- Tide x 2 = Adventure!

One of the perks of living near Bellingham Bay is enjoying the great beach combing opportunities that the lowest minus tides provide during the summer months.  We took advantage of one of these days to explore the Taylor Shellfish Farms at the south end of Chuckanut Drive.  They were having a festival of sorts which allowed us the opportunity to learn first hand about their operation here as well as their other locations throughout WA.  Because of the extreme low tide we were able to walk out to the oyster beds to learn how they seed and harvest the oysters and clams that they are famous for.  Hot dogs, grilled oysters, steamed clams and other such fare were available for lunch.  So we took advantage and had a great meal.  

This sign met us at the entrance, how could one resist, we had to check it out!

The staff had gathered natural materials and kids could pick out whatever they wanted and create their own fairy house

Some creative Taylor family member created this "lighthouse" made of clam and oyster shells

These are oyster "grow bags" which help keep predators away and reduce the amount of silt that affects the oysters as they grow

The view looking south to Anacortes...the tide is out so far you can barely see the waterline!

Oysters are harvested and packed in bundles like this...these bundles are made of empty shells which will be used for new oyster beds and for other uses such as chicken feed

There is a crew harvesting oysters out there...in the winter, they have to do it at night, when the minus tides occur

Looking back at the farm store--we're way out in the bay! 

Time for lunch!

The day is still young and the tide is still low so we head on over to Larrabee State Park to hike down to Clayton Beach.  We hiked down to this beach a lot when Jessi was little, although she doesn't remember it.  It was known for it's huge sand dune that rolled all the way to the sea.  The sand dune is a thing of the past, it's now a huge "garden" of blackberries and sand peas.  But the beach is still wonderful for walking when the tide allows.

I love shape, pattern, light and shadow, so it's a field day for me with all these sandstone rocks full of holes and pockets and hidey places 

And then I can get all artsy craftsy and start putting crab shells in nooks and pretending like they "landed" there! 

There's someone else who likes the hidey places! 

The window to the sea
  

The tide's starting to come back in...that's Lummi Island out there in the distance

The beach has its own art forms 

This is a very special flat rock--when Wally and I were MUCH younger, we used to hike down a steep rock cliff to get to this rock where we had the sea to ourselves.  We'd picnic and sunbathe here...but alas, someone has built a house at the top of the cliff where we used to start our climb down...no matter, there's no way we could do it now anyway! 

The flat rock is waaaay out there to the right, so you can see the height of the cliff we had to navigate--it's about midway down the hillside.

Then it was time to hike back up to the road and head home for a hot shower and some ibuprofen...just kidding!

Bygone Days

It's been a long, long time since I posted anything here.  It's not for lack of subject matter, as in times past.  We've had lots of adventures, but it seems like we never stay home long enough for me to post anything.  And it's not a speedy process...photos have to be re sized on camera to post-able size, then uploaded, then edited to erase the original photos that were too big--you get the picture.  Pun intended. 

So I'll start with our trip to Mt, Baker--in JUNE!  This is unheard of most years.  The road to Artist's Point is generally not plowed before mid-July.  But the Pacific Northwest is currently in the throes of a months' long drought.  The snow pack on Mt. Baker is at an all time low--this after it set the record for the most snowfall in the entire world in the winter of 1998-99.  We made our way to the end of the road thinking we might have to navigate some snowy paths, but we found all paths completely free of snow and the meadows bursting with wildflowers.  This would by a typical scene in mid-September--not in June!  We had a lovely day hiking paths and it gave me a chance to try out my new camera which I am thrilled with!  Here are some samples:

This sculpture of ravens is at the entrance to the Mt. Baker Ski Area

A view on the way up

I love seeing the power behind the formation of these volcanic mountains that line the West Coast

Reflections at the top of the world

Clouds around Mt. Baker--notice the lack of snow

Sample of wildflowers in bloom

Looking back from the trail

Folded back on itself...must have been an amazing sight

And a rainbow on the way back down to top off the day

We need to get back up here soon or all the huckleberries will be gone, they must be ready now since everything is 2-3 months ahead of schedule!

