The best show in town

 

 

We sat in front of the big window yesterday afternoon with our new neighbors and watched a tremendous storm. Violent lightening, thunder, wind, and best of all, drenching rain falling on the wildfires. It was more moisture in a couple of hours than the valley has seen all summer.

Unlike mellow Seattle, everything here happens in extremes. Heat, cold, drought, snow, rain.  Unfortunately, thousands of acres are stripped of soil-saving vegetation, which led to flash flood warnings for creeks and streams off the burn zones. 

We watched "our" river rise in front of the house, although a summer storm is a piece of cake for the mighty Methow, which efficiently drains the North Cascade mountains. But the smaller waterways can become dangerous. 

We watched this blessing with our new friends, and it was an unforgettable experience. We agreed it was best evening we've had all summer. Good company, good wine and the best seat in the house.

And the turkey family looked delighted.

 

We walked up to the Saturday market and everyone was in high spirits. Nice seeing people back in town enjoying themselves, instead of hunkering down inside.

 We're not out of the woods yet, but at this point the outlook is improving and the North Cascades Highway reopened. Before long, snow will close it once again for the winter. 

And the seasons, they go round and round...

John heads back to Seattle tomorrow, but I'm staying until Tuesday to take care of a few more things. The house is starting to feel homey. It's chilly today, and we just tested the furnace. Thumbs up.

Quiet morning

 

It's a quiet morning after a jam-packed few days. John arrived and we're hanging out at the house and around town.  I invited some neighbors over later this afternoon.

The girls are going to Wentachee overnight on a school shopping trip with their friends, staying in a motel with a swimming pool. They are very excited, Maya most of all, because she is getting her ears pierced on Saturday. She was supposed to wait until she was 10, like Nova, but the nagging must have paid off.  Ha ha.

We might even get some welcome rain tonight and tomorrow. The smoke situation has improved and I've had the windows open all week, although it changes hour-to-hour depending on the wind.

I've enjoyed watching the wildlife as always.  The turkey family kids are almost grown up. Turkeys must be excellent parents, because they've all made it to the teenage stage. There's also a big bevy? of quail running around in that comical way, like they don't know where the heck they're going.

The river is about as low as it gets. You could almost, but not quite, wade across in places. Don't try it, Maya, says Nana.

Town of Twisp

The smoke situation is better for now, thank goodness, but town still feels deserted. On a typical summer day, Glover Street looks more like this picture.  

Why stop in Twisp?  Well, there's a bakery, gourmet grocery store, art gallery, coffee roaster, community center, the TwispWorks campus. And a popular Saturday market. A few specialty shops. A Mexican and pizza restaurant, also a gas station with a sub shop and salad bar. But if you want fast food, it's 40 mile drive to McDonald’s. I don't how long they can keep it that way. There is an ugly rumor about a Dollar General Store opening out on the highway.

The Valley is changing, especially the northern section which is a big destination for pricey outdoor sports. Biking in the summer, skiing in the winter. During the pandemic, the area attracted high tech money from Seattle, reflected in the building boom and soaring real estate prices for second homes. 

I drove up Mazama yesterday with the girls, and it's starting to feel like a miniature rustic Sun Valley. We went to the fancy store that everyone raves about and found it quite unfriendly. Then the swarms of yellow jackets on the toney espresso patio sent us packing back to Twisp.

Twisp still has a small town feel, and I've already met some my neighbors and exchanged contact information. I invited a couple over on Friday afternoon when John is here. That would never happen so fast in Seattle.

Early morning is the nicest time here and I've frittered away an hour with my laptop looking out the window at the sun coming up. Time to get moving. The air looks decent and Nova is going to help mow. Another busy day ahead with the girls.

River house

 

Pretty light on the hills last night at sunset when I walked home from dinner. The drive yesterday was as good as it gets. I took my time, the weather was fine and traffic light on the mountain passes. I left the house at 6 am. The worst part is getting in and out of Seattle.

