Rainy Nights - Sunny Days

The days here in western Washington have been gloriously warm and sunny. The last couple of nights, we have had thundershowers. Other than feeling a bit insecure in the tent trailer in an electrical storm, I really enjoy watching the clouds and the lightening. I took the following two pictures last evening.

And today? More sunshine. We went canoeing again, this time on a pretty little lake called Pass Lake. So small one could almost 'pass' by it. It was incredibly peaceful and we enjoyed the lush wilderness that met the lake's edge round the whole lake. We canoed right under tree branches with busy birds flying to and fro, watched fish jumping and visited briefly with a couple of folks who were kayaking and appeared to be in their mid seventies - each of them in their own single kayaks. THAT was inspiring.

I also really enjoyed God's gardening. Check out the floating logs in the pictures. One of them is planted nearly its whole length in wild flowers! Quite the variety too.

The log above has about a thirty foot garden. The log below - a mini garden.

Pass Lake - a tiny roadside jewel.

After Pass Lake, we headed to Deception Pass again. LK LOVES the ocean, so we played on the little lake, my choice, and we headed to the ocean, his choice.

At evenings end, with another electrical storm in the background, we are currently listening to live blues at Common Ground in Burlington. Again one of LK's loves.

Thanks for all the happy congratulations on our new grandson. Joy comes in the morning...indeed!!

Meeting Our New Grandson

Jacob Micah Abrahams in his daddy's arms. Born yesterday around 11:30 am weighing 7 lbs.

Andy, Cara, Jacob and big sister, Sarah.

Perfect. We left our campsite and drove north this morning to meet Jacob. We're So grateful for him.

This is how Sarah holds her tiny brother. Sweet. And now we're back on our way to finish camping. We've memorized Jacob's face and we'll see him again in a few days. It will be most welcome to come home to the soft sounds of newborn Jacob. Cara is doing fantastic.

Good Times

We're away camping in Washington enjoying perfect weather. Our site is heavily forested and huge. I call it Fern Hollow there are so many giant ferns on the trails immediately surrounding it.

The ocean and park pictures are from a small beach at Anacortes.

These are from our morning canoe ride on the little lake at Deception Pass. Check the mist that rolled in from the ocean! It felt like two different days. Very nice paddle in both the sun and the surreal mist. While we were canoeing, Cara was laboring and our newest grandson was born. Praise God. LK raises his hands and thanks God. I think we'll be blasting home to meet him. Maybe I can wait 'til morning?! Maybe not. :) We had our cell phones along and talked with Andy and Cara from the canoe - how cool a memory is that? I'll keep you in suspense regarding his name so Cara and Andy can have some time to make their announcements.

Look Alikes?

This is my dad and I. I think I am one, which would make him 24.
I've noticed lately that Steven looks much like my dad did at his age. Here is Steve with his girl.

Check the smile. In this picture my mom is expecting my brother, Mikey. On the right are her parents and in front are her mom's parents.
With his other girl - his favorite.
I see resemblance in the eyes, cheeks, chin and smile.
Whoops, bonus shot.
Readers, cast your votes. Does Steve, or does he not, look like his Grandpa Al?

Mainly the Boys

More weeks than not, I go out to give Aimee a hand with her kids. Sometimes Lance has had a class, or it was care group night. This time Lance was in Seattle and Aimee was preparing for a day camp - Science Camp - that their church was putting on.

It was Saturday and first order of business was running errands. Eva and Aimee did this, on foot, backpacks ready to bring home the produce. It was a hot day and it took some persistence for tiny legs to walk those blocks and carry home the berries. Eva was eager and proud, feeling very grown up as she left with her mama.

That left me home playing with the boys. Elijah rode his bike for a bit but then we switched to playing hockey with a beach ball. Elijah is a very focused player and didn't seem to mind that Grandma Kathy was not that experienced at the sport. Anders LOVED watching from his exersaucer. After working up a sweat Elijah cooled down with a fruit Popsicle.
Later, Anders and I enjoyed our FIRST game of catch. I somehow missed that he was already old enough to play a game. I would toss the ball to him and encourage him to catch it. He'd grab the ball, and every time, hold it high over his head and laugh. Then he'd throw it back. I was just laughin' too. Oh right, that's not a ball in the upper left - that's Anders teething on one of Uncle Andy's organic zucchinis.

Here Aimee and I are trying to manufacture 100 tiny sheep for a memory game for Science Camp. I think we settled for a symbolic 60 or so. For some reason this sheep making repeatedly cracked me up. Some faces just turned out so silly - with glue gun remnants webbing over eyes, crooked heads, one with his eyeballs glued inside the fur (poor sheep). Aimee offered the line, after one particularly unique sheep was turned out, "It's just his way", and for some reason this made things all the more humorous as another odd one would turn out and I would quote her. Ya know - I'm thinking maybe you had to be there and be in a giddy mood :)

We gave up cutting individual ears and went with easy cut felt rectangles. The feet are four pony beads in case you want to try making your own flock. You could act out the parable of the one lost sheep. Jesus knows every one - that's the point.

