The Same Octopus Live, originally uploaded by jatshaw1941.
Finally!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Scary Octopus or What To Do in the RAIN!
If you've noticed, it's been RAINY here. In fact this has probably been one of the coolest, wettest Memorial Day weekends that we can recall. Fortunately this area has lots of indoor activities for just such moments. On Saturday we went with friends to the Glass Museum and spent several hours mesmerized in the Hot Shop watching a team of glass artists create a truck made entirely of glass. The said truck will be used as the stem of a larger than life goblet, one of 24 such items to be displayed in 2011. (You can watch the Hot Shop live if you click on the correct link and the museum is open.) When our Grandkids were here last month, we had lots of rain also. The Seattle Aquarium is one of the "must see" sights and mostly sheltered from raindrops. Michael took a video of one of the resident critters, but Flickr turned it into a photo. Oh well. We were very glad it was behind glass!
Happy Memorial Day! Our choir honored the military yesterday with a stirring rendition of "Battle Hymn of the Republic," just a small thank you to the men and women who keep our country free and safe.
We love to visit the Seattle Aquarium, a perfect rainy day activity....fun in the sun, too!
Out in the garden our golden chain tree is providing a bit of "sunshine" of its own. And the weeds and moss are doing just fine!
Happy Memorial Day! Our choir honored the military yesterday with a stirring rendition of "Battle Hymn of the Republic," just a small thank you to the men and women who keep our country free and safe.
Friday, May 28, 2010
The Rest of the Story.......
It seems like Daniel really did go after his special cupcake with both hands. Thanks to Grandma Janet, we have proof!
You can probably guess what happened next?
You can probably guess what happened next?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Happy Birthday, Daniel!
Look who just turned one yesterday! How can a whole year have passed already? It seems like yesterday when we got the phone call announcing his birth.
And look who helped celebrate. Thanks to Jill and Michael for the timely photos and the webcam that allowed us to watch via Skype.
It took the Birthday Boy a few minutes to figure things out, but then he dove in with both hands. Happy First Birthday, Daniel!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
The Week that Was.....
Phew! This past week rivaled the wedding week in its intensity. We had rehearsals on Wednesday and Thursday nights along with the performances Friday and Saturday night in addition to our regular volunteering. Fortunately, the garden has been almost taking care of itself despite our cooler than normal temperatures. Here's what's blooming out front:
And here's what's out back that I had to protect from the resident bunnies and a young male deer that wasn't the least bit afraid of me.
Not too much in the way of knitting, sewing, or cross stitch has been happening around here, but I did finish a couple pair of booties for some friends' new grandbabies.
I'm very late in posting this photo of the cute heart pillow that Pam Kellogg sent me just before Mother's Day. Thanks so much, Pam, I love it!
And here's what's out back that I had to protect from the resident bunnies and a young male deer that wasn't the least bit afraid of me.
Not too much in the way of knitting, sewing, or cross stitch has been happening around here, but I did finish a couple pair of booties for some friends' new grandbabies.
I'm very late in posting this photo of the cute heart pillow that Pam Kellogg sent me just before Mother's Day. Thanks so much, Pam, I love it!
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Spring Concert and Haydn's Creation
In addition to spending lots of time in our yard lately, we've also been rehearsing with our choir for the upcoming concert this weekend. The link above will let you hear a snippet from the concert, two selections from Haydn's Creation which we sang yesterday in church. Enjoy!
Spring has come to our yard, and we're enjoying God's handiwork right outside our door.
We've had flowers inside too, thanks to a lovely bouquet from Udo and Sabine and a pretty Mother's Day bouquet from our son Carl.
And a surprise blossom on our hibiscus!
Have a joyous week!
Spring has come to our yard, and we're enjoying God's handiwork right outside our door.
We've had flowers inside too, thanks to a lovely bouquet from Udo and Sabine and a pretty Mother's Day bouquet from our son Carl.
And a surprise blossom on our hibiscus!
Have a joyous week!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A Slow Return to "Normal" of Sorts (Image Heavy)
Imagine our surprise a week ago when we were in Welches, Oregon, and woke up to this sight from our condo window! That was enough to send my Minnesota sister and hubby off to the Oregon Coast in search of sun and us back home to Seattle.