When you finally pull in the driveway, that nice "ah" feeling finding everything just as you left it. I've brought more personal things over, so it feels more like our home instead of someone else's vacation rental. That part is still sinking in, that I can do whatever I want here. Put a picture on that wall? No problem.

I hosed light ash off the outdoor chairs and deck, the inside seems to stay cleaner than our house in Seattle. Not much dust. Maybe because this manufactured home is 4 years old instead of over 100. And not stuffed with old furniture, rugs and fabric.

We really caught a break with the weather and smoke-- at least for now. It's cool and breezy this morning. The bedroom window is open and I just watched some deer walk by. 

What a change from the smoky triple digits, when everything was closed tight and the AC roaring. But despite the clouds, there's only a slight chance of rain this week and wind is bad news with fires still burning. One day at a time. 

The girls will be with me most of the time so I'll be busy. School starts next week and it can't come soon enough for both parents and kids.

 

 

Late summer pleasures

 

 Chili relllanos made from scratch with our Anaheim peppers. A labor-intensive project but oh my goodness delicious. 

No complicated Mexican heritage recipe-- just a thrifty fritter batter from my 1967 Betty Crocker cookbook. Reminds me of mom, who used to make delicious apple fritters fried in shortening (or lard) dusted with powdered sugar. 

Simple: 2 egg yolks blended with a cup of flour and 2/3 cup milk. Teaspoon of salt.  Beat the 2 egg whites until stiff and then fold together. A tidy recipe with nothing wasted. 

I used a pricey fry combination of olive and avocado oil that mom would have found strange, along with these "battered" hot peppers. Incredible as it seems, we didn't eat Mexican food until Taco Bell came along in the late 1960's.

In other local news, Mr. Nguyen Oriental Gardener trimmed the laurel hedge again. This is the second year his helper? partner? slave? accomplished the job in a few hours with no muss, no fuss. We've had some real drama queens over the years so I feel lucky. 

He even did a complimentary edging on the sidewalk (which bothers him more than it does us) so I gave him a big tip. I might seek his help this fall with the massive fall clean up.

The garden is still attractive for August, I guess because there are more mature plants and shrubs now. I have pictures from 20 years ago that would blow your mind, the flowers in this bed were so incredible. How did I do it?  Well, I was younger then and you could always count on summer rain. 

We've coming up on 2 months now without any watering moisture. With these dry summers, it would be impossible to grow giant gunneras and 10-foot lilies.

When all is said and done, I like how things have naturally evolved. Very little about this garden was ever planned. It's like plant archaeology, one layer on top of the other, survival of the fittest. Everything must adapt, and along with it, our expectation of what is beautiful. It is beautiful sitting outside on a warm dry early evening, which used to be a rare treat in Seattle. You always needed a jacket on summer evenings. Preferably a rain jacket. 

Have you noticed how the mornings are getting darker? The starlings starting to gather in groups, which means fall is around the corner. 

I'm driving to Twisp early tomorrow morning, and John plans to join me later in the week for a couple of days. Another carload to take over to the house. This is the last week before the girls go back to school, so we'll hang out by the river while Amanda is working. 

Apples and lavender

 

A happy-sounding blog title for what's shaping up to be a miserable day.

A pretty sight. So many apples the branches are drooping. Last summer (stuck at home) I thinned them out and got fewer but larger fruit. I never got around to it this spring.

The heat-loving lavender grew to a beautiful, freakish size and was a feast for the eyes and bees. I filled a big jar yesterday with dried flower heads. It smells wonderful in the bedroom, but it was so hot we spent the night downstairs in the double bed, tossing and turning with the air purifier running.

Why complain about things you have no control over? But Friday the13th is a bad luck weather day with temperatures in the mid 90's again. We're supposed to stay inside with the windows closed (yea, right) because unhealthy levels of smoke blanket the entire state.

We just peeked out the backdoor at another rather terrifying red sunrise. And end-of-the-world looking thing. John said maybe our younger neighbors will drop by to check on the "old couple on the corner." Ha.