November Rain

Lindsay marries Greg
 

Let's see, the first weekend of the month--oh yes--Lindsay's wedding.  What a wonderful time we had--witnessing Lindsay's big day.  We also stopped in to see the kids.

I volunteered to host the Friday Walkers at Thornbush on the 9th.  It rained each and every day that week, and then on Friday, sky was blue, sun was out, and more than twice the usual number of walkers showed up (this is a club that's been walking for twenty years or more).  I made a little map of the place, had them walk the perimeter trails, down Christmas Tree Row, over the ridge by the Eagle's nest, down through the nut orchard and Alder Pond, past the garden, then over to Eric's, up Alaska Place to Barbara's border trail, ending at the pond.  Then I gave them a farm tour.  It was well received but I really think they should come back in the Spring when things really look nice.

The week after that--Roger and I drove to Boise!  For the National Grange Convention.  This involved crossing the Cascades and the Blue Mountains twice in the middle of November.  We had a friend Suzie-sit, and we stayed overnight at my brother and sister-in-law's place in Richland.  Which seems to be roughly half-way between Anacortes and Boise.  Add a stop in Ellensburg to have lunch with an old friend and a stop in Baker City at the Sumpter Valley Cafe, and you've got yourself a pretty decent road trip.


Jane, Anita, and Roger's shadow in Ellensburg--not raining
 

At the convention, Roger and I took the "7th degree" which is the highest level for Grange members.  Cannot tell you about it as we are pledged to secrecy.  We met up with people we met last June at the State Convention, and met some nice new people from California, and met up with our friends Shann and Steve who were on their way to the Southwest for an adventure through the Grand Staircase.

Snoqualmie Pass on the way home
 

Of course, the following week we celebrated Thanksgiving.  Because the Barrecas took care of that holiday back in October, we had a small Ellison gathering at the Village at the Harbour, with an added visit from Roger's brother Guy earlier in the week.  I didn't have to cook!  But then, I didn't have any lovely leftovers, either.  The whole day would have ended quietly, but we had a phone call in the evening letting us know that Al had fallen and hit his head on a table leg.  Roger met with the EMT's at Al's bedside.  The hospital wasn't due to open for four more days.  The staff, after consultation with the on-call doctor, decided to wake Al up every hour to make sure he wasn't suffering from a concusion.  Fortunately, everything seems to be okay at this date.

Ellison boys laughing it up at the Cask with Al

I started a basket--biggest I've ever attempted.  We'll see if I get through it or not.  I'm learning a lot.  I worked on the even bigger living basket-- that is the grandchildren's "eagle nest".  This was fun because I was inside of the basket to work on it.  Felt like a Lilliputian.

Inside a basket
 

Then came Roger's 57th birthday.  I'd already given him the 3 new c.d.'s for our trip to Boise (I know--old school)  So, just a cake to bake, a couple other little things to wrap, and a trip to his favorite Mexican place for dinner.  That should round out the month.

The Very Rich Hours in October 2012

Looking back now it is doesn’t look like much of a list, but as it was happening it felt like I couldn’t cram one more thing into this busy month.  Both Roger and I had a lot of projects coming to fruition this month--Things that we’d been working on all year.

 

It began gently enough, the weather unseasonably fine, no rain for many weeks, records being broken.  I joined the island’s walking group on a walk to Cattle Point Lighthouse.

 

 And of course, Roger was again involved in the second annual Farm Parade.  This year, I got to ride in the truck with him, pumpkin man riding with us in the back.

 

 

Midmonth, the weather turned to its normal, rainy conditions, and is still trying to make up for lost time.  But I managed to drive to Olympia and then Rockaway Beach, Oregon in beautiful weather, stopping to have lunch overlooking Canon Beach.