We were quite thankful that the previous day, despite weather that was just rainy and cold, we had driven along the Columbia Gorge which has wonderful scenery enhanced by many beautiful waterfalls.
Before we set off, Dick and I took a short walk on the golf course trail where I found this twig that really shows the effect of the damp weather.
One of the first places we stopped was this building which was built long ago as a "comfort station" for travelers. This is definitely not your typical rest stop!
The views are magnificent in all directions.
The mighty Columbia looked cold but busy.
Inside the building, which has interesting stained glass windows, was a gift shop, coffee shop, and some very interesting pictures and displays. How do you like this typical traveling outfit? It makes our jeans look a bit shabby!
We stopped at several waterfalls and walked a bit through the drizzle.
Multnomah Falls is probably the best known of the waterfalls and has a lodge with a restaurant. Since it was lunchtime, we decided to stop and were glad that we did as the food was delicious.
A sign at the foot of the falls told of an incident some years ago where members of a wedding party were injured by a rock the size of a school bus that fell into the upper pool! That is hard to imagine!
A train track runs alongside the road, and this sign recalls the days of frequent train travel. It sure would have been a beautiful trip.
After stopping at most of the falls, we continued on to Hood River where our SIL Michael's cousin was married a couple summers ago. And yes, I found a yarn shop called Knot Another Hat and had just enough time to purchase a couple balls of yarn before it closed, and we headed back to our condo for the evening, unsuspecting the wintery surprise to come.
Besides the snowy weather, another reason we were eager to get home is that we were expecting our German friends Udo and Sabine for a short visit. Udo stayed with us for 3 weeks in 1997 while studying at the UW and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute. Now he's an attending physician in the ICU in a hospital in Leipzig and the father of twins!
With their departure, our several weeks of visiting drew to a close. Life is back to semi-normal as we rehearse with our choir for next week's performance of Haydn's Creation. You can read more about that by following the links on my sidebar.
We were quite thankful that the previous day, despite weather that was just rainy and cold, we had driven along the Columbia Gorge which has wonderful scenery enhanced by many beautiful waterfalls.
Before we set off, Dick and I took a short walk on the golf course trail where I found this twig that really shows the effect of the damp weather.
One of the first places we stopped was this building which was built long ago as a "comfort station" for travelers. This is definitely not your typical rest stop!
The views are magnificent in all directions.
The mighty Columbia looked cold but busy.
Inside the building, which has interesting stained glass windows, was a gift shop, coffee shop, and some very interesting pictures and displays. How do you like this typical traveling outfit? It makes our jeans look a bit shabby!
We stopped at several waterfalls and walked a bit through the drizzle.
Multnomah Falls is probably the best known of the waterfalls and has a lodge with a restaurant. Since it was lunchtime, we decided to stop and were glad that we did as the food was delicious.
A sign at the foot of the falls told of an incident some years ago where members of a wedding party were injured by a rock the size of a school bus that fell into the upper pool! That is hard to imagine!
A train track runs alongside the road, and this sign recalls the days of frequent train travel. It sure would have been a beautiful trip.
After stopping at most of the falls, we continued on to Hood River where our SIL Michael's cousin was married a couple summers ago. And yes, I found a yarn shop called Knot Another Hat and had just enough time to purchase a couple balls of yarn before it closed, and we headed back to our condo for the evening, unsuspecting the wintery surprise to come.
Besides the snowy weather, another reason we were eager to get home is that we were expecting our German friends Udo and Sabine for a short visit. Udo stayed with us for 3 weeks in 1997 while studying at the UW and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute. Now he's an attending physician in the ICU in a hospital in Leipzig and the father of twins!
With their departure, our several weeks of visiting drew to a close. Life is back to semi-normal as we rehearse with our choir for next week's performance of Haydn's Creation. You can read more about that by following the links on my sidebar.
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Party Was Over and Then What?
