Birthdays, Anniversaries, and other things

On the Sunday of our anniversary weekend, we took the boat to Orcas Island.  Close in miles but  neither of us have been there in years.  We visited the Bullock Brothers farm, where we took our first permaculture classes maybe sixteen years ago.  They have a standing Sunday potluck lunch invitation to the whole island which we crashed and got a tour of the place to boot.  Came home with a truckload full of plants from their nursery.  http://www.permacultureportal.com/

After that we cruised the island and drove up Mt Constitution for the view.The very next week I went to Orcas again, this time with members of the San Juan Textile Guild for our quarterly meeting.  Orcas was having a Sustainable Living Fair that weekend as well.  Orcas has it going on!

Suzie and I have been walking quite a bit.  One trip up Mt. Young, we came upon a fox who was very surprised to see us.  What's that in its mouth?We went up Mt. Young to look for wildflowers and saw lots of avalanche lilies and shooting stars and some camas.My birthday week was great.  I met friends Lynn and Diane in Anacortes for lunch one day, my friend Linda (from Montana) visited another day, and then I got to go to Henry and Pearl Island with my friend Kathy on her monthly rounds to check the meters.  Here is a picture of the lovely meter reader near a teepee on Henry Island.

 I walked to my sister Rosalie's place on my birthday.  The weather was perfect.  And that night Roger took me to dinner and "My Fair Lady" at San Juan Community Theatre.  The next day, two basketry friends came over and learned to make willow baskets with me.   I showed them my living bench which is coming along nicely near the r.v.

 All and all, it has been a pleasant and eventful Spring.  Tomorrow, we are opening our place up for a tour of our chicken coop operation.  It is part of a "Islands Farm and Feast" weekend.  http://www.sjcarc.org/  Good excuse to get the place shipshape!

Think Spring!

When I last posted, I was on my way to a Basketry Retreat in Port Orchard.  Here is a picture of one of the baskets I wove.  It is made of reed and I've filled it with Easter knickknacks;  it is supposed to be a market basket.  It's a little different from the willow with which I usually work. 

Now it is April and everything is green, green, green.  We went down to Seattle one weekend and brought back a pick-up truck load of plants for Roger's clients.  But I got some of the leftovers (privilege of being a landscaper's wife).  So besides weeding, I've planted ajuga, daylilies, cala lily, asters, etc, etc.  Roger is planting seeds in the greenhouses, but we've yet to plant vegetables outside--even the potatoes beds are prepped but not planted.  I got to try out the riding mower Roger bought from our neighbor Ron.  So the pasture be the pond is newly mown.

We went to see a friend's concert in Seattle--the real reason for our trip.  http://waywardmusic.blogspot.com/2010/04/jay-hamilton-fred.html

And since we were there we were able to help celebrate some friends' April birthdays.  Suzie loved riding in the pick-up truck, like a grownup dog.

This past weekend, Bjorn and his family came to visit.  April is a very big month in their family as the First was the twins' Fourth birthday! 

 And Ethel's birthday was the 12th, and Bjorn's is the 30th.  Little Audrey will be 3 months old tomorrow!  http://www.flickr.com/photos/8374500@N06/4536476464/  The weather was great and we got to play on the beach at Eagle Cove, the girls visited Uncle Eric's ducks and bunnies.  And the grandparents babysat one night so Bjorn and Ethel could go out for the evening! 

This Friday is our 22nd wedding anniversary.  I'd like to go to Orcas for the day.  More on that in my next post.