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May 9th-June 8th, Washington,Oregon,California

Gae and I supported the Port Angeles Garden Club plant sale on May 10th, to raise money for scholarships and other charities.

We got this great picture of Ben and Rob enjoying an outdoor meal in Puerta Vallarta on the 10th... life is good!

I got together with my sister, Francie, on the 11th.

Gae and I got out to enjoy the nice weather on the 17th, which has to include throwing the ball for Raina.

Raina loves this section of log in the front yard, where she can look up and down the block over the fence.

I finished a fairly large garden piece during the quarter, which found a perch on a log.

Gae led a team at the Blue Star Memorial on the 21st to clean up the gardens and post the memorial wreath for Memorial Day.

I tore out most of the remaining 3 layers of flooring in the bathroom, finding rotted wood along the tub and toilet on the 25th. Neat!

Some folks like a blank wall look. Our living room. Not me:-)

We got down to visit Diane and Dave on the 30th. The downtown area where we had dinner was really quiet and the weather was perfect!

We hit Olympia's GREAT farmers market on Saturday. Gae had to get a picture with the vendor sporting a fine gnome cap:-)

Dave and I took 2 dogs for a walk around Fox Hall, where we enjoyed these perky goats in one of the yards.

I took the long drive with my college buddies to Wolf Creek on the June 2nd, where we enjoyed a great meal in Grants Pass before drinking late into the night on the deck at the Wolf Creek Lodge. Beautiful historic spot!

We headed to the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State/National Park for a walk among the giants. Just awesome!

Our destination was "The Boy Scout", certainly the largest redwood I've ever seen.

We headed to a Ossagan Trail, which lead to hanging out on the beach for several hours.

The large rocks poking out of the sand hosted these beautiful succulents thriving on something unseen.

The compositions along the beach were spectacular.

Various plants in the sand were just beautiful.

Gae finished putting a border on one of the quilts she made while I was traveling with the DAM boys (Dave, Andy, Mike... Gae's acronym:-)

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April 4th-May 9th, Washington

Gae and I joined in on the Hands Off rally on April 5th downtown.

Rob and Ben were in town for a few days, so we hiked the lower Elwa trail, with me hoping to find some Morels. No luck, but a beautiful trail.

The moss laden trees fronting the river almost glowed.

Gae missed the hike on the 12th to join her friend Maki in a Quilt show visit in Forks.

She ran into a few quilts that almost caused Maki to lose sight of her because of the jacket she wore.

We took my living room chair in to have it re-upholstered, but had to pick it up on April 14th, as the shop didn't have equipment to do some of the stitching. Rats!

I got over to Seattle for a visit with Mike and Andy on the 18th for a walk around Discovery Park. A flawless day!

I moved the mailbox to the alley on the 18th, both for the mail-lady's and our convenience.

I joined 2 other volunteers to measure stream flow and quality on McDonald creek on the 22nd.

April 26th I cleared and flattened the area in front of the gates to put down some pavers that our friend Terry had given to us, eliminating the massive weed and crabgrass patch.

I joined Gae and Ken from the PA garden club to maintain the 1/2 mile section of the Olympic Discovery Trail on the 28th. We were shut down shortly after reaching our section due to repair work already in progress.

I ordered a soil blocker and some growing trays to try seed starting without pots. Neat little tool that worked like a charm.

Gae and I joined other PA garden club members for a tour of a Rhododendron thick 7 acre property near PA on the 30th.

Gae got out for lunch with her friend Patty on May 1st at Smugglers Landing on the wharf.

I helped my sister, Francie, set up a booth at the Pumpkin Patch flea market on May 5th. She had a ball selling and visiting with the crowds:-)

Gae was out in the yard weeding and planting on May 8th, with Raina, as always, dropping the ball in the middle of whatever she is doing in the hope of a non-stop game of fetch.

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March 8th-April 3rd, Buenos Aires & Washington

I arrived in Buenos Aires on March 8th, and after a nap, we did a bit of walking, eating, and checked out this bookstore in a converted theater.

Steve's apartment is on the 10th floor, facing the greenspace interior of the block... very pleasant and relatively quiet.

We walked to the San Telmo area on the 9th to join Steve's friend visiting from Managua, Nicaragua. The weekend fair was at full capacity on a beautiful Sunday.

