It's a blustery Sunday and we're enjoying the heat from our new wood stove. Like our solar panels, there's a 30% tax credit on energy efficient home heating items, so we decided to finally replace our ancient, drafty wood stove. We bought the same Blaze King again and the model is nearly the same after 35 years! I guess it must be tried and true. Dave is out stacking our last load of wood, delivered by a friend yesterday. The kids wanted to help, but the wind and rain got the best of them. They're troopers, but the nice warm house is more inviting today. Winter is definitely here.

We are SO excited to have our new 11 kW solar system! The install was complete a few weeks ago, but we finally have our new digital Puget Sound Energy meter and we're able to feed electricity back onto the grid!

 

Our 54 panel array was installed by Sunergy Systems of Seattle. They did the work from start to finish (no sub-contractors and they handled all the permits and electric company interactions.) We are extremely pleased with the outcome and look forward to producing close to 100% of our power usage from our system.

 

It wasn't cheap, but the 30% tax credit helps (can be carried over for 3 years) and the buy-back from our electric company, since we're plugged back into the grid, will further offset the cost. Our winter electricity usage will outpace our production, but summer should yield a check from the electric company every month! If you'd like more details, don't hesitate to ask us. Check out the photos to view the whole PV system.

It rained a ton today, but that didn't stop us from heading to the Skokomish River area to go mushroom hunting. Unfortunately we didn't find many, but enough for dinner tonight. It was WET, but we were happy to see a few die-hards camping on the Forest Service land. We plan to head back in a couple weeks in hopes of finding more mushrooms at our favorite spot. It looks like we were just too early. Check out the photos in the camping with Trish & mushrooming album for what we did find.

 

It feels like fall & the produce is definitely at it's peek. We're up to our eyeballs in just about everything. Yesterday I made a ton of spaghetti sauce and baked bread. It took pretty much all day, but I know we'll enjoy the fruits of my labor for many weeks to come. (I froze 18 cups of sauce & 5 loafs of bread.) It is a lot of work, but I enjoy being able to put good food on the table, & luckily the kids enjoy it too. And at the end of the day, after Dave put the kids to bed, I was able to finally finish The World is Flat a verbose, but pretty amazing book. Tomorrow I need to tackle the sauce apples. The Asian pears will have to wait until next weekend. The Italian prunes and Bartlett pears will be close behind, and by then the tomatoes will require major attention again. Salsa anyone?

We've been getting out on the water a lot, and even did some "boat camping" to Jarrell Cove State Park on Harstine Island last weekend. The kids loved camping, of course, and we spent both days fishing (unsuccessfully) from the boat. I even got in some kayaking with friends while Dave and another friend took the kids fishing. The whole business of reaching our camping destination by boat was so easy. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

 

The day after we returned Hazel said she felt like her body was "going up and down." Clearly she's getting her sea legs. Today we hit the water again and Hazel was really into fishing, for a while. Maybe if we actually caught something we could eat. :-) Rowan just loves the boat and wants "more boat" all the time. His favorite part is helping to drive and, when Dave isn't driving, constantly flipping all the knobs and switches and pulling out the key. We really have to keep a close watch when he's behind the wheel of anything these days!

It's been forever since I've updated the blog. SOOO much has happened & time at the computer has been very limited. But a long story short- we're all well & the kids of course continue to grow beyond belief. I've added some photos & will continue to add more to try to give you all "the best of the best". I'll also try my best to not get so behind again!

Saturday morning we headed out to Mt Rainier to enjoy some snow while it's still here. Hazel was excited to try out her snow shoes, but she was more excited about the prospect of sledding. Rowan was very excited about sledding too - we couldn't get him out of the sled when we were packing up the car in the garage. The drive wasn't too long, but long enough with both kiddos. We stopped for a break & coffee at Whittaker's in Ashford, where the kids ran around and tried out the mini climbing wall.

 

When we got to Rainier we decided to snowshoe first at Longmire, before heading up to Paradise. We knew that if we were going to get Hazel snowshoeing, it would have to be before she saw other people sledding at Paradise. We suited up and headed out on the Wonderland Trail. It was slow going, but Hazel did great. She didn't have any trouble at all - she just walked along as if the snowshoes were perfectly normal. After 1/4 mile (which took 45 mins) we stopped at the creek for a snack. We fueled up while Rowan slept in the pack, propped against some trees. Then we turned around & headed back - we didn't want to press our luck with Hazel. The trip back didn't take quite as long, though Hazel did ask to be carried one time. But she did great, collecting pine cones & pretending all sorts of creative things. At one point she even busted out her ABCs, singing herself along the trail.

