The Weekend

I can't get any photos to insert into my blog post today and I had a really pretty one of a bi-color Rudbeckia. It's a bright golden yellow with red/orange petal tips. I haven't seen this one before and yesterday I saw it at an Open Garden. As members of the Northwest Perennial Alliance we get an Open Gardens book showing the fellow members gardens that are open on weekends from May through September. We haven't gone to many this year, but since a member of our garden club had her garden open, we visited hers and three others. They were all beautiful, all different, and involved a lot of walking. I was worn out by the time we got home about 2:30. 

Then Sunday evening we watched the Sounders get back to league play. Unfortunately the injuries continue to pile up, and our once great soccer team is struggling and not looking very good at all. It was a hard fought loss. 

Because we hadn't been going out much, I decided we would get out of the house, and the garden, this weekend, so on Saturday morning, after a leisurely start, we went to the Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market. There were lots of locals enjoying a mild partly sunny Saturday morning. We bought some fresh green beans, since we don't grow our own anymore, and some fresh local sweet corn.  We also stopped at the bakery stall for two almond croissants, our favorite treat.

The farmer's market is on the docks of the marina, on the Sound, south of Seattle and Burien, in the suburb city of Des Moines, WA, not to be confused with the one in Iowa. :-)

We took our croissants to the Quarter Deck, where we bought lattes and sat and "dined" al fresco. It was a lovely treat, the food and the setting. 

While Tom puttered in the yard a bit, I did no work. Supper was light and accompanied by the Seahawks in there first preseason game, on TV of course, although there were plenty of fans at the stadium downtown. The result wasn't great, but it was just a practice game, and the good thing was there were no injuries. 

Now Monday is slipping away. Tom and I did a lot of work this morning: laundry, house cleaning, flower picking, and some yard clean up. Now at 3:30 we are done for the day. I'm still figuring out dinner. 

Cannas

 I can still only post one, or none, photos. When I have more time and more inclination I'll will look into it again.

In the meantime the lilies are almost done but the Canna in large pots on the patio are blooming. I love the bright colors.

Work in the garden has slowed down now that the big jobs are done for a while. Late summer/fall clean up will be the next big job.

The weather has been mild, high's in the upper 70's with fog or clouds in the mornings. Lovely. Wild fires are still burning but the fires attacking cities are under control for now, after devastating damage was done. Our wild fire season lasts well into September so danger still lurks as our draught continues. Rain, if it comes, is usually in the mountains, accompanied by lightning. Not good. 

Tom and I are enjoying more leisure, while I am still trying to get in enough exercise to keep me moving. This morning we went to the Des Moines Waterfront Farmer's Market, our first of the season. Corn on the cob and green beans were on my list, and then a stop at the bakery stall for almond croissants. Then we walked along the marina dock to the Quarter Deck for coffee to have with our croissants and enjoyed the mild late morning air and al fresco "dining". Now that we are back home, lunch is being skipped, When I wrap up this post I'm heading for the patio with the newspaper. I'll skim much of the news, read a few complete articles, and work the puzzles. 

The Seahawks play a preseason game at 5:00 today, we have an open garden to attend tomorrow morning, and the Sounders resume league play at 7:30 Sunday. There are appointments next week. That's more than enough to keep us busy. 

Now I would close with a photo, but I can't. My creative outlet is thwarted. But I'll make my face smile. That helps. 

One At A Time

It looks like I can now get one photo, but just one, at a time on a post. 

Here is a close up of the Brugmansia or Angels Trumpets. They release there scent in the evenings and at night. Heavenly. 

Maybe I can get lilies tomorrow?

You can probably imagine how hard it is for me to chose just one photo.

Update: Yay, I got a new photos inserted on my header. There are some of the Casablanca lilies in the rose bed. 

Warm August Nights

 

I just spent a wonderful hour sitting on the patio reading while the scent of Angels Trumpets, Brugmansia, wafted through the warm, calm August evening air, enhanced by the fragrance of lilies blooming in the rose garden.

While I can't get the photos of the Brugmansia or the lilies to load, I did get this one photo, and you can see the Angles Trumpets in the background. 

While these evenings are fleeting, they are the kind we remember after the chill of Autumn arrives, and linger in our memories through the dark of winter.

You Can Tell It's August Because...

 This is the post I was going to publish on Tuesday, but now updated and without photos. I spent more than two hours yesterday waiting for a Geek Squad agent to find a fix. There was very little communication other than he needed more time. Finally, after a long period of no chat update I asked if he was close to a fix, that there were fixes on line but I didn't have enough tech knowledge to complete them, was it time for a new agent, should we quit. I guess he chose quit because I got the message "Session Ended". That's it.

So, in follow up to my title "You Can Tell It's August Because...

...the sunshine is orange and the blue sky is turning white. It's wild fire season and fires are burning out of control in many areas of Oregon and Washington. The city of Spokane in Eastern Washington is being attacked by 3 large fires driven by wind and hundreds of homes are being destroyed. As many as 900 homes are now ashes. A little smoke here is nothing compared to the misery those folks are suffering.

...because lilies are blooming in my garden, pink Stargazers and white Casablancas.  Just one in a vase in my powder room perfumes the whole area.

...because even with watering the lawn is going brown.

...because sunflowers are blooming.