Here's Steve with Martha, who he hadn't seen on over 2 decades.

The whole lunch party, including Martha's son, his wife, and her sister with Steve.

I walked home from a local bar where Steve and I watched a world cup qualifier on the 11th. I saw the youngest ever dog walker near home.

We took a train to Los Olivos to enjoy a lunch overlooking the marina and river on the 13th.

After sharing a bucket of balls at a local driving range on the 15th, we walked several miles of the river-front path. I should have brought my hat, as I looked like a camarón (spanish for shrimp), according to Steve.

We took a taxi to La Boca on the 16th, where we enjoyed the public artworks that adorn much of the poor neighborhood.

Several of the businesses had over-sized statuary decorating them.

In spite of being a "dangerous" area, the place was packed with people and brilliant colors everywhere.

On the 17th we took the train to Tigre, and then a water taxi to an island in the delta, for lunch at a great restaurant, "White Cat".

We took a ferry to Colonia, Uruguay on the 18th, wandering the ancient streets and enjoying more perfect weather.

Many of the streets were nicely shaded, but the cobblestone surface was a bit of a hazard for walking.

The ancient church provided a break from the heat, but I think the dog figured out how to really enjoy it.

Steve had business to take care of on the 19th, so I took a 6 mile walk along various parks, where I saw numerous dog walkers working their packs.

I just loved the artwork sprinkled all over the city.

This enormous stainless flower opens and closes each day with the sun.

We got together with another high school friend, Richard Yonck, on the 20th for a drink. I hadn't seen Rick since 1977, when we graduated from Inglemoor... what a treat!

We walked to San Telmo on the 22nd, where the fair was earlier, to get a great meal from a restaurant that had been closed the first time. More street art touting the area's unique character.

On the 23rd we headed to Palermo to look for more street art, where we weren't disappointed. Loads of wall art, and excellent local beer as well:-)

I particularly liked Marvin the Martian's attitude!

We took about a 10 mile walk on the 25th, around the nature preserve along the river... another beautiful (warm) day. I think I ended up with 5-10 mosquito bites on the walk, and I apparently drew them away from Steve, with 0 bites.

We got out for a round of golf at the municipal course on the 26th. Steve played so well I think he wants to get some clubs. If I'd had mine, I might have sold them to him, based on my game!

Gae got out to the PA dog park on the 29th, the day I returned home. Scrappy joined in on threatening local critters in the tree.

I picked up a sculpture I made during the fall quarter, glazed during the winter quarter, and was finally out of the kiln. Happy Horse!

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February 10th-March 7th

I picked up a platter I made for my friend Hans on the 10th, pretty pleased with the results.

This is a photo I took at Cape Flattery in 2012, that provided the inspiration (read: vague goal) of the design on the platter:-)

Gae and I got out for a walk on the Peabody Creek Trail in the Hurricane Ridge NP, a mile from home, on the 14th.

Another walk on the 14th took us along the Strait of Juan De Fuca on the Discovery Trail.

We stopped by Billy Loo's garden near the Ferry Terminal to check out the crocus popping up. Gae's in charge of the group of Port Angeles Garden Club that maintain these beds.

I joined my friends Jim and Tom to help button up a structure Tom plans on using for storage. We added a little drainage for the structure to eliminate standing water at the entrance. Jim has accepted his crew nickname of Backhoe. Tom is Forman. I'm dead-weight:-)

Gae and I were picking up our mail from in front of the fence, where I caught Scrappy making use of the custom window I made for him.

Gae had to have her throat scoped to evaluate acid reflux issues on the 24th. What a good patient!

I joined my buddy Mike for some skiing at Whistler, BC on the 4th. Beautiful location and amenities... only if there had been some new snow!

Groomers were the only reasonable slopes, BUT, what a view!!

Gae took the car to visit with a friend up the hill from home, only to get stuck. Thankfully a church friend saved her, as I was up in BC enjoying snow the correct way.

Gae toppled her hot cocoa onto her laptop, which killed it. I pulled the hard drive to retrieve her environment... now to get a new laptop:-)

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January 14th-February 9th, Washington

Gae got to the Westcrest dog-park with her friend Maria on January 10th, but I missed this picture in my last post. I built these planter boxes out of left-over composite decking in 2018, after replacing our neighbors deck... still holding together!

