Cooling off at Cold Creek

The heat has been rising this week, and we are not used to temperatures in the 90s. With the heat, in addition to being alone with the kids for over a week, I really felt like I was beginning to suffocate. You know that feeling where you just need to get out into wide open spaces, with fresh air, natural sounds, and most importantly, water? We drove up the curvy roads, stopped at the friendly ranger station, and got some excellent advice for a place to go to cool our toes: Cold Creek. It's a bit off the beaten path, and I never would have gone there myself, but the ranger's advice was spot-on. A wide spot off the quiet forest road, a few renegade campsites, and a cool, shallow, well-behaved stream with tall, shady trees all around. Easy access to the creek meant that we could drag our stuff down and stay awhile.

Oh, how lovely! I truly appreciate these kinds of spots, where I can take the kids, hang out, and breathe for awhile, escaping the heat and pressures of the city and the crowds at local swimming holes. And I didn't even need a NWForest Pass! Score!

We came home as the sunset was fading, and Daddy got back home just after we did. We laid out on the lawn and watched for shooting stars until the kids got too tired to keep their eyes open. It was a good day.

Making Jam

Every year I tell myself that I am going to take advantage of the summer's fresh produce and learn to can. Well, this year, in spite of the moving and upheaval, I miraculously found the energy and made the time to follow through on this wish. Here are some of the fruits of my labor:

Apricot butter (from the last fruit that got over-ripe), several jars of apricot jam, blueberry orange preserves, and two jars of runny red currant jelly. I really felt like I was learning something new with each batch I made. Each one has at least one mistake. But they are all yummy and I feel satisfied about what I was able to do. If I can summon up the energy, I have plans for other preserving. I'll keep you posted!

Visiting the Pomeroy Farm

We had an interesting visit today to a local living history farm called the Pomeroy Farm. It was settled by the Pomeroys in 1910, and portions of the farm have been preserved and are open to the public once a month. People can see what life was like "in the old days." This weekend the farm is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a showing of quilts. All the quilts on display throughout the farm were made by or collected by members of the family. Some are quite old and weathered, others look newer, but spread out all over the farm it made quite a sight. I'll put a bunch of photos here instead of trying to explain everything. Here are images from our day:

The house was made from logs, and has much of its original "charm" inside.

One of the farmers demonstrated an old saw run by tractor power. He was cutting up logs for firewood.

The kids got to experience how much work it took to churn butter.

Even Annika got up the nerve to feed the goats!

The blacksmith shop was up and running. The smell of coal was thick.

Some old vehicles and farm equipment were on display. This truck had a burlap sack hung in front of the radiator. These were used to cool water.

This fellow was hard at work using different wood-working tools.

We got to learn how to put together quilt blocks. These would be sewn together and donated to various charities.

The gals in this section helped us assemble the blocks, and then they sewed them together so we could see what they looked like.

Annika stands proudly by her finished quilt block, on the door by her head.

And here is Gabriel's finished block.

I even joined the fun!

Quilts were hung all over the farm, and blew gently in the breeze.

Several quilts had this sweet little girl motif.

The back porch looked so charming from the garden!

Even this car had a quilt covering! Someone put a lot of love into that project!

We had a relaxing, creative, informative afternoon.

You Know You're In the Country When...

You know you're in the country when...

Your neighbor mows the lawn with a tractor.

The view from the porch includes a weathered wood barn.

The sunsets are golden through the trees and fields.

We're enjoying this time at my parents' home this summer.

You can't keep this kid out of water...

I was doing some work in the yard this morning, and trying to water the beds. My dear daughter cannot keep out of the water. I finally gave up and told her to get out of her soaking wet clothes and get her swimsuit on, and she was so happy to play in the sprinkler I had set out in the front. Before long she had gotten some plastic containers and was contentedly making "dirt soup," as she called it. I think the plants still got watered, but so did my little angel.

Camping

Our lives have been so full of stress and work lately. We've moved and put our home on the market, and haven't had much time to enjoy the summer. But last weekend we were able to go camping with my parents to a lovely little campground called Paradise Creek. It was shady and green, mossy and peaceful. It seems this is the place to go if you have young children, because almost every site was full with families and dogs. The Wind River flows by, and Paradise Creek makes a safer wading area on the other side of the campground. Papa and Grandma cooked, and the kids ran around and played hard in the woods.

Papa made hamburgers and other delectable dishes over the fire

They made a new friend and we all thoroughly enjoyed our weekend. It was the longest I was able to sit and knit for quite awhile.

Here are some photos from our weekend.

The kids made people out of fir cones, lichens and sticks

They did lots of art and Aaron read at least two books

We played in the creek and looked for interesting rocks

It's nice to see my husband happy

We found a cool beetle one day

Peace and Fighting

Well, OK, this is a corny title, but I was trying to tie together our day in a witty way. Friday is Field Trip Day, so we took a little outing to the Bellevue Botanical Garden to complement our study of plants. The gardens are really blooming nicely, and make a wonderful walk for little ones.

So many plants are in bloom; we enjoyed viewing different kinds of flowers, and even recognized some that are favorites of ours.

Gabriel especially liked the Japanese Garden section. There is a little stream with some large, flat boulders you can walk on, and flowers blooming in between. It was magical for him, and magical for this Mama to see my child excited about garden design.

The air was cool, with grey clouds floating over occasionally. This park still has some sounds of the freeway, but the large trees and lush undergrowth give a calmness to the mind.

I am grateful we have places like this to go, and grateful we have time to take care of ourselves in this way. Both my kids have been yearning to go hiking, and this Mama is also missing the wilderness. When we can't make it out for a real hike, it is important to be able to get our nature fix in other ways. Everyone was more relaxed and pleasant this afternoon and evening, and the bickering was almost gone.

We ended the day with the Belt Ceremony for Gabriel's Martial Arts class. All the little kids were up on stage for a demonstration of a defensive technique. I was so proud of my little guy. His form has improved in the past few months, and he did really well. It was fun to see the older kids, too, and what Gabriel has to look forward to if he keeps up with the classes.

I also have to brag just a teeny bit about my latest canning adventure - I made rhubarb-orange preserves from the produce we get in our produce box. It is so yummy - but for all the time I spent in the kitchen, I only came out with 2 jars. Everyone is under orders that they must savor this jam - or else!