Swim meet!

That's Maya, about to hit the water in the 50 freestyle. OK, Amanda said she might have walked the last little bit, but hey, it's her first swim meet.

And Nova, looking like a future Olympian. Her backstroke a thing of beauty. Swim team has been a wonderful confidence builder for these girls.

It was held last night in the town of Brewster, about 40 miles from Twisp and away from the smoke. After everything was cancelled at the home pool, it's great they could still finish the season at a meet with cheering friends and families. I'm so disappointed we missed it, because it looks like a beautiful night in Brewster. And they have great Mexican food down there.

The smoke is really bad in Twisp and Winthrop, especially overnight and in the morning. Sometimes it clears out a bit in the early evening. The tourists are staying away, so the motels and restaurants are empty at what should be the busiest time of the year. 

Next week will be slightly cooler, and hopefully the weather pattern finally changes. More out of state firefighters have arrived so that's some good news. The main goal for now is keeping the fires from burning down to the Valley floor. No one expects them to be completely out until early winter.

We're still planning to take some things over early next week and check on the house. 

The best laid plans

 

 

Our local weather guru Cliff Mass wrote on his blog that July has been the most perfect weather month in Western Washington history. "Moderate, but warm temperatures. Cool enough at night for sleep.  Lots of sun. No wildfire smoke.  Good air quality.  No rain." 

I can't ever remember a stretch of nice weather like this. Although we could sure use some rain.

It's heating up today, getting close to 90 in Seattle, but nothing like that disastrous heat wave we had in June. On the other side of the state, the fires will likely burn until early winter.  The good news is they've  been successful so far defending the more heavily populated areas. The bad news is there's nothing anyone can do about the smoke pollution.

My trivial complaint of the day. This isn't of interest unless you use Google Blogger, but their "new and improved" interface for blog authors is a headache.  I've used the same old Blogger template since 2009, which might be part of the problem.  I might need to switch to a newer one.  If Feathers and Flowers suddenly looks radically different, don't panic. Although I probably will be on this end until I get it transferred over. 

Some of you asked about the hospice program where I trained to volunteer. It is gradually starting up again. There haven't been many patient referrals, and the ones so far have been in places far south like Federal Way and Auburn so I haven't offered.  In terms of daily routine and activities, I'm in no man's land right now. 

From "The Mouse" by poet Robert Burns: 

“The best-laid schemes o'mice an' men gang aft agley.” 

Translated: the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

 

Onion goo soup

 

French onion soup, our favorite. I happened to have all the right ingredients yesterday. Like caramelized Walla Walla onions in the freezer and leftover homemade bread (thanks Mary!) for the croutons. And I splurged at Costco this week on a hunk of real Swiss Gruyere cheese. 

The soup base is just doctored up canned beef broth: red wine, bay leaves and thyme. Needless to say, it was the highlight of the day. And since it made four bowls, lunch might be today's highlight.

 

Amanda sent this picture of Maya last night. They are drying some apricots from the backyard tree.  Life goes on and everyone is OK, although the Valley is smoky and hot. But we still hope to visit the house again in the next week or so. 

One day at a time

 

 

As our wise Dad always says. Appreciate your life, blessings large and small, without getting caught up in the past or future. Unfortunately, easier said than done. Our minds seem hard-wired to worry about things we have no control over. At least mine does.

The fires continue to torment central Washington, with no relief from in sight from the weather. Toxic levels of smoke fill the Methow Valley overnight, sometimes cleaning out a bit by late afternoon, but still at unhealthy levels. The tourist season is over.  All the outdoor recreation areas are closed and events are cancelled. 

What a disappointment we can't enjoy our new house, but that's trivial compared to what the locals are enduring. The Twisp community pool just closed for the season, the main source of joy and entertainment for the kids.  Coming after last year's Covid closures, a huge blow. 

Making this all the more bizarre is the lovely stretch of summer weather in Seattle.  Clear blue skies, warm temperatures, and not of bit of smoke thanks to the marine air that keeps it (for now) east of the mountains. 

 

All or Nothing Day

"Celebrate the day by finally making decisions on the big life goals and questions that have been beleaguering your mind. Decide if you are going to give it your all or give it nothing, and don't look back. Although you could go either way, the holiday is probably best celebrated by grabbing life by the horns. Start that business, sign up for the marathon, reconnect with the family member you said you'd never talk to again, take the trip, write that book, climb that mountain, or buy that house. No longer think about it, and give it your all instead."

