Summer Finishes~

Finally it's finished! Started in 2009 for the Central Park Hoodie KAL, this sweater was completed at last when I quit procrastinating the seam stitching and sewed on the last button in time to mail it off to DD#1 for her birthday. Sure hope it fit!
I also turned in another purple hat this week, using the same pattern but with an I-cord top. There's still more yarn, so I started hat #3 but am using a different stitch pattern, a mock cable, to keep from being totally bored.
Tomorrow is the first day of fall, but we are still having roses! Just a few weeks ago one of our rose trees looked like this:
And just this week our hydrangea had its first bud. Last winter took a terrible toll on our hydrangeas, but they keep trying! Happy Autumn! (in 12 hours or so~)

You're Right, It's September! Time to Get Back to Knitting and Sewing....

Despite the fact that earlier in the month we had 9 straight days of temperatures in the eighties and set an all-time record, it is September and will soon be officially FALL. This week though, temperatures are back to normal, and the skies are grey. But during Labor Day weekend, the weather was wonderful, so we went with our friends Denny and Dianne to Flaming Geyser State Park. Located along the Green River, it is south of Auburn off the road to Black Diamond. Apparently lots of people either come to the park to float down the river or to fly model airplanes. We saw both!
The flaming geyser isn't as big as it once was, but nonetheless it's still interesting. The sign said at one time the flame was 6-8 feet high! The trail to a more conventional geyser is closed for repair.
This next photo is for those folks who think moss only grows on the north side of trees. Do not get lost in Washington state!
And yes, I've finally gotten back to knitting and am tackling some long term UFOs. More on this one later.
That's not to say there have been no new projects. This purple hat is the first one I've finished to donate to the "Don't Shake the Baby" campaign at the UW hospital. We'll see how many hats "hide" in one skein of yarn!
That's it for now; I'm off to make some soup for the first time since last spring.

The Rest of August

The last few days of Jill's visit were kind of grim, thanks to "the bug," but Uncle Carl came to the rescue and took the gang to the Seattle Aquarium. At that point I was laid low. Because Sophia caught "it," early on the day of their planned departure, the leave-taking was postponed to the next day when Dick got sick. Again Carl came to the rescue did the airport run. I'm sure they were glad to get back home. Oma and Opa were wiped out!
The rest of August went more smoothly. The Sunday after the kids left was our anniversary, and by Friday we had recovered enough to take our planned weekend in Cannon Beach, OR. The first day was delightfully sunny, and the second day was unbelievably foggy. We had fun anyway. It was interesting to see how sandy the beach was; the Ranger said the sand had begun moving in at the end of July
There's always lots to see at Haystack Rock during low tide.
We saw lots of starfish of all sizes.
And lots of kids making sand castles, even in the fog.
This time we didn't see any elk, but we did spot some of wild domestic rabbits that roam Cannon Beach. Never before have we seen them close to where we stay. Do you suppose it was mowing the lawn?
We came back home to find our hoya in full bloom! The buds go from this
to this.
And then we cut them off because they smell cloyingly sweet at night which our niece, the plant biologist, told us is to attact the insect pollinators. (Not in our house!)
The remaining weekend in August found us at a wedding of a good friend in Clinton, WA, which is on Whidbey Island. It was a perfectly beautiful day, and the good weather has persisted into September. We also enjoyed another trek around Green Lake one afternoon late in the month. Some of our favorite turtles were out and had a surprise visitor. I hope herons don't eat turtles!
And on the very last day of August I finished a scarf using the Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf pattern, a nice easy pattern for a very busy month.

The Lazy (Crazy?) Days of Summer~Part Two

Well, we made it to Seattle with all the grandkids and their mom, but it was somewhat of a miracle. Our plane was very late leaving O'Hare, and then late getting to Denver where we had to change planes. We didn't miss our connection thanks to the kind man at the gate who made them OPEN THE DOOR of the plane for us. We'd never experienced anything like that, and no one we've told our story to has either! Daniel added to the excitement by throwing up all over Jill mid-flight, and this was the first appearance of the mystery bug that worked its way through the family that week. It didn't totally spoil our time together but it sure kept things interesting.

The next day we spent the morning relaxing, and then in the afternoon we took the ferry to Winslow on Bainbridge Island. If you ever happen to go there, be sure to have ice cream at Mora's. I highly recommend the sorbet called Tango. YUM!
On Friday, Jill's high school friend Susan, who lives in Sequim, came to visit and stayed for lunch. That evening the whole family gathered at our house for a barbecue.
During the night, David woke up complaining of a tummy ache and was very lethargic, so he and I spent the morning reading stories together.
Meanwhile Sophia and Jill went with Auntie Catherine and her other two nieces to Build a Bear to celebrate Sophia's fourth birthday.
Later that day, Catherine and Brent hosted an all-family picnic at Carkeek Park, which is right on Puget Sound and a great place for a gathering. Everyone had a wonderful time, even David, who still wasn't feeling that great. (Then during the night, Daniel got sick again which made for lots of bedding to clean up and many loads of laundry.)

Much of the next day was spent at Remlinger's Farm. It's a great place to get fresh produce and also has an amusement park that is just perfect for small children.

Every had a great time, and even Uncle Brent sampled one of the rides.

Well, I hate to leave right in the middle of things but have spent way too much time fiddling with a new version of Blogger. I switched back to the "old" version only to discover it's been changed a bit too, so my learning curve has been challenged once again. Sigh..... Happy Labor Day everyone!

Blueberries, Anyone?

Admidst the busy-ness and chaos of the past month or two, fresh blueberries have been available at the grocery store, much to our pleasure.  For some reason, maybe because it's really tasty, I've homed in on this old recipe for Blueberry Buckle.  It's quick and easy and guaranteed to add a special touch to your breakfast table.

Blueberry Buckle (Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook~1962)
1/2 cup shortening
1 /2 cup sugar
1 well-beaten egg

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (You can also substitute gluten free flour.)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen should work, too)

Cinnamon Crumbs: Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup sifted flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in 1/4 cup butter till crumbly.

Thoroughlyt cream shortening and sugar; add egg and mix well.  Sift flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  Pou into well-greased 11 1/2x7x1 1/2-inch pan.  Top with blueberries.  Sprinkle Dinnamon Crumbs over berries.

Bake at 350 degrees 45-50 minutes or until done and golden brown.  Cut into squares and serve warm.  Makes 8-10 servings.  (I tried cutting the recipe in half and used a eight inch square pan successfully also.)

Enjoy!!!