Rockefeller Chapel

Rockefeller Chapel
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

'Dad's House'

'Dad's House'
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Burton-Judson Hall

Here is Anna Rae in front of her dorm. It is a very old building full of character.

Monkey on the Bannister in Ida Noyes Hall

Here she is in her dorm room. It was all cleaned up neat as a pin for our visit. Among the many things we brought to Chicago for her was 6 covers of the Seattle newspaper, The Stranger.
It's all about decorating on a shoestring when you are in college.

This was our first sighting of Anna Rae. We flew to Chicago on Thursday Oct. 26 but her schedule
was too busy and quite honestly, I was too bushed from travel and lack of sleep, so we didn't see each other till Friday. We met her as she was 'on the job' at the Oriental Institute, doing her best security job telling people to keep their mitts off the glass of the cases of mummies from the middle east. That shirt is ridiculous! I think it is a men's XL. The shirts are supplied by the institute and as I understand it, a morbidly obese person did the ordering and she had no concept of size other than BIG, BIGGER and BIGGEST!

So why a picture of the Space Needle at night? Because none of the pictures we took at the Bob Dylan Concert Friday night at Key Arena turned out. YES! As incredible as it seems (even now, after the fact) Chris and I were given tickets to the Dylan concert, by a co-worker of his. Mai (the co-worker) has a fiance who works as a CPA for Miller Brewing and they have a luxury suite at the arena for events. Mai is half our age and my guess is that she has very little knowledge/interest in Bob Dylan. It was such a generous gift and unanticipated surprise for us. I truly don't know what I liked best but Tangled up In Blue, Highway 61. From his encore set Like a Rolling Stone had me up on my feet. What snappy dressers they are! Grey and black suit jackets, and hats like my dad used to wear in the 50s and 60s; so COOL! Thank goodness we brought our binoculars though. It was a luxury suite and we had free snack food and beer and the band looked like ants from where we sat. But I was in 7th heaven just to be there soaking in the music.

This is what our yard looks like now. This photo was taken from the east corner of our deck. It is a considerable change from the spacious greenbelt that used to be our view. The Tempelhof Pine will be up to the window of the grey house in 20 years so we have to adjust for a lot less privacy than we are used to. If neighbors become an issue a Sequoia or Cedar can create a screen a whole lot less time. We are also slowly cutting down the apple tree that you see in the center of the fence line, 4 limbs are gone already. The old apple tree just doesn't go well with the new pine which of course also needs more sun.

Japanese Tempelhof White Pine

This is the more expensive of the two trees. The tag says it has a moderate rate of growth which means that it will take 20 years to reach its mature height of 25 feet. I bought it because I fell in love with its needles that are green on top and white on the underside, creating a blue cast which I think will look attractive against the grey house. The tag also says it pairs nicely with rhodies which is what I want to plant close to the fence behind it and slightly to the left.

Here is my Pin Oak. It has a scrawny trunk no thicker than the bamboo stakes that hold it up. It's leaves are turning yellow, the Asian Pear behind it is still green.

A Changing View

Well, now that the big grey house behind us nears completion I must alter our landscape to cope with the changing view. So I went out and bought two new trees. One is a Pin Oak. I have always loved oaks and associate them with the two stately trees which graced my grandparents' farm house front lawn. From one of their trees hung a porch swing which easily held myself and two or three of my siblings or cousins. It took two of us working together to get it to swing straight. The other tree held a simple board swing that had long, thick ropes. We could fly so high that it took us to that edge of exhilaration that is tinged with white knuckled fear. My skinny-kid arms couldn't come close to circling the trunks of those oaks. The Pin Oak I planted will not reach that impressive size in my lifetime but every time I look at it I will remember the happy adventures of my childhood visits to the farm.

Sol Duc Hot Springs

Sol Duc Hot Springs
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

What a great way to end summer, wouldn't you agree? Now it is Labor Day weekend and I have been in the classroom several days setting up and out in the community making home visits to my students. This is something new for some Seattle teachers; we are being paid for 25 hours of home visits and we are to make as many as possible before school starts. I have made 11 which is a very good record I think. I have greatly enjoyed the home visits; it is so revealing to see kids in their home setting and it gives parents truly one on one time to talk with the teacher. I think a lot of my kindergarteners are going to adjust to the first day more easily because of these visits.

Next to a Nurse Tree

Next to a Nurse Tree
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Sunlight Through Trees

Sunlight Through Trees
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Click on this to enlarge it; see all the moss hanging from the branches? It is rare to see a rain forest in sunlight! We were lucky to have one of the 3 days with sunshine.

Anna Rae Takes a Break

Anna Rae Takes a Break
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

On Mink Lake Trail

On Mink Lake Trail
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

It is about 2.5 miles up to Mink Lake. It is rocky hiking but the scenery is so beautiful!

Sol Duc Falls 2

Sol Duc Falls 2
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Sol Duc Falls

Sol Duc Falls
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Sol Duc is on the Olympic Penninsula. With a ferry ride and drive it is about 4 hours from Seattle. The hike to the falls is only about 1.5 from the campgrounds.

Campsite 69

Campsite 69
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Anna Rae and I went on a mother - daughter 3 day camping trip to Sol Duc Hot Springs. When she was little we went here every year. But this time marked 7 years since our last visit! It really had not changed much in all that time and we had a lovely time together. The pictures are really spectacular as you can see.

Best Friends

Best Friends
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Anna Rae and Christine have been friends since first grade. This picture was taken on Christine's last day in Seattle before heading off to California and college at Pitzer.