 The reason for this trip South by myself was my attendance at the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild’s Fall Retreat.  I’d been wanting to go for several years, conflicts had always arisen.  This year I was determined to go despite the fact that the Barreca’s were meeting the very weekend of the retreat in Olympia at my sister’s for our annual early Thanksgiving celebration (Thankstween)

 

So I decided to go for just two days and three nights and signed up for one giant two day basketry class—making my own cedar hat.  I would leave Saturday morning and be back in Olympia in time for the big dinner party with 28 other family members.  Unfortunately, the weather going back up to Washington was unruly, I passed through several squalls (or did they pass through me?)  The roads were dicey, but I made it to my sister’s and had a nice visit with the family.  My husband, however, had gotten sick in the meantime and was unable to join us. L

 

 

 As soon as I got back home, it was all about the all-Island Textile Guild Meeting, that I, as SJ Island rep, was in charge of hosting.  We had a new venue, and a great speaker from Whidbey Island.  Also, I had decided to run the first ever “bag raffle” which meant collecting articles to raffle from the members, sorting, and bringing in the infrastructure to show off the items.  Thanks to the hard work of a core group of guild members, the meeting worked out great.

 Having no time to rest, the very next day, Thornbush was spotlighted for a “Farm Tour” as part of the “Savor the San Juans” festival, the festival that had started so many weeks earlier with the Farm parade.  Roger had been working all month to get the place ready, but the big push to make everything beautiful came in this last week.  It rained and poured all week and we weren’t expecting much of a turnout, but on Sunday, it stopped raining and the sun even peaked out for a minute or two.  There wasn’t a big rush of people touring, but a steady little dribble all day long.

 

Of course, out in the real world, the Presidential debates are changing the course of history, the Giants sweep the Tigers in the World Series, and the biggest damn storm ever hits the east coast.  Meanwhile . . .

 Monday, good friends from Seattle visited and left yesterday and today I got into costume and was able to show off my newly-made cowboy hat.  And so October comes to a close.

Life is Good and Missouri Loves Company

Trashion Fashion entry-Tin Woman

Today is the last day of Summer.  I am at my computer recovering from yesterday's oral surgery placing a titanium toggle bolt in my upper jaw to get ready for a new crown.  Right now there are at least a dozen sparrows taking a bath in my new fountain bowl.  (see last post).  Looks like there are some juncos and a redheaded finch of some kind mixed in with them.  The tyranny of the harvest has begun.  Roger is picking the last of the fava plants that I will need to shell.  We haven't planted the overwintering garlic yet but it hasn't rained for a long, long time so there's no hurry on that.

 

 

But I should start where I left off mid-August.  The picture above shows my entry in the Trashion Fashion show for the first year.  I won a prize for best use of recycled materials, namely, deer fencing, an aluminum air duct, dog and horse feed bags among other things.  Note my beautiful silver slippers courtesy of my neighbor Lunnette.

 

That was the first night of the San Juan County Fair.  Later that week, our friends joined us.

 

The "Conundrum" vs. "George Simpson Memorial Truck"

They took part in the Zucchini 500, picnicked at Jacksons Beach and other wise enjoyed themselves.



Life is Good



The week after the Fair, my brother Marc and his friend Nancy visited.  Then it was off to Missouri with my friend Liz to visit family and see the sights.  We started off in Kansas City, staying with Liz’s cousin Fred.  I was able to visit my Aunt Ruth who turns 96 this Fall.  I hadn’t seen my cousins Donald or Dannie since childhood and I got to meet their children and grandchildren for the first time.

 

 

After Kansas City we drove to St. Louis and stayed with my Aunt Sallie.  Ann and Melanie drove us all over and introduced us to St. Louis neighborhoods such as “The Hill” and “The Loop”.  We saw the Missouri Botanical Gardens and spent a day at The City Museum (a must see).  Leaving St. Louis we dropped down on old Route 66 to visit my cousin Steve and his family.  Then we hit a hellacious storm outside of Springfield but the next day temperatures dropped from the mid 90’s to a comfortable 75 degrees. 

 

 

We stopped in Branson long enough to see the Shanghai Circus and then dropped into Arkansas at Eureka Springs, (the little Switzerland of the Ozarks).  The next day we visited Chrystal Bridges, a fabulous museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR.  Finishing our loop of the state back in Kansas City we flew back to Seattle on September 10^th.

