Category Archives: Our Country Bungalow

Half Way Hodgepodge

Our summertime visitors have been entertaining us here at our country bungalow. I’ll post more photos later in the week.

Time for the Midweek Hodgepodge with thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. The midpoint of summer (believe it or not) is August 7th. Describe a perfect summer day. Have you had one this year? 

A nice clear blue sky with fluffy clouds at 78 degrees or less with no mosquitoes, yellow jackets, or wasps to bother me. Have not had one this summer.

2. What’s one thing you wish you knew before starting high school? 

It was a waste of time, emotions and regrets to have boyfriends. It would have been good just to keep all relationships at the friend level.

3. What’s something that bothers you if it’s not done perfectly? 

I think perfectly is a very high standard that has different opinions attached. I like events that are well planned and that have flexibility if things go wrong.

It does bother me when you arrive to help someone move and nothing is packed or that there aren’t boxes and paper and tape to get the job done.

It bothers me when an event is planned but then there is no one really in charge.

4. What’s the most overrated food you’re convinced people are just pretending to enjoy?

Green Juice.

What’s a trendy food you actually do enjoy and would say is definitely not overrated? 

Thai Food

5. Wrapping it up this week with five fun this or thats…

personal stylist or personal chef? 
Chef!
dance like nobody’s watching or sing like nobody’s listening? 
Sing like nobody’s listening!
unlimited tacos or free pizza? 
Unlimited Tacos!
bookshelf organization-by size or by genre? 
By Genre and within the genre the authors.
ten minutes late or ten minutes early? 
Ten minutes early!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our younger summertime visitors from the animal kingdom.

These two were crying for their mother on Monday night when I got home from VBS. A sad cry I had never heard before.

Our church is having Vacation Bible School, Wonder Junction, this week. I’ll be selling t-shirts and hats each evening.

Of Boats and Birthdays…

Tuesday July 29th was my brother and sister’s birthday. They are twins. It was fun to have one of the ‘twins’ with us to celebrate his birthday this year. Our Colville kids own a boat and the plan for this Tuesday was for them to treat their uncle and cousin to a day on the water. Their boat is not a yacht so Greg and I stayed home for boat time.

While the crew were boating I baked a cake and prepared our taco dinner. The candle on the cake had a small explosion of edible confetti that was fun. Note to self: read the directions before you light the candle. For the first candle I didn’t read the fact that I was supposed to put in the edible sprinkles ahead of lighting the candle. Thankfully there were two candles in the package and Jamie loaded up the second candle and Dan lit it for a successful ‘second take’ on singing and lighting and exploding!

The evening was capped off with a game of SkyJo which has become our ‘go to’ card game this year.

Wednesday morning was pack up day with a trip to the airport for our visitors. We stopped for breakfast at Frank’s Diner and another stop at Spokane Falls for a quick view before we continued on to the airport.

The Spokane International airport was a short ten minute drive from here. We dropped off my brother and nephew with hugs and good wishes. ‘God be with you till we meet again’.

We still had to make a couple shopping stops on the way back to Colville for supplies for our Vacation Bible School. After stopping at the Chef’s Store and Costco we drove the rest of our 70 mile trip to Colville with views of clouds that warned of Thunderstorms that were ready to burst at any minute.

We are thankful for the time we could all spend with my brother and nephew in our corner of the world.

Dallas to Colville

My brother and our nephew traveled to Colville to enjoy a Father/Son time with us. Leonard is the youngest of my siblings being born 6 minutes after his twin, Lana. Andrew has an older sister, Hope. Hope was enjoying some cousin time in California. We stopped at The Master’s Brewpub in Deer Park on the way home from the airport for a meal.

As we continued home, we passed many sunflower fields. Andrew was born in the Ukraine so we pulled off the highway to get a photo of him with the sunflowers. They are Ukraine’s national flower and are associated with peace, the sun, and the warmth of the Ukrainian spirit.

Once home we had a walk about and played some Corn Hole.

On Sunday we met up with our family at church.

After church we enjoyed Greg’s famous Swedish Pancakes.

Sunday dinner was on Bayles Mountain. What a treat we had, lamb gyros with homemade gyros and tzatziki. Homemade Ice Cream with huckleberry sauce was our dessert. Our kids picked all the huckleberries themselves.

Jamie remembered to take the group shots and we are grateful for them. Andrew is our children’s cousin. He is cousin once removed to our grands.

Driving down our kids’ driveway for home we stopped for our traditional spot for a photo.

I’ll share our Monday and Tuesday doings in another post.

We had some intense thunderstorms yesterday and our temps dropped by 20 degrees by the time the storms ceased.

Happy August to you all.

Wrapping Last Week Up

At soccer camp last week we had intermittent showers and winds and a beautiful rainbow!

