August 2019
I'm drawn to the water. To the solace it provides.
On those weekends where nothing has been planned we usually decide to hang out somewhere near water. I rarely like to stay home on weekends since I am home the entire week. For me, weekends are to venture out, explore and enjoy ... even if we visit the same places from time to time.
We packed a light lunch and had a picnic by the water.
Making sure I take a picture of myself every now and then, for memories sake. Embracing the grays and wondering if and when I'll dye my hair.
This guy right here, the patriarch and my love.
I sometimes procrastinate on getting things done but we finally tackled a small project that I've been wanting to do, to put up a couple of shelves.
I wanted the wood to be thick and worn looking. I grabbed the hammer and several gardening tools and started banging them on the wood to have the wood appear aged. Then I applied a white coat of paint and once it dried I gave it a rough sanding for a faded look.
I have since rearranged and added more books on these two shelves. Obviously, I have more books than shelving but that's going to have to get done some time in the near future.
My sister Claudia would send my kids fun packages. She sent Riley several fun activities for him to stay engaged in during his summer break.
One of the things she mailed was a gator/hoorag for him to wear when he's playing with his Nerf guns. Little did we know he would need it the following March to be in compliance with the Governor's tyrannical face mask mandate.
August had been a hot one for the PNW. Mostly sunny days and in the mid 80's and hotter. We would spend several days in a row at home comfortable with our portable a/c unit on. But, staying home day after day becomes a bore no matter what different activities you try to engage in. So, when the cloudy days appeared once again (and over the weekend) we got take-out and went on a hike at Discovery Park. It's another nice trail/park that we like to frequent but it does tend to get crowded so we usually visit during cold or cloudy weather when the crowds are less.
This trail is not very long, about fifteen minutes, walking downhill that is. It's shady which are the best kind of trails. It's on the way up that I have to stop and rest in the middle of it because my heart is pounding out of my chest.
It was cool to see it was low tide. We like low tides, it gives one the opportunity to explore and spot interesting sea creatures. I like to collect small white rocks. I've found many during our Puget Sound outings.
Re-fueling
It was fun walking on wet sand. Riley is always looking for baby crabs but he doesn't really like to pick them up. I do. He will pick up seaweed though. I think seaweed is gross, it's breeding ground for bugs plus it feels slimy. Ew.
Can't believe how far out we were.
I have two dahlia plants that I planted two years ago. I believe this particular dahlia is called rothesay reveller. I like the subtle color of this flower. It goes well with the earth tones I've implemented in my home.
Prior to moving to WA I didn't own rain boots. Although we did get a good amount of rain in TX and Tucson (during the monsoon season) I just didn't care for them. But, since moving to the PNW it's wise to own a pair. I'm on my third pair of rain boots, not because I wear them out but because they somehow end up getting cracked on the inside where the toe meets the foot, and water gets in leaving my sock wet. I don't know why this happens, it's so odd. So I decided to spend a bit more on a good quality pair of rain boots. I loved the box my rain boots came in, it's so pretty that I kept it. Fast forward a year later and these boots are still in excellent shape!
This was in late August. We woke up to a wonderful cloudy morning so I said to Riley, "let's go walk along the water then grab something to eat". It is such a relief to get a break from the sun. I find so much joy being out in this environment.
This house has a nice garden out front. Sometimes I walk across the street so I can admire the flowers up close.
I love how cloudy weather keeps people indoors, but not people who appreciate this type of weather, like us. Walks are way more enjoyable this way. See, I was even social distancing way before we were urged to do so. Ha!
Found a small patch of rocky beach where we stopped at so Riley could throw/skip rocks.
After our walk we went to Shari's Cafe, they have really good pies. However, Riley ordered the cinnama-sation French toast.
I got a pie. I saw a commercial for the marionberry cheesecake and I was sold. Oh man! It was delicious!!!
I enjoyed this story about a journalist who has an obsession about sharks and decides to tag along with some scientist who are doing research and live on Farallon Island which is only twenty-seven miles off the coast of San Francisco where there's too many alpha great white's to count. It's quite an interesting story.
On days that we stay home because it's too warm for me to be out (and to avoid getting a headache) I play lego's and gormiti's with Riley. He sometimes laughs when I don't know the rules of the game and end up making up my own rules as I go, but then he corrects me.
This was our 24th year anniversary. Grateful for God's blessing on our marriage. I love flowers, all kinds really.
This day also marks our baby Reagan's death anniversary. One day I'm hoping to know the why's to my questions.
There are so many reasons to enjoy this beautiful life.
