And nary a bumbershoot in sight!

We have been having remarkably great weather this past few weeks. As of yesterday, we have had nine days in a row of over 80 degrees, breaking the all time record for September in the Seattle area. It was really late, but summer has finally arrived in the Northwest. It seems that I have turned into a Northwester, when it hits 80 degrees I swelter. Last summer I chuckled at the folks complaining about the heat. Now I am one of them. I am now looking forward to Autumn weather. Perfect weather for enjoying the outdoors. And perfect weather for Bumbershoot!

Bumbershoot is an annual international music and arts festival held in Seattle. One of North Americas largest such festivals it takes place every September at the 74-acre Seattle Center, which was built for the 1962 Worlds Fair. The name of the festival was taken from bumbershoot, a colloquial term for umbrella, probably coined in the 19th century a portmanteau of the words umbrella and parachute. Seattle Center is also the home of the world famous Space Needle.




Standing at the base of the Space Needle. Not a cloud in the sky.

 A picture perfect day for some great music and maybe a beer.  We met up with our good friend Gary McMinn from San Diego, one of Roger's Golf Club buddies.  He comes up for the festival every year and attends with his brother who lives in West Seattle not too far from us. It was great to see someone from home!  The festival runs for three days, however we only attended on Sunday. The list of performers is immense, covering about a dozen venues. The artists range from comedy and bluegrass, to jazz and rap with everything in between.  There were also many vender tents, art exhibits and street entertainers on the grounds.



The International Fountain at Seattle Center




The stage from inside the Beer Corral.




Jessica Lea Mayfield




Leon Russel

 Some of the acts this year were Hall and Oates, Wiz Khalifa, Big Boi, Fitz and the Tamtrums, local hits Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Butthole Surfers, Mavis Staples, Trombone Shorty and so on......
We saw a jazz singer Gail Pettis that was fantastic.  Approximately 200 hundred artists and groups performed over the three days. We had a great day.

On of the other things that the warm weather has brought to Western Washington, is forest fires. Nothing like the Texas fires that raged there, but fires none the less. One of these has been burning out of control on the Olympic Peninsula in a very remote area.  We can't see the fire itself, but the smoke has really effected our sunset views.



You can see the layer of smoke hanging over the mountains.

  Thats all I have for now, as I purchased a new carpet cleaner and need to give it a test drive aroung the dining room.  Love to all! Denise

Happy Birthday to me, or how Facebook changed my life!

Well, last week was my birthday. I don't really celebrate them much anymore because it just reminds me of the passage of time. I am not as young as I sometimes think I am. Do you ever sideways glance at a mirror that you are passing and think to yourself, "Who is that old person, thats not me!" When did that happen? But I digress....




It was a lovely day here in B-Town, the sun was shining without a cloud in the sky. The temperature got up to 82 degrees, which is quite warm for a Seattle summer day.



Sunny and crystal clear day at Three Tree Point





The one regret on this birthday is that I am so far away from family and friends. Occasions like this are when the loneliness of the move to Seattle set in. The group of friends that have a big "Virgo" party to celebrate our close string of birthdays in San Diego will be celebrating without me this year. My brother and sister in West Virginia will be celebrating their August birthdays together, again without me there. It does make one feel a bit disconnected from those near and dear. Don't get me wrong, my Roger gave me a great day with a wonderful evening out, flowers, the whole nine yards and I love him so. We went to our favorite hangout The Tin Room for dinner and drinks. We have a great life in a beautiful place. And the strongest, most loving marriage of anyone that I have ever known.

Birthday flowers from my sweetie!

My work friends gave me a little cake party at work and the sentiments were lovely.




But, this where Facebook comes into the story. The flood of birthday wishes that I received from family, friends and former co-workers was such a powerful link to those far away that I was reconnected with a life lived elsewhere. A far away move can really make you feel cut off from the world. Those brief digital posts let you know that someone is thinking of you and your life is still full of those relationships and the love and friendships that you share. I have found people on Facebook that I have not spoken to in years! I have an online friendship with a cousin and an aunt in Maryland that I have not seen since I was a child. A former co-worker that is now in Germany and I communicate occasionally and in the "real" world, we would have drifted our separate ways and not had further communication most likely. I got to know my youngest sons fiance through Facebook. Yes, my Peter is engaged to be married!



