Tulip Festival 2024

I wanted to go up to the Tulip Festival in April. It had been many years since I had been there. The crowds are pretty large on weekends so it is best to go on a weekday. Jonathan and I were driving an older couple to church for many month - Steve and Naomi. Naomi loves flowers and I knew that she would appreciate an outing. I invited her and my friend Linda initially. I thought that it would be a good outing for ladies from church so I invited everyone. I was disappointed that no one else joined us. I'm still scratching my head about why I couldn't get any takers. 

I did the driving. We went to Tulip Town which is about an hours drive north of our house. There are two different tulip farms in Mt. Vernon to visit. The other is called Roozengard.

I loved the colour variety. Remember to click on the photo to enlarge it.

This is my favourite photo from the day.

After our time in the fields, we went for lunch at Calico Cupboard in Mt. Vernon. It is a long time favourite spot. Jonathan and I have been going to that restaurant since probably the year 2000. 

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Leaping to Leavenworth

Lake Wenatchee

Leap Day 2024 was spent in Leavenworth. I convinced everyone to go on a short trip to Leavenworth. The boys were with us for their Spring Break. On Thursday February 29th, we drove 1-90 and Blewitt Pass to Leavenworth. Here's a photo while driving through Snoqualmie Pass.

We arrived into Leavenworth at about 1 pm and quickly looked for a place to eat. Parking has become more challenging in town since they made the main drag a pedestrian only section. J and C ate sausages outside! I found a lunch spot - The Soup Cellar and the boys and I had soup and sandwiches. 

After lunch we explored the town for a bit. 

There was no snow in the actual town. It is the slow season so some businesses including a recommended restaurant were closed for renovations. We enjoyed the book store. Another interesting store was Kris Kringle which sells Christmas decorations all year long. J and I enjoyed the store which sold Russian dolls. I didn't take a photo but the artistry was quite amazing. J found a cheese store and a tea store. I found one clothing store that I liked but didn't buy anything. They do have the Christmas lights still on which was a nice touch. 

We drove over to Lake Wenatchee. I had been there 5 years ago while I was at a women's retreat at Tall Timbers conference center which is close to Leavenworth. C has also been to Tall Timbers for a high school retreat. 

It was amazing to be at a beach with snow! We didn't stay long since it was quite cold outside. A didn't pack any pants since he didn't know we'd be going to Leavenworth. 

For dinner, we ate at Wok About Mongolian Grill where you can choose any vegetables and meats and noodles and sauces. The service was very good here. In the evening, we just relaxed. The boys watched a movie.

We stayed at the Bavarian Inn which was recommended to me by a mom at our church. The hotel is located across the street from the main part of town. 

I was impressed with the Bavarian Inn. We had a "family" room which had 2 beds in the main room with another bed (where J and I slept) which was separated with curtains. We considered getting 2 rooms but this was cheaper. I didn't want the boys to have to share a bed. I thought the headboards were interesting. 

The elevators had Bavarian style paintings on them.

They had a complementary breakfast which was substantial. I liked the décor of the lobby. We posed for a family photo right before we left on Friday morning. 

For the return journey, we drove on Highway 2 which goes through Steven's Pass which is a ski area. Here's a photo from the road. The boys slept through the most scenic part of the drive!

We stopped for hot drinks at the town of Index at this coffee shop on the side of the road. It has an amazing view. 

We also stopped in Monroe on the way home. I'm so thankful to have this family time. We don't know when it will happen again since A plans to work in LA this summer. 

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Dreaming of Spring - Garden Show 2024

I love to go to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, held at the Seattle Convention Center. I missed the show last year but that was probably because I went to Texas with Christopher to visit colleges in February. This year I went to the show with my friend Elizabeth. 

One new thing I did this year was watch "Container Wars." Two expert gardeners put together containers of plants on stage with a time limit and the audience votes on their favourite using applause. The winner is determined by the loudest applause. Prizes were also given away to audience members showing enthusiasm and/or garden knowledge. The master of ceremonies for Container Wars was Marianne Benetti whom I first encountered back in June at Christianson's Nursery at Rosy Day Out. I like her down to earth style. She was wearing a dress, which was also impressive.

The display gardens are always fun to look at and smell! My favourite display was this whimsical one with lots of fairies and little doors. Remember to click on the photo for a better view.

One idea I could use in my garden is an old rusty wheelbarrow with plants.

In the lobby before you enter the show, there are displays made by local florists. I liked this one that includes wooden flowers.

One section that I enjoy is the patio or balcony garden ideas. This one was intriguing. It is a screen made using seed pods.

close up:

A vendor booth had this gorgeous paper flower display.

There are vendors selling lots of things that are in no way related to gardening. This vendor sold hair accessories. I just thought they were pretty so I took a photo.

Some random flowers. Anemone

Crocus

I brought home a pussy willow tree. Elizabeth bought one 2 years ago at the garden show and says she kept it alive. I decided to try one out. 

I'm excited to start planting soon. The first thing will be sugar snap peas.

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Pheasant Hunt

This past Wednesday J and the boys went hunting for the first time! Pheasant hunting to be specific. J took the boys on a guided pheasant hunt at Red's Fly Fishing and Hunting Ranch just south of Ellensburg, down Canyon Road. It was great.

We left home at 930AM and arrived there with plenty of time to spare before our 1PM "tee time". We met our guide Cam and he was able to take us out 30 minutes early. The plan was originally to hunt from 1 to 4. We paid for "2 guns" -- which means 12 pheasants -- between the 3 of us. The plan was for Christopher to shoot the whole time with his Remington 870, and for me to share the Mossberg with Alexander. I was going to start and then hand off to him.

 

We brought 1 box of 25 shells of #6 shot with us but bought a couple more boxes from their store just to make sure we didn't run out. The only other gear we needed from Red's was blaze orange vests.

 

The actual hunting spot was a canyon 5-10 minutes down and away from the road. Cam had planted the birds that morning. He brought his dog Zoe to be our pointer, flusher, and retriever. We went over all the safety and gun handling tips at the beginning and then set out in a line, slowly moving forward sweeping the valley floor. The terrain was rocky and brush-filled with a small creek that occasionally needed to be crossed using railway ties.

 

Cam did a great job coaching us in real-time, helping us take shots quickly but safely. Zoe's job was to run around non-stop sniffing out the pheasants and making them take off. Usually you get some kind of warning because the dog will slow or stop. The bird can then take off in any direction. We kept our guns pointed upward at all times with our fingers on the safety. Once a bird was airborne it was: Safety-Shoulder-Sight-Shoot. And shoot again if necessary.

 

We learned the hard way that it takes one or two practice rounds to get the sequence executed smoothly when "Nature" is controlling the "starting gun". Christopher and I had our share of misfires and failed reloads which cost us a bird or two. One thing we learned was that usually you don't score a direct hit mid-flight which brings a pheasant straight down. More often you injure them with a few BBs and then they land and hunker down. That's when the dog turns into a retriever -- otherwise you'd be getting even more exercise.

 

Our primary sweep down the canyon was very fruitful, and it was only ever a few minutes between our next shot. Some birds flew up and away, which is one of the easier shots. Christopher had one come towards him which gave me a "sitting duck" shot at close range, which he took full advantage of. The only problem there was that there wasn't really much chance of eating that guy. One bird flew right across our line giving us both a few shots but that required getting the lead right. That was exciting, but that bird got away. Once we got to the end of the property line we doubled back to find the birds we never found the first time and the ones that got away. That was a change of gear because we probably went an hour without taking any more shots. We found two or three at the end of this sweep.

 

All told Christopher got 4 or 5, I got 2 or 3, and Alexander got one. Which mapped pretty well to the investments made by each of us.

 

Cam processed all the birds at his truck at the end, giving us over 5 pounds of pheasant breast and thigh to bring home and eat. S made pheasant pot pie with about one pound of meat the next day. The rest is in the freezer for the future. The taste was similar to turkey.

 

One nice thing was that we didn't have to get any hunting licenses ahead of time. We stayed over night in Ellensburg. We could've driven home but wanted to avoid that much driving all in one day.

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Best Books of 2023

I read 46 books in 2023. That is a higher number than the last few years. The number is higher because I listen to many books in audio format on my phone. This is convenient because I can do this while driving, sewing, or doing housework. 

Here are the top 7 books that I read.

1. Truth for Life by Alistair Begg. This is a daily devotional which I read every morning. 

2.  Five Lies of our Anti Christian Age

This book was our topic for adult Sunday school in the fall. The five lies are

        1. Homosexuality is normal

        2. Being a spiritual person is kinder than being a Biblical Christian

        3. Feminism is good for the world and the church

        4. Transgenderism is normal

        5. Modesty is an outdated burden that serves male dominance and holds women back.

Rosaria has a very interesting back story. She is a former lesbian who was an English professor. She is now married with children and speaks around the country. I've read her memoir (Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert) and highly recommend it. 

3. From a Far and/A Song of Comfortable Chairs/How to Raise an Elephant by Alexander McCall Smith. These are such comforting reads. Mme Ramotswe is a private detective in Botswana but the mysteries she solves are more like misunderstandings and usually not crimes. I've read bout 20 of these books. 

4. The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse. Wodehouse is pure fun!

5. A Fever in the Heartland

I picked this up on impulse at the library. It is a fascinating story. The KKK rose again to prominence in Indiana in the 1920s. A man called David C. Stephenson was a dangerous man, a grand wizard, with a lot of influence. One of his crimes was uncovered and led to the downfall of the KKK. I found it disturbing to read about the Christian churches that were connected to this terrible organization.

I will likely recommend this book for 2025 book club. It is too popular right now to recommend for 2024 book club. 

6. Grandma Gatewood's Walk

This is my choice for book club for 2024. Emma Rowena Gatewood was the first solo female thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail at the age of 67 in 1955. She returned to walk it two more times. She was the mother of eleven children and a farm wife with an abusive husband. She was the first person to walk the trail three times. 

7. In the Sanctuary of Outcasts

This was a book club read in 2023. It was such an interesting memoir. Neil White was convicted of a white collar crime (bouncing checks) in the 1990s and was sent to Carville, a jail in Louisiana that also housed the last leper colony in America. The people that he got to know, especially Ella the double amputee who was a cheerful Christian, were fascinating. 

As you can tell from my favourites, I like history. I also enjoy the light fiction of Alexander McCall Smith set in Botswana and the comedy of P.G. Wodehouse. 

I have lots of reading goals for 2024. I will of course, read the selections for book club, the book we will be discussing in adult Sunday school:

and I hope to read books from many different centuries. I listen to a podcast called The Literary Life and they have a reading challenge each year. The one for 2024 is to read from multiple centuries.

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