We're hot!

Best friends Nova and Adelina

You can almost hear the whining. It's too hot for biking-riding in the Methow Valley this week, and the faces on these poor little drama queens say it all.  Seattle is uncomfortably warm for most people, but eastern Washington is in the middle of a historic heat wave. Many cities are breaking their all time high temperature records:

Scorching hot, windy and dry- a dreadful combination for wildfires and the summer just getting started.  You've probably seen the bad news from Wenatchee. 

Maya and Nova

Anyway, there are consolations for hot little girls, like ice cream cones at the Winthrop parlor. When Amanda sent this picture yesterday, it reminded me of another hot summer excursion to Winthrop, six years ago.

Yes, those tiny red polka dot legs belong to newborn Nova.  Too young for ice cream that day, but not for long. Where does the time go?

Say, Cheese!

Uncle Clarence, Aunt Margaret, Aunt Helen, Uncle Gus

Today is Camera Day, according to my weird and whacky holiday calendar. Once upon a time, taking a formal photograph was a big occasion.  This is our dad's older brother Clarence Bleam and his wife Margaret, with his sister Helen Bleam and her husband Harold (Gus) Helm. From the flowers and dresses, this is probably Clarence and Margaret's wedding portrait from the 1930's. It was taken at the Quakertown photographer's studio.

How do I know? I remember these sweet aunts and uncles from the 1950's and 60's. But the number of family members who can still say that is dwindling.

Studio portraits like this were displayed or maybe just kept in a box, along with snapshots. Photographs were expensive and always saved, which is why I have a scanned digital copy today.  It came from a real physical artifact, the thing dearest to the archivist's heart!

Helen and Gus (much later) enjoying punch

50th Wedding Anniversary?

If you're lucky enough to have inherited old family photographs, then what? A picture is just a picture without the names and stories.

These days, everyone has a digital camera in their pocket. For better or for worse (just watch the news) anything and everything is recorded on the spot. Digital photography has changed our lives in ways we couldn't have imagined.

More is not necessarily better. I have 13,548 digital images on this computer going back to 2004, the year I got my first digital camera. Each month I add dozens of new ones, along with scanned images of older snapshots.

Our life is all there: Amanda's college and Peace Corps years, her marriage, the babies, our vacations, holidays, pets, relatives, friends, parties, horses and hundreds of pictures of the garden and kids. The happy, the sad.  Sharing this digital family legacy is an enormous and interesting challenge. It makes a person nostalgic for the days of photograph albums.

The long hot summer

Say bye-bye

I was too busy and then too depressed to write a post yesterday.  The bamboo abatement company came out in the morning for a consultation. Bruce had a nice bedside manner but he didn't sugarcoat the truth:  It has to go.  

We're long past any possibility of containment. The underground rhizomes have spread over 30 feet from the "mother" plants. It's destroyed the fence and is working on tearing down the walls and floor of our poor old shed.  It is growing under the concrete alley. It's just a matter of time before it pops up and frightens the neighbors on the other side. 

So what does this involve? Needless to say, bamboo removal is an incredibly labor-intensive and expensive process.  But then what isn't, on this property?  Anyway, you'll hear more about that in August when the project is scheduled.  

Of course I want it out of our lives and we really don't have an option, short of selling the house  and moving away to Alaska.  But the sad thing is bamboo is beautiful, like so many other awesome and uncontrollable forces of nature.

Instead of a lovely wall of green shimmering leaves, we'll be looking at houses and garages from the deck and kitchen.  And until we get the fence replaced, the back yard will be completely exposed.  That will be a very weird feeling, like wearing an hospital gown.

OK, enough complaining. What do you expect, when you let vegetation rule your life?   Here's another example.  The (relatively) harmless clematis took over the gazebo this summer. But I still like to sit in there among the vines having a glass of wine in the late afternoon.  It feels like Sleeping Beauty's castle.

As I was sitting at my desk this morning, looking at the falling-down gazebo, this little fellow appeared and hung around for quite a while without a care in the world.  I think he might live under there, so it's still good for something.  Drinking wine and possums. You gotta respect Nature.

Boom times

Last Sunday we actually left the house to brave the neighborhood traffic. We drove 8 blocks to have lunch near The Junction, the "hub" of West Seattle. This trip took much longer than you might imagine.

Afterwards we walked through the weekly farmer's market.  It's not the type of market our parents remember, with bargain prices for bulk seasonal produce.

Rainier cherries were $6 a pound ($3.99 on special at QFC  this week.)  Of course at the grocery store, you don't have elbowing crowds, unmannerly dogs and all that outdoor, chatty meet-the-supplier experience that people like at farmer's markets.

 I know, I know...this looks like fun.  Sorry to sound so cynical.

A block of California Ave. is closed off to traffic now for the weekly market.  There are dozens of "stalls" and I expect it will only get bigger.