It was a very full week with soccer camp in the evening and golf camp in the morning, not to mention Irish Dance practice, too!

Our road is being asphalted from highway 395 all the way to highway 25. That’s about 20 miles worth. There are times where we have to wait at our driveway for a pilot car to let us out. We have to plan our trips wisely and also leave plenty of time in advance if we have an appointment. The road is looking real nice and it will be great when it is all done.

We have been enjoying my brother and his son being with us since Saturday afternoon. I will have lots of posts to share soon.

I’ll leave you with some flowers that are blooming in our planters right now.

Enjoy the final days of July!

The Great Exchange #4

We are calling the long weekend of July 17th-20th, The Great Exchange. Dan flew west and Laura flew East, exchanging planes.

After the celebration at Yep Kanum Park in Colville we gathered at our country bungalow for some water fun and for dinner.

After cooling off in the water, we enjoyed an Asian noodle dish with chicken that was easy to throw together and a salad. We had a blueberry lemon loaf for dessert with a dollop of ice cream.

Sunday morning we gathered at church filling a row and then came back to our place for Greg’s famous Swedish Pancakes with little smokies and fresh fruit.

Addy and JJ have moved on to enjoying Legos.

There was some epic tug of war battles under the dining room table! They left our bungalow with more events planned before Auntie left for the airport.

Time with Auntie was coming to a close.

Meanwhile on the other side of the mountains.

Saturday morning started early with a game of golf for our boys and Jamie D. These three have been friends since elementary school.

The brothers weekend was a relaxing hit!

We are so thankful to the LORD for our two beautiful daughters in law.

It was time to say goodbye. Auntie LOLO drove Dan and Jamie’s truck to the airport, parking it for Dan to pick up when he arrived on his flight. He had driven LOLO’s car to Seatac for her to be able to drive it home when she arrived. That was the plan anyway but there was a huge glitch to this great plan.

Both of their flights were part of the huge Alaska Airlines Snafu on Sunday night. All flights were grounded with no hope of them traveling this night. LOLO found a hotel next to the airport to spend the night in and Dan drove back to Josh and Laura’s for the night. They decided the best thing for the two of them to do on Monday morning was for each of them to drive and meet up halfway, exchange cars and continue to their homes. That worked great and they were both back at their own homes in the early afternoon.

Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and find a new plan. Thankful it worked out in a good way for both of them to get home safely. Thank you, LORD!

Today, a week later we are heading to the airport to pick up my brother and his son for a 4 day visit here. We have some events planned and are looking forward to extended time together. I will be scarce on the internet for several days. Enjoy the last days of July, everyone!

Bucks and Berries

A couple of mighty fine looking bucks came to visit our back acres a week or so ago. We were hoping this one wasn’t going to hop onto the deck.

Tom’s comment got me hunting info on this velvet antler stage of life on the buck.

When antlers are in velvet, they are very vulnerable to being injured. Bucks seem to be very aware that they have this fragile treasure on their head and are very careful in their actions throughout antler genesis. Bruises, cuts, or tears to the velvet can all have an impact on the formation of the antler.

The velvet nourishes the growing antler for about five months. During development, antlers are delicate and extremely sensitive to the touch.

Velvet antler is covered in a hairy, velvet-like “skin” known as velvet and its tines are rounded, because the antler has not calcified or finished developing.

Check out the muscles on that Buck! This tree/bush is filled with berries for the first time since we moved in. We think it is a Saskatoon berry. Whatever it is these Bucks were enjoying the berries.

This week I’m still recovering and I’m off my game, as they say.

The fire I wrote about was at 20% containment as of yesterday. It’s a tough terrain to deal with. Hope all is well in your corner.

Name Dropping Hodgepodge

One of the Hodgepodge questions asked us if we’d been to a Disney Park. This photo is from the end of 1991 just before we attended the 1992 Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena on New Year’s Day 1992, University of Washington v. Michigan. Many college football fans represented their colors at Disneyland before and after the Rose Bowl game.

A fresh week of Wednesday Hodgepodge questions thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. What’s a characteristic you admire in others? Elaborate.

I really admire people who can engage others in conversation by asking good questions. I’d like to develop the art of asking good questions in order to get to know people better.

2. Do you have a favorite mug? Let’s see it. Why is this one your favorite?

The mug on the left is my favorite daily mug. It greets me in the morning with a good 16 ounces of coffee. I bought that mug in Windsor, England at a TKMaxx.

3. July 15th is/was National Give Something Away Day…will you (or did you, depending on what day you answer these questions) give something away? If so what? Do you regularly give away or do you tend to  ‘accumulate’?

We will be donating even more stuff from our garage sale to ‘The Bridge’ here in Colville. The back of my vehicle is filled with stuff.

