Late Summer Bloom...

This week we are experiencing temperatures reminiscent of those 'Deep Days of Summer': on Friday they are expecting 85F/ 29C! Woot Woot!  {smile}

I'm trying to get as much sunshine in as I can, before the long dark haul of Fall will start again. Enjoy the color palette of our late summer days...

 

All the pictures are 'sooc' (straight out of camera) so no cropping or editing of any kind. Sometimes (most of the time!) nature is at its best 'au naturel'....

Views from The Dock...

Labor Day Evening from a dock on Lake Washington: bliss!!!  {smile}

Views Along The CowRoad...

Along the West Snoqualmie Valley Road...

(all pics taken from my car window!)   <wink>

Cows in the meadows...

Dutch heritage in the valley...

Birdies in the sky...

Small farm holdings... 

Huge skies...

"Wild horses couldn't drag me away..."

Ode to my blog title...

Pioneer Square & Pike Place Market...

Yesterday I got to drive shotgun (i.e. I was sitting in the passenger seat) in this fun little sports car all the way to Seattle and back. I felt like a movie star...  <wink>

My friend Kim had some errands to run at Pioneer Square and invited me along: yes please!  {smile} Here we go...

What a beautiful area with lots of old brick buildings and gorgeous old greenery. (i.e. trees) I also found a clog store but oh boy, those prices were steep: $135... {not smile}

Those blue ones were my favorites!

After we were done with our errands we drove a little bit further and parked right at Pike Place Market. (and saw this truck along the way which reminded me of home of course...)

With the incredibly nice weather we are still experiencing (40 days in a row without any precipitation and  still counting!) it was of course extremely busy, but Kim knew the way and before we knew it we were sitting at a tiny counter among all the touristy crowds and had delicious 'blackened salmon on organic salad plus garlic bread' platters in front of us: Yum!

After all that fun it was time to go home again. Tomorrow I will show you the pics I took along the CowRoad, which was it usual beautiful self with all that sunshine.

Right now I'm going back in the yard and in the sun. We have a long weekend now (Labor Day on Monday) and by golly, I will enjoy it! {smile}

Cheers!

Blue Moon...

Agenda Craftiness...

About one year ago I crafted a whole new desk-top agenda for myself. It has been very useful, but of course boredom has crept in and I really wanted to look at something new. Now, with my recently acquired Photoshop skills, I have come up with a completely new design. Voila:

Love it!  {smile}

I first made four templates for the Monday through Wednesday parts and then four templates for the other days. Copied them into word, printed them out, cut them in half, punched in some holes and done.  I also made new monthly tabs for on top. Easy Peasy! <wink>

Seniors!!!

Yes! The day has finally come that my baby boy is now a Senior!!!  (woot woot!) 

Our school has a fun tradition that on the very first day of the new school year, the Senior Students line up half way down the hill with hand-made signs (and in their senior class hoodie sweat shirts) to greet the other students and parents. Lots of hollering and hooting and honking is involved: Love it!  {smile}

Bottom left you see our new boss. My lovely husband is standing to his right,
keeping an eye on things... (it gets pretty crazy!)

Three cheers to the Senior Class of 2013!!!

Another Great Day On The Water!

And salt water this time!  {smile}

J. in action!

Yesterday we spent several hours on board of an old Coast Guard dingy (with  a hard shell, which is the bottom of the boat) zipping around two of Meike's friends (brother and sister) who were participating in a Laser sailing regatta on the Puget Sound. The weather was glorious (78F) and so once again, great times were had by all...  {smile}

Here is a small selection of all the photos I took. Sorry that not all the horizons are straight, it was rather choppy out there on the water...

Here is the dingy in the foreground. 
It has one of those long seats in the middle that you straddle, like sitting on a horse.
The engine had 90 horsepower: needless to say we went very fast!
(and yes, Bo the Black Lab came as well)

J.'s younger sister T. in the lead while battling her team mate around the buoy...

J. rounding the buoy...

 

J. in the lead at the start of the third race...

J.: The Rugged Sailor...

And a few pictures of the marina and then back on the road home again...

Shilshole Bay Marina with the Olympic Mountains in the background...

Seattle skyline, two pictures 'glued' together...

Good old Mount Rainier with Lake Washington in the foreground.
Well folks, today is the last day of our summer holidays. We had a great time!  {smile} 
Now we're getting ready for a new start of the school year...