Here's a photo of the West Seattle market I took back in January 2010.  A few organic winter vegetables for sale on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Kind of pathetic, but sweet. For years the market was set up in a parking lot behind the bank at the Junction. No parking issues, no traffic detours. And now that seems like such a long time ago.

For longtime residents, the overnight changes to our quiet community are pretty overwhelming. Seattle is in the middle of $50 billion construction boom that is having profound impacts on old neighborhoods.  Within a few blocks of our house, there are at least 10 large residential construction projects in progress.

Do you remember this  "Hole Foods" construction hole?  All through the recession, it was an abandoned construction site and a local joke.

And now it looks like this.  An eight story apartment building with a health club.  And this is just one of thousands all over Seattle and the suburbs.  Most look pretty much the same- big blocks of expensive apartments and condo units without garages or parking spaces for residents.  That's because we all take the bus or ride bikes in Seattle. (ha ha)

But there's a bright side.  We have a Trader Joe's!  And Whole Foods will open on the ground level of yet another giant residential complex, right across from L.A. Fitness.
Oh boy. I think. 

Coconut cake

I'm a pretty decent home cook but cake baking isn't my thing.  (Much to John's chagrin.) I've had many expensive flops with "scratch" cake recipes over the years. Of course anyone can throw together a box mix, but we like dense, not excessively sweet cake.  And that "frosting" out of the can--ugh!

I made this cake on Father's Day from a Coconut Pound Cake recipe I found on the Internet. I changed the recipe slightly, not a good idea when it comes to baking, but this time it worked.  I thought I'd better get it written down on the blog so I can find it again someday :-)

Coconut Cake

4 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup soft butter
3/4 cup canned coconut cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. coconut or vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat over to 325.  Mix softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Add the eggs one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture and beat well.  Add coconut extract, then add coconut cream, alternating with the flour dry coconut mixture.
Line 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, grease well.   This recipe does not make a huge amount of batter, so it baked fairly quickly.  About 30 minutes.  Cool on a rack.

 And I think the best "icing" for a dense cake is plain whipped cream and toasted coconut.

Some things never change

Seymore Joseph Guy

Equestrian Portrait

There's an old saying: All horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl.

Amanda took these darling pictures of Maya and Nova. They were visiting friends near Woodburn, Oregon last week, and the horses lived next door. 

Golf

Chambers Bay

Did you catch any of the U.S. Open this weekend? We got hooked, mostly because there was so much local hype. Chambers Bay Golf Course is south of Seattle.

I don't know much about golf, so John was patiently explaining things all weekend. You chase around an exasperating little ball with a mind of its own. There are big highs and dreadful lows like any sport. Golf never seemed like my thing, other than an excuse to bird watch and ride around in a cute cart. I never watch golf on TV (it puts me to sleep) but I thought this tournament was fascinating. And what a finish!

Chambers Bay was designed to host the U.S. Open. The area was once a rock quarry for the Indians and early European settlers. There was a loud chorus of complaints from participants at the start of the tournament. I suppose that happens whenever high-strung professionals gather to compete.  But once they settled into the game, there was grudging appreciation for the course's diabolical challenges.

Frankly, in the harsh morning light, Chambers Bay looked ugly from the air-- brown and rough.

But as the day lengthened, the light and shadows softened the landscape and it suddenly became beautiful.  Golf traditionalists say there is a mystical quality that comes with playing a links course. It has a natural, wild seaside beauty that supposedly embodies the true spirit of golf.

From the Chambers Bay website:

• A links course is built along a major body of water
• A links course usually has very few trees, if any
• A links course resides on sandy soil that drains easily
• A links course has a natural open layout where the native landscape, wind and rain play a major factor
• A links course features ground contours that provide remarkable inherent undulations and slopes in the fairways and greens
• A links course rarely has any internal water features
• A links course’s rough areas feature pure seaside grasses

Chambers Bay was certified on August 14, 2007 by Audubon International as a Silver Signature Sanctuary, the first golf course in both the state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest.  The Red-winged Blackbirds were singing through the tournament.

Just out of curiosity, I checked into booking t-times at Chambers Bay and found out it costs about $300 to play a game.  Now that would be an expensive bird-watching excursion.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to our wonderful dad in Colorado. I know you fire up your laptop each morning to read email and the blog. You are amazing, and we are so proud of you.

Best wishes to all the wonderful, hard-working dads our family: Grandpa John, Tom, Brian and Jordan.  We are blessed.

And today especially we remember John's father John, who is dearly missed by his family. But I like to imagine him in a better place now, still having his favorite dinner and one of mom's fine cakes for Father's Day.  We think of him lovingly today, as we will on every Father's Day to come.