Here's Gae and the kids in normal formation.

I joined Mike, Andy and Dave for some cross country skiiing on January 22nd.

There hadn't been any new snow, but the groomed trail through a ravine near Plain was shimmering with ice.

We hiked up to Wallace Falls on the 23rd, on the way back home.

We made it to Middle Falls, which was a good hike for Andy and I, but maybe a little meager for Mike and Dave.

Ben sent us a picture of he and Rob out for a fancy Anniversary Dinner in Merida, Mexico.

We got some pretty cold temperatures on the 29th, causing some pretty ice formation on the still standing Kale in one of the raised beds.

Gae had me join her outside on February 3rd, where the snow on the ground provided enough light to take a picture with no flash.

Gae ran across a ceramic pot at Joann's Fabrics she couldn't resist after she did a double take on the words... so appropriate:-)

Gae has taken up quilt making, and has taken over the dining room table (desk) for her work.

Gae helped out our neighbor friends on February 7th, watching "Little" Juan for a few hours.

Juan was happy to show off and play with his toys.

Raina curled up on the couch on the 8th, using her tail to help keep her nose warm.

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December 11, 2024-January 13, 2025

We put up our Christmas tree and loaded it with the 400 ornaments we've collected in our life together.

A cluster of pretty, but unidentified mushrooms popped out of the wood shavings of the large Douglas Fir log in the yard.

Kipp shared his best Elf impression with Gae... we need to get him a faux fir lined coat and hat to complete the look:-)

Gae and I attended the PA Garden Club Christmas meeting, where a gift exchanged topped off a fantastic lunch catered by Pacific Pantry and 30 deserts supplied by the members.

I headed to Seattle on the 18th to join my college buddies for a nice dinner visit.

The moon peaked through the clouds for a nice view of the Space Needle and PI globe near Myrtle Edwards park.

My sister Francie joined me for a Christmas Eve visit with our brother Joe's extended family. Time passes too quickly, with the nieces turning in to young women from one visit to the next.

Our friend Terry treated us to a nice dinner at the 7 Cedars Casino on the 27, where the Christmas lights display can't be beat.

Gae and I took the pups for a walk on January 1st to check the VA clinic hours of operation for a friend.

I wiped a layer of Manganese Dioxide on the horse head sculpture I made last quarter to ready it for the glaze fire.

A friend gave us some shelving so we could organized out storage space better. Now we can walk around a the room without turning sideways!

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November 14-December 9, Washington

Rob and Ben came for a visit on the 19th, and Ben took this great picture of the baby (Raina).

Gae joined the Port Angeles Garden Club to put together wreaths for fundraising on the 20th, while Jeff and I did some shopping and prep for his awesome Turkey dinner.

Raina absolutely loses it when Ben visits, as he is her only buddy that will wrestle with her and not protest being gummed in return;-)

Jeff was visiting from Michigan, and prepared a fantastic Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the trimmings on the 21st. Sister Francie, Rob, Ben, Jeff, Gae and I all had a lively visit after the meal.

Jeff kindly took the Taylor family Christmas picture on the 22nd.

Jeff and I took Raina and Scrappy for a walk up the Peabody Creek trail, near the Hurricane Ridge NP Visitor center, after Ben and Rob headed home.

We took a nice 4+ mile hike around Point Defiance State Park in Tacoma the day of his departure, lucking out with little to no rain.

We got out for a nice dinner in Enumclaw, where we took in another fantastic Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Melissa and Daniel. Rob and Ben treated us to Italian the night before Thanksgiving.

I dropped Rob and Ben off at the airport on Thanksgiving day for their trip to Mexico. Once we got the Christmas picture we ordered, Gae added them to cards and sent out all 100 in less than a week. She is the Christmas Card Queen!

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October 14th-November 13th

Gae was given some core strengthening exercises that she's began doing... it all works well until the dogs think she wants to be tackled.

We drove to Moclips on the 16th to go clamming for 2 days, stopping at Kalaloch to check out the "Tree of Life", which is only a few feet off the ground now.

The first night of clamming was tough, but the 17th was less cloudy, and I reached my 15 clam limit in 40 minutes. I guess gas costs make each clam about 5 bucks! Good excuse to camp near the beach:-)

I joined my college buddies, Dave, Andy and Mike for a few nights at Lake Cushman, hiking some beautiful trails along the Skokomish River.

