Backyard Pics

The raspberries look yummy, Kathleen. Check out what's growing in my backyard:



Yup, that's a pineapple! I planted a bunch of them about three years ago, and finally I've got my first fruit. Some of the plants came from tops of supermarket pineapples that I stuck in some dirt to see if they would root. Others came from a friend who is a retired horticultural researcher. I don't know how long it takes pineapples to mature, but Mary says you can get them to ripen by sticking some apple slices around the plant. Not sure how my 7-year-old knows so much about gardening....



The orchid bloomed again. I discovered this plant hanging on the back fence about 6 years ago when I noticed a flash of color somewhere I had never seen anything but green. I've never done anything to it except hang it where I'm less likely to forget it exists. It would probably bloom more often if I sprayed it with orchid food once in a while.

Audrey has some flowers for you:

question

Folks, notice a new feature on the blog now, the little envelope which allows you to e-mail posts. Maybe this is one way we can get ruichun to see it. I'm also testing a feature that automatically e-mails new posts to her. I can set it up so that it automatically e-mails new posts to everyone who wants that feature, but I need to know who wants that.... can you let me know by leaving a comment here?

Test for Ruichun

This is a test to see if it gets to Ruichun. Ruichun, can you see this post to the blog?

Ongoing Projects

While most of us are getting into the swing of work or getting kids ready for school, I've also been working on "Project Lentil," which has me bigger and bigger each day. It's a bit frustrating not being as energetic to move our stuff in as thoroughly as I'd like, but I did find a way to move stuff in while still sitting in a comfortable chair: home office files.
It's not the most enjoyable job, but it has to be done and I may as well do it with my feet up. Here's a picture of my neatly organized piles of files. Now, for the other four to five boxes still waiting to be sorted!


Oh, and here's a picture of that first project I mentioned. The due date is Oct. 13...any bets on whether he/she will arrive on time?

Hi again, a short note

So, I came home from work tonight about 9. Pete came home an hour later. I cooked up some pasta and we had his great marinara sauce and some cheap wine, "twisted zin" 2005, California. Then I went and sat on the back porch in the dark with the dog, and Pete played the piano. Some pics, a regular working night in Anchorage. The night temps were perfect, warm really. Clare wanted to chew a bone outside, and I sat on the porch and thought, "This night couldn't get any more lovely." Then I decided to take some pictures of it, but they don't do the job. Here they are, little ones so they will go by quickly.

Checking in from the chilly north

Sheesh. I've almost forgotten how to post a blog item.

Anyway, we sent Maeve back to college Friday night. We ate dinner at the restaurant she's been working at all summer. She seated people at the tables, a delicate balance of staying on the good side of the waiters -- they want all the tables they can get, but they don't want too many so they avoid disgruntled customers. The restaurant is called Ginger. Maeve, right at the front entrance, is asked many times every night: Are you Ginger? It's family owned and fusion-Asian with Indian influences. Will they make it here, land of moose stew and salmon? We'll see. But they were good to her all summer and we had a great send-off before her all-night flight back East.

Pete has been on night cops since he returned, murder and mayhem, up to 11 p.m. every night.

I've been launching interactive initiatives. Stuff like prep sports up the wazoo with lots of user-generated (read: proud parent) content -- fairly low-hanging fruit, actually; and some video editorials, and learning the web site from folks too busy to teach it to me. Many hours of frustration. I think I'm gonna restart my old blog and describe the current events inside one small northern newspaper.

Above and below are a few recent pics.

The raspberries are real, in my backyard, but just about spent now.
Maeve is on a hike we took up Bird Ridge her last weekend intown, you hike straight up but turn around in your tracks for a great view of Turnagain Arm. We stopped up top to eat our stash of cheese and triscuits. Those are Peter's knees in the gray pants on the left, and I'm behind the camera....Ummm, some wild flowers. The dog Clare, who did her fellowship year in Anchorage.

Re-entry has been serious and hard. But we're glad Maeve is doing fine. It's good to be back near my brother Kevin, here in Anchorage. But the winter, she's a comin'. We hope for a pretty September. We miss you all! Making travel plans.

I had a dream...

The other night, we all went back to the Fellowship, except this time we went back to high school...

Knights and food

So today, Justine, Kale and I got a treat, we went out on a restaurant review expedition with Seattle Times restaurant critic Nancy Leson. Nancy is a hoot, always an entertaining meal partner, even if she weren't buying (courtesy of the Times). I'd post a picture of her, but then I'd have to kill you. (we jealously guard her anonymity, so she can review restaurants without getting special treatment.) I'll post a link to the review when she writes it in a couple of weeks. We ordered tons of food, it was all beautiful and very tasty, although the service was a little spotty. The busboy took our order, forgot it and then sent over a real waiter. It was one of those moments where you think, "kid, if you knew who you were serving right now, I think you would have written down the order..."