Wednesday, June 29, 2011

I Love Seattle -- Part 2 of 3

Additional highlights of my Seattle trip were of course a visit to the Space Needle:


The weather was quite pleasant when we were at the top and we were afforded a nice view of the city:


We made time for tea and crumpets one afternoon .... very delicious!  I now need to find a good recipe for crumpets:



I have some very kind cousins living in Seattle that gave up an entire afternoon/evening to show us the sights that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to see on foot.  They took us to the Ballard Locks where we were able to watch some kayakers making their way through the locks:



Besides taking us to a wonderful little quilt shop and treating us to a delicious dinner, they also took us to a park where we had a different view of the Space Needle, as well as a nice sight of watching the ferries returning from one of many trips across the sound:




Monday, June 27, 2011

My Lupine

In my previous post, I mentioned how beautiful my lupine have been this year.  They are just now beginning to show signs that they will be finishing up their show in the coming weeks.  I have enjoyed them so much; and I have so many this year, that even as you walk by the house on the street, their peppery scent fills the air.  Lupine are truly one of my very favorite flowers of all time, and what a bright spot they have been during this very wet and cool spring.


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Happy First Day of Summer

Wow, the first day of summer has finally arrived!  And believe me, around here it is a most welcome sight.  I just found out this morning that our local spring weather was our wettest in history; and believe me, I don't remember ever seeing so many wet, gray days all lined up one after the other.  Today however, it is a different story, and we have been blessed with sunshine and warm weather to boot.  On the upside though of having a wet spring, my lupines have been blooming non-stop for quite some time, and putting on quite a grand show at that.  Typically by now, they are just finishing up.  And my clematis, even though they are behind schedule, have just begun to show their pretty little faces.  Happy 1st day of summer everyone!!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

I Love Seattle -- Part 1

For Mother's Day this year, my two oldest daughters gave me a vacation.  I think that is possibly one of the nicest gifts I have ever received.  The vacation took place a couple of weeks ago when I flew to Seattle, Washington, to meet them for three days of fun.  We stayed right downtown where we would be within walking distance of many venues.  After we ate lunch at Ivar's (a very famous fish and chips spot) on the water, we of course hiked over to Pike's Place Market.  A trip to Seattle just isn't complete without a stop here.


There are so many vendors, but what really caught my eye, were all of the flower stalls.  Pretty much as far as you could see there were fresh flowers for sale.  They were being sold in bulk or in pre-made bouquets at amazingly reasonable prices:










Nearly every direction that you looked ladies were carrying around bouquets that they had purchased. 

Many more vendors fill the market such as the famous fish mongers, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh meat, jewelery, t-shirts, etc; but in my mind, the flowers stole the show.

Friday, June 10, 2011

It's the Little Things that Count

I have been traveling a bit over the past week.  In fact when I climbed on the airplane on Wednesday morning I counted that it was the sixth plane for me to step on in a week.  But the traveling has all been very fun.  My first spur-of-the-moment trip was to Colorado Springs, Colorado.  My brother-in-law and sister-in-law invited me to come spend a couple of days.  Between good conversation, fun shopping, good food, and great walks, it was a wonderful visit.  They have the gift of hospitality down perfectly, even down to leaving me cute chocolates and pretty flowers by my bed.