You can see my Smitten button. I wasn't sure where in the sidebar gadgets to paste it. I really don't think I did anything different this time - but it worked.

A Fresh Air Morning

Cara invited me to go blueberry picking at a farm that is on the same property as the amazing garden that her husband Andy is growing, well, it's their famiy garden but he is the main farmer. Today was overcast and almost cool, perfect for picking. The bushes are only four years old, so they are pretty small but that didn't stop them from growing very large berries. At nearly five years old, Sarah is a mighty fine picker. I purchased some prepicked berries to the ones I picked and now have eight large freezer bags full in my big freezer.

After we finished picking, I asked Andy for a tour of the garden, which I hadn't seen since it was bare ground and a greenhouse with no plastic on. The garden is a thing of beauty. I know Andy does his homework but Aimee and I still think he has a special gift from God - to grow such incredible vegetables. We've been eating them nightly - the flavor of FRESH organic vegetables is like eating whole new foods I've never experienced. Below, Andy digging up some potatoes - purple ones, pole beans, broccoli, lettuce, zucchini, giant green house tomatoes, and the carrot patch with greenhouse in the background.

Coming home with all this fruit led to the inevitable, couldn't be put off any longer, defrosting of my upright freezer. Once I got going on mine, Cara got to organizing her chest freezer. Hmmm, have you ever seen a nearly full term pregnant lady trying to reach the bottom of a chest freezer? I got a hair drying blowing into hers and defrosted and cleaned it out and we super women got the berries and the freezers cleaned an organized.

Tonight we had pizza for dinner. Well earned I think.

Thanks to everyone for your comments, and for reading. Oh - my new blog template is from Smitten Blog Designs. They have a blog button and I can see what to copy, but I can't figure out where to paste it in my sidebar. I do want to give credit. Do any of you know where I should paste it?
I have sent an email to Smitten and should hear back soon.

Happy Birthday

My daughter-in-law, Carolyn, scanned a batch of old slides that belong to my parents. As I was just looking through them I came upon this picture taken on my third birthday. I thought it would be fun to post since three of my grandchildren just celebrated their thirds.

The picture is taken at my home in South Minneapolis, Morgan Court to be exact. I remember wearing that dress. The date is September 30, 1955. I know I had a poodle skirt too when I was just a tad older - being the fifties and all.

Andy and Cara inherited the table. How about that wall paper?

We Don't Haul Boxes

When you get "old" and your knees hurt, or you have arthritis in your hands and your kids are moving, you don't have to haul boxes for them. You get assigned "kid care" and get to play at the park during the move, delivering the children after the deed is done. ;) Really, LK was on the hauling committee but I begged his help and because he could, we had so much more fun.

First we picnicked. Then we played on the giant playground until we were good and hot and needing something cold. What should appear before or very eyes but a man pushing an ice cream cart through the park. Perfect timing.

For further cooling off there was the splash park. And the splash puddle. After observing people carefully for quite some time, Elijah went for the gusto standing in the big spray repeatedly. He left the park really clean. His sister - not so much. She ran from one activity to another returning to the old empty house good and dirty.At the new place. Many of the helpers had headed out having accomplished their work. Some lingered setting bookcases in place and making sure every member of the family had a put together bed to sleep in. Aimee smiles in her huge kitchen. Elijah places pins in the bookcase as per his papa's instructions. Anders? I believe he was chief supervisor and other than sleeping on the job a few times, he played his role well.

The summer is full of family and grandchildren. Life is good.

Something Fresh and New

A new template obviously. After looking at templates for an excessively long time I realized I need not take it so seriously as it didn't have to be forever -duh. It was so easy, I don't know why I waited so long.

Life is full. I've gotten a late start in my gardens but was encouraged with the thought that there is still July, August and September to enjoy the yard so I got to planting some annuals and bought some new chairs for the back patio and yard. Now I'm waiting for the overseed grass to take off and fill in the thin places.

It's sure a summer for cousins in our neck of the woods. All my grandkids are connecting well and often. How rich they are to have friendships with each other. Carolyn, daughter-in-law, hosted a creative and so fun cousin birthday party for Anna. I'm so glad I was invited to. Too bad I only had my phone to take pictures with and I haven't been able to move them to my Mac.

Last week we had Eva and Elijah at our home for two days while their parents had some uninterrupted packing time for their move Sunday. The first night I was up with Eva of and on for about an hour during the night. This seems to take more out of me than when I was younger! The second night everyone slept through. The days were full of playing, swimming, and a trip to the library. But the main event was the Canada Day parade.

My sleeper seems to be on the fritz. Notice the time of this posting. Sheesh. I've had my honey milk with almonds and now I'm going to try again. 'night.


Here we sit with some friends waiting for the parade to begin. I was so excited to get curb side seats. Last year we were too far back for little people.