A Christmas to Remember

This was certainly a Christmas we won't ever forget. We have had record snowfall for the past two weeks and what's more, from 5:30am on Christmas morning to 7pm that evening we were without power and heat. Drew and his family managed to make it here on Christmas - thanks to his heavy duty Dodge Durango. However, when they arrived the house was cold due to no heat and there was no dinner cooked because of no power. Inovative as we are, we fired up both fireplaces and lit all the candles in the house. Dinner ended up being hotdogs cooked in our wood burning fireplace and eaten by candlelight. It was definitely an unusual Christmas for us. I heated some rocks by the fireplace to put in the beds, so we could at least get into a warm bed, but the heat came back on at 7 pm, so we didn't need them. It continued to snow every day Drew and family were here and so we didn't get out much. We totaled about 30 inches (75 cm) of snow before it started to melt yesterday. We spent our days sledding on the steep hills around here, playing board games and enjoying the time together. It is rare that the 7 of us are together any more, so it made for a great Christmas.
We are definitely ready for the new year!!

Record Snow and Cold

This is unlike any year we have had in the 32 years we've lived here. The snow just won't seem to quit and the temps haven't even gotten to 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-2 degrees Celcius)in quite a while so nothing is melting.
Our local lake, which is great for swimming in summer, is partially frozen - we've never seen it like that. The ducks are still there, though.
We also have more icicles than ever before. We've measured one at more than 47 inches (1.3 meter) and it is still growing! Some are about 2 -3 inches (5 cm)in diameter.
We did make an interesting discovery with all the snow. We found out that a raccoon is living under our deck. We saw the footprints and the secret was out.
Our neighbor discovered that the little Oregon squirrels we have here actually dig tunnels to get around in the snow. He also has some hummingbirds that come and feed is his feeder. He is hard pressed to keep it thawed enough for them to feed when the temps stay in the 20's all day.
We are so thankful Mark got home when he did - the news recently referred to the Seattle airport as "Camp Sea-Tac" because of all the stranded people. There are very few flights going out or coming in.
This, too, shall pass.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas......

We have been hit with a lot of snow and very cold temperatures this week. We barely managed to get Mark home from the airport on Wednesday. We got almost home before we got stuck in the snow and just could not get up the last hill. So, at midnight, we got out of the car and trekked the last three-quarters of mile to our house. The next day we retrieved our car with the help of a good Samaratin. Today, two days later, we had to chain up the car, so Mark could get to an appointment he had to make.
Because there is so much snow everywhere, we noticed that some racoons living under our deck. We only found this out, because we saw their tracks in the snow.
More snow and wind is expected tomorrow, so we are hunkering in for the next few days. John has lots of wood ready for the fireplace. We are planning on a power outage - that seems to be standard when winter wind storms hit.
It is time to get a pot of soup made.
More updates as they happen...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of you. We have a Christmas card for you.
Click on the link below to view it.

http://www.jacquielawson.com/preview.asp?cont=1&hdn=0&mpv=3150446

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........

Our winter arctic blast hit just in time for our grandson's birthday party, which we once again missed due to weather and driving conditions between here and there. Hopefully next year we'll be living closer to them and it won't be a problem. He did call and tell us all about the party and what great presents he got. He said 8 was the best age to be and he that he wants to be 8 forever!

As I looked out my window yesterday, lamenting the missed birthday party I saw a deer walking though our property foraging for something to eat in the midst of all this cold and snow. Then today the sun came out and the day was bright as could be.

As for now, we are having temps in the 20's during the day and teens at night.The pattern is supposed to stay with us all week. On the eastern side of the Cascades the temps are even lower, getting down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. It does put us in a festive Christmas mood with the sun shining and making the fresh snow sparkle.

We have all our decorations up, our Christmas cards written, and ready to mail tomorrow. Mark is due home Wednesday and then we will really be ready for Christmas. Drew and his family will be joining us this year. How great it will be to have us all together - healthy and happy - at the end of this tumultous year.

Let the Christmas Season Begin.....

Late yesterday a beautiful Christmas wreath arrived at our door. It was a gift from my sister, Tara. She knows how much we love wreaths. Years ago when our sons were still living here, we would spend most every Thanksgiving week-end making and selling our own wreaths. The boys would gather the greens, shape them on a form we made and I would make the bows. The boys would sell them to earn their Christmas money. We did this for 12+ years, but since the boys are grown and gone now, that tradition has fallen by the wayside. We haven't had a wreath adorn our front door for several years now, so when this one arrived we were thrilled and it brought back all the memories of those days gone by.

