BBQ Preparation

This year, we are having a potluck BBQ for all our friends, family, and my piano students and their families (21 students).  We expect a large crowd, and we have spent the last several weeks getting ready for the event.  The very warm weather we have had slowed us down a bit, but we are rallying now after the days of rain recently.

Here are a few pictures of our preparations.  We'll need lots of places to sit in the shade, and we have prepared the back yard and pasture for our guests.  Our BBQ summer playlist is ready, and my students are going to provide some nice piano music, playing pieces they  have learned this summer.

We are looking forward to seeing our guests (over 40 people confirmed so far!).

The Scamp will be a place to hang out and eat pie!

The red tent is the Maltby Pie Company's serving location!

My 'girl cave' will be a cool, shady spot to rest and visit

Polly and Pranav

Here is a picture of my youngest student Pranav.  His favorite part of his piano lesson is the time he gets to spend with Polly afterwards!

Polly has a hard time staying out of the studio!

Music Studio Scavenger Hunt

As a part of my Summer Music Curriculum, I had a scavenger hunt for some of my students under twelve years old (6 students).  During the summer, we take a break from the more intense music study of ear training, theory and history, and concentrate on learning two new popular songs that add some fun and sparkle to the summertime.

Here is one of my students identifying notes on the piano as part of the hunt for the prizes.  Even Polly the Dog had 'clues' hidden under her collar, helping students find the next set of clues.

It was a fun time of learning music in a new way!

Update on the Lowrey Organ

This last week, a group of six notes went out on the organ, so I called Mr. McIntyre, my new best friend and organ repair guru, and he came out with a tiny part that solved the problem.  It was interesting to see the inside of this giant machine, and I marveled at the intricacy of the wires and connections needed to make this instrument work.

He had it fixed in no time at all, and once again, I was happily on my way, practicing my favorite organ pieces.  Thank goodness I was able to find someone close by with over 50 years of experience repairing these wonderful old instruments. He was so glad I was able to save this instrument from the landfill.  That's what is happening to most of these old beauties. These instruments are from an era that has almost worked its way into extinction.

My $80 Part!  Thank goodness it worked!

This is what the inside of an organ looks like

Here's the pedal board

Charles McIntyre founded his business in 1962!  Wow!

Nightstand from 1948

Shortly after my parents got married in 1948, they bought a beautiful bedroom set at the Sears store south of Seattle (presently the building that houses Starbucks world headquarters).  Over the years, the bed and other nightstand was given away.  However, one nightstand remains, and I recently had the chance to claim it.

It was a dark mahogany color, so I painted it with a new type of paint called Chalk Paint.  It has a matte finish, and is excellent for updating old scuffed and worn furniture.

I am so happy how this turned out!  Isn't the handle beautiful?

Lunch at Starbucks in Woodinville

My favorite Starbucks location is the store in downtown Woodinville, right across the street from Molbak's.  I often stop there for lunch after grocery shopping at Top Foods.

Last week, I sat out in the sunshine and enjoyed my Chai Tea Latte and a breakfast sandwich. They had some Reserve coffee from Vietnam, so I plan to pick up a small bag in time for my big annual BBQ this coming Saturday.

Celebrating My Day Off (Monday) at the Maltby Cafe

Last week, I decided to set aside my work for a few hours and have a leisurely lunch at the Maltby Cafe.  The veggie scramble really hit the spot, with home-made Maltby Bread and home-made blackberry jam.

How To Beat The Summer Heat

With temperatures soaring about the 80's and 90's here in Western Washington, it takes some creative thinking to stay cool in this heat!!  Besides sleeping and napping in our Scamp trailer, we sit on the deck in the evenings, spray the dog with water, and find as many air-conditioned places to hang out as possible.

Here is an example of ducking in out of the heat and into our favorite Mexican restaurant Mi Tierra. Yum!

