Summertime

That summertime manic state, is winding down. The garden hollers, the kids try and sleep in just a few more times, and temperatures cool. Sneaking in one last camping trip, one last river dip, and maximizing our days becomes a driven/desperate task.  This year feels bigger than normal. My biggest kid started high school and my littlest kid started middle school and neither of them are very little anymore.

We snuck away, one last time, to head to the Oregon Coast, one of the most grounding places on the planet. We found an airbnb, we stared into the Pacific at waves, whales, sea lions, seals, and dipped whole hands in salty tide pools to fish out crabs and touch sticky anemones.

We made the most of our pleasant ‘nearly smoke-free’ summer. Simon kicked off June with a trip to D.C. and New York. We explored new nooks of Montana, drove to Seattle, family visited, we ran a half-marathon, swam in the rivers, lakes, and the ocean.

We camped in our tent, in a cabin, AND, we bought a new Travel Queen Truck Camper, and the truck it rests upon. When I say new, I mean really old. The camper is likely a ’67 or ’68 and the Chevy Truck, packin’ glass packs, headers and a gun rack, is an ’83.

Our whole family has spent hours upon hours patching holes, running cable, replacing broken bits, sewing cushions and curtains and deep cleaning. I put zippers in the upholstered cushions I created. I’ve always been intimidated by a zipper. Shane put a solar panel on the roof to recharge the battery. We’ve learned so many new things.

 

We’ve slept in the Honeybee two magical nights. Expect to see a lot more of the #hickeyhoneybee as we make memories in/with her.

Coming Up Rainbows was accepted to the very first Bozeman MADE Fair, so I’ll load up the the truck (always orated with a thick southern accent) and Honeybee with Pit Stick, rainbows, and see you there. BTW: We still have ONE set of limited edition rainbow rollers available. We’re discontinuing this item, so if you really love that rainbow, you best nab it up today. You’ll even get yourself a free Lippy with purchase.

Ahh, the Yarden. It has been another fruitful summer. I’m a tad worried that our tomatoes might all be green and I’ll be filling the garage again. It wouldn’t be fall proper without a garage full of box elders and green tomatoes.

This was the first summer I “strawed out” the grass on the patch near/above Christmas Vanessa (our sheet metal rainbow yard cock). It will someday be only strawberries, but it was a lot more than that this year. It fed us strawberries all summer and into this fall, tomatoes, jalapenos, squash, and pie pumpkins. The lower half, roadside, fed/feeds us broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, onions, squash, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, cherries, and a slew of herbs. My mind is blown by how much food one southern-facing front yard can muster. We like to share, so ‘squashes for hugs’ is a standing offer.

I even grew an artichoke. I needed it to remind me of Greece (vacay post still in progress). I never expected it would be so magical, but it sure is.

If you want more info about our crazy yard(en), refer to my Ruth Stout post. It progressed so much this summer, but the Honeybee wouldn’t let me update you, she needed all my extra love.