Rays of the Sun

I stopped by Flower World last week during a warm and sunny day, and toured the beautiful grounds.  I took this 'selfie', catching the rays of the sun over my face.  I love this photo!

Polly and the Search for Pumpkins

We took Polly with us to pick out pumpkins (here's a selfie of Polly and me!).  She was standing guard over her choices in the back seat of the truck.

Hiking the Snoqualmie Trail

Last week, we took a break from yard work, and drove to Duvall with Polly and hiked along the Snoqualmie River Trail.  It was a gorgeous fall day, and it felt so good to be out in the clear and crisp air.

Marshland Orchards in Snohomish

All of the wonderful, organic produce we buy at the Maltby Market down the street is grown in Clearview at Marshland Orchards.  We went down there last week to pick up some wine and carving pumpkins to get ready for Halloween.

There are acres and acres of vegetables and flowers still growing, and it was wonderful to see it all in this beautiful farm.

A Walk in the Woods

It has been raining in torrents the last two days, but Polly and I sneaked out of the house yesterday between squalls for a walk over to see the horses (it's really scary to hear, but Polly has been making 'whinnying' noises like the horses today!).

The light was very low during our walk, and the allee of trees kept us mostly dry.  It was a warm day in spite of the rain, and we enjoyed being out in the fresh air.

Here is a shot of the woods next to the horse pasture, and also a close-up of a beautiful mushroom.  We have so many adventures in Maltby!

A Mango-Ginger Cake for Dark Autumn Days

I have this wonderful neighbor named Kelly, and she fills our whole neighborhood with laughter, love, and home-baked goods from her beautiful kitchen (I wish I had a kitchen like she has!).  We have fun going back and forth between our homes, trading apples pies for gluten-free brownies, or cinnamon and ginger for two large pieces of a fresh Mango-Ginger Cake.  I definitely got the better part of the deal by giving her some cinnamon and a couple of teaspoons of ginger!

As darkness fell Friday night, she knocked on our door and presented this beautiful cake (with whipped cream!) on a beautiful plate.  Needless to say, we stopped what we were doing, and ate it right there on the spot.

Thank you, Kelly, for making ordinary days extraordinary!

Can you smell the ginger?

Polly the Dog

Polly the Dog is my constant companion, confidante, and squirrel-hunter.  She is my walking partner, and my food-taster, and she joins me at naps and visits to the neighborhood.  She is the best companion-dog I have ever had.

Here she is with her new toy.  She was just waking up when I took this picture, and she soon jumped off the bed and went outside with me for our first walk of the day.

"When I am old...I will wear soft gray sweatshirts...and a bandanna over my silver hair.  And I will spend my Social Security checks on my dog."

Brilliant Colors of Autumn

The Fall colors this year are so intense and beautiful!  I love the bright yellow and red leaves, and our yard is filled with beautiful trees and color.

Our Front Yard

Our Private Road

Details of Leaves

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are a gardener's dream. They are virtually carefree once established. Snails don't seem to be interested in them. They will even self seed and come back the next year in mild climate. I look forward to their return each year--it signals that summer is here at last. Once nasturtiums begin to appear they quickly cover an area that is given to them, and within a very short time begin to produce an abundance of striking blossoms that appear to be made of tissue paper.

I have not taken time in the past to  grow many flowers from seed, but I thought I'd try them this year.  I remember their colorful flowers from my childhood, having grown up on a one acre mini-homestead within the city limits of Seattle.  My parents filled up every flower bed with something, and the garden was huge and kept us in fresh veggies all year long (my Mom canned the summer's bounty).

With the very warm weather this summer, many flowers thrived.  The nasturtiums were one of this group.  They are still growing, climbing up fences and other shrubs in their way.

Aren't they beautiful?

Snohomish County Music Teacher's Association (SCMTA)

Last Saturday, I attended the annual Eastern Washington conference of the National Music Teacher's Association.  It included Snohomish, Seattle, Bellevue and Edmonds.  Over 200 music teachers were in attendance, and it was a day full of classes, lectures, and Master Classes with well-known international teachers and performers.

It's always fun to meet new people and hear about their education and their studios. I always learn so much!

Party for Sarah

We have watched the girls across the street grow up from 7 and 8 -year- old's to lovely 18 and 20- year- old's. It's been an amazing journey for both of them. The youngest girl, Sarah, just graduated two weeks ago from the Marine Corps, and just left earlier this week for her MOS training in New Jersey.  After this 30-day training is completed, she will fly to Monterey, CA, where she will attend Linguistics School for two years.  Then she will receive her assignment in a language-related job (most likely Russian), and be stationed on a ship in the north Pacific Ocean.

She has an incredible five years ahead of her!

PFC Sarah

The Everest Kitchen

We found a new Indian/Tibetan/Pakistani restaurant last week in Lake Forest Park, right outside Third Place Books.  What a great combination of two businesses!

So, we first went to the bookstore and spent a lazy hour or so, and then moved on to try this new place.  It was remarkable!  I had Mango Curry, and Don had Momos, which were dumplings filled with vegetables and ground chicken. The Garlic Naan was made in an authentic clay stove, and it was wonderful.

We can't wait to go back again soon!

Super Blood Moon/Lunar Eclipse on Sunday, September 27, 2015

With the Blood Moon coming up on Sunday night, I planned a "Super Blood Moon" party for our friends and neighbors.  Don built a bonfire in our new firepit, and I set up the Scamp Trailer with a wine bar, caramel apple cider, cookies, and S'mores.  The trailer was also available for a quick tour, decked out with fairy lights.

All the chairs around the fire quickly filled up, and we had fun visiting and catching up on each others' lives.  Sarah read the "witches" scene from Macbeth (it even had a reference to a lunar eclipse!), and we made lots of roasted marshmallows while the celestial show was in progress.

It was an amazing sight to see the moon turn red, and there will not be another such sighting for 32 years!

Bonfire!

Sarah fortifying herself with S'mores

The Scamp ready for the party!

Blood Moon

After the lunar eclipse

Kaila's Saturday with Grandma Susan

Each Saturday at noon, I have a piano lesson and time with my granddaughter Kaila.  After our piano lesson, we work on the Lowrey organ.  She is playing Fur Elise on it now, and I'm helping her learn the pedal board.

I got a quick shot of her at the front gate, a location that we use each year to chronicle her growing-up years.  Ten years old now!

McCormick Park in Duvall

The park was empty and quiet last week when we were there.  Fall has finally arrived.

Decorating the Yard for Fall

Here's a start on  my front gate with Fall decorations.  I found the small scarecrow at the thrift store, and the pumpkins came from Flower World. I put tiny pumpkins on the picket fence posts, and all pumpkins lead to OUR house this year!

Sky Valley Nursery in Monroe

On our way home from The Grateful Bread bakery in Duvall last week, we stopped by Sky Valley Nursery to check out the plants and gift shop.  I hadn't been there all summer long, so I made up for lost time by checking everything out, and buying some items for my friend Liz's birthday.

They had remodeled the gift shop, and everything looked to beautiful.

The Grateful Bread Bakery

There is a relatively new bakery in Duvall called "The Grateful Bread"!  It was most likely founded by either Grateful Dead fans, or their adult children (we are still looking into the back story on this one!).  Anyway, they have the most amazing bread and pastries we have had in a while, so every Wednesday morning, we jump in the truck with the dog and head down Paradise Lake Road to the Woodinville-Duvall Road to Duvall.

We grab a couple of loaves of bread and a couple of pumpkin muffins, and drive to McCormick Park and take a short hike on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.  Polly loves the walk,  and we can burn off our empty pastry calories!