harvest time!

look at all the good stuff Eric hauled in yesterday!

and on the vines, we've got delica squash (this is our largest specimen, at about 10 inches long)...

two lovely orange Cinderella pumpkins (with dog, for scale)...

Finn also likes the sun tea his daddy makes...

and I forgot to post a pic of the great garlic we grew -- with help from Frank and Matte, who selected the bulbs, coached me on fertilizer, and told me when to dig them up. They cured in Matte's basement for about three weeks, and they taste oh, so garlicy!

WIP monday

First, a weekend update: I tried my hand at canning peaches! It was exciting and a little nerve wracking. I wanted to do it right, but there's so many things that can get messed up... you have to heat up the lids, but not too hot! and you can't allow any excess air at the top.... and if you don't do it all just right, the fruit could spoil. But it seems to have all gone well, and now I have four lovely jars of peaches to show for it! A few peaches came from the Ballard Farmers Market, but the lion's share came from my friend Jen's peach tree.

And now, a picture of the Finn doing a little Sun Salutation...

And now for the WIP:

1) Eric and I both knitted through a great documentary on Theodore Roosevelt....

(the wool is something I picked up from a craft store sale bin -- nothing terribly special, but I like the colorway, especially in this morning's early light)

2) My gift exchange gift for Lisa is getting it's finishing touches in the idea phase and will soon be moving into execution phase....

I have yet to come up with a good idea for my gift for OtherMatt... but it'll probably have something to do with his newly minted job: Park Ranger at Dinosaur National Monument near Vernal, Utah. Congratulations, Matt!

3) The Huge Log Cabin Quilt (HLCQ) is getting constant attention....

4) A bit more passively, I am collecting wine labels for a massive cork board project. If you've got 'em, I'll take 'em!

munro wedding photos

Hooray! I've finally gotten some wedding pictures from Emily and Miles! Here are just a few of my favorites....

the happy family...

pre-wedding jitters....


down the aisle....

the groom and his best man, Tate....

the bride and yours truly....

aawwww...

group shot....

and that blue dress I mentioned.....

a tender moment...

the reception....

mom gave a fantastic toast!

zoe: i have frosting on my face... i have frosting on my hand... i have frosting on my toes.... i wonder where else i could put frosting....

spuds!

We planted Yukon Golds and Fingerling potatoes in the garden this year. They rivaled the squash in growing speed. Eric dug up a few plants' worth yesterday (on Potato Day, naturally)...

WIP monday

I'm hoping to keep this up (laugh all you want) -- a weekly Work In Progress update on the blog. It's worth a try, anyway. So without further ado, here's what I've got cookin' right now.

Just yesterday, I finished these napkin rings for a friend only two months after the wedding (that's a record for me, Itellyouwhat). They're seed beads with occasional other embellishing glass beads on antique-colored craft wire:



And this is one of the several quilts I have going on right now... this is a mock-up block for a king size quilt I am making for my aunt and uncle in California. It will replace an older one they have, so it's generally the same color scheme and design. This will be quite the project -- wish me luck!


And don't worry, it's the picture that's crooked, not the block!

weekend update

I went out to the farm early on Saturday to pick blackberries with Knitmoka. One for me, one for the bucket. One for me, one for the bucket. We had a good time chatting and being good gatherers. I saw two Pacific tree frogs, but couldn't get any very good pictures (they kept mooning the camera as they headed away from me). But just look at those berries!

During the week, we learned that one of our best farm friends, Pele the duck was taken by coyotes, so in honor of her, we toasted her this evening with Matte as we celebrated Bratwurst Festival (actually on August 16th).

Matte played a little ukelele (uke-Pele? *wince*), which was lovely....

In other news: I noticed that it's been awhile since finn's been up here....

a funny thing happened on the way back to seattle

So I'm at Norman Y. Mineta International Airport, headed back to Seattle on Monday morning. I'm sitting on the floor of the crowded boarding area when the gate attendant announces that they've overbooked the plane and that they need four volunteers to take a later flight in exchange for a free rount trip ticket voucher to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies. Seeing as how I was in no rush to get back to Seattle since I was going to have to wait until Eric's shift ended before heading home anyway (approximately 3.5 hours), I'm perfectly happy to take a later flight. So I jump up, dump my book and bagel (but not the coffee) in my bag and run to the gate counter. They take down my name and ask me to take a seat until they're ready to rebook me onto a later flight (probably getting to Seattle via Boise, they tell me). So I sit patiently and wait for my name to be called, and when they do, they tell me that due to some other passenger cancellations, they can get me onto my original flight and give me the voucher! Woo hoo!

As it happens, I am headed to Seward, Alaska in September to visit a dear friend, and I just happened to have been lazy and not purchased my ticket yet. I love serendipity.

mazel tov!

