Up on the roof...

I like when James Taylor sings it...
"When this old world starts a getting me down,
and people are just too much for me to face.
I'll climb way up to the top of the stairs and all my cares just drift right into space.
On the roof, it's peaceful as can be and there the world below don't bother me, no, no."

For once I was glad it wasn't too hot... it felt perfect for working on a warm roof!

It is amazing to see the things Aunt Pat wants to do...

Connor and I visited sweet Aunt Pat this past weekend. She and Uncle Alan have been working on painting their eves/fascia for a long time. I really don't like the idea of Pat climbing on ladders that put her over two stories high in places... so we went up to help get some of the work done. It was very successful. Finished scraping and priming.  I will probably go back in a few weeks to ensure that the paint is finished before the rain comes.

She could have been a florist.

As usual, Aunt Pat spoiled us with pretty things all over the house (fresh flowers in every room, pressed linens on the bed and table, healthy and delicious foods).    We recreated the thai dinner for her... spring rolls and pad curry thai... on Saturday night..  Also snuck in a gorgeous walk on Ediz Hook.

The bed was ironed so perfectly...of course we proceeded to wrinkle it all up.

Grandmother Milliren made this tablecloth...

Pat loved helping roll the spring rolls.

Of course, Pat asked lots of questions about all of you...

The moon was huge ...and the clouds were in the valleys of the mountains... sun shining. Gorgeous.

Willie entered the fair...

...and won.  Big time!  The Southwest Washington Fair is about the most fun you can have in this part of the state during the second week of August. Farmer Willie entered 8 items and got 8 ribbons.  7 blue ribbons for 1st and 1 red ribbon for 2nd. Also one best in class ribbon!!

Acting like he wasn't sure if he would win anything...

First place on a huge sunflower head.

First Place and Best of Class on Chocolate Mint. First Place on Peppermint.

Corn. Tall and productive.

Table carrots. Beautiful to look at...better to eat!

He also entered a full sunflower plant. Beautiful flower and big stalk. First place!

Heirloom yellow pear tomatoes. So yummy!

I think his pie pumpkin would have gotten first if it just had a few more weeks on the vine.  The one that got first was totally orange and  slightly bigger.

Still not bad considering our pumpkin patch is primarily volunteers!

He didn't enter any of the onions... but they would have been good contestants.

Just look at these beauties!

So many gorgeous flowers. I wished I was a flower gardener. I will be some day. Mom would have LOVED this section!!

Not bad for a Thursday night date. :)

We had a lot of fun walking around. Ate way too much fair food.  Watched a lot of interesting people. Of course, I mostly spent the evening bursting with pride over my talented hubby. He is a rock star! 

71st Loggers Jubilee

Saturday Blake and I headed east to Morton, WA to the 71st Annual Loggers Jubilee.  This is an event I have been trying to see for the past 5 years and I made it a point to see it this year.  We rode the CL and CB 360's on the old hwy 12...each way for 50 miles....sun was shinning and it was a blast going there.  Upon arrival many people came up to us with astonishment and questions about the vintage bikes that took us there.

Oh...I forgot. You don't know about the 1974 Honda CL 360.  I picked up this bike a week after the CB 360 in an estate sale in Maple Valley, WA.   Basically like most bikes I get.....change the plug, oil, gas, and add a battery.  There you have it!

1974 Honda CL 360 Scrambler

80' spar pole climb

tree topping competition

spring board competion

The event was amazing.  I couldn't keep up with my camera because I was so impressed with the competitor's physical ability to cut, saw, climb, chop, and choke.

The events were:
Tree Topping
Speed Climb
Double Bucking
Single Bucking
Obstacle Pole Bucking
Standing Vertical Bucking
Spring Board Chop
Horizontal Block Chop
Choker Setting
Stock Saw
Hot Saw
Axe Throw

Wow....what a show!

Here is footage from a previous event that World Champion Brian Bartow did in 2006 at the Lumberjack World Championship.  Brian climbed the 80' spare pole Saturday in Morton in a record time of 19 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS6nR2p8WdY&list=UUUExIXOtyqiOxukW1axWVQw

A slow motion video to see how speed climbers slow down on the fall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_fouKWNl4o&list=UUUExIXOtyqiOxukW1axWVQw

The Blueberry Bandits

That's us - the Blueberry Bandits.