Gifts That Keep On Giving

I have always had very thin and basically worthless finger nails.  Over the past year advancing age, combined with Raynaud's Syndrome, finally caused my nails to peel and split and even though I kept them trimmed as short as possible, they were cracking back into the nail bed.  It was becoming evident that drastic steps were necessary and I decided to get my first-ever manicure.  I found a small nail salon located near the school where I worked and stopped in to see what they would suggest.  That's when I met Tho and her husband, Le.  They, as are most local nail salon workers, are Vietnamese.  Training as a manicurist is one of the few ways Vietnamese immigrants can make a decent living in this area.  The job doesn't require the ability to read or even speak English with much fluency.  

Tho and Le opened their salon just about a year ago and are working hard (as in 12 hours a day, 7 days a week) to build up a clientele.  Tho and I hit it off immediately and we have formed an unlikely friendship.  I visit her about once a week just to chat and we ended up exchanging Christmas gifts.  I gave them some of my homemade boeterkoek and she gave me a box of these:

Somewhere in our many conversations I had shared that I loved tamarind candy, but that is not what this is!  This is whole tamarind and I hadn't a clue what to do with it.  Thanks to the internet I learned that I could make tamarind paste or chutney by processing the pods.  If you've had pad thai, then you've at least had a taste of tamarind paste as it's one of the ingredients in the sauce.  It's a uniquely sweet/sour combination that I love.  The candy is the seeds which are coated with the "meat" (inside the pods) and then rolled in crystallized sugar, you suck on the seeds until all the meat and sugar melt in your mouth...YUM!  I digress.

So, in order to process these pods I had to crack the hard shells

and then remove the "meat"-covered seeds and the fibers that surrounded them

then I had to soak the pods in water for most of a day to soften the meat so I could separate it from the seeds.  Once I had the meat separated I cooked it with a bit of the water I soaked the seeds in and added some spices and voila, I have tamarind chutney.

I've frozen the chutney into small ice cube sized portions so I can pull it out when I want it.  It's a fabulous combination of flavors.  What a treat to receive such an unusual and practical gift that I never would have bought on my own.  I am continually amazed at the variety of fruits, vegetables and spices that the Lord has given us.  It's a never-ending source of delight for me.  I always wonder about the first person to attempt to use some of these things--who would ever pick these off a tree and imagine that they would end up with this final product?  

I am looking forward to how my friendship with Tho and her family (she has a son who is a sophomore in high school and a daughter who is in 6th grade) will grow in this new year.  For those of us who take our native born freedoms for granted, it is humbling to see how hard people  work to make new lives for themselves.  Tho did not want her daughter to grow up under the oppressive paternalistic and communistic society that her country struggles under. She misses her family so much, but wants a better life for her children....don't we all!  

This 'n' That....

Retirement is an interesting journey.  People ask me all the time if I "like" it....geesh, what's not to like?  I now get to spend all the time I want in the morning reading thru the Bible instead of rushing thru it just "to get it done" for the day, reading my devotions, planning my day, organizing the chaos of 25 years worth of "hurry, hurry, hurry".  

And...I get to work on all those projects I've had stashed away for "some day"...well, "some day" is here!  Here's a sample of what's been taking up my time:

blanket for Wally, made from old sweaters 

table runner for a Christmas gift

sweater that will take a looooong time to finish

quilt for "some day".... :)

I'm loving my Zumba Gold class...my neighbor tells everyone I'm pole dancing!  :)  And after the first of the year I'll be volunteering with the literacy council, something near and dear to my heart. So I don't understand people who wonder if I'm bored....bored is not a word in my vocabulary!

Fall Means.....

It's time for Stoney Ridge Farm!

The "new" barn, where the pumpkin donuts are made and where you can pay for pumpkins, squash, gourds, apples and pears

Jessi helping with pumpkin donuts

Derek designed these amazing chandeliers inside the barn, made from hundreds of canning jars!

There are fall decorations everywhere, it's a photographer's paradise

Pumpkins and fluffy clouds, can't beat this, especially since it was POURING when we got there in the morning!

Wally working the entrance gate

Two wild and crazy "kids" working the entrance gate

Would you buy a used car from these people?

Two more Saturdays to go, come out and see us!