Category Archives: Photos

Sedona – Throwback Thursday to 2001

Have you ever been to Sedona, Arizona? When we lived in Tucson, we would visit it occasionally as it was always a great getaway. It was usually cooler than Tucson, so it was almost like a break in the heat. Sedona is considered to be a spiritual mecca and they are known for their healing massages, spas, hypnotherapy and retreats. Regardless, you can’t beat the beauty.

One of my favorite activities was the horseback riding that I talked James into doing. It was not his thing but he said he would try it just once. He really enjoyed the ride… but I’m thinking it’ll be the last time I get him on a horse, hehe.

By the way… this is before the digital age, so the pictures don’t do the Red Rock justice…

One Day of Sun

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The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.

–Henry van Dyke

Apparently the theme for spring this year is pink. I’ll take it. It looks kind of pretty against a blue sky.

Any sign of spring in your neighborhood yet? (Or autumn, whichever the case may be? 😀 )

Autumn

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It’s the changing of the seasons here, the most beautiful time of the year!

I hope I can be the Autumn Leaf,

Who looked at the sky and lived.

And when it came time to leave,

Gracefully knew life was a gift.

–Dodinsky

Hurricane Ridge

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We’ve left the real world for a few days and have hopped on over to Port Angeles for a short break before school starts up again. Port Angeles is about 100 miles from where we live (by ferry) and it’s right next to the Olympic National Park. It sits on the Strait of Juan de Fuca (the waterway that represents the border between the U.S. and Canada), and Victoria, B.C. is only 20 miles by ferry.

Okay, all that being said, we had a very full first day. Before heading up to Hurricane Ridge, we stopped in Sequim (pronounced ‘skwim’) at this charming little ’50s diner to have lunch. AJ wants to go back for the milkshakes alone:

After lunch, we headed up to Hurricane Ridge for a little hike. They call it that because of the 75+ mph winds that blow through there. It was indeed a hike, and once again, I wish I hadn’t worn my running shoes (she will never, ever learn).

The views at the top were just amazing:

You can look down and see Port Angeles, as well as Victoria, B.C. on the other side of the water.

Views of the strait:

You can just see the hiking trail we used to get to the top of the mountain (there are fires burning on the range right now, hence, the haze):

Going back down, James made a comment that the only exciting animal we got to see all day was a chipmunk. Not 5 minutes later, we got to see this (can you see him?):

James found a charming, 2-bedroom, vacation home to rent while we are here. So after a long day of being out, tired and grimy, we got to come back to this (which was a very pleasant surprise as we hadn’t seen it yet):

With fabulous views of the water (#spottedtheship):

Next up, Lake Crescent… 🙂

Rare?

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Rare albino praying mantis? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think she’s just molting? (Taken at my sister Angela’s house in Arizona)

Squirrel count: 42… and they won’t stop coming…

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend!!

I Cooked! (kinda)

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If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know I’m not a whiz in the kitchen. However, every now and again… okay, maybe once a month… I like to try something new to see if I can’t improve my skills. This time it was really no big deal and no major cooking here, but I did try something new and I was successful! Kale chips!

Kale is one of those powerhouse super foods, but to be honest, it’s not that yummy in salads, in my opinion. I think it’s bitter, chewy, and has a texture similar to a bay leaf… again, in my opinion. So, enter the kale chips. Okay, it’s a bit fussy having to cut the leaves off the stalk and then drying them, but really, kind of worth it. Better than potato chips or popcorn! Voila!

Perhaps not so pleasing to the eye, but believe me, they were tasty. I think James described them as “something that looked like washed up on a beach.” (which is okay too… I’ve been wanting to add seaweed to our diet just recently, another super food, :D)

In other news… you may know I went for a bike ride last week. When it came time to get on the bike again, it was raining, so I had to venture downstairs to the stationary bike. It was actually a great setup as I decided to watch a program while doing it. Now, I know this is not a new concept to the rest of the world… but it’s the first time I’ve ever actually done it, and it was quite pleasant… until about 20 minutes in… then I couldn’t feel my bum anymore and decided that that definitely couldn’t be a good thing, so I stopped. But at least I’m a couple of rides closer to getting my sit bones used to a 50-mile ride. My next feat with the bike, before the 50 miles, is a painful uphill climb that goes on for 3 or 4 miles which I have always avoided like the plague. I’ll let you know later how that one goes.

And, oh yeah, the running thing… I’ve been doing that, too. I’ve stuck mostly to the treadmill so I can focus on my pace. I know it’s weird and so unlike me to want to run on the treadmill, but hey, we do what we gotta do to reach our goals, don’t we.

