New Deck

Last year we regraded everything and replaced a sad, unusable, awkward sort of cheap, half-assed ornamental garden with our patio, plants and grass - as you probably saw (pictures in the archives). That was a big improvement, but not quite there. After many attempts to keep that grass alive, and 3 replants, we are moving forward! No more grass.

With a couple how-to books from the library and a week's worth of cedar dust... we can now enjoy our beers and hot dogs about 14 inches higher than before. And it's really nice to have all the additional usable room to spread out.

Van Kamping

Late summer camping in Leavenworth. The van was reliable on the road and cozy at night. The dog was happy to get in the river and we all enjoyed some campfire time, hot dogs and beer.

Snowshoeing!

Dave and I went snowshoeing up by Stevens Pass to a beautiful frozen lake. It was an amazing hike and Kaia had a GREAT time! Here are some pics:

Random Memory - Kayaking in Puerto Rico Lightning

Must have been just about exactly five years ago that Nikki and I were kayaking in Laguna Grande, a tea-colored, brackish lagoon east of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was dark out, and we were navigating through a bioluminescent mangrove swamp by feel, pushing off the branches overhead to propel ourselves slowly with our hands, ducking our heads in the tree tunnel, spying on huge iguanas that were sleeping in the branches - when a lightning storm that had been looming suddenly came to life directly over us. The flashes were was so intense and all-consuming that you couldn't say it was coming from one direction or another. It was either directly upon us, or all around us or both. The thunder was instantaneous, and each clap knocked a deluge of fat rain drops off the branches. The storm left as quickly as it formed. Afterward we enjoyed some swimming and watching little fishes dart around in the dark water beneath our boats, each leaving a glowing a blue/green wake behind, like little sub-aquatic shooting stars.

Morning project: Bee House.

Hopefully we'll have some little polinators taking up residence soon. If you know any bees that need a place to stay, send them our way. There are 13 units still available.

The Official Before and After

This weekend we finally got the gigantic pile of dirt out of our yard and replaced it with sweet glorious grass!!! Our big spring project is finally done and now we have a nice big yard to hang out in this summer. We can't wait for everyone to join us for some BBQ's and drinks!


BEFORE: (muddy, unusable, sad yard)














AFTER: (huge, grassy, summer haven)

Onward...

Still no grass down below, but things are coming together.