OUT TO LUNCH AT PATTY'S PLACE

The book club that I have been a part of for 7 years goes out to lunch one time a year rather than going to someones home.  This year we decided to go to an out of the way down home cookin' restaurant called Patty's Place at 19 Mile House.  Nineteen Mile was the name of a logging camp located nearby before the mountain erupted.  It is on the road that leads to the Mt. St. Helen's volcano recreation area.  This place is famous for it's many varieties of cobbler,  I had mountain berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.  AHHHHH! (that would be the angels singing, it was that good).

Seven of the nine gals were able to attend.  Here we are after we finished eating.  We sat on the deck that over looks the Toutle River, the temperature was a perfect 72 degrees with a light breeze.

This is the Toutle River.  This river and area around it were flooded and swollen with water and debris from the eruption of the mountain over 32 years ago.  There was everything from trees to logging equipment that washed down through here.  As you can see Mother Nature has rebounded nicely.  The river looks muddy but it is actually full of silt and volcanic ash along with glacier run off.

This forked horned buck was laying in the flower bed of one of the ladies homes when we picked her up and he didn't even bother to move.  He almost looks like a lawn ornament.

Here was another small buck that decided we were a little too close, he was bedded down in the flower be next to the garage.  Another small doe ran off when Charlotte (the homeowner) came out her front door, it was laying on her front porch.  I would say they are quite comfortable around her place.

SUMMERTIME FUN WITH DAWSON

There is nothing finer than having one grandchild at a time to just enjoy them with undivided attention.

Dawson and her dog Duncan are enjoying a sip of water from the hose.

Here she is playing peek-a-boo behind the tree.

Playing in the water fountain is a favorite activity. 

That look says "I don't know if I should be playing in here but boy is it fun".

Yep, it sure doesn't get much better than that!!!

BLAME IT ON THE PUPPY

Ummmm ya! 

I really can blame this on the puppy. 

 I was carrying a heavy armful of things into the house, which included a cast iron frying pan and a ceramic bowl that was full of pasta salad when Paige (the puppy) decided to try and beat me through the door.  I tried to make it to the counter to put things on there but fell forward hitting my uppper cheek bone on the corner of the counter, breaking the lens on my glasses in the process.   I haven't had a shiner since I was a kid--and that is a loooooooooooooong time ago. 

Warning: Puppies can be hazerdous to your health.

I think I will wear sunglasses in public until this goes away.

WHAT'S A BLOOMIN'?

 Here in the Pacific Northwest we haven't had tons of sunshine so far this year but that doesn't seem to slow down the yard from bursting forth in blooms.

This is a climbing rose, that seems to be the only kind of rose I can grow.  I stopped trying to grow roses after I killed off four beautiful bushes.

A little boy and girl water fountain is a new addition this year.

I'm pretty sure that Paige thinks it was installed just for her convenience.

Curses be to my "less than quality" camera.  Below is my Mother's day gift from daughter Tasha.  She worked so hard stacking these pots and planting them with impatiens.  I just wish I could get a good photo of it, it is really gorgeous.

Delphiniums are right at the top of my list of favorite flowers in the garden.  I planted this plant last year and it has really put on a good show for this me this season.

 I thought I had lost these iris's last year by accidentally pulling some out.  I guess I just did the plant a favor and gave more room for healthier bulbs.

I just love this plant, it puts on quite a show each June.  It is a hearty geranium, which is a perennial and each year is gets bigger and bigger.  I have even divided it a couple of times which only makes it come back twice as big.  There is a pot of pansies peeking out at the top, the geranium has all but taken over the pot they are in.

Here is another of the hearty geraniums next to a pretty purplish/blue bush, I think it is call a

Mexican Lilac but I may be wrong.

The hummingbirds love this basket of Millions of Bells.

The window box below the star on our shed will hopefully fill in and begin hanging over the edge once our temperatures start to warm up.

Here is a close up of the flowers in the previous picture.  I can't remember the name of the pink flowers but I just love how dainty they are.

And that is what's blooming around here.  How about you, what is putting on a show in your yard?

FLAGS AND FREEDOM

The entryway is all decked out for the Fourth of July with flags and a banner I was inspired to make from something I saw on Pinterest.  It was originally posted on ETSY.  Here is the link.

The flags in the glass vases were the ones I posted about HERE where I showed how I aged them.

Below is a close up of how I did the boards for the banner.  I first painted 3.5x4.5 pieces of wood I got at Michael's  with Folk Art #879 Linen.  I then stamped the background lettering on with a rubber stamp I had on hand with black ink.  I then blotted a brown ink pad over the whole thing to age it.  I also inked the edges with black ink then added the red vinyl lettering.

Let Freedom Ring!