1 This is the arena where I ride on non-lesson days. I like to be outside as much as possible. Lately, I've been riding at least half the time without stirrups. This practice really helps me communicate better with my seat, and be more confident. If I lose my stirrups, it's no big deal. Also good for balance, that's for sure! I've almost gotten launched off Emmy if we don't do a smooth transition down from canter to trot ;)
2 Emmy's hoof, treated with Thrushtox to prevent thrush, an infection of the frog (the triangle part which is soft) during the wet months.
3 Wheat roosting with Calvin.
4 Fires every night now.
5 Still rowing! This is a good split for me over 6000 meters.
6 Soccer practice for Ben - getting dark early now.
7 My favorite little house. I think it's the size of our huge 10 man tent.
8 An impromptu Wed night fire and s'mores. Before dinner. Thanks to Larry for pizza - awesome!
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12 Kris and her "boy" Toby :)
13 Huge spider web up in the trees.
14 Trying to help organize decisions around funding school grants.I created a matrix to provide a score for each as a way to communicate opportunities for improving the grant if it isn't funded.
15 Our family has a long history of NOT winning at Bingo Night! It continued this year!
16 The sun is shining somewhere in Seattle!
17 Soccer has been VERY wet every Saturday! But this doesn't stop the kids from having fun.
18 Thank you, coaches!
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20 Sam leading dry land for his team before a game.
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22 And sewing name plates on to the jerseys - thank you, Lisa!
23 Score sheet training.
24 Dave helping with score sheet and clock training, Dan in the penalty box. Every home game has at least 4 volunteer jobs to fill, not to mention helping in the locker room to keep a lid on things!
25 Fans!
26 Great game, guys!
27 A wet November.
28 We spotted Sam doing dry land up in the bleachers!
29 And a little of the game action...
30 Wheat is still around! I'm STIIIIL helping her get closer and closer to eating with the other birds.
31 But, each day is a miracle that she's still fine, and working toward being happy. She gets warm soup, oatmeal, hand feedings AND waterings usually every day. If not hand feeding, then private time in the coop with food and water if I'm pressed for time. She does need to take some responsibility for eating and drinking on her own...
32 Ben's bag is huge, but he carries it all by himself!
33 My campsite in our woods.
34 Last soccer practice.
35 Out on a 6 mile run with a friend. Then to stick and puck...
36 This is our truck with gear for 4!
37 Awesome pictures taken by Sharon, the team manager for a team up in Everett. She takes such great pictures. Enjoy these outtakes of Sam.
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39 That's goalie and friend, Ethan.
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51 This is our buddy Carver.
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54 Happy Sam!
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64 Sam and his buddy Eli.
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74 Pizza and hot chocolate. I think there were 9 hockey boys at stick and puck on Veteran's Day?
75 Sweaty, hungry boys. They did stick and puck and then stayed for open skate. I think I was there 5.5 hours!
76 But - I had good company. That's Dee in the background, in purple, also taking pictures.
77 We had a VERY funny time watching the boys take up "figure skating" because they kept getting in trouble for being boys out on the ice. Thankfully, the figure skater they were teasing had a good sense of humor. Dee and I were sitting in the lobby laughing our tails off watching the boys do some excellent synchronized figure skating maneuvers!
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79 They'd go off ice and convene by the door to strategize - a figure skating huddle - then come back on the ice and follow the leader with graceful movements. One of the boys held court with figure skater, chatting and chatting and chatting her up. So funny...
80 Then to PetCo to check out snakes. Sam would LOVE a snake for Christmas.
81 This one. It only gets to be 4'-5' long. It's much cheaper than an Xbox. And it's not an Xbox. Which has me totally on board. Dave - not so much. I can see my life now - stopping at PetCo for feeder mice, then Taco Del Mar for feeder burritos for boys, on the way home from the rink. Think that mouse would stay in the box? The little box it comes in, by the way, looks like a Chinese food take-out box. ICK!
82 I learned Morse code this fall, so every morning the boys give me a pop quiz.
83 At the rink...again!
84 Josh is in goal tonight.
85 This is the week of missing equipment for Ben. I was chasing and chasing elbow pads and gloves...
86 Back at a wet soccer game
87 Caden manning the penalty box for us at a game in Lynnwood. Thank you, Caden! This was our toughest game yet. In fact, our only loss so far. It was an excellent opportunity for the boys to see some good hockey and step up their own game. We did well against this team, holding them to three goals.
