Curiosities

Amongst the usual unusual things that happen around here, we've seen a few things lately that really stand out.  First, it appears that we have all unwittingly purchased waterfront property, as the low depression on Jon & Kim's land recently began to mysteriously fill up with water from hidden underground springs.  You can see just how big the pond has gotten in the lower right section of the photo below, especially in comparison to Kim's house (left middle):

Our delight at this unexpected watery wonder quickly turned to disdain, however.  Seriously, the stench from the decaying grass in that water is putrid and strong!  And guess whose house is downwind?  The smell can only be described as that of rotting seaweed along the coast.  While I have been wishing that we lived closer to the ocean, this is definitely NOT what I had in mind!

As almost everywhere else in the world, we have also experienced unusual weather this year.  Here in the northwest, we had a long, cold spring that severely impacted our growing season.  Almost all of our vegetables have been small and harvested much later than usual.  In contrast, our apple trees have done really well.  We are happy to report that we have 15-20 mature apples on our tiny trees.  Still, imagine our surprise when we inspected our trees the other day and found not only apples, but blossoms on our trees as well.  Yes, you read that correctly.  We currently (in early September!) have both apple blossoms and apples on our trees at the same time:

Has this ever happened to you?  If so, did it hinder your trees' fruit-bearing abilities the following year?

Lastly, I'm often scolded for not including photos of myself on the blog.  So to round out this post on the oddities at our farm, here's a picture of Thane and me.  Sorry, but you asked for it!


At least Thane's cute.

Kissing Cousins

Annabel is absolutely thrilled to have more cousins.  While she adores Gunnar (Jordan's sister's son), we don't often get to see or play with him.  So Annabel has been particularly excited by the arrival of two new cousins that live right next door.  She can be seen snuggling with Lucas (above) and Cody (below):

Thane, on the other hand, isn't too sure what to think of Kim & Jon's little guys.  He seemed less than thrilled (i.e. scared) of the twins during their first encounter, but he quickly warmed up to the babies.  By the end of their second visit, Thane was patting Cody on the head and hugging Lucas:

The entire family was recently together to celebrate Jon's birthday, and we somehow managed to get a shot of all four of the Ahlquist grandbabies together.  We think they are all kinda cute!

Visitors

It's been awhile since we last had visitors who weren't relatives and, therefore, under some sort of moral obligation to see us.  So you can imagine our delight when we had not one, but TWO, unexpected visits this summer.  First, we got an email from the author of a book that really helped us when we built our "unconventional" home.  We had communicated with Tom Elpel, the author, several times during the building process, and he continued to follow our house progress via the blog.  Tom has a great website on sustainable building and living, and he features homes that have been built using unconventional materials.  In June, Tom happened to be meeting friends in our neck of the woods, and he asked to stop by and take a look at our house.  We had a lovely visit, and Tom later asked if photos and information about our home could be included on his website.  We approved, and our house is now on the web for all of the world to see.  If you are interested in seeing Tom's website, please click on the following link:  http://www.hollowtop.com/cls_html/Strawbale_Stone_Home.htm. Don't worry - we won't let this go to our heads.  My only concern is that someone might stop by one day to see the house- only to discover that it's not quite as neat and tidy as it looks on the web!

Several weeks later, I received a surprise phone call from my dear, dear friend Polly Hill.  It turns out that her husband, Brian, and a friend of his were on a cross country motorcycle trip.  While biking through Yellowstone, they decided to drive an extra 8 hours or so to stop by and visit (since they were in the neighborhood!)  Brian always did warn us to watch for him if we ever heard a motorcycling rumbling up our little lane...  They arrived a bit dusty and travel weary, but we didn't care.  It was such a kick to see them, and we got to catch up on news during a lovely dinner at Jordan's folks' place.  They got to sleep in warm, comfortable beds for the first time in several days, and they even got to take showers, for which we were all grateful!  After an all-too-brief visit in the morning, Brian and Wayne left the way they came, waving goodbye as they continued on their journey.  Unfortunately, their trip was such a whirlwind that I forgot to get pictures.

The last visitor we entertained was not unexpected, although I somehow managed to forget the camera during most of his visit, too!  On the contrary, we'd been anticipating this visit for a couple years.  Johnny, Jordan's buddy from high school, last flew out to see us 2 years ago.  Johnny's demanding schedule (he's an ace student at the U.S. Naval Academy) hasn't allowed him much down time, but he was able to manage a weeklong visit here in August.  The kids were instantly smitten with their other "Uncle Johnny".  Thane, especially, was thrilled to be included in some of the more masculine events of the visit:  wood splitting, pipe smoking (calm down- pretend smoking on Thane's part), hiking, telling tall tales and other b-sing in general.  I did manage to remember to bring the camera along during a hike shortly before Johnny left.  Poor Johnny - as you can see, he got suckered into hefting Thane around, all while trying to keep up with Annabel's incessant banter.

We were very sad to see Johnny go, and we can't wait until he's able to visit us again.  When he left, Johnny strongly stated that he would not be back to see us for another 4-5 years.  Funny, I could have sworn when he arrived that he promised to be here next summer.  Hmmm...

Two Peas in a Pod

Lucas and Cody continue to delight us all.  Gosh - having nephews is much less stressful than having children.  I just love being an aunt! 

The boys are getting big already.  They've both gained weight, and they are settling into life in their new home.  We've enjoyed hanging out with Lucas, who was in the NICU when we visited him in the hospital.  Lukie looks more like an Ahlquist, and he is absolutely adorable (of course!):

Cody is definitely a Lash, and he is also just as cute as can be.  He has huge yawns, and I managed to catch him in action:
 
Like most twins, the boys already seem to have a special bond.  On a recent visit, we placed the boys in their crib about a foot or so apart.  When we peaked in the nursery a few minutes later, this is how we found them:

Kim and Jon seem to be taking parenthood in stride.  They are calm, collected and steady under pressure.  We think they look pretty good for having two 3 week olds.

We've Got It Covered

In an effort to stay cool on warm summer days, Jordan built a cozy little covered porch on the back of the house.  Annabel and Thane, of course, had to be included in the construction process.  I'm not sure how Jordan felt about their "help."  Poor guy- I'm sure that most of his projects would run much more smoothly without his special crew!

No matter how long the porch took, it has quickly become our favorite spot.  I love to work in the shade while the kids play during the day, and we all love to sit and watch the sun set each evening.  We've even spotted a shooting star or two at night.

Lastly, we're trying to remember to enjoy the flowers while they are still in bloom.  Chilly nights have returned to remind us that our summer days are numbered.  Wherever you are or whatever you do, we hope you can take a few spare minutes to appreciate the beauty of God's creation.  Enjoy!