 

After returning to Longmire we stopped in the museum (Rowan love the Mt lion) & then drove up to Paradise. By the time we got to Paradise it was snowing pretty heavy - big beautiful flakes. Dave & I took turns taking the kids down the hill on the sled, then we set them both out on the toddler hill. They did great the 1st run, but on the 2nd time down Rowan took a pretty bad face plant. That was the end for him.

 

We also got to check out the new Jackson Visitor's Center & were astonished to see the old one has already been demolished. The center has a great common area for warming up after being out in the cold, but the interpretive exhibits weren't very exciting. But maybe I'm just nostalgic for the exhibits I grew up with and introduced the kids to on earlier visits.

It's mid-March, but we had snow again yesterday. Thank goodness the plants haven't gone gang-busters yet, but they're trying. The native bushes are leafing out & the crocus are up, but that's about it. We uncovered the asparagus bed this week, but that's the only garden activity we've had. We still have greens (collards, kale, etc.) from last year & the artichokes are really getting going. Thank goodness everything is so hearty though. It has been COLD.

 

We woke up to a 1/2 inch of snow yesterday, & it kept falling for a while. Eventually it turned to rain, & it was a cold, blustery day. Our power went out for about four hours & we all got caught out in a downpour when we were trying to move the chicken tractor. We use the lawn tractor to tow it because it's so heavy & one of the kids always wants to ride to the back of the property (where the chickens are.)

 

We have a couple pullets that have tried to set recently, but we keep taking the eggs. I can't image any more chickens yet, & we're not ready to halt their egg laying either (read between the lines as you like on that one). We're getting a TON of eggs these days & we're happy to share with anyone that would like some. Last week I had Hazel's friends help gather the eggs & scatter some extra grain in their portable coop. The kids LOVED it of course. Hazel's friends even wanted to pick exactly which eggs to bring home, which was pretty funny (esp. since not all the parents wanted to bring eggs home.)

Last weekend we ventured to the cute little cabin in Rockport, WA, once again. It was our 4th visit to this amazing getaway, & this time we brought my brother & his girlfriend Kelsey. Actually, the trip was our Xmas gift - we rented a 2nd cabin for them.

 

Two days before our arrival the road reopened & the area finally got power again. We were ready for anything though. Our goal was simply to get away & enjoy the beauty of the North Cascades. Because of the recent flooding & numerous mudslides, we didn't expect to get out much or to see many other people visiting the area. Again because of the flooding, we knew there wouldn't be a lot of eagles to watch (December - January is their main migration time there because of chum salmon spawning.)

 

We were pleasantly surprised to find the Eagle Interpretive Center in Rockport open, & quite a few people viewing eagles in the area. We made it up to Baker Lake for sightseeing and snowshoeing, & we also drove as far as Newhalem on the N. Cascades Hwy. Last month's snow still covered everything, but it actually wasn't as cold as years past when we've been there. The sun came out ALL WEEKEND, which was amazing. We ate in every night, sharing meals with Mat & Kelsey in the cozy cabin & decided we'll have to make this an annual tradition.

As many of you have undoubtedly seen and heard, Washington is experiencing record flooding. After our snow storm late last month, standing water and potential flooding was expected, but no one could have expected how bad it became. Here in Olympia we received over 6.25" of rain in the last 36 hours, on top of all the melting snow. It's simply unbelievable. The images of our rivers and lakes are astonishing. Roads are closed everywhere. Homes and farms are ruined.

 

We live on high ground and we literally had a river flowing across the entire width of our 5-acre property yesterday. It connected a lake on one neighbor's property to a lake on our other neighbor's property. In the years past we have seen these lakes in our neighbor's fields, but we've never had more than a bit of standing water on our baseball field. Our poor chickens were at the edge of the "river" in the outfield, but luckily they're in a moveable chicken "tractor" so we were able to move them to higher ground.

I heard our first Xmas present at about 3:30 this morning - the plow went down our main road! I actually made it out on Tuesday afternoon, but most roads were still very bad & I appreciated the manual gear mode in my Volvo. Yesterday we tried to get Dave's car up our driveway, but it just wasn't possible. Back to the neighbor's it went.

 

The snow is melting, but we definitely do have a white Christmas this year. We had a slight dusting last night, but for the most part the snow seems to be over (knock on wood). Temps are in the mid to upper 30s & it's melting pretty fast. We hear that most people are happy to see it go, but I'm kind of sad to watch it melt away. We had a lot of fun family time stuck at home (check out the pics), & our Xmas gifts this year were definitely more thoughtful & mostly home-made. Hazel showed me how skilled she is at painting, beading and stamping as she made ornaments and cards for family and friends. She really amazed me with her ability and coordination.

 

We were thankful for the break in the weather so that we could see family and friends this Christmas though! My brother Mat and his girlfriend Kelsey drove down from Seattle yesterday & spent the night with us, then Dave's brother Alex joined us for breakfast this morning. The kids were a hoot this morning and are enjoying a few new toys & tasty treats. Merry Christmas!

