Monday, Monday

 

 

 

 

 

We're trying out a new yard service. The Leyland Cypress, as you can see, has grown too far out into the alley. This company does regular yard work for someone across the street, and they knocked on the door Saturday asking if we wanted our laurel hedge cut. 

We already have Jesier for that, and I'm not about to dis him after years of faithful service. But there's always plenty of other work in this yard, so he gave me a bid and said he would come back Sunday morning (he didn't show.) 

He did show up this morning, worked for a couple hours, then took off. It's 2 pm and the cuttings are all over the alley. Anyway, if he wants his money he knows where to finish the job. Not real impressed with his communication. 

Oh, yes. The bid included trimming dead fronds off the bottom of the palm tree, about 30 feet up there now.

 

Traffic was terrible around Seattle this weekend and we stayed home, other than walking up two blocks to watch the West Seattle Grand Parade. In the old days (there I go again) it was filled with beautiful floats, marching bands and drill teams from across the city, including the beloved Seattle Chinese Community marching girls (below) in their splendid costumes.

The group has been absent from the parade in recent years, which is a shame. Most of our parade is now local businesses and non-profits advertising themselves. But people still enjoy it, especially the newcomers to West Seattle who think it is heaven here. Maybe it is? 

  

Carrying their weight

 

 

Amanda sent some pictures yesterday on the backpacking adventure. That's Nova and Maya above, the strong girls really carrying their share these days.

Some sections of the rugged trail involve navigating around impassible cliffs, with ropes and makeshift ladders to help with ascents and descents. Very challenging, on your hands and knees in places while carrying a fully loaded backpack. 

They've been backpacking on the Washington coast since the girls were quite young. 

 

Family memories are made of this...

Always something in the big city

 

Our street has been chaotic all week, filled with utility workers and parked up with massive trucks. 

How much stuff can you hang on those ancient Seattle City Light poles? Yet they're stringing even more heavy cable lines to support the dense (and getting denser) population in West Seattle. No wonder we have so many power outages these days. 

I told John, it's starting to look like Bonneville Dam from my seat at the kitchen table. Such is progress.

Anyway, coming home from Safeway yesterday with $120 of groceries (granted, 4 bags) I had to park in the next block and schlepp past a worker who was just standing there, as they seem to do most of the time. Much "pondering" goes with these high paid jobs.

"Guess I picked the wrong day to go shopping," sez I. "Sorry about that" was the reply and he went back to his coffee. Life in the big city.

 

Speaking of groceries, what to eat on the hottest day of the year? How about salad and barbecue chicken? I am partial to boneless, skinless thighs for the grill because they don't dry out as fast. 

 

The house is unpleasantly warm by the end of the day, but I had boiled some orzo in the morning and put together a cold salad. I threw in the kitchen sink, including goat cheese crumbles from Trader Joes. A good product (barring any recalls) and a nice change from endless feta in salads. 

 

And one reason why Trader Joes is so successful--customers making impulse purchases, like these new fried shallots in the eye-catching shiny package. Not much difference from old French's Fried Onions in the can, but their clever marketing makes everything sound fancier. 
 

Hitting the trail

 

Setting out for Shi Shi Beach yesterday afternoon.

 

Methow Valley News news

 

Byline: "Methow Valley Beauties." 

The local valley newspaper ran a color photo spread this week covering the 4th of July activities, and what a good time it was in town. That's Nova (on the left) with three of her friends at TwispWorks after the parade.  

Speaking of the family, they are currently backpacking a 16-mile stretch of wilderness on the Washington coast. The logistics of such a trip coming from all the way from the Methow Valley are complicated (not to mention carrying five days of food for a hungry family.)

Today they park their car at Ozette Ranger Station, then the trailhead shuttle service transports them and their gear around the peninsula to Shi Shi Beach, where they begin the hike. 

An almost unworldly beauty exists on the wild and remote Pacific coast, and it can only be reached on foot. Over the years, they have done several different routes along the coast. Of course, no cell phone service, so we always look forward to the camping pictures when they return to civilization.

 Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park

 

 

Fires

 

 

Amanda sent this picture from Twisp yesterday of a smoke plume far off in the distance. There are several fires burning in the North Cascades right now. The weather in Central Washington has been hot, dry and windy, putting everyone's nerves on edge. 

It's still nice and cool in Seattle this morning, but we have a heat advisory for tomorrow and Wednesday. Ninety degrees is uncomfortable here, with the general lack of air conditioning and the simple fact we are not used to it.

I mostly spent the weekend recovering from the Shingrix vaccine I got on Friday, being one of those unlucky people who get that "strong immune response." This included fever in the middle of the night and random jabbing pains all over my body. I've also had that scary and harsh reaction from the flu and Covid shots. Fortunately it doesn’t last long.  

By Saturday afternoon, I was just plain old tired. Apparently the reaction to the second Shingrix shot tends to be much worse. Now there's something to look forward to in a few months. 

By Sunday I had enough energy back to make a fresh peach pie. No photo this time. Just type "pie" into the search box and see how many pie pictures a person can post over 15 years.  

 

 

In garden news, six months after the brutal hacking, the jasmine is back from the dead. Yea! As Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote, "There is the dearest freshness deep down things."

 

 

 

I was just outside and the garden smells like heaven from the lilies. The delicate flowers won't last long in the heat, but the tomatoes are sure happy. With daily watering, we should have a big crop from just two pots. 

 

 

 

Summerfest

 

 

This is a big weekend in West Seattle, with the annual street fair going on at The Junction. As the population here has swelled, the annual event evolved from a simple merchant's sidewalk sale in the 1980's (which I loved) to a bigger event called Westfest, and now the hugely popular Summerfest. 

