Canning

We took our nearly annual trip out to Bellevue to pick blueberries and picked up a 20 lb box of fresh peaches from the fruit stand there. We devoured some but I also wanted to have my first opportunity to can my own peaches.

Rinsing and peeling peaches. Note the stove full of pots in the background. How did the pioneer women do it?

My mom was mercifully there to help walk me through. Full concentration for the entire time is essential. My multitasking skills were actually a hindrance here.

The last batch in the canner:

Perfect seal rate! Yum!


Also yummy was the plain and spiced peach syrup that I made out of the leftover simple syrup. We had overestimated the amount needed for the peaches and there was enough left in the bowl to cook down and fill two more jars.

Outing

From the back of the ferry returning from Bremerton:

Honeymooning

We spent our third anniversary in Seaside, Oregon. It was beautiful and fun for me to take Jonathan to some of the places that I had vacationed as a child.
On the way there, we drove a long way through Fort Stevens Park to find a place to park that had a short walk to the beach for dinner.


It was a little chilly though...


We brought tools for building sand castles but ended up spending most of the time playing in the tide pools.

We found larvae, sand shrimp, juvenile fish, snails and burrowing beasties. Very different than what we see on our rocky coast.

There were hundreds of these little crustaceans. This was one of the larger specimens. We discovered later that they were, appropriately, simply called sand crabs. Some of the larger specimens had beautifully colored eggs underneath the carapace.

This sign was hanging in the restaurant we went to for our anniversary dinner.


The weather got nicer as the week progressed. We were able to see the Peter Iredale (sort of-the tide wasn't the best) and fly kites to our hearts' content. There was no inclination for more immersion that wading, however.


There were more candy (especially taffy) stores than just about anything else. This one had it all, including exotic flavored malted milk balls, vintage candy and variously flavored chocolate covered twinkies.

Happy anniversary, dearling!

First Day of

Work!
We are fortunate enough to live close to several bus routes to downtown. And even more fortunate that our schedules work out just right to commute together.

Summer Lounging

So what do you do on nice days in the summer?

Bloedel

Bloedel is an old estate on Bainbridge Island that has been turned into a private park. It has been a special place for our family over the years and my parents recently bought a membership in order to be able to enjoy it more often and share it with friends.
The tour begins with a Victorian gatehouse. My mom pointed out that many of her ideas of what makes an elegant and comfortable home come from the buildings here. Even the black and white tile pattern in their upstairs bathroom is reminiscent of the ones at the gatehouse.

The path away from the gatehouse towards the barns and forest:

The majority of the acreage is "cultivated wilderness."

The pathway to enchantment:

I inevitably feel the pull of archways like this. They have such a sense of mystery and promise. There must be something wonderful to be revealed after one comes through the dim, leafy corridor out into the sun!

There is!
We do live in the PNW after all.

The estate house overlooks the Puget Sound on the other side.

We missed the rhododendron blooms but the textures of leaf and water were still stunning. Growing up, I had a recurring dream of a house with beautiful gardens that I came upon after a walk through the woods. While the magic of my dreams was created from years of reading and imagination, this place inevitably colored all of them.

My mom brought me here for the first time the summer I turned ten to share with me some of the special things about growing up. She took a picture on this wishing bench.

My parents at the reflecting pool:

Playing with the tadpoles:


We took the ferry back over the Sound to cap off the day.

B.S. and Ph.T.

This will be brief but otherwise it won't get published at all.

Jonathan graduated with his B.S. in June after three years of effort and study.


Proud parents:

Cameras were everywhere:

This is a success for both of us:

Chatting with professors:


The family in front of Kane Hall:

The M.S.E. Building:

Dad found his results in a poster on the walls:

We had a nice time celebrating at our house afterwards.