Another Saturday in August

More flowers were picked.

That's Charlie the Borrowed Cat's dish for when he comes to visit, but with his fur coat, it is apparently too hot for much visiting. 

I just spent about 45 minutes on the patio, under the shade umbrella, but then by 3:00 it was getting too hot for me, 89 degrees.

This morning we went to our friend Jan's Yard Sale, and relieved her of a couple of things she's trying to unload. Then we went again to the Farmer's Market at the Des Moines (Washington) Marina. 

The sky was blue, the breeze off the Sound was keeping it cool, and we bought a couple of ears of corn, some small cucumbers, and more baked goods.

Then we settled in at the Quarterdack for coffee and one of our baked goods treats. 

Parking was full, which caused us to park farther down the marina. That gave us reason to stroll along the dock and enjoy the sun and the sea and the scene. 

Since getting home we have done a few little chores, Tom checked pots for water, and I checked in on the Seahawks preseason game while having lunch. With no starting team players playing, it was dull and I turned it off. I'll try some baseball this evening.

Now I'm going to settle into my chair and get back to my book. 

As someone commented on a recent post, taking it easy is what August days are for. 

 

Garden Field Trip

 Our garden club is affiliated with the Northwest Perennial Alliance and was formed about 20 years ago. Members have come and gone, with a few of us from the original club still hanging on.

Some of us live in the city, some in developments, some in more rural areas. A few of us are intensive gardeners, some of us keep a small home garden, some of us just putter a bit outside. Some of us just want to go on garden field trips and out to lunch. 

We've gone just about everywhere and seen every public and some private gardens in the area. This month's organizer decided on staying in the city. We visited the Center for Urban Horticulture, affiliated with the University of Washington, then went to University Village, an upscale shopping center near the university, for lunch and touring of the plantings in the people friendly center. 

Late summer brings blousy borders and seed heads glowing in the sun against deep blue skies. 

Yes, I sat here. Be assured that I take advantage of places to sit and rest while others stand to chat away. 

Seed heads of oat grass glowing in the sun. 

In the Fragrance Garden there were scented late blooming Daphne, Gardenias. and lilies. 

The Courtyard

Blooming border out back. 

And then it was lunch time in a nice Italian retaurant in University Village.

Afterward, Gretchen, our organizer, had suppiled us with maps of the plantings. I was tired but I decided I could enjoy the surroundings while finding the Starbucks and treating ourselves to the ultimate summer beverage, a Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream and caramel drip! It's not something we have often, but, hey, we were looking at plants. See?

A favorite garden store we hadn't visited for a long time. 

It was a delightful long morning into the afternoon, we saw beautiful things, visited with friends, had good food, got lots of walking, and came home to our garden in the sun and no reason to do any work at all. 

Near and Far

 Saturday we had a slow trip to Whidbey Island, first getting out of Seattle with the I-5 bridge closed, and then a long wait in line at the ferry dock.

When we finally arrived at Tom's cousin's home on the beach at Maxwelton, we had a good time visiting with people we knew and people we didn't know, his relatives and her relatives.  

Our hosts, Jan and Doug, provided us with good food, good company, and a great view. 

Over the weekend we heard from Irene, with photos through Jill. about Irene's adventures in the North Cascades. 

Irene in the fog, and with fat furry marmots. 

In Bellingham for a few days to resupply, she reports that she slept all day Friday, has been enjoying Canada so far, and "it has been a very wonderful trip." After a few days in Vancouver, BC, she will be off to five days of kyaking in the San Juans Islands. Wow! What an amazing experience she is having.

Sunday was a slow day for us. In the late morning we went for a walk, enjoying the cooler weather. 

On Monday we spent a chunk of the morning going into the city to the KP Medical Center for what turned out to be a 10 minute cardiology appointment. Since I have an artificial arotic heart valve, I need periodic check ins in order to get refills on my dental antibiotic, which I have to take whenever I have dental work done. I needed a refill. 

We came home and finished Monday housework and laundry, and in the afternoon I did a work out on the stationary bike.

Now it's Tuesday afternoon. We had our regular Zoom meet up and went for another walk in the park. Then I did the dusting, while Tom worked in the yard.

I think we might be done for the day. It's time to read and take it easy until time to fix dinner. Tomorrow we have a garden club field trip, so we've gotta' rest up.