This wreath was hand made in Maine using fresh greens and arrived in perfect condition - still very fresh. The company that makes them is Whitney Wreath. If you want a wreath for yourself or to have sent to someone else, check them out. We highly recommend them. It even comes with a small bell and a brass tag with the year on it. We will keep our bell as an ornament for future Christmas trees.

For us, once the wreath is on the door, the merriment of the season may begin!!

Over the Mountains and Through the Woods to Grandkids House We Go...

Yesterday we headed over the mountains once again to spend Thanksgiving with our kids and extended family. The trip over was uneventful, although we did encounter some falling snow on the way home.

On our trip over and back we always make a stop at Indian John Hill at about the half way mark.

It's our all time favorite rest stop and we've posted a little history about it here for you.


Anyway, we did arrive in plenty of time for the Thanksgiving festivities to begin. Our daughter-in-law's parents hosted it at their house this year. There were 16 of us included 5 children ages 7 and under. It was wonderful, as always. The only thing missing, once again, was Mark, but he'll be here for Christmas - it's not too long now. We can hardly wait to see him again and for us to get moved over there. Hopefully, we'll be settled in by this time next year and we can be the hosts.

We'll keep you posted on our plans to move at they progress.

Family Week-End

We had another great week-end with the 'kids'. Drew and family came over for a visit and the November weather was unusually cooperative. We trekked through the woods, climbed (fake) rocks, went to a park, played games, did some art projects, and generally had a great time. Drew and Sarah got out for an evening by themselves and we got to have the children to ourselves.
Many times this week-end I wished I had brought my camera, but didn't, so there are no pictures to show this time.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It has been a very rainy November with lots of flooding in this area. The rivers are swollen and overflowing, blocking several roads around here. We are wet, but not flooded or even leaking. This is pretty typical for November. The month probably won't end without a wind storm that brings down lots of branches and a few trees. That seems to be the pattern for November in the Pacific Northwest. I recently put a small weather and time widget on this blog right under the map. It shows the current temperature, time, and weather indicated by the picture background.

On a brighter note, Drew has been on a job assignment in Sweden for the past two weeks and is returning home today. He has a 4-hour layover at the airport before catching the last leg of his flight home, so John and I will be going to the airport later today to have dinner with him while he waits for his connecting flight. It's also Sarah's birthday today, so he is getting home just in time. The children were wonderful and remembered her birthday on their own. JJ set his own alarm so he could get up and make breakfast for his mom. Hannah had made a necklace for her mom which she presented to her first thing this morning. We really do have the BEST grandkids!

What Happened to Halloween?

We never do get very many trick-or-treaters, but this year was the lowest we'd ever had in 30 years of living in this house. The doorbell rang only once and the two children from next door were there. That was it for the night - bummer. Is this a national trend? I love seeing all the kids come by with their costumes and trying to figure out who they are.

On the bright side.... there's all that candy left over for us to enjoy - Mark.... if you're out there, we'll be sending some of it your way if I can get it packed and sent before Dad eats it.

The past few weeks have been very productive. We had all the carpet replaced upstairs and got the living and dining rooms painted - what a chore. Glad it's done and it looks great!! Now to get everything back in place - ugh.

Fall Colors in the Pacific Northwest

View out our front door. This burning bush does appear to be "burning".

Our canoe is stored for the winter under one of our vine maple trees.

This is a rogue tree that only changes color on some of its branches - not all.

These two stands of colorful trees were spotted on our way downtown.

You see, New England isn't the only place with beautiful fall colors. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we get some pretty spectacular color, too. These shots were taken this morning on our property and then some others photographs were taken as we drove from our house to downtown. The sun was out and the trees seemed to sparkle.

A Week-End of Opportunities

This week-end we had three 'opportunities'. The first one was to go to my 40th high school reunion. If any of you from South Brunswick High School class of 1968 are reading this - welcome and sorry I missed seeing you all. I hope you'll post a blog of the reunion or at least some pictures. Wish I could have been there and I hope to hear for some of you.

