Chain Lakes

I'm glad this is a photo blog; words don't do hikes like this justice.

Rafe's Day

Rafe Bastien was born five years ago today, August 29. What a treasure he is.

Can Do

self-portrait

I'd spent the afternoon sorting through blueberries and chopping green beans. In the evening, I took Per up to town for soccer practice and ran for an hour. Came home after 8 o' clock and still needed to get the boys to bed, grab a bite to eat, shower, and start canning beans. But first I put on my barn boots and helped Hans move the cows into a different pasture. My attire ~ barn boots and running shorts ~ made me smile. So did the moon, rising behind the mountain and lighting our way. Something about the scene made me want to capture the moment.

preclipse

There are ways to take low-light photos that aren't grainy, but not in my world. And despite my own failings as a photographer, that incredible moon rising above Baker is captivating.

cheaper by the dozen

When we first met our good friends John & Lesa, eleven years ago, they had one girl and we had one boy. We got together often, enjoying good food, sipping fine wine, and smiling affectionately at our two little people. Soon, they had another child, and we followed suit. Our dinners together were a bit noisier, a bit more distracted. Then they added a third to their brood and not long after, we did the same. Things became more challenging, but we persevered. Then came their fourth. And our fourth. We brought in the babysitters and went out to dinner sans children. Along came their fifth. And our fifth. Suddenly "getting together" was relegated to exchanging greetings on the soccer pitch. Needless to say, now that they've added their sixth and seventh (they won!) it's a rare moment when I have a chance to capture our dozen "on film". We've come a long way, baby!

Summer's Edge

Farm Tours

Two days this week we hosted tours on behalf of Organic Valley. The contrast in the groups was funny, as represented in these pictures ~ you need to enlarge them to get the gist of it. This first group are marketing execs from a high-end local grocery chain. If groceries were '80s high schoolers, this one would be the yuppie.
On the other hand, these reps from regional organic food co-ops are anything but yuppie. Forget button-downs; bring on the body art! The look, the questions, the attitude ~ you just couldn't get two more divergent groups. But that diversity is one of the things I love about this area, maybe because I'm comfortable with a foot in both of these worlds.

Public Postures

No sooner did the Fair end and our visitors leave than our scheduled Organic Valley photo shoot arrive. Dave and Mike spent an enjoyable, if rambunctious, five hours at our place on Monday, capturing a slice of life on the farm.

Tschuss!

This morning I mustered the energy to drive up to the hotel and bid our Swiss visitors farewell. After this photo was taken, I returned home to continue doing a whole lot of nothing. The rest of the group was able to enjoy an afternoon at Stanley Park (in Vancouver) before Hans' parents and their friends headed home.

I think it's obvious which man is Hans' father. Meanwhile, his mother looks maybe five years older than I, tops. The woman does not age, I tell you! The other couple (on the right) are also lovely people. They have no children of their own, but they doted on our boys all week. Every time I turned around, this man was doling out candy or cash. What a softie. The boys told me he wept openly when the time came to say good-bye. I thought that was pretty special in light of the fact that this was the first time he'd met our guys.

The body language of both Per and Luke is so telling in this picture: Per, arms folded across his chest, is one who guards his emotions. Luke, with his constant grin and arms around Rafe, wears his emotions on his sleeve. You really "get" that from this picture.

Life's Not Fair

Welcome! I'm throwing a pity party! I've been home doing absolutely nothing of value for the past three days, thanks to some uninvited guests. Strep throat, ear infection, sinusitis, headache, aches, pains, chills, fever ~ you name it, I've got it. I've missed much of Fair week, as well as a pleasant island outing with Hans, the boys, and our Swiss visitors. I'm just here with Zithromax and Theraflu keeping me company. Momma never said life's fair!

Fair Week

The Demo Derby, a true slice of Americana. I'm so glad we have events like this to keep our firefighters busy.
Who needs rides when there are Large Pieces of Machinery available for show and tell? (That's my mother-in-law enjoying a quiet moment with Rafe and Kai.)
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Come to think of it, I really do feel like screaming after spending a four-hour shift scooping the cold stuff.

Okay, okay, we DO need rides.

Who cares if this action shot is blurry? Those faces
sum up the sheer joy of childhood and the fair.

Fair Animalia

Our 4-H club helps hold down the fort in the dairy barn...

...amidst cows...

...or Jersey heifers, to be precise.
We always take in the draft horse show...

...and the miniature-led chariot races.

Coast Sightings, early July

Ochre Sea Stars are common along the protected Puget Sound coastline.

I heart arbutus trees.

You have to be 2 to get away with this looking cute.

The Gorge, late June

Hood River, Oregon ~ windsurfing capital of the world

Multnomah Falls, on the Oregon side of the river

"Roll on, Columbia"

It looks so tame now, harnessed and dammed. Difficult to imagine the falls; the native fishing grounds where salmon were speared as they struggled upstream. Hard to fathom Lewis & Clark shooting the rapids out to the Pacific ("Ocean in view; O, the joy!"). The Columbia epitomizes both the triumph and the tragedy of the American West.

Eastern Washington, late June

Palouse Falls appears seemingly out of nowhere, in the midst of Eastern Washington's channeled scablands.

Oregon Trail, Whitman Mission (Walla Walla, Washington)

What I appreciate about the Whitman Mission is the absence of reconstructed buildings. A contemplative feel permeates this wide open landscape.

A friend of ours was curator for many years at Maryhill Museum, perched atop the Columbia River Gorge. Need a break from the monotony of ranch land? Stop and enjoy the Rodin Gallery, Russian Orthodox icons, and Queen Marie of Romania's regalia at Maryhill.

Ugandan Friends

We were excited in early June to welcome the Childcare Worldwide Ugandan Children's Choir to our chapel. We sponsor five children ~ two of whom are Ugandan ~ through Childcare, an organization with which we have close ties and which is based here in Bellingham.
Two of the children and their musical director stayed with our family for a few days. It was pure joy to share our life ~and "football" field ~ with our new friends. Saying good-bye was really tough.