"Everyone is the age of their heart."

At our ages we've experienced a goodly number of annