Christmas Eve came with soft snowfall late in the day–so delicate, it was almost undetectable. It persisted through the night and I woke to a magical landscape of sparkly white, lightly piled on every surface. Each tree limb, leaf and…
Can you spot the bird in the photo above? If not, don’t worry, you’re in good company. I noticed sporadic movement on the ground outside my window one afternoon, but couldn’t see what was causing it. It wasn’t like leaves…
As the weather got cooler, I began craving soup. I ran across a leek and asparagus recipe on YouTube, but then couldn’t find it again when I wanted it, so I amended a leek soup recipe online. It turned out…
I was expecting to check out some native plants at a local nursery, and was surprised to see these two chill ladies. Dasher and Blitzen visit Swansons Nursery in Seattle every year for their annual Reindeer Festival. The festival, one…
This interesting stand-alone structure came with my new house. It was built by the previous owner for his wife. I’m told they would have taken it with them but the cost was too high, so he has promised to build…
The first owner of my new home was the architect. I learned this when we evaluated a series of blueprints piled up in a front closet. The blueprints specifically show the electrical system, but also include structural details and dimensions.…
The best feature of my home is it’s surrounded by trees. Every window looks out into greenery. It’s surprising to me this wasn’t wholly apparent in the listing, especially the picturesque living room views. It’s one of my favorite features…
My new home is a 1969 ranch house, architected by the original owner. It sits on almost an acre of bigleaf maples and evergreens that tower above the house. It sits back on the property and over a small ravine,…
I have arrived in Australia, Straya, Oz, the land down under–land of many nicknames. I crossed both the equator and the international date line to get here, travelled well over 16 hours, and lost a day to boot–so yeah, I’m…
Though we only stopped for an hour or so, I’m sure I could easily lose time in Sacramento’s parks, unique shops and cafes, and it’s fascinating street art. We grabbed a second cup of wakey juice for the day at…
The town of Auburn, known for it’s Gold Rush history, is a pleasant day-trip option. Historic buildings and a courthouse from the late 1800’s add to it’s character, and it offers plenty of shopping options. At the crossroads of Sacramento…
After a long haul from Salt Lake–straight through Nevada and into California–we stopped for the night in Truckee. The tall pines were a welcome sight as we wove through the Sierra Mountains. When we reached Auburn, Courthouse Coffee, across the…