My family and I had so much fun on vacation and even made time to craft. With a few river rocks and some acrylic paint, paint pens and imagination, we made a bunch of cute desktop doo-dads. The “fairy house” I painted (upper lefthand corner) will end up in a miniature fairy garden that my daughter and I have yet to make.
My sis-in-law found a flip-flop rock – ridges in the right spot for the “thong” part. The Converse-inspired rock for my nephew might be my favorite.
Our Monday Mugshots prompt on July 15 was “Freedom”.
I celebrated my 40th birthday on Monday with a bike ride to the botanic gardens from my home and back (36.5 miles total). Now that’s freedom – to ride with the wind in my face on a bike path with woodland forests and prairies. (Nevermind that it was crazy humid and hot by noon.) Had pastry and fresh fruit for breakfast – hubby and the kids met me at the garden for a picnic.
Later, we visited our favorite tea spot – way too hot outside for hot tea. We opted for some iced Samba de Rio (blended green tea with mango, pineapple and yellow rose buds) and an Arnold Palmer. The window decor from July 4th was still up with the red, white, and blue mugs in the background.
June 17: A few nights before we left for vacation. That day was warm and maybe even humid. Everyone had gone to sleep, I was busy tying up loose ends, and I remember wanting to drink something cold. Naturally, I found the closest thing to winter – a picture of my dog-in-law, Graham. In my mug: Bourbon and branch, my late-night drink of choice nowadays.
June 24: Very quiet morning on our vacation. Part I: Leavenworth, WA. My sister-in-law rented a beautiful lodge for all of us to stay in. Twelve of us altogether (missing two others, bummer.) This was also where my pink eye was wreaking havoc. Terrible. So, I exiled myself one day and rested.
Spent a little time thinking about what I might do, if I could spend my day doing anything and money was no object. Easy to do out in the woods and no internet. Once again, my thoughts wandered around: art studio, designing with paper, designing fabric, teaching classes, or maybe owning a kitschy lifestyle-home shop. What about combining bikes, coffee, art…
July 1: Traveled to Woodinville, WA for a day trip with my husband, kids, niece, and nephew. Traded in my mug for a wine glass and relaxed at Chateau Ste. Michelle.
(Columbia Winery is just across the street, but too grown-up/clubhouse-y for the kids. Note to self: visit next time without them.)
July 2: (bonus) Coffee at a favorite spot, Valhalla Coffee Company in Tacoma, WA. It’s like they knew I was coming that morning – the music playlist included Chicago, Air Supply, Bee Gees. Awesome. Of course, that doesn’t mean my husband immersed himself in nostalgia, but that’s okay. He seemed to enjoy me geeking out, and we talked vinyl records and open playlist night with another customer who owns a local bar.
That morning Valhalla offered a Uganda Bukonzo off the regular menu. My husband and I could not get over the unique cherry flavor. It wasn’t too acidic, and not too fruity, either. Fantastic balance. So we brought home a pound.
July 8: Relaxing back at home with a bin full of mail and tea in my favorite little footed mug.
Hello, friends. We loved every minute of our two week adventure in the Pacific Northwest… except for my week of pink eye. Grrr. But all is well. Consider this just a portion of our memories. I hope one day my kids appreciate the pictures I take – not just of them, but these little landscapes and close-ups. I just think that there’s just so much world to admire and enjoy.
Sitting down to look at my father-in-law’s architectural sketches
Used to be able to see Mount Rainier from my brother-in-law’s backyard. Trees grow, I guess.
The flowers always seem so vibrant here…
…and so do the fruit.
See what I mean, vibrant fruit.
Let’s not forget to snack while we walk Pike Place Market. These were amazing.
Gratuitous bike shot, sorry.
Quiet time in the mountains.
Where we stayed. This pic is like an ad for Acura (which we all drive).
The stores and food, just too much deliciousness.
And you can’t beat the views.
We did hit up some cool educational spots, like the Museum of Flight.
Scrumptiouness everywhere in this Cakery!
Are you enjoying your summer?
I’m heading out of town with my family… and ready to bring snippets of beautiful scenery, cool shops, and awesome food pics straight to you. Here are a few shots from last year.
See what I mean, gorgeous, just gorgeous. We love the Pacific Northwest.
So, while you so patiently hang around, this is what I like to bring with me when I travel. Aside from the “mom purse” full of fruit snacks, crayons and markers, and medicine:
Hello, friends. What’s been going on with you? It’s finally Spring!! Tell me I’m not the only one running around with soccer games, t-ball games and trying to do stuff outside the house.
In some few spare moments, I made progress on sewing projects until my iron blew up on me. Oops. But, thankfully, before that happened I taught my big kid how to use the sewing machine for a class project. (She can sew!) We didn’t get snippy with each other – I’m grateful for that. Because you know, it’s so easy to get frustrated teaching your own kid.
Took a break from sewing and worked in the garden beds and in the wasteland of our very clayey backyard. (Clayey, it’s a legit soils engineering word.)
Then – ouch. Not in my back, but my hands. It took a few weeks to shake off. (I’m sad about that. Means I’m getting old.)
Working the soil on your own was pretty satisfying, and I thought I did pretty well all things considered. But basically, I was using muscles in my hands that haven’t been stressed for a while, and it didn’t occur to me that they would hurt so much. It was pretty unpleasant for someone with a high threshold for discomfort. So I started to wonder if this was it… arthritis. It’s prevalent in my family. Are my genes catching up to me? (Did I ever write about being tested for rheumatoid arthritis? I’m good. No signs.)
I even made sure I wore my wrist braces to sleep (yes, both wrists) to make sure I didn’t wake up with numb hands. (Yeah, carpal tunnel too.) So when I woke up the next morning with awfully sore hands, I thought, okay, let’s take some Advil and all will be well. Right hand, good. Left hand, not so good. So, there’s been a slowdown of sewing/work around the house. But, I’m glad to say, my hands have returned to mostly-normal.
We were gone for a few days… visited friends, worked on bicycles. So. Much. Fun.