I snapped a shot of a fearless little mouse racing along the trail we were following.

Andy had to head home early, but Mike, Dave and I tried another local trail on the way out near Dow Creek Campground.

Rob and Ben came out for a visit on the 26th, so we checked out Fort Worden State Park.

Here's Gae, the dogs and Ben in front of the "Castle" at Fort Worden.

We checked out the lighthouse before departing for home, where the sun's brief appearance improved all the views.

I took Raina for a walk on November 3rd, enjoying the view of Hurricane Ridge over the fall foliage at the end of our block.

We took the whole family over to Seattle for a few days on November 6th, getting in a visit with my old co-workers, a round of golf, a toastmasters treasury business meeting and a card making party. Exhausting!

Gae finished a new quilt she made from scratch, which turned out beautifully!

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September 3rd-October 13th, Washington

Mike and Andy and I got out for a rare event, a rock concert with Def Leppard, Journey and Cheap Trick on September 4th.

Gae hates this plant, as it grows like crazy here, but the bees and I love it... Borage!

Raina was intently waiting for me to pick up and throw a ball, pausing under these crazy Dahlias overhanging the main path.

There were various smudges from me hauling a kayak on the Mercedes which drove Gae to power buff the car on the 19th.

These mushrooms popped up in the massive sawdust pile surrounding the Douglas Fir section laying in the yard.

I made a batch of Ratatouille using eggplant, zuchini and tomatoes from the garden on the 23rd. Thankfully my sister Francie likes all those things and joined me for dinner to make a good dent in it.

Gae and I visited the local Alpaca rescue on the 28th, where she got up close and personal with a stylishly coiffed local.

Gae had a couple of Veterans stop by on the 25th with a beautiful Quilt of Valor, awarded to veterans for their service.

The neighbor next door, Tom, bought this nice little Kubota for renovating and building efforts he has in the works, so I volunteered to tear out some asphalt he wanted removed. My kind of adult toy!

I rented a machine to finish scaping the dining room floor to remove the nasty black mastic from (probably) 1935, when it was built. Miserable work, if you can find it;-)

Gae attended a baby shower of a friends daughter on the 25, where she had all kinds of fun.

Gae joined a group of church members to serve the homeless at a local church on the 27th.

Gae scored free tickets to local concerts on 9/28 and 9/29, which were great fun and our first show at the relatively new Field Hall.

My buddy Andy came out for a round of golf on October 1st, followed by the short walk to Madison Falls near the Elwa River on the 2nd.

The tomato plants produced a good amount this year, but even with the bed covers closed at night, they got a little mealy from the cold. Still excellent for making some Spaghetti sauce.

The morning of October 4th was sunny and warming, causing the wet Cedar fence let off vapor around the the fence caps.

Gae and I took the dogs for a walk on the upper Peabody Creek trail on the 6th, which hosted hundreds of (I think) Shaggy Parasol mushrooms.

Raina loves the large section of log that we left lying in the yard. Gae demanded we leave it, and I'm now glad we did... Raina loves the view it affords her over the fence.

We attended a Garden Club member tour at Wallace and Beverly's on the 7th, where I'm sure their resort like landscaping was worth more than our entire house!

An evening dog walk on the 9th had some nice lighting effects.

I joined 2 other volunteers with Streamkeepers to measure the flow and water quality of Ennis and Peabody Creek on the 10th.

Rob and Ben came out for a visit on the 11th, so we walked to the pier and enjoyed the Dungeness Crab Festival.

The day was dry and mild and provide a gorgeous sunset.

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August 8th-September 2nd, Washington

I ran across Hatch chiles at Safeway for 1.50/lb, so I roasted and peeled several pounds for use in my favorite pork green chili dish this coming winter.

Gae tweeked her back picking up Scrappy on the last day of July, and has been down and out for the whole month. Chiropractor, Doctor, Physical Therapy and Massage Therapy has her able to be up and about in a limited way... what a painful and slow recovery! The dogs don't seem to mind, though.

Gae got a chance to visit with our neighbor Carol and her cats on the 14th.