On the Monday after the "big weekend," did we lie around and recuperate? Nope! My sister and her hubby were still in town. Since Jill and family were in Richland, WA, visiting friends, the four of us decided to go to Leavenworth and points east. After a great lunch at a German-style cafe and a quick visit to the Wooly Bully yarn shop, we continued east to Wenatchee where all the pear trees were in full bloom and then went on to Cashmere, home of the Aplets and Cotlets candy factory. Then after asking for directions, we found the Anjou Bakery which we'd read about in Marie Brenner's book Apples and Oranges. We bought some bread and cinnamon rolls because not one slice of pie was left that late in the day.
We didn't rest the next day either! That day we braved the elements and went to the Seattle Zoo with the grandkids. Much to our surprise all the animals were out in full force, more active than I've ever seen them. We were greeted by this beauty who put on a real display, turning this way and that so we could admire his tail.
The kids wanted to see the penguins, and when we went there, it was feeding time. Can you see the hopeful intruders?
We traipsed all over the place, saw elephants, bugs, giraffes, and lions. Thankfully the glass was there because both Mama and Papa lion were prowling around before they enjoyed a spot of sun.
Then on Wednesday, Jill and Michael took their family for a photo session while we headed off to Port Orchard, via Gig Harbor, instead of resting. My sister and I are fans of Debbie Macomber whose Cedar Cove series takes place in a town that resembles Port Orchard. We enjoyed a wonderful piece of pie at the Victorian Tea Room which just happens to be across the way from A Good Yarn, another yarn shop. Just for fun, we took the ferry back to Seattle, and Dick caught a surprising photo of this container ship leaving town. Can you see what's on the very top of the stack?
On Thursday, Jane and Ted went to Bellingham to see friends. Did we rest? Nope. David is crazy about trains, so we went to the History Museum in Tacoma to see the wonderful train layout there. Much to our delight and surprise, a choir friend was volunteering that morning, so David and the rest of us had a super duper tour. Afterwards, David wanted to walk across the bridge near the Glass Museum to see the real train tracks, and Dick spotted us.
(That night we had a choir rehearsal, and both of us were nearly wiped out afterwards!) However, everyone was raring to go the next morning. After Jane and Ted left for Oregon, we piled in the car and headed for the Seattle Aquarium. Again, the animals were more active than normal, especially the octopus. Again, we were glad it was behind glass! Unfortunately, I can't get Michael's great octopus video to load, so this will have to do.
The kids had a great time watching the otters and seals, touching the starfish, and looking at all the different kinds of fish. Even Daniel enjoyed himself!
Instead of going home like sensible people, we headed up to the Pike Place Market so that Sophia and David could see the pig that's in their book about the market.
The next morning they flew off to Chicago, and we spent the weekend returning carseats and high chairs and packing to head off to Oregon to spend a couple of days with Jane and Ted in their timeshare condo, but more about that later.....'
We didn't rest the next day either! That day we braved the elements and went to the Seattle Zoo with the grandkids. Much to our surprise all the animals were out in full force, more active than I've ever seen them. We were greeted by this beauty who put on a real display, turning this way and that so we could admire his tail.
The kids wanted to see the penguins, and when we went there, it was feeding time. Can you see the hopeful intruders?
We traipsed all over the place, saw elephants, bugs, giraffes, and lions. Thankfully the glass was there because both Mama and Papa lion were prowling around before they enjoyed a spot of sun.
Then on Wednesday, Jill and Michael took their family for a photo session while we headed off to Port Orchard, via Gig Harbor, instead of resting. My sister and I are fans of Debbie Macomber whose Cedar Cove series takes place in a town that resembles Port Orchard. We enjoyed a wonderful piece of pie at the Victorian Tea Room which just happens to be across the way from A Good Yarn, another yarn shop. Just for fun, we took the ferry back to Seattle, and Dick caught a surprising photo of this container ship leaving town. Can you see what's on the very top of the stack?
On Thursday, Jane and Ted went to Bellingham to see friends. Did we rest? Nope. David is crazy about trains, so we went to the History Museum in Tacoma to see the wonderful train layout there. Much to our delight and surprise, a choir friend was volunteering that morning, so David and the rest of us had a super duper tour. Afterwards, David wanted to walk across the bridge near the Glass Museum to see the real train tracks, and Dick spotted us.
