Category Archives: Friends

How we ended up in the Smith Tower lighthouse?

One beautiful Seattle day, I looked up and was hypnotized by the pointy triangle on top of the Smith Tower.  I contacted the Samis Foundation (owners) about taking a look at the upper floors of their massive inventory of downtown … Continue reading

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There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. -Winston Churchill

My good friend Annie Reese (mother of Cora and Liam) invited us to join them for riding lessons at the Willows Edge Farm in Bothell. The riding school has friendly maneless horses called Norwegian Fjords that are perfect for young … Continue reading

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Abbey Road

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Leaping McKinley

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Mazama Migration 2010

Every Spring for a decade, we’ve been migrating north to sunny Mazama around the time of David’s birthday on May 25th. Our tribal gathering place is now Michal Friedrich’s Wesola Polana. You can see the rusty steel “Herd” lined up … Continue reading

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Wiffling the afternoon away

We’re hanging at the Schembre’s house (fairly frequent occurrence) and got the wiffle bat out.

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Josie Schembre channeling Josephine Baker & Isadora Duncan

When my daughter Naomi refers to Josie, she says, “My good friend Josie” never just “Josie”. It goes like this. “My good friend Josie likes to build things just like I like to build things” or “Mom did you know … Continue reading

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Nomadic kids

  The girls cavort all over Wesola Polana.  They are a nomadic tribe covering the 40 acres of Wesola Polana…showing up now and then with wagons or ropes or to report a bear sighting.  Yes.  It was a baby bear … Continue reading

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Pioneer schmoozing

Pioneer Square is a wonderful place to live and Annie Strain has been a huge positive force. She gathered a big group of the Pioneer community at her beautiful home to greet the incoming Mayor Mike McGinn. Here is a … Continue reading

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Daily Rituals or Off to School

In the morning, the girls pack their backpacks with school stuff (lunches, sweaters, sneakers) and after-school stuff (leotards, swim suits, snacks) and then head downstairs to say good morning to Kumar, Hamilton and/or Nelson running the building elevators and Michelle, … Continue reading

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Dinner with the Strains across the Square

Our neighbors, the Strains, live across Pioneer Square from us. We can wave or flashlight morse code from our windows. Annie Strain has a great blog about life in Pioneer Square. Jackson Strain is the same age as Naomi. They … Continue reading

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Sweet and HORRIFYING! or A Whirling Deverish Halloween

Hanging out on the Schembre’s back porch before trick or treating on the top of Queen Anne. Annabelle (Princess), Sophie (Mermaid), Josie (Kitty cat), Simone (Good and Evil), Naomi (Smaller Good and Evil) and Lucy (Clown). The second photo shows … Continue reading

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Pausing at Rhoad’s End

    Our summer sail included a brief reprieve at Rhoad’s End on Orcas Island.  We were hoping to visit with Linden, Rhoads, and Celeste. No one was home, but we found evidence that someone had been around recently. On … Continue reading

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Rhoads’ catch

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Gritty Oasis in Seattle or Beaching in Seattle

We indulge in long days at the beach in the summer. Somehow we always stumble into friends and gatherings, on this day it was both…the recess monkeys arrived as well as friends from “Tribe Seattle.” Lake Washington beaches have darker … Continue reading

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Ferry on over to Vashon Island

We often visit the Vashon Island farmer’s market on the weekend. The food is scrumptious, the music terrific but the real reason we go is to visit our friends Kelly and Rob.

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The BIG DIG Treasure Hunt or Simone’s 5th or Great Traditions

We have a few traditions. One of these is the annual sailing trip, another is the annual BIG DIG treasure hunt that happens every year for Simone’s birthday. We bury chests with treasure across the Global Gardens beach, pass out … Continue reading

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Boardman Lake

Lined up for a bowl of warm oatmeal. Simone, Kaya, McKinley, Liam. Simone and Cora after the first night at Boardman lake. Troopers, Naomi and Simone, hiking in.

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Boardman Lake

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Sailing

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