When the going gets tough

 

The tough turn to food...or wine...or better yet, both. The first Hatch peppers with steak on Friday, chicken lettuce wraps last night, and a blueberry pie for company lunch today. 

I'm excited because we're having the first outside meal with guests in 2 years.  Is that even possible?  An old friend and her daughter are braving the detour and making their way over to West Seattle. They're bringing a salad and and bread I'm fixing some marinated shrimp on the grill. The weather is perfection. Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Why, indeed. The smoke in the Methow Valley is at toxic levels from the two large fires burning on national forest land near Winthrop. No end in sight, as firefighters across the west are stretched thin. We are pretty small potatoes by comparison. But these fires are heartbreaking for the little business communities in the Valley just starting to recover from Covid.

For my own selfish reasons, of course I'm awfully disappointed we can't enjoy the new house this summer as we planned. Well, the adventure is just beginning. The secret to happiness is pretty simple-- enjoy where you happen to be right now.  Sometimes easier said that done. But on a fine day like today, a piece of cake.

When it rains it pours

 

 

The view from Sun Mountain Lodge this morning.  You're looking at the Methow Valley filled with toxic smoke. The town of Winthrop below has the worst air in the country, possibly the world. The summer tourist season in the Valley, for all intensive purposes, is over. No one expects the fires to be completely out until winter. A big blow for local businesses. We can still visit our home, but most town activities are cancelled, including swim team. Fortunately, there are no evacuation orders yet for Twisp. Winthrop is at Stage 2, meaning be ready to leave.

The Purple Air website gives a real time air quality map for whatever location you type in. The air hazard levels go from zero (clean green dots) to 500 (dangerous purple dots) and Winthrop's numbers were over 600.  Twisp, 7 miles down the valley, is only slightly better.  All the more surreal, because this is such a perfect morning in Seattle.  Our marine push is keeping the pollution east at least for now.

What else? My 5+ year old Mac laptop was being balky about an update this morning. It has over 15,000 photos on it, and the thought of getting a new computer set up (expense aside) fills me with dread. People my age don't care for big changes.

What else can I complain about?  While cleaning the kitchen windows this morning, I snapped off one of the plastic fasteners for the door blind.  A trip to the hardware store to try and find a fiddly little piece of plastic. John at this moment is replacing a fuse in one of the under counter lights, and says it will take him a couple hours of fun. I'm getting ready to paint the back deck, an annual chore. That's all the news fit to print. 

This and that

 

Amanda and Tom took these pictures of the turkey and deer that hang around the house.  Their kids are growing up fast. A peaceful place to bring the wild family right in town.

I put that alarming fire picture on the blog and should give an update. It wasn't that close to Twisp, but looked like it because of the size.  Apparently you could see the plume from parts of western Washington.

Unless you are a Facebook addict, it's hard finding real-time fire news. And the situation changes constantly.  The fires are burning around Mazama and northwest of Winthrop and there have been evacuations. But none of the towns are threatened so far, thank goodness. 

Firefighters are trying to set up lines to protect property, but in remote areas the fires will probably smolder until the snow arrives in the high country. Usually October. A depressing thought because the smoke hangs in the Valley.  Unless the situation get worse, we still plan to go next week for a few nights.

Talent

 

 

Nova made these drawings. I was blown away when she showed me her sketchbook last week. 

The girls love reading, especially about mythological and fantasy worlds. There are so many interesting serial novels written for preteens. The girls tell me about new books and authors I've never heard of. We had old classics like "Black Beauty" and "Little Women." Nothing wrong with that, but these sophisticated fantasy stories are geared to kid's interests now. That makes reading more fun. 

And speaking of writing talent, a big shout out to my sister and her Las Vegas writing group, who recently published this anthology, available on Amazon.

The book description:

"Born out of a larger group that disbanded at the pandemic, a small number of us fled to meet weekly on Zoom. Little did we know that the decision would keep us writing, keep us socializing and keep us sane while social distancing. During the months since the arrival of the pandemic, our little group has bonded and exchanged not only stories, but daily challenges and frustrations. We are all incredibly grateful for the support of each other, which has helped us deal with the months of isolation, and in some ways, fended off the loneliness that accompanies this epic virus. Given the effects that Covid-19 has had on all of us, Peter, with an eye toward history and impact, thought it worthwhile to gather our pandemic stories and make them available to others. No doubt the reader will find within these pages relatable emotions and situations. It is our hope that they will provide some measure of comfort to all of us who have survived."