 

I thought I would miss all the good weather the N.W. was having while we were gone, but the last ten days have been very pleasant and a relaxing wrap up to the summer.  Life is indeed, Good.

 

I'm Living in a Postcard!

The Garden in July

Fourth of July Parade


Community Marching Band

All the Ellisons took part this year.  Roger and Eric marched with the National Park and their dad rode in a shiny red convertible. 

Riding the Train Great Western Island Railroad



Find out more about it at:  Riding the Train Great Western Island Railroad  Roger's is not the only railroad on San Juan Island.  We took a ride on Wayne and Barbara Zimmerman's 7 1/2" guage train and visited the model village.

Encampment

Practicing for the Candlelight Ball at English Camp

Yes, once again we dressed in the period garb of 1859 and visited with similarly dressed folks camping down on the parade ground at English Camp.  San Juan Island National Park

Weaving Weekend

Roger makes a Trellis

We planted ourselves under a huge maple tree at English Camp on the hottest weekend of the year.  Probably the best place on the island as the breeze was wafting from Garrison Bay.  We'd spent the week cutting a pick-up truck full of willow withees, alder and ocean spray sticks to use in making wattle fences, plant teepees and trellises.  We were part of a much bigger group of basketmakers, spinners, weavers and other crafting people creating some living history for the National Park each summer.

Art Project - concrete and pebble mosaic addition to the Fountain

I spent a week making this pebble mosaic bowl and building a tiled tower for the water feature in
our courtyard.  I'm quite proud of it and it didn't occur to me until I started writing this blog that it looks a little like a toilet bowl.  Even has a nice tinkling sound.

Blogs are good because one can take a step back, review the recent past, and come to the conclusion that something was accomplished as the summer whizzed by.  Next winter I'll look back at this post and maybe appreciate these events even more.  Because when they were happening, I was always feeling rushed and anxious about the next event around the corner.  Even now as I type this, I am worried about all I have to do to get ready for the Fair this coming week.

Every once in awhile though, I do pause, look around, and wonder how I  lucked out to live in such a fabulous place.

Eulogy for my first husband

George Stephen Simpson

April 29, 1951 – June 25, 2012

George in 1974 with Galaxy and Sparky

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to
I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

These lyrics have been swimming around in my head since last Wednesday at 4:55 pm when George’s brother Phil called me from Tennessee to tell me that George had passed-- On Lopez Island, one island over from me, all alone.  They found his body two days later.  I worried about his dogs.  When I looked for an obituary I found his name, birth and death dates.  Nothing about him.  So even though we’ve been divorced for over thirty years I am feeling that I should acknowledge him by writing the story of his life as far as I know of it.

George was the first child born to Joe and Ann Simpson on April 29 (The date the Golden Spike was laid) 1951.  He was born into a railroad family and they moved all over the Northwest as his father moved up the corporate ladder.  He lived in Seattle, Spokane, Missoula, Livingston, and eventually Billings.

His brother Phil was born six years after George.  George had been an only child so long he had a hard time adjusting to his younger brother, telling the story of throwing rocks at the nursery window.  George worked summers for what is now Burlington Northern—in Auburn and later in Billings when his parents settled there.

During his High School years they lived near Lincoln Park in Seattle and he went to West Seattle High School, graduating in 1969.  He earned his undergraduate degree graduating Magna Cum Laude in the Honors Program and continued on in Graduate School at Washington State University in Pullman.  He loved Edwardian poets like Robert Browning.  As a graduate student, he taught a course in parapsychology and was immersed one semester in the occult, witchcraft, and Emanuel Swedenborg.

We eloped in June 1975, moved to Seattle, and started working as paralegals in the law offices of my father and Doug Moreland.  As paralegals, we interviewed clients, ran errands, did some bookkeeping.  George and I separated in 1978, but he continued to work for my father for eleven years.  Once he left there, he worked a variety of office jobs and eventually came to work for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Fish Inspections.

