After a month in Japan and an exceptionally fun hang-out in Jackson Hole, we expected a travel-free summer, staying
close to the Mothership and relaxing. We did relax, but we were out and about, too. Details below, but first:
We learned a cool magic trick, and you can do it too. Here's how to make this picture explode: (1) Slide It To The Top Of The Browser Window, then (2) Double Click On It!
Neat, huh?
Sunset Across Lake Washington's Meydenbauer Cove
News & Notes
We spent several days on the Olympic Peninsula with Brendan and Melissa: Hurricane Ridge; Port Angeles; Forks; Neah Bay with a hike out to Cape Flattery; Rialto Beach and more. The Peninsula - Puget Sound to the Pacific - is extraordinarily beautiful. One reason, as this view from Hurricane Ridge across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Mt. Baker shows, the Olympic Peninsula is home to many of the Evergreen State's evergreens.
Brendan and Melissa at Rialto Beach by a Former Evergreen
With our friend Larry and our friend Tomoko, we fitted in a Seattle Mariners baseball game. It was an enjoyable game if you didn't care who won. Unfortunately, we all did. Oh, well, there's always next game, next week, next season ...
The Larrys Dining at Mariners Stadium
We enjoyed a relaxing week visiting Jim in Libby MT. Highs reached 102 for several days straight, but the dry mountain air makes it bearable. The Big Mountain Ski area in Kalispell is open in summer for hikers, bikers, and assorted thrill seekers. We opted for lunch at the summit, thrilled to know that here a 'quad' is a 4-person chairlift rather than a muscle!
The Civilized Way to 'Climb' a Big Mountain
Austin TX friends Barbara and David rented an AirBnB on Bainbridge Island, across Elliot Bay from Seattle. They invited us to spend a weekend with them ... a fun get-away trip to an island we can see from our house!
Lunch at the Marina with Barbara and David
Following tradition, friends Shelley and Ken invited us to their place on Lopez Island for the Labor Day weekend Art Studio Tour. Meeting and chatting with the artists in their own world is fascinating. But, it's also exhausting, so we needed a break to watch the otters from the deck.
Keeping Watch on the Otters
We spent another week in Montana visiting Jim. One activity that paid off big was picking and husking ground cherries. They look like tomatillos but are sweet, and the perfect basis for pies and pastries.
Using gift airline tickets, we chilled for a week in Santa Fe NM. A favorite town, changed now to have ample short-term rentals. We walked the Plaza inspecting the gorgeous Native-crafted turquoise jewelry, hit several museums - both history and art - took in an SFSO concert, visited Los Alamos, site of the Manhattan Project, and Bandelier National Monument, archaeology site of cliff-dwelling pre-contact Indians. In Los Alamos we loved the log building, formerly a boarding school, appropriated for Project Headquarters.
Coincidentally, our Seattle neighbors Myong and Jeff were visiting at the same time, so it was dinner at the Coyote Restaurant, where the manager is from Seattle and lauds the Dick's Deluxe.
Relaxing at the SF Condo
Finally, Shelley and Ken were over for pizzas, homemade from the crust up. Though we all tried the classic stretching the crust by tossing technique, only Shelley mastered it.
Brava, Shelley