Down on earth

 

 

We watched the billionaire's quick rocket ride this morning. What a different world it was, when we watched the moon landing on this day in 1969.  Grainy black and white TV images and some people sure it was just a hoax. Sounds familiar.

Not much going on here, except I went on a book sorting spree and the car trunk is filled with heavy boxes to donate. I have another pile to drop off in the neighborhood exchange boxes on my walks. 

I've always collected books and find it hard letting them go. Why? Share the wealth. It looks like I've hardly made a dent on this shelf, and we have still have books in every room. But it is tidier. What good is a library if you can't find what you're looking for? In old librarian speak, it was called "weeding the stacks."

 

This is a picture Amanda sent last night from Twisp, looking north on Highway 20. That cloud is a fire exploding. The air pollution levels in town were off the charts yesterday. We had planned to drive over Wednesday to spend a few nights and watch the swim meet, but everything is cancelled. No evacuations in Twisp, but people are getting out of town if they can to avoid the smoke.

A big disappointment coming just when I want to start enjoying the house. Seattle is misty and cool this morning. Unfortunately, windy dry over in Central Washington again today. Hopefully things improve next week and we can go then.

Parallel summers

 

 

The Oriental lily bulbs I ordered last fall didn't look that great out of the bag but they came through. Nothing like Orientals for intense fragrance. 

Some of the more expensive lily bulbs we ordered in March turned out to be duds, go figure. They all looked healthy and big, but I think lilies just do better when you plant them in the fall, and the roots can establish over the wet winter. It was a very dry spring and no amount of hand-watering makes up for good soaking rain.

We had a quiet weekend at home, so nice in Seattle right now with cloudless skies and warm temperatures by afternoon. Maybe a little too quiet after all the activity in Twisp last week. It felt a bit lonely. I'm still mentally adjusting to this dual lifestyle. Thoughts keep skipping back and forth between two places.

The wildfire news from the Valley keeps getting worse. The air pollution is off the charts today. Even the pool is closed and the kids have to spend the day inside.  We were planning on going over Wednesday for 3 nights, but will likely postpone until things improve.  

The West Seattle Senior Center is reopening, and our ukulele group has been invited back for regular weekly meetings.  Even with everyone vaccinated and infection levels low in our zip code, I have to admit the thought of being inside with singing, talking people is unnerving.  I was talking to my sister about some of the psychological effects of the pandemic that are hard to shake.  Last summer life was boring but so simple compared to now. Suddenly it seems like there are too many choices.

 

Apricots and onions

 

A rustic apricot tart, lazy to make but delicious. I bought them at the Lone Pine Fruit Stand and Coffee Shop. It's a nice spot to stop along the Columbia River (actually Lake Entiat.)  

According to Wiki, there are 14 major dams on the Columbia, many built to generate hydroelectric power. The wide reservoirs stretch for miles along the highway, filling the canyons of what was once the original river bed. 

You need a good imagination to visualize the old natural river. It's one of my favorite parts of the drive. The dramatic scale of the geology tends to put trivial human problems in perspective. 

I also bought another bag of Walla Walla onions which we cooked down into more sweet onion goo. Between the apricots and onions the house smelled pretty good yesterday.

It is grey and chilly in Seattle this morning and we won't even hit 70 degrees.  If only these marine clouds would bring along some rain. We've gone more than 30 days now without a drop and the yard is the color of straw. 

Getting the bugs out

 

What a sight to greet me after the long drive home yesterday. The July garden in peak bloom. Peppers on the vine. 

As I drove the final stretch down Snoqualmie Pass, the traffic got meaner and the sky turned grey, not from smoke, but from the marine layer of clouds that usually burns off by afternoon, keeping Seattle summer temperatures in the cool 70 degree range. The final detour in West Seattle was as brutal as ever. Welcome home.

I pulled out my winter robe this morning and I'm making oatmeal. It was hot in the Methow Valley, perhaps 10 degrees above normal in the low 100's. But what is normal anymore? Unfortunately, the last two days were unpleasantly smoky from nearby wildfires. 

Those of you who have vacation homes already know this (duh) but it's a mental juggle. As John says, what's the point if you're worrying about one place whenever you're at the other? Or wanting to be at the other? I feel very fortunate, but it will take some time adjusting to this new dual lifestyle.

