Goose Alley

[Disclaimer - All of the following pics in this posting were taken by MOM!]

Mom and Dad came out in the middle of July for a four day weekend, and we really enjoyed having them! Mom took a lot of pictures, and then downloaded most of them to my computer before she left so she could show me how to use the I-photo organizer. So..I am going to shamelessly post some of her pictures (of places we went that I didn't bring the camera). We took them up to Greenbluff to a lavender farm so I couldn't show them how easy it would be to plant their lower acre in lavender!



The woman who owned it was very nice and gave us lots information.



Herbs for sale:



Hollyhocks on the property:



Bee in the lavender:



We also showed mom and dad the "fancy houses" on Rockwood drive. Mom took pictures of some of our favorites. The first one is my favorite house up there. It is smaller than the rest, but is SO cute!







This house had really neat chimneys. They were swirled, but it is hard to see in the picture.







I really like the combination of coast and craftsman in this house.



Matt made us chicken fajitas (he is talking to his dad on the phone)



Mom enjoyed the cats - including our newby - Sabrina:





Linus too:





And of course, her favorite, Hobbes:



Mom also spent some time outside watching my birdfeeders with camera in hand.







We took a trip out to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge too. We saw Eastern Kingbirds (pictured), Pygmy Nuthatches, and a Red-naped Sapsucker.



We spent two evenings biking on the Rails to Trails Cheney trail near our home. It starts at Fish Lake (named this because most of the lakes around here are mineral lakes, where fish cannot survive), and on the second trip, mom and I took a spin in the kayak. It was FUN!



We found a turtle in the middle of the path, and saw several marmots. Matt climbed up the rock to look in the crack that one disappeared into. When he got down he accidentally stepped in ....mud :>

Matt and I have decided to enjoy the time we have together (while conscientiously looking for work!) so we embarked on a fruit-finding trip out to Greenbluff. Greenbluff is a area north of Spokane that has over 25 farms of different varieties, all with assigned numbers, which correspond to widely distributed map that describes the available produce and gives contact information. We saw in the paper that the strawberries were on, so we headed out to a farm called Strawberry Hill. Unfortunately, when we got there they only had rhubarb for sale! So, we drove around until we came to another strawberry advert sign, and found a u-pick field! We hadn't planned to pick, but decided it shouldn't take too long to get a half a flat, so we walked the half mile to the fields and began picking in the 90 degree weather. As soon as my feet hit the field, I was immediately transported back to picking strawberries with Gram the summer I turned 14. I remember getting up at 4:00am, traveling in the early morning to the field, and the smell of earth and strawberry plants. Gram, of course, encouraged me to do my best, and gave me tips for quickly finding and picking berries, and how to move my flat along the row. Good memories!

We took about 1/2 hour to pick our 1/2 flat because the field had already been pretty picked over. The berries were pretty though, and had just enough tartness to make really good jam!



When we got home Matt insisted on making the jam himself (he eats PBJ EVERY day for lunch - by choice), and so I let him! I think I have always cleaned strawberries when we buy them, so this was Matt's first knife and strawberry experience. There is something magical about cleaning strawberries, especially in front of a nice kitchen window when the sun is shining outside.



After cleaning, Matt made FIVE batches of jam in a row! So now we have 13 little containers resting peacefully in the freezer...yum!

Matt and I watched Natalie and Kai (friends children) while their parents pulled up carpet to lay new wood floors. We had a lot of fun creating with playdough! Matt made the lobster



and I made the crab.



Kai thought the lobster was cool.

Well, once again we are embarking on another life adventure. The Tuesday before the 4th of July we found out that Matt, along with half of the engineering staff at ReliOn, was laid off. Although we expected staff reductions, we did not anticipate the massive engineering culling, so we were pretty surprised. After the initial shock, denial, and anger wore off, we sat down and figured out our financial circumstances. Fortunately, we received a fairly generous severance package and extended health care coverage. That, along with unemployment, will get us through the first part of December. Matt spruced up his resume and cover letter the next day and applied for a job in town at Honeywell. Since then, he has applied for about eight jobs, all of which are in the Pacific Northwest, but most of which are not in Spokane. Two have already scheduled phone interviews. The first was with a division of GE that does water treatment in Bellevue Washington. The interview went well and he is expecting an invitation to interview in person soon. The second is with another fuel cell company in Hillsboro (Portland, OR). It takes place Monday.

Unfortunately, we recently heard that the Honeywell job had been filled, so the only real lead in Spokane is gone. However, we have reconciled ourselves to the fact that since I have to finish my teaching stuff at Eastern this coming school year, and we need (at least) a year more equity in the house to be able to afford to sell it, I will stay in Spokane for at least a year. We are really NOT looking forward to living separately again, especially so soon, but are hoping that Matt can find a job close enough to allow weekend trips. We are in pretty good spirits now, and are feeling like things will work out for the best. In fact, they may get us closer to the OCEAN - wouldn't THAT be nice!! If anyone knows of any process chemical engineering work - let us know! We will keep you posted on any upcoming details.

I have attached the pictures that should have been included in the last post. There were so many that it took forever to go through all of them and decide what to include!

On the way down we stopped at Malad Canyon in Idaho.



The day Karen and I drove to Sundance and on to Cascade Springs, we stopped at a rest stop and took these pictures:







At Sundance we walked along the creek path to the general store:











From Sundance we drove up to the Aspen Loop, and took the north loop towards Cascade springs. The first pictures are of Mount Timpanogas and the adjacent peaks right before we left Sundance. The rest were taken along the drive towards the springs.











Cascade Springs was just as I remembered it. There was plenty of water as the snow was still melting in the peaks above.

The path to the springs takes you down a steep hill, and through lush undergrowth. The entire spring is traversed on boardwalks.





Karen on the bridge:



If you look carefully at the picture below that appears to be of brown water, you can see the trout that are indigenous to the springs.



Although the springs are covered in water plants, the water itself is crystal clear.





The lower tier:







Higher tiers:







This is the "hillside" that Esther and I rode down on the zip line (over the K120!)



On the way home we stopped at a rest stop in Idaho were there were lots of wildflowers. The pink one in the last picture looked like an orchid close up, and smelled divine. I found an old stalk and shook out a few seeds. I have planted them at home and hope they will grow.