88 Eating donuts after the game. Then to dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory.
89 Our score sheet. I email this in to the league after the home games.
90 Dinner...madness...loud...but fun.
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92 Group wall sits!
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94 I made soup. Actual soup. Not from a can. It was delicious...enjoyed that for a week!
95 And pot roast. I'm actually cooking. Can you believe it?
96 Happy Ben with his buddy Sam. (not his brother!)
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98 Getting to see snow-covered peaks on the drive home from the rink. We do an awful lot of driving for hockey, but thankfully there are great views to had
99 A trip to the commissary - this was $397! Isn't that AMAZING? I love shopping with the boys. They are very helpful and really pretty good shoppers!
100 Ben was in charge of the $5 tip for our helper who brings the cart to the truck (a custom). We're asking him for the money. He said "huh?" We're like "WHAT?" It's late on a Sunday...time to get home and eat. And the $5 is buried UNDER a bag? He thought it would be fun for the lady to find the money and wonder if it was hers. Cute...sorta ;) Sam's face says it all!
101 A game for Ben...
102 This little fence was made by the same person who made ours, years ago. I can tell that each slat in the fence is hand carved - each one is different. There are about three of these on the north end of the island. I wonder who the carpenter was?
103 I'm reading a biography of Teddy Roosevelt, and find passages of his life out west very interesting. He is a fine example of someone who seizes life by both horns.
104 Ben - second grade picture.
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106 Emmy getting her teeth floated.
107 She had to be sedated for this.
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109 Last berries of the season!
110 Ribollita cooking.
111 Also teaching the boys some new words while sharing some Economist articles. I like defenestrate. To throw someone out of a window. You can use that every day, right? Or to depose someone from power.
112 Feeding Wheat is an adventure. This particular morning she JUMPED onto my hands!
113 I'm like - Ok! Here we are?
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115 Soup is done! Yum.
116 Testing out doing ice cream floats for a fundraiser. I think the kids like them!
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118 This is our first hard frost.
119 Emmy hates selfies, but this one isn't bad!
120 Time for a blanket (she's clipped, Dad!). Horses that work hard and sweat benefit from being clipped so they dry off sooner. But it also means you need to keep them blanketed.
121 Moon over the roller rink during a parents vs. kids soccer game.
122 Taking end of season pictures for Ben's soccer team. Look who's photobombing! I didn't even notice Sam in the back. He's so funny standing there in his hoodie, quietly.
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127 Tincturing rosemary in vodka. If you ever do this - it tinctures in 30 sec. It's very fast. Pull that rosemary right out or it will be very very pungent.
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129 Beautiful sunset from the rink parking lot.
130 This is made of caribou, folks, FIVE caribou, hunted by this man on the North Slope in Alaska.
131 Dave on the way to a hockey game.
132 Ben played goalie for a game!
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134 The rink lobby as the sun passes through during a peaceful late afternoon practice. Yes, we're there a lot. It helps to find beauty in the place :)
135 Doing some more wood chopping for my friend Sara. We made it through her whole pile in the rain, and made kindling, too. The boys were a big help.
136 The boys do kindling while I do the big stuff. I think we chopped a cord of wood over two afternoons.
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138 Good kindling, Sam!
139 I really got stuck in this one!
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141 We bring a wide variety of axes for the job.
142 Hmmm...another head lamp is out.
143 I saw these at Jiffy Mart after chopping wood and had to buy ALL THREE! I am such a sucker. These three are me to a T when hungry. The boys would say any time...they are just me always. Maybe they're right ;)
144 Huge wind storm on the island a few days ago toppled trees and shut down power to this signal on our road. We decided to go to practice anyway because we didn't have power. Turns out the worst part of the drive was the .5 miles from our house to the signal.
