Some New and Some Traditions in October

The blog has been so spotty lately.  I don't have time to post because I am out there enjoying post able events and trips.  Anywhoo, let's get caught up, shall we?

First up, something new!  We stayed in our first AirBnB.  We were trying to camp with Jeremy and Rene' and Larry and Shelly.  We couldn't find a date, then we couldn't get reservations, finally we scrapped the camping and went to the city and stayed in the Big Red House.

Our house was cute and it was cozy because when we arrived our friends had cocktails and seafood risotto waiting for us. The drive was rainy, windy with serious traffic.

Saturday morning the sun came out and we went for breakfast at Belltown Brewery.

We visited the market.

I wanted the pretty peppers but I didn't want to carry them all day.  

We wandered downtown and then took the monorail to Seattle Center.  We had a lovely visit at the Chihuly Garden and Glass. I love that place,  It never gets old.

 The garden has matured since our last visit.

Mr. Chihuly has a trailer collection too.

We had tickets to go to the top of the Space Needle at 4:30.  Perfect time for us and we were excited to see the new glass floor.  Warning: If you sell me a ticket for a 4:30 time slot and then I have to wait in line for 2+ hours, it won't be pretty.  We got a refund and left it for next time.  

On to the Rhein Haus for some bocci ball, the Huskie game on TV, beer and dinner. It turned out to be their Octoberfest that evening.  Oh my!  That was fun.

It was so good to have time with our trailer friends in the city. I love these peeps!

Karen and I have a tradition of making dinner for each other for our birthdays.  We fuss.
It was a special birthday for her this October.

We do a new cocktail, dinner, presents, candles and cake, in other words, we celebrate the birthday girl.

Hubby made us Silver Bells for our cocktail.  We have had them at Oliver's Lounge.  They were created for a hospital Seattle Christmas Gala and have become a tradition for that event.

Hubby and I have a tradition of camping at Silver Lake in the fall. It's just the two of us and we play cards, cook, nap and read and hike and nap and read again.  It's perfect.

This year was really perfect as the sunshine was glorious, and the fall color has been amazing this year.  Since it was October, we couldn't rent a canoe.

Pork loin and twice baked potatoes on the bucket grill for dinner, yum!

Cooking in a Dutch oven is new to us.  I bought a Dutch oven for Hubby at a swap meet this year and he was wanting to try it. He took a class on Dutch Oven cooking at Nile Valley from Scott and Renee, so he had some knowledge.

He decided to try biscuits and gravy.  Full disclosure on biscuits and gravy and Hubby and I... we only allow ourselves to have it once a year.  It's yummy and fattening and we know that. Once I know we are having it I don't want to be disappointed with burnt gravy and gooey biscuits.  Right?

No disappointment here.  Oh my goodness, it was delicious.  We use Jimmy Dean hot sausage and a lot of black pepper.

And since biscuits and gravy weren't enough we also drove to Glacier for Wake'n Bakery coffee and cookies. It took a lot of hiking to justify biscuits and gravy and cookies.

Reading in the sunshine, yes please.

We have a small heater, flannel sheets and wool blankets to keep us warm.  It's fun to camp in the fall and cozy up. There were two other campsites with campers so it's quiet.

Morning coffee is pretty dreamy when you're camping.  Photo credit goes to Hubby.

 Good stuff and a lot of fun.  Now we are home and Annie is winterized and ready to go into the carport for the rainy season.  I am subbing quite a bit and Hubby has a new schedule.
Fall and home feel good.

And It's September

And it's September and it's half over, just like that. I love September! Especially after a dry, smokey, hot August. Meh. Let's get caught up.

Becky came to town so the Pie Pals got together for pie and laughs.

Jodi hosted and Becky helped with the pie baking which included picking the black berries. I never knew a Southern gal would care so much about harvesting black berries by the side of the road. Now I know. They were delicious berries.

I didn't have my first day of school until the 14th.  Last year as a sub it was the 15th so now I am going to assume the first two weeks of September are a good time to vacation.  Or to clean my house, do yard work, change out our closet for fall, do the big Costco shop or just flake out and then panic when I get busy.

The week after Labor Day is the Mt. Baker Vintage Trailer Rally in Lynden.  Since Jeremy and Rene' now run that rally they come on Monday and stay with us.  A good time was had by all.  I couldn't get a picture of all five trailers in our drive way but it did happen and they did fit.

 On Tuesday, Hubby and I set up Annie at the fairgrounds so we could come and go all week.  Our friends all come to town so we had field trips to Edaleen Dairy and Overflow Taphouse and to our house.

There were 213 trailers this year, including a modified vintage horse trailer.

They did beautiful work and I loved it.

I didn't take many photo walks so I don't have too many trailer pics.  I generally ride my bike at this rally. I love this little green trailer from Poland.

Liz brought The Barclay to the rally and she'd gone from beachy to campy theme.  I love that she changed her decor on Wednesday and arrived on Thursday.

The trailer with pink and wallpaper is darling.

Nancy takes her garden with her wherever she goes.

Good times with our tribe!  We always dress up for Open House on Saturday.

My friend Marzi drove from Tennessee this year.  She says she is not doing it next year but I think she'll get lonely for me and change her mind. I bought her a special glass for her Bees' Knees cocktail.

Oh Liz!  I am so happy you could join us this year.  We had too much fun and we won't wait a year to see you again.  Dinner soon?

Steve had fun with his Honda 90 and antlers. We had a Honda 90 growing up and I went right down memory lane thinking of my Dad's Honda at hunting camp.

We enjoyed a luau hosted by Jeremy and Rene'.  It was the largest potluck ever. The photo booth, the music and the fashions were fantastic.

There were a lot of Sisters on the Fly at the rally so we called them over for a group photo.

Of course, we are having more fun than anyone.

After unpacking and cleaning Annie, I got her ready for some fall camping.  Flannel sheets and wool blankets, candy corn in a jar, some pumpkins and I'm ready to go.  Hubby and I like to go to Silver Lake in the fall for some hiking and canoeing and relaxing by the fire.

I am loving the rain, doing some fall deep cleaning and settling in for one of our favorite seasons.

Yay for autumn!