Scrappy Hearts

It Was Bound to Happen

After 10.5 years of not dating or drinking, one was bound to follow the other. So it was, not long after Mark and I started dating, I started drinking. Not heavily and certainly not, "let's head out to the bar and grab a few." But, drink I did. Occasionally. And, usually wine. 

As I was preparing for my recent trip to Seattle, I watched the weather like a hawk. Praying for anything other than rain. Our plan had been to spend time in Mt. Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, and on the east side of Seattle, the Cascades, camping and hiking. But each day, as I scoped out the weather forecast I saw rain. Worried about how the trip may go I did some googling and found, you guessed, wine tours right around Yakima. Certainly doable and rain would not necessarily ruin winery hopping. So, a plan was hatched.

We arrived in Yakima on a Saturday evening just in time to celebrate my birthday. A couple of weeks early but when you live as far apart as we do, well you improvise. Sunday morning allowed for a little later start since most of the wineries didn't open until 11. Perfect for us.

While I certainly do not recall all of the wineries we visited, I think the sampling may have affected my memory, I do remember this vase of flowers sitting in the center of a table at our first stop. I just loved the simplicity of the display. The wine wasn't bad either. I think I bought a couple of bottles. 

The sampling of wines started late in the morning and continued until late afternoon. Perhaps that explains the lack of concrete memories about specific names. We sampled and bought wine at nearly every stop. I think we visited about nine wineries throughout the day and, as we drove from one to the other, we marveled at the landscape. Orchards and vineyards as far as the eye could see. Different textures and dimensions abounded.

I loved seeing the grapes growing on the vines. Simply beautiful. This is certainly a place I would love to return to. So much to see, we barely scratched the surface.

Despite the weather forecasts, the weather more than cooperated. I even had the opportunity to wear shorts with my flip flops, a real treat. The sun was bright in the sky and even affected my ability to take our traditional self-portrait.        
The squinty look does not work for me. Oh well, perhaps I should let Mark take these photos from now on! ;-)

  

Fired

That's right, Mark has been permanently relieved of his duties. In a word, fired. He is no longer allowed to snap the hokey self-portraits that I love so much. This decision was not made lightly. It was only after careful consideration that I came to this decision. But, after reviewing the pictures from our latest adventure there was nothing else I could do.

There are several reasons for his being relieved of his duties. Number one, he doesn't do himself justice. To be honest, that's one of the main reasons I like these silly pictures. I like to look at him. So, when I perusing the recent photos, I noticed that there are times when he is focusing on the taking of the photo so much, that he gets this really serious look on his face. It's a look that is certainly not typical and really does not capture him in his best light. Reason number two, he has a difficult time aiming the camera so that the two of us actually end up in the picture. I usually end up in the photo. Mark, not so much.

See what I mean. So, from this point forward, I will be doing all of the self-portrait photography. Just one more job that has become my responsibility. Hmmm, I think that was his plan all along. That's a very smart fellow I have! 

Rainy Monday

Not typical for this area. We have not had rain in ages. Unfortunately, that fact didn't serve to make getting through this cool, damp day any easier. The last place I experienced weather like this was, hmmm, oh yes, my trip to the Pacific Northwest a few weeks back. 

Actually, the weather I experienced on my trip was not that bad, at all. Our only really damp day occurred when we arrived at Lake Quinault in the Olympic National Forest. Well, being that it is a rain forest and experiences 10 to 15 feet of rain each year, damp was to be expected. We took a trail that began across the street from the lodge and climbed our way up into the mountain. We meandered around waterfalls and fallen trees, taking our time to enjoy our surroundings. Of course we spent a great deal of time capturing the scenery with the cameras. Mark and I think nothing of spending significant amounts of time perusing a spot to capture just the right photos.

We will often take pictures of the same exact scene because neither one of us captures the same shot. Because we were both using my cameras on this excursion, I don't know which one of us is responsible for which shots, but I am more than willing to accept credit for all the best shots! Although, to be perfectly honest, Mark tends to be drawn to patterns in nature and me, well I tend to focus on the little details. I love the way the water droplets look on the leaves.    
We spent some time along the lake but headed indoors when the rain became an issue. The rain gauge located on the side of the lodge facing the lake records the rainfall each year. You can see that in 2009, about 12 feet of rain fell here. The wettest and driest years are also recorded. I did not notice any markings for the current year so I am not sure how much rain had fallen up to this date in September.

The rain supports a tremendous amount of beautiful greenery and these hydrangeas, right outside the lodge, just happen to be my favorite shade of blue.

We decided to have lunch inside the lodge. A chance to dry off and enjoy the beauty of the lake while staying dry.

Our spot by the window was perfect and the meal was delicious. Through the window Mark captured this photo of, well, I am not quite sure what you call it. But isn't it pretty. I think that this is something I would love to have hanging outside my home. The water dancing from cup to cup provided quite a nice little show!
When all is said and done, I much preferred the rainy day spent with Mark in Washington. The forecast calls for rain again tomorrow. Perhaps I can imagine myself in the Olympic National Forest instead of in a classroom in New Jersey. Well, it might be worth a try!

Stolen Time

Today I stole time. Yup, he was unsuspecting and I walked up right behind him and grabbed him for my own. What a treat to have some time to do with what I pleased. Time had no idea what awaited him but it was all good! I took that stolen time and dragged him over to my new craft space and I kept him at my beckon call all day.

I think that it helped that I could not sleep this morning and found myself wandering around the house. Time was just waiting for me. 

