Anyway, Amanda and I had a lovely day browsing around Winthrop and dropping in to see Nova at work looking so grown up. Later, Karen and I went to the Confluence Gallery here in Twisp to check out the new show.
The deer kept me company as I walked up to the house last night.
Just trying to get motivated to pack up and head back to big city life.
Everyone is busy except me, just puttering around the house, reading and relaxing. My friend Karen is coming over later for a glass of wine.
Nova is in Winthrop, and Maya is at Merc Theater kid's drama camp here in Twisp. Amanda is working on filing her credentials and getting certified/licensed with the Washington Department of Health, etc. She's been on the phone for hours. Passing the test was not the end of it. All of this has to be completed before she can work.
I made bean soup with cornbread and a bushel of salad for the girls tonight. It is cloudy and much cooler and possibility of precious rain. Although I hear it is finally raining in Seattle, which is very good news for our garden.The family is leaving on Friday for a week backpacking trip to the Washington coast, and I'll go back to Seattle Wednesday. Tomorrow is my clean up and laundry day.
We drove to the Mazama Store last night for the weekly Saturday dinner menu and wine tasting party. I was with Amanda and her best friend with her mother, who is visiting from Vermont. I know them both and we had such a nice time eating and sitting outside talking. People were having a good time dancing to DJ music and just chilling out.
The store motto is "A Little Bit of Everything Good." Mazama, over the years, has become upscale, attracting the high tech outdoor sports crowd. The patio is popular for espresso and breakfast as people start out on their adventures in the North Cascades, and later in the day, meeting up for wine and snacks. A good place for people watching. It reminds me of a miniature Jackson Hole.
The fancy store is a fun place to browse for gourmet food and local crafts, but unfortunately they closed just as we finished eating so we didn't go in. Which certainly saved some money :-)
The smoke is hanging around the Valley, but so far in tolerable range. It makes for some vivid sunrises and sunsets.
I took an early walk with my friend Karen, and she is busy this weekend with guests. The summer is short, and so many activities are crammed into just a few weeks. Wild fire smoke is the wild card, but so far the Valley has escaped the worst. The temperature is pleasant.
I slept until 6:30 this morning, which is quite unusual. The house is peaceful and looks exactly as I left it. The locals are coming down to our riverfront in this hot weather, who can blame them? But I was a little startled yesterday seeing three men lounging in the beach chairs. This never happened before, and I went down for a chat. One of them is a neighbor I know, who had brought his visiting 98 year old friend. All good.
Before this house was built, it was the custom to access the river here, so short of putting up a fence and ugly signs there's no point of fighting it. As long as they keep dogs on a leash and don't litter--- it feels like an invasion of privacy when folks stay for a long time, but that rarely happens.
Anyway, enough trivial ownership issues. We are lucky to own this special dot of land, right in town, and to feel like part of the community, even though we are part-timers. We own that to our family connections.
I dropped by a concert at Twisp Works last night after dinner, but just stayed for a bit. I was tired from the drive and the music was pretty loud. But it was fun watching families out and about. Everyone knows everyone.
We've been lucky so far in Seattle regarding the wildfire smoke. Over in the Valley, it's been coming and going with the wind shifts, mostly from the big fire burning near Lake Chelan. I'm planning to make a quick trip over in the next few days and check things out. Summer flies by too fast. We're already staring to notice the shorter days.
Godliness? I don't know about that, but it sure felt virtuous cleaning the dusty hardwood floors and the kitchen window yesterday. Very satisfying results, since that greenhouse window is real pain inside and out to clean.
I have a theory that old houses "make dirt." There's no other explanation--we can't blame pets or kids and we're both pretty neat.
OK, enough of my boring news. How about some boring weather news? It's been day after day of summer weather perfection this July. Yes, a bit hot at times and we could use some rain, but no one is complaining.
July 24th is "Tell and Old Joke Day."
"How many therapists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but it takes a long time and the light bulb has to want to change."
Millie just got a shave yesterday to shear off all the mats and clumps.
Here she is, slightly ticked off, but no doubt much cooler in the 100 degree heat.
