Seattle's Public Market

In the olden days, we used to make a trip to the Pike Street Market to pick up bargains on things like vegetables, baked goods, seafood, and spices.  We haven't been in a long time, but we had guests from Missouri, so it was time to do the market again. 

The lovely weather allowed us to get a picture of Mt. Rainier, both sports stadiums, and the big wheel from the Public Market park.

While there are still veggies

and all kinds of fish

and seafood

and flowers

It seems to me that the market has been taken over by the crafts people

which isn't bad - just different, and it was a truly lovely late September day - perfect for a trip to the market.

Family, Family and More Family

Ron's sister, Sheryl, is visiting from Missouri, so we have been making the rounds of family in Washington that she hasn't seen in 16 years (or ever, in the case of most of the children).
First stop:  Dinner with niece, Regina, and her family

It was our first chance to meet these darling grand nieces:

Then on to Bonney Lake to see our Crawford family there:

Sheryl with her nephew, Ron, on his deck with the fantastic view of Mt. Rainier.

We had pizza and a birthday party for the September birthday with Ron and Keri and their family.

As we headed to another birthday party in Eastern Washington, we took in the beauty of the Tumwater Canyon with it's fall foliage.

Saturday was our great grandson, Sammy's, first birthday party.  We all had to compete for a chance to hold him.  Since he prefers his grandpa, we had to catch him when Grandpa was busy putting up the tent or hauling chairs.

There was no shortage of Grandmas and Grandpas to hold this little charmer!

And he got to spend time with a cute little girl too!

We came home today on North Cascade Highway, after a stop in Winthrop.

Country Roads

We always enjoy summer in the Pacific Northwest - where we can take off on the motorcycle and in any direction, find a country road to travel. 

So many country roads follow the section lines - so 90 degree corners are the norm.  Great for motorcyclists!

The farmland in the Stillaguamish Valley always offers great views of farms and barns.

I love barns, and our rides through the farmland of Snohomish County show a variety of barns.

Farms, Barns, winding roads, mountains in the background - perfect motorcycle times!

Now I need to get back to my postcard campaign to promote the sale of our Georgia property.  Our home there has many of the same features of our Washington property - rural farmland, lakes, rivers, recreation.  We decided this year that it was time to sell that property.  At 70+ we are getting travel weary.  So if you are looking for a lakefront property in the south, check out our Georgia property:  Furnished home on Lake Eufaula for sale.

Motorcycle Ride Through the Snoqualmie Valley

On a beautiful August day, there is really no place finer than the Pacific Northwest.  We take advantage of as many of the dog days of summer as we can on the motorcycle.  There are scenic rides to the West, the East, the North and the South from our home.

Yesterday, we headed South.

Some sort of bike/walk was taking place near Machias on the Centennial Trail so we saw trail guards at every place the trail crossed the road.  Lovely day for a bicycle ride also!

We took River Road from Snohomish to Monroe

and then Highway 203 to Duvall

and then through beautiful bottom land farming country

and into Carnation, where we had lunch.

It was a great ride, but we really appreciated all the shade on Woods Creek Road on the way home.  The gauge on the bike said 90 degrees as we left Monroe heading home.

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Jam, Jam and More Jam

First step:  Fight the thorns, slopes, bugs, heat, to pick the big blackberries that are so abundant and so seedy that most people reject them.  I spent most of the morning picking berries along the edges of our property and ended up with about 2 gallons of berries.

Years ago, I found a really great device for removing the seeds - It's called a "Squeezo" - The berries go into the hopper, and then are squeezed by pushing them through an auger - where the juice comes out through the screen, and the seeds are pushed out the end.

It's messy - so I set up outside on the picnic table to do the squeezing.

I ended up with enough juice for two batches of jam.  I use the same recipe for all my jams - I first of all ignore all the warnings on the pectin package that says "DO NOT ALTER THE RECIPE".  I use eight cups of fruit,

which I pour into my biggest saucepan - which covers about the bottom two inches of the pan.

I add one package of pectin for low sugar jam, and mix it thoroughly into the fruit.  Bring the mixture to a full boil on high heat.  Then add 8 cups of sugar and stir in until it is all dissolved, returning it to a full boil.  Boil for one minute.

This recipe makes approximately 4 quarts of jam - sometimes 3 or 3 1/2 - so I get an assortment of clean jars in various sizes and fill them with the hottest water I can get out of the tap and leave them in the sink while the jam cooks.  I put the lids I think I'll need in a pan of water and let them boil while the jam cooks.

When the jam is cooked, I empty the water out of the jars and pour the jam into them.  I carefully clean the top of each jar and put the lids on as tight as I can and turn the jar upside for a couple of minutes. 

This makes all the jars seal for some reason.  If I valued my time at anything, this would be some very valuable jam.  But there is the entertainment factor to consider - I really enjoy making jam!

Memories of Millie

Millie Hammond Rains Schoen

1919-2016

My mother was loved by so many and an inspiration to everyone who knew her.  None of us was surprised when she became the oldest woman to ever get a scuba license in Hawaii at 72.  She still swam 20 or more laps in the pool until she was 94.  

My family gathered yesterday to remember Millie.  The two remaining members of her generation, my Uncle Spud, and my Uncle Marvin, came along with several cousins, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren to celebrate her life with us.

My cousins, Jessie May, Susie, and Theresa, got to meet my great grand nephew, the cute red haired baby, Jackson

Baby Sammy taking a nap holding firmly onto Grandma Tina's locket.

Hard to think of my son, Tony, as a grandpa, but he's a good one!

My sister's grandson, Joey, on the left, my grandson, Jesse, on the right.  Another generation bonding.

Dan and Amy getting baby time with grand nephew, Sammy.

Enjoying catching up!

Sierra and Chris and baby Jackson going for a ride

Tina, Sara, and Dan

Cousin Ross and Uncle Spud

Brittany and Carla

Kim and Teri
I'll post more cousin pictures on my Cousins Blog

Raspberry Tutorial

Many years ago when we first moved to our current home on acreage, a real estate client who became a good friend, gave me some raspberry starts.  They are a really great variety although I don't know which one - that's the way with shared plants.  These are thornless and produce tons of berries.

After they have finished producing berries sometime in mid-July, they look like this:

If you've never grown raspberries, it can be daunting to look at the jungle like growth and to know what to do to prepare them to produce again the next year.

If you look at the bottom of the plants, it's easy to detect the old canes - they are grey-brown.  Next year's canes are light green.  If you prepare them as soon as they quit producing berries, it is very easy to do.  If you wait until spring, the canes will all be the same color and it will be harder to do.  If you don't take out the old canes, your plants will still produce, but the berries will get smaller every year, and eventually they will quit producing berries.

So first step:  Use a good pair of clippers and cut the old canes as close to the ground as you can - then remove the old canes.

When you are done removing old canes, it should look like this:

I usually leave the new canes at their full height - just because we have a deer population that loves the tender new canes and they can't reach the top.  Eventually I will weave the new canes onto the wire:

Or you can tie them to the wire if they are too short to wrap onto the wire, but I don't recommend this as you have to untie all those old canes when you remove them after the crop is in.

If you do tie them to the wire, use a simple knot.

There will be multiple new plants starting all around the raspberry row.  I share these with anyone who wants to start a raspberry patch.  If I don't know anyone who wants them, I dig them and put them at the road with a FREE sign, and an unknown stranger usually picks them up.  I love sharing plants!