Kingfisher Cove

Friday Night NOT at Harstine

This is the very first Memorial Day weekend we haven’t spent at Harstine Island since we’ve had the property. It feels weird and sad, but the weather is so shitty that we’d just be miserable. Today has been relentless rain and wind and COLD. In fact, I read that we have had a significantly colder spring than both Alaska and Norway! And while the rest of the weekend is supposed to slightly improve, it’s still gonna be wet and cold. It’s really a shame that it’s been so bad all week because John took the week off to accomplish some house projects. He was able to replace some gutters, which was a major feat (his sore muscles are evident of that), but there are still more to do. Plus he needs to paint them. Seems like every outdoor project he does gets interrupted by the weather.

He continues to putter with the house design, and here it is with some trees!

That’s not all of them, mind you. And yes, a few will need to be cut down to accommodate the house, but not nearly as many if we hadn’t won the variance to build a little closer to the water — otherwise, all those trees behind the house in the picture would have had to come down. We love these trees! They are very tall and substantial and they’re homes to so many birds and squirrels.

Last night, I cooked us up some Copper River Salmon!! (It was pricey, but not horrifically so, and very much worth it!) Oh, num, there is no salmon like Copper River. It’s so rich and moist and flavorful, and it doesn’t have the sometimes-bitter after taste that some salmon does. I prefer to charcoal grill it, but I baked it (due to the frickin’ weather). It’s actually the same method, though, except on the grill I do use foil.

First, I spread a layer of mayonnaise over it (I use reduced fat).

Then I season it. I use the following:

• Johnny’s Dock Seasoning
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Dill weed
• Smoked paprika

This was a one-pound fillet, and I baked it at 375 deg. for 25 minutes.

It melts in your mouth like butter. And oh! The flavor!

Out. Of. This. World.

 

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Technorati Tags: Harstine Island,Memorial Day weekend,Copper River Salmon

Trying to Stay Warm

Mojo keeping an eye on the bird feeders while warming up (don’t they call that “killing two birds….”?)

We finally had a window of opportunity to enjoy a deck fire this morning, even though it was brisk. (We attempted it last night, too, but only lasted for a few minutes — turns out it was 42 deg. outside plus breezy! Brrrr!) Man, it’s frustrating. And it doesn’t look like Memorial Day weekend is going to be worth coming down here. More crap weather in the forecast.

We’ll be heading home shortly, but I did get one of my writing assignments for that internet marketing course finished this morning. I’d been dreading the idea, wondering how motivated I’d be here at Harstine, but it was fine. Probably because the weather isn’t great. It also helped that I didn’t have to sink into hissy fits over the internet connection. It would have been impossible to do without MacGyver’s fix.

But boy do I need to have a fill! How do people with uber-long nails manage to type? I’m hittin’ the num3er keys.

Oh, just because…here are the Harstine agates (and some beach glass) we’ve collected over the past seven years! (No chance weather- or tide-wise to find any this weekend).

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Technorati Tags: Harstine Island

MacGyver Fixed My Internets!

I think it was last November or so that we had a strong wind storm that bent the antenna on top of our camping trailer here at Harstine that is connected to the cell signal booster (so that my AT&T 3G device “somewhat” works and I can kinda/sorta get internet connection). Since that antenna’s been bent all these months, my internet access here has been really bad, but this weekend has been the worst ever. What’s strange is that my iPhone works just fine and it’s the same technology. Go figure. Anyway, it would take a good ten minutes for Facebook to load up (if at all), and then it would only be a partial load and completely hang. Twitter refused to load — just kept getting the “connection timed out” notice over and over again. And my blog? Fuggitaboudit! Any site with photos was kaput. If I did succeed in getting somewhere eventually, I sure as hell couldn’t risk going anywhere else!

I’m not sure why this weekend was so much worse than others, but I think that FINALLY John got really taaaard (hi, Anne!) of hearing the angry stream of cuss words spewing from my mouth. (Oh yes, I can definitely cuss!) So he climbed up on the roof in the wind, bringing along with him a fishing pole. Uhm, yes, a fishing pole.

I worried that my anger/frustration/cussing that led up to this action would result in a horrific accident for which I could never forgive myself. Thankfully (oh, so thankfully) that didn’t come to pass.

So afterward, when I didn’t have to worry anymore, I asked him about the fishing pole. I still don’t know exactly how he used it, but it had to do with grabbing hold of a guy wire that had also snapped loose in that wind storm. I wish I’d taken a picture of that! Neighbors must’ve wondered, “What’s John doing casting a fishing pole from the trailer roof?” Kind of makes me giggle. “You might be a redneck if…”

Otherwise, the weather still sucks. There’s hope for tomorrow, though. Huh.

Mojo’s Efforts To Date

• One live mouse. (Brought it inside, it got loose, Bailey caught it and shook/killed it. All within less than one second).
• One pile o’guts. (Awaiting John this morning).
• One dead mouse whole, not disemboweled. Likely, it was another live one Mojo brought inside during the middle of the night, it got loose, and he lost interest and Bailey nabbed it. Bailey is an amazing mouse-killer, and much more merciful than Mojo.

