Feelin' HOT, HOT, HOT

Well, we finally got to experience some real summer heat. On Saturday we were delighted to have my niece, nephew and sister-in-law come over to play. We ate watermelon, played in the sprinkler, tried to stay in the shade, and watched the chickens scratch around. We caped it off with grilled teriyaki chicken, squash, corn on-the-cob, carrots and a nice salad. Though Miss O focused solely on the watermelon and corn. :) Later, after putting the chickens to bed, this is the view I got on my way back to the house.

Phoebe...No, Chick...No, Phoebe?

We are starting to have a little bit of a problem. Phoebe and Chick look remarkably similar. At this point Chick is a little smaller than Phoebe and that's about it. What happens when they're both full grown?

Phoebe is on the left and Chick is on the right

Same here, Phoebe on the left and Chick on the right. Hmm, maybe we can just train them to always stand that way. That would solve the problem.

If I can, anyone can.

It's amazing how good God is. I have aspirations to be crafty and a good gardener and all of that Martha Stewart stuff. But, truth be told, I don't have the time or energy to be anything more than a mediocre weed farmer and an ADD crafter. So, when something survives and thrives in spite of me, I find it truly amazing and indeed a gift from God. There is a hydrangea bush on the shady side of our house. I rarely go over there, but for some reason I did a couple of weeks ago and BAM there were flowers blooming. So, we've had fresh beautiful bouquets in the house! Yay for God!

Flowers for Mary

Flowers for us

How do you know...

...when it's been too long since cleaning the floors? Ew.

Jet noise, the sound of freedom!

The sound of the jets has always been the thing that i've missed most about living on an Air Force Base.

We got a lovely invitation from some of our favorite people to cruise out to Lake Washington to watch the Blue Angels air show. This was a first for us. We've seen the show from Leschi, but never from the water. I still can't believe how many boats were out there. I also can't believe the seeming lack of decency and all common sense that was on display. Teens and twenty-somethings out in boats with friends unaccompanied...where are these parents. How in the world could any parent say, "Sure not-yet or barely legal daughter, take the boat out by yourself. Oh, sure go ahead and go to the air show. Don't forget to bring your bad-influence friends. One more thing, here are some thimbles and dental floss, wouldn't want you to end up with awful tan lines. And be sure to talk to strangers!" I mean, really.

With all of the boats on the water, it was the choppiest we've ever experienced the lake. Unfortunately, the combination of a beer on an empty stomach, very choppy water, and very strong diesel fumes proved to be the perfect storm for my tummy. Too bad for me that the storm struck just as the Angels were starting the show. So, I stayed in the cabin and tried not to toss my cookies. But, E ended up taking some awesome shots. Don't feel bad for me. With a dad who was a 25-year veteran I saw my fair share of air shows, with the Thunderbirds, the Air Force version of the Blue Angels.

Look at all the boats!! Oh yeah, and there's a jet flying by...really, really fast and loud.

This just made us laugh. I love it when people are funny. In case it's not clear, these two boats are the Labrador and the Retriever. :)

From peeps to clucks

During the week we don't get to see too much of the chicks. Just a peek in the morning to let them out and peek at night to lock them back in, the yucky weather doesn't help the situation either. So, when the weekend arrives, we are basically getting a look at 1 week of development from the previous week. This weekend I went out to let the ladies out and was very surprised to hear, not the usual "peeps" that we've been hearing for the last 3 months, but instead little "cluck-clucks." Mrs. Dashwood and Lady Catherine are looking more and more like they are fully grown...and now they are sounding like it too!

Mrs. Dashwood and Lady Catherine, big chickens with fluffy feet.

Ten paces, then turn and fire.

Phoebe and Lady Catherine

This is chick (haven't come up with a name more in keeping with her sisters).

Here's Chick, looking at the camera. I never really thought about the fact that chickens can't see in front of them really well. So, they have to turn their heads to look at something.

Pretty little maids all in a row.

The ends.

What is Seafair anyway?