...because the yard waste bins went out full of plants that were done and were cut back in the clean up we did over the weekend. 

..and because Seafair, the big annual festival of fun in Seattle, culminated with hydroplanes zooming on Lake Washington, and the Blue Angles roaring in the sky over the lake. Jill, Irene, and Jake were there on the lake shore. I watched some of it on TV.

I hope you can get a mind movie of some of this.

I don't know when I'll be back. I might have to resign myself to just words, and that's not nearly as much fun.

Blogger Trouble

 I have been trying to create a new Blogger post, but suddenly my photos won't load on Blogger. I've already tried for too many hours and it's time for Geek Squad. I'll be back eventually.

We Used Up July

 It's Saturday again, and the beginning of a new month. August is deep summer, a last chance to play or travel or be lazy before Labor Day unofficially ends summer. But not for retired teachers. 

I had to look at my calendar to see where this week went. 

On Monday, besides the usual Monday chores, I had to appear in person to renew my drivers license, since I am "old". I had an appointment. I was told to come prepared with what was necessary but they never told me what that was. I had my expired license, my birth certificate, my expired passport, and my mail in ballot. The agent didn't need any of that. Just read the second line on the eye chart and pay $107. Good to go. 

                 Geranium collection by the front gate

     Hardy fuchsias , hanging fuchsias, Impatiens, and  shrubs along            the front walk. 

Tuesday we worked in the garden, I had a snipping and clipping job to do, on my knees. Since I am blessed with the overly zealous need to not stop until the job is done, I sort of overdid it. The job got done though.

On Wednesday Jill came over to sort through stored stuff in the attic. She and Tom picked up boxes and bins she wanted to take home to sort and mostly to dispose of. Some of it was interesting and some of it was just dusty and smelly, having come originally from her great grandparents home in Tacoma. Locals will know about the Aroma of Tacoma in the old days of the pulp mills. A "highlight" was the mummified piece of wedding cake from from Tom's grandparents. Jill said since it had been saved this long we had to keep it. 

On Thursday we went to the Farmers Market for some produce, then some errands and shopping. I am in need to new shoes and I wear a size 10.5 to 11 wide. Those are hard to find and I need supportive shoes. We went to UPS to return one pair from Amazon that didn't work. I looked on line and we tried Nordstrom Rack. Nope.  On line I found a store in Renton called Only Wide Shoes. We ended up there. I was actually fitted for shoes! I bought a pair of expensive walking shoes and a pair I hoped would work to wear just in the house. The walking shoes, Brooks, I'm keeping. The other pair I'm taking back, along with the second pair that arrived from Amazon today.  I'll keep trying. I don't need expensive shoes that just sort of work.

Friday was breakfast day, grocery shopping, and then we drive to Tom's sister Jan's house for a family gathering.  

From right to left, Tom's sister Jan, his brother Dave, Dave's wife Vicki, Vicki's brother Mac and his wife Ann, and Tom. I'm behind the camera. 

Dave and Vicki live in Los Altos,CA, so their visits are an occasion. 

Tom's cousin Dean and his wife Sharon were there too but had to leave before the picture taking. There was good food, catching up,  and lots of reminiscing, added to by some of Tom's "stuff from the attic". It was a fun gathering, and good to have as we are all aging, a fact also "mentioned" in our conversation.

Now this Saturday we are catching up at home. 

It's SeaFair weekend in Seattle. The hydroplanes are racing on Lake Washington. The Blue Angles are roaring over the lake. Jill and Irene will be at the lake on Sunday. Tom and I will be content to be home. 

Happy Summer!

Quilts in the Garden

 Last Saturday, as part of my birthday weekend, Tom and I attended the Mukilteo Garden and Quilt Tour. 

Each of six gardens displayed numerous quilts in a joint event between the Mukilteo Way Garden Club and the Mukilteo Lighthouse Quilters. It was a beautiful tour, one we discovered two years ago. They hold it every two years, because, after all, they have to have time to make new quilts. 

I had to work hard to navigate the gardens and take photos since all of the gardens were on hillsides with steep grades and  steps with and without hand rails. There were great views though. 

I took a lot of photos, mostly of the quilts, not the gardens. I tried to pair down my photos, but again this is a big photo dump. I hope you enjoy it. 

Detail of above quilt

 

Scenes From Whidbey Island

 I am now a year older. So is my sister Laurie. We ended our pageants today with lunch together in Olympia. She went to ride a jet boat on the Rogue River in Oregon, I went to Whidbey Island.

On Friday I had small birthday party. Irene made the cake, and Jill made the Charcuterie and dinner.

Of course there is always a walk to the beach after dinner.

On Saturday Tom and I went off island to the Mukilteo Garden and Quilt Tour. That will be another post.

Isaac and Seile were around but doing their own thing most of the time, Jill did a lot of walking and boating. Irene did a lot of studying. She is taking a summer school class and had a test on Monday.

Tom did some yard work. We both did a lot of sitting. I did short walks.

We all walked on the dike.

Monday, with just us left at the cabin, we took a load of yard waste to the dump and stopped at Bayview Garden.

We walked, we read, we ate too much, and we wound down. We watched the sunset.

By Tuesday evening we were back home, just in time to appreciate our air-conditioning as the heat wave arrived.

Now we look forward to some slow days at home. It's time for the lazy, crazy days of summer.