An Unexpected Visit

I got an unexpected visit last week from my brother-in-law, who lives in Seattle.  He was up this way visiting some family, and stopped by for a short visit before heading back home.  I didn't know he was coming, and just showed up at my door.  It was a welcome visit, as I haven't seen him in about nine years.

 Seattle, home of the original Starbucks!

The story of Starbuck's begins in 1971 along the cobblestone streets of Pike Place Market, which is historic in Seattle.  The girls took a trip there in 2011.

I made him a hot cup of coffee, and we had a nice visit catching up.  I had just gone to the store, so I had some Walkers shortbread cookies in the cupboard, which was a perfect treat for his Scottish heritage.  These cookies are so good, they melt in your mouth.

Richard has a wonderful talent and makes bows and arrows that are beautiful.  He carves them with special types of wood, and has been skillfully crafting them for many years.

*internet photo

I will always remember the framed picture of the brothers on the wall at my mother-in-law's home.  At one time, they were all fishermen in Alaska, and fished the great waters for King Crab.  My family used to get fresh crab from them every now and then, and it was very good.  It's one of my favorite pictures, and Richard is on the far left.

I was pleased that he came by to see me, and I've always wanted to visit the old and historic city of Seattle.  Maybe someday I'll make it there.  ; )

~Sheri  

  

You Know You Have A Treasured Friend When

Right before Easter, I took a road trip to see my two dear friends.  I traveled to my home town, and got to spend some time with them.

The hotel I stay at from time to time is very nice, and kind of expensive, but they make my stay comfortable and greet me every time I visit.  The rooms have a retro 50's vibe to them, and are clean and charming.

There were rocks in the front entrance of the hotel that guests have painted and placed there.

My favorite was the rock with one special word.

There was a big pot of white flowers sitting at the entrance.

But my eyes took me to these, of course, and I had to stop and gaze for a moment.

One was just starting to open and was so pretty.

Later that night, my friend, Darla, picked me up at the hotel and we met up with Dana at one of our favorite places to eat.  It has such a fun atmosphere, and it was a bit chilly that night, but we sat outside and were warmed by the heaters.  There food is always delicious, and we each had a glass of red wine to go with our meal.  Dana paid for our dinner, which was a wonderful surprise.

We talked about many things, and caught up on the happenings of each other's lives, and reminisced about the fun times we had growing up.

Afterwards, me and Darla went to Anthropologie, one of my favorite shops, and browsed around.  She was going to buy me a candle or tea cup, but there was a power outage, and the registers were down.

I remember there being a cookie place at the shopping center, and I wanted to buy a few goodies to take home.  Sure enough, it was still there, and I bought a big cookie for me and Darla, and some petite cream cheese bites of yummy to take home haha.

The next morning, I had breakfast at the hotel.  They always serve a delicious breakfast, with omelets, sausage, and bagels.  I took it to my room to eat, so I could catch up on the latest world news, which is often so tragic.  But they have really good coffee, so I enjoyed that.

I like to bring a few things home from my trips, and found this cute magnet for the fridge.

It was a pleasant trip, and I'm so glad I got to see my very close friends.  You know you have a treasured friend when they are there for you not only in the joyous times in our life, but also the wretched and painful times as well.  They have been at my side through both, and after 48 years, I hope we always remain devoted friends.  Here we are cracking up about something in a photo a few years ago.

~Sheri

 

Happy Easter!

love, me 

Good Friday.

 

Snow Covers The Land In April

Well, I thought that was the last big snow of the season.  Goes to show that nature is in control, and always surprises us with any unexpected weather conditions that are coming our way.  Tuesday morning, it was the biggest snow we've had since I moved here.  Came out of nowhere.  I looked out my window, and saw two feet of snow!

Remember my neighbor's bush?

Then

After

Those poor Quail.  They are ground birds, and they were struggling walking through it all.

A tree limb even fell to the ground in my front yard.  Haven't hauled it away yet.  The birds seem to like it and take shelter in it.

The white fence leading to the front of my house is buried.

While I'm out there shoveling away, my neighbor has a fancy schmancy snow blower haha.

But while it's cold outside, I'm trying to stay warm inside.  My son brought me some Sillycow Farms hot chocolate, which is really tasty.  It's from Vermont, and oh, how I want to visit Vermont someday.

My brother-in-law called last week, and said he was coming into town.  We went to a Mexican Restaurant, then headed to the grocery store to get a few things.  I didn't know if it would snow again, so I wanted to buy a few groceries and stock up.  It was so strange, but as we were leaving the Mexican restaurant, a song came on that reminded me of my other brother-in-law, who died when he was only 30.  I asked the waitress what the name of the song was, cause I hadn't heard it in a long time, and she was so helpful and graciously told me.  It was like he was there with us at that moment.

Then, when I got home, the shoveling began.  My brother-in-law wanted to help me, cause my car was buried.  So, we were out there for awhile, just talking and laughing, and actually having fun shoveling snow in my driveway.

For those of you who are not enamored with the snow like I am, here are a few cheerful pictures to share with you.

A Friday meal during Lent, tuna sandwich with tomato on Italian bread, and homemade potato salad.  Very good.

I bought a new blouse for my trip.  I loved the flare sleeves on it.  Looks a bit Bohemian, which I like.

 I watched a movie on Netflix, and I thought it was a cute film.  I've always liked Reese Witherspoon.

The last few years, I've given away so many things, but this particular figurine I have never been able to part with, as it's been in my house since my children were small.

I wanted to show you what my surroundings are up here, the quiet woods when nature sprinkles a generous amount of snow and covers the land.  It really is quite pretty.

The sun and the rain has melted the snow little by little, but there's still so much left.  So for now, I will wait for Spring.

*our state flower

~Sheri