Kingfisher Cove

I'm a Dork (uhm, again...)

So, last night was our company party and JDub and I both got pretty decked out and the ONLY PICTURE taken of the evening was this one:

 

And that was before very many people arrived — there were eventually about 600 people there! Most of us women were dressed in black. There were a number of 1940s sailor outfits, elegant era gowns and hats, gangsters, you-name-it. It was actually very entertaining to watch everyone. The food was pretty good (nummy salmon, roast beef, salads, etc.) and two free drinks each! (We didn't spend a dime!) Around the time that my (our) feet were about to kill us, we finally ran into my beloved boss, Ms. Jodie Foster, and her husband. First time I'd met him — such a nice guy! The four of us chatted for quite some time — standing — feet continuing to burn. It was nice, a great venue, and included a casino (black jack, craps and roulette), as well as dancing to a live band. However, we left soon after dinner due to 1) sore feet and 2) JDub had to get up at the butt-crack of dawn to go to work. I was perfectly OK with that. Not much of a partier anymore...

Then today, my friend Helen came to visit! She'd been up from Oregon to see her mom and came by on her way back home (although she had to make a detour north before heading south!) She brought me a pumpkin from her garden (and a Rocky Mountain chocolate bar — she was recently in Denver for a horticultural conference). No picture of the two of us, but here's one of the pumpkin! Will I carve it? Hmmm. Nate has offered to have his artist friend paint it for me. That could be cool. Or if I get the hankering, just maybe I'll do one of those carvings with a stencil. Nothing too elaborate as I'm just not an elaborate kind of girl. (And I hate cleaning out pumpkin innards!)

Got a pork roast in the crock pot. Sure smells good...

What an Amazing Picture

100,000 attend an Obama rally in St. Louis, MO:

Wow.

Awesome October

The bulk of this month (as well as September) has been better than all the summer months combined! Man, it's been great! (Well, at least weather-wise...) For the most part, I measure that by the weekends, but the work weeks have been nice, too. The downside is that it sure does get dark early now. Sigh. (And I hate forcing myself out of bed on dark mornings!)

And so it's yet another lovely Saturday, but it's one that JDub's stuck at work and I'm at home doing laundry (but otherwise being sort of lazy after a long week...)

Tonight is our company party and this year it's at the Seattle Museum of Flight. Sounds like it'll be a rather fancy affair — the theme is the 1940s so people are encouraged to dress from that era, otherwise "just shy of black tie." Should be fun to see lots of gangsters and Rita Hayworths milling about. I didn't want to spring for something vintage so I just got myself a black handkerchief-hem skirt and a somewhat fancy black top. JDub will wear his suit and fancy tie, but I know he's not particularly looking forward to this, considering that he's working these 12-hour days and it'll probably mean he'll miss his nap today. I doubt we'll stay very late because he'll need to get up at four-effing-thirty tomorrow morning to head back to work...

Nate and I received our mail-in ballots and he's already voted! I will this weekend, too — why wait? Just wish doing so would then turn off all the annoying campaign ads!

Funny!

Did you see the video of Obama and McCain roasting themselves/each other at that white-tie event sponsored by....something to do with the Catholic church? (It's some kind of tradition the month prior to a presidential election). OMG! I laughed my lips off! It was sure a lot more entertaining than the debates, let me tell you! Obama totally cracked me up! And to be perfectly fair, McCain did, too! (I do believe we saw a more "sincere" side of both of them, and it was enlightening). (Note: There may be a very brief commercial prior to each of these videos).

Obama's still my guy, though:

And I loved what the Washington Post's endorsement of Obama had to say —  this passage really summed it up nicely:

"....Mr. Obama's temperament is unlike anything we've seen on the national stage in many years. He is deliberate but not indecisive; eloquent but a master of substance and detail; preternaturally confident but eager to hear opposing points of view. He has inspired millions of voters of diverse ages and races, no small thing in our often divided and cynical country. We think he is the right man for a perilous moment."

You Gotta Love Joe the Plumber!

Never before in the history of my life have I had much any interest in the presidential/vice-presidential debates. But I haven't missed a single one this year. It's with dread and trepidation that I view them on MSNBC and watch/partake in live Twitter commentary along the way — dread and trepidation because I get so sick to death of listening to McCain's denture-whistling! Gah! Drives me bonkers! (Well, that and his incessant blinking and all his facial ticks and twitches and sneers...) And he thinks that Sarah Palin's baby has Autism? I don't believe it was just a stumble, either, because he brought it up a couple of times. Autism. Not Down's Syndrome. Clueless!

I just honestly feel that Obama is so much more presidential, so much more sincere, and so much more under control (really, without effort — during the time Obama spoke, McCain's cheek twitched bizarrely as if trying uber-hard to hold back "F" bombs). There was a perfect opportunity for Obama to lambaste Palin's qualifications to be president, and he took the high road. I think he was wisely aware that he didn't have to go there — the public already is there.

Bottom line: What Obama says resonates. It's common sense. It's intelligent. I don't envy him having to tackle the mess this country is in, but I do believe he can handle it.