Like everything else, this parade has evolved over the years, becoming less boisterous and a little more environmentally and politically correct.
We remember when the Seafair Pirates would "kidnap" children, dragging them screaming down the street. Can you even imagine that now? The Keystone Cops had fake gunfights and threw people in their paddy wagon. Vendors pushed big carts of cheap plastic inflatable toys that Amanda would beg for. The good old days.
On Sunday afternoon, a bittersweet gathering in a park on Alki Beach. We held a song circle and pot luck in honor of Charlie Strong, who passed away recently.
Charlie was our Ukes leader for over 30 years, and created the song books that we use to this day. I take it for granted now, but joining The Ukes and playing for the first time with a group was a huge deal back when I started 10 years ago. They were so welcoming, despite my inexperience. I made some good friends along the way.
Wow. What a change in the weather. The cool marine clouds pushed in overnight but it will eventually burn off to a pleasant 75 degrees. We're actually making chili this morning.
Amanda took her Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Board Certification Exam today. A difficult and stressful test, but for those of us who know her, it comes as no surprise that she passed.
This was the final step in a long, arduous educational journey and within a few weeks she starts her new career as mental health provider with Family Health Center in Twisp. She's also been accepted to a fellowship program this fall at the University of Washington. We are very proud!
Consider the lilies,
Ye sons of despair;
Consider the lilies,
Ye daughters of care,
And from them instruction receive:
Though fragile and feeble,
Yet, see how they grow,
"They toil not, they spin not,"
Nor care do they know,
But, kept by their Maker, they live.'
(Nothing fragile and feeble about these :-)
Poem by Peter Burn
It's a hard sell convincing yourself sausages are healthy, but at least these are low fat. We had one each last night with a big pile of caramelized Walla Walla onions. I also made an saute with peppers and perfect eggplant from Trader Joes, a rare thing. They are usually green and bitter, or seedy and mealy inside. Already looking forward to the leftovers for lunch.
Oh, so dry here! Other than the flower beds we water, the yard is parched like straw. The weather has been hot for Seattle, in the mid-eighties day after day, which is pleasant but the houses heat up making it hard to sleep. I often go down to the basement in the middle of the night, where it is cooler and quieter. Lucky John, the heat (and nothing else) disturbs his sleep.
A few clouds drifting though this morning, and talk of dry thunderstorms in the mountains, which is not good news for the fire danger.
I'm off to my newish volunteer job this morning. I'm doing a archives project for a non-profit called "Safe Crossings Foundation."
Their office is at the West Seattle Junction and I can walk there-- super nice people and a wonderful organization. It's a perfect new gig, because I'm not committed to a set schedule like the Senior Center cafe or thrift store. Although - have to use my lazy brain.
The weather has been as sweet as it gets in Seattle, but the days anything but lazy. I'm playing catch up here after being gone and have something every day this week, including the opportunity to play ukulele four times with my three groups which is a bit over-the-top.
When I have a few minutes, I like sitting in this secluded corner under the shade of the black pussy willow shrub/tree. It feels like a sanctuary with the noise of the city all around.
It sounds frantic out there especially late in the day when people are rushing around, but the yard is filled with birds and bees. Along with the overgrown flower beds, the main attraction is water in hot weather, and we keep the bird baths filled. Wild creatures like a messy yard and the place is teeming with insect life. Why kill the innocent with poison spray.
My little stash of goodies from Lone Pine on Saturday, including a 5 pound box of local cherries, the last of the season. They spoil quickly, hence the fire sale. I guess this was a so-so season for the farmers.
Cherries are the "bad boys" of the fruit growing world because they are difficult and risky to grow. They need perfect weather conditions and are susceptible to all kinds of pests.
We walked down to Westfest at the Junction and had lunch at Seattle Fish Company. Westfest is an annual street fair, which started out years ago as a local sidewalk sale. I loved the bargains.
Now it's grown into your typical arts and crafts and food fair, always held the weekend before the West Seattle Grand Parade. It gets very crowded and I seldom buy anything, but fun to walk around people watching. No shortage of children and dogs in strollers.