The former owners were meticulous people, and of course the house was in pristine condition for real estate showings. Keeping it like exactly like that as part-time retreat seems impossible, unless we want to work on home projects every hour we are there. Nope. Still, I'll be happy when we have some basic absentee maintenance in place for things like lawn-mowing and sprinkler system. It feels odd to just walk away leaving things running. But people do it all the time.

Our yard here is teeming with insects, so I don't know why hatching beetles on the windowsills and ants bothered me. For a control freak, it felt like an invasion. Lighten up. 

The former owner left a large container of Raid perimeter insect spray in the garage. Hint, hint. I take a benign view of most insects, and not sure if I'll resort to full-scale slaughter. The house is right by a pristine river, for heaven's sake. Summer bugs are a fact of life. But hopefully the teeny kitchen ants are history when we go back. They came out of nowhere to torment me, as ants do.

Smoke!

 

 

One of my early morning visitors. The most beautiful time of day here, when the sun comes over the mountain to the east and lights up the river and trees all golden.

I have only seen does, no bucks. A mom walked by the window yesterday with her two little fawns, a pretty sight. She probably brought them by to check out our tall grazing. Still no luck on finding someone to mow. 

The light has turned strange and murky. With this record heat spell and drought, fires were inevitable in central and eastern Washington.  And here they come. 

One of the most popular passes across the state is closed (North Cascades Highway) due to fire. It is very hot, and people are trying to stay inside with doors and windows closed. Miserable. I’m grateful for the window AC at this house, but it is so noisy I turn it off at night.  I would rather sweat and listen to the river. Most people (including us) have air purifiers than also run constantly.

That's the free lunch line for kids at Twisp City Park.  Each day at noon, the school district hands out a generous bag lunch. How nice, and I'm sure it helps many families. It includes breakfast items like cereal for the next day.

I've been busy with the children-- Nova, Maya and their two friends, mostly shuttling back and forth to the pool for swim team and such. Of course, they are all on different schedules, making the logistics all the more challenging for parents.

Amanda and I exchange text all day while she is at work. Otherwise I would have no idea where to go or when. What would they do without the pool this summer?  The kids love it, and everyone knows everyone. There is a sense of watching out for each other.  Formal childcare for kids their age is nonexistent. There are camps and such, but the kids need to be dropped off and picked up, usually in the middle of the day. No help for working parents. School can’t start soon enough. 

Twisp is a small town, and now Nova and Maya are old enough to walk from their house to the pool. This is the first summer for that, a big transition for all concerned.

The free lunch buffet.  An astonishing amount of processed food, and each bag a little different so there is much bartering, grabbing and trading.  The most disliked item being "sun butter" made from sunflower seeds. (Peanut butter is a no-no at school.) I tasted it and have to agree on the yuck factor.

Well, I'm headed back to Seattle tomorrow morning. I've had a good time but ready to go home.  That is, my other home. How lucky I am having two places. although lots of work on both ends, as I've been forewarned. I needed a project, as John says. 

He is fine, but I'll rescue him from the heavy-on-the-teriyaki-and-soup diet. Later this month, we'll return to the house for another stay. Just hope and pray the fire season doesn't get worse before it gets better. Everyone is terribly on edge here, and for good reason.

Jam packed days

 

I've had a good time, but there hasn't been much vacation in the vacation house yet. I suppose that's to be expected, just getting accustomed to the property and trying to get the basics set up like lawn mowing, more of a challenge that I anticipated.  

In a rural town, people take care of their own yards or just let them go. We have quite a nice little lawn around the house that requires a hefty monthly investment in pricey town water, so I want to keep it as neat as possible. 

Anyway, all of this will work out. Everything is still new right now, so I shouldn't get frustrated.

Amanda's friend "gifted" me with about 25 pounds of sour cherries from their tree. She asked for a pie in return. Ordinarily I would be thrilled, but this turned into quite a project.

These are the variety of cherries that make the most delicious pies, and you can't buy them fresh at any store I know of. And they have to be pitted, every single one, quite a job since they're the size of small grapes. My old fingers gave out. Nova's young ones helped.

I don't have any pie making apparatus here yet, so we had to settle for cherry crisp instead. It was delicious.

Unfortunately it is very hot with poor air quality from wildfire smoke.  All the outdoor activities for the kids are cancelled today.  Bummer.