Connor just plopped down to pick in one spot... check out the beautiful backdrop.

That's right... a full bucket = 11 lbs of delicious blueberries.  It is a huge farm called "Black River Blues" in Rochester WA.  Of course, it doesn't hold a candle to the blueberries on Love Drive, but we have to take what we can get!

Loading up the berries into containers so they will fit in the backpack for the 25 mile ride home. It was so much fun! A little chilly, but a lot of thrills!

Made lemon blueberry cake...

And blueberry mark-bear pancakes.

And we ate A LOT of them fresh.  Plus, gave some to friends.  And still managed to freeze 6 pint bags.
Another great weekend at the Tucker House. Hope yours was good too.

1974 Honda CB360T

I won't bore you with all the details, but I did want to announce that BKG has added a new member to the fleet.  Last Wed night I found a good looking classic Honda CB.....a 360cc.  This is a small frame bike, the condition looked great, and all original.  Only 10K on the odometer!  This bike has been stuck in a barn/shop since 1997.  The seller used it in college cruising the campus of University of Washington.  He blew the back tire out and never fixed it.  He did say he occasionally started the engine to keep it lubed up.  We settled on a price that we were both happy with and I loaded her up on my trailer and headed home.  I put in a new battery, back tire, and spark plugs.  I had this running in 20 minutes. 

I didn't know how Marie would respond to another bike (this makes 4).  She took it quite well.  As of yesterday (Sunday) she has wanted to take it everywhere.  We rode it to the mall, grocery store, friends house, local festival, and some back county road cruising.......we did about 60 miles on Saturday/Sunday.  We even have a small ride to a blueberry farm planned for this coming weekend.   Plus, she wants to learn how to drive it!

Bobbie update:

I took Bobbie home Saturday morning to work on the electrical wiring.  My neighbor Blake came over to give me a hand at sodering the wiring harness.  It wasn't the quickest task....seemed like we were working on it all afternoon.

Towards the early evening the main harness was wired and it was time to hear her run.  We put some hot sauce down her throat and gave some kicks.  She fired right up!!!  I don't have the muffler cans finished so I just used the straight pipes.......one word says it, "LOUD!!!"

I let Blake jump on her and feel the meanness.  I still need to finish clear coating the tank, tidy up the electronics, build the mufflers, fabricate a license plate frame, and locate a unique tail light....

Warrior Dashing through Life

We have had an awesome couple of weeks since returning from NC. July has truly been lovely.  The last few weekends are a blur of pleasantly fulfilling activities. Some work. Some play. Some relaxing. Some helping others. Some minding our own. A few highlights to share...
Farmer Willie has been reaping lots of beautiful summer produce:

Fresh dill...

Traded at the local veggie stand...

For melons!  Willie made trades two weekends in a row. :)

Beets, lettuces, carrots.

Marie channeled Martha Sue and absolutely demolished the shrubs/greenery that used to run along the side of the house.

The view from our bedroom... it really is quite pretty.

 Too many delicious meals to remember... no wonder we have a little extra meat (fat) on our bones!

Quinoa with chickpea pajane

Cod over a bed of arugula and hash.

Pulled pork carnitas with fresh pico and guac.

Homegrown roasted beets. So yummy!

Lots of cat loving:

Wallowing in the catnip...

Lefty sharing a brew.

 Connor did a golf tournament last Friday... and Marie did a Warrior Dash with a few friends on Saturday... check that one off the bucket list. It was actually a lot of fun and definitely a good test of fitness/strength. Here is a clip of the team heading for the finish line. Don't laugh!!

We could close the blog posting with some philosophical waxing and waning...
Life is a lot like a warrior dash.  Periods of smooth sailing - that still require your attention and focus if you want to be successful. Periods of obstacles and challenges - that can make you wonder how you got into this mess.  Good company, positive encouragement, laughs to balance the tears, and a clear goal to enjoy the ride and help people on your way all make it an awesome experience!