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.