September 29, 2013

I was out early this morning because it wasn't raining.  The geese came flying in as I was standing at the end of the dock, but changed their direction when they spotted me so close to their intended landing spot.  They ended up having to swim and walk a bit further they wanted honking and squawking their feelings of indignation at me as the made their way to the grass.

Fox Island, Washington  

September 28, 2013

With all the rain, rain and more rain today I stayed busy inside with juicing, pasteurizing, brewing, mixing, baking, boiling, broiling and drying.  All with.... ?  That's right..... Apples!   Finally, late in the early evening the rain let up and I was able to get out with my camera.  The dock is growing greener with each passing day and rainstorm.  The temperatures have dropped significantly and the winds have steadily picked up as we move into the Autumnal season.  We finally turned the heat on in the house this week because the boys were commenting on how cold the house felt in the mornings.

Fox Island, Washington

September 27, 2013

Another day for apple picking.... after a long run in the woods with the Dirty Girls first.  So far this week I've made 3-4 gallons of pasteurized apple cider for everyone to enjoy.  Today I made 3 gallons of the unpasteurized nectar and will do the same tomorrow so I can start brewing a hard cider.  With all this juicing going on, I'm left with a large amount of apple pulp that I can't bring myself to throw away.  So.... what can I do with it?  I used some in the meatballs I served for dinner the other night and the family declared them the best I've ever made.  The pups like it mixed in with their dog food.  I think I'll even try to bake up a batch of doggie treats later next week.  And... I mixed up a couple of bottles of apple ginger ale the boys can sample next weekend.  

Fox Island, Washington

September 26, 2013

Many of my friends are in the process of harvesting their Fall fruits and vegetables.  I'm right there with them.  Because the deer ravaged a lot of my garden, I planted a round of tomatoes, lettuce and peppers in pots on the deck.  These yellow bells are coming along nicely and should be ready to pick in a week or so.  With the temps getting colder, I'm preparing to move all the plants inside so they don't get killed off by frost.

Fox Island, Washington

September 25, 2013

After a great run at the Cross Country meet in Port Orchard, Zach and I stopped at the Fox Island fishing pier to take in the view.  Yes, there is some cloud cover, but the sun was doing it's best to make an appearance at the end of the day.  From the southeastern tip of our island where the pier sits and if the weather is cooperating we can see the shoreline of Tacoma.  Every morning, even half way up the island where our house is located, we can hear the trains moving along this track to and from the busy Port of Tacoma.  

Fox Island, Washington

September 24, 2013

The girl and her sorority sisters were permitted to move into their house last week.  Even though it's still in the middle of being renovated, classes begin tomorrow and they really need a place to settle in.  Obviously, the AO∏ house is still under construction.....  but when it's finished, it'll be gorgeous. I took a few much needed items over to Jordan, got a quick tour of the house and had lunch at a cute little bistro in the U district.  We had sunshine and comfortable temps to make the morning quite enjoyable.

Seattle, Washington 

September 23, 2013

Our new Boy Scout troop (Troop 282) in Gig Harbor received our awards packet from Hawaii just in time to present them at the quarterly Court of Honor.  The awards date back to the beginning of the year so Sam had a larger than usual list.  So far this year, Sam has earned 15 merit badges and advanced 2 ranks.  Pat on the back to Sam and thank you to the many mentors we've encountered along the way!

Gig Harbor, Washington