I tried to harvest some potatoes from our patch, but was stung and had to run away. These ground bees, or wasps, got Gae and Raina as well, so I took the Rainbow vacuum cleaner to them several times. Little bastards!

I took a bike ride on the 10th with my friend Jim, down to Ediz Hook and then up through some cliff-side neighborhoods to check out an Eagles nest Jim had spotted.

My high school buddies Dennis and Steve came out to visit on the 21st, and we hiked to the coast from Lake Ozette for an overnight trip on the 22nd.

We got a little wet on the way out, but the clouds cleared and we enjoyed most of the day at our Wedding Rock campsite. A local toad hopped by us on the rocky shore.

It felt good to take off the boots after the 4.5 mile hike out.

The sun broke out and provided a beautiful sunset.

It stayed cool enough to call for a campfire... a must for any camping trip!

We checked out the petroglyphs on the way out... Orcas!

It stayed dry to Sandpoint, but we got pretty soaked on the hike back to Ozette.

Gae and I took the dogs to our favorite section of the Discovery Trail on the 27th, so they could run themselves to exhaustion. I found this cool clump of Birds Nest Mushrooms along the trail.

I also picked a fair bit of Chanterelles and one Lobster mushroom for the larder.

Jim and I hiked to Mink Lake, west of Solduc Hot springs, where we picked some wild blueberries and a few more mushrooms for me:-)

I ran across a fresh King Bolete, my all-time favorite wild edible.

I joined Roy, Nancy and Joel with Streamkeepers on the the 29th, to measure water flow and stream characteristics on Lee's and Morse Creeks.

We enjoyed our friends Daniel and Melissa over Labor Day, and the dogs enjoyed Poco and Nina as well.

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July 7th-August 6th, Washington

Our old neighbor and friend was passing through town on her way to Victoria with her sons and their friends, so we got up early to sneak a quick visit with them before the Blackball took them away.

Our nephew and his partner, Iris, sent us this great picture of their latest addition, Oliver.

A friend of Gae's, Casey, was doing a live show at the New Moon tavern on the 8th, where we caught her excellent performance.

Rob and Ben came out for a visit on the 13th, when we took a nice walk up at Hurricane Ridge.

The wildflowers were out in force, and beautiful.

Gae and I had the PA Garden Club over to tour our yard, and we joined in the tour of several other members yards... Nice Dragon!

We had planted Garlic late last season, where were ready for harvest... mild and delicious!

Our friends Joe, Emily and Churri were passing through town after a trip to Victoria, so we joined them for Breakfast before they headed for Portland. We love having a chance to catch up with distant friends!

Gae thoughtfully bought me a new golf towel while she was out with a friend in Sequim. A simple pictogram showing the facts of life:-)

I joined my college buddies for a ball game and a trip to Mikes cabin on the 22nd. We got out for hiking, eating and drinking around Leavenworth... always fun with these guys!

The weather was perfect and windy for our walk around Lake Wenatchee.

I took a bike ride with my friend Jim after sharing some coffee, where I spied the insightful suggestion on a house. My kind of slogan:-)

Rob and Ben stopped by for a visit on August 3rd, always a joy!

We had a new Dahlia bloom in the Strawberry patch... extra colorful!

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June 3rd-July 5th, Washington

I took the new kayak out for a paddle on June 6th to Freshwater Bay, where I discovered the perfect vacation home when we become rich;-)

Our Rhubarb plant became prolific this summer, and I made a great Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. The leaves are ridiculous!

Gae volunteers with 2 different sewing groups, and showed me her handiwork from the one that makes quilts to donate... NICE!

I finished 2 trilobite based yard sculptures during the fall quarter at Peninsula College, ready to enhance the gardens:-)

I thought I'd include an older garden piece that is perched on the garden bench made from the fir we took down to get some sunlight.

I got out to Peninsula Golf Course for a round on the 13th, a windy day with beautiful views of the Blackball (Victoria) ferry arriving at Port Angeles.

I joined my friend Mike for some single track riding at Heritage Forest near Port Gamble on the 14th, where Mike showed me some recent enhancements with 30 foot tall jumps for the adventurous (read "insane").

We did enjoy the views afforded by the last clear-cutting of the land in between nicely banked single tracks.

