A New Watercolor from Artist Karen Quinn

In my local Starbucks store a few months ago, I discovered a display of watercolors from local artist Karen Quinn. Karen has a degree in architecture, and has been a watercolorist for many years. I was especially taken with the piece above, which is a rendering of an outbuilding on the farmland surrounding the area adjacent to Columbia Crest Winery in Woodinville.

Karen and I arranged to meet yesterday at the Woodinville Starbucks store, where we got to know each other a little better. She was extremely happy with being selected by the store to display her work earlier this spring. I was thrilled to walk out of the store with both a latte and this wonderful work of art.

This now resides in my French Country kitchen above the sideboard, where a strawberry-rhubarb pie now cools and fresh Rainier cherries from the Woodinville Farmers Market are fast disappearing.

Summer Flowers from the Woodinville Farmer's Market

I strolled down to the Farmer's Market in Woodinville on Saturday to get some fresh summer flowers for the Sunday barbecue. There were lots of fresh cherries, onions, bread and strawberries in the stalls, and the sweet music of a talented guitarist set the mood.

In addition to a small pink punch of sweet peas, I found this lovely mixed bouquet with traces of red, white and blue for the French pine table in the dining room. That's always where the BBQ begins!

Homemade Honey Cornbread for the BBQ

I love making homemade honey cornbread, and it was worth heating up the kitchen on a hot summer day to have it baked and ready for the Fourth of July barbecue. Of course we added more honey and butter to the cooled muffins, and the sweet bread was as good as any dessert!

Fourth of July Barbecue

The 4th of July weekend dawned sunny and warm, and we took advantage of the weather to grill salmon, salmon cakes with spinach and ricotta cheese, shish-ka-bobs and chicken satay on skewers. Pink lemonade, salads, and desserts such as strawberry-rhubard pie, pumpkin cheesecake squares, and ice cream from the Snoqualmie Ice Cream company complemented the main dishes.

Grilled corn sauteed with basil olive oil was a special treat, and there were few leftovers.

After dinner, we played volleyball and badminton, enjoyed the yard and gardens, and sat around the new shed, listening to 60's oldies.

The Shed--One Month Later

As you can see from this updated picture of my new garden shed, I have not yet painted the exterior. I'm waiting for some hot summer weather when the paint will dry immediately and bond to the wood. It will be Cape Cod Grey with Country White trim. For now, I am landscaping the area around the shed, and working on the interior, finishing the beaded board, and laying down plank flooring to be painted sage green. I love all of the ambience this new structure has brought to a previously unused area of the pasture.

The Weigela is in Bloom

This lovely shrub thrives in our shade garden at the back end of the property. Since it only blooms for a very short period of time in early summer, I am enjoying the fuschia-colored blooms and their profusion. The shrub itself has tripled in size in three years, and it's a lovely sight at the end of the yard bordering the trees.

Melons in my Three Sisters Garden

My second crop of heirloom melon seeds from Baker Creek Farm in Ohio managed to avoid the slugs in the garden due to the beer traps set nearby. The new sprouts are looking healthy, and the warm and damp weather is giving them a boost. They are the third element of my Three Sisters garden, and I hope they can catch up to the corn and beans to create the symbiotic relationships that this type of planting creates.