Must have worn out that cat because he has been sleeping on the bed All. Day. Long. (He doesn’t like this weather, either).

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Technorati Tags: Harstine Island,3G,MojoTheCat

Grumpy at Harstine

The weather was supposed to be “half-way decent.” Well, they lied. It’s windy, dreary, and COLD. I mean, we have two heaters pumping away inside the camping trailer and every light turned on to try to combat the gloom. Venturing outside is one unpleasant venture. Being stuck inside (yet again) wouldn’t be so bad if my internet connection was even “half-way decent.” It sucks beyond sucking and my current attitude is beyond suckitude.

If I haven’t commented on your blog or I’m sparse on posting to Facebook or Twitter, it’s because every click I make is one of a million “connection timed out” pop-up notices that all feel like a slap across the face, which in turn make me want to shove my foot through my computer monitor.

So, I’m going to go mop floors.

Holy Moly

A whole week has gone by since my last post? How did that happen?

I suppose the reason is because this week was pretty much a repeat of last week (except no stained glass dabbling), diligently writing my articles for that internet marketing writing course. (Yup, Week #3 is under my belt). More watch reviews, and more silly “Buzz” articles about pets, safety, tea, college, science, and video gaming. I realize that I just don’t know a whole lot about much of anything. All of these topics require a buttload of research, that’s for sure. However, I have learned a lot, and one of the things I’ve learned is some discipline. (I’ve never been all that great in that particular area…) I make a goal to be completely finished with my writing assignments by Thursday so I have the “reward” of a three-day weekend. Believe it or not, it makes those four days pretty darned busy. The writing and the research take a lot of time! I’m often still pounding away well into the evenings. (Just wish I was being paid for it…)

Also? If you ever want to fly somewhere with your dog, I’m all over that. Details galore.

I did have a pretty fun — assignment — this week that wasn’t related to the course. John was tasked with writing an article for an internal company newsletter that features personal interests of the Seattle-area managers at Da Airplane Company. So John wrote up a piece about his hydroplane history and then I edited it. (It was a nice change!) Maybe I’ll post it here. (Maybe.)

John’s on vacation! He has all of next week off, and he was also off today for which I was ever so thankful. He came downstairs first this morning and was greeted with a pile of nasty carnage on the landing, thank-you-very-much, Mojo. It must’ve been especially horrendous because it even grossed out John, and when that happens, you know it has to be Really Bad. Multiple rats, rat leave-behinds, gallons of blood, and more. I won’t go into detail about that because I currently have dinner cooking and I just, well, I can’t go there. Ew. What is so amazing to us is that Mojo never has a drop of blood on his white paws, his white bib, his white belly, or his white mustache. Ever. (Perhaps Proctor and Gamble should patent cat spit?)

So….the weather is crappy. It may improve Sunday for a couple of days, so our plan is to head down to Harstine either tomorrow afternoon or possibly Sunday morning, and then wing it for as long as the half-way decent weather lasts. What a strange May it’s been. (Had yet another wind storm this week! Very unusual).

Hey, I found my baby fork! You should’ve seen it; it was pitch black with tarnish, so I polished it with a silver cloth and voila! This cute lil’ puppy is over half a century old! *Gulp*

 

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Technorati Tags: Harstine Island,internet marketing writing,MojoTheCat,vacation

Harstine Friday

John got off work a little early and we headed down here in beautiful SUNSHINE! However, John discovered soon after we arrived that our buoy is gone. My guess is it came loose during the wind storm we had a couple of weeks ago. Crap! This is the second time this has happened and they’re a real pain to replace.

Just some quick scenes from the day (I have a headache and need my pillow).

It’s Scotch Broom season. It’s every-damned-where. God I hate this stuff. (I learned on Facebook that they actually SELL THIS IN NURSERIES in California! Gag me!)

 

It always feels so great to finally cross the Harstine bridge:

 

I was wondering why we hadn’t seen any birds several hours after I’d filled the feeders. Then I glanced down and had an “aha!” moment:

 

Buddies:

 

And steamers for dinner!! (Learned today that Copper River Salmon has arrived, but get this: It’s $55/pound!! Talk about highway robbery).

(Uhm, dontcha love the “place mat?”)

