just some happenings

Our island has a drive-in movie theatre.  How cool is that?!  We went for the first time and it really was pretty cool.  The guys went on the go-karts before show-time.  We got lots of junk food at the snack bar.  And we stayed out too late.  Truth be told, all but one of us didn't make it through the second feature (Jurassic World).

 

 

 

The first feature was the Minions movie so all the employees were dressed like this: 

                                                                                   

We've been hiking as much as we can lately.  Charlie gets in on the hikes, although sometimes, we end up carrying him because he has short legs and the hikes can get a bit intense.

 

 

Poor Charlie got stung by a bee (in his mouth!) yesterday at home.  He ended up developing quite an allergic reaction so had to be taken to the vet.  They gave him a Benadryl shot and a steroid shot and kept him for a couple hours of close monitoring.  He's doing much better today.  I sure love that little dog!  And I'm proud of my Blake who was home alone at the time and had the presence of mind to call the vet himself to ask for advice and then to ice the sting area as best as he could to try to keep the swelling down.  Good job Blake!

 

garden in rain

 

Before my eyes opened, before my legs stirred, before I took in a deep breath to steel myself for the day, I heard rain and I listened to the gentleness of it and I imagined the dry ground soaking in each precious drop.  Then came the waking and the dressing and the drinking of coffee.  But later, I visited the garden to discover the beautiful effects the rain had made.

 

I said "good morning" to this sunflower that was enjoying it's first glimpse of day, unfurling petals slowly.

A delicate poppy, petals loaded down with droplets...

 

 

An enormous, fuzzy squash blossom...

Detail...

 

 

If you've never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden.

 

Robert Brault

 

 

currently

Reading...  The Midwife of Hope River by, Patricia Harman

Playing...  It is not often that I play games on my phone but when I do, I do it obsessively for about a week before coming to my senses.  This week's obsession is Hidden Object: Home Makeover 3.

Watching...  Aaron and I took in the 4th of July parade all by ourselves as Austin was at work and Blake was out of town for the weekend.  We sat on the curb, in the shade of a big blue mailbox.  My favorite part of the whole parade was the flyover by two Navy jets, the rumble of those powerful jet engines is enough to make anyone patriotic!

Here's the street a few minutes before the parade started.

Cooking...  Mexican Quinoa Casserole in the crockpot.  Anything to avoid turning on the oven lately.

Drinking...  Frozen Mocha from Whidbey Coffee Company.  Thanks Aaron!!

Doing...  We had our first ever church picnic yesterday.  Aaron reserved us a nice big picnic shelter at Bowman Bay and  brought a message about liberty and the depth of meaning it carries in the Bible.  We played Frisbee, ladder ball, and catch with the football.  It was nice to do something out of the ordinary and any excuse to be outside is a good one.

Enjoying...  Watching the garden grow.  One extra clever chicken has figured a way into the garden despite the awesome driftwood fence.  She finished off the spinach and has been sampling the collard greens.  It's funny that out of five chickens, she is the only one who knows how to get in and out of the garden.

More poppies!!

 

Pumpkin blossom

Celebrating...  Austin earned 7th in the nation at the CMP competition in Alabama.  He helped his team win 1st place and set a new record for highest team score.  The team received a trophy, medals, and monetary prizes, even free ice cream from a restaurant in Alabama.  Good job shooters, we are so proud of you.  The team is even featured on the front page of our local paper this week!

Smelling...  Wildfire smoke, supposedly from some wildfires up in British Columbia

Thankful...  that Blake got to spend the weekend with friends on an adventure in the San Juan islands.  To listen to him recount the days, the adventures, the sights, I'm just so thankful that he had the opportunity to go make memories with his best friend.  He kayaked, he swam, he ran a 5K (finishing 4th for his age group!), he ate good food, he rode bikes, he watched a small town parade, and took in one of the best fireworks shows in our state.

A favorite...  This beach, just minutes from our house.