My version of acknowledging what happened from 2019-2020 (the pandemic, tragic personal losses, and manny learning opportunities) is to express gratitude for all the hard work that went into helping others in the area we call home. I don’t think I can begin to name all the individuals, restaurants, merchants, and service clubs who quickly took action to ensure others didn’t fall through the cracks in the safety net. Not to mention the school bus drivers who, early on, made sure that our students received meals along with their schoolwork. Also a huge shoutout to our small county’s Health Department. They quickly came up with a plan and executed one heck of a campaign to get as many of us vaccinated as possible. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Please, when you visit the Long Beach Peninsula; go shopping, dine in our restaurants, see a movie at our theater and always enjoy our beaches. Your dollars will have a big impact on our families, businesses, and everything in between.
A Return to This Blog
What a wild ride this past 16 months has been! When others talk about living seasonally and eating locally, I’m not sure they had a pandemic in mind. But here in our little corner of the world, that really “drove” it home for us (ok, yeah…when on lockdown…right?!). In many ways our routines were shattered. This opened the door to creating new routines and opportunities. Think dinner experiments of what we had on hand mixed with our continued work on our property. The best part has been getting to know the patterns of the animals that come and go on our homestead. We have deer, coyotes, black bears, eagles, osprey, owls and a random porcupine. All are magnificent in their own way. Here’s to writing more, sharing more pictures, and spending time with those we love.
Spring has Sprung
Spring in the Pacific Northwest is a moving target. One day it’s warm and inviting, the next day it’s dropping temperatures and rain. Astoria’s Sunday Market is in full swing. Everyone you haven’t seen will be at the market. We usually meet up with a good friend, grab some breakfast and go shopping. Normally, it’s sunny and there are numerous vendors to visit. However, our visit this week was quite the opposite. Our adventure started off with a soft rain that turned into a full on downpour. There were less than half of the normal vendors and only a handful of hearty souls braving the rain. We quickly went to our favorite booths and by the time we were done we looked like drowned rats. We were drenched with a capitol D. We put a pause on the post market mimosas and declared a rain delay. Mother nature has a wicked, torturous sense of humor.
Berries, We have Berries!
Nothing screams summer is here that “Hoodys”. Hood strawberries are little red packages of sweet deliciousness. They have a short peak season of 2-3 weeks. Then they are g-o-n-e. We are old school here. When you get the phone call, you pack up and drive to the nearest farmers market or roadside stand to buy these beautiful berries. The #1 rule: buy twice as much as you think you need. Why? Because half will be eaten on the ride back home. Guaranteed. The rest will be canned into the most amazing jam you have ever tasted. Jam is a labor of love. If we’ve done “it” right; we will have enough to store for winter and to share with friends.
We Have a "Moose" on the Loose!
Last year, two days before Thanksgiving, we welcome a red (yes RED) standard poodle puppy into our home. He is silly, headstrong, and welcomes each day with a huge puppy grin. Have I mentioned he’s big? At 8 months old he is roughly 60lbs. Puppy (aka Human) training has provided us much needed laughter and classic moments. I consider the fact that we survived potty training a huge win for humanity. Everyone, meet MOOSE!
