Thanksgiving and Christmas 2009

Seasons Greetings, Buon Natale, Happy New Year to All!

We have had a wonderful, family filled month of festivities this year.  It began with a large family get together at my brother Marc's on Bainbridge Island.  Everyone was able to come.  Kudos to Marc and Leigh for taking on, feeding, and entertaining 32 people.

Even my neice Bina came up from Alameda with nine month old Ovid Duke.

A good time was had by all.  The guys played music most of the afternoon and after dinner we watched a slide show of my trip to Italy narrated by my sister Jeannette.  It was fun to relive the memories.

Here is a family portrait:

 

That same weekend we visited Roger's folks in Auburn and celebrated his 54th birthday.

December was filled with Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, caroling, tree trimming, lots of visiting with friends and even a play called " Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol".  This year they could say of me "She knew how to keep Christmas well."

After spending four days in Seattle doing a lot of Christmas in the City type things, we brought Dad up to Thornbush.  Bjorn and his family joined us Christmas Eve.  Two three-year olds at Christmas time add up to a lot of fun.

Iliana

Lenora

The kids hadn't been here in awhile and there was a lot to show them, including Uncle Eric's bunnies.

But soon it was time to go and celebrate Christmas yet again at the Ellison's.  This time all the attention was on the newest member, Miles James Ellison, just three months old.

Here he is held up by proud Great-Grandfather Al. with Pappa James and Grandpa Guy alongside.

This year my Dad joined us at the Ellisons and convinced all the guys to play a game of pinochle.

Joe, Guy, Leif, Roger, Al

And the fun is not over yet.  Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and our guests are coming in on the 4:30 boat.  We plan to make merry into the next decade.

May all your 2010 dreams come true.

Morning Light

I took this picture on Nov 12th at 8AM from my dining room window. The colors this Fall have been very schoolbus orange.


First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who expressed concern over Roger's health status. He is fine, has shown no further symptoms. He's taking medicine and monitoring his blood pressure.


Another catastrophic event one week after the lost weekend at the hospital--the computer was knocked out, possibly a trojan horse. We saved the files, but lost all of our e-mail addresses. So, if you haven't heard from us in the last 23 days or so, please send us an e-mail so we can collect your address again. In the meantime, I bought this nifty little HP laptop with Windows 7 on it.

The third bad happening was that I lost my notebook somewhere between the hospital and here, the notebook that had all the records of Suzie's first few months, many of my notes from my trip to Italy, and a variety of to-do lists I'd made since I retired. Not as bad as the first two events, but wanted you to know not to look for another disaster ('cause you know they come in threes).

Now for some happy news. We finally got to see our new brand new great nephew, Miles, son of James and Niki Ellison.

We saw the whole family at our niece Clare's wedding reception at the end of October. Here's a pix of beaming bride Clare and of husband Tony Truong. Clare and Tony live in LaJolla, so it was nice of them to bring the celebration to us.

Another benefit of the trip off-island last month was seeing Bjorn's family. As many of you know, we are expecting a little baby sister for Iliana and Lenora in January. The twins are 3 1/2 now. Should be a pretty exciting year for all!

The only other news of note is that after two years, I finally broke down and ordered satellite t.v. The Winter Olympics are coming to Vancouver in February and I didn't want to be right next door to them and not be able to seem them even on t.v. Between it and the new laptop, I definitely am feeling more connected with the outside world. Speaking of which, Helen!, thanks for becoming a follower. I'd lost all track of you. Please send me an e-mail at Thornbush@rockisland.com and catch me up on your world.

Autumn 2009 and a Wake-up Call

At first I didn't think there was much to tell about. We didn't go anywhere and our visitors have dropped off quite a bit. We have had many visiting birds come through. Here are some evening grosbeaks checking out the fountain. In looking back over pictures and calendar entries, I see that things have a way of piling up. We've actually been quite busy this Fall here at Thornbush.

I'll start with a week in September when Roger's parents and his brother Leif visited. Here's a picture of them at the Farmer's Market which shows off another milestone--Eric and Roger are actually farmers! That's right--they are selling produce from our own gardens and orchards. And they bought a new, shiny scale to weigh it.



Then, about mid-September we went to the Permaculture Convergence held on the Kitsap Peninsula at Sahale Learning Center. http://www.washingtonstatepermaculture.org. Here's a picture of Roger and fellow permies at a workshop led by Rick Valley on Storage Strategies, Including Carbon, Water and Keyline.

We came back from the conference and a visit to Bjorn and the twins with horrible colds that lasted a couple weeks. This was very frustrating as we were then faced with (dum, de-dum dum)--the Tyranny of the Harvest, as my sister Rosalie puts it. Everything was ripe and ready to deal with. Apples, tomatoes, bell peppers, chard (always), beans, aronia berries, huckleberries (before the towhees got to them), everything! I've been dehydrating, freezing, cooking down and otherwise using up for weeks now.



The weather this past month has been exceptionally nice. It did, however, frost for a couple days early in the month which took out my canna lilies and turned everything a beautiful orangey gold.

