Tag Archives: Seattle

Leaves…

My house in Washington is surrounded by wet leaves.

 

I had to surrender and don my trusty Gortex shoes and my Gortex jacket and brave the wind and wet to rake.

 

While raking I found some pretty color. I filled a large yard waste bin and 3 extra trash cans with leaves and some bush clippings. Hope the yard waste truck gets here before they all blow away!

 

This bush in my yard is sporting the best fall color. Have a great Monday everyone…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

A Proclamation I Like…

 

It’s official. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has proclaimed today Seattle Sounders FC Day.

Here’s the proclamation:

City of Seattle * Office of the Mayor

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, the City of Seattle appreciates its professional sports teams, recognizing that they add to the city’s prestige, elicit home-town pride and offer a sense of collective camaraderie and solidarity within our communities; and

WHEREAS, the Seattle Sounders FC – which has completed a dream season – embarks on its playoff run, becoming just the second team in MLS history to do so in its inaugural season; and

WHEREAS, the Sounders FC is the most successful espansion franchise in the history of US soccer, boasting the best per game attendance average – 30,943 – in MLS history; and

WHEREAS, the Sounders FC has become the first US soccer team to break the top 50 in average attendance of all the Fu’tbol clubs throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, the Sounders FC – winner of the US Open Cup – qualifies for CONCACAF Champions League next year; and

WHEREAS, the Sounders FC is now the franchise by which all others will be judged, and whose supporters are the envy of clubs everywhere;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GREGORY J. NICKELS, Mayor of the City of Seattle, proclaim October 29, 2009 to be

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC DAY

in Seattle, and I hereby urge citizens to join me in raising our “scarves up,” and wishing the Rave Green all the best as they compete for the 2009 MLS Cup.

[signed] GREG NICKELS, Mayor

GO SOUNDERS!

Tablescape Thursday ~ Fall in Seattle

Last week I was at my home in the Seattle area and got so busy visiting with our kids and getting the house ready for fall I couldn’t participate in Tablescape Thursday even though this table was set  for a family meal with our kids. I’m sharing it this week now that I’m back in California with a little more time on my hands.

Visit the lovely Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see more tables decked out for your enjoyment!

 

I forgot to take a photo of the family enjoying our meal at the table but it was really good. Our last BBQ of the season. We had steaks, fresh corn on the cob and zucchini also grilled and for dessert we had raspberry and apple pastry bites. Then we had a great time playing Beatles Rock Band.

 

 

 

We are so happy to be having some cooler temps since we arrived back in Southern California. It makes it feel more like Fall…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Mosaic Monday ~ Fall

 

I’m in the Seattle area for about 10 days and I was so pleased to find some fall color in my yard. There is not a lot of fall color around the area yet but I appreciate any and all I see. My blueberry bush and our Chinese Flame Tree are contributing nicely to the season. The photo in the center of the collage is from an antique store in Camarillo, Ca.

Mary at Little Red House is our hostess for Mosaic Monday. She is a wonderful photographer so head on over and see more Mosaics or to link up with your very own mosaic…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Seattle!

We were very happy to make our flight at LAX for Seattle yesterday. We were the latest we’ve ever been for a flight and just made the 40 minute cut-off for checking a bag. Sheesh.

It’s good to be home but I made the mistake of walking into our son’s empty room this morning and I lost it. Even though he’s a 28 year old adult the realization that he’s left the nest hits this mom’s heart. The old world Russian upbringing I had never condoned kicking your kids out of the house at 18! They in fact would be pretty upset if a son or daughter left their house before they were married! :0)

We really couldn’t be happier that he has found a great vocation for himself and that he is being trained for it many miles away from home. When his training is complete he will be living about 6 hours away from us.

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Friday’s Fave Five ~ The Great Northwest…

Thank you to Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for starting this weekly event where we consider the last week and share some of our favorite things.

My favorites this week are the things I love about being home in The Northwest. On Sunday we leave the Seattle area bright and early and drive 1200 miles back to Southern California where Dear and I have been living the last 3 years.

 

One of my favorite things about the Northwest are the trees. I really enjoy big trees. When I look out the windows of my house I can see sky and trees. I can see the sun setting from my bed in my upper story. Early for bed you think? Maybe, but remember in the summer the sun sets later in the great Northwest!

I enjoy pampering my kids and feeding them when I’m here even though they are adults and can fend for themselves. I probably run the dishwasher once maybe twice a week at our little condo in Southern California. When I’m home in Washington I run it once sometimes twice in one day! It’s also fun to see the kids spend one on one time with their dad. Each of our kids is so unique and it’s fun to see this come out in what kind of things they do with their dad…

 

I love my hairdresser here in Seattle and Friday I’ll get my hair cut and roots taken care of  before I head back South.

