Catching up.

We've been happily busy since returning home from the wedding.  We have the usual, of course; horses, dogs, gardening, home ownership, work, car ownership, hiking, cooking, and crafting.  But we've also had some awesome company, too.  Marjie and Nathan came up last weekend on pleasantly short notice.  It felt so spontaneous and fun.  And now Ian and Elefteria are here.  I'm taking the time to write and catch up now because it's to flippin hot to do much else, and, well, Ian is face down asleep in bed.  Seems all the runnin around and fun has caught up with him.  We'll go older to newer since that's how time's seen fit to unfold and, although it has a checkered track record, until the last 200,000 years or so, it hasn't gotten it too far off.

These are the few wedding pictures I had time or insight to capture.  The barn really made for some great shots and the bridesmaids' dresses and groomsmen's suspenders (or braces as an old timer corrected me) fit right in.

 Ian is pouring over his notes again, going for mastery.

 The photo booth was such a cool idea.  Here I've used my skills to make part of the photo blurry and olde timey.  Incredible skill.

 Sarah rockin a killer victory roll and some great boots to boot.

 I LOVE this picture! Don't you?

 I had some catching up to do at Greg's property.  And was happy for it.

 This is my favorite way to be.  It was pushing 90 that day and 110% humidity.  I sweated like it was my job and stacked wood like a machine.

The end result was super pleasing.  The majority of logs bark side up like the Scandinavians advise and tightly stacked and deliberately selected.  If this job came with a pension and health insurance I'd switch careers in an instant! 

Sarah and I went to the Stonecat Cafe to hear our friend Jaqueline play guitar and sing.  We had a lovely time and found yet another fantastic place to eat.  I really liked this poster advertising another band and took a photo of it in case Sarah was looking for fashion inspiration.  She says that she is not.

 Margie and Nathan and Sarah and I conspired to make a great meal.  These are the rosemary sage potatoes that were served warm, but eaten cold over the next couple days.  They're great both ways.

 This is a cold corn salad.

 In the foreground, my apple sage brat, behind that, the melon and cuke salad with honey yogurt that Sarah and Margie made, and behind that, some kind of chicken something or other, grilled, I believe, that I did not eat.  Chickens are filthy animals and should not be eaten.  Their eggs are a different story.

 I received an e-mail from the district asking me to please put in a formal request for a TWO YEAR leave of absence so that they can maybe get a sub for me.  I wrote it out by hand, took a photo of it on my phone and attached it to an e-mail.  These are crazy times.  Writing that 6/30/15 was some kinda weird.  It seems so far away and futurey.

 My first finished, refurbished, hung, double bit axe.  Given as a manly gift to my manly friend, Nathan Oberlander.

 And immediately started on a new project.  A brush hook.

 Margie bought us a nice bouquet at the farmer's market.

 And the obligatory trip to the gun range.

 Despite the evidence, Margie mostly looked in the direction she was shooting!

 Here I managed not to shoot the trampoline.  It gets crazy at the Salmon Creek Gun Club!

Well kids, I think that'll be all for now.  We're planning on grilling out and making a campfire when it cools off later.  Sarah made some incredible dilly beans that need to be checked on.