145 Back at home for candles, fire, martinis and some music before an early bedtime.
146 Riding the next day - thankfully the wind had calmed and power came on for Thanksgiving.
147 I love Emmy's soft nose. Should I confess my Thanksgiving wish? Early in the morning, before power came on, I found myself awake around 4:30am. I was thinking about how epic it would be to have a Thanksgiving without power, with friends and neighbors popping over to use propane cooking stoves, grills, fires, my turkey on a spit, or in a deep fryer, and all the fun that would be. Just as I was thinking that, the power came on! Darn!
148 Emmy in her new cooler.
149 The little paddock I muck after riding.
150 The boys got extra stick and puck time after practice because the next team after us decided to cancel practice.
151 Taking the boys to frozen yogurt - in the winter - for lunch. Turns out no one really does that. We were the second customer of the day, at noon.
152 Going shopping at Safeway, on Thanksgiving Eve, to get all our stuff. We did really well! The boys had specific things to find, and their own carts. No one got a hairy eyeball, no fights, no screeching, and Ben only ran Sam down from behind once. (Ben tears around stores with his cart.)
153 Sam chasing me down so he can find a bathroom.
154 Looking for Whoppers to make Whopper pie...
155 At the checkout - we survived!
156 Mom and Richard arrive to a royal mess!
157 Richard and I are going to hit it hard outside to clean up from the storm.
158 I think I'm ready for company?
159 Wheat eating the last of the ribollita.
160 I'm splitting wood - enough will be in this wheelbarrow for a few days.
161 After an hour of splitting. Maybe less. I don't know - Richard and I were talking about projects, like blowing the stuff out of the gutters, fixing the headlamp on the truck, etc.
162 Trying to get a holiday hug from Sam. GOOD LUCK!
163 This is as good as it gets!
164 Full moon :)
165 Red leaves ready for Christmas.
166 On a beach walk midway through a run. It was cold, but warm in the sun. I was hoping to find some picture jasper or agate.
167 I really cannot take a selfie to save my soul. So why try?
168 This little trailer is cute.
169 Richard and I are burning the downed pine limbs from around the property while turkey cooks inside (THANK YOU, DAVE!)
170 Kinda smoky when you put green stuff on the fire.
171 Mom is a huge help!
172 Richard and Mom by the fire...first full day visiting up here. They're starting to get used to the cold.
173 Dave visiting our "camp" and inspecting the shenanigans. Also hoping I will come inside soon to set the table ;)
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176 Off to fix the truck headlamp...before setting the table. Dave is saying "It's sooo not time for that." But - I think since I know what I'm doing now, it won't take 35 min. It only took 12 min.
177 Done!
178 Good embers there.
179 Turkey done!
180 I did throw on some earrings and took off my filthy jacket for dinner. Oh, and put my hair up. I came out to ooohs and aaaahs from mom, but then someone noticed grease on my face. I kept it on through dinner to see if the kids would notice and they DIDN'T! Dave's assessment - it's just par for the course for them to see something odd on me. ha! Maybe he's got a point.
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182 Here we are at the Thanksgiving weekend tournament - playing PeeWees! We're a year or two younger, and playing Canadian teams, knowing full well we're going to be whooped. But, it's ice time! And a good chance to raise some money selling baked goods!
183 Lisa is baker extraordinaire!
184 Go ladies! Thank you so much for pulling together on this!
185 Getting ready to hit the ice.
186 Checking in with Mark to see if he's ready to take the reins on the bake sale table while we watch the game. He had an epic shift!
187 Testing the goods, Mark?
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189 Ok - the Canadians had 66 goals to our 1 so far!
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193 After-game snacks!
194 Hi guys! Thanks for taking a shift between games!
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196 These guys are less than energetic salespeople!
197 A game of hockey shuffleboard?
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199 Boys can always find a way to have fun.
200 We killed 6 hours at the rink between games, selling baked goods and playing outside.
201 This is a nice view, isn't it?
202 Dry land :)
203 Sunset over the Olympics. Wish I were out on them!
204 Sam chasing a puck down.
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206 Standings!
207 Root beer floats were a big seller at the end!
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211 This is how Emmy greets me! Ears back.
212 Kinda dirty.
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214 I got rear-ended...bike rack can't be taken off. USAA very good to us.
215 Getting teeth repaired. I think this story is online. Look up Thanksgiving weekend. It was a whipped cream fight!
216 In the dentist's office. Also a Roosevelt fan! And a whipped cream fighter!