I just walked down to the mailbox for one last check, but nope, the mailman never came today. The snow is INCREDIBLE. It feels like deep mountains, but in reality our house is at 150 ft elevation. I've never seen snow like this around Puget Sound.

 

We're totally snowed in, still, but Dave did make it home from Seattle Thursday evening. What should have taken 1-1/2 hours took 4 hours. His Prius is safely parked at the neighbor's because he couldn't make it up the tiny incline of our driveway with all the snow. I made it out to Costco yesterday afternoon, a mere five miles away, but I had to chain up the Volvo XC (all wheel drive) to get out. I'm glad I went because the weather did take a turn for the worse today - it snowed a ton more & it didn't even get above 30 degrees today. Did I say this is CRAZY?!?!?!

We're on day two of being snowed in. I've never seen so much snow at our house, and it just keeps falling. It's actually warmer than it has been, with temps hovering around freezing. The kids love the snow, but we can't spend a lot of time out in it because they get cold too fast. Poor Rowan, who just learned to walk, can't walk in the snow - much less with all the bulky gear & hard-soled shoes. Hazel loves the snow until she takes her mittens off, and true to toddler form, she can't seem to keep them on.

 

I've got cabin fever trying to keep the kids happy, but the weather is simply beautiful. The sun came out this morning & the light on the snow was just amazing. This afternoon it dumped again (after I took the pics in the "Winter Wonderland" album) and now we have at least 8 inches. There's no end in sight, so we may end up with a white Christmas. Wouldn't that be something?

Fall is a very busy time of year for us. Not a weekend goes by that we're not picking, gathering, canning or drying. It comes with the territory of our property and Dave's ever-expanding garden & orchard. Luckily Hazel loves helping in the garden & both the kids love the fruit of our labors, esp. the fruit.

 

Our neighbor Julie also hosts a cider pressing party every year at this time. This year we pressed 3 truckloads of apples, gathered from orchards all over town, including our own. I'm guessing we pressed 75 gallons in about 4 hours. All the chopping and pressing is a lot of work, but having everyone pitch in to make it happen is wonderful, and the cider is always amazing. We fill up the freezer & have "fresh" cider all year long.

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Lake Chelan. I attended the annual Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association conference, in conjunction with my work. Dave came along to care for the kids while I attended 2 and 1/2 days of conference happenings & we stayed 2 extra nights to make a mini-vacation out of the trip. The conference was held at Campbell’s Resort, so we stayed there. I can't say enough good things about Campbell’s! It's right on the lake, SO family friendly, and right in the tiny town of Chelan. We could easily walk to a grocery store, restaurants, and two great parks for the kids. The 2 bedroom room with a full kitchen also made our stay easy with the kids. The patio leading right out to the beach was also perfect!

 

Needless to say, we had a great time while we were there. The drive (4 hours each way) was long, but the fall colors were amazing along Hwy 2. Dave had never been east of Leavenworth, much less along Hwy 2 (the "North Cascades Scenic Drive"), and he really enjoyed the scenery. Of course he enjoyed all the fruit and nut trees east of the Cascades as well. We also managed to visit a few wineries near Chelan, and even found one that let us crush some grapes and sample some not-quite-finished product. Yum.

 

 All in all it was a fabulous trip. I don't think I'd want to go to Lake Chelan in the middle of summer because of the crowds on the lake, but it was perfect this time of year. We might just have to make the trip again some day and I would definitely recommend it to other Washington families!

I've been horrible about updating this blog, & I apologize for that. I've just added some new albumns to get you all up to date with our late-summer activities and to see how the kids have grown.

Since returning from Hawaii, we've had a whirlwind of activity. We hosted our annual summer soltsice party & enjoyed the company of six of the attending families through the entire night. All the kids did great & really enjoyed camping in our back yard. The following weekend we camped at a local high school for Relay For Life of Thurston County, which I serve on the planning committee for. It was HOT all weekend, but it was worth it. As in years past, it was a moving experience, esp. with the kids there. The event also raised over $330,000 for the American Cancer Society!

 

The following week Dave was lucky enough to have off, since his employer, Amgen, shuts down production for a week at the 4th of July. We were blessed by the visit of his grandparents & great aunts, all the way from Florida and Illinois. It was their 1st visit in 10 years & they timed it perfectly for the ripening of the strawberries & sweet cherries. Hazel & Rowan enjoyed the extra attention & Dave & I enjoyed the chance to sit back & relax, rather than trying to tackle yet another project!

 

Since then it's been HOT, so we still haven't done a lot of outside projects because of the heat. We're trying to get ahead of the weeds in the garden (in the morning & evening) & replant the beds that didn't germinate in the cool spring/early summer we had this year. We have spent a ton of time in the pool - it's hovering at 85 degrees most every day, just from the solar panels Dave installed last year. The kids both love floating in the pool & Hazel has learned to swim with arm floaties, which amazes us - she's not even 3 yet!

