Lesson learned...

I should have known better than to have started a lace pattern at midnight after 2 glasses of wine and and 2 episodes of Breaking Bad.

"Oh Melissa!"

Best summer ever...

If you have lived in the PNW for any length of time, and we've been here for 25 years now, most would agree that we have had the warmest, sunniest, driest summer in like forever!  July went all month without rain...August has started out fabulous as well.  We've had fun visiting friends and family, driving out to Lake Joy outside of Granite Falls WA for the day and up to Whistler for a week. We hiked, some biked and we did a lot of outdoor eating and drinking.  I don't think the temperatures dipped below 75 degrees at all.  And for us, 75 is a heat wave!

Lake Joy

Lake Joy

Rigmore and Helen making Strawberry Daiquiri's

Getting ready for lunch

Alta Lake, Whistler

Intrepid golf ball retriever

Lost Lake, Nana's tree

Lost Lake, swimming platform

Protecting the little wildlife

Dinner at Citta's in the village

Glacial Fitzsimmons Creek

Happiness is....

...walking around my garden when it is in full bloom.  I noticed when I reviewed these photos that we have lots of hydrangeas in our yard.  In fact 6 of them in the back yard.  It is kind of damp back there and I think they like it like that since they are all thriving better than ever this year.  So, put your garden shoes on and take a little walk around the yard.

Nasturtiums on the front porch

Pretty orange plant,  I don't know it's name

A field of Shasta Daisies in the front yard

Begonia in a pot on the porch

On of 6 hydrangeas in the back yard.  This one is a lace cap, my favorite!

Roses, they are my favorite kind that require little to no care...just prune in the early spring

Miss Black Eyed Susan

One of many many astilbe in the back,  I love them too.

A very hardy Butterfly Bush

Bee balm. The bees do love it.

Carpet Flower Roses, again little to no care, just a good pruning to keep them under control.

Lavatera, in a big pot out back

Oh yes, last but not least, Lavender.  Another favorite of the bees and me.

Today is all about the rose...

We visited Portland OR for the first time a few weeks ago after living in the PNW for 25 years!  I know...why did we wait so long?  Well, I guess timing is everything.  Anyway, one of our stops was at the famed Rose Garden up on the hill overlooking the city.  We were able to walk around the garden between rain showers and let me just say that as beautiful as it was to see, it was equally beautiful to smell!! I think the rain just brought out more of the rosy scents.  So, enjoy this little walk around the gardens with me and imagine how wonderful it smelled...

Having a great summer...

A few highlights of the summer so far...having fun traveling the west coast, visiting friends, eating good food and enjoying life.

Stopping to smell the roses at the Rose Gardens in Portland, OR

Experiencing a little zen in Portland

Ashland, OR...very hot weather after we left Portland

A wonderful visit with good friends in Sacramento

Ate the best veggie burger ever somewhere along the way...can't remember where now!

Restful sojourn along the Umpqua River in Oregon

Stopped at Crater Lake and yes the water is that blue!

More fun times to come too...I love summer!

And the fun just continues!

We got together with some friends and planned an outing to go see "Man of Steel".  Of course never wanting to do something halfway and having the uber fan of Superman in the group we had a pre-movie party which included a wee bit of alcohol, took the 'party bus' to the Cinerama in Seattle, and then back home on the party bus for our post movie party.

Leah drinking her Kryptonite Kocktal

Red wine for the ride

The whole row of us ready with our 3-D glasses in place

I love summer!

Well, it is not quite summer however the weather has been nice and summer-like so...I say it is summer.
Except for today, which is cloudy, and it might rain....and it is cooler....

So far we've:

Ridden the Seattle Wheel

Relaxed in the garden

Welcomed our friend Helen

Visited the Chihuly Glass Museum

Put Helen on the train north

Then I went up to North Vancouver to visit my family...did some cooking, lots of eating, walked, more cooking and eating, shopping...all the good things I enjoy doing with my family.