 

And suddenly, there you are

 

 

The solo drive over was relatively easy on Thursday. I left the house at 6 am and made it through the detour to the freeway in 30 minutes flat. At that early hour on a weekday I had the highways and passes pretty much to myself. I only stopped twice--next time I'll make it three rest stops. John and I always share the driving, and my legs were wobbly from so much sitting.  Anyway, what's the rush?

The new sofa and chair look nice. Maybe not the most stylish furniture in the world, but soft and comfortable and you can recline and watch the river doing it's thing outside the front window.  

I have to admit, excited as I was, it was strange the first night being here completely alone. I felt perfectly safe, but so silent compared to the cacophony of West Seattle on a summer night. The stillness kept me awake. All I heard was the gentle river sound.

 

Amanda wasn't feeling well so we didn't hang out yesterday. But the girls came over in the afternoon so she could rest and we played Go Fish then they watched an hour of TV. They badgered me for ice cream sandwiches until I gave in. Having grown up with the beautiful Methow River in their backyard, that part of visiting Nana is pretty ho-hum.

Compared to last summer, when everything was closed or cancelled, they are constantly busy with their activities, classes and friends, which is how it should be.

We watched Nova's swim team for an hour (Maya looking bored) and my goodness, Nova zips through the water like a otter. 

So athletic, it was like seeing Amanda at the same age.

I spent some time at the beach, trying to draw the river and hoping some neighbors would trespass by so we could chat.  

 

No one showed up. Maybe new people from Seattle scared them off? I doubt it. It just hasn't been as hot this week.

We sat on the deck this afternoon with the girls. The turkey mom came by with five sturdy looking chicks (down only 3) which is quite an accomplishment in this wild kingdom. 

Almost nothing to do in the way of gardening which is a nice change for me. But I have to find someone to mow every couple of weeks in the summer. And in the winter, snow removal.  But one season at a time.

Another busy day tomorrow.  The Saturday Twisp market, then we're going to a movie in Winthrop in the afternoon.  

Can he do it?

 

 

John has an early morning job: fit all of this into my sedan. He's pretty good at packing cars--plenty of practice.  I'm planning to stay in Twisp until early next week. 

It feels kinda virtuous clearing stuff out of this house, but of course it's just going somewhere else, to be dealt with again at a future date.  Hopefully, far in the future! And by someone else! For now, this house looks slightly less cluttered, so that's something. 

Internet should be installed on Friday. We’re using a local carrier based in podunk Omak. Human beings actually PICK UP when you call. The speed is slow compared to our CenturyLink in Seattle, which is run entirely by robots.  Hey, it's a vacation house. As long as I can email, write the blog and shop I'm happy.  

After all those months of labor, the garden comes into its peak in mid-July. John is staying home with his hobbies and he can enjoy it while he waters.  A big job. 

Nothing like last week when we were baked alive, but still quite warm and (too) dry. Except for the fire danger, beautiful summer weather.

Simplification

 

When we got back to Seattle and walked in the door, the first thing that stuck me was how much stuff we have. The open space in the new house was very restful. 

We keep this house tidy, we're not hoarders (I guess) but there isn't a surface without something on it.  Every cupboard, every closet filled. 40 plus years of accumulation. Our "view" is of adjacent houses, so it's an inward feeling here in the city, compared to river house which feels open to nature.

Still, you need a place to sit and a place stash things. A bench for the hall, side tables, a dresser, lamps, etc. A new sofa and recliner get delivered this week. But the basics are covered. The kitchen is fully equipped. We have a lovely bed and the spare rooms can stay empty for now.

The main attraction of a second home is not having to haul things back and forth. You show up and enough clothes are in the closet. Maybe not the right clothes, but something to wear. I have another carload to take over on Thursday. This has inspired me to clean out here, and things look better already.  I'm trying to be selective about what I take over. 

Of course, I'm just putting stuff in two places now. It occurred that this is the exact opposite of downsizing, what people our age are supposed to be doing. 

Sweet onion "jam"

 

We bought a 5 pound bag of fresh Walla Walla onions on the drive home Saturday. Sweet onions have a high water content, so they're very perishable compared to the hard yellow ones.  

John sliced them up and I cooked them down slowly in my big Dutch oven for about 2 hours. Just a little butter and flake salt.

Stir occasionally. Near the end, stir constantly until they turn a light golden. All the water eventually evaporates, and you're left with a mouth-watering, gooey, simple condiment you can't buy anywhere.   

We put it on grilled pork loin last night, and this morning made an omelette with sharp cheese and a touch of bacon.  Oh boy.  Did that ever disappear off the plate fast.