(That night we had a choir rehearsal, and both of us were nearly wiped out afterwards!) However, everyone was raring to go the next morning. After Jane and Ted left for Oregon, we piled in the car and headed for the Seattle Aquarium. Again, the animals were more active than normal, especially the octopus. Again, we were glad it was behind glass! Unfortunately, I can't get Michael's great octopus video to load, so this will have to do.
The kids had a great time watching the otters and seals, touching the starfish, and looking at all the different kinds of fish. Even Daniel enjoyed himself!
Instead of going home like sensible people, we headed up to the Pike Place Market so that Sophia and David could see the pig that's in their book about the market.
The next morning they flew off to Chicago, and we spent the weekend returning carseats and high chairs and packing to head off to Oregon to spend a couple of days with Jane and Ted in their timeshare condo, but more about that later.....'
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Snapshots from our Wedding (Image Heavy)
Have you read the children's book Snapshots from the Wedding by Gary Soto? It makes me smile. Well, thanks to our wonderful SIL Michael we have some photos of our own to share. It seems that my usual photographer was busy! The festivities began on Thursday night with a family gathering at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Seattle. Missing were the Shaw and Bispala cousins who didn't arrive until Friday and Saturday morning. We all held our breath for Leanne who had worked in Argentina the previous week!
The rehearsal went off without a hitch, and was followed by a wonderful meal at the Top of the Market which is located at Pike Place Market in Seattle.
Amazingly, the weather cleared in the late afternoon, and the wedding ceremony was wonderful. Brent's mom Mary Ann, and I were the last dressed as we were helping everyone else. Perhaps you can see our choir robes? Our robing rooms double as wedding dressing rooms for the bridal party.
Catherine wore the mantilla that I wore almost 45 years ago; my friend brought it back from Brussels for me that summer. However, Catherine figured out a fabulous way to wear it, with a beautiful orchid underneath.
David and Sophia made it down the aisle with a little help from Brent's nieces. Sophia's flower ball must have weighed several pounds and is drying in our laundry room. The florist didn't realize she was so little.
And so did Dick and Catherine. (The couple in view introduced Dick and me in Denver in 1964!)
Carl had fun with Daniel while waiting to be a groomsman.
Jill was a beautiful matron of honor and gave a very touching blessing for the bride and groom.
After the ceremony, everyone reconvened at the Shilshoe Bay Beach Club to celebrate the occasion. Dick's brother's family enjoyed a reunion of all their children and grandchildren.
The next morning we hosted a brunch for our relatives, Brent's family, and some of our close friends. It was a fun way to end a fabulous weekend. We are so happy our daughter has found such a wonderful man to be her life companion!
The rehearsal went off without a hitch, and was followed by a wonderful meal at the Top of the Market which is located at Pike Place Market in Seattle.
Amazingly, the weather cleared in the late afternoon, and the wedding ceremony was wonderful. Brent's mom Mary Ann, and I were the last dressed as we were helping everyone else. Perhaps you can see our choir robes? Our robing rooms double as wedding dressing rooms for the bridal party.
Catherine wore the mantilla that I wore almost 45 years ago; my friend brought it back from Brussels for me that summer. However, Catherine figured out a fabulous way to wear it, with a beautiful orchid underneath.
David and Sophia made it down the aisle with a little help from Brent's nieces. Sophia's flower ball must have weighed several pounds and is drying in our laundry room. The florist didn't realize she was so little.
And so did Dick and Catherine. (The couple in view introduced Dick and me in Denver in 1964!)
Carl had fun with Daniel while waiting to be a groomsman.
Jill was a beautiful matron of honor and gave a very touching blessing for the bride and groom.
After the ceremony, everyone reconvened at the Shilshoe Bay Beach Club to celebrate the occasion. Dick's brother's family enjoyed a reunion of all their children and grandchildren.
The next morning we hosted a brunch for our relatives, Brent's family, and some of our close friends. It was a fun way to end a fabulous weekend. We are so happy our daughter has found such a wonderful man to be her life companion!
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