The second opportunity we had this week-end was to attend Mark's college's 'Family Week-End" event near Boston. We have been for the 3 previous years and decided to pass on it this year, but we'll be sure to go for his graduation in early June.

Opportunity number 3 was the one we took. It was Grandparents' Day at our grandchildren's school. The big event started at 8:30 am and since we wanted to make it a day trip, we had to head out shortly after 5 am for the 3-hour drive - that, of course, allowed time for a stop at Starbuck's.

What a beautiful drive it turned out to be! We had hoped to see the stunning fall colors of the trees in the mountains, but our timing (driving in the dark) nixed that. However, as we crossed over the Cascade Mountains, we left the rain and clouds behind - that's the norm - and the eastern side of the state was so clear that we got to see the most beautiful, colorful sunrise on the eastern horizon as we were driving directly east - right into the sunrise, it seemed. The wide open, cloudless, treeless horizon made for a beautiful sunrise 'event'. It was at this time, we realized we'd left the camera behind. I guess leaving a 5am , we just weren't quite awake enough to remember everything. However, when we arrived, we saw that Hannah (5) had drawn a picture (a "masterpiece" the teacher called it) for us. It is better than any photograph we could have taken. It's posted here at the top of this entry and will hang it up in our house, too.

Grandparents' Day was wonderful - as always. After lunch with the kids at school, we then went over to their house for a visit. Drew came home early from work and we all went out for an early dinner before we headed back home - just barely in time to see the sunset over the mountains. It was a great day - but very tiring, by the time we pulled into our driveway shortly before 9 pm.

We had 3 choices for this week-end and we made the right one - no airplanes, no hotels, and had we made another choice, there would have been no "masterpiece" from Hannah to keep forever.

Picture details as explained by Hannah: Grandma on the left and Grandpa holding a basket brimming with blueberries from our blueberry bush. Look at the heart between us, she said. On the right is her brother JJ. I guess Hannah was 'taking' the picture, so she isn't in it. Needless to say, we love it.

Pumpkin Time

October is always pumpkin time for us - not the big jack-o-lantern pumpkins - but the small sugar pumpkins that make for such great eating. Sugar pumpkins getting ripe on the vine also means our long-time dear friends, Alice and Jerry, fly up to see us from California and we spend an afternoon making our once-a-year pumpkin meal.

Before we got started on that, we ventured out to try and see the salmon run, but missed it by a few days once again. However, we did enjoy the walk to our favorite local salmon spawning creek. The birch trees sparkled against the fall sky overhead as we trekked on the trail to the creek and back out again.
Birch trees along the salmon creek

That afternoon we hollowed out our sugar pumpkins that Drew's father in-law, Andy, had grown and made our tradional pumpkin meal. The recipe is below for anyone who wants to try it. It originally came from Martha Stewart - about 10 years ago, although we've changed it a bit over the years.


Pumpkin meal ready to eat - just lift off the top

The week-end was not over yet, so the next day we were off to Tillicum Village on Blake Island in Puget Sound. It is an island devoted to Native Americans of this region and the life they lived centuries ago. We went to Seattle to get a ferry to the island. We were greeted on the island with hot steamed clams by members of a local tribe and then went in the Longhouse for a traditionally cooked salmon dinner cooked over a traditional alder fire. While dining we were treated to a performance which re-told some of the native history. Afterwards there was time to walk around the island before heading back to Seattle. We had the most beautiful fall day we had had all month , although it was quite cold. It was 36 when we got up that morning, but got into the 50's as the day went on. If you want to know more about Tillicum Village, here is a link: http://www.tillicumvillage.com/

View from Blake Island

Alice, John, and Jan sitting on drift wood on Blake Island

Pumpkin recipe:

Chicken Pot Pie in a Pumpkin
Serves 6
6 two-pound sugar pumpkins

9 ounces potatoes – peeled and cut into ½” pieces
6 tablespoons butter

8 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into ½” pieces
2 teaspoons salt

8 ounces small green peas
1 teaspoon pepper

12 ounces button mushrooms
1 pound pearl onions

2½ cups chicken stock
5 tablespoons flour

4½ cups cooked chicken
1 cup milk

2 teaspoon each of thyme, parsley, sage, and basil
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice tops off pumpkins – set aside. Scoop out the seeds. Using pastry brush, brush insides of pumpkins with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Season insides of pumpkins with pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place pumpkins on a baking sheet. Cover with foil. Bake until tender – about 30 minutes.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Add pearl onions and set simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water. Peel onions and set aside.
Melt remaining butter in a large, high-sided skillet. Add potatoes and onions and cook until potatoes begin to turn golden. Add mushrooms, carrots and peas - cook 4 – 5 minutes more. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, milk and remaining herbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat and divide mixture among reserved pumpkin shells.
Place pumpkin tops back on the pumpkins. Bake about 45 minutes

Revised from original Martha Stewart recipe.

