Morning Walks

Who needs to travel to the rain forest when there's rain forest just around the corner?

Jeanne standing among massive ferns. Yes, she is standing up!

The trail was quite steep and turned out to be very aerobic carrying camera and tripod.

A beautiful little stream that winds its way down to the Puget Sound.

The obligatory slug photo. They grow 'em big around here.

This is just one of several walks within a mile of the house.

Leaving My Mark On Seattle

Jeanne and I love to take morning walks. There are beach walks, forest walks, river walks, it's really great. The other day we decided to hike through the woods down to a creek that winds its way to the Puget Sound. There was a little "pull off" on the side of the road where perhaps 3 cars could park (not exactly a parking lot), so we parked and got on our way. The path was steep, not well travelled and beautiful. It was a great aerobic workout along with nature in all its splendor. Upon returning to the car we noticed that in our absence local painting crews had painted the center line on the roadway. I needed to turn left out of the turnout and the cones protecting the paint were very far apart. We had been gone about an hour and there was no sign of the paint crew so I made an assumption that the paint was probably dry enough to drive over (I forgot we are in Seattle - it probably takes days for paint to dry). Anyway, long story short, bad decision, as you can see. Worse, the paint crew was about 1/2 a mile down the road and I'm sure they were staring at our tires as we drove past.

Trip To Vampire Country

As some of you know, Emily was quite a "Twilight" fan. I say "was" because, well, she's not any more, but having been a fan she still has friends in Pennsylvania who are big fans who demanded of her that she visit the setting for the books and send them pictures. One Saturday we decided to make the trip to Forks - which - no matter where you are is a VERY LONG TRIP. Our intention was to board the ferry in Edmonds and make the drive from Kingston through Port Angeles. The line for the ferry was VERY long and there was a chance we wouldn't get on even the next one which was an hour away. You know how Rodger HATES TO WAIT so off we drove, around Olympia, out to Aberdeen and up Highway 1. Very beautiful. Very LONG! It was a "day trip" I suppose, since it all happened in one day, but it did take 13 hours and that was with a little luck. We drove up to the Kingston ferry as the cars were unloading and were on in 15 minutes. I have vowed to return to the coast when there weather is better (whenever that is) to take some additional pictures. It is absolutely breathtaking out there.

The driftwood on the coastal beaches was quite a sight.

The walk down to the beaches was as magical as the beaches themselves. This is "rain forrest" country and the beauty is remarkable.

This was a spectacular beach located just before northbound Hwy 1 leaves the coast headed inland toward Forks (and Forks is still an hour away from Port Angeles if that gives you any sense of distance).

I wanted to visit Crescent Beach and Salt Creek Campground outside of Port Angeles. Jeanne had taken the kids to the place many times when we lived in the Seattle area years ago but I had never gotten the chance to go. Turns out it was magical - everything they'd ever told me it was (and that was a lot!).Jeanne and Rodger - snug as two, well "bugs in a rug" doesn't make sense and though "hogs in a log" does rhyme - well, you get my point. We still like each other a lot!

Blue Ribbon #3

Based on the title you'd think I'm some kind of great chef or something - but in fact, it's not me but the receipe that's won 3 blue ribbons now. It's Annies receipe for Pineapple Chille which won it's first blue ribbon at the Lancaster II Ward Chille Cookoff in February 2008 and the third (that we know of) was won tonight in the Meadowdale, WA Ward Men's Chille Cookoff. When the signup sheets came along, there was a category for "Most Unusual" so it seemed this receipe would be great for that. When I showed up to the cookoff the category stated "Most Original." I felt bad and confessed the receipe wasn't "original" to me. They let me compete and, well, Win! I bar-b-qued the marinated pork loin and it was umm umm good, kept snitching the whole time I was cutting it up. Added a a little "Crushed Red Pepper" (dehydrated) for a little more "zing" and it's another Blue Ribbon. Thanks for the receipe Annie. I love you!

A Beautiful Story Without Words

You've got to love Seattle!

The Epiphany

So, this morning, I had an epiphany.
As I'm unloading yet another box (how do we have so much stuff??) I find a tablecloth. Jeanne is in the shower getting ready to go to lunch and shopping with Claudia (I'm so jealous, but they're probably tired of having a guy tag along) so I open the shower door and ask, "where do you keep the tablecloths?" To which Jeanne replies, "You know we probably have to reorganize the entire pantry." I become rather narrowly focused and say something like, "I just want to know where to put this tablecloth!" to which she replies, "oh, I think we put those in the buffet in the dining room." As I'm descending the stairs from the bedroom to the kitchen, feeling a little frustrated that I can't just get a simple answer to a simple question, I have an epiphany. To Jeanne, my question is not a simple question. Her vision and thought processes are expansive and comprehensive at the very time mine are limited and narrow. My question opened a vision to her about something that inevitably will need to be done and will include the object of my question. It occurred to me that I LOVE JEANNE for, among other things, her creativity and she can't have that creativity without expansive vision, even regarding my simple-minded questions. I hope to remember that in the future and try to delve into her creative responses rather than reduce everything to simple and now and also be filled with love everytime her answers make no sense to me realizing I'm the simpleton! (PS - you all may need to remind me of that occasionally. Feel free!)

Arriving In Seattle

Well - after a cross-country trip, Jeanne and I have arrived in Seattle.We have a house to live in - at least temporarily. We are "caretakers" for a house that has been on the market for 400 days and can live here (very reasonably) until the house sells.
The house has BEAUTIFUL views and is a nice house. 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths and a family room and office.
Supposedly it is 4000 sq. feet, but we wound up with boxes and boxes of stuff that didn't fit! Guess we had more room in PA. We initiated the place with a little pizza party with Bill & Mary Ellen, Mike & Debbie's family and Bob and Lucy. It's so GREAT to be so close to everyone.
The back of the house is pretty much all windows which makes for spectacular views of the Puget Sound and Olympic mountains.
Emmy has bee able to see her cousins more in a couple days than in a couple years. Jeanne and I had lunch on Friday with Hal and Claudia Bennett. We have missed them sooo much. We went to Ivar's on the water front in Seattle and loved the food and company.
Of course at the same time we miss our friends in PA and hope many of you will visit us in Seattle! I'll update the next blog with pictures of the house FURNISHED!