Out and About~

While my sister and Ted were still here, the sun came out, so we hopped in the car and went to Discovery Park. Lots of trails wind through the park, and we took the one that goes down to the beach and light house. Since we were there last, the light house has been painted and looks great! I think there are also plans to refurbish the inside as well. As you can see, the mountain (that's what the natives call Mount Rainier) is out. It's not really that close though; Dick was using the zoom lense on his camera.

After all of our company left, we took a long postponed walk with our friends Denny and Dianne in the Nisqually National Wildlife Preserve . We'd been there a number of years ago with them, but in the past couple of years the area has been upgraded with wooden boardwalks and a visitor center has been added. Can you see what's in this tree? The sign says that eighteen eagles live in the preserve.

One whole field was full of Canadian geese. And what a racket they were making! Every so often a group would take off and move to another spot, squawking as they flew.

I don't know what this snowy egret was looking for....lunch perhaps?

We could see the Tacoma Narrows bridge!

This Great Blue heron entertained us as it waded around in the shallows. As we left the boardwalk the tide was going out, and it was very interesting to watch. It was also very cold and damp which reminded me that December is coming and that I had some Christmasy yarn to use.


Two more dishcloths for the holidays....and lots more projects underway. Stay tuned.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When my Christmas cactus starts looking like this, we know that the holidays are quickly approaching. This is the first time though, since we received it as a gift from Montsic and Janet a few years ago, that both colors have bloomed at once like they did then! Maybe that means it's going to be an extra special Christmas? Don't know about you, but I've got lots to do before then!

If you're looking for something different and very tasty to serve on Thanksgiving, here's just the thing: Apple-Cranberry Cake on Jules Speaks Gluten Free . Don't be afraid of the gluten free part; you can substitue wheat flour. In fact, I forgot to add the melted butter, and it still got a "thumbs up" from Dick....and me. It's DELICIOUS! (And easy!) We've taken to eating it at breakfast.

Enjoy! And have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Birthday Bash!

If you thought I seemed a bit distracted recently, you were right. The kids and I were very busy working out the details of a surprise birthday party for Dick. His extra special birthday very conveniently fell on the weekend this year which helped us get lots of the family together, all unbeknownst to him. It was SO fun. On Friday night the festivities began at an Italian restaurant near DD#2's house. Doesn't he look surprised?

His brother and my sister and their spouses came from San Francisco and MN. Isn't it great they were able to join us?

Then on Saturday night our supposed "pizza party" turned into a special dinner with a few of our long time friends as well as the family. And who showed up then? DD#1 from Chicago which was a surprise to all of us except her siblings. We are SO fortunate to have such a wonderful family.
Here's a rare photo of our whole family together. DS left last Monday for Asia!

Meanwhile, I was busily trying to sneak in a few minutes with my knitting needles before our Sunday afternoon event, but more about that the next time.

What a great weekend it was! And best of all, Dick is back to the good part of the year when we are both the same age.....

It's Getting to Look a Lot Like...........

While I was knitting purple hats and helping to plan a very special birthday party, the members of my quilt group were working on 80 Christmas stockings for the local Ronald MacDonald house. I managed to finish these two, not a big contribution, but at least I participated, right?

And then DD#1 requested some new Christmas hats for the GK, so who could refuse? The fourth hat is just in case a certain someone decides to make an early appearance...

More about the certain someone, and the party real soon!

Happy 11/11/11!

It's rainy and chilly here, but if you happen to be out tonight and the sky is clear, be sure and look at the moon. It was so pretty last night, and Dick took this photo the night before.

We just got back from our daily walk. Leaves were raining down and
making huge piles in the middle of the streets and along the curbs. We were glad to have taken these photos earlier in the week because these trees look very different today. (That tall skinny tree in the second picture is a ginko. They turn the prettiest yellow each fall.)


I thought these were the last two purple hats, but then I found some leftovers from one of Sophia's sweaters, so I'll probably make a couple more. I am, however, very tired of lavender yarn! Can you see how little was left from the original skein?

Hope you've had a nice Veteran's Day. Many thanks to those who have served!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.....

The weather people keep predicting rain, and we have had some, but lately we've had some beautiful crisp fall days, just perfect for walking. Last Saturday, as we trekked up and down hill, we stopped for some photos as the fall color was very nice. Since then it's been raining leaves, millions of them with lots more to come.





Even the moon was out that afternoon!

We've been meaning to get a photo of this tree for ages and finally remembered. Nothing, not even a chain-link fence, can stop a determined tree!

Our beauty berry in the backyard is nice this year also with lots more berries than last year.

I also finished a challenging KAL called the Seaside Shawlette, yarn and pattern from the Knitters Brewing Company. Besides learning a lot about lace, I got to witness the magic of blocking. Just off the needles, the shawl was a lumpy looking mess! Just a little water made it straighten out and shape up. No Socktober socks though.....

More on some other projects later as we're off to volunteer at the UW hospital. Have a great afternoon!