 

This is Sherri cutting my daughter Katie’s hair…

Some of my favorite places to shop are Goodwill in Washington and the Fred Meyer stores. I know there are Goodwill stores in every state but the ones in Washington just seem to be cleaner and better organized.

I really enjoy the space I have around my home in Washington. It’s not huge just about 1/3 acre but that affords privacy and quiet that I don’t get in Southern California.

 

Now just to be fair to Southern California I will post my favorite things about Southern California and my little condo soon!!

Click on over to Susanne’s on Friday to see more favorites or to join in the fun!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Mosaic Monday ~ Summertime…

 

Wow! Can you believe it’s August already? Summer is moving along. This is a summer time mosaic.

Mary from Little Red House is the hostess for Mosaic Monday. Visit her to join in or to see many more mosaics…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Friday’s Fave Five ~ Beat the Heat Style…

Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five where we look back over the last week and remember our favorite things. Please visit the lovely Susanne in Canada at Living to Tell the Story to join in the fun!

 

Even though it’s hard to think about anything but the heat here in the Pacific Northwest I’m pushing myself to change the subject a little. So onward and upward to my favorites from this past week.

1. On Saturday after reuniting with my walking buddies on our 6 mile walk Jody and Dave picked me up for a West Coast Reception for a friend of ours who got married on the East Coast in June. It was so much fun to see former church friends that we hadn’t seen for a while and to catch up a little. It felt like a 10 year reunion.

2. On Sunday I met my kids at their church and went out for brunch afterwards with them and Grandma Wilma to the Maltby Cafe, home of the ginormous cinnamon rolls. Josh and Laura spent the rest of the afternoon at our house and it is always so much fun to listen to the fun and laughter the 4 of our kids have over a board game. This time they pulled out Risk.

3. The heat came in and my absolute favorite thing has been our fans!! I know it’s hard for people from hotter regions to understand our whining about the heat but because of our more typical mild climate very few homes in Washington have air conditioning. The other cooling favorites have been Popsicles! Today I bought an inflatable mattress to put in the basement so I can sleep more comfortably down where it is generally 10 -15 degrees cooler. Of course I looked just like this model on the bed last night…LOL!

 

4. I have also enjoyed planning a whirlwind trip for my husband, daughter and me to Vancouver Island next Tuesday. I like planning and investigating the details for a trip.

5. Tonight Dear arrives from Southern California. We will enjoy the next 2 weeks in the Northwest together and then we will drive back to Southern California together on August 15th. I’m looking forward to our time together here.

6. My extra favorite is all the fun hours I’ve had leisurely shopping at Goodwills here who have very good air conditioning. I’m going to blame my purchases this week on the unbearable heat!!

Good news! I woke up this morning cold in the basement and went upstairs to my bedroom at 5:00 am and crawled into bed and even covered up with the blanket to get warm!! There’s a cool breeze blowing this morning and the house is all cooled down, yippee!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Meet My New BFF’s!!

These are my new Best Friends Forever!

 

All because of this…

 

History making and record breaking temperatures in Western Washington. And yes that dial is above the 100 degree mark.

I’m headed out today to hopefully buy an inflatable bed so that I can sleep in the basement tonight where it is at least 15 degrees cooler then the rest of the house. My bedroom is on the 2nd level (3rd level if you count the basement). It gets quite toasty up there.

Here’s something from this week that I find pretty funny…

 

Verizon is putting Fios in our neighborhood. Our yard is the lucky yard where these boxes have lived and the new fios one gets to live. After putting in the new equiptment the nice worker bees replaced my dead grass with fresh new green grass. This morning the water truck pulled up and they watered that new grass. Just made me chuckle…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

 

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head…

 

At 6:00 am it was already in the 70’s according to my outdoor thermometer. Boy is it ugly…I’m going to have to keep my eye out at Goodwill and see if I can pick up a thermometer that’s a little more trendy and not a throwback from the 70’s!! But back to my other woes. Besides the heat, Verizon is putting Fios in our neighborhood, so all this heavy noisy equipment is right on or next to my yard. The guys start before 8:00 am and the equipment is so loud they converse by yelling. Because of the heat every window in my house is open so there is no getting away from the noise.

I have no other choice friends besides sitting in a cool bathtub with ear plugs in, so I’m going shopping and eating at the air-conditioned mall. I figure I can pace myself and I’ve come up with an old song with new lyrics…

“Shop a little, eat a little, shop a little, eat a little, shop shop shop eat a lot eat a little, little” Can anyone recognize that song?

I’ll give you a big hint “Pick a little, talk a little” (from The Music Man)…

I know my friends in Clovis, Sacramento, Arizona, Southern California, and Texas put up with this kind of heat a lot but it’s just out of place in Western Washington and a LOT of us do not have air conditioning…

Hope you stay cool wherever you are today!