saskatoons and raspberries

saskatoons and raspberries, originally uploaded by Sophie_vf.

I was complaining to Liz, a fellow Flickr-er who lives in my area, that we almost never get any saskatoons and what little the bushes produce, the birds eat. This is the first year I have ever seen them in any abundance - I think partly due to the rain, partly due to a large hawk that has taken up residence in our green strip. I haven't seen the usual numbers of small birds that are resident here, normally clustering around our feeder, then moving on to the bushes.

Saskatoons are quite small at the best of times, but they're larger than usual this year, and actually look kind of juicy.

Because we're not used to looking for berries on this bush, there are quite a few that have started to dry out before we even noticed they were there. This is the beauty of these berries, for wildlife anyway - they dry out right on the bush, and stay there - they don't fall off and rot. So they're available for birds through the winter (assuming they haven't been consumed yet) and I imagine this must also have been useful for the First Nations people in this area as well.



They're small and a bit fussy to pick, and I'm not really planning on doing a lot with them - some people make jam, syrup or wine - but they're nice to snack on. Maybe they need to sit on a dollop of whipped cream, though.

While you were sleeping

We've been catching up on sleep, one of the things I love most about being in Langley.

It looks an awful lot like this earlier version. Perhaps, because the features of his face are still so familiar to my eye, I can't help coming up with something very similar. 

 

new marks, originally uploaded by Sophie_vf.

hillbilly camp

a pellet gun, four acres, and plastic bowling pin on a fencepost. Enough said.

burnt offerings and pagan rites

no holiday is complete without the festival of fire, along with the inventiveness of roasting things never meant to be roasted. Like potato chips.

marshmallows yes. Party mints...um...

 

taste test of chips brushed with barbecue sauce. Which seems an inefficient way of getting barbecue chips, with an apparently underwhelming result.

but the best part, at least for these two - the ritual of dousing the fire, with suitable pagan anointings, chants, and paeans, and no doubt a guarantee towards successful barbecues in the future.  

  

old room

In order to have a full three weeks in Langley as opposed to the inadequate and depressing two I had last summer, I had to commit to making sure I got some work done while I was there. It's strangely comforting to have the desk Dad built me when I was in university the first time, now pressed into service as my workstation. I have data to analyze and a presentation to write. Thank goodness for a small laptop and Dad's wireless connection!

rooting around my room, I found a box of index cards I used for writing my undergrad thesis lo, a full generation ago, where you actually searched through abstracts by walking through shelves of books looking for the desired volume. I don't miss those days and am thrilled by the ability to search the university library database on line, and export them to Endnote. Still, the cards have a certain nostalgic quality to them, as does the interlibrary loan request slip.

Landed in Langley

 I am rarely awake at 5 in the morning to watch the sun rise, but getting up for an early flight to Langley is one reason to enjoy it.

 

and as usual, I always feel a pang of nostalgia when the Fraser Valley comes into view with Mount Baker in the background. I can never refrain from pointing out the effects of glaciation to the kids. 

Langley, as forecast, was warm and sunny with high probability of cake!

not to mention children

and very big fuzzy dogs

with cake continuing throughout the day:

July cousinpalooza

Mira, Emma and Rosa came to visit in early July - and oh yeah, they brought their moms with them. The weather was great, finally, after all that rain and the kids were able to spend a lot of time outside.

It's great they're at the age where we can just send them out on their own to the park behind the house. This is the last time they'll get to play on this set, though - the city is slowly taking out all the wooden playsets and replacing them. Something shiny and new will be here next summer!

 meantime, Mamapalooza took place in the house while Trish showed Isabel how to scrapbook. So many great and simple ideas that made Isabel's pics of the Vancouver Olympics and Rosa's dance performances really stand out. Meanwhile, Mom stuck to the tried and true - watercolour painting.

 Lots of porch time with Sami!

 

 and Mom, Isabel and I braved the unnaturally green coulees - which were also unnaturally infested with mosquitoes.  It was even worse down below where the grass was tall, and not much better once we got up top. We went through a lot of mosquito repellent on possibly the most unpleasant walk I've ever made visitors take. 

 Mom's painting workshop with the kids!

Seriously, I should find a way to display these properly. Kids were pretty pleased with themselves.

Isabel's picture, I think.

eventually she got some cooperation!

and I think Trish took this one - we can file this under Feats of Strength/stupid kid tricks.