Honestly, I don't think I have had time to play with in a very long time. I took out photos, pretty paper and my stamps. We all spent time playing; between the purging and cleaning that needs to happen, of course. And look what we accomplished:

This layout was from Week #5 in a design class with Big Picture Scrapbooking in '08. Needless to say, I never completed all of the layouts. The focus for this lesson was the use of white space. The layout was originally 8.5 x 11, but I mounted the smaller layout onto a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock. I like how the layout turned out. The journaling talks about Mark's recent experience playing with my digital SLR, a new experience for him since the passing of his camera just a couple of months ago. I am very proud of my ability to use my Mac to type the title and journaling and print it right on my cardstock. A first for me! I'm learning.

This 2 page spread was one of the layouts from week 9 which focused on elements of design. This layout which was #2 this particular week focuses on the use of horizontal line. I am loving the fact that I could use so many photos on one layout. I am also thrilled that I had the photos on hand, with the exception of one. No problem, thanks to my new (last winter new), HP B8500 printer. I love that I can print up to 18 x 18 sized prints with it. Not that I need anything that big, but wow, the possibilities.

I had such fun playing with time. Creative play I called it. And, it was all good!

We Talk About Books

Mark and I talk. Every night. People ask me, "What do you find to talk about?" Well, one of the things we talk about are books. We are both voracious readers and there is nothing better than a good book discussion. Currently Mark is reading, The Watson's Go to Birmingham, one of my absolute favorites. On his bookshelf is a stack of books, many I want him to read just so that we can talk about them. But, also on his bookshelf is a book of short stories, by John Updike. An interesting author. At one point in his life he was writing at least a novel a year. And while I consider myself well read, I was at a loss to come up with the title of an Updike book that I had read. 

Mark's curiosity of Updike was peaked when he heard one of Updike's stories read aloud. So, next in the stack of books is a collection of short stories called, I believe, My Father's Tears. I think that I will have to visit my library in the next few days, just to experience Updike's prose.

In perusing Wikipedia I also discovered the following quote:

"We are most alive when we are in love."

John Updike

Well, being in love seems to work for us.  One day, on our recent journey, Mark remarked, "isn't being in love fun?"  We were walking, hand in hand and everything  world seem to be working in our favor. Right down to last minute hotel acquisitions. Yes, when the world conspires to bring you happiness, it is hard not to bask in the glow. 

 

 

Paper Moon

Tonight the full moon is suspended over my side yard, silhouetted against a deep indigo sky. It's surreal, beautiful. As I was driving over the bridge this evening I found myself following the moon toward my house. Not sure why it happened, but I also found myself remembering Paper Moon, the movie starring Ryan and Tatum O'Neal which I saw at the Beach Theater on Long Beach Island with my sister and my grams. Do you remember that movie? For whatever reason memories of summer full moon sightings and the movie filled my mind.

Full moons, starry nights and sunrises remind me that each day begins anew. The thoughts and memories of recurring events help to keep me grounded and, in some strange way, moving forward. Grateful for that. 

Coogi Weather

The past few days have been glorious. In addition to the weather cooperating, I have had the opportunity to spend a couple of nights in the company of my son, Jason. What a blessing, midweek, to take a couple of hours to catch up and share a good meal.

Tuesday, we found ourselves back at the Devil's Den. Felt like a home coming. Last fall Jason and I were able to set aside at least one night every other week for a date. Just us or us and a bevy of his friends. Always a good time.

Fall is such a good time to slow down and reconnect. The days are still warm and the evenings cool enough to warrant a sweater. Jason calls this weather, "Coogi weather." Jason is the one person I know that can wear any Coogi sweater, whatever the color combination and look good. Even this evening, as we entered the bar, the bartender noticed Jason's sweater. "I been waiting to see the sweaters," she said. Apparently others notice how well he pulls off this fashion statement.

I love this time of year. The days are still warm like summer, but the colors of the season seem to make everything feel just a little warmer. A little more crisp. I love that my son notices the nuances of the season and takes the time to share his thoughts with me. I managed to grab the required self portrait. I may be loosing my touch, I actually missed a part of Jason's head. Oops!

 
 As I drove back over the bridge I noticed the moon rising in the sky. Waxing, as the full moon would not show up until tonight. A perfect way to spend the evening.

Proof Positive

Sometimes the sun does shine in Seattle. 

I had to don my sunglasses for an afternoon of drinks on the deck at Anthony's. I was actually very surprised and glad that I had packed my sunglasses despite my initial reluctance. The day was warm and I am guessing that the sun decided to shine thinking that I was on my way home. But, a delay in flights allowed me to bask in the glorious rays of Seattle sunshine. This only happens a couple of times a year and I am happy to have had the experience. 

New Jersey welcomed me home with 6 days of glorious sunshine and beautifully warm weather. While I am happy to be here, enjoying the gorgeous weather, I am decidedly not happy to be away from Mark. Well, according to last count, only 43 days until we're together again.... 

Back in the Swing,

or not, as the case may be. Truthfully, I was not ready for the school year to begin. Going to work has been a real struggle this week. I find myself going to bed the minute I get home. Not good. 

My summer was over scheduled and under relaxed. The result, I started back to school feeling just a little over tired. I have this weekend off and I am really looking forward to some down time and the opportunity to just catch up with the stuff in my house. 

Hoping for a little creative time also - well, we'll see what happens!

I Love This Quote

Sometimes you just have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down.

Kobi Yamada