Birthday Time

The last week in September is birthday time for our family. Drew was 31 on the 25th, Hannah was 5 on the 27th and Andy (Drew's father-in-law) is 60-something today - the 30th. All these birthdays in a 5-day period make for a fun family party. We all gathered together on Saturday for one big birthday bash and barbeque. The weather was beautiful and sunny so we got to be outside all day.

We started off the day by going to JJ's soccer game. He was the goal keeper for most of the game and stopped a couple of goals from being made, so he was happy as the crowd cheered his successes.
JJ is in the green facing forward.

The birthday celebrations began right after the soccer game ended. There were 17 family members there and it made for a great time for everyone. Hannah had all her grandparents and great-grandparents there, as well as, all her aunts, uncles and cousins with the one exception of Mark who just could not fly in from Boston for the day.

Among many other gifts, Hannah got a matching nightgown for herself and her doll "Sally".

For those interested in a Penny (the puppy) update...........

She was recovering well until she went down the slide and suffered a setback, but is now once again on the mend.

Saturday Morning

This is the first Saturday for us in quite a while that no one is visiting and we are not traveling somewhere. So we have been able to revert to our usual Saturday morning routine. For us that is going to Starbuck's and splitting a 'non-fat, decaf, no whip, venti mocha' while we peruse the New York Times. Generally some friends stop in and we converse for a while before getting on with our day. Since fall has not yet begun, that means our local Saturday Farmers' Market is still open. It is a sunny, albeit cool day, so we meandered through and picked up some fresh produce to tide us over for the week. Soon it will be time to harvest our own apple crop.

Here are some pictures of our morning......

Sunrise brings atypical sun rays bursting through the trees as seen from our bedroom window.

John reading the NY Times and enjoying our mocha at our favorite local Starbucks.

Our hometown local farmers' market

Penny the Puppy - The Newest Family Member

What an eventful week it has been. Mid-week Drew and his family were at a local park and this cute little puppy with a hurt leg came up to them with a soulful look as if to say "I'm hurt, please help me". She 'appealed' to others at the park, too, but it was our kids who all decided they would take this little dog home and see if they could help her. Before making a final decision on whether to keep her or not, they took her to the vet. Well, it seems her leg was severely fractured and had been that way for about 7-10 days. What's more it, would take some extensive surgery to fix the problem - this would be surgery costing close to $900 to fix a stray they had picked up the park a couple of days earlier. It would need to be done the next day or she'd be put down because of the severity of the fracture.

Our 7-year-old grandson, JJ, decided to get on the phone (unbeknownst to his parents) and call both sets of grandparents telling of their dilemma. They would all sleep on it and make a decision in the morning. Before going to bed, JJ prayed that something would work out and they could keep the puppy. Well, early the next morning, the other grandparents called to say they had not been able to sleep all night. They had decided they wanted to pay the total cost of getting the puppy fixed . It was important to them that the children had this puppy. Every child should have grandparents like that! The surgery took place that morning and the next day (Saturday), Penny was home again. - this time permanently, with her new family.

That afternoon Drew called to tell us that there was a home tour going on in their town and since we are planning a move over that way next year, it would be a great time to go see some of the local homes. Of course, with the exciting news of the new puppy, too, we decided we'd go, so yesterday we drove over (3 hours each way) and spent the day. We saw several houses and met our newest family member - Penny.

Here are some pictures of Penny with her new family and her own special doghouse.

Hannah and Penny

JJ trying out the new doghouse

Last Tastes and Harvests of Summer

Just as we were thinking summer was about gone, we realized our blueberry and apple 'crops' were about ready for harvest and the roses are still blooming. The blueberries are at their peak and the apples are not far behind. We should be harvesting them later this month. We'll need another couple of weeks for the blackberries, though.

