

Perfect for a little barbeque or morning tea on the deck...

Goat cheese and purple potato bake with salmon dinner...

The livin's easy...



Sigh...

Summer Update I and 4th of July in Photos

One of our many summer delights this year was going to see the Mariners up close and personal thanks to Meg and Chris and their sweet tickets they kindly shared with us. Baby Dillon came along and entertained us greatly, dozed, and thoroughly enjoyed his first baseball game!

I finally got to visit Laura's parents' beautiful new 'estate' near Mt. Hood. They hosted Laura's wedding shower in their beautiful self-designed new house.

Ryan was a real sweet pea and made me a cherry pie from scratch (even though he prefers apple)

My new 'chicks and hens'...

Speaking of chicks...these ducklings were a part of our 4th of July walk. We had a fun filled day of long walks, gardening, a bike ride to the lake for a swim and then an EXTRA long night of bike rides as we celebrated the 4th by riding to a bbq place near Gas Works, then rode to Alan's rooftop for the fire works where Ry and his bros and I enjoyed Ry and Jake's homemade apple pie.

The yard and garden are in full bloom and I got to bring some of the beauty indoors for a week or so...

Ry found this giant in the basement when he was doing laundry! Our research indicates he is a Hobo spider, not too dangerous...but HUGE and nightmarish.

Ry's photo of the Smith Tower on a warm summer night downtown.

I bought these sweet little dishes that were made in France. Perfect for his and her banana splits. These got a little melty by the time I found the camera. Jason (Ry's little brother) suggested that we install a camera in the kitchen with a foot trigger for all the food photos I take!

Chillin' on the front porch...

The accomplishment of the year: an entirely clean and organized office. After years of being our secret stash place for a quick housecleaning fix, we finally made the office a happy place.

While I was at it, I decided to organize my bookshelf in a style first inspired by a little cafe in Copenhagen Denmark. The original photo was stolen with our computer, but these give you the idea. I never organize my books alphabetically anyway (much to the dismay of some friends). It is interesting to see what books end up together when organized by COLOR! Harry Potter next to the History of Vietnam for example...

Summer Update II

R. sat in on drums with his old band Spanish for 100 for a rockin' summer night of music at the Comet Tavern...

Nat and Lindsay were so kind to treat us to Seattle Sounders SUITE TICKETS for the Chelsea game. Below is Baby Duffy's cute legs, the teams taking the field and a darling little boy showing me his 'removable soccer player tatoo arm'. What will they think of next?

We had a fabulous time at Brit and Charlie's Wedding on Lake Chelan. The ceremony was in her family's apple orchard. Ryan and Bennett were the DJs and a good time was had by all!

FOUND MESSAGE: On a the big hill on our bike ride home. I was sweating it and then saw this little note. Thanks mysterious bike rider with chalk!

Ry and I did Critical Mass and had a great time riding through the streets of downtown Seattle. I like that our bikes look like two sheepish teenagers on their first date in the photo below!

Baby Finn made a house visit with his mama to show of her amazing crafting abilities. This hat is made from a repurposed t-shirt! Ooo-de-laddy!

The dearest girl, Sara moved to Vashon Island to be outside more, write and live into a new life phase. She hosted "Country Dinner" and it was a lovely island/countryside evening with wonderful food, great people who have lived all over the world, and the perfect setting...