I have met a distant cousin in Scotland and a Vandenbroek in Ontario, Canada on Facebook and have developed friendships with both of them through subsequent online communication. Gotten to see their families and what their lives are like. It really has revolutionized my life, this Facebook thing.



I have watched babies grow up from South Carolina to San Diego. Kept up with the art and fiction world of Pittsburgh. Reconnected with my former boss that I have not seen in 20 years! And so on.



So thank you all for the birthday greetings and well wishes, it means more to me than you know. And keep posting the details of your everyday lives. And when you are browsing your friend list and run across that person you haven't communicated with in awhile, reach out. It just might make their day!

Tillicum Vilage and Blake Island

For thousands of years Blake Island was an ancestral summer camping ground to Coast Salish tribes who lived on the coastal waterways of Puget Sound. The native tribes as a group are also referred to as the Lushootseed peoples.  (Lushootseed refers to the common language that was spoken throughout the region.) The heart of the island is Tillicum Village. Tillicum Village was built on 5 acres of the 475-acre state park and opened in 1962. Today, the Island has thousands of visitors who come to Tillicum for the world famous salmon bake and show or to camp, hike and explore the vast wildlife and beautiful beaches of this fascinating island.

The only way to reach the island is by boat, so we took the Argosy Tours boat that includes a traditional salmon bake and native entertainment. It's about a four hour trip and there is plenty of time after the dinner and entertainment for a little island exploring.

Land Ho!

It took about 45 minutes by boat, but there was a bar on-board, so no worries! Great Bloody Mary. When we arrived at the village, we were greeted by natives in traditional dress and bowls of fresh steamed clams, yummy.  We then had a few minutes to explore the long house. There were great exhibits of Salish artwork and ceremonial masks.

There was also a large area of open fires where the salmon was cooked in the traditional way. Over an alderwood fire. I have to say it was delicious. It was now time to enter the dining room for dinner and the show. There was great Salish story telling and dancers. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside. After dinner and the show, we had time to explore the island before returning to Seattle.  Quite a beautiful place to spend a Sunday afternoon.

A great park and camping area as well as a tourist attraction.

After we arrived back at the Seattle waterfront, we decided that it was still early enough to make a trip a few blocks up the hill and take in Pike Place Market. No trip to Seattle is complete without the market on your itinerary, and we had not yet taken Alex.

Sunshine

We have had a couple of days of that glorius and rare phenomenon known as sunshine.


 Happy sunshine on my face,


I love those warming golden rays.

Happy sunshine fills my eye,

When gazing up at the blue sky

Along the silvery water


Wooden boats sailed slowly

Accompanied by choir of bees

Which sounds melodious and sweet

The sunlight of the late afternoon shimmering on the water.

All of my thoughts are warmer and brighter in the sun. We had a fantastic weekend which included a trip to Charlies favorite place, Seahurst park.  There are always lots of friends for him to sniff at the park.

Lots of other folks had the same idea, and headed for the beach. The kids were swimming, even though the water temperature is about 65 degrees, Brrr. Seahurst Park is just north of our house along the beach. They have great trails, bar b ques and picnic pavillions and beach access. This makes it the favorite summer family spot on the weekends.

After the park and some errands around town it was time to go home and enjoy the beautiful day! Languishing in the warmth of the sunshine.

There were a multitude of boats racing around on the water and you could hear the sounds of summer drifting up the hillside from the beach below us.  The engine of the jet skis, the laughter of children as they played along the shore. The wind whipping at sailboats gliding by.  The waves lapping up on the beach.  

Finished off by a wonderful dinner of rib-eyes from B and E Meats, our local butcher shop and a nice bottle of wine. All in all a most wonderful day to spend with my love as the sun sank over the Olympic Mountains and into the clouds.

Goodbye dear sun, I hope to see you again soon!