Seeking Natural Air Conditioning

It got hot in the city!  Very hot.  93 on Saturday, 89 on Sunday, or something like that.  I sort of forget now, but I know it was HOT!

On Saturday we worked on hedge pruning in the morning, resorted in the shade in the afternoon, and went out with our guys, Jake and Tad, for barbecue in the evening, letting someone else do the cooking.

On Sunday morning we took a field trip out into the country to visit two lovely open gardens, stopped at a strawberry farm but got no strawberries ( guess the rain last week ruined them), and made a short stop at Snoqualmie Falls.

We spent what was left of the afternoon sitting and reading, and then got busy in the evening picking raspberries, mowing the lawn and packing.

We left Monday morning for an overnight at the cabin on Whidbey Island.

 Waiting on the ferry dock.  There was a chilly wind blowing off the water.  It felt good to be almost cold.

 This made me think of the Old Man and the Sea.

Here comes our ride.

 Jan and Ann were packing up to leave when we arrived at the cabin.  This is the busy season and the place is booked up.  We were lucky to get a two day window.

Next door is a construction site.  Cousin Dean is replacing the old vintage cabin with a modern structure, much as the family did with ours eight years ago.

 We puttered around, doing some cleaning and sorting, and some sitting and reading.  We have renters coming the week after this so we need to have things ship shape.  Renting the place for a week each summer helps to pay for the expenses.

After the sun went down and the cooling breezes came up, we went for a walk.

 By 9:00 this morning we were out in the yard.  The garden is our project, and it needed lots of attention.  We whacked and weeded and trimmed and carted off lots of plant material, restoring order and getting rid of the seedy look. That took us until noon.

 Ann and her brother created this little project over the last weekend.  Apparently poetry boxes are all the rage in Portland and Spokane.  We wouldn't want to be behind the times.

 It's time for the red, white and blue.  Our flag is flying

 And Tom's deck pots echo the color scheme.

 Across the road, one of the remaining little old original cabins can always be counted on to add color to the landscape.

 Our cabin and the construction zone.

 By the time I got over to the beach the tide was in, but I still enjoyed a stroll along the shore.

 Flags fly from almost every cabin,

 Summer color abounds.

And by the Fourth of July this place will be full of holiday gatherings and fun and food and fireworks.

We'll be in another location, having our own little celebration.

Happy Fourth of July.  Celebrate your independence by doing something you really enjoy.