Today we set out for a day of crabbing. What a beautiful day! Sky was blue. Sun was out. We got our fill of crab – both dungeoness and rock crab. We boiled them up at home and were treated to an exceptional dinner.
At one point during the day, a bald eagle circled right above us for a while, riding the thermals. This was the best I could capture. Pretty bird.
A pretty purple vine growing on Noreen’s back yard arbor: 
Rachel flew in today, so we met her at a local brew pub to catch up. I’m a fan of most beers in a green bottle — lagers and pilsners. But those are not so easy to find here in the yeasty, hearty, and dark brew-pub PNW. I happily discovered Alaska summer ale yesterday and loved it. Tonight I tried Silver City’s Ziggy Zoggy lager and really enjoyed it.
Cheers!
We hopped on the ferry tonight to watch the Mariners play the Angels. A group of ten of us sat together in King Felix’s court, rooting for the Ms. As the sun was setting I popped up to the 300 level to get a peek over the Port of Seattle towards Elliot Bay. The haze is still thick. The sun was like a pink ball glowing in the sky.
And we won!
We met Fran and Art for a beer after work yesterday. This is the view from the outdoor beer garden. The air is hazy from the smoke of nearby fires. That is Vashon Island in the background. Last fall I posted about a guy living in a shed on a floating raft anchored off this point. Well, his shed burned down since then, and now he’s got a teepee on the raft. A gaggle of geese are crossing in front of it.
Today we celebrated my mom, and said goodbye. What an emotional day. It was a beautiful ceremony. Lots of family and friends shared the day with us.
We sent her off with a graveside parting glass.
I’m a little exhausted. A little sad. And very happy to have an angel of mom’s calibre in my corner.
I’ll leave you with a picture from my sister’s garden, and the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem version of The Parting Glass.
I flew back home, again, yesterday. But this time, my Mom is not here. God took her back. It is the sad, but inevitable, end to a wonderful lifetime. I am proud and oh so happy to be her daughter. Today we say goodbye and celebrate her life. ‘Til we meet again, Mom… I love you.
As we approached Seattle, I was treated to beautiful views of the Cascades. Fires are again raging in Washington, both east and west of the mountains, so the view was a bit hazy. In this one looking south, Mount Rainier is in the front, center. Mount Saint Helens is slightly above and to the right of Rainier; the gray, hazy, low peak with no snowcap. The leftmost peak is Mount Adams. And between Adams and Rainier, in the distance, you can faintly see Mount Hood.
For the last week and a half, Monte and I hosted his family’s bi-annual reunion. We started out with a big 3-day weekend, enjoying reconnecting and having fun at the house and in the backyard with 21 of our relatives that came from pretty much every corner of the country. Then, for the next week, ten of the family that could stay longer came to stay with us at the house. We packed it with as much food and fun as we could. It was really a special, wonderful time. Sailing, floating, grilling, cornhole, homemade pasta, bimini ring game, barbeque, card games, homemade pizza, geocaching, karaoke, low-country boil, gardening, sno-cones, sightseeing, even taking part in our neighborhood’s 4th of July parade. Over the last few days, our party dwindled until it was just four of us yesterday. We set out for the lake and sailed to Starnes Island to anchor up and watch the fireworks show. It didn’t disappoint. We squeezed every bit of fun out of the time spent with everyone.
Today we said goodbye to the last two revellers. It’s just our flock now. The house is quiet.
I leave you with two shots from the fireworks last night — here’s to family!
We dashed out to Mayfield Park today to see the peacocks and the pretty grounds, found a geocache, and then climbed atop Mount Bonnell to enjoy the view.
A nice day, indeed.
I took a walk around the hood tonight to hit my step target. And I came across this little lady who was very wary of me. I said hi, took a picture and kept moving on down the road. I’d like to think that she has a similar snap of me.
I’m enjoying watching this verbena that I planted this spring thriving.
I’ve been closely following the around-the-world sailing race, the Volvo Ocean Race, since it started back in October of last year. Seven boats/teams started in Alicante, Spain, and have been sailing individual legs from one port to the next over the course of these last 8 months. They have circumnavigated the globe and are driving to the end, later this month. Tonight they will finish leg 8 – which started in Lisbon, Portugal, ending in Lorient, France. One of the teams is an all-female crew, on-board the magenta Team SCA boat. They have competed well, but have not yet won a leg. Tonight they are in the brink of winning leg 8, and I am so rooting for them. Just a little over 40 nm to go, and they are still leading the pack by 10nm and holding steady on speed. Go Team SCA!!!
What an amazing adventure. Check it out!
This morning a crew showed up to repair our failed sewer line. By dinner time we were back in business. The upside: I am just very happy that this issue arose now and will be fixed before a big family gathering at the house in a few weeks. 
#ItsAlwaysSomething
Stay tuned.
Sheila365 