to Leavenworth for Chooch's birthday

Cherry pie making with Chooch.....

Papa Teen in the garage with "the sound of a Model T running"...

Deception Falls

and here is a short video of the kayakers (i missed the best shot...Sue got it!)......and a funny moment at the closed trail....good thing there is a wide shoulder!

an afternoon in the garden with Mia

we started on the roof garden where she delivered ripe tomatos to me in my chair(sipping coffee) we read a couple of books and planned the compost toilet room in sunnywood school....she has some ideas and i think there may be a nautical theme involved. then we were on the front for a picnic (she requested photos of the rabbits she provided with carrots) on to some fun with snakes and finally artwork while grandma watched the mariners take the series from the yankees....

and who can forget the walkoff (Ichiro !!)in the 9th against Mariano Rivera in the first game.?!! only once ever before (since he joined the yankees in 1990) in 1997. wow...

so we had a great time....Mia picked her door (across from Claudias) where we will put her drawings and photos....

cherries and raspberries

i'm eating the glacier cherries now...a pretty good young tree crop and very tasty. the vans will not be far behing and the montmorencys are coming fast too. the raspberries are full speed ahead and i better get those grandkids over for a foragefest. they love the "jungle food" as they call it.



and more from the jungle...the native wild blackberries are coming on...one of these years i will get a pie!!!!!

Sista retreat 2009

we had another great year...what a treat to enjoy time with Lucy....she is amazing and so good natured ...she charmed everyone she met. they loved her at Bud's in St Marys

i spent a good deal of time opening up the old orchard trail again....(3rd year)...and have made a new path in on the driveway side each year and then improved existing trails with in the old orchard and up to yurt site #1... oh and site of new orchard and vegie garden......not to mention view extraordinaire....the interior decorators, sistas b (Linda) and d (Kathy), and Te worked their magic. Kathy will be composting food waste.....yah!!!!!!!! i almost read a book, WORLD MADE BY HAND and listened to the first few chapters of THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA i will be asking my friend Bill, the farmer, if his ruminants are grass feed. i may, at least for the short term, consider a new energy star freezer and the eating of some beef. Chad has shown interest in producing some beef jerky. oh and sista d, here is the dehydrator operation i spoke of.......

back to books.....i'm old enough to draw social security and still working on following thru...we'll see......oh and had the pleasure of some awesome baseball by my Mariners

what a great week. thanks Mary and Steve (great guitar and songs) and i look forward to seeing your new house next year and can't wait to see the gardens.....the neighborhood was so great and the trees!!!!!

and what a great couple of days with Mom and Dad in Leavenworth, Cashmere (dinner) Wenatchee for Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs great big fun!!!! thanks sista c



i also had the pleasure of a cougar hunt on the golf course with Chooch and another chat with Papa Teen and his now, 2 years later, not so new best friend... (2yrsago) .....checked in with Chooch on this one again too.





Te's Photos.....she got some great ones! thanks Te

Tulips by Catherine

here are some amazing photos by my friend Catherine of the annual tulip show. what a difference from my last post about floods!

ferndale floods

start with a comparison shot from a summer day at centennial riverwalk park/farmer's market













we drove into town over the river
and got a few shots....back out at deer creek the road washed out on one side



just leaving deer creek development turning onto axton heading into ferndale ......these people are not supposed to have water in their yards! soon the road will probably close on main street (on the east side of freeway)




more video here



our route to look at flood.....












The Bellingham Herald has some great shots from the air here

raw apple cake

this is a great recipe...the photos were take over a couple of batches... this recipe is quick mix and bake and lots of variety in ingredients always come out good

Raw apple cake

4 cups chopped apples
1 cup sugar
2 cups chopped nuts (can also use part seeds, my favorite unsalted sunflower)
2 ½ cups flour (any combination of types)
2 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

mix dry ingredients…

blend together:
½ cup oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

and add to dry ingredients (sometimes I add ½ cups of raisins or such and will add
another egg and a little more oil to mix easier)

in a greased 9 x 13 pan bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven