Tuesday, September 9, 2014

September Musings


We are continuing to enjoy beautiful weather 
here in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. 

It was actually 90 degrees a couple of days ago, 
but today we are having cooler weather due to some clouds. 

We could surely use some rain, 
but with none in the forecast
 I will have to do some watering today. 


 My Ramblin' Man took last week off (paid) work, 
so we set to work staining the house. 
I do the low parts (short ladder),
and the Mr. does the high parts. 
Can you see him up there? 
He's fearless!

We do one side at a time every couple of years. 
Makes it manageable......

We use a solid stain, rather than paint. 
That way we never have to scrape or sand. 
The siding is solid Western Red Cedar clapboards. 
Ramblin' Man and Sons cut and nailed every board. 


Speaking of sons.....
It was my eldest son, Gabe's birthday last week. 
We didn't get to pin him down for a party, though. 
(Photo is from a previous celebration)
His sweet wife, Erica's brother and wife were in town from California, 
so we had to share him....
He hates it when we make a fuss. 
But he is so absolutely worth it. 
Self-effacement is part of his charm. 


We did get to commemorate my Dear Mother's birthday, though. 
This is one of my favorite photos of her, gazing at her birthday cake. 
She loved a party!


We took the beautiful drive through the countryside....

It was the one rainy day of the week, so Mt. Rainier was hidden. 


We followed this pretty(?) blue back-hoe on the way. 


We arrive at the National Cemetery for Veteran's. 
My Dad was a proud Veteran of the Korean War, 
serving in the Army/Air Force before they were two separate arms. 


A light rain falls as we enter the grounds. 
Already the trees are showing some beautiful fall color. 
It's a lovely, peaceful place. 


My Dear Mother loved roses and iris. 


Here we are together....58 years ago.
My beautiful Mother was 20 when I was born. 

As the oldest daughter, I was cherished as a baby. 
But as all eldest children know- 
we must share that adoration. 

Soon there were 4 more daughters, 
and I had to grow up fast. 

I was Mother's Helper from an early age. 
As the eldest daughter and second eldest granddaughter 
in a very large, extended Irish-Catholic family,
I have been caring for children and keeping house since I can remember. 

I even worked as a Nanny
and had my own housekeeping business for many years! 
Home and Family has always been my expertise! 


On the way home, my sweet Ramblin' Man treated me to a little lunch. 

We stopped at an historic bakery in an old coal mining town. 


It was after Labor Day and during the week, 
so we had the place all to ourselves. 

Isn't it sweet?


This is a very popular place for Sunday morning breakfast after church. 

They serve the most delicious biscuits with their own blackberry jam. 

Let's go inside....


Oh my! ......Let's sneak past all the goodies. 

We're hungry for lunch. 


You can see at the top of the menu that the sandwiches
 are served with a choice of Tim's Chips. 

My Ramblin' Man is Sales Distribution Manager for Tim's. 

At one time he worked as a route driver, many years ago, servicing this Bakery. 
Once when he was walking through the back service door, he looked on the ground
and found a dime - dated 1910. 


This is the front of the menu, stating the date the bakery was established. 

To think that dime had waited there in the dirt all that time....

My Mr. has an uncanny ability to find old coins and this is not the first. 


I chose the Chicken-Corn Chowder.
 I could have licked the bowl, it was so good. :)
I need to find a good recipe for this! 


Pretty gardens outside the window. 
We watched two cats chasing each other around.....


A pretty hand painted mural in the ladies room! 


This scene by the sink. 

There is also a sweet little gift shop inside the building. 

But it is an antique shop down the way that I have set my sights on. 


We walk outside to more gardens across the street. 


Beautiful flowers lining the road. 


This is the antique shop I can't wait to explore. 


An inviting entry....


Sweet little offerings I regret passing by. 

Next time.....

I will show you the treasures that I found. 

This week I will be continuing on with the house staining,
 harvesting my apples and blackberries, watering my poor plants, 
and we have two more birthdays this weekend! 

My Ramblin' Man is back to work and traveling once more. 

I plan on baking him something special for his return, 
which I will also share with you.  

Thank you for coming along with me, Dear Friends 
and sharing my September musings. 

Thank you, also, for your sweet visits to my garden in my last post. 
We may not be able to visit in person, 
but we are always close at heart. 

xoxo

The best that we find in our travels
 is an honest friend. 
He is a fortunate voyager who finds many. 

-Robert Louis Stevenson-

18 comments:

  1. such a pretty town area! be safe with that ladder work! eek!