It's pretty much like any other street fair across the city, with bad food (sorry) and all the same vendors. Crowds are not John's thing, but I always walk down there to have a look around. The street in front of our house was already parked up last night. 

This is followed by the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 19th. I found out yesterday that our Thursday ukulele group was invited to participate on short notice, but we still need to find a flatbed truck or float to haul us safely down California Avenue while we're strumming away. Stay tuned on that. 

The brief period of cloudiness has passed, and the next week stretches ahead sunny and hot. Amanda, Tom and the girls are going backpacking on the Olympic Coast and should have excellent weather.

See you Monday. 

 

Smile

 

July 10th is "Teddy Bear's Picnic Day." 

Bing Crosby recorded this version the year I was born, but the song goes way back. The melody was composed by John Walter Bratton in 1907, and the lyrics added in 1932 by songwriter Jimmy Kennedy. 

Rain shadow

 

 

The yard is dry as dust and Seattle could really, really use some moisture. But we're in a typical rain shadow pattern today and all we get is grey clouds overhead with rain all around us. The Olympic Mountains sometimes block the rain coming in from the Pacific Coast. 

At least it's cool and comfortable to putter outside this afternoon. I need to deadhead flowers as the garden transitions into the final round of summer. Why does it always go so fast?

Not much else is new except I have two big red mosquito bites on my face! The annoying thing is it happened in our bedroom here, not Twisp, which wasn't buggy at all this past weekend. We had a nice dinner party on the deck without getting pestered, but by August, the aggressive yellow jackets make it impossible to eat outside. 

Having been stung a few times, it is the one creature I cannot stand. 

 

A fine weekend

 

Our granddaughters at the Winthrop clothing store where Nova works on Sundays. We had lunch with Maya in town, then dropped off a snack for her hard-working sister. 

Nova is also a life guard and swim instructor at the Twisp pool this summer. Maya just had her first babysitting gig. Which pays quite well these days and little kids naturally love her! Anyway, we are incredibly proud of these lovely girls. 

 

 

Since there were two of us yesterday to close the house and pack up the trash (we carry it back to Seattle)  the work went fast and we got an early start home. Traffic was relatively light. We made the usual stop at Lone Pine and John (also as usual) succumbed to a handsome apple pie. 

 

The garden looks good and the tomatoes went wild, growing halfway up the side of the house.  Thanks, Wendy, for watering!

 

I cut these fragrant lilies for the house yesterday afternoon-- the flowers so heavy they had bent to the ground. 
 

 

 

 

Butterflies, family and friends

 

 

 

After the spring flood two years ago, the river deposited milkweed seeds that sprouted by the sandy beach. It created a natural butterfly garden, specifically attracting the Western Tiger Swallowtail and Two-Tailed Swallowtail. According to Google ID, there is a slight difference between the two pictured above. 

It's amazing how butterflies zero in on a little patch of their favorite food. They are so intent on the flowers, you can take spectacular up-close photos.

 

I got caught up in the 4th of July parade and didn't take many pictures. The parade started with a mounted color guard on stunning Western horses, followed by lots of small town sweetness, blessedly free of blaring politics. It was also longer than parades in the past. The parade has become a highlight of the summer, with crowds of people enjoying the ArtsFest at Twisp Works. 

 

But we walked home after the parade to rest and get ready for the evening party. There were 9 of us--Amanda, Tom and the girls, my brother Dave and friends Bruce and Karen, who are becoming part of the family. It was a perfect evening to eat bratwurst on the deck with baked beans, salads, and watermelon finished off with a blueberry pie John picked up at Lone Pine.  

We went to the Twisp Saturday Market this morning and just taking it easy on this hot afternoon. 

Summertime...

 

And the livin' is easy.  (Once you get here, that is.)

The house was a toasty 88 degrees when I arrived, but the air conditioner has been doing its magic all afternoon and it already feels comfortable at 80. Heat is relative.

I was tired when I left Seattle, but got my second wind on the road. Traffic was still pretty light. Tomorrow is the big holiday rush, but John and Dave should get an early start and be here by early afternoon.

Lone Pine Fruit and Espresso is wonderful this time of year-- cherries, apricots and blueberries in season. Soon the first apples and pears. I bought a heavy bag of fruit for just a few dollars. 

The daisies made it all the way from Seattle. We're planning a big party here on the 4th. 
 

They are not long

 

They are not long, the days of wine and roses:

Out of a misty dream

Our path emerges for a while, then closes

Within a dream. 

Ernest Dowson, "The Days of Wine and Roses" 

A lovely poem. And in Seattle, the summer evenings when you can comfortably sit outside are not long. The yard is teeming with busy insects, but very few of the annoying varieties here, like mosquitoes and wasps. 

Can you even imagine, wide open windows without screens in most parts of the country?

The olive tree is blooming and humming with honey bees visiting from the hives across the street. 

The little stick from the West Seattle Nursery grew into a beautiful tree that has survived many harsh winters and even a vicious ice storm that bent it to the ground.

People always ask me if we "get olives." The answer is yes, thousands of them, about the size of BB's. Our Northwest summers are too cool for fruit to mature. 

I read an article once in the local paper about a persistent gardener who managed to get an olive crop in Seattle. Of course, olives are bitter as gall right off the tree, and have to soaked, cured in brine, etc. etc. so the work is just getting started. I'll stick to Trader Joes and Costco, where I can buy a gallon of them for under $10.