It was through his work at NOAA that he met his second wife, Barbara Estenson.  Barbara owned land on Lopez and for many years they lived in Seattle during the week and came to the island on weekends with their dogs.  Barbara preceded George in death in October of 2009.  George continued to spend weekends in her home and planned to stay there permanently upon retirement at age 62.  His diabetes and poor general health prevented him from achieving that goal.

I remember George as being smart, witty, funny as hell and always telling a good story.  Most of his stories were about himself and were embellished with each retelling.  Even if I had been there I would not recognize the event after the third or fourth retelling.  George had a tendency to “compartmentalize” his life.  He had his work friends, his relatives, his bar buddies.  He did not share information between these separate groups.  No one got the complete picture of what was happening in his life.  He could make friends with anyone from a bum on the street to a corporate executive.  George admired Charles Bukowski—he identified with down and outers. One critic has described Bukowski's fiction as a "detailed depiction of a certain taboo male fantasy: the uninhibited bachelor, slobby, anti-social, and utterly free".  George was too genteel, generous and generally nice to fit that depiction.  But he had a certain fascination with that world.

 

He liked Elvis Presley, basketball, pinball, and dogs, dogs, dogs.  Not sure what else he gravitated to over the thirty years we’ve been separated.  But these tastes probably remained the same.

My father and I went to visit George at his wife’s place on Lopez in July of 2010.  Although we communicated at Christmas and birthdays and on e-mail, I had no idea that his health had taken a turn for the worse.  I know when we were in college together he doubted he would live until 40, but it almost seems as if he had to prove himself right about dying young.  He will be missed.

  

George with Joe Barreca Sr in July 2010

Family Reunion

The Artists' Studio Tour started off the month.  Even though I was knee-deep in preparations for the big family reunion the following weekend, I took a few hours off to check out three or four studios with a friend. 

The following weekend was supposed to be rainy and gray, like most Junes in the Pacific NW.  But lo and behold, the sun came out with the arrival of our first guests on Friday afternoon. 

Antonio Mazzola and the Birthday Boy, Ol' JB himself

It was a special event, for sure, a family celebration to honor my father on his 90th birthday. Relatives came from all over the United States.  The farthest and most special was the arrival of our cousin Antonio Mazzola from Germany with his wife Renate.  Jeannette, Bill, Matthew, and I met Antonio in 2009 on my first trip to Sicily. He wanted to come for the reunion and meet his American cousins--what a shock we must have been!  (Following the reunion, Antonio and Renate travelled around the state to visit family and then down the coast to San Diego.)

The big dinner was Saturday night at the Grange hall.  That afternoon we decorated and Inlaws and Outllaws rehearsed.  It was a memorable night.

from left: Joe Jr (in back), Roger, Bill, Marc, and Tony on drums

Seventy-two relatives joined in the dinner and many of them stayed over through the weekend, biking, kayaking, whale-watching, and partying.  Many came to an impromptu potluck at Rosalie and Tom's on Sunday so we were able to get a group shot:

The following week I got the worst cold I can remember--surprise, surprise.  But life must go on and I pushed through, for Roger and I were due in Spokane for the State Grange Convention.  I had volunteered to be a delegate representing the San Juan County Pomona Grange.  We had a very interesting time but I cannot tell you about it here on the blog as only Grange members are allowed to know the inner workings and the secret handshakes.  One evening we did play hooky and walked around downtown Spokane and their very beautiful riverside park.

click here to see pictures of Spokane Riverside Park

On our way home from Spokane, we stopped to see friends with some land near Cle Elum.  They have a place right on the Yakima River and we got to explore some of its features with them.

Roger, Shelley and David at the "Grand Canyon"

You would think that was enough events for one month, but this was not the case.  One more adventure awaited us.  The wedding of Hilary and Abe took place at the Washington Park Arboretum on June 30th.  It was fun to see family, friends from the island, and friends from our old neighborhood in Seattle all at the same celebration.

