Category: Pacific Northwest
-

The long view
I’m back to being reasonably mobile again after my accident (still not driving myself quite yet, though—just a couple more weeks!)—and coming here was the first thing on my to-do list.
-

First blush
And just like that, the season turns. I don’t know what that Punxsutawney Phil guy thinks he knows, but his predictions rarely apply here. Spring comes early in the Northwest, and yesterday I spied this little harbinger of good things to come. I’ll take the predictions of the trees over any prognosticating rodent. The sun’s…
-

Snowy silence
I’m not the only one who’s housebound today. Winter finally remembered us, and for the last four days the snow has been swirling. Today we woke up to a proper blanketing. So all over town, people are staying home, and watching through their windows—just like I am. Thank you to everybody who commented, emailed, called,…
-

Snow falling on cedars
I love it when a journey is required to bring Christmas home. Hoping yours is holly-jolly, merry and bright.
-

Leaves through the Looking Glass
The three days Nicole and I spent in Victoria were star-studded with beauty and color, but nothing was quite so breathtaking as the Butchart Gardens, just a few minutes north of the city. Now a Canadian National Historic Site, the Gardens were the private grounds surrounding the home of Robert and Jennie Butchart. So the…
-

Tea for two
No stay at the Empress is complete without sitting down to Afternoon Tea. Now, I love a good cuppa no matter where I am, but leaning back in a squashy chair and gazing upward at something like this makes every sip a little more special. The Empress has been pouring tea every afternoon since it…
-

Oh, Canada!
Yeah, I know. It’s a week before Christmas, and Hanukkah starts tomorrow. Our tree is up, and we even had our mega-huge holiday party last night (62 people—a new record!). But somehow, my mind is occupied with red-gold maples, not flocked evergreens. Maybe it’s the fact that everyone’s lawns are at their greenest at this…
-

Over the river and through the woods
The last of our guests will be arriving any minute, and then today will be complete. This year we have visitors who made a thousand-mile trek, bearing gifts of California wine and citrus—as well as callers just a short neighborhood stroll away, wrapped in scarves against the damp chill in the air. Each friend is…
-

In person
Who is this, I wonder? You should see the piles of things, er, occupying (hint!) my drafting table this month. You see, Art at Work month is almost here, and I’m scrambling to get ready for all the events coming down the pike. First up is Studio Tour, that crazy-amazing weekend where it seems like…
-

Golden days
Commencement Bay from the North End, Tacoma, WA Pumpkin patches, Vancouver Island, BC First squash haul of the year from Zestful Gardens, Puyallup, WA Cranberry harvest, Long Beach, WA Japanese maple, Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay, BC Proctor District in the rain, Tacoma, WA St. Johns Bridge, Portland, OR Have I mentioned that I love autumn…