It's been just over a month since we returned from our marathon wedding trip, but I've finally added some photos. We went to San Francisco at the end of May to attend my cousin Quincy's wedding. The next day we flew to Kona to attend my dear friend Shauna's wedding. Shauna & I have been friends since junior high school & she's one of the few high school classmates I'm still in touch with. Both weddings were amazing, but pretty much polar opposites of each other - the big church wedding in SF verses the small almost all family ceremony on the beach in Waikoloa.

 

Although traveling with the kids was challenging to say the least, they both did WONDERFUL on the planes. We made the most of the trip by seeing the sites in San Francisco & spending a full week in Hawaii after Shauna's wedding. My brother also joined us in Hawaii the day after we arrived & we took the opportunity to spread mom's ashes in Anaeho'omalu Bay, where the rest of the island chain volcanoes can be seen on a clear day.

It's been a crazy month of warm weather and SNOW. We're prepping the garden, but thankfully haven't planted in the ground yet. Two nights ago it was 26 degrees! The fruit trees are blooming & the honey bees  are flying (yep, Dave has 3 hives now.) Hopefully the fruit will still set this year, despite the cold April we've had.

 

For Earth Day I put together a project for Hazel & her friends from my "mom's group". We planted marigolds & the kids enjoyed the activity. I'm sure the big draw was the chance to play with dirt & water! Seriously though, hopefully the kids will be able to take care of the plants & watch them grow. I was impressed that all the kids understood the concept of a seed - & not all of them have gardens at home.

 

Also in celebration of Earth Day, we attended the annual Procession of the Species parade in downtown Olympia. Hazel was really excited by it this year. She was captivated by the whole thing, which was an hour long. Everyone was dressed as plants & animals & a lot of marine life. We didn't actually walk in the parade, but Hazel was very excited to wear her salmon costume again (from Halloween.)

 

More excitement in Hazel's world is the two dozen baby chickens we picked up a couple weeks ago. Our neighbor Julie is actually caring for them at her house, but Hazel loves to check in on them & "freshen" their water & food. She already knows where eggs come from, because of Julie's existing hens, but raising the chicks will be a wonderful learning experience for her - even when they end up on our dinner table.

We had a wonderful Easter at our neighbors Julie & Mike's. They have a ton of family and friends every year & Hazel just loves them & all their animals (currently horses & chickens). It was a terribly rainy day, which put a damper on the egg hunt for most people - but not Hazel. She probably collected more eggs than anyone! They'll be plenty more for her to find in the coming months though, because the hundreds of eggs stashed for adults went largely uncollected. The rain was really something else!

 

We spent virtually all of Easter next door, and we had a lovely time with Mike & Julie's family and friends. Hazel had a blast with all the kids, and many were even younger than her. It's amazing that she's the "big girl" now - and a big sister. Rowan slept most of the day in the Ergo carrier or stashed in a corner. He can sleep anywhere, thank goodness.

 

Oddly enough, the day before and after Easter were beautiful. We've spent a lot of time outside lately, getting the yard whipped into shape and pushing the kids on the swings. Hazel rediscovered going barefoot, and she can't get enough of it. However, on Wednesday the weather reverted back to winter - we've had snow for three days now! It hasn't amounted to anything here, but it sure is strange. Thank goodness our fruit trees haven't bloomed yet!

We decide it was time to go play in the snow, so we headed to Mt Rainier for some snowshoeing. The mountains are loaded around here, but it hadn't snowed a lot for a few days, so the roads were clear & open to the top - Paradise/Jackson Visitor Center. We parked at Narada Falls, below Paradise, & 45 minutes later everyone was bundled up & we finally got Hazel out of the parking lot (any snow was good snow to her!) The trail was well marked, but quite a bit steeper than we'd hoped for. With Dave & I each carrying a child - Rowan at 17 lbs now & Hazel at ~28 - it was fairly difficult at times. The forest was beautiful though, & the snow was at least 6 feet deep even under the tree cover. A little over an hour later we made it to our destination, Reflection Lake, ~1.5 miles away. We stopped for a snack & to play in the snow (Hazel was beyond excited to roll down the hill).

 

We talked to a few other groups of snowshoers & saw some skiers with packs for camping out. Very cool, but since fires are not allowed - no thanks! On the trip back we couldn't believe our eyes when we stopped for a break & saw Mt Rainier come out from behind the clouds. Hazel, despite the cold & her lack of nap, got caught up in our excitement of seeing the Mt "out". It was clear she was really enjoying herself, which made us very happy. Rowan was his usual easy going self & slept most of the way. They both did amazing all day, so we couldn't have been happier. It was a long day, but well worth it!