I love thistle down!!!

It was on the edge of this meadow, which is a building lot my boss has. It's on top of a hill above Freeland, and has a bit of a view of the water, and yes, the mountains are behind the cloudbank. Lovely and private for now, but there are two building lots down the hill in front, and one beside this one. But, still the best lot of the bunch!

 I got inspired by my visit to the lavender farm - I actually harvested my lavender at the right time, instead of waiting until it was fully in bloom. You're supposed to cut it right before the blossoms open, and this is the closest I have ever come! Hoping for long-lasting scent - it was heavenly cutting and then stripping the bottom leaves. I could have sat there all afternoon.

This bee was trying to help, but he was so busy and fast, I couldn't get a bead on him!

 I went to an artist demonstration today at Kim Tinuviel's studio as part of the Whidbey Art Trail events. She is a photographer and an encaustic artist, both of which I am also interested in.

 Part of her demo was doing a transfer onto a beeswax-covered board. She started with a laser print of her photo, and burnished it onto the board. Then she wet the paper and carefully rubbed it off, leaving the image.

 Next, she 'fused' the layer into the beeswax with a heat gun, then added another layer of wax. At the top is the board after she added some colored wax, and she went on to show us some other ways to play with the wax to create texture and add color. It was really interesting!

 Went to the Lavender Wind Farm, where they were having an artist day, with a bunch of arts and crafts booths. The lavender was also just at it's peak, and we could wander in the fields.

A glass artist, and more booths.

 The banjo player was wandering around to each of the booths, playing for a small piece of art or food. Here, he got a cookie. 

 The farm pond had lots going on!

And coming home to my driveway, the female Northern Harrier hawk wasn't about to desert her kill! She finally did hop into a tree, but only a couple of feet off the driveway while I drove past.

 Did a fun, quick project yesterday - painted my wheel covers. They are plastic and had been off the car while we got the tire and brake issues resolved. Originally they were painted silver, but the paint was peeling off, so I decided to paint them. I thought about black, but when I got to the spray paint aisle, there, on the bottom shelf, gleaming out at me, was the sparkly silver. What could be better? It's the first time I used the Fusion paint for plastic, and it did a fantastic job covering up the old peeled paint, and looks pretty fancy on my old car. Now I guess I need to paint the car, too . . .

 Cousins!

 Sun is shining again! Finally! Astilbe above,

and a snail shell held up to the sun.

 Barb, Cody and I went out for lunch, as Cody will be heading back to CA tomorrow. We had a nice lunch with the early bird special at China City. The pool behind them is filled with large carp, and we always stop to watch them.

 Later after work Cody's friends came over to help a little with cutting down some problem trees at Barb's.

 Cody liked using the chain saw again, and all the trunks were safely felled to earth.

 Apollo likes to accompany me when I go outside, and he also likes to be up high. So he climbs up on whatever is close to where I am - here, he's on one of the spool towers, and below he is up on the roof of the house. Yet another example of goofy kitty!

I had to laugh - this was an overgrown part of my flower garden, and I dug up all the plants and weeds a few weeks ago. Suddenly, plants began sprouting! They are borage, which I had planted years ago, but they had died out and I had forgotten all about them. The seeds must have been buried deep in the soil, and I brought them to light when I dug it up. There is also a stray tomato plant - no idea how that seed got there!

Poppy head!

One of my clients had an open house to show off their new home. It's always fun to see how it all turns out!

This is a very small 2-bedroom, and they are just tickled pink with it! Storage is, as always, an issue, but she said they are continually reducing their clothes and other items, as they see what they don't use. Something all of us should probably be doing!

 The front side has a nice little covered entry,

while in back is a longer overhang to keep sun out in summer. As you can see, it is working perfectly! A higher ceiling allowed for the taller windows, which gather all of the sunlight in the winter.

I love this area on Newman Road - there is a pull-off where you can park, and I am using this view for a future photo art journal, which will be "Seasons". So I've been taking a photo every month or so to record the changes.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012

 Going past Mt Rainier the second time, on our way home. A much clearer day.

 In the morning in Bend, heading for one of the many round-abouts, with mountains a few miles away. Cody is looking at Bend as a possible place to move to, and he liked what he saw in the short time we were there.

One of the trailheads for bike trails, with lots of trails to choose from!

 On the way back to Rick's house, stopped at a little campground on the Hood River and watched the ouzels playing around. They appear to run on top of the swiftly flowing water, and also swim under it.

 Rick and Cody took a little ride around Trout Lake, and Rick just loves Cody's 'Arrogant Bastard' shirt. 

Cousie, Rick and Cheryl in front of their kitchen door.

TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2012

This is the Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR, where we sampled lots of their beers and had a tasty dinner. Which one should I try next???

Before that, we had more good food and soaks at Breitenbush. Above is our cabin - there are a good 40 or 50 of them - some have plumbing, most do not. There is also space for camping, or you can have a room in the lodge building.

The lodge was where most folks hung out, families playing in the lawn, or sitting on the sunny deck while towels dried. Meals were served here, too.

There were several unique buildings - this one was for meditation and contemplation.

 The bridge over the River lead to trails, while a hardy soul dunked in the icy water, then went back to soak in a hot tub.

 We walked a ways up the Gorge Trail, which had several doubtful bridges over the stream.

 Part of the trail wandered through native rhododendrons, which must have been stunning when they were blooming!

 A composite view of the Devil's Hole, on Devil's Creek, which runs into the Breitenbush River.