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  2. hola amiga querida !! septiembre es un mes con unas muy buenas temperaturas y tu vives en una bella zona

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  3. What a gorgeous, gorgeous post-with wonderful pictures and an even better storyline. Your son is VERY handsome and he looks like he would be self-effacing!;>) I have one of those, too. lol

    Your Mom looks wonderful in that picture with the birthday cake and the one of you and your Mom is so dear. What sweet memories, huh?

    Great little lunch place and a follow up visit to the antique store. Have a wonderful day-xo Diana

    ps. My friend from Washington always painted/stained one side of their house each year. I love that idea...but it does look like a big job-

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  4. Your mother was beautiful! And you were a cute little kid, huh! I think first children have a tough time because so much is expected of them. Your pictures show me a part of the country I've never visited. I would like to see Mr. Ranier someday. Handsome son you've got there. :-)

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  5. All those birthday celebrations are a lot of fun - even if you do have to share! That antique shop looks like a great find, too - I can't wait to see what you find there!

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  6. Lovely photos of your dear Mom and one of you and your son also. Great post, so many interesting photos and stories, I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you so much :)

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  7. Hi Karen,
    What a nice post, from start to finish. I am so looking forward to viewing the treasures you found in the shop. The Great Dime Find is something else! And your Mr. and mine are the same when it comes to fiddling around on roofs and ladders. So nonchalant.
    xo, m & jb

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  8. Thanks for taking us along to this cute bakery. I hope you got something great at the antique shop!

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  9. Sounds like a lovely day I enjoyed sharing with you.
    Merle..........

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  10. I love seeing your family photos! Looks like you've had some happy times lately and some good memories! Enjoy your week! Hugs, Diane

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  11. Dearest Karen,
    Indeed so high up on a ladder is quite risky... Pieter did it too when he was younger but no more. It is not worth taking that risk.
    What a lovely bakery that was, looked so European with all its choices of sweets. The soup looks and sounds perfect for the time of the year.
    Enjoy your apples and berries. We already miss the mountains from northern Arizona so it was good to see yours! For years we lived in mountainous areas. We also most of the time worked as a consultant in a mountainous area.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  12. Oops, since you did cover several subjects in just one blog, I forgot to comment on your precious baby photo with a very young Mom! Lovely to have and to cherish. Yes, I too was the first cherished baby but soon there were six more and also was I the 2nd eldest grandchild on Dad's side. Not on Mom's since she was a middle child there are lots of older cousins.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  13. Hello dear Karen,
    what a wonderful post .......about Birtdays, about your lovely townarea, about growing up, about your dear Mum .I love this picture of you and your Mum!
    Thank you for sharing all those wonderful pictures and experiences and feelings...
    Wishing you a wnonderful rest of the week,
    thanks again for sharing,
    sending Love and hugs,
    Claudia

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  14. It was so nice to have that little trip to the restaurant and antique shop with you. I can't wait to see what you found!

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  15. What a lovely little day trip on a rainy day. The restaurant and antique store look wonderful. I enjoyed your little stories connected with them.

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  16. Such a great post Karen, but my favorite were the family photos, of you and your son, your mom as a young woman and older, and you as a baby. Beautiful!
    So nice to have a day off with the Mr.

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  17. Happy Birthday to your dear Mother. I know how much you must miss her. I am so blessed to still have mine (and she blogs--Living Life on Main Street is her blog). I miss her because she is far away in Virginia. We lost my Dad almost four years ago now, and he is buried in the Veterans Cemetery near where Mom lives. He too was a veteran of the Korean War...a Navy man. I love that you can visit where your Dad is buried, there in the NW. The first photo of Mt. Ranier is gorgeous! I also loved that sweet little historic bakery! And the antique shop! Such great places to visit, Karen!

    A couple of things--so you didn't have air conditioning when you lived here! Oh my! We had a swamp cooler when we lived here back in the early 80s and I thought I would die. I HAD to have an air conditioner this time! Also, we have another thing in common: I too am the oldest of four children, and though I didn't "help out" a lot when we kids were growing up, I am very maternal in nature. I also have worked as a nanny! :-) I thought that was such an interesting link between we two. We seem to have so many!

    Have a beautiful weekend, Karen.

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  18. Just look at that sweet shop in that restaurant!! I am so glad that you were able to celebrate your mom.....I love hearing about her and how you grew up! I can relate to the Irish Catholic upbringing as I come from a family of six....I too have always been helping with children! I know how much you miss your mom so I am sending you a big big hug! You take care! Nicole xo

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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