sun and sand

Last weekend the boy and I went up to Seattle to hang with the boy's cousin.  And we had, of all things, a sunny day!!  Wow, in June?  Crazy, I know, but I have been waiting a long time to see that big ball of fire.  So, we headed to the beach, which is only about a five minute drive away.  The combination of sun, sand, and ocean was the perfect entry into the beginning of summer.  And as you can see, it wasn't very crowded.

Lara, this boot picture was inspired by your boots under the swing.  Sorry this post is late, but really, I haven't gone to bed yet, and I just noticed it was after midnight.  Oops!!  And I have to wake up early tomorrow, double oops!

Juhannus

You are hearing from me early this week, because on Friday I will be in a world in which internet does not belong. It is Midsummer, which must be among the most sacred phenomenons is Finnish culture. Tradition is to celebrate it at a summer cottage, and in this thing we are traditionalists! So tomorrow I will be by the sea looking West - your way Amy!

When I first met my husband three and a half years ago, the summer home of his family was one of the first places he took me. It was a short and silent December day and the seashore was covered with a thinner than thin layer of ice that made an unbelievably subtle crackling sound when it was broken by some slow waves.

These pictures are from Midsummer two years ago. Oh how she has grown.

slosh, brrrr....

Those words summed up our May, and so far, June has been about the same.  Have all my recent posts been about the rain?

Not today, tricycle.  I really do love the rain, but my only complaints are:  1) we are doing home construction, and we can't run the pellet stove right now, and 2) toddler.  Fortunately, the sofa is the new playground.  I am hoping my child completes its destruction soon so that I can get a new one (I already have one picked out...).

And as long as the cushions are off, we might as well make a fort.  Super cozy!

I really should go pick up that jump rope.  Eh.  Maybe some other time!

Kesken

I'm the kind of person who is oriented towards doing rather than being, otherwise known as a human doing. The kind that gets deep gratification out of getting things done. The up side to it is the decisiveness that comes naturally, the down side is the utter frustration that goes hand in hand with family life, my endless race with the clock, the constant deficit of hours in the day.

Recently I met someone who had a business idea about offering services that aim at encouraging people to enjoy the process of knitting rather than the final outcome. I thought it was revolutionary!

I keep trying to remind myself that the process of just about anything counts every bit as much as the result, getting something done. After all, life is mostly process. Without being able to enjoy process one may miss out on most of her life!

So here are some of my important undone things:

Looking for a place for a small herb garden in the yard. And then making it before the summer ends.

Getting around to beginning wool socks for myself. Oh yes, and getting the rest of that clean white wallpaper up to cover the dirty white wallpaper (background).

Finishing this woolen bag and a few dozen more in different colors (big plans on this one).

Finishing the wedding albums and ordering about a million prints of other important pictures.

Making some more decisions about wallpaper. Or paint.

Having a little something in the process.

utilities

My husband and I are the operators of our local water utility, a small system of about 30 homes.  Try googling the requirements for running a public water utility in the state of Oregon, and you'll see why our 'pride of ownership' is sometimes dampened by the stress of our responsibilities.  I'm not going to take you down that road, but I do want to share the source of our water. It's simply a couple of tiny buildings on 12.5 acres of gorgeous Pacific NW jungle, less than a mile from my house.

Ilta on minun

It's payback time. This is why we endure the dark winter months that seem to last forever.

Sunlight at 10 pm!

The children are sleeping and the evening is mine.

(A bit ironically they sleep in the rooms that catch the last rays of summer evening sun.)

Onnellinen loppu

My post of the week is late according to all time zones, and here's why:

My 7-year-old was to finish first grade on Saturday, and on Friday we had a crisis about what she would wear to spring church that would on Saturday celebrate the beginning of summer vacation. Everything I suggested was

A) too small
B) uncomfortable
C) itchy (basically meaning she didn't like it).

We live in a little town where you just don't go shopping for children's clothes on impulse. So I spent every possible moment on Friday sewing something that we planned together (and as hours passed it started to be clear that I wouldn't be turning on the computer that day).

Her instructions were

A) no lace
B) no ribbon
C) no ruffles
D) no puffed sleeves

and E) no buttons. I barely got away with this one.

This (and some white pants to go with it) were finished just before midnight, in the middle of a white Northern night.

***

Spring church is a special and very traditional occasion. The whole school participates and parents and relatives are invited to join. It works because most of Finland belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran church.



I used to work here for a while. I will take you here again some day.



Suvivirsi - the hymn everyone knows and loves (because it tells about the arrival of summer).

Friends.

And a happy ending, both of the school year and of the nothing-to-wear crisis.

The Portlandiest Portland store ever

Last weekend I went on a birthday-ladies-shopping-spree-adventure-day.  One of the shops was just SO Portland that I asked the retro/funky/peppy clerk if I could take some pictures, and she was all for it.

These old wool blazers have knit hoods and sleeve cuffs sewn into them, and cut-out felt animals sewn onto the fronts.

Probably the most common Portland-crafty theme is the woodland creature- elves, deer, owls, mushrooms, and any kind of bird.  This bag is actually very Scandinavian looking!

No store like this would be caught without a retro light fixture.
And here are a couple not-for-sale items that I would surely have purchased.