Among other things, Seafair is a celebration of Seattle's rich sea-faring history. The event culminates during the last couple of weeks with the Torchlight Parade, hydro races, and an air show by the US Navy Blue Angels. Another happening is Fleet Week. Military ships sail into the sound, dock at one of the piers, and allow the public to take tours. Pretty cool. It's a lot like the air shows of my childhood. There were always lots of planes and jets that you were allowed to climb in and check out. The boat pictures below were taken from the conference room at my office. I'd have gotten better pictures, but I was stuck in a meeting.

Here are two of the military ships coming into port. The one in the lead is a Destroyer and the other one is called a Transport ship.

Here is a closer image of the Transport ship. Whenever they bring the Navy ships into port all of the sailors line the deck and stand at attention. Neato.

I had to include this one, Lake Sammamish at sunset. (sigh) Too bad our "summer" is rapidly coming to a close. :(

6 blissful years

E and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary last weekend (7/27). We spent time with friends (Ted and Jennifer) whose anniversary is on the same weekend. Each year they throw a huge party to celebrate and we usually don't get to go...because we generally like to spend our anniversary in a bit more romantic fashion. Anyway, we thought camping would be good fun, so we spent Saturday afternoon and night camping about 30 minutes from our house.

What you should know is that Jennifer is a personal chef. That means that we weren't eating chili from a can. What we did have was beer can chicken basted with something ridiculously yummy, a lamb roast rubbed with rosemary and lavender, and the masterpiece, a pork roast that was spiked with garlic and rosemary and rubbed with smoked paprika. It was amazing. The pork and the lamb were roasted over a spit that they brought with them. These are not "ultra-light" campers by any means. :)

Sooooo good. The smells wafting off of these things made the vegetarian among us pause to take it in.

Nothing like a chicken with a beer can stuck in its tuchas (it was Rainier, in case you were wondering).

The sides were perfect compliments, a tabouli-like salad made with bulgar, a cheese ravioli salad, and my favorite, a roasted vegetable salad.

My niece, Miss O, was there for her first camping experience. Though they didn't sleep over, her little brother was at home feeling under-the-weather, O and her mom did all of the requisite camping things. We roasted hotdogs on sticks, went for a hike by the river, set up tents (and some of us took naps in them), made s'mores and sat around the fire chatting. All-in-all, a good first experience for Miss O.

This was a lovely, spontaneous victory stance from Miss O. I have no idea what she's celebrating, but wanted to document it just the same.

My boys, Mel and E. Mel morphs into a mountain goat whenever we are negotiating precarious rocks. He scrambles over them like a pro...this is unfortunate for the poor soul who holds the leash and tries to keep up.

On Sunday, our actual anniversary, we ended up taking a 3.5 hour nap...aparently we are out of practice as sleeping in our tent. Regardless, it was a memorable weekend. Thanks to Ted and Jennifer for including us in their celebration and helping to make ours. Happy anniversary, Honey.

My funny nephew

My nephew Jacob is a funny little guy. Since he lives up in North Pole, Alaska, I get most of my stories second hand, but they're still funny and worth sharing a couple of my faves.

This one happened while on the phone with his uncle, Barry, who lives in Anchorage. Barry was going to work and had to drive past a security guard to get into the parking lot. He had brought some cookies and offered one to the security guard. Here's the conversation with Jacob right after...

Jacob: Uncle Barry, you've got cookies?
Barry: Yeah buddy, I brought some to work.
Jacob: Can I have a cookie Uncle Barry?
Barry: Gosh buddy, I don't think I can get one through the phone.
Jacob: Well, maybe you could try!
Barry: Well, okay, just a second.
(audible scratching noises from Barry's end of the phone)
Barry: Sorry buddy, I don't think it worked. All I've got are crumbs on my phone.
Jacob: Aw, I wish I had crumbs in my ear.

I'll preface this next one with the fact that they have cable at Jacob's house and he watches Animal Planet and other shows. I can only hope that is where this gem came from.

After using a shared helmet at a kids fair rock climbing wall, Jacob ended up with head lice. Ew. But his mom and grandma were diligent about exterminating the nasty little things. So, while his mom was working on rinsing his hair after a "treatment" this conversation occurs...

Jacob: Mom, how many legs do lice have?
Mom: Six I think.
Jacob: You know, you can eat anything with six legs.

Yeah, he's a pretty funny kid.

We miss you Jacob, Audrey and Olin!