Happy birthdays

 

A pretty smile on Nova's 16th birthday, and perfect weather yesterday for Buchart Gardens. 

And happy birthday today to our lovely Amanda. The family is in Pt. Townsend tonight before heading back to the Methow Valley. 

Sisters, sisters. Where did the time go?

Well, John is on the plane from Cincinnati and I'll pick him up in a few hours. 

The next two days are quite hot, getting up to 90, so naturally there are extreme heat warnings all over the local news. 

When I water, the thirsty birds start chattering at the first sound, especially the chickadees. A  pretty good place to be a birdie, in this hot crowded city. 
 

It starts here

 

I've lived a lucky life and been around the block a few times, but never had much chance to experience firsthand the wonderful world of general aviation. More on that in a minute...

As my readers know, I always share our family news and plans on the blog. But this week, secrets to keep. 

On Wednesday, John flew to Cincinnati to see his sisters, Janice and Rachel. The three of them had planned a surprise visit with their brother and sister-in-law, Dan and Rebecca, living in Zanesville Ohio. Since Dan reads the blog, I couldn't spill the beans here. 

I'm so happy for them. The four siblings are spread out across the country, and this was a rare and special family reunion. 

By lucky chance, Amanda, Tom and the girls had a birthday celebration planned this weekend in Victoria, BC and I made an impulse decision to join them for one night.   

Now, the easiest travel options from Seattle to Vancouver Island are the Victoria Clipper (about 3 hours on the water) or Kenmore Air seaplane flight (under an hour from Lake Union to Victoria's inner harbor) Yes, I took the jet setter option! 

After a rainy, cloudy stretch of days, Friday dawned a spectacular morning for flying. No ceiling, unlimited visibility, in pilot speak. Our rugged aircraft a De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Turbine Otter, a seaplane first introduced when I was 3 years old.  

I sat right behind the pilots and what a trip, observing their skills with all those wonderfully mechanical controls. 

Off we went from Lake Union and within just minutes, Seattle and Puget Sound spread out far below us with breathtaking views all the way to Victoria.

By texting with Amanda, I knew as we flew over the Hood Canal Bridge they were driving beneath at about the same time. 

 And the flight over too soon, with a smooth as silk landing in Victoria's inner harbor. 

 We had a beautiful time together, roaming around the flower and tourist filled city.

 

 

Yes, gallons of Miracle Gro. 

And speaking of growing...Maya soon to be 13 and Nova just turned sweet sixteen. 

We had a fun dinner for Amanda and Nova, whose birthdays are a day apart.

Dinner followed by a little party back at the room. After breakfast together the next morning and a stroll around town, all too soon time to part ways with the family. 

After the kids took off sightseeing I had the best sandwich of my life at Red Fish Blue Fish (grilled wild salmon) then headed to the adjacent Seaplane dock. 

The flight I expected back on the same Otter filled up and left, leaving just three of us behind. This was a bit disconcerting, although the agent said that our flight would be "called" in a few minutes.

 

Sure enough, as if things couldn't get any more exciting, a pilot came in and escorted us to a six-passenger piston de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver. 

After we got settled and briefed in our little seats, the pilot turned to the the dock crew and said, "Now don't cast us off until I know it will start." Good idea, thought I. 

Well, the single engine sputtered to life, and off we flew across the Strait of Juan de Fuca glittering below.

 

 

The water landing in Victoria felt serene, but the pattern over Elliot Bay flies into the heart of downtown Seattle, then quickly descends onto tiny Lake Union. It was pure adrenaline (for me, hopefully not the pilots.) 

Hello Space Needle!

And so ended a perfect and unforgettable 24 hours in Victoria. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As they say

 

Age is just a number. Fun times with my ukulele friends yesterday at WSUP, strumming and singing on the covered patio at The Bridge restaurant in West Seattle. 

That gentleman playing the mean harmonica is our beloved member Cecil, who celebrated his 101st birthday in February. That's right, going on 102, and yes, he still drives himself way across town to play. 

Cecil caught Covid a few weeks ago, spent a couple days in the hospital and then shook it right off. (I want what he's having.) 

Anyway, we're delighted having Cecil back playing. 

Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art.

In other news, August 8th is "Happiness Happens Day." 

Hey. Exciting things happening today but I'll fill you in later-- I'm traveling light sans laptop for a nice change of pace, so photos later. 

Have a good weekend.  

 

 

Miracle Gro or no?

 

 

Scott's Miracle Gro is a synthetic fertilizer and harmful to worms and natural soil microbes. There's quite a controversy in the garden blogging world about using it.  

 

I never pour it on the ground, but I do fertilize the flower pots with Miracle Gro. It gives annuals a tremendous (yes, completely unnatural) boost of chemical nutrients so they keep blooming like crazy.  See petunias above. 

Well, a bit of rain yesterday freshened things up outside. But I was on a roll inside with some overdue housecleaning projects. Since I'm into product recommendation mode this morning, here's one: Swiffer wet cloths for wood floors. 

I never met a Swiffer product I didn't like. Who misses rags and mops?

Early morning dentists, etc.

 

A beautiful morning, but we're waiting for rain tonight and tomorrow. No measurable precipitation in Seattle since late June...ironic, considering our reputation for rain, how Seattle is dry in the summer compared to many parts of the country, where it seems to be raining and/or flooding every few days.

I always schedule my dentist appointments as early as possible. Today everything looks good, other than a tiny gum line filling that fell out. Like everyone my age, I have a mouthful of aging dental work done over the decades by practitioners of varying skill level. For example, a now antique bridge, something my hygienist says isn’t even done anymore (implants instead.)

Fortunately, our nice young dentist isn't one of those who wants to fix things before they are broken. I have a negative bucket list of stuff I never want to experience, including root canals or implants, so I keep up on the preventative appointments. But stuff still happens, and you hope for the best at each visit.

Speaking of dentistry, there's a great article in the New Yorker magazine this week called "Molar City" about a massive business in a Mexican border town near Yuma-- a real assembly line factory of dentistry! Here's a  LINK hopefully you can open it.  

 

Rain?

 

It's so dark this morning there's an almost autumnal feel in the air. We've been spoiled by weeks of sunny blue skies, but might finally get some rain mid week. Not enough for a good soaking, but enough to wet down the surface-- the garden soil is dry as dust, no matter how much I hand water. 

In the Methow Valley on Friday, a welcome deluge from passing thunderstorms helped knock down the local fires. The most worrisome one near Winthrop (Stud Horse Mountain Fire) is now contained to about 75 acres. Talk about manna from heaven...

We have a busy and interesting week coming up, but more on that later.