Sunset Over Kirkland

On our way home from Date Night, we had a lovely sunset view over Lake Washington.

Date Night

Tonight was Date Night again! Once a week, we find a place of interest to eat, relax, get caught up on conversation, and enjoy a few hours away from home.  We headed to our favorite Thai restaurant in Rose Hill in Kirkland.

The food was good, as always, the Thai Iced Tea was refreshing, and the Coconut Prawns were hot and spicy!  A good meal by any standards.

A New Lawnmower!

It's been over 10 years since we bought a new lawnmower, and the technology has certainly changed!  I literally wore out the last mower, and this time, we beefed up the model we got so we can adequately mow our three separate yards and the sides of the 90 foot driveway.

This little beauty is a 4-wheel drive mower that is self-propelled, making my work much easier.  It's bigger and higher, with more horsepower.

I can't wait to use it next week.

Dinner and Piano Lesson with Kaila

Kaila came to my piano studio this week for her lesson (rather than me going to her home), and we had a fun lesson, using both the keyboard and the Fandrich piano.  We had a couple of duets to work on, and we are busy choosing pieces of music for the May recital.

After the lesson, we had chicken salads and strawberry-rhubarb pie, and talked about the books she is reading and things that are going on in school.  She's a busy girl!

Lost Lake on Camano Island

This is the lovely little lake my mom and step-dad lived on when retirement came back in the mid-1980's.  They had many lovely times on this little lake, fishing and enjoying their own version of The Slow Life.

Sunday Drive to Camano Island State Park

I had not been to Camano Island for over 20 years (since my mom and step-dad lived there in the late 1980's).  It was a beautiful late-winter day yesterday, so we packed some snacks, grabbed Polly the Dog, and headed out around noon. It was a short 45-minute drive to the Camano Island exit, and soon we were off the freeway and enjoying the rural scenes via country roads.

While the town of Stanwood had really grown and expanded with malls and new homes, Camano State Park was virtually unchanged.  We had the driftwood-strewn beach to ourselves, and the silence was startling.  We walked and hiked so much that Polly slept the whole trip home!

Blueberry Coffee Cake for a Sunday Morning

What better way to celebrate Sunday morning than with home-made blueberry coffee cake?  Fresh Tazo tea was brewed, and it made a good pairing with the fresh-out-of-the oven pastry made with frozen organic Maltby blueberries. Yum!

Recital Time is Coming!

The Maltby Piano Studio is getting warmed up for its Spring events!  In March, my students will gather at the Music and Arts auditorium in downtown Bothell for our first Group Lesson.  One of my students is a musician and composer, and he will be teachng a one-hour session on music composing ("Composition 101") for my 14 students.  We will be working on a grand piano and a digital keyboard, and each of my students will actually compose a short musical piece before they leave.

They are all looking forward to this event, and to having a chance to meet their cohort group and share experiences of their musical journeys.

In May, we will have our studio recital at the same location.  My students are all busy choosing their repertoire for this event, and are practicing diligently.

Reviving the Art of the Sunday Drive

When was the last time you piled into the car on a Sunday afternoon to just pass the time and take in the pleasures of some lovely scenery?  In our busy lives, this special time can revive and recharge you, and set the tone for the new week ahead.  We're going to be sure to make time in our busy lives for some small adventures!

Our first Sunday Drive was a trip to La Conner, a small town about 50 miles north of Maltby.  We had a bright and sunny day for this trip, and we could feel that Spring is truly on its way.  The pictures speak for themselves.

Valentine's Day Recital at Everett Music Hall

For Valentine's Day, the Snohomish County Music Teacher's Association sponsored a Valentine Recital for any student who wanted to share a piece of music with an audience.  It was a fun and relaxed concert, featuring students from ages 7 - 18.  The musical offerings were varied, and it was fun to hear the students introduce themselves and tell the audience about the piece that they were about to play.

Concerto Recital and Reception

On February 8, the Snohomish County Music Teacher's Association (SCMTA) sponsored the recital for the five students who were the winners of the 2014 Concerto Contest at the Everett Music Hall. These winners are all students under 18 years old, and their musical ability is truly inspiring.  Each soloist was accompanied by the Starry Night Orchestra, a local group.

After the concerto concert, I was responsible for putting together the reception for 150 guests, including the soloists themselves, the orchestra members, and friends and family of the musicians. It was a great time of celebration and recognition of all of the time and effort these students had committed to learning and memorizing a concerto, and for completing a successful performance.

In the Bleak Midwinter

The title of this post is also the title of one of my favorite Christmas songs.  It talks of the earth resting, and our human reaction to the earth withholding its colors and brilliance until spring awakens it again.

I love this field behind our property.  In winter, these small trees are stripped of their garments of leaves, and you can see every detail of their shape and the color of the bark.  They are starkly beautiful.

The First Rhododendrons of Spring 2015

This wonderful mid-50-degree weather is coaxing the trees and shrubs into an early Spring bloom (yes, I know it's still winter!). I am enjoying these lovely rhodies in my front yard.  It's still possible that we will have freezing temperatures in the next 30 days, and if so, we may lose this first blooming of the Washington State flower.  But they will bloom again later, so I'll be patient and hope for the best.

I love the shade of pink that this variety displays.

 

 

Mom's 86th Birthday Party

Mom's birthday is on Groundhog Day (February 2), which makes it easy to remember.  This year, we had a family dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Lynnwood.  The food is good, and it's not too far for Dave and Kaila to go to meet us.

We had a nice dinner, fun conversation, lots of goofy pictures, and good memories.

 

 

 

 

 

Super Bowl Pies!!

Maltby Pie Company had an interesting first year!  We had orders all summer long, then for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I was not expecting to make four pies for Super Bowl Sunday!

Apple and Pecan Pies were placed in boxes decorated with Seahawk colors.  They looked very festive.  I also enjoy personally delivering them to our clients!

 

 

Concerto Concert

I am now on the Board of the Snohomish County Music Teacher's Association, and I'm also the Concerto Reception Chairperson for the Concerto Concert next weekend.  I'm looking forward to my second year with this great organization!

Here's a poster of the five concerto winners for this year, all students of my peers and colleagues.  I'm looking forward to their concert Saturday afternoon at the Everett Music Hall.

Maltby Allee

Several years ago, the church down the street hired arborists to thin out a very large stand of Douglas Fir trees on the church property.  It took weeks to pull out all the stumps, and when the work was complete, it greatly changed the amount of light and privacy that our neighborhood previously enjoyed.

Now there are less sheltering trees, and the church lights shine into our homes all hours of the week and weekends.  It's much noisier in the neighborhood, also.  But one nice thing came out of the tree-thinning--this lovely allee that has become part of my walks with Polly the Dog.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

With the cold and wet January weather, Polly has solved the problem of "the cruelest month" by sleeping through it!  She loves nosing into her bed and blankets, dozing by the wood stove, and sleeping at the foot of the bed if the night is unusually cold.