There was also a couple chicks hatched about this time. Stella had been sitting on her eggs and not producing, so Roger borrowed a couple fertilized eggs from some friends who owned a rooster and put them under her. We now have two cute little chicks running around behind their foster mom. And two of the pullets from the compost yard are now laying so we will be knee deep in fresh eggs pretty soon.

The Second Monday Book Club from Seattle came up to visit me for the day the first weekend in October. Our book club has been in existence since 1987 and now that I have moved up here I very much look forward to their annual visit. This particular weekend in the San Juans is Artstock, in which various art studios open their doors to guests so we took advantage of the occasion and of the weather. The book was Folly by Laurie King. It is set on a remote island in the San Juans.

Here's the mandatory picture on alder bench with dog.

And now it is time for the Wake-up Call part of this post if any of you are still with me. On Saturday, October 17th, Roger woke up and had trouble speaking. I asked him a couple questions that he was unable to answer correctly, like what his birthdate was. We ended up calling 911 and the EMT's and paramedic came. His blood pressure was way too high. They were going to fly him to hospital in Bellingham in a helicopter but a storm was coming in. So for various other reasons, I had to drive him to St Joseph's myself from the 11:15 ferry. We made it to ER seven hours after his "event". They administered various tests including an MRI which showed five past occurrences of TIAs otherwise known as mini-strokes.

Roger remained in the hospital for two more days and they administered many more tests which gave no evidence of where these TIAs were coming from. So they sent him home with instructions to take an aspirin a day for the rest of his life and to see a doctor about his high blood pressure and cholesterol. This was a long three days for both of us. But since we would not have known about the four other "events" if he hadn't had an MRI test, I guess it was a good thing.

Here is a picture of our first major harvest of chestnuts. We have over a pound of them. We also grew our best crop of quinces this year (see yellow fruit next to chestnuts). I'm planning to make quince marmalade soon. The Tyranny of the Harvest is not through with us yet. (Dum de-dum dum)

Cottage Industry

(Continued from May 2)

Once we had the sawmill, we started pulling the logs out of the woods with a winch. We also cleared the area where we decided to build the cottage, on the edge of a fairly level area overlooking the pond. Many of our current forest paths started with a log dragged 50 feet or more and then around a stump and dragged further still out to the mill.


From that point, it was a matter of turning the logs into beams and posts for our "cottage". There was a learning curve.

By the summer of 1991, we made progress and our 16' x 12' cottage was begun.

The cottage was put together backwards--first the posts, then the wallboard, then the insulation, then the outer walls. Many of you know the story already, so I won't explain it again.

It got the name "Birdhouse" because we were only able to build it a weekend a month over many, many months and the swallows took advantage, building a nest in the eaves. By the time we got the windows cut in, the swallows were in a panic, trying to find their way out. We waited until they had fledged to add the glass. Even so, months later when I was cleaning out the old nest, I found a dead bird, killed from exhaustion, I imagine.

Later, Roger embellished the theme by adding faux birdhouses to disguise the roof vents on either side of the gabled roof.

And many friends came up and helped us along the way. Thank-you Eric, Tom C, Linda K, Jay, Abe, Bjorn and all the others who pitched in to help.


At the end of the summer of '92, the cottage was complete. There was a worn path to the outhouse way in the woods and a 12-volt battery provided our lights. Each year brought more civilization. We had a well dug, we brought up the water by hand at first. Then electricity, then a pump. Hooray!

Our mill provided all the board & batten siding.

We added a propane stove. Now we're cookin'.

By 1993 (or was it '94?) we were ready to add a back porch. Our living space grew by 30%. No more treks to the woods, we had a real bathroom! The composting toilet and the shower were giant leaps for womankind.

To date:
1989 May: bought land
1990 June: pond started/ Dec: Windstorm topples trees
1991 Summer: cottage started: August: garden w/topsoil planted
1992 May: honeybees in cabinet/ cottage finished
1993 Jan: 16*F- 4"of ice on pond
1994 May: new well/ 'Sept: running water
1995 Feb: snowed 5"

August Visitors

Sharon's visit started off the month of visitors. The weather was a little glum that weekend, but we had one wonderful walk on Mt. Finlayson and met up with two huge bucks and saw a fox or two.

End of an Era: All year long I'd been anticipating entering my art car in the Seascare Porchlight Parade in Brier http://seascare.com August 12th. "Starry Night" Art Car paraded down the Avenue for the last time. Shotgun Lynn and friends Barry and David helped throw candy to the hordes lining the road. Ten days later, I donated the car to Island Stage Left, a theatre company here on San Juan that produces fabulous Shakespearean plays every summer.http://islandstageleft.org/ We went to see a great performance of As You Like It earlier this month. Good-bye art car. It's been fun!

When I returned to the island with my friends Barry and David, the San Juan Co Fair was in full swing. Roger and I won one blue ribbon and two red ribbons a piece for our vegetables and baskets. But the big excitement was the Zucchini 500. Here's a picture of Barry racing his entry--
in the first heat--which he won! The Fair is always lots of fun--always good food, good music, and great company. This year was no exception.