My New Lowrey Organ

This beautiful organ was given to me by my aunt and uncle Faye and Wendell Hall.  They inherited it from Wendell's uncle Kenny, and since no one in their family plays the organ, they donated it to me if I would pay piano movers to remove it from their home.

Last Monday, we met the movers at the Hall's home, and got this gem back to our place.  It looks beautiful in the living room, and I've enjoyed playing it this week.  It has a complete pedal board!  No more going to the church to practice on cold and dark nights!

I had a Lowery technician come out on Thursday to check it out.  He made a few adjustments, taught me about this instrument (built in the 1970's), and I'm set to go!  I am SO excited!

More Fourth of July Sunsets

A couple more...

Near La Conner Exit

Mt. Vernon

Fireworks Near Tulalip Coming Back

Fourth of July, Part 2

Polly the Dog is very afraid of the sound of fireworks, and even after giving her Valium on the week leading up to the noisy holiday, she was still very stressed out.  So we did what we did last year--we packed up the dog and some soda and snacks at 9 p.m., and headed up I-5 and drove to Bellingham.  It's a 75-mile trip one way, and it was a beautiful evening.

The photos below document the sunset as we travelled.  It was a fun evening!

Scared Polly!

Sunset Over Everett

Sunset Near Marysville

Burlington Sunset

Fourth of July

Kaila came over to make up her weekly piano lesson from last week, and we had fun playing the piano and keyboard, and working on memorizing her piano pieces.

Cheesecake was good!

We needed the fan on today!

Lights on the Deck

I moved some new chairs onto the deck last week, and strung LED lights around the umbrella stand, and along the deck railing.  On hot summer nights outside, the lights look festive, and light up the yard all night long.  The citronella candles keep the mosquitoes at bay (though we don't often have them around).

Party time!

Nice sunset this evening

Old crocheted tablecloth adds a bit of glamour

Dinner at the McCord's Home

My piano student Sheila has been taking lessons from me since last fall.  She is making great progress, and now I am also teaching her 8-year-old twin boys Simon and Gabe.

Last weekend, they invited us over for a home-cooked dinner at their lovely Bothell home.  Sheila made home-made pasta, grilled salmon, and steak.  It was an incredible meal!  We had some wine from her large collection, and we brought an apple pie for dessert. Our pie was topped her her home-made Filipino ice cream called Ube, made from purple yams.  It was delicious!

It was a lovely summer evening spent on their covered deck, enjoying the food and the company, and watching Charlie Brown, their large chocolate lab, run around and entertain us!

Garden Shed Redux

For the last five years, I had my garden shed set up to house my Master Gardener materials and books, and centered a folk art table in the middle of the shed.  It was a good setup for me as I used my Master Gardening knowledge to work the property and finish the landscaping and the vegetable garden.

I decided this year to change the theme to a cross between Shabby Chic and the Junk Gypsies!! Everything in the shed is either used, an antique or re-purposed in some way.  I didn't buy a single item in this project!

What do you think?  Isn't my new "girl-cave" cozy?

Looks inviting from outside...

Old Adirondack chairs, quilts, and tablecloths getting a new life

It's a cozy place to read on a summer day

Crabtree Cottage

I love our house!  We found it on the Fourth of July 14 years ago!  We celebrate that day heartily, and love to walk the property and look at everything we have accomplished in that time.

Here are a couple of shots of the house with its new roof, paint job, and new white picket fence.

A Haven on a Hot Summer Day

The summer and spring weather this year has been unseasonably hot, and our home has no air conditioning.  We usually don't need AC in Washington, but with temperatures in the high 80's and 90's for several weeks, we are really feeling exhausted from the heat.

It's a good thing we have our Scamp trailer, complete with a great air conditioner.  We take naps in our comfy bed on hot afternoons, watch TV in the evening there, and even sleep there on the most hot and humid nights.

We love our Scamp!

Plenty of room and lots of light in the trailer!

Polly loves her new "trailer" bed!

The Buddha

I love this image of the Buddha at our favorite Thai Restaurant (Tommy Thai in Kirkland).