The Summer Solstice occurs at about 9 am in Seattle.  There isn't a cloud in the sky this morning and the sky was already light at 4 am (don't ask.)  In fact, it was hardly dark at all last night.  We are still looking at a very warm summer. I'm not sure how accurate 15 day forecasts are, but this one for Seattle is impressively hot and dry.

The most 90 degree days Seattle's ever had in an entire year is 9. The new normal?

Camping fun

Busy hands in the trailer

Amanda sent us these pictures yesterday. After our family reunion in Bend, they took the rest of the week to visit friends Oregon and then camped near the town of Yachats, an incredibly scenic spot on the Pacific coast. 

She says they love traveling with their cozy, self-contained trailer.  No tent to set up!  Or expensive motels and restaurant meals. 

Driftwood play houses...

Lots of beach-combing and tide-pool exploring. It looks like Maya is keeping a respectful distance from this starfish. 

And a happy dog watching over his family...
Safe travels home, dear ones!

“Hark, now hear the sailors cry,
smell the sea, and feel the sky
let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic...”

Van Morrison
Into the Mystic

Thai Cucumber Salad

Here's a refreshing salad for a hot summer evening.  And it solves the what-to-serve-with-curry dilemma.

Thai Cucumber Salad

4 tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. rice vinegar (preferably unseasoned)
1/2 cup cold water
2 medium cucumbers
2-3 green onions
1 medium green jalapeno (or less)
1-2 tbs. chopped fresh basil (preferably Thai)

 Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl with the water and vinegar, then stir until dissolved.

Peel the cucumbers and scoop out the seeds, unless you're using the long English kind.  Score the outside lengthwise with a fork (just makes it look prettier.) Cut the cucumbers in half and slice in 1/4 inch pieces. 

Scrape the seeds and membrane from the pepper, then slice thinly.  Chop the scallions and the basil.  Stir everything into the bowl and coat with dressing.   Let it marinate and chill in the fridge for at least a half hour.  Optional-- sprinkle with chopped peanuts and cilantro before serving.  This recipe makes 4 generous helpings.

Little campers

Amanda sent me this sweet picture of Nova and Maya from their camping trip.  It looks like Nova might have captured a skunk in Oregon :-)

The weather is stormy all across the country today, but here in the Northwest-- perfect camping weather.  But goodness, it's dry in western Washington and Oregon.  June in Seattle could actually go down as a month with no measurable rain.  Our grass and garden looks more like late July and August.  But east of the Rockies? Wet, wet, wet.

Seattle had about 16 hours of daylight yesterday. When you add a few hours of twilight, it was barely dark at all last night.  The solstice is coming up on Sunday, June 21, 2015 at 9:39 AM.  This day is 7 hours, 34 minutes longer than on the December Solstice.  That's when I'll be complaining about how dark and wet it is in Seattle.

The road home

Quiet returns to Spring River

Monday morning rolled around too soon, and suddenly it was time to pack up and say goodbye.  Everyone hit the road with worn-out kids and good memories from our first family reunion.

The "Bleam" siblings

Many thanks to Marji and her daughter April for arranging the fabulous accommodations (we were totally spoiled) plus all the wonderful breakfasts and dinners prepared by the families. I don't know where to start.  When I get a chance to sort through all the pictures, I'll put together a little slide show with some of the highlights.

Home away from home

 Julie, Brian and the boys drove all the way back to Utah yesterday; Jordan, April and their boys are home in Medford; our intrepid sister Marji is piloting her RV back to Las Vegas now; Dave is home; the Twispians took the rest of the week off and camped last night near Mt. Bachelor. They are on their way to the coast today.

John and I drove a different way home to Seattle, up through deserted north-central Oregon to Yakima, then eventually over Snoqualmie Pass. We were joined by about a million other cars and trucks. That route took us almost 8 hours, including one stop at McDonald's and another at this spectacular Oregon rest area with a truly terrifying cliff.

It was a long drive, but at least we avoided the Portland-to-Seattle rush hour nightmare and didn't hit a traffic jam until Mercer Island, about 15 miles from home.

Any trip where you arrive home safe and sound is a good one, but I have to say I'm nostalgic for the days when we could chug along through some remote part of the country and not meet another car for whole minutes at a time.  When did there get to be so many of us on the highways?  And when did we get to be in such a hurry?

Our crew

Maya, Nova, Cody, Hayden, William, Sam

Here's to the next generation!  The weekend is flying by. Yesterday was fun-packed with boating, playing, talking and lots of great food, topped off with a campfire by the river and s'mores.

New friends Nova and Cody

My girls

Hayden

Tom whippin' up breakfast

William and Brian

Grandpa and Nova hanging out...

Family canoe adventure

Sam and Marji out for a spin

Jordan and Hayden

Quiet times on the river...

And not so quiet times in the hot tub...

Time for s'mores

Perfection

Amanda, Maya and Nova

Extra gooey perfection

Julie and April

The smile says it all.