Surprisingly, we don't fertilize, spray, or even water these plants, at all. They just thrive being cared for by mother nature. We do have to compete with the birds, deer, and squirrels to get our share, though.

Summer's End - Lake Easton

As a final family gathering for the summer, we met up with Drew and his family in the Cascade Mountains at Lake Easton for a day of hiking and canoeing. This lake about half way between Drew's home on the eastern side of the mountains and ours on the western side. It is a beautiful, pristine, alpine lake about 2200 feet above sea level. We were all surprised at how cool it was, especially since it is still August. The temperature was in the low 60's, but the wind made it feel much colder than that.
With the children starting back to school and Mark leaving tomorrow to go back to college, this was the last chance for all 7 of us to get together. We met in the morning for a 3-mile hike, had a picnic lunch, and then went canoeing in the afternoon. We finished off the day by going to a local restaurant for dinner and then we headed back home to our side of the mountains as Drew and his family headed back home to their house. It was a great day for all of us and a great way to finish the summer. Here are some pictures ......

John, Sarah, JJ, and Drew carrying Hannah, as we hiked all the way around Lake Easton


Mark with JJ and Hannah overlooking the lake

Mark, Drew, JJ, and Hannah walking through an old railroad tunnel.


John, JJ, and Mark - all seasoned canoers!



Returning from the last canoe ride of the day - Sarah, Hannah, and Drew.

Summer '08

This summer has brought more wildlife to our neighborhood than we have had in the 30 years we've been here. Most exciting was the black bear that had been reported, but not seen by us until last month. He was crossing the street seemingly unaware of us as we drove on to our street. We'll watch a little more carefully when we are out walking now! We've also had reports by neighbors about bobcat sightings. So far we haven't seen one ourselves, but our next door neighbors photographed two on their property. The usual coyotes haven't caused a stir, nor have the ever-present deer other than eating my roses and berries.

Wildlife is abundant and part of the allure of living here in the Great Pacific Northwest.

Deer on our front lawn.

We've also had a few short trips away from home. In June, we went to California to visit Mark who had a summer internship down that way. We also got to see my sister who is in that area.

Last month we went to the Oregon coast for a couple of days where our daughter-in-law's parents were celebrating their 40th anniversary. What a great place the Oregon coast is! The beaches are wide and expansive with relatively few visitors. We went on long walks, flew kites, rode beach bikes, played with the grandchildren, and roasted marchmallows on the beach as the sun set.



Houseguests have been abundant, as well. My cousin from Texas who had never been to the northwest, came for a short visit. The weather was uncharacteristically very cooperative and we had a grand time showing off the local sites. They had heard rumors about all the rain, but they were pleasantly surprised at the balmy days we had during their visit.

The grandchildren came individually for visits, which has become a much anticipated event for them and for us. They also came with their family a couple of times.

Mark is due home on Monday and will get to be with us for 2 weeks before heading back to Boston.

That's it for another session. We'll be back when there is more to say.......

Intro

Welcome to our new blog! In this first post we'll introduce you to our family and fill you in on what we've been doing this summer.

John and I still live in the same house we've been in for almost 30 years now. That will be changing soon, but for now we are still here.

Mark (with John and me in the picture) just had his 21st birthday earlier this year and attends college in Boston, so he isn't here much any more, but we do visit back and forth several times a year. No telling where he'll be this time next year. We'll let you know when we do. He gets home about 3 times a year and we get out there once or twice to see him, so it works out OK for us.

Mark is our traveller. He worked on building an orphanage in Thailand the summer before graduating high school. He trekked through Iceland after high school graduation and just recently completed a 3-week, 700+mile bicycle trip in Japan. There have been other trips, but those stand out most.

Drew married his college sweetheart, Sarah, shortly after graduating and has started his own family.

They blessed us with our first grandson - John Andrew Reed V - who quickly became known to everyone as "JJ". Three years later little Hannah came along, so now we finally have a little girl in the family.

Note: I'm tempted to fill the entire blog with adorable pictures of our grands, but will spare you that - for now, although I couldn't resist just one more..........

We know everyone says their grandchildren are the best, but ours really are.

That's it for now. This blogging thing is really time consuming, especially since we are trying to learn as we go, but we'll be back with an overview of how this summer is going.