Three Decades Ago

Happy 30th Birthday, Ryan!

Peek-A-Boo

Rising above the beans, which trail up a 6 foot support structure, our sunflowers seem to be peeking over the garden to see what is happening! They remind me of our curious ducks, stretching their necks up high as they wander and investigate the yard! Big doesn't necessarily mean better. Sunflowers aren't better than violets. ~Edna Ferber

Or are they? ~Beanball

Harvest

Last week an unexpected cool and showery (and welcome) day lent me the opportunity to put up some of the summer harvest. I experimented by making some Raspberry Rhubarb Relish.

It turned out a deep shade of red, and though it sounds a bit sketch, it tastes pretty dang good! I think it is mainly a meat accompaniment. Like with chicken or turkey. I will try it out on the sisterhood gang next week, as it is my turn to host it.

This is Strawberry Raspberry freezer jam. Mmmm, mmmm. One of our all-time favorites!

Zucchini and other summer squashes are screaming to be picked now, too.

Every few years I make up a grand scale batch of Zucchini Relish that will last for several years.

It was time to roust up another batch this year.

It is a sweet relish that I use in sandwiches such as egg salad, and potato salad, amongst other things. It has a nice and mellow flavor to it.

Several weeks ago Anna Lyn and Joy and I made up Strawberry Freezer Jam. I had a mother load of strawberries in the garden this year!

The difference in this particular jam, though, was that is has only a minute amount of sugar in it. For example, most jams have close to, if not equal, amounts of sugar to fruit proportions. This one uses xanthum as a thickener, and to 8 cups of crushed fruit, only uses 1/2 cup sugar! Amazing!

It tastes almost like the fresh, slightly tart fruit right from the garden. So delicious! There still is much to put up this summer, but I am feeling good about what has been accomplished thus far :-)

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. -Bible (Old Testament)

Rose Garden of Days Gone-By

My mother had a rose garden. By all accounts, it was lovely in its hey-day. By time I grew old enough to remember it, a tree my parents had planted close-by had grown so tall so as to totally block any sun from reaching the little patch of roses. The once-beautiful bushes had by then been reduced to a few straggly sticks sporting but few leaves. Actually, one could hardly tell from the remains that such life and beauty had ever existed there. The Secret Garden. It is helpful to have the good fortune of possessing some pictures from days long ago that I don't even remember. I can see in my mother someone who loved the outdoors and gardening. She passed that love on to her daughters, though she didn't live long enough to see the realization of it. I also see a charming, petite woman who took care to dress herself well, in addition to dolling up her little girls. Later on, my sister and I became such avid tomboys that my mother surely must have wondered if she had given birth to any daughters at all! Hopefully she had her fill of girliness in our younger days! I think my mother loved her rose garden while it lasted.

Like the rose that emanates a lingering fragrance, so a photo issues a lasting memory. ~Beanball

Off to Indonesia!

Remember "The Boy"? Andrew and Amberlynne and Chase were back here for the last month to say final farewells. It was good to visit with them, and exciting to hear about their departure.

Early this morning, they flew out of SeaTac Airport in route to Indonesia, via LAX. If any of you would like to follow their adventures, you can hook into their blog site at www.claussenminitries.org

May God hold you in the palm of His hand, Guys!

Ryan and Erin Wed

The final couple of the Elite Eight to marry this year, Ryan M and Erin, tied the knot this Saturday in a small church, with the reception at a beautiful home on the waterfront in the South Puget Sound. They planned this wedding from Virginia, where they are currently living while she is finishing her schooling.

My favorite color ever :-)

Ryan's parents, Mike and Karen

We toasted our well-wishes for the couple

I missed the shot of the cake before it was cut and the decorations removed, but wasn't it a fun and beautiful cake, even without all the embellishments?

My son, Ryan, with Ryan and Erin

Me thinks Ryan was a bit nervous about the wedding dance! He was a great sport about it, though! Erin was, too, by the way. That is, she was a great sport about Ryan's nervousness :-) And look at the fun vintage bicycle!

Ryan, Bethany Lynn and Scott

Darrell looking into the sunset.....

.....which just kept coming.....

.....and evolving into stunning colors by the minute!

No kidding!

May your marriage, Ryan and Erin, be ever changing like the sunset into a more complex and incredible palette of colors! Congratulations!

Summer Sights

Mt Rainier from our road

Mt Rainier from the road crossing the valley

Grasses on the valley floor

I remind myself daily to not take all this spectacular beauty that surrounds us in the Pacific Northwest for granted. I snapped these pictures on the way to a stamping club one evening last week. I also saw a glimpse of Mt Baker to the North at one spot in the winding road, but was unable to get a shot off, having a car on my tail. I love summer.......

I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer. My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music. It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips. ~Violette Leduc, Mad in Pursuit

A Work in Progress

Another big project of this summer is the painting of our house, which the boys and Bethany Lynn are accomplishing for us.

Before

Prep Work

Ready to Spray

Tedious trim painting

Some of those high spots are very difficult to reach!

Coming along nicely!

THANK YOU!!!

Summer Growth

Cauliflower is ready for eatin'!

In case Bethany does another where-do-pumpkin-pie's-come-from demonstration for her classroom this year ;-)


Beans, cauliflower, zucchini, etc

A favorite sitting spot of mine

The ducks have grown up, and their pond is dried up. It has been an exceptionally hot summer this year. We are now in the process of digging it out more and lining in with plastic to help keep it from drying out during the latter summer. Meantime, they enjoy a bucket of water to wet their whistle with.............

.....as well as a small wading pool to float their boats on! Such characters they are. We also turn the hose sprayer nozzle on them now and then, much to their delight! They run around flapping their wings, snapping their bills at the droplets at an attempt to drink from the air, primping and squawking. So much fun to watch :-)


In summer, the song sings itself. ~William Carlos Williams

Kyle & Tennyson Wed!

Saturday brought the marriage of the third couple of the Elite Eight, Kyle and Tennyson!

The warm, sunny evening was perfect for an outdoor wedding, bringing out the gorgeous bright colors of the flowers.

Scott Harmon, Jason McArdel and Pete Brevick


Three blond flower girls seemed like pixie fairies.....

I think the expressions on the faces of the father and daughter say it all.....

Who needs words?

Since Kyle is a firefighter, after the ceremony a fire engine drove up so the couple could have some photos taken with it.

A cutie pie!

Scott and Bethany

Table Arrangements

How about a nice tall goblet of refreshing cold water?

Our friend and father of the Groom, Norm.....

.....and his wife Mary

Both are very pleased to gain yet another wonderful daughter-in-law this year!

AJ and Danny, youngest and oldest sons of the 7 Brevick kids

The Wedding Dance

Beautiful, happy couple!

Mother's Dance
Can you tell Mary is very proud of her son?

The 3 pixies gaze on as the bride and groom dance.

Then they have their turn for a fairy dance with the bride and her father!

Congratulations Kyle and Tennyson!

Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. ~Michael Leunig

Joy is the feeling of grinning inside. ~ Melba Colgrove