"That one."

Last Time to Use the Word "Stellar" for Nine Months?

It sure has been — man what an awesome weekend! I'm currently sitting outside on the deck at the little cafe table (with a baseball cap to shade the sun from my eyes!) and a pine squirrel is in a tree in the bird habitat area scolding me (for existing, I suppose). AND, a seal is gliding by in the Sound right in front of me. Top that why dontcha! It's a wee bit brisk (definitely sweatshirt weather), but oh-so-pleasant and oh-so-beautiful. As I know I've mentioned many times, I so appreciate not hearing traffic or sirens or even dealing with power lines that uglify the scenery.

With life scary right now (what with the stock market and major losses in our retirement funds), at least we have this place to come to. It might be a while longer before we can live here than we planned/hoped, but at least we have it to soothe away our stresses on the weekends. Sigh.

It was five years ago this month that we bought this property here on Harstine. These are all the Harstine agates (plus a little bit of beach glass) we've found in that time!

A little perspective!

I Smell of Sage, Lavender, and Rosemary

So, remember this? I'd say it looks a tad better, don't you? And I actually refrained from getting brutal and trimming hacking it down to nubbins, such as I am wont to do:

I encountered the ugliest slug I've ever seen in the midst of my efforts. Good God! I grabbed a shovel and heaved that horrid thing over the bank. (What is the point of slugs? Shudder).

In the meantime, JDub was on the roof sealing it and (hopefully!) preventing any more leaks! (Our bed was damp again last night and required a couple of hours of aiming an oscillating electric heater + hair dryer).

Mojo was aware of JDub on the roof and I'm surprised he didn't join him up there!

Sure was gorgeous once the fog lifted. We all walked on the beach for a little while (cat included). It was absolutely awesome and we found a bunch of agates.

Mmmm.

100 Days

I remember when I first put this countdown ticker on my site, there were over 900 days!

It's chilly and foggy this morning at Harstine Island. The air is so saturated you can hear dripping in the trees and bushes. It's supposed to eventually burn off and then it'll be a beautiful fall day. 

When that happens, I am SO trimming the sage (and lavender). It's all completely out of hand and encroaching on the gravel path.

So, we now arrive in the dark on Friday nights. JDub hauls in our gear by the headlights on the Durango.  This time, Mojo caught the bus! (In the nick of time!) He slept inside the trailer throughout the night, but he's now out there somewhere slinking through the fog.

In Spite of Everything, I'm Feeling Hopeful

Aside from the spiraling economy/stock market — which I'm choosing to deal with a healthy dose of denial (and steering clear of my 401(k) statement) — I do at least feel cautiously optimistic about the political climate because of recent poll results. It's easy to get dispirited with this example of an America that is completely alien to me, nor would I ever want to be a part of: 

I know there are many areas where this is prevalent and it scares the crap out of me. But I'm thankful — hopeful — that the vast majority of Americans are much more enlightened than this. Please be more enlightened than this. Kthnx.

Some Things To Look Forward To

1. I figured we wouldn't be heading to Harstine Island this weekend, because one of JDub's coworker-managers lost her 22-year-old son (yet another 22-year-old!) in a car accident this week. I don't even know this woman and I just reel for her! And since her significant other is another manager there at Da Airplane Company, I totally assumed that their absences would make it such that the other managers would need to fill in for them and so weekends off would probably not be forthcoming for a while (although strike negotiations will be starting up again, Thank God!) Certainly understandable. But due to various reasons, I guess that won't be the case and so much to my surprise we will be heading to Harstine tomorrow night. I can hardly wait. The weather is supposed to even be....OK. I mean, it's October after all, but it does sound like it'll be mostly dry.
2. JDub bought concert tickets to see "OneRepublic" in Seattle on November 11th. We really like them! And what's cool is that their opening band is Augustana, whom we also really like. (We'll probably once again — like the Snow Patrol concert — be two of the oldest farts there, as Nate has mentioned that many people he knows his age really like OneRepublic...)
3. I'd been hearing a tune on The Mountain that caught my ear and finally today I learned who the artist is — Missy Higgins, who is one hot ticket in Australia. I love her voice. Tonight I listened to snippets from her album and decided I wanted the CD (never mind just downloading the MP3 album, I want the CD!)  

Signs of the Times

Nate was home from work by 8:30 tonight — unheard of. Reason? Nobody's eating at upscale restaurants, at least during the middle of the week anymore. Rumors of "cutbacks" are swirling around my (and JDub's) ears. Much of the revenue where I work is dependent on public funds, and guess what? Public funds are drying up in a big hurry.

This is getting scary. And I absolutely refuse to peer at my 401(k) statement. I think it would spiral me into a major depression. ("Trillions" of dollars have been lost in retirement funds, according to the news).

And so, I've allowed myself to be distracted by the building demolition across the parking lot from our office. It's been fascinating! I just love watching all the heavy-duty equipment and see the asphalt all pulverized and the building a'tumblin' down. It definitely takes my mind off the stress of life right now: