Category Archives: Mosaic Monday

Labor Day Monday Mosaics ~

We took a little road trip last week to the Oregon Coast and Bonneville Hot Springs in Washington. On our way from the coast for breakfast in McMinnville we took Highway 18 and spotted a sign for a covered bridge. The original bridge was built in 1914 but was damaged and was rebuilt. The new rebuilt bridge is on private property that is owned by a military family with a son in service with the Marines. We can relate to that.

We found a great little cafe in McMinnville that bakes their own bread and has homemade jam. We enjoyed a granola crusted french toast and an egg scramble that was really tasty at Wild Wood Cafe. After breakfast I had a little sit and chat with Ben Franklin in the historic section of old town.

I’m linking up with the fabulous photographer Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday, I guess it will be a special Labor Day Mosaic Monday.

I hope you all are enjoying your long weekend and you’ve fit in some time free from labor!!

The Humming Bird by Emily Dickinson ~

The Humming-Bird by Emily Dickinson

A route of evanescence
With a revolving wheel;
A resonance of emerald,
A rush of cochineal;
And every blossom on the bush
Adjusts its tumbled head, —
The mail from Tunis, probably,
An easy morning’s ride.

These photos were taken at my Nephew and Niece’s house in Southern California. This little hummer really enjoyed this section of the yard and hung around long enough for me to snap away. I’m linking my Hummingbird to Mary’s Mosaic Monday.

Thanks for stopping by…

Late Bloomers…

Here’s proof that things are taking a lot longer to bloom this year…

These photos were taken on July 9, 2010. Hydrangeas, and lavender blooming nicely and apples nice and round. This next mosaic are photos I took today July 10, 2011.

Just one bloom on my hydrangea bush. We have maybe a total of 12 apples on our tree and they all look a bit deformed. The lavender is just starting to show some purple.

Here are other slow bloomers this year…

Blueberries still green…

Lilie’s being reluctant to burst open.

Speaking of late bloomers did anyone watch the U.S.A. vs. Brazil Women’s World Cup Soccer game today? They kept me guessing but late into overtime during 3 added minutes Megan Rapinoe delivered a beautiful ball into the box and Abby Wambach headed it in to tie up the game. The women went on to win the game in penalty kicks! What a game.

And if that wasn’t enough soccer excitement for me our own Sounders beat our arch rivals the Portland Timbers in a back and forth game where we came out one goal ahead! We beat them 3-2. You should have heard the whooping and hollering in my family room today!  Yes soccer is my favorite sport…

I’m joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Port Townsend, Washington ~

 

On Saturday Dear and I left very early from our house to catch a 5:35 a.m. ferry from Edmonds, Washington across the Sound to Kingston.

 

After disembarking the ferry we had an hour drive to our destination. We arrived in Port Townsend a little before 7 a.m. with time to kill before breakfast.  Besides Dear and I, the only things out and about were these other kinds of deer.

 

We found the Blue Moose Cafe and then headed out to the downtown area of Port Townsend to get the lay of the land. Dear was a little concerned about the off the beaten path location and looks of the cafe but I had read good reviews about the place and wasn’t deterred by other cafes that opened a little earlier. When we finally got back to the cafe and had our seats and food in front of us we both knew we had made the right choice.

 

After breakfast which was still very early we toured the town and enjoyed many beautiful gardens, Victorian Homes, and other great old houses and churches. This Bell Tower is the only known Tower of its kind in the United States.

 

Our next stop was the Farmer’s market which didn’t open until 9:00. I so enjoyed watching this little foursome of girls at the Pane d’Amore booth. Who could resist giving them a free bun. The pear flaky pastry treat I bought for myself was amazing. Dear had an almond croissant. We stopped at this fun coffee stand and got a rich cup of coffee to go with our sweets.

I’ll share the homes, gardens, and churches we saw on another day. On our way back to the ferry landing we stopped at some garage sales and happened upon this Civil War Enactment in Port Gamble. I had to zoom way in from the road to get any photos as parking and the entry fee were too much to spend for a couple photos…

 

Our good times continued into Sunday. We started Sunday off at church this morning with a study on Wisdom vs. Folly.  After church, Josh and Laura came over for Dear’s Swedish Pancakes before Josh, Laura and I headed out to the Sounder’s Soccer game at 1:00. Our team won which is always a treat. When we got back home we all decided to end the day with Dear at our local Mexican Restaurant for dinner. A good day all the way around. Oh, did I mention the sun was shining all day long!? Another great reason to celebrate!

Thanks for stopping by here…

I’m linking to Mosaic Monday hosted by Mary at Little Red House!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Palisade and Platz…

 

On Friday afternoon Dear and I drove into downtown to pick up two of my brother-in-law’s sisters who arrived in Seattle to go on an Alaskan cruise. One of the sisters is from Michigan and the other is from Canada. We were able to get early reservations at Palisade Restaurant. The waterfront restaurant is beautiful with some wonderful views. Friday was a very nice day in the Pacific Northwest and it was a great evening to be out in Seattle.

 

We had a nice time catching up with some news about each other. The last time we were together was in California two years ago at their mother’s funeral. In the 70’s we made a few visits to Michigan and stayed with Ruth and her late husband Peter at their lakefront home.

 

I was inspired by Charlotte’s post for Easy Platz last Friday. My mother got very creative and made cantaloupe jam and gifted us with some at Christmas. When I saw Charlotte’s recipe I decided to try making it with my mom’s cantaloupe jam. It turned out real good. If you need a last minute treat this recipe is easy and delicious.

 

Even though we were under the weather this weekend Dear and I got a lot done around this old house. I’m happy to say my living room is the cleanest it’s been in at least 6 years. The windows and screens are clean, the window coverings are dusted and washed, the furniture was moved and all the carpeting and sills etc. were vacuumed and everything is dusted. Now it’s a double joy to sit in there in the morning and have my devotions looking out the clean windows. Tomorrow I’m using a gift card that I got for my birthday back in March for a massage. I’m looking forward to an hour of pampering. Thank you to Josh and Laura for the gift.

Hope your new week goes well…

To see more mosaics or to join in visit Mary at Little Red House.

 

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Early Celebration…

 

Sunday evening we drove an hour to the little town of La Conner for dinner together to celebrate Father’s Day. Our children will be scattered next Sunday so we decided to celebrate early. Nell Thorn has a variety of good local food cooked to perfection. We all enjoyed our choices. As your family grows and your children marry it is a very good choice not to get too attached to celebrating on exact dates. Flexibility and enjoying the times you do spend together are key to contentment in extended family relationships.

Mosaic Monday is hosted by Mary at Little Red House. Thank you Mary!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Mosaic Monday ~ Rhododendron Bushes

 

These are photos of our two large rhododendron bushes in our back yard. I think they really need to be pruned but I need to call someone over to show me how to do that without killing them off!

Coast Rhododendron
Rhododendron macrophyllum

In 1892, before they had the right to vote, Washington women selected the coast rhododendron as the state flower. They wanted an official flower to enter in a floral exhibit at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Six flowers were considered, but the final decision was narrowed to clover and the “rhodie,” and voting booths were set up for ladies throughout the state. When the ballots were counted, the rhododendron had been chosen as the Washington state flower.

For more Mosaics please visit Mary at Little Red House.

Then and Now ~ D.C. Mosaics

 

 

As you can see I didn’t study my then photos very well as I stood on the opposite side of the Marine Memorial. You also have to look real hard to see me in the now photo at the right of the statue. The only chance we got to get to the Marine Memorial was during the moonlight tour. In my Capitol shots you can see how things have changed from 40 years ago.

Across the road from the Capitol you can visit the United States Botanic Garden. Here are two mosaics of some of the flowers in the garden.

 

 

My last mosaic is for my Canadian friends. Happy Victoria Day to all of you!

 

Join us and Mary at Little Red House to share your Mosaics.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Cooking Class at Lepp Farm Market

Last Thursday evening 5 of us from Mennonite Girls Can Cook participated in a cooking class at Lepp Farm Market in Abbotsford, B.C. Unfortunately my camera was on a wrong setting and my photos are dark.

 

Judy, Lovella and Marg checked over the lists and then we headed out into the store to shop for our ingredients.

 

 

Bev and Lovella got ingredients ready for Lovella’s Paska.

 

Guests who had paid for the class started arriving. Some came an hour before the class was to begin. Bev was at the stove preparing her Green Bean Soup. This was something I was going to enjoy for the first time.

 

Judy and Marg started preparing their Zwieback. A traditional Mennonite bun.

 

At the end of the evening it was my turn to present my Paska spread, Seerney Paska. Although I am not a natural at being in front of a crowd everyone was very gracious. This was the first time many of the gals had ever tasted this sweet cheese spread.

 

Lovella kept us organized and on task and we all worked well together. I think I enjoy being a Sous Chef, behind the scenes, instead of front and center.

 

At the end of the evening we sat down and enjoyed the fruits of our labor and if I have to say so myself, it was all very good.

Here’s a link for Lovella’s Paska.  Here’s a link to Ellen’s Sweet Cheese Spread for Paska, Seerney Paska.

I’ll be linking up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with these blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Weekend Fun!

 

On Friday night we had our good friends over for a meal. Dave, Jody, Bob, and Jan have been our friends since before we moved to Washington in 1988. Jody, Jan and I were walking buddies for years before Dear’s job took us back to California. Now that we are back we have some catching up to do. When the 6 of us went on a walking tour of Great Britain back in May of 2006 we were on a quest to find the best Sticky Toffee Pudding in Britain. If the pudding was on the menu we’d order one serving with 6 spoons. On Friday night we each had our own serving. Good times, good friends, good memories. Um yes, this blogger was so busy enjoying her friends she didn’t take photos of the food…

 

On Saturday the fun continued when Josh and Laura picked me up for an afternoon Sounders game. Winning was especially rewarding! Note: If you take a little one to sporting events where the crowd noise gets exceptionally loud like Sounders games these little ear protectors are a must! Isn’t little Oliver adorable!?

I’ve been having fun in Picasa using my photos as backgrounds for my mosaics. I’m linking up at Mary’s Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. I’m behind since Friday getting around to blogs but I’ll try to get around soon.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with these blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.