OK - I have been very lax in updating this blog, and it will likely get worse! I am leaving for SoCal today for a week, so hopefully will get all caught up when I get back!

So, for now, REALLY looking forward to sun and warm!!!!!

Cody picked us up at the airport and we went directly to the Pirate's Adventure dinner theatre. We all sat around a ship 'stage' and watched the story unfold while eating. It was very fun. Above is one of the pirate fights, and below is their 'entertainment', the 'gypsy' girl dancing and doing acrobatics with one of the pirates.

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

Came across this pantry idea on Facebook, and just had to share it! Love the idea of having all of your food in the same place and easy to get.

So nice to see the blue sky today! It was actually fairly nice most of the day, with the sun really coming out in the afternoon.

 As I was near Maxwelton to see a client, I stopped at the Outdoor Classroom on Maxwelton Creek. It was developed when my kids were in 3rd and 4th grades. Their teachers were the originators of the idea, so we spent a lot of time with the kids there in the very beginning. Well, that was about 20 years ago, and I hadn't been there for quite a while. It was fun to see how some things had changed, but some were still the same.

 As you can see, it is a very wet site - the stream runs along one side, but a lot of it is marshy, and obviously damp year around. These trees with the moss and ferns on them were beautiful! It wasn't actively raining on me, but more like a heavy mist.

Yesterday on my trip to Seattle I stopped at a couple of thrift stores. One of my finds was this little wool jacket. I am planning to eco-dye it with leaves, and maybe do some stitching, and change out the buttons. It will be a fun project!

 Everyone takes pictures of their pretty lattes, so I just had to do the same! I went to Ballard this morning, and treated myself to a mocha and a chocolate donut. Pretty tasty.

The Island was shrouded in fog, as has been the usual for the past week or so. It is full daylight as we boarded, but dark and dank with the heavy fog.

 But, as soon as I got up the hill in Mukilteo, I left the fog below and was treated to spectacular mountain views, like Mt. Rainier center horizon.

Woke up to the freezing fog again - boy, it makes it feel so cold! About mid-afternoon the sun tried to burn through, but the fog lingered down low. I love the result! Sunrays shining through the flowing mist, highlighting a shrub here, a tree there, and spotlighting the pond!

 Even the driveway looks dreamy!

On my walk around sunset, I was treated to a pretty pink sky for most of the time. The neighbor's house is reflected in the pond with the sunset behind. We're still sunk in a frozen fog, and all the stuff on the water is ice. Starting to melt and move around, but still here!

 After the freezing-cold-but-sunny days, we have warmed up to not-quite-freezing and freezing fog. During a quick stop at the Freeland park, I watched the gulls dropping their clam shells under the gray sky.

GERTRUDE!!!!

And, in the good news department - I got a new camera! Whoo-hoo! I'll get a pic of it tomorrow when it's light, but I took both of these without bothering to learn about the settings, and they came out fine. I will have a fun weekend getting to know my new camera. Oh, it's an Olympus XZ-2.

There's the culprit - a leaky connection and blockage right at the tank.

We had a back-up into the house, and part of the fix was to have the septic tank pumped. Then we could see there was a leak. Jon and Cory started digging, and Jon will replace the pipes tomorrow. Oh, the joys of home-owner-ship!

Frosty winter leaves on a cold clear morning.

Strange weather this morning!!

 Stopped by the Earth Sanctuary for a winter photo of the larger pond. I love the ice crystal shapes, and the occasional air pocket under the ice.

 Well, this is what happens when we have several freezing but sunny days. Not cold enough to freeze the stream, but the splashes seem to freeze in mid-air. I loved the grasses above - they look like bean pods.

This is the surface of the pond.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

 "There's something under that grass, if only I can get to it!"

 Check out the frost line - that is where the shadow of the house falls when the sun is out.

In the evening I went to a dinner with the group we have known the longest here on the Island. Fred is taking the photo, and his wife Sally is at center. Annette, left and Jeff, second from right were friends of Fred's from the Navy. Larry, second from left, recently lost his wife Bonnie. We all met in the late 70's; bought land, built houses, had families; at the same times. We haven't seen each other much recently, so it was very good to get together, look at old photos, have good food!

 A clear sunny day today, which means COLD! The mudpuddles in the driveway are frozen, but the water in the swamp is still clear where it is moving. The sun is so low, most of the swamp is in shade all day, but our giant cedar tree towers above it all, gathering sunlight.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013

Basket Guild meeting, where we learned to make snowflakes with bamboo splints. It was a complex layout, but the teachers supplied step-by-step instructions and a mold which made it simple!

Book Club's annual dinner out. We went to Christopher's in Coupeville. Check out the size of those bowls of seafood soup! None of them could eat the whole thing, so we all had leftovers to bring home. I had a different meal: bacon-wrapped pork tenderloins. YUM!

 A nice, wet January day at the Highlands in Langley. The green house is the latest completed and sold.

We are starting another one - time to play in the mud!

 Another outing with Cathi O - this time to Coupeville. We started with a hike up to the top of Ebey's Bluff - it was a bit cold and windy!

But amazing views south to Fort Casey, center, and Seattle eventually on the right.

 The raptors were in heaven, soaring and gliding and hunting. This red-tail hawk would cruise up the bluff, then skid to a halt and just hang in the air, motionless. It was awesome!

Then we went to see a show and talk about floating the Grand Canyon. The lady was preparing for an all women trip this summer. Unfortunately, not on my list this year, but, sometime! It was a beautiful video, and afterwards, the rest of the gals began discussing how to pack, etc., so we left them to it. Not quite ready to call it a day, we headed to Toby's Tavern for a beer and some mussels. It was the perfect early dinner, and we were in time to watch the 4th quarter of the SeaHawk's game, during which they came from behind and won! All in all, a pretty great day!

Cleaned house today - no pics of that epic moment!

Carol and I visited the Bellevue Arts Museum to see the "High Fiber Diet" show, where several of our guild members had pieces. Above, Carol examines a 5-panel quilt, dyed, painted, embellished and stitched.

 One of the basket artists, Christine Joy.

  An embroidered piece - it reminded me of the pre-printed towels and hankies we used to embroider, only this one is about 10' tall by 4' wide. All of the stitching was done on smaller pieces and sewn onto the background.

 Polly Sutton's cedar baskets. I loved the shadows!

Jan Hopkin's torso - made of leaves, grapefruit peel, and many other natural materials.

Another gorgeous but cold day, and Cathi O came by with Tui. We went exploring while the sun was out, as  she hasn't been down in my woods. Tui was especially excited by everything, and also very photogenic. It was good.

 Another sunny but frosty morning. These are the leaves from the flowering cherry tree, sparkling in the grass. The blades of grass look like rock candy!

 And here's Apollo taking advantage of a spot of sunshine. Mmmmm, warmmmmm.