Summer Solstice

We have passed the Summer Solstice and as if that were a deadline for the sun to start shining, it finally did come out, like a shy maiden, yesterday. I spent much of the afternoon pulling weeds and unwanted grass from the pathways. It is still too wet to mow anything.

I was surprised by an invitation from Jey-hu to go out for dinner, and we decided to take our cameras for an after-dinner walk near the Everett Marina, overlooking Port Gardiner Bay. The wild roses were just past their bloom except for a few, and their scent was heavenly. I loved the composition of the tall trees with the verge of grass sort of winding along the rock berm, even though it's a little out of focus, it reminds me of a French Impressionist painting - a little.

As long as there was some sunshine, it was quite pleasant, but the clouds increased, the sun began to set and a chill in the air sent us running back to the car for warmth. It is hard to believe that from this point on, the sun will be setting earlier rather than later. It has been quite amazing to have sunlight until almost 9:30 p.m.!

I don't know the name of this flowering plant, but it had the faintest shade of yellow, and with the yellowing light of the fading sun on the grass and on the buildings in the distance, it was a great combination of yellows.

I saw in the distance a small sailboat scudding across the bay, making a good tack to the marina entrance before it got dark. I liked the colors I found when I downloaded the shot at home. I have just purchased a Canon PowerShot SX20 IS to replace the POS Sony CyberShot which is only good if nothing is moving... even in a breeze. I love this new camera. It is a bridge between my Canon EOS Rebel which is still in Colombia and the pocket digital, and it comes with a zoom lens - not removable, however - which goes from 28mm to 500mm! That was the focal length I used to get the sailboat shot.

One of the last bits of sunshine blazed through the moist moss on the rocks below, and I had to see if this would look as good on 'film' as it did to my eyes.... what do you think?

But the day came to an end and this is how it looked....

Eat at MONGOS

I'd never heard of it. They don't advertise on the airwaves, but through the "hair" waves - ear to ear, mouth to mouth - and along with providing "to-go" packaging that is 100% biodegradable, what they put in it is 100% edible, too!

Jey-hu said he had "heard about it, and it's supposed to be good," so being irritable and hungry I was ready to go almost anywhere. And because he's the son of a naturopathic /chiropractic doctor, he eats the best he can when he's away from the healthy stuff I feed him... not counting his weakness for chocolate.

Hidden in a small strip-mall, behind a gas station, on Route 9 between the Snohomish River and the hill known by locals as "Seattle Hill," is this charming, upbeat, "take-out" or eat-in or even (yippee!) catering food service place called MONGO'S . Just click on the link and take a look at some of dishes Chris can whip up - yum! His wife, Shannon, said they used to own The Paragon up on Queen Anne's Hill in Seattle, but sold out in 2007 and started up here in 2008, "all by ourselves."

One of their signs in the window said, "Life's too short to eat boring food." And that theme was carried out in the specials for the day and the regular options.

MONGOS offers such a diverse menu it was hard to choose, but I went with the Filet Mignon Sliders (mini burgers to the out-of-towners) and french fries. Jey-hu chose the Philly Cheese Steak and fries (Hah - we're like that couple who have matching Hawaiian shirts: Filet and Philly). We never had to eat dinner that night. I was still in some kind of food hypno state due to the abso-fan-tastic fries - obviously done in fresh

oil and just the right amount of crunch and color - next time I come here I will take more pictures of the food!

For those of you who are unfortunate enough to live too far away to sample MONGOS now, when you make plans to visit the great Northwest, you can get off SR 522 (going N) at the Route 9/ Woodinville exit and it's about 20 minutes up and over Seattle Hill, just before the new stop lights at the flats. For my Everett and Lake Stevens readers, it's a quick trip south on 9, across the river and the flats, up on the right just after the lights - on your way to Costco...

Did I mention that Chris has over 30 years "in the business" and that creme brulee was on the dessert menu? Did I also mention that their prices are very fair and if you tell them what you want or need ahead of time, they will prepare it for you? Ever heard of fish tacos? Sigh - love da MONGOS!

Oliver!