The girls would LOVE Westfest.
Favorite fish tacos from Seattle Fish Company.
Amanda, Tom and the girls are headed to Wenatchee now to spend the weekend with friends. That family is always on the go. The girls came down to cool off in the river before they left. We still have a heat advisory going, with temps near 100.
It was a busy morning for me, mopping the floors, changing the bed (thank you, new washing machine) and gathering up random trash that just seems to accumulate. I took several large black bags to the Twisp transfer station and heaved it in for only $15. How satisfying. John will be thrilled to see the clean garage.
We generally carry all our kitchen garbage and recycling back to Seattle in the car. Depending on how long we're here, and how much cooking I do, it isn't usually a big deal, but kind of nasty in the summer heat.
So I have a quiet last afternoon and evening ahead, looking forward to cold chicken and salad for dinner. I'll hit the road back to Seattle early tomorrow.
This time of year there's a nice little swimming hole in front of the house. Might take a final dip myself, just like Maya. Yes, the snowmelt water is cold.
Happily for him, sadly for us, Hank is retiring and has sold his store to Spokane-based Rosauer’s Supermarkets which owns 20 stores in the Northwest. Hank said he wanted to sell his grocery store to a company that he could trust to continue serving the Methow Valley. As they say, change is the only constant.
This morning was the big transition day, and as soon as you walked in, it felt different. How weird seeing strange men, obviously city-type managers, bustling around the service desk and walking the store. Supposedly, Hank's employees were invited to stay on, but I only saw one familiar face.
A new home for those familiar faces looking down from the frozen food? You don't know what you've got till it's gone.
As in the siesta: “Getting up early, working productively in the morning, and taking a siesta at midday is a concept that we should adopt in the summer months.” NYT
The sacred Spanish siesta, once mocked as lazy by other European countries, is being adopted in places like Germany as the climate heats up.
You can also take a siesta in the shadow of a good pal. Since I saw him last, Napoleon has made friends with Wally, an amiable 29 year old gelding (the mares still can't stand the little bugger.)
Nova rode Ginger this morning then treated her to a cool shower.
I've been at this barn now in every season now, and summer is pure horse heaven.
Twisp City Park
Seems to have got up and left this morning and we're all feeling pretty lethargic. I just got back from an early walk, the only window for exercise on the hottest day of the week. I have a regular town loop, either on foot or my bicycle, from our house to the river trail and city park, then through downtown past Amanda and Tom's house. It's a little over a mile.
The Wagner Memorial Pool at the park (above) is in such a bad state of repair the town couldn't open it this summer, which is simply tragic. The pool was the summer hub of activity for the community. There really isn't much for kids to do and the girls would spend the entire day there with friends.
In early morning, this parking lot should be full of parents dropping off excited kids for lessons and swim team. Children aren't learning to swim in an area filled with swift rivers and cold lakes. Everyone agrees the town needs a replacement pool, but as you can imagine, this is small town complicated with differing opinions on what, where and how pay for it. The Twisp City Park is floodplain, so the obvious solution of rebuilding on the current site isn't an option. They were more casual about zoning when the pool was built 50 years ago.
Locals have been coming down in front of the house to dunk themselves in the river and cool off. I have not done this yet! Today might be the day.
I took the North Cascades Highway and on impulse stopped in the town of Concrete at the Sunday swap meet. There were piles and piles of old stuff, but I met a friendly man who builds rough birdhouses from "1,000 year old cedar." Meaning, lumber scraps he salvages from old growth logging.
A good sales pitch because I bought one, even though it is too heavy to actually hang up and no self-respecting bird would go in there. He was very proud of his original creations.
Lots of wildlife around enjoying the cool river-- the turkey families with nearly grown poults, young deer cut free from their mothers looking kind of clueless, and what a treat, a pair of pileated woodpeckers right in front of the house.
Amanda is studying for her board exam today and Maya is at a day camp. Nova is probably hanging out with friends. Nothing much is planned except I'm taking a walk with my friend Karen at Pearrygin Lake before it gets too hot. Needless to say, fire danger is high.
