Addicted to Nature: Salmon

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Summer update: June & July (part of August?)

Oh well, I uploaded them and they are all out of order chronologically... that's OK :)

Memorial Day picnic- we finally enjoy the yard we have laboured to upkeep for three years!

Strawberry harvest!

Surprise!

Strawberry- Rhubarb Crisp from the garden (the fruit at least is from the garden!)

Waiting in line at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal to go to Orcas Island

On the ferry

Leo bathing in the kitchen sink - why not?!

Garden door project is officially done- painted to match the exterior trim of the house and finally that door is out of the garage :) Cut a small window in it for funsies (turns out to be perfectly placed for latch access). Also, I think that the winter winds will come whipping through and the window will give better airflow so as not to stress the latch too much.

Shelf installed in the laundry room. Now we will not collect junk on top of the machines! It is a small feature that makes the room feel more cozy instead of bleak.

Michelle prepared Shabbat dinner on a night when I was really pining for it. I came home to this and the love and sweetness brought me to tears.

Load up for a ride, Leo!

Butterflies have been frequenting the secret garden

M braids out garlic harvest. Turns out we had 53 heads!

Up on the wall as both decor and so we can access garlic in the kitchen easily!

Cute little boy :)

Frequent visitor to our yard. He is the ringleader of two other young bucks. That was a hot day and he bedded down for a siesta just outside the office window

Greg shares valuable secrets with Leo

And then we meet Aeofa ("ee-fuh") Greg's 10-week old lab puppy :)

Serge reminds Leo that hiking is just something we do

Upside down picture: Sockeye salmon caught by our neighbor Archie. She turned out to be about 4.5 pounds.

Leo considers the fate of seahorses in general and the resident orcas (who feed exclusively on sockeye salmon)

Josie (Greg and Becky's daughter) has a good hold on young Leo!

Grandpa G introducing Leo to the new dogwood tree, planted to honour his father and Leo's great grandfather.

Grandma C and Grandpa G with a tree-happy baby

"This is my new toy?"

Gato love. Otto is probably cozy.... Fiona, not so much.

Cousin Surabhi and Aunt Barbara with Leo at his first food ceremony

We tried to feed him carrots... he almost took to them :)

Gorgeous boy

Aunt Katie and Uncle Kevin explain the intricacies of BBQ on the 4th of July

Grandpa T and Nonna take us out to brunch for M's birthday.

Friday, August 4, 2017

Hunkering down for the summer

Well, I haven't gone anywhere this summer. In fact, I think I haven't traveled since our trip to the desert in the beginning of April. It has been great. That said, I worked a lot- especially as a substitute teacher in May and then the recent coordination and directing of a summer school program in July. It has been great to be home so much but I am ready for a reprieve from work. With the exception of Jake and Page's Wedding (3 days away), Kate and Mats' Wedding (1 night away), and an overnight at Deas Island Regional Park, I have been home every night for a long time. It feels good to me now that I am not traveling like I was last year or even a decade ago.

Since May I have been "writing my exams" and this period is to end at the end of August. I am very behind, and am writing this blog as yet ANOTHER means of procrastination. But this has been one of the occupations of my time. Writing and reading. It's challenging but definitely fun. It makes me feel good that I can actually recall some of the literature I have read. It's even more fun when I can piece the literature together in ways that develop some ideas of how I perceive myself, the world, and future research possibilities.

I did take a break one day and drove up to Blaine to hang out with Biggs and ponder the meaning of the universe... and to enjoy a beer in a hammock on his property... wow they have done a lot of work to that place!

I also found some tree trimmers and asked if they could drop off wood chips and mulch at our house. They were happy to oblige... with TWO big truck loads and in 6 weeks I have moved nearly all of it to the rehabilitation project that is our backyard. It is exciting to create space for newly planted trees and shrubs; I hope that they all grow big and strong!

And as a result of not going anywhere, some folks have stopped in to see us. It was great to recently have cousin Aaron and Jenna stay over for a couple of nights. We ate, drank, walked, laughed, and enjoyed the timelessness of summer together. We also celebrated Katie's birthday with an impromptu lunch and a kind-of planned dinner with Kevin too.

Another small report is that Michelle and I decided to try a 30x30 challenge. Its small but a good reminder of the importance of being active, going outside, and spending time together. We are making the effort to walk together for 30 minutes a day and the goal is to make this for 30 days in a row. So far we haven't missed a day- and this morning marked the 13th day. Hoorah!

Interestingly enough, the speed limit outside our home has been reduced to 30 from 40. It is neat what a community of people can do if they are interested in making change.

School starts in less than a month and I have to finish these exams, put in 40 hours of research work, repair the chimney, build a wood shed, split firewood, process a bird, and make some soap. All of this might be doable.... but probably not :) I'll be OK with finishing the writing. If I can get the chimney in too that would be a bonus, but I'd be OK if that happened in early September too.

Here are some pictures. And then, back to writing :)