What a party!

 

We have a flight to catch this morning, so I'll fill you in on the details when we get back to Seattle. In the meantime, a picture is worth a thousand words. Happy 98th birthday, Dad! It was an epic party.

Desert view

 

We're in North Las Vegas at a hotel about 2 miles from my sister's home. We actually have a nice room, although the view of busy Ann Road and the hotel pool not exactly Las Vegas postcard material. 

The Strip is about 45 minutes south of here. Frankly, it's been years since we set foot down there, other than driving through to the airport gawking at the new hotels and occasional showgirl on the sidewalk. 

With the weekend crowds and heat, the thought of tackling The Strip is pretty overwhelming. I like it much better out here, and anything you possibly want is within a mile or so. As for gambling, the machines eat my money as fast as I can shove it in and I'm not quick enough at numbers to play Blackjack anymore without becoming the table embarrassment. No fun in that.

Everything went well yesterday, flight left Seattle on time and SeaTac not nearly as busy as we expected for the start of the holiday weekend. The longest line all day was 45 minutes for John at the rental car desk in Las Vegas. But everyone was friendly and helpful long the way. 

It is hot. Record heat for this late in the summer-- close to 110 for the next few days. Honestly though, the sun is already at a gentler angle, and by late afternoon it's actually kind of pleasant to sit outside and enjoy the warmth, like a bun in a low oven.  Might as well enjoy because this is the warmest we're going to be for another year. 

A couple of busy days ahead. We're going with Dad and Marji for lunch today at Firerock Steakhouse, just around the corner. And tomorrow night, Marji has planned an amazing party with a barbecue and lots of friends and neighbors to celebrate Dad's 98th birthday!

More pictures later. I'm going to check out that pool now.

First day of school

 

Amanda said Maya was a bit nervous but the first day was great. She really likes her teacher, and Nova so excited about going back she was up and dressed at 6 am this morning.

I'll be off-line for a couple of days. The holiday weekend is a dicey time to fly with millions of other people, but there's a big birthday party in Las Vegas we can't miss. Wish us luck getting there and back!

More on that later...

Wrapping up

 

 

August is wrapping up hot in Seattle-- almost 90 today and tomorrow. This jungle is an overgrown flower bed I'll have to clean out at some point.

I'm wary of ground-nesting hornets when things get this wild. Just one memorable encounter a few decades ago was all it took. But the good insects swarm the garden in the hot afternoon sun, a happy sight. Unless you do something really dumb, those busy bees don't waste their little lives stinging people.  

 

They especially love Autumn Sedums, also know as Upright Stonecrop. I can't say enough good things about that plant, which has taken over huge swaths of the beds. Carefree and beautiful almost year round.

Another view from my chair under the tomato plants. So much vegetation! Exceptionally wet spring + hot weather = rampant growth. Today I get a bid from another arborist about the tree trimming. That should wrap up the major outdoor projects until next year. Other than yard clean up when all of this beauty becomes a soggy mess.

Short but sweet

We had the family for dinner on Saturday, and in the morning, time to take "Scootie" out for a little spin before they left.

A big hit especially with fearless Maya, who rides it like a pro.

Have these girls ever grown. Nova catching up with her mom...

And already there with me. After a wonderful summer of vacations and camping, off to 8th and 4th grade soon.

Both sides now

 

Late summer garden scenes. Lovely carefree sedums starting to turn color. Plums and a jungle of green tomatoes. It rained overnight-- how nice.

Our next door neighbor, who watches everything, rushed over after Mr. Nguyen cut the hedge and said "he's getting better at it every year." One of those odd compliments, but it does look pretty good. Of course she wanted to know how much it cost and wants him to cut the top of their gigantic laurel, if the price is right. Her husband artistically trims the sides each fall, one noisy leaf at a time. It looks like perfection, for a little while. These days I'm into good enough.

It's noisy on both sides now. They're finishing the school addition across the street, and across the alley, the big ADU under construction since before the pandemic, putting in a parking area that requires lots of pounding. All construction seems to require lots of pounding. Or nail guns.

There was an article in the NYT recently about how "quiet" is an economic class issue and a luxury. Rich people expect it as a given in their homes and neighborhoods. Lower income areas are noisy and folks are uncomfortable with silence. Really? I don’t buy that.  We're neither rich nor poor, but quiet is lovely. I read somewhere that in Bill Gate's big old Medina house, the bedroom was lined with lead for sound stage silence at night. Go figure.

That's about all the news. Amanda and Tom are here this weekend, having a good time in the big city. I'm making a chicken dinner for everyone Saturday night, and looking forward to that. John and I haven't seen the girls for a few weeks.