4. You’re planning a trip. Do you prefer exploring big cities or smaller, more off the grid towns? World Atlas lists these 12 ‘off the grid’ towns to see in 2025. How many on the list have you seen? Of those listed which one would you most like to visit? Tell us why?

Boothbay Harbor Maine, Middlebury Vermont, New Hope Pennsylvania, Rehoboth Beach Delaware, Brevard North Carolina, Saugatuck Michigan, Medora North Dakota, Ouray Colorado, Lamoille Nevada, Neah Bay Washington, Hood River Oregon, or Cambria California

We’ve only been to the West Coast areas listed in California, Oregon and Washington states.

We saw Neah Bay on our way to Cape Flattery in Washington State. It is part of the Makah Reservation.

We crossed the Hood River Bridge from Oregon to Washington State to go to Bonneville Hot Springs.

In September of 2009 we were in Cambria. It is a charming little seaside town on the California Coast.

*You can read more about each destination by clicking the link above.

5. Have you ever…ridden a motorcycle? Yes, in high school.

I had a ‘boyfriend’ that gave me a ride.

been to a Disney park? Yes

Collage above is with photos from 1986 and 1991.

Growing up in Southern California and living there until 1988 afforded us lots of trips to Disneyland over the years. Our 9th grade end of year party was at Disneyland. The last time I was there was a family trip to Disneyland in January of 2023.

met a celebrity? Yes, and I have a lot of shameless name dropping to add here. 🙂

In 2013 when Josh, Laura, Greg and I were in London we stopped in at one of Jamie Oliver’s Restaurants and he happened to walk in while we were there. He came to our table to say hi and we got a photo with him.

Greg and I also had the interesting experience of sitting in the VIP box for an Elton John concert at Dodger Stadium for his performance there in 1975. We didn’t meet Elton but we met his mother who was seated there, too. The office manager for Elton was a friend of ours and we were hosting John and Jan and their toddler at our apartment in Los Angeles. We drove John to the concert and he flashed his ID/VIP passes for parking and to get us seats.

In November of 1960 my older sisters and I walked the block and a half to Whittier Boulevard in Montebello to watch John F. Kennedy come by in a convertible and we were able to shake his hand. He was campaigning in the Los Angeles area.

Greg met Peter Falk (Columbo). Greg, his dad and brother painted Columbo’s house in Beverly Hills 1972ish.

One of our favorite famous people who never aspired to fame and who was a humble servant of God, died on Monday, John MacArthur, the pastor of Grace Community church for 56 years. He was our first pastor after we were married. His fame centers on his faith in Jesus Christ and faithful expository preaching of the Word of God. We spent a more intimate time with both him and his father Jack at a Christmas dinner party in the Hollywood Hills in the home of a famous Hollywood set designer, Bob Keene. Bob and Sharon invited us to the dinner while we were still living in Huntington Beach in the 1980’s. We met and became good friends with Bob Keene while singing in the Christian band that Bob’s brother was the leader of. Bob’s brother Tom, an arranger/ composer and musician was also famous in L.A. for his musical skills. Tom Keene has arranged and produced hundreds of albums and played for such artists as Ralph Carmichael, Bill Gaither and Andrae Crouch. But, back to Bob…

This tribute was written about Bob Keene after he died in 2003. His funeral service was held at Grace Community Church.

won a contest? Yes

The school district our kids were part of had a contest to name a new school. The new school was taking in students from Woodin Elementary and Moorlands Elementary so I came up with Woodmoor for the name of the new school and they chose it over all the other entries.

Woodmoor Elementary School ~ Home of the Dolphins

Tell us something about whatever you answered yes to on this list.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

A beloved pastor who finished his race and is with his Savior (1939-2025).

Huckleberry Season!

It’s Huckleberry season around these parts and our Colville kids found a good spot for picking them. It’s not for the faint of heart.

Steep terrain is a given when picking.

I’m glad they went before the fires started.

Nearly 7,000 acres have burned between Kettle Falls and Northport, Washington, with no containment of the fire as of Thursday morning, fire officials said.

The Hope fire, burning near Northport Flat Creek Road and 15 Mile Creek Road on the north side of the Columbia River, has grown to 6,764 acres with level 3 evacuations, meaning to leave immediately, remaining in effect. The fire is about 15 miles north of Kettle Falls.

Wednesday evening the winds were blowing in our direction so it was very smoky making our eyes hurt. Thursday we did not get that same level of smoke. We saw helicopters flying all day for water drops. We’ve been in the shop working hard getting everything ready for our Garage sale today and tomorrow. That is why you haven’t heard much from me. I hope to catch up with y’all next week.

Have a great Friday!