The following weekend was the annual "Weaving Weekend" at English Camp. This year we were again joined by historical reenactors and basketweavers Karen, Patrick, and Judith. There were also lavender wands being made, wool and stories being spun. We made our usual assortment of wattle fences, hurdles, an obelisk, and a couple plant teepees--all out of indigenous alder and willow.

Immediately after weaving weekend more friends, Tabitha and Brigitte, showed up. They hadn't been here since 2002 so much had changed. We got to see dozens of whales at Lime Kiln Park, walked South Beach at Sunset, and they slept each night under the stars to watch the Milky Way and whatever meteors they could spy. Jay lay outside and watched the stars, too, when he arrived for a week of work and play. He helped haul in the firewood, harvest the potatoes, and weed the kitchen garden among other chores. (we did also have some great meals and played some music, too--it wasn't all work.)

Throw in a couple potlucks and other social gatherings with friends and that about wraps up August.

If it weren't for my visiting friends, I'd never go out and experience what a beautiful island I live on. I'd just sit on my deck and enjoy it from here.

Hey, I've been busy!

Road trip to Montana- My friend Nancy retired from Metro in April. I invited her along on my planned road trip to see my friend Linda who just retired to her mountain retreat in Montana. July is possibly the only month we could expect to be free of snow. So I picked Nancy up on July 16th and we headed out along Hwy 18 to I-90, stopping to see my niece April in Ellensburg. We cut over to Hwy 2 and got to my brother Joe's place outside of Kettle Falls in time for dinner.

The next day, Joe and his wife Cheryl took us on a history tour of the region. This pix is of Joe explaining the accomplishments of a pioneer named Rickey. We had a great dinner of local food that night http://www.lovittrestaurant.com/ and later heard the "Planetary Refugees" play reggae in the produce section of the Meyers Falls market. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLumsg9FZco

The trip across Idaho and Montana took a lot longer than we figured and we had to stay in Butte the next night. But early on Sunday we found our way to Linda's in the Bridger Range of the Rockies, near Livingston. Here are pictures of Linda's valley, Linda and Nancy on Linda's porch, Linda and Suzie in a nearby meadow (did I mention I brought my dog Suzie on this trip?) For more on this part of the trip, check out Linda's blog "Sweet Home Montana" posting. http://clemoyer.blogspot.com/2009/07/visiting-season-is-upon-us-and-murphys.html

We then had a nice return trip on Hwy 12 in Idaho inspite of the ever-present road construction, stopping for the night in Orofino and the next night at my brother John's place in Richland, WA. He gave us apricots fresh from his tree which he needed to pick immediately before the resident skunk got them all. It was 100 degrees in Richland. But that just prepared us for the weather waiting for us at once we got home.

The encampment at English Camp was just a little more special this year because this summer marks the 150th anniversary of the Pig War on San Juan Island. That is why the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftan graced us with their presence in Garrison Bay and nearby Wescott Bay. Roger and I went on a "three-hour tour" last Sunday. We needed to take the longboat to the Hawaiian Chieftan as the water was too shallow at the English Camp dock. It was a glorious day!

Earlier that day, Suzie took part in a "Doodle Romp" to celebrate her labradoodle friend Emma's 2nd birthday. There were over a dozen goldendoodles and labradoodles and one standard poodle--Suzie! Look at all the doodles retrieving from the water. Suzie is still watching from shore.

Yesterday we hosted Roger's brother Guy and his wife Brenda from Sacramento. We plan to visit them in October. Here ends our very busy month of July.

Pictures from trip to Sicily

 

 

 

I’ve finally got my pictures on Flicker.  Here’s the link:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myake/collections/72157620982491023/

 

If you look around this sight, you will find the collections for my sister Jeannette, her husband Bill Yake, and son Matthew Yake.  And yes, there are stories behind many of these photos.  If one piques your interest, let me know!

 

Ciao,

 

Anita

 

June 2009

June 2009 was quite a month for me. I spent the first couple days in Rome, coming back to Thornbush on the 3rd. The next week or so I touched up the artcar. Here is picture of my friend Karen and myself at its debut at the Fremont Solstice Artcar Blowout.
Meanwhile, my mother, who had been under hospice care for 20 months, “flew away” on June 17th. We gathered the family together and buried her on June 27th. We are glad she is finally at peace. Thanks to all of you who sent your condolences.

The weather for June was the sunniest it’s been for something like 25 years. Now we are already talking about drought. Our stream is merely a trickle in places. The ocean spray is in bloom and the garden is bursting. Another sign of summer is the beginning of a stream of Thornbush guests. My high school pal Mary visited me for a few days at the end of the month. Here is a picture of our visit to the Lavender Farm about a mile up the road from us.

The Lumni Nation were honored guests at Friday Harbor’s Fourth of July parade. They paddled into the harbor on July 3rd. My sister and I shared hosting of several members of our family for the holiday with dinner at each of our houses along with the parade, some sing-a-longs, a pancake feed or two, and the fireworks over Friday Harbor.