And it is always good to see the grandchildren having a fun time. 

 In July--I rest.

Visiting Other Islands

I live on an island in the San Juan Archipelago.  When I leave home, I go "off-island", usually this is to the mainland or "America".  This month, I made several trips off-island to visit neighboring islands.  Let me introduce you to a few of these.

First, I visited Shaw Island, population of about 240.  Our County Textile Guild was holding one of our quarterly Meetings in the Shaw Community Center.  Since the basket group meets in this same hall every month, I am most familiar with this site.

house on Guemes

However, I've never been to Guemes, which is a five minute ferry ride from Anacortes which is on Fidalgo Island.  Two friends and I have always wanted to see Guemes so we made a special trip earlier in the month.  It's nice.  About the same size as Shaw which meant we were done touring it in about an hour.  We spent the afternoon walking around Washington Park, on Fidalgo, about two miles from the ferry.

Washington Park

On May 12th I had the opportunity to attend the Lopez Lamb and Wool Festival.  The Textile Guild put a booth up to promote ourselves to Lopezians.  It worked.  We got several new members.  It also was a lot of fun.

Alpaca

Navajo Sheep with four horns

Shearing a Sheep

And the very next weekend, my friend Liz and I met on Orcas for our annual spa day, this time at Rosaria Resort Spa.  We enjoyed a lovely day there and ate at Allium Restaurant, a foody place in Eastsound.

The next day, as we were leaving Thornbush to take a walk at Jakles Lagoon, we chanced upon this barred owl near our pond.  There's really no place like home.

Retreat

Sometimes you just have to get away from it all.  Do something entirely different from your usual routine.  Take time out for yourself.  This is the theme that resonated with me this month.
About a week after Corbin was born and the twins were returned to their parents, my yoga teacher held a day-long retreat here on the island, including lunch, a trip to the Sculpture garden, a lovely dinner at her restaurant, and of course, lots of yoga.  By the end of the day, I swear, it felt like I'd had five massages in a row.  The effects lasted several days. 

The very next week, a different kind of retreat--this one a basket making class held on Shaw Island for 2 and a half days.  So the nine people in our class stayed at the guest house of one of our members.  A big, three day slumber party on one of the quietest locales in the San Juan Archipelago.  The Tahitian Market Basket was difficult, but satisfying.

Anita and Monique make bling to decorate our baskets

The very next weekend, we went farther afield for our R&R.  This time to Seaside, Oregon, to join friends in a big house a stone's throw from the boardwalk.  This was the first time since August, that Roger has ventured off-island for anything other than business.  Roger got to hold his grandson for the first time.

We got to stay one night with our friends in Raymond and take in an interesting exhibit at the museum in Astoria called "Envisioning the World"  The First Printed Maps, 1472-1700.  Columbia River Maritime Museum  Check it out if you have the chance.

The Mighty Columbia



My last example of retreats from the past month is a little more obscure. Burying myself in a book for a few days is a way of retreating from my day to day cares. My new book club (that I will now refer to as the Rock Island Readers) just read the first book in the Maisie Dobbs series.  This mystery set in post World War I London dealt with shell-shocked veterans who were mysteriously disappearing from their place of refuge called "The Retreat".  The book was surprisingly relevant as we hear more and more of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans returning to their lives with their own battle scars.  

Now the retreats are in the past and its back to the hustle and bustle of Springtime in the San Juans.  I feel like I've jumped on the merry-go-round which is accelerating toward the June reunion.  I'm already looking forward to a "Spa Day" in May--and perhaps another yoga retreat.

Arcade ride at Seaside

An Existential Question

What do you do? 
I was asked this question twice this month and came up short on my answer both times.  The first was at a retirement party for a friend in Seattle.  Another Metroid (as we liked to call ourselves) in asking where I lived these days and trying to imagine me in the woods near Rosario Resort since this was his only experience with the San Juans was answered only with "Oh, I manage to keep busy".  And last week at an equinox bonfire, the same question was put to me by the daughter of a friend.  "I'm retired" is all I could manage to say.  She turned away.

