Spring Planting

Sandi and I had an unexpected free day so decided to plant our garden for the season.  We took our list to the Farmer's Market and brought home a bounty of herbs, fruits and veggies. 

 

Sandi has always loved calla lilies - her wedding bouquet featured them and I've liked hostas.  We got both. 

 

Sandi lined the driveway with calla lilies

 

The backyard planter boxes were a bit unruly.  The Thyme and Rosemary were trying to kill the sage so the sage was trying to leave and the oregano was trying to take over.  We moved the oregano and sage to their own pots for their safety.  Cilantro and dill joined the thyme.

 



Ahh, much better.

We also gave the rosemary it's own plot outside of the herb garden at the far corner of the house. 



before...



bush beans, carrots and a variety of onions

we are trying broccoli and cauliflower this year,
kale and lettuce variety packs are favorites from last year

a hosta separates the planter boxes

with the rosemary at the far right of the house, the remaining
herbs should do quite well. I hope this translates to
a bumper crop of cilantro and basil

Now on to berry row...

Our blueberry and raspberry plants are fairly well established so we decided to add strawberries

 

On the other side of the raspberries we planted two tomato plants (a large and sun-gold cherry tomato) and capped it off with a red pepper and left-over onion

looking good....

Bush beans need a lot of sun so here is our attempt to provide it.  We may decide to build up the back strip of the yard after we build a better fence.

We still have a few more herbs to get later but I think we are in pretty good shape.  It will be a fun harvest later this summer.

Washington Vacation 2014

Last weekend, Sandi and I took a long weekend to celebrate her new job and paid-off loans.  Denise and Dwayne were generous to let us use their comfortable cabin in Whidbey Island.  We arrived Friday afternoon in time to enjoy a walk around Langley.  Our dinner that night was an English pub called Mo's.  Feeling nostalgic for my homeland (if I can count my homeland as Scotland), I ordered Bangers and Mash. 

On Saturday, we drove up to Deception Pass at the north end of the island.  What a beautiful day for a scenic hike!

I love snacky-lunches, especially on vacation

 

After lunch we took a hike around the north-east part of the park.  I think it wrapped us around a peninsula to see a really quiet bay. 

 

On the drive back to the cabin we stumbled on a little festival in Oak Harbor 

The mocha frappes tasted so good on a warm day after a hike.










What's a trip to the cabin without a walk down to the beach?

Princess Sandi on her throne :)

And what's a celebration without steak?



Though it tasted like a five-star restaurant, we cooked it at the cabin.

 

I mentioned to a friend that we live in Oregon but we vacation in Washington.  On Sunday we drove from Whidbey to Leavenworth to experience an entirely different climate and culture (actually it was to enjoy candy bacon at a B&B).  If you need a recommendation, check out Granite Hills Bed & Breakfast just outside of town. 

 

The B&B had great accommodations and delicious breakfasts.  When I looked for places back in March I was taken by the phrase 'candy bacon.'  It's actually all Sandi and I talked about in the weeks leading up to the trip.  Candy bacon did not disappoint.  Everything else on the menu was good too. 

 

From water to mountains, Leavenworth was a great second half to our journey.

 

 

The mountains either competed with or dominated over the town. 

 

It was fun walking around the town and wandering into shops.  The crowds were light and the shop owners friendly.  We were hoping to find a pottery store but alas, we'll have to get our earth-toned sponge holder elsewhere.

Spring-time in Bavaria! 

 

I expected to eat nothing but German meals after breakfast.  In fact German food was harder to come by.  Our host recommended two places: Pavz and South.  Pavz is a French place specializing in fondue and crepes, of which we had both.  South is a Central American place.  Sandi enjoyed the mole` and I liked the carnita platter. 

 

The closest meal we had to German food was Monday's lunch at a pub which consisted of more snacky-foods!

 



Did I mention we ate well the entire trip?

The two of us had a great time together.  Our loans are paid, Sandi goes on days, the weather was beautiful, and cell reception was spotty at best.  Can it get any better?

New job!

Brian asked me to post about my new job so I'm jumping into his blog for one post.

I was hired on Wednesday April 23 for a full-time position on a med-surg unit for DAY shift, 7a-7:30p three days per week.  The best aspect is the 10 minute commute to St. Vincent Medical Center, which is part of the Providence hospital network.  My first week at my new position will be the week of May 18.  As of tonight I have 8 more night shifts (and counting) at Providence Portland Medical Center (PPMC).




Facing East: Walking down the ramp from
the MAX stop in the Hollywood District
 at NE 42nd Ave.  The houses along the road
are cute and quaint, very typical of NE and SE
Portland.  I've been tempted more than once
on my walks to/from the MAX to buy one of
these choice houses near the hospital. 
However the freeway noise and lack of
 garages quickly remind me that it's not
a good idea.

 

As I stepped off the MAX on Wednesday evening the 23rd, having just accepted the new position an hour prior on the phone, the weather was warm and the walk to the hospital was pleasant.  I took a few pictures of my 'MAX to hospital' walk in anticipation of nostalgia settling in once I'm done with nights.  It's great that it's now daylight when I leave in the evening and come home in the morning.

When I caught the blue line MAX Thursday morning after work, the train changed to a green line at the Rose Quarter without any overhead announcements.  So I looked up from my book to find myself on NW Couch St which is not good, but thankfully the green line runs through Pioneer Square so I was able to hop off and catch a blue line home.  Nostalgia feelings -- gone at that point.

Facing East: Walking along the pedestrian path adjacent
to I-84 (on the left).  I had Brian do the commute with me
when I first started at PPMC to make sure that the walk wasn't too sketchy. 

The driveway to the Cancer Center at Providence Portland Medical Center on NE 47th Ave.
 You can see the chapel in the background.

The Cancer Center is the newest addition to the Providence Portland hospital. 
My current unit is the 7th floor south. 

My new hospital!!  St. Vincent Medical Center on SW Barnes Road at the intersection of Hwy 217 and Hwy 26.
I have no picturesque walking photos because I will DRIVE everyday.  My unit is the 7th floor east (I must like 7th floors).

It was a good thing to work downtown this past year to get me out of Beaverton and experience greater Portland life.  I will miss that to a certain degree but I'm very excited for this next adventure closer to home.  Brian and I both have a strong desire to work and live and go to church in our city, and this job is a fulfillment of my prayers for that over the past year.