It's Fall in Seattle - What happened to Summer?!

I say this every year but I swear time goes faster and faster the older I get! We are already past the "back to school" mode and I'm sure that last week I was celebrating the fact that Taylor had just graduated. Wow!

We did have a great summer - you'd never know from our weather but otherwise it was fabu. The last time I wrote we were on our way up to Mammoth Lakes for 10 days at our cabin. It has been very weird to see that our relatively obscure vacation spot is in the national/world news this week as the place where the adventurer Steve Fossett's remains were finally discovered. This picture is from our trip this year - the boys were on their mountain bike ride down from the peak of Mammoth - the Minarets are the pointy peaks on the left in the background...

Our time in Mammoth was extremely relaxing - we spent our time hunting down new hot springs in the area (including a surprise "clothing optional" spot - I've never seen Alexander do a 180 turn so fast!) we did a couple of new hikes and one old favorite, finished one big jigsaw puzzle, read, slept and generally did nothing but relax.

When we returned to the real world it was time for Alexander to start football practice. He is playing on the freshman team for Nathan Hale. We knew that high school sports were more intense than the usual rec. league teams we've been involved with but you are never really prepared until you experience it first hand. The day he came home and told me "practice was great - I threw up today Mom!" I had to do a reality check.

School has been in session for about a month now, football is going strong - he is enjoying it for the most part although he isn't playing very much. Might have something to do with the fact that he is one of the smallest kids on the team. This shot is warm-ups before one of his games. He is #37.

Alexander is mostly enjoying school and we are very happy with his classes and teachers. We get lots of communication from the staff and it is a small enough high school that the kids are actually known!

Taylor has started classes at Seattle Central Community College and so far so good. He is easing into college with two classes this quarter. His writing class is themed around the election and he is enjoying it and doing well. He also has algebra. When he isn't at class or studying, he is usually hanging with friends or doing his dog-walking job.

Well, I'm relatively caught up at this point. I might even do another post soon about our experience at the Allison Krauss/Robert Plant concert last night. Who knows?

More later...

YIKES! Summer is almost gone!

Well, I'm clearly not a very responsible blogger - it's already August and I haven't posted anything since graduation. It has been a lovely mellow summer so far. T&A both went on the high school mission trip with the youth group at church. This year they did an "Urban Mission" to Seattle! They stayed in the dorms at SPU and worked with 5 different organizations here. Alexander worked with Union Gospel Mission in their soup kitchen and Taylor worked with Urban Impact in Rainier Valley. They both had a great experience and Brian and I had a week on our own - no kids - WHOO HOO!

Since then we've just been hanging around doing the usual summer stuff. Alexander has decided to go out for football at Nathan Hale so he has been doing weight training/conditioning at school three days a week. Taylor joined the YMCA and works out with a good friend every day. The Beaumont Boys will never be "buff" but they are at least healthy and keeping out of trouble. Taylor has officially registered for college at Seattle Central CC and has classes for the first quarter. He's pretty excited about the English 101 class - it is themed around the 2008 Presidential election. That should be very interesting.

We had a fun weekend recently when we went out to Hood Canal to a friend's cabin. They are right on the water and it is the most relaxing spot.

This is a view from the bedroom. The weather was perfect the day we were there and Brian had a wonderful time harvesting oysters from their beach. I made frozen raspberry champagne mignonette for the occasion and it was all very tasty.

We are now getting ready to head out for our big vacation. We are flying down to Reno and then driving to the cabin in Mammoth Lakes, CA. It will be just the four of us this year - no other aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. The boys weren't wild about the idea of just us but I'm pretty sure that once we get there they will enjoy it. I'm looking forward to cooking on the woodstove again. I expect we will do a little hiking; Alexander is looking forward to beating his own fishing record (18" rainbow trout) and we are going to try out a new hotspring spot. Our usual location is once again closed due to volcanic activity. Add in a big jigsaw puzzle, some strategy & card games and lots of reading and it is a perfect vacation. I'll post some pictures when we come back. Did I mention we will be computer free during this whole time?

More later...

We Did It! Congrats to the Grad!

Well, we successfully watched Taylor B. do the graduate walk last night at Memorial Stadium. In some ways it feels like forever to get to this point and in other ways it seems like just yesterday that I was walking him across the crosswalk for his first day of Kindergarten.