Elise's wedding was absolutely lovely. Held at Temple Emanu-el in San Francisco, it was filled with tradition and elegance. The bride was completely gorgeous, and her groom just as handsome. The temple still has me in awe (I tried to find pictures online of the jaw-droppingly beautiful stained glass windows, but to no avail. The best pics I could find were here, [wait for it to load, at the bottom, scroll to the right and go to scene 2]). I loved all of the Jewish tradition -- and the fact that the program and the Rabbi explained it all to those of us who weren't familiar. My favorite part was most likely the chaotic circular dancing at the beginning of the reception. Bride and groom in the center, and everyone holding hands and dancing around them. It was spectacular.

As Karen and I had arrived a little early, we went for a short walk up to the Presidio, where I took this picture:



Then, much to my dismay, the camera--my wonderful, tiny, easy-to-use camera friend--succumbed to gravity and fell to the rocky earth. It was a beautiful place to die -- a view of the San Francisco Bay, surrounded by trees, amongst friends. But die it did. When I picked it up and saw it's dented lens all askew, I knew it was over.

So unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the wedding, you'll just have to take my word for it.

dispatch from the old stomping grounds II

Went out with Karen, Liz and Marla last night. We had a lovely time catching up and enjoying some lovely wines at a wine bar in South San Jose called Unwined. I tried a flight of unique reds and ended up liking the Castillo de Sajazarra from Rioja, Spain (1998) from Spain the best.

(self-portrait and not a single red eye. damn, I'm getting good at this).

Afterwards, Karen and I started reminiscing about our old hometown of Sunnyvale, and decided to try the night scene in downtown Sunnyvale, just for shits and giggles (and a beer). We watched all those young whippersnappers in awe -- what drew them to Sunnyvale? Why did they chose to be here? I missed Seattle.

Today is Elise's big day! Karen is picking me up in about 40 minutes, then we head up to The City for what I'm sure will be a lovely ceremony and celebration of two people, very much in love. Mozel tov!

homemade gift exchange!

Knitmoka snagged my crafty interest with this gift exchange she joined. Homemade, you say? Gift, you say? I was hooked.

Here's how it works: be one of the first three commentors on this post, and I'll send you a homemade gift sometime in the near future (that is, when inspiration and time collide for me). In return, you go to your blog and make the same offer. So, you’ll be making three things and receiving one. Anyone can participate. Not just crafty/creative types. We're talking homemade. Anything.

FAQ’s

What if I don’t like the gift I receive? Too bad. Mom taught us all how to be gracious.

What if I’m not crafty or artistic? So? Do it anyway. There are millions of things to be made and some part of you needs to get in to the process of creating something with your hands. It is therapeutic and eye opening. Even if it is a paper airplane.

What about shipping? If postage is a concern, make a card -- that can be the gift. But if you want to carve a bust of the recipient out of pine, go ahead.

What? I have to give someone in cyberspace my address? Well, yeah. So you should probably only sign up here if you have read or known me for a few months, that way you know I am a fine upstanding citizen who wouldn't dream of doing anything untoward with your personal information. You may even get a holiday card after the exchange.

It's all a little silly, I admit, but I still think it will be fun, and I hope you'll choose to join me!

dispatch from the old stomping grounds I

I arrived in San Jose last night after a lovely flight. Mt Rainier was splendid as always, her peak just resting above the clouds, Mt Adams in the distance. St Helens was breathing a little steam, with no clouds over southern Washington. Mt Hood came and went, as did Shasta. All lovely, but I think the highlight may have been the pilot banking to the east right as we were over San Francisco -- the city gleamed white and took up my entire window. Lovely.


Went eating and shopping in downtown Mountain View with my Aunt and stumbled upon a great quilt shop, Eddie's Quilting Bee. What a find! A great selection of fabrics, notions, a huge selection of books, and they sell sewing machines too! And they're moving to Sunnyvale! Oh wait, I don't live there anymore....

Am going out to dinner with my Aunt and Uncle tonight, then hoping to meet with Karen, Liz and Marla for a little wine tasting. With Liz and Marla being experts, Karen being new to wine tasting, and me somewhere in the middle, we're sure to have a good time!

I knew him well

An eight ball zuchini from The Spiral Farm



got me feeling silly, and a little dramatic....

Let me see. Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, or most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and how abhorred in my imagination it is! -- The Tragedy of Hamlet. Prince of Denmark, Act V, Scene I

catching up

Here is Eric and Matt at San Jacinto Peak (10,834 feet asl)...



These are the two artichokes I grew and scarfed down (not as good as last year's -- I think I let them "go" for too long...



These are some earrings I made for my boss/friend Dr. Eckert (also another pair of small blue and lavender clusters, but I didn't get a picture of them)....

quick update

Eric is home, safe and sound, from San Diego. He had a great time -- I'll post some pictures soon.
While he was gone, I volunteered on Saturday with the SCA Mt. Rainier Recovery team (we re-built a rock wall between Burroughs Mountain and Shadow Lake [near the Sunrise Visitor Center]). Nearly all the hikers passing us thanked us for our hard work, and a few asked what crime we had committed to deserve such hard labor.