Better or Worse Hodgepodge

There is always a way to take a photo of our acreage without showing you the close-up of our out of control weeds! 🙂 We got behind and it seems there is no catching up. A couple evenings ago, I was thanking the LORD for this view out our bedroom window. It is His handiwork, not mine. I just water between the rain.

Thank you, Joyce, for more Hodgepodge Questions this week. 

1. What’s an adult problem nobody prepared you for? 

All the technology stuff and apps you need on your phone and those QR thingies to take a photo of so you can do stuff like, parking downtown, checking in for a flight, ordering food at your table. Besides being unprepared for it, I dislike it and avoid it as much as possible.

2. How tuned in are you to all the recent food related health news? Have you gotten rid of your scratched cookware? Did you pay attention to food additives before they made the news? What’s one healthy eating/cooking/food shopping habit you need to adopt? 

Oh no, what have I missed or should I be glad I missed it. Maybe I will learn more when I read all the answers from other hodgepodgers. The one habit we’d like to adopt is to eat less sugary things.

I was a home economics major but that doesn’t mean I’m the model of excellence in all things home economics. One thing I learned in a nutrition class that has always stuck with me is that there aren’t fattening foods, per se. What is ‘fattening’ is the total of what you eat not one individual thing. Does that make sense. Some foods have gotten a bad wrap.

3. What’s getting worse and worse as you get older? How about better and better? 

Worse and worse is my memory and being able to recall the right word or the name of something or your name in a pinch! The struggle is true and real.

Better and better is my assurance of and the hope I have in the one true God who saved me by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to be the substitute for my punishment and the redeemer of my life here and the giver of my life in heaven for eternity.

4. Are you more of an indoor person or an outdoor person? Elaborate. 

I’m a little of both. By outside, if you mean having a stroll through a beautiful garden or around beautiful ancient ruins I’m a fan. I’m not a fan of getting to the top of the mountain by hiking where there are mosquitoes and other bugs and natural prey to contend with all the way. I do enjoy an early morning stroll along the beach. The cool of the morning calls to me. I guess I’m a comfort traveler or outdoorsy person. Strong emphasis on comfort.

From 2006-2009 we lived in Camarillo, California while Greg worked in Thousand Oaks temporarily.  Most Saturdays we would walk the beaches starting before sunrise. We moved back to our home in Kenmore (NE of Seattle) in early 2010.

I enjoy being inside in the morning hours in my robe and slippers getting ready for the day leisurely. I’m not a fan of being stuck indoors, though. I will enjoy strolling through a cathedral, or a museum, or a library. I prefer eating inside.

5. If you had an expert personal assistant today, what would you have them do? 

Since being healthy is all the rage, I’ll take a personal chef who makes healthy food Greg and I would eat.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are having a garage sale this Friday and Saturday. Pricing and organizing takes a lot of time. Hopefully we’ll make enough so that we feel it was worth it and at the same time get rid of a lot of stuff we don’t use anymore.

There will be several more tables added and more stuff but this was the start of things for the sale. That pretty butterfly came to visit while I was pricing things.

We have a fire in our area and people are pulling together to help and give shelter to people and animals.

This fire is north and across the Columbia river from us.

Staying safe in Colville. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Catch Up Saturday

We had a nice Independence Day and we enjoyed texts with photos from our loved ones here in Washington, in California and in Texas. I’ll share some of those on Monday.

The rest of these photos are catch ups from the past couple of weeks.

These little Pansies (Johnny Jump Ups) pop up all over our acreage. I suppose you could call them wild.

We had a de-constructed Chicken Pot Pie for a meal. It is a simpler way to enjoy a nice crisp crust and the filling. When we buy a Costco chicken I take the meat off the bones immediately and freeze portions in quart size freezer bags for quick meals later.

This buck caught me looking at him.

A couple Wednesdays ago, Greg helped Dan butcher the last two of the three sheep Dan bought for meat. It was an all day project!

Josh and Laura were proud to represent the colors they stand behind at a soccer game.

Didn’t want to forget the traditional photo for our Colville kids’ anniversary that they take each year and added two more from their getaway at the end of June. They enjoyed a meal at Baba’s (no relation to this Baba 🙂 ).

Our daughter attended a Medieval Castle wedding and shared some photos. The wedding was during work hours so Katie and her friend attended without their husbands (they were able to get time off from their jobs). They enjoyed their time and all the medieval touches.

Our beautiful daughter.

Speaking of castles, this is one of the latest puzzles I completed and it is going straight to the garage sale pile. I love the result but the pieces were all cut into shapes that were too varied and too brain teasing. I bought it for $3.99 at Goodwill and was happy that there were no missing pieces. Hooray.

The lavender plants are in their glory and the fragrance can’t be beat.

Happy Saturday everyone. The weird thing is that every day this week felt like a Saturday to me.