I joined 2 ceramics-room friends on the 18th in install screens on top of the exhaust stacks at a couple national park locations. Stinky, but necessary volunteer work:-)

Jim, Tom and I did get to hike out to Oil City from one of the toilets, which tipped the days efforts even farther to the enjoyable side of the scale.

We drove to Seattle on the 21st, on our way to Enumclaw, where we joined out Toastmaster friend Betty for nice lunch and visit.

Betty's complex requires visitor badges, and as always, Gae didn't disappoint in her approach to formal requirements!

In Enumclaw we got to visit with Daniel for a day before he left for an Alaska cruise. Nina seemed a little uneasy for a quick nail grind.

We enjoyed Melissa's company as well before their departure, as did the 5 dogs!

I drove Daniel and Melissa to Pier 91 to catch their cruise ship on the 23rd, and snuck in a nice walk with my buddy Andy around Seward Park.

We spent most of the week hanging around, I was mostly alone on the couch, but Gae was like a dog magnet, as always.

I think Daniel and Melissa "might" have had the better end of the situation, partying and taking in the spectacular Alaskan views.

Gae got out with her church hiking group for a good walk at Hurricane Ridge on the July 2nd.

We had a nice 4th of July visit with my sister Francie, Rob and Ben, keeping the dogs calm through the noisy fireworks.

I joined Joel, with Streamkeepers, on July 5th, to install dissolved oxygen loggers at 3 different spots along the Dungeness and it's side streams. A little bush-whacking for a cause is always good fun:-)

We got this great picture of my nephew Zach and his newest baby, Oliver... oh so sweet!

Ben sent us this great picture a day after our visit with them on the 4th... so much nicer than my candid photo without faces!

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Finished putting up the remaining fence posts. Funkay is the theme!

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May 8th-June 3rd, 2024, Washington

I went in to the Peninsula College Ceramics room where I help out as a monitor on May 8th to discover my round Trilobite sculpture had rolled itself off the high shelf! Still funky enough for my garden, so not a total loss:-)

I caught Scrappy using the first dog-window-mask in the front fence... YES! The other two don't seem to care, as Raina can stand up to see over the 4' fence, and Mia is only interested in Gae's activities.

Gae did a morning selling raffle tickets for the PA Garden Club fundraiser on the 11th, "GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!!!"

I finally cut the front gate and added all the glass bits... much more appealing!

I included some marbles, beveled glass and one prism, which really fires up when the sun gets lower.

I headed to Seattle on the 14th, where I golfed with my buddy Andy, followed by a few more beers on his lawn overlooking the Puget Sound and Mount Rainier.

We went to the Mariners game on the 15th, and with the sun out, and the Mariners winning, it couldn't get much better:-)

Some of the flowers blooming in the yard are exquisite!

Our Olympia friends joined us on the 25th, and we got out for some tide-pooling on the 26th. I love tide-pooling:-)

The only drawback to the visit was Raina losing her mind in fear running from Moxie, who was visiting, and bashing into something in the yard hard enough to get a puncture wound.

We couldn't get her in until the following Tuesday, when the Vet's office reopened.

The poor girl gets the cone of shame, as well as a shirt to soak up the drainage:-{

I guess we're big on purple flowers!

Here's Gae, in her pajama bottoms, slippers and church shirt working the weeds in the yard on June 2nd.

The Taylor Tribe welcomed a new member to the family, Oliver, born to Zach and Iris... so precious!

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I started putting up some homemade fence post caps, but couldn’t share them on FB. I’ll try referencing them from here.

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April 6th-May 7th, 2024, Washington

We went to Enumclaw to watch our friends pets, from the 7th to the 14th, where we got out for a few walks with the dogs, in shifts. This is one of the "our dogs" shifts;-)

I took the bus to Poulsbo and met up with Mike and Andy to join Dave for a visit on the 18th. We stopped along the way for a hike along the Union river in Belfair near the Salmon Center, where birds are the thing to watch.

We got out for a hike on the 19th, after a night of pool, food, drinks and a great visit. The Skokomish Lower South Fork Trail #873, which had lots of big trees and a few small stream crossings... beautiful:-)

Gae and I stopped at the 7 Cedars casino for lunch on the 21st, where we enjoyed the Native artwork.

Added by Gae, They have the BEST Holiday Light Display! Sucks for the driver...

