6.9.10
Summer Scoop: In no special order, here are a few highlights of the summer...The A Team
Alice, Adam (Si's old friend) and Arwyn visited us from Paparoa, New Zealand. They stayed a week, wandered through the city and were the most delightful house guests! They tidied and bought us a new bbq (as seen here). A good time was had by all.
Visit from John and Mary, from New Zealand!
Simon's aunt and uncle visited from Ngatia, New Zealand. We visited the Snoqualmie Falls and enjoyed a day trip complete with a big dinner at the Crab Pot. A table full of crab, shellfish, potatoes, corn and more. A real feed! We also had them over for breakfast and learned much about the family's farming history. It was too short of a trip.
Jumping for Alison's birthday!
We celebrated Alison's birthday by playing at Skyhigh. It's a giant trampoline world where there's much to do in just an hour!
Meeting Cordelia Violet Swan Wall
My beautifully happy God daughter from Vancouver. She's an international traveler and sporting the cool onesie from her favorite auntie.
Men at work
We decided to do some work to the main kids room at Lakebay. Here the guys are rebuilding the bunk beds so that a double can fit on the bottom bed. Better for growing families! The men were hard at work!
Say Aaaaaah!
Amalia, is our "only" as Kai's babies live back east; so she is like baby TV to us. At family gatherings, we just can't get enough. Here she is with the "Anti" Marcy, and they just love, love, love eachother.
Hiking with Peter, Dee and Si...
In July, we spent a day hiking with our great friends, Peter and Dee. They led us to a trail up in the Snoqualmie area. The sun was hot as we trodded up the steep hill and the last mile was tricky as it was quite rocky. But, as the mountain breeze whizzed by us, it was so worth it to get to the top. Beautiful mountain ranges surrounded us. The best reward after a big climb!
14.8.10
Neighborly Love of Rainier Beach
Living in an urban concrete jungle like Capitol Hill, in an apartment/condo building, the neighborly conditional love was always a bit edgy- at least in our building. One neighbor who always seemed to bring baked goods, was often "fishing" for information and/or being nosey. I will say our neighbors and good friends Ann and Frank, who lived upstairs were the best part of our building. I always yearn for a community of neighborly love.
Now, that we are in a neighborhood with families around us, some traffic and lots of activity, I have made it a point to get to know the neighbors on our street. If anyone walks by our home, I'll talk to them, making small talk and hoping to create a more friendly feel. One young teen walking by commented on how I was being so "cordial" to everyone. I'm happy he recognized it!
Two houses down lives a really sweet family. Derrick and his three daughters with their friendly wife, had a garage sale and I ventured down to peek it out. Earlier in the week, Simon went over to their house for a quick electrical fix that allowed them to use their bedroom light switch which had originally been erroneously installed. There was no light for 3 years! They were elated to have the light corrected.
Today, Simon completed the cement pouring in our garage. As he was nearing the time when help was needed (and I wasn't home), Derrick showed up, offered his help and the job was done. Neighborly love.
Now, that we are in a neighborhood with families around us, some traffic and lots of activity, I have made it a point to get to know the neighbors on our street. If anyone walks by our home, I'll talk to them, making small talk and hoping to create a more friendly feel. One young teen walking by commented on how I was being so "cordial" to everyone. I'm happy he recognized it!
Two houses down lives a really sweet family. Derrick and his three daughters with their friendly wife, had a garage sale and I ventured down to peek it out. Earlier in the week, Simon went over to their house for a quick electrical fix that allowed them to use their bedroom light switch which had originally been erroneously installed. There was no light for 3 years! They were elated to have the light corrected.
Today, Simon completed the cement pouring in our garage. As he was nearing the time when help was needed (and I wasn't home), Derrick showed up, offered his help and the job was done. Neighborly love.
25.7.10
Visiting the Maryland and DC!
This year, I decided to make an annual trip to Maryland to see Kai, Sarah, Reagan and Campbell. While visiting, not only did I get lots of babysitting time in and enjoyed great family time, but I also spent one night in DC and loved my days wandering around. What an incredible city!
Museums!
DC has many cool and *free* museums, which feature so much of our nation's blood. At one small museum, I enjoyed an exhibit called "The Art of Gaman" and featured art from several Japanese American internment camps. The art was often made of whatever materials were available- wood (for carvings), wire (for making small miniature flowers and sculptures) and many hand crafted sewing projects. The exhibit was truly moving. (Unfortunately, pictures weren't allowed- oops, but I got a few). Not only did I find an emotional place in my heart for these pieces, but I was again, reminded of the great struggle that my grandparents and so many others endured during WW2.
In this photo, a montage of Martin Luther King Jr's work was represented. I could have stared at this piece for hours!
In the National Museum of Art Gallery, there was an entire exhibit dedicated to the Virgin Mary. While I am not necessarily religious, I consider myself spiritual and the expressions of the various Mary's was engaging, rich and so beautiful. I took many pictures of Mary with or without child, but here's one that really spoke to me:
I took so many pictures, I can't load them all... I ended the day wandering through one of many outdoor art sculpture parks. I stumbled upon the "Tree of Wishes"
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