things around the new neighborhood (north seattle)

I know I am nowhere near as convincing as Amazon when it comes to the nicer things in life for a Seattlite, but we just signed a couple year lease at our new place and I thought I'd share a couple reasons why:

Richmond Beach Park has beautiful trails and beach
access... but barely a close second to Lincoln Park

There are lots of close parks and walking paths
to chose from

There are so many interesting trees and plants
growing in the neighborhood -- I like to snap
pictures while out for a walk 

A school in the neighborhood has this tree whose
branches are obscenely burdened by thousands of
itsy-bitsy tiny apples. 

Found this guy outside the window of our
workroom one Fall morning.

quick catch up for the last 8 months

A lot has changed since I last posted. I'll try to summarize.

We weren't able to settle things to our liking at the old
house, so we moved to a bigger place in North Seattle,
where I can actually have an office. This picture shows
my niece covering our front walkway with roses as
a housewarming gift. But it's Seattle, so even though it
was June, it rained 4 hours later and -poof- it was gone. :( 

There's a big sun-room that used to be a front porch, which
John filled with plants. I got a grape vine that's grown the length
of the sun-room, and then some, in just the first few months.

There's a large covered back porch, something we've missed
so much since we left our house in Reseda, CA.

There's a big old man Willow tree right smack in the middle
of the private back yard. 

My new manager role has required a lot more travel than
I'm used to -- flights to the East Coast have been required
every other month since April. Little discovery: FL not
my favorite state ever.

We have a new addition to our family. Looks like a rat,
yet named after an angel -- the one and only angel --
Castiel (from Supernatural). 

Despite being one of the cutest things you've ever seen, he
exploded on the scene bearing fart-bombs (running into
the room, farting and dashing back out) and herpes (he's a
shelter baby). 

Lucifurr was NOT AMUSED.

*Little note: I'm totally downplaying the chaos and mayhem.

Our little girl has grown up and decided to move out on her own,
At 38 years old, my nest is half empty. 'Nuff said.

However, we all try to "keep it real" and not take life too seriously.

Cuz. Yeah.

stormy pacific northwest

This morning was epic gorgeous. I am not a lover of the cold weather, and dread every fall season I watch creeping up on me. But this morning I felt shockingly cheerful about the coming winter as I walked down the downtown Seattle sidewalk. It was raining yellow and orange maple leaves, all spiked and twirly, in great numbers. There was a stiff breeze, coming up behind me from the water, whipping my skirts about my legs. Since I was snug and cozy (in my thick tights, bloomers, skirt, coat, scarf & gloves and finally--most importantly--my big white fur hat that wraps all around my head and ears and ties under my chin), I felt the strength of the wind without the bite, that exhilarating "I'm lighter than air!" feeling without the usual "Grrrrr, and fucking freezing, too!" So I tripped lightly up the sidewalk, bundled tight and safe, and smiled like a dummy in the face of the advancing Hell that is winter.

I can't feel it swaying, here on the 19th floor, but I can hear the wind in the steady creaking of the ceiling tiles at my office, and in the stiff, subtle shuddering of the windows behind me. The waves behind the Pike Place Market are peaked and choppy. The clouds are racing across the sky, and are never the same color or shape the next time I look back.

I can't wait to go home and light a couple candles on my dinner table. Right before sitting down and diving back into work... :(

long beach washington

The family vacation was wonderful; much more laid back than I anticipated. But maybe that's because my husband and sister are both extremely anti-stress people. They both have heels the size of Montana,which they will drag, drag, draaaaaaaaagggg if you suggest something that they expect may be stressful. With wounded, doe-like eyes of pain fixed on you, asking 'why, why, why are you doing this to me?!' (Yes, me.  I am usually the one asking them to step outside their comfort zone [read: house].  So sue me.)

But this time, it worked well to counter my mother's endless sense of adventure. Which I hold in awe. But against these two... she was outclassed. And vacation was very laid back and just enough fun. 

Judah and the momma deer

We had visitors in the mornings there at Long Beach; a doe and her two fawn.  I watched them eat out of this girls hand, but when Judah tried it, she was having none of it.  It wasn't that she wasn't interested, but he simply wouldn't open up his hand enough to convince her he was well-meaning. 
 