We joined our friend Terry for lunch at the Elwa River Casino on the 24th, which had reasonable prices for good food.

I joined my friend Jim and his dog Chiquita for a walk with Raina at the empty Lake Aldwell reservoir on the 25th.

I joined the Streamkeepers on the 26th to measure the water flow for the Lee's Creek, and Morse Creek, shown here. We found a reasonably calm spot to use the Doppler based device for the measurement.

I picked up my brother-in-law, Jeff, on the 30th at the airport for a 6 day visit. After loading up on bread and lunch meat at the Hess German Deli in Lakewood, we got out on my local golf course for an afternoon round. LOVE the views!

Gae got out for a walk with her church walking group the same day, but ended up at the top Hurricane Ridge when it was still snowing, earlier than our golf round, which shows the same range in the background!

Stacy sent a care-suitcase with Jeff, which contained a lot of Gae's favorite color shirts and accessories. Guess which color;-)

The sun happened to hit the large blown glass bottle on the 1st in the morning... you just have to love the way glass optics work:-)

Jeff and I headed for Lake Ozette on May 2nd, to do an overnight hike to the coast. In on the Cape Alava (shown) trail, and back out on the Sand Point trail. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

The local streams are loaded with tannins that light up when the sun can reach the forest floor.

Jeff posed with his new best friend attached to his jacket on the shoreline.

Our campsite had loads of flotsam and jetsam along the edge, including this ships rope that weighed a ton. Jeff was unable to return it to the sea;-)

This is our campsite for the night... just spectacular!

The sunset was stunning with the clear night.

We checked out the petroglyphs on the hike out on the 3rd... ancient records, cool!

Somehow, the sole of Jeffs boots both detached from the heel, but between an empty trashed flotsam boot and some rope threads lashed around the sole, he made it out without having to go bare foot!

We stopped for water at a small hill at Sand Point, where we enjoyed 180 degree view of the coast. Still dry, if not sunny:-)

I asked Gae to get close to our Rhubarb plant to get some scale for how big the leaves are. Although she does have a relatively small head, those leaves are still huge!

Rob and Ben joined us on the 3rd, and we travelled to the Hoh Rain Forest on the 4th, which was really busy, but still spectacular.

We also checked out the Tree of Life, which isn't long for this world. It's maybe 7 feet off the ground, and will be all the way down in a few years.

Here's a nice picture of Rob and Ben in Moss-land.

We did some visiting on the 4th, before Jeff caught a ride with Ben and Rob to the airport, where Gae showed off her flowery bonnet.

Rob, Ben, Jeff and I took a walk up Peabody Creek near the Ranger Station, where we enjoyed the rich forest floor.

Gae got out for another hike to Ediz Hook, where Jenny spotted the Bald Eagle hanging out on some driftwood.

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March 5th-April 8th, Washington

With my birthday coming up, my favorite sister-in-law has been sending me tee-shirts with my favorite designs, including a new cat one! All the others I own are dogs:-)

My son-in-law, Ben, requested an Oyster plate, so I came up with this sea-based one with limpets and chitons.

With the wet winter we're still getting used to, we get outside as much as possible when it's dry. Raina is looking for someone to throw the ball... her favorite pastime.

I had 4 yards of soil delivered to top off the raised beds and add a raised garden for the apple tree waiting to be planted on the 8the.

Gae got out for a hike with her church hiking group on the 12th, where the sun made a glowing appearance on the trail.

Mental note, any time there are shadows falling outside, soak up the heat from the sun!

We took a drive to Rialto Beach on the 17th, where we wandered the beach for Raina's first chance to enjoy it on a beautiful day.

All it take is placing a fetch-stick anywhere to get her to go where you want:-)

I finished the other 2 ceramic masks for letting the dogs look out the fence and got them up in front.

Any time Gae goes outside the pups like to watch her through the front window.

Rob and Ben came out for a visit on the 30th, where we checked out a couple small parks near downtown PA.

We also took a walk along the bed of Lake Aldwell, which was drained when the lower Elwa dam was removed.

Gae was happy Rob was so helpful on the uneven lakebed.

We took the local missionaries out for dinner on the 20th for Pizza.

We got a chance to visit my brother Joe's family on the 6th. It's been over a year that we've visited with all the family members, and we had a great time.