Roses from Liana

Last Saturday, I met Dionna and Liana, my supervisors from Starbucks, for lunch at (where else?), Starbucks in Factoria.  It is always such a great time of catching up on personal news, celebrating birthdays, and just being together (we worked together for 8 years).  I delivered a Peach Pie to Dionna for her birthday, and Liana gave each of us a beautiful bouquet of these long-stemmed roses. There's nothing finer than good friends.

The Maltby Girls Go To Flower World

The Maltby Girls decided to go to Flower World a couple of Saturdays ago.  We met in the parking lot there, and spent a delightful two hours.  I think we saw every plant there, and we filled two SUV's with lovely shrubs and hanging baskets (baskets were "buy one, get two free"!!).

Here we are, posing for the camera.  Our yards look beautiful filled with the bounty from our trip!

Left to right:  Susan, Mary's Mom, Mary, Roberta and Kelly

Fourth of July in Bellingham

This year on the Fourth of July, we decided to leave town and find a place where the noise of the fireworks was a little more contained (we live next to a community church which hosts a pyrotechnic display that rocks our world, literally!).  We reserved a dog-friendly suite in a Bellingham hotel, had a leisurely drive up I-5 in the afternoon, and checked in at 3 p.m.  We got settled, had a nice walk and dinner, and enjoyed a quiet evening reading and listening to music.  Polly slept through most of the evening, though you could hear a tiny bit of the fireworks out on Bellingham Bay.  

On the way home the next day, we stopped at Fairhaven, where Don attended college for a year back in 1970.  It's a beautifully renovated old town, and I had fun shopping.

Aunt Faye and the Pie Lady

My aunt and uncle are busy moving out of their home in Brier, and moving into an Assisted Living facility in North Bend, close to their daughter Sue and her family.  Last Friday, I stopped by early in the morning with a freshly-baked organic Strawberry-Rhubarb pie, and the five family members there consumed it instantly!  Pie was the breakfast of champions that day! (the pie was still warm when I got there, and we had a hard time finding plates and silverware to eat it!).  I'd say that was a successful visit.

New Dream Catcher for New Apartment

The "Pie Lady"

Summer Dresses

I love Summer, and my Summer Sundresses!  They reside patiently all year in my office closet, waiting for the beautiful, sunny days that are coming.  They love to show off their carefree styles and beautiful colors.

Here's my newest addition.  I love the color and fabric, and I have summer sandals to match!

Kitchen Improvements

When our kitchen window frame broke several months ago, we were not able to find anyone to come and repair it.  We finally had to contact a window company and order four new windows for our 30-year-old home.  While it was costly, it was the right thing to do.  The new vinyl windows are energy-efficient, beautiful, and open and close properly.

Here's a picture of my updated kitchen with the new window, faux wood shades, wide-plank hickory flooring, and new sign over the sink.  I love how it all looks!  Also, I just found a wool hooked rug at an antique shop in Duvall several days ago, so now my kitchen is complete!

The Yard in Summer

I wait all year long for the warm spring and summer days to work their magic on our yard.  We just celebrated out 15th anniversary of buying this house on July 4, and it's amazing to see the transformation that 15 years can bring.  We are so pleased at the way everything turned out.  It has truly been a labor of love.

Here is the lush front and back yard.  It's been an extraordinary year for trees, shrubs and flowers.  Also, our fruit trees are loaded with fruit, so we are preparing ourselves for lots of food prep and preserving this year.

Front Yard

Back Yard

Amaro Italian Restaurant--New in Bothell

The Bothell downtown core has been the site of much renovation over the last few years.  The old Anderson School made way for excellent restaurants, a swimming pool, coffee shop, and other high-end businesses.  So, we decided to try the new Italian restaurant, Amaro, a few weeks ago.

It was a wonderful, modern-looking restaurant, with a great wine list and lots of savory foods to complement them.  We opted to share a spinach salad and a Caramelized Onion and Chicken pizza.  It was wonderful!

We'll be going back soon to try other menu items.

Cobblers

I love Summer!  The raspberries are going crazy this year, and we have to pick them daily to keep up with them.  Also, the rhubarb is ready, so what else can I do but make rhubarb/raspberry cobblers?  And raspberry/peach pie, and raspberry bread, and fresh raspberries for breakfast....you get the idea.

Yum.  One word.  Says it all.

Father's Day at the Edmonds Art Fair

We like to celebrate Father's Day by going to the Edmonds Art Fair each year.  It's always fun to see the art, eat great food on the grass, and enjoy the bands that are playing.  It's interesting to talk to the artists and hear their stories.

We bought a beautiful giclee print of a southern Oregon scene from a Lake Oswego artist.  It looks great in the living room over the Lowrey organ.

Visit to North Bend, Washington

My cousin Sue and her husband Mike recently moved to North Bend.  We have so much fun visiting them in their new home, and now my aunt and uncle (Sue's parents) are moving into an assisted living facility in North Bend.  We look forward to our family visits with everyone living in one location soon.

Snoqualmie Falls is nearby, and here are some of the sights we saw on our visit a few weeks ago.

50th High School Reunion Committee Meeting

The Ingraham High School Class of 1968 is coming together for their 50th reunion in 2018!  Our first committee meeting was at the home of Donn Franklin, our school newspaper editor and valedictorian of our class.  His father built a small cabin on the shores of Lake Goodwin, about 40 minutes north of Seattle in the 1950's, and Donn offered this lovely venue as the location of our first meeting to start the planning process.

We had a fun potluck picnic on Midsummer's Eve afternoon.  There were 10 of us who made it to the event, and we had so much fun getting caught up on news, and enjoying the food we brought.  My two home-made pies didn't last long!

Most of us stay in touch on a regular basis, so now the countdown begins:  Go, Rams!

Donn Franklin, Don, Lina Lou, Michelle, Marsha, Brian, Melanie, Bob Burns

View from the Deck

Maltby Pie Company Pies