From mom and dad's apt

From our porch

I was reminded of a couple things I've lost over the last 8 years working in the corporate world:

1. How nice it is to sit and read through a good book (instead of trying to get through it on your commute to and from the office). 
2. I actually opened up my story that I started writing about a dozen years ago (I kid you not), and start working on it again. I haven't seriously opened the file since I began working 8 years ago. It feels good to read through, learn the characters again and laugh at my own silly angst. (8 years is a long time, and a huge perspective shift.) I found it incredibly amusing until I realize I need to re-write 20,000 of my 60,000+ words.

I'll leave you with a couple more pictures from beautiful Long Beach, WA. (I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the camera in my new BB Storm from Verizon.) Click to embiggen.

The boardwalk

"Trooper" the kite

John's such a loner

John's buttprint looks like an alien smiley face

View of our accommodations from a distance

Beach access from the Boardwalk

I don't get the fascination of kite flying...

Mom and me (hi!)

Aha! Found dad in the distance, another loner...

Got his trail...

Getting real close here

Dad and I (hi!)

motherhood

My 15-year-old daughter sneaks my camera to take pictures of boys, then bribes me with pictures of pretty fluff such as this "cuz I know you like them!"  Ahhh, to be played like a violin is the life of a mother.

On a sad note, a big tree in my mother-in-law's yard has recently come down in a storm.  This huge tree was the one with the swing hanging from it, on which all the babies and grand-babies spent hours every fourth of July. I'm enclosing pictures---posthumously, and rather morbidly---because it's what I do these days.

the cutest pet you should never have

Too ridiculously cute not to share. Every time I watch it I'm conscious of my face making funny expressions right along with his apparent ecstasy, completely against my will.  But I can't... seem... to stop. 

Apparently (according to the comments) slow loris' are illegal as pets in the US because of their tendency to die off in captivity. :(  Surprising; I don't think I've ever seen such a domestic little animal before.

i miss summer

“Between our birth and death we may touch understanding, As a moth brushes a window with its wing”
Christopher Fry




“The moth's kiss, first!
Kiss me as if you made believe
You were not sure, this eve,
How my face, your flower, had pursed
Its petals up.”
Robert Browning

emotional motes

Trying to catch my breath. Enjoying cafe au lait from the beautiful Belle Epicurean Parisian bakery & cafe in Seattle. I can't yet vouch for their sandwiches, but their croissants and desserts are heavenly.

A major theme in my life this last year has been boundaries.

[Boundaries are good]

I like boundaries. I've always liked them, and I learned through my early adulthood that losing them in relationships, or never having them, can only be damaging. My parents, siblings and I have begun meeting monthly to discuss a book on boundaries--among other things--we've all been reading. How lack of them have affected us and how to put them in place in a healthy way throughout our lives. I don't think many families, parents and children, would have the love, mutual respect and trust to meet and work out painful things in their pasts the way mine are, and I'm really proud to be part of it.

Not being able to set appropriate boundaries around oneself is a recipe for emotional exhaustion, at best, and at worst, a whole host of hurt that I'm not interested in putting myself through. Unfortunately, we don't always have a choice.

~ * ~

These foolish flowers by my front door have been duped into thinking Spring is eminent... valiant stupidity. We've had a couple weeks of mild weather, and now I'm afraid we'll have a cold snap that'll kill everything that's struggling to bloom all throughout my yard, and doom us to an ugly Spring once she finally rolls in.

commuter's sunrise

Since moving to Seattle, I've enjoyed the most beautiful morning commute. I thought I'd share pieces of it, and at the same time, introduce my amazing holiday gift from John, Mr. Nikon COOLPIX *bows*.

And now, for his debut:

Here, I am on the bus wandering through West Seattle on my way to the West Seattle Bridge.

And here, the bus pulls onto the bridge, and you can see the Port of Seattle and behind it---beautiful downtown.

There is an actual sunrise/sunset feature on Mr. Nikon, which I felt took the best representation of one (that I've taken). No more of the flash bleaching it out, or the lack of flash making it a dark burnt blur. Here's some examples.

Good John. Good Mr. Nikon COOLPIX, who fits neatly and snugly in my purse for just such occasions. Good fellow bus commuters, who didn't bitch or moan about my early morning interruption of their normal, comatose ride. I am happy with the world right now. I'll post more about that, later.

weekend stroll around the house

Celebrating my 50th post on this blog with the results of a weekend stroll around my house at sunset.

The pinecones are glistening with sap

The beginning of sunset reflected in the garage door window
Roses and rose hips
Brassy glads

Modern day sunset with power lines despoiling the view

I am continually surprised by how much I've come to love living on the Sound, in the short time I've been here. This is something you'll never catch me saying during the 9 months of winter per year. But for 3 months--here I am, loving it.