Stevenson Grandparents Visit

My parents were in town last weekend for a quick visit. It seems to have become a tradition for them to visit in October, (which is fine with us!) and we all enjoy the Pumpkin Prowl at the Woodland Park Zoo. This was our fourth year, and I think it's fair to say a fun time was had by all.

My folks also pointed out that even though they've visited Seattle dozens of times, they'd never ridden one of the numerous ferries that criss-cross the Sound. Since we were fortunate to have glorious weather for the duration of their stay, we decided to head over to Bainbridge Island. The fall colors were in full swing, we walked the beach at Fay Bainbridge State Park, then headed to the other end of the island to walk in the woods at Fort Ward State Park. We had lunch at a great little spot called the Treehouse Cafe, and made it back to Seattle in time for the Prowl. It was a great visit!

The Ones that Did Not Make It

Being a tomato in Seattle is hard, even in the best weather. Unfortunately, this summer was particularly and unusually cold and wet, and although we had a fairly decent crop of tomatoes, there were a LOT that didn't get quite enough sunshine and warmth to ripen. We'll try the brown-paper bag trick with these guys but I think it might be better to find a recipe for fried green tomatoes. Suggestions, anyone?

Dave the Builder

So this is the guy who's been making all of the amazing progress on our house--Dave Fasoldt, of Fasoldt Construction. In addition to being an amazing builder and an all-around nice guy, he is also our neighbor.

Dormer--siding

Earlier this week the siding went up. Starting to look like the rest of the house!

Dormer--Windows

About a week and a half ago, our builder put the windows in--just before the rains began in earnest. They are all fiberglass casement windows, and the two in the reading room have interior wood trim. Hopefully they will last a long time!

This is Not Good

My 95 year-old grandfather lives in Solana Beach, California, and it would be an understatement to say I am worried about him. I talked with my dad this morning, and he is pretty close to flying out there to bring him back to Phoenix. I can't imagine how horrible it must be in San Diego county right now, so many families losing everything. Fortunately there have not been many fatalities, which I think says a lot about the emergency responders. I really hope those winds die down soon!

Oxbow Organic Farm

This year we split a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box with our awesome neighbors Becky and Chris and their kids Colin and Darby. The farm providing the weekly goodness is Oxbow Organic Farm, and at the end of each season they invite all of their subscribers to the farm for a tour and barbecue. It was great fun--we piled into a hay wagon and got to see the actual fields where our broccoli, chard, tomatoes and peppers are grown. Halfway through the tour we piled out and the kids each got pick a pumpkin from the patch. Then all of the visitors got together for a great pot luck lunch with a live bluegrass jam in the background. Best of all, the weather was absolutely incredible, especially for this time of year--blue skies and 72 degrees. The only bad part of the visit was getting stung in the neck by a yellow jacket, but I'm feeling much better now.

Liam is Learning to Spell!

OK, he didn't really spell this one all by himself, but when he asked me to spell a word that used all of his letters it was the best I could come up with.

Giving Thanks Like a Canadian

A couple of weekends ago we were fortunate to be invited to attend a Canadian Thanksgiving Celebration at Jen's house (or, as our expatriate friends from the Great White North like to call it, "real Thanksgiving"). Amy is one of only two American toxicologists at her work--the rest are all Canadian. We also made a fair number of Canadian friends during our stay in St-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec when Amy was going to McGill. In any event, we had a great time, and the turn out was amazing. I was hoping for both English and French renditions of O Canada, but then Amy reminded me that this was a dinner, not a hockey game. Liam was psyched because his buddy Caitlin was there, but they were clearly not having any fun at all. :)

Dormer--Wiring

The last two days of this week was all about wires and electricity. We now have modern wiring up top (goodbye knob-and-tube), recessed lights, wiring for exterior lights, a shower fan, phone lines, and main floor smoke alarms, wired from above. Now we just need to pick out some fixtures!

Dormer--Framing and Exterior Door

After the initial lightning-fast burst of progress on the construction, we've had a couple of weeks with not much happening. Apparently this is normal for most projects, especially when it is time for the electrician, plumber, roofer, etc to do their things. Recently, our super-duper narrow custom made door was finished and installed, and the rest of the interior framing was completed. We also have a completely rain-proof roof, but that's pretty difficult to photograph safely.