We had the delightful experience of meeting some people at our garage sale on Saturday who are involved with the Historic Everett Theatre and we were invited to attend the closing night of "Oliver!" put on by Northwest Savoyards, a community theatre group. What a charming delivery this group provided of this Broadway musical! I snagged a picture from their website showing the old theatre because this is how it looked tonight. This is a short post because we have been moving stuff all day and I'm weary. Having the social time of a musical and dinner afterwards was a great relief from being a drudge and a workhorse... I truly hate garage sales for the nickel and diming that we have to do, but I loved this one because we met some fascinating folks and caught up with a couple we have been meaning to see... hopefully they will come and see us in South America!

A Sushi Treat

    Yesterday I was able to find my way from Everett to the Greenlake area of Seattle to meet up with my oldest daughter and her daughter for a sushi dinner. I am not sure who was more excited about our get-together - me or my grand! We shared some of our adventures since last summer...  I got to hear about some horseback riding and swimming trips and I was entreated to tell more about my journeys across all the states between Florida and Washington. I showed her some of the pictures we took recently at Rosario Beach (see profile of me above taken by Jey-hu) and on top of Mt. Erie.

   But the dearest question my little Grand asked me was just before we parted: "Granny, how many more days do we have before you have to leave again?" And I was very happy to see how big her eyes got when I said, "Too many to count because I'm going to be living here... we'll see a lot more of each other now."

Still Retired... but barely

Today Jey-hu took me to work with him. He had some wires to run on a boat and with my nautical experience, he thought I might enjoy the day and be of some assistance to him. As the sun was timid in the morning, I had no idea how lovely the day would become and by the time we finished at the marina, we had a lunch at a place called "Scuttlebutt's" where the clam chowder would make a Cape Codder blush!

Then it was off to Mukilteo (it is pronounced

moo-kit-ee-oh - I think the "l" is silent) to run some more line in a private home under construction. On the way, Jey-hu stopped at the park so I could get out and get my bearings. The view you are seeing here (the second picture to the right) is a little south of the Everett Naval Base station and the marina we visited can be seen just to the right of the jetty. Aren't the clouds magnificent?

After all these days of clouds and drizzle and then rain, it was really nice to have some sun again. Jey-hu says, "There's no place nicer than here when the weather is pleasant." I'd have to agree - today at least!

The worksite is along the waterfront with a view very similar to the photo above. The owner, a woman, wasn't there, but the site was bustling with men working on various projects. Jey-hu and I started running the lines and I wrapped the finished connections with electrical tape. Then he showed me how he installs the security lines for various doors and windows. Gee, I never realized how that was done!

As we headed for home, we drove past Boeing Airfield and he pointed out the large jet which is being used to ferry back to Everett the fuselage of the new 787 "Dream Liner." If you look at the large fin in this shot, you can get a sense of how huge the aircraft is they are building, never mind how enormous the one is they are flying it back in.

All in all, it was a most interesting day for this retiree, and while I actually did a little 'work,' it did not require me to turn in my retiree badge.

Just a quick update

   Our drive from Yakima was on one of the sunniest spring days so far and we enjoyed some beautiful views along the way. In particular we stopped at a pullout and got this shot of Rainier from the eastern side.
   Then it was on to meet Jey-hu's sisters and mother and we had a delightful time in Tukwila - all these native names are tongue-twisters for me!
  

 We arrived in Everett on Monday afternoon as the sun was setting and in spite of the threat that Jey-hu had left his keys inside the house, we were able to get in and get the car unpacked.
   Today the sun is shining (for a little while anyhow) and I took a shot of the porch to try and see if I could get a shot of the mountains hidden behind all those glorious tall fir trees, but as you can see, it wasn't about to happen. I think if I can convince the neighbors to trim a few branches we might have a better view... well, that's a project for another day.
    Meanwhile, I'm getting ready for another photo adventure - to take shots of the heart-shaped lake nearby and perhaps a few of the wildlife. Yesterday I saw an eagle soaring overhead, but I didn't have my camera with me.

The adventure isn't over yet....