summer magic

this summer we scored a mountain of fresh veggies. My coworker couldn't make use of her farm share 2 weeks in a row and offered it to me. So, I go to the farm location and get to choose 8 out of about 10 veggies (there are signs that tell me how many count as one) and then there were pick-your-own-goodness on top of that. For that, there was flat and curly-leaf parsley, cilantro, 3 kinds of basil, some funky mexican herb used in mole, dill and maybe something else. There were fava beans one week and green beans the next week and always fresh flowers. So we were SO healthy for a few weeks! It was fantastic. We made chicken soup, carrot soup, borscht (soups are easy to freeze and enjoy later), as well as other fresh veggie bliss. It was so great!!!! Our own garden is also starting to look like something may come of it! We have rosemary, thyme, basil and chives growing in a hanging pot with some grape tomatoes. Down below in the real garden nasturtium (our first harvest) are thriving, some garden beans are showing up, the tomatoes and squash bloomed and a couple sunflowers are starting to tower! It's amazing!!! We grew most of them from seed.

our garden

some veggie bliss

This summer has also been full of fun travel and a good dose of California and cousins.

the elusive tart tartin!

ready to head into Samwell Cave

Mt. Shasta 4th of July Run

wedding wings

I always love to hit up the Grocery Outlet when I'm in Redding. Last time the most bodacious buy we got was Hemp Dream (think Almond Dream but made from hemp...), complete with a tie-dye box.

These girls know where to find bodacious buys. (It really says that on the window.)

I <3 Whiskeytown Lake

We enjoyed discovering the Franklin Park Zoo when it was free one Friday. We saved a little muntjac who managed to rip off half her tail... I think you've all heard that story by now.


Shakespeare on the Common was Comedy of Errors this year. So fun! I LOVED the music, and we managed to get super good seats (and didn't even go early)! We were also right by the aisle that the actors came down several times during the performance.



We hit up Plimoth Plantation when it was free last Friday. Wampanoag Village. They are building a house. They are all native people (from various native nations) and dress in period clothing but speak to you from their personal modern perspective.





1627 English Town: (they dress period and act/talk period. James almost stayed to live there.)

The Mayflower II:


Ice cream at the grist mill. lovely end to a lovely day.


we submitted questions to the Wheel of Questions
(ours aren't posted yet. I'll update here if they are)



We went to the Pru to watch a free outdoor showing of Curious George. We were playing Set while we waited for it to start and...
Erin: "Huh. That guy over there looks exactly like Adam Sandler."
Leslie: "Gee, you're right."He was there with his family. The radio station that sponsors the series of family movies on Saturdays also does a 2 hr family fun time. we thought the movie started at 6pm, but the fun time started at 6pm and the movie started at 8pm. Adam Sandler held one end of the limbo stick and his friend (an actor Erin knows but I don't) held the other end for all the kids. The parents went wild taking photos. I took a shameless paparazzi shot from afar. It was hard with all those parents getting in the way.