I’ve not stayed completely inside though! The pictures you’re seeing are from a recent run around town.

Wishing you a beautiful Tuesday!!

Meanwhile in Scotland…

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Check out these desserts my in-laws are enjoying while on holiday!

First up, from the Brig O Doon in Ayr:

My mother-in-law, Janet, who recently visited us in June. No, she didn’t eat this all by herself, 🙂

From Souter Johnnie’s Inn, Ayr. The dessert so big, two pictures had to be taken so we could see the beauty of it all:

Oh hey everyone… this is my father-in-law’s first appearance on my blog! Meet Alan! Hi Alan! Great dessert you have there! Care to share?

Brag time: Alan ran a 2:58 London Marathon in the early ’90s. He was in his 40s.

Fact: My son is named Alan James, or A.J. as we call him… unless he’s in trouble, then all the syllables in his name come out.

What’s on your dessert plate today??

Credit of all pictures go to Janet and Alan… unfortunately I was nowhere near the above desserts.

Adele

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I’m off a day on picking a song for Jamesy’s Motivational Music Monday, but I think I’m excused. I was kind of busy yesterday. You see, Adele was playing at the Key Arena in Seattle, and we were fortunate enough to be there. A fabulous performer to the very core, and such a down to earth girl to boot. She interacted with the audience brilliantly, even pulling some fans on stage at different times, completely making their entire year I’m sure. Following are scenes from the evening, a couple of videos I recorded, plus my choice for MMM.

Starting the evening off at a local restaurant, The Yard House. The food was 5-star delicious:

Waiting for the show to start. The eyes open when she comes on:

Her set was fabulous and the big screen was great, sometimes zooming in on her face, sometimes showing random stuff:

Sold out concert, and she had everyone lighting the torches on their phones (this was way before the encore):

Last song of the night after nearly 2-1/2 hours:

The Space Needle at night:

The first video I recorded was “Hello.” It’s probably not as intense on the video, but Seattle put off a lot of energy for her last night:

The next one I recorded was “Skyfall.” In this one, you can see just how cool her set really was.

As for my song for the week, I’m sticking with Adele and her latest, “Send My Love (To Your New Lover).”

If there was one performer/group that you wish could see live, who would that be?

Howard Jones and OMD

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A long, long time ago in a land far, far away, (okay, really it was just February and it was right here in Lake Stevens), I talked about how James scored us some tickets to go see Howard Jones and OMD (you can read about it here). Last night was the night. Thankfully, the park officials knew it was going to be mostly attended by… older… adults, and as such, the concert started at 6. It’s funny, but James and I were commenting about how, if this were way back when, we would’ve had a “before” party, a “during” party, and an “after” party, quite possibly not calling it a night until 4 or 5 a.m. It’s great to be a grown-up now, but it sure is fun to take a step back in time every now and again. That being said, we were home just after 10, :D. Here are scenes from my evening.

Howard Jones: He was rockin’ the tight white trousers that were so popular in the ’80s. The man can still sing.

OMD: They rocked it as well. Totally impressed.

There was lots of dancing (this man is gearing up to spin her around):

Lots of people:

Great food:

Great ambiance:

A young girl who was none too pleased about hanging out with a bunch of middle-aged rockers:

Even with an outside concert, there were fun stage effects:

And, finally, me… so very happy to be spending an evening with my honey and Howard Jones:

Are you loving the comeback of the great ’80s bands? Do you enjoy outside venues for a concert setting?

Spotted!

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A few running and cycling bloggers have taken to a new little game of spotting things while they’re out and about on their run or their bike. It originally started with Slow Runner Girl on her hunt to do some spelunking on one of her runs, but then she moved on to a super cool chimney. Of course, at the same time, Benjamin from Running of the Books was out trolley hunting… it seems he had trolleys following him everywhere he went!

SRG has itemized the search list, so here I am, categorizing my finds. It’s amazing the things you see if take the time to look around…

If you’re interested in playing, the link to the game/list is here, here, and here.

The Rusty Machine

The Trolley

This was spotted during the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle Half-Marathon back in June.

Saw this one just last week in Missoula!

The Bike

The Super Coach

I can’t really count my chimneys… they kinda sucked. I’ve gotta do better in that category.

Never A Dull Bling

The trials and tribulations of a 40-something novice runner

Category Archives: Photos

Sedona – Throwback Thursday to 2001

One Day of Sun

Autumn

Hurricane Ridge

Rare?

I Cooked! (kinda)

Meanwhile in Scotland…

Adele

Howard Jones and OMD

Spotted!

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