Alrighty, then. I’m a pumpkin. (And why-oh-why does my head hurt so?) (Hmm, maybe it has something to do with all the Scotch Broom every-damned-where?)

~~~~~

Also, today would have been my mom’s 74th birthday. And she died four years ago today. Four years already.

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Technorati Tags: Harstine Island

John Designs

So, 24/7 (excluding working/sleeping hours, BUT everything in between), John has been wearing the “Architect” hat for these past few weeks and designing our Harstine house (that I sure-as-hell hope we’ll be able to afford, build, and survive long enough to move into some day). We both wish he’d just gone ahead and done this himself from the beginning. Two fired actual architects later, and more money blown than I even want to think about, it seems that John’s really the only one who truly “gets” it. (Uhm, with my input now and then).

He’s using Sketch-Up, a professional architectural design software application which makes it so cool to see it evolve in 3D. I know that for me it’s imperative that I view it this way; traditional floor plans mean diddly squat, since I have no spatial ability whatsoever. (However, it does also include the blueprint element for when the time comes to seek out a contractor).  John has this thing designed down to the rebar in the cement and the trusses in the roof. Oh, and the studs in the walls. He has researched and calculated out structural loads, local codes, and design standards and I’m certain he could probably pass the PE/SE exam, no problemo.

Here are some shots so far. This first one shows how it looks from out (above!) the water:

 

This one shows it straight-on from the beach level. You can see how challenging the site is with that gully the house spans. (There are also many many trees, but they’re hiding):

 

Here is the garage. Yes, it has a roof that matches the rest of the house, but you can see all the detail he put into the structure:

 

This is a cut-away of the kitchen, viewed from standing on the deck (actually hovering above it) and peering through the window. Oh, yes, that kitchen excites me to no end! An island! With a way-cool stove hood! And LOTS AND LOTS of counter space!

 

And finally, this is the view from the top of the road looking down at the back of the house. That black curvy thing on the right is the driveway. Again, all the gazillion trees are in hiding:

An interesting factoid is that the part of the “driveway” closest to you is about where our camping trailer currently exists. Oh, I don’t even want to think about how in the world we’re going to remove that camping trailer. Thumbs in ears and la-la-la-la-la. (John’s thinking the best way will be to torch it. I don’t want to be around if/when that happens…I’d sob).

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Technorati Tags: Harstine Island,Harstine house,retirement,design

I Should be Writing.

Back to my grind of writing product reviews and “Buzz” articles for the internet marketing writing course. Yesterday was relatively productive (finished up two reviews), but today I’m *chinhands* trying to make the cursor bounce along in some meaningful way. It just ain’t goin’ there.

But hey! I did score 100% on last week’s efforts. Likely just to keep us free review/article slaves churners somewhat motivated. I don’t know just how long I’m going to stick with this. Some days I’m thinking it’s a good thing, other days (like today) I have to seriously wonder.

It was nice to have a break over the weekend (and yes, it was a beautiful weekend, just as I suspected it would be since John had to work). I did another stained glass project:

It wasn’t sealed in the frame thing yet, so I had to grasp it with one hand, snap a picture with my iPhone with the other, and hope-hope-hope it didn’t crash to the floor. I’m kind of happy with it. It’s cheerful.

Overall, I have to say, I’m not feeling particularly cheerful. Didn’t hear a word from Nate on Mother’s Day. Now, Mother’s Day isn’t that big of a deal to me, but I admit that it stung not hearing from him. Plus the fact that I don’t have a mom anymore. It was a bit of a pity-party kind of day.

John gave me this gorgeous azalea:

I think we’ll plant it at Harstine. (This COMING weekend. Hopefully).

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Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing Writing Course,Mother's Day,stained glass

Is There Anything Prettier Than An Orchid?

Blub Blub. (Breathe!)

Ha!

And the course synopsis for my internet marketing writing class said this would only take about ten hours per week. My ass! If I’m not researching, thinking, stewing, or writing, I’m dreaming about the damned assignments. That pretty much means 24/7. Well, 24/5. As of right now, I’m DONE for the week. And I feel like I’ve been set free! God.

Each week I have to write three product reviews (this week they were all about high-end watches that I could never afford in a million years) and three “buzz” articles on assigned topics that I know nothing about. I do now. Just ask me about how coastal birds are affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, or how college dining halls have evolved into healthier food options, or how women are increasingly drawn to casual video gaming. I could tell you a thing or two. Oh yes I could. You can even check some out here, here, and here.

I have learned a lot, not only about the particular topics (some that interest me, others that don’t in the least), but mostly about using keywords, tags, and Wordpress for back-end posting (a blogging/writing tool commonly used for commercial and marketing sites). I also have this nagging, increasingly bitter sense that I’m providing free copy for the company behind this course and that they are in turn monetarily benefitting from my [free] efforts. I keep reminding myself that I didn’t have to pay for this course, but I’m not so sure that 12 weeks of this is necessary. That’s a lot of weeks of researching, thinking, stewing, writing, and not sleeping well. AND…the kicker is, from what I’ve seen lately on Elance (the freelance writing site where you bid on freelance writing gigs), the bulk of these types of writing jobs pay pittance. At least I’ll have (and already do) an online writing presence and a portfolio to point to, and I hope that can prove my worth in more lucrative gigs.

Oh. I will be graded! On Monday I’ll find out what my grade is for this week. Gulp.

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And so, of course, this weekend promises to be lovely. Sunshine, relative warmth, blue skies, and NO WIND. And John has to work! I’m bereft!

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Technorati Tags: internet Marketing Writing Course,articles,writing