Play day

Another Monday at the park and this time a little more adventurous

The kid's paintings are so creative and we discovered that this outdoor art show adds new works over time.                    

Bianca finds another "Joo Joo" - her name for the family cat "Jewel"

There was another 19 month old girl at the park and they really looked at each other with such curiosity.  Another little person like me!

A beautiful March day with mild winds, sweeping clouds, bright sunshine and spring flowers on our walk along the way

In the Pink

I haven't captured all the pink glory of this February.  We have pink trees up and down many streets, pink flowers and pink bushes.  Is this still really winter?  It just makes me feel "in the pink"

Monday in the Park

The Delridge community center playground is a very friendly children's space.  Designed with community and kid input and erected by local volunteers.  Whimsical signs and children's artwork surround the play area. It has the kind of colorful, chunky and safe playground equipment that little kids love and allows a  nana to relax and not have to worry about imminent disaster.  The 50's era playground where I played was marvelous but in those days softness of landing wasn't part of the plan.
I remember episodes of falls from slides, slips from 'monkey bars and  accidental  flying leaps from swings that ended on the concrete of good old Miller Park.   I'm looking forward to many happy hours with Bianca in this space and also secretly feeling lucky that I have an excuse to crawl on things and go down slides again!!

Book Love

I have always loved books and reading was a favorite past time of my childhood.  My mother made me feel very grown up by telling me to just pick something up for her too while I was at the library because she would like whatever I brought home. So after my gradeschool day was over I would walk the 3 or 4 blocks from school to the Yakima library (I loved walking too) and spend a happy time perusing the shelves for intriguing titles. I don't remember the many books that were brought home but I remember my mother liked to read the Jack London books and we both read Laura Ingalls Wilder's.  Then came reading to Matthew and Mark - little boy's books about steamshovels, engines that could and such :) -   and now reading with Bianca.           Generations of reading - I must be getting older!  Somehow I missed reading Winnie the Pooh along the way.  I can't imagine how that happened.  I discovered Pooh by reading the Tao of Pooh as an adult.  Bianca loves the Pooh - and all bears are Pooh to her. 

Nature walk January day

Our favorite Longfellow Creek viewing site is at this mini bridge located down the block and around the corner.

The Delridge playfield

The Grays

Usually one thinks of having the 'blues' during the Northwest's short,dark and rainy days of winter.  But on such a day it  most obviously should be called having the 'grays' in every shade

Holiday with Amanda Rose

 Nutcracker Our main event was attending the Magnificent Nutcracker Ballet which was a first for both of us. 

The chandelier was one of the fanciful, beautiful and festive sights at McCaw Hall

                                                         

Talking Spent my first holiday with  Amanda who made the trek from DC after the big snow storm and I was able to hear the true story of hummers and guns(eek) and good clean fun in the great snowball fight of  '09

Shopping   Amanda has a magnet for good deals and I loved watching her make a sweep through Anthropologie gathering up the adorable items that she found all on sale.  An awesome shopper!

Coffee-always the coffee and an amazingly good vegan chocolate donut

So thanks Amanda for coming to visit and introducing me to Lush, Anthropologie, Macbook wireless in my living room, tasty cheese and olive oil on ravioli and the how to of drinking the cappuccino foam.  Hurry Back!