The cold and rainy weather that was predicted for graduation night did not appear and it was a beautiful sunset as the RHS Class of 2008 processed into the stadium. We had a great view of him marching in and ended up sitting directly behind him (albeit, way, way up in the stands!) The two class poets did a fabulous job with their presentations, the keynote speaker was lame and the administration was brief with their remarks. Brian managed to capture the actual name calling and receiving the diploma (just the cover at this point - the diploma doesn't arrive until the end of summer.) Here is the clip...

Brian had to dash to the airport as soon as the ceremony was done so we didn't get to do many family photos. "Luckily" we own the cap and gown so when we go to the graduation dinner at Benihana's Sat. night we can recreate the moment. Here are a couple of pictures we did manage...

When the papparazzi finished with Taylor, he and his fellow graduates boarded buses for the school sponsored all-night party. I picked him up this morning at school at 6:15 am (yawn!) He is sleeping for now - who knows what is next.

More later...

We Survived Prom!

Well, it is now Sunday afternoon and we are all home and safe. No body got killed, pregnant or arrested. Taylor is a bit worse for wear - perhaps because he had a baseball game today. I'm not sure he got any sleep last night and showed up at the field straight from the hotel. Here are a couple of pictures.

Before the prom...

Sharp lookin' dude!

After the prom...

It was a good weekend - lots of sunshine, lots of baseball. I wouldn't mind a little less baseball (3 games in one weekend is a bit much even for me!)

We head into the week with Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday games. Luckily they are all on our home field so we don't have any travel. And the weather is supposed to be decent.

More later...

Ratatouille? No just Rats!

Did I mention the rats? Did I mention how I really don't like the fact that they leave poop all over my kitchen counter? I know I live in the city. I know I live in a house that is over 100 years old. I also know that coexisting with creatures is a fact of life in my neighborhood. I also know that coming into my bathroom and finding a dead rat in my toilet is beyond the bounds of sharing!

Luckily, it was Taylor who found the floater and it was not in the middle of the night - the imagination boggles! Not lucky for Taylor, but lucky for me because I use that bathroom. In the middle of the night. Without turning lights on. And I flush. Again the possibilities boggle the imagination.

I'd post pictures, but Taylor drew the line. He did step up and help me retrieve and dispose of the intruder but we were both gagging most of the way.

Brian is still in San Diego. We are all still trying to decide the breakeven point between the gross factor and the "it makes a great story" factor.

More later...

What's the sign for bunt?

Alexander at bat - he put down a lovely bunt up the first base line. He was called out but he advanced the runner who came home to score on the next play. The evening was so warm I only had to wear a sweater! I'm beginning to think we might actually be getting done with winter!

The rats are back again - blech! I came downstairs this morning to find lots of little presents deposited on my kitchen counter. Luckily I've been storing my fruit in the microwave over night so the critters didn't steal anything. Looks like it's war!

More later...

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm having a lazy day at home with my boys. Brian headed out of town to spend a couple of days with his mom before attending a work conference. Before he left, he spent Friday working from home and preparing my Mother's Day gift. I came home Friday afternoon to find my "weed bed" transformed back into it's orginal intent - a lovely herb bed. He planted new season herbs, tarragon, basil, dill, fennel, lemon thyme and cilantro. He also planted two rows of candy cane beets and Easter egg radishes. The crowning touch was my very own Brown Turkey fig tree! You can see the fig tree and some of the herbs in this picture - please disregard the dandelions!

This afternoon T&A came into the kitchen and annouced they were giving me my present now. It turned out to be a car wash and detail. I actually had to drive them down to the car wash, but they did all the interior vacuuming, cleaning out all the disgusting food, trash and sunflower seeds from several seasons of Little League games and wiping down of all the surfaces. Then we all got to ride through the car wash for the finishing touch. We love that! We all had a laugh when, as soon as the car was clean, the rain started. Oh well, it is nice and clean and organized inside again for the time being.

Tonight, after Taylor's baseball practice, we are going to walk out to our favorite sushi place for dinner. All in all, a nice relaxing day.

I hope all the moms I know are able to enjoy their day.

More later...