As you can see from my blogs these last few years, I feel my life is full and meaningful.  Why is it I can only come up with lame replies such as "Anything I want to do" and "Everyday is Saturday"?  In part, I suppose it is hard to label such a life.  I volunteer, or I garden, or I weave baskets are all inadequate by themselves.  And I don't want to blab on and on when the casual question does not require it.

Gentle Readers, if any of you have experienced a similar self-identification situation, perhaps you could help me with a solution.  Meanwhile, here are a few of the things I have been in March:

Grandmother

Roger and I became grandparents once again early in the morning on March 13th when Corbin Olafr Ellison arrived in the world.  Met with the news of his arrival two weeks ahead of schedule, we raced to get our car out of bondage at the repair shop, make the 10:30 boat and pick up the grandtwins and return to the island with them.  We had a fun filled two days and then I brought them home to meet their new little brother.  Meanwhile their two year old sister Audrey went home with another grandma.

Lenora & Iliana meet Corbin



Nature Lover

March has been interesting weather-wise to say the least.  We've had snow and wind and rain and yesterday, a gorgeous gardening day.  The daffodils are blooming but we are cognizant of the possibility of another frost or two before the season is over.  Roger and I have been chipping up a year's worth of prunings and limbings and fellings.  But yesterday we switched gears and chose between building better fences in the chicken yard and the courtyard and harvesting willow for that project and the "crow's nest" (see last month), and weeding the raspberry patch and a bunch of other tasks equally important. 

early March snowfall

Committee Member
Last week alone and in part due to grandmothering from the week before, I squeezed in a nominating committee meeting and regular lunch meeing of SIFri, two membership meetings, a board meeting, and a monthly gathering of the Textile Guild,  plus my bi-weekly shift at the Food Coop.  Oh, and I took a day off for a yoga retreat as well. 

Social Butterfly
This month (so far) I've been to two birthday, one going away, one retirement (in Seattle) parties, an equinox celebration,  two neighborhood gatherings for games, a fund-raising dinner, and a play.  Still have a week to go.  When do I have time for anything else?

Creating Collages on Peggy Sue's birthday

Blogger
Next month I will show you the pictures from a three day workshop on Shaw for Tahitian Market Baskets that I will be attending this week.

What I've been up to

Gosh it's late February already.  I'm sure you're all wondering what I've been doing in the dead of winter.  As last we left it, we were pretty much snowed in for a week.  Lovely, lovely time.  But then the events that were postponed bumped up against other events and I feel like I've been double-booked ever since.

Karen Z, Carol C, and Victor O at Janey's Retirement Party

I've been on a couple whirlwind trips to the Mainland, one fun (Janey's retirement), one not so fun (dental work).  I've been weaving at a workshop on Orcas for a few days.  I've been to several parties, the playwrights festival, and a lot of meetings.

Susan M working on Doubleweave Pattern

And in between all of these things, I've been painting my upstairs bath and bedroom.  Bright colors. 

Outside, the weather improved quite a bit and has actually been quite mild since last month.  That all came to an end this weekend when it started snowing again.  Roger and I have been chipping up all the tree branches and shrubs we put into piles last July (sometimes it takes us awhile).

Note snow on lens of camera

We also started a tree house for our grandkids!  First, cut off a Willow Tree a few feet off the ground.  Then let the willow sprouts encircle a floor attached to the stump.  Place gangplank from higher level across chasm to "crow's nest".  Begin weaving basket using willow sprouts as stakes.  In a couple years, ya got yourself a treehouse!

This month also marked the beginning of my first book club since retirement.  Five of us met at my house for a dinner of West African cuisine as we discussed Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  It'll be a great success if its only half as good as the ones I've belonged to in Seattle.

Looking forward to March we planned more home improvements, another retirement to celebrate,  more meetings and parties to attend, and the best of all, helping take care of the twins when our grandson arrives in the world.