Our Summer Lovin'

Well, not to deceive you, it isn't all love all the time.
This is what getting sprayed with the garden hose by a little sister looks like

on a very mild summer day.
And: Yes, I'm looking at you... This would be a good time to mention the motto at our house,

"I love you -anyway."

Did I say it was mild? It is like air conditioning, no matter the direction of the breeze. No complaints, but really all snow capped mountains and salty straits aside, I'm just grateful I planted cool-loving veggies. Go figure.

And I am loving the projects. We can leave the doors and windows open and it isn't too hot to paint and craft and try out reupholstering. What's not to love about that? I'm pretty cas' you know. If you stop by, I want you to think of our house kind of like a little lake house or something. I do. I love it that way. A good first house.

(new light fixture, house numbers, door paint upcycling: $17)
Plus (scary lady in a picture frame at goodwill to kitchen-hit message board: $4)

(dining spot do-over: $17 fabric included)

("Grandma's pink bench" Before...)

 (...one tiny puncture wound and surprisingly just a few folds, tucks and a once-again pneumatic staple happy man later...)

(newest addition to living area!!  "After," I mean. $9 for clearance upholstery. Apparently I'm the only one in this town that loves hounds tooth.)

And I love that it isn't too hot to cook inside. Because then it's the best of both worlds.

"Nicole's Crab Cake Spécial"

"Honeyed Radish simple side" 

(The lovely old scouters/mountain climbers in our ward are saying that every 7-10 years approximately, this little area of the world "skips summer altogether." And I suspect, if they're chatting about it, this is one of those years.)

I guess I should love, then, that my one of my little tomato plants is a "Siberian" Russian heirloom. Hiding out in my little greenhouse to stay warm.

...Okay, Lovely Lady. I can't stay mad an other moment. Summer's on!

Let the Flags Fly

We had the opportunity to go to the Coast Guard Expo and a special tour of the USCGC Mellon.
I'm a total civilian when it comes to these things and I learned much about the....well, all of it. It was very interesting.

The Coast Guard tours the world's coastal waters to save lives on rescue missions (like EMT's), help in drug busts, problems with poaching and sea vessel safety checks (police), they have guns, they jump in waterfalls on their days off near El Salvador, but otherwise figuratively and literally put out fires (like firemen who carry the same equipment).

Our guide. He was very nice and a smidgen competitive. I didn't know what "three crows meant," in reference to his rank, but I wagered that his toils on the bridge of the ship would mean that we'd get a pretty professional tour. He had to help me help Allison up and down the stairs (which I'd unlovingly call "ladders") many times.

Twas my first time on a boat serving bigger purpose than what could be used on a lake and we took the three hour tour. Our guide Hollyfield was the real deal: he was not impressed with the "fly boys" so we skipped the rest of the rescue demonstration to begin; they were totally showing up his mastering and commandering. There's a lot of culture I learned here, too!

Showed us everything. Danielle even got to use the captain's bathroom. We luckily fit in there together.

The most spacious place was the mess hall.

Stairs in the middle of it leading... somewhere.
There's also an operation table in case of emergencies; the rest of the time it is used for lunch.

Each flag means something and can be used in various orders to convey specific messages.

We were sponges, so to speak, and no one in my little party fell in the drink. So I'm thankful for that.

Thanks to the officers of the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol, ROTC, local enforcement, the moms and dads and kids who take part.

They are wonderful, youthful, service minded people. Including my friend Amanda who's a nurse in Port Angeles for the next couple of years.

"...for a three hour tour." Still kinda funny. To me.

Please, God, Bless America!

A Shrimp is a Shrimp is a Shrimp

Our first Shrimping trip was like poetry.

It transported us to another place.

So did the motor boat.

There were nymphs (who almost blew away in the salty wind),

and a few blasted pirates (which took our catch shortly before--not kidding).

I was beginning to think that the last line would end with "I went shell fishing and all I caught was this lousy starfish...sunfish, whatevs."

But it was a pretty cool sunfish that we released...
Back into the harbor, so bountiful, so deep.

And my captain is literally a
Jack of all trades and master of all,
He gave us some shrimp fine-cooked from last haul.

We just ate them plain to enjoy them.
Pacific treasures, God may spin to convoy them!

A shrimp is a shrimp is a shrimp is a shrimp...

Things are Humming

We are busy as bees.

Traversing terrain,

Searching for sweet things to enjoy,

Being sociable,

and Sharing the environment,

...Searching for sweet things--Relentlessly ("Maybe dere's CANDY under dere!" one says to the other, while they shake their bums in the air).

Never forgetting where home is,

And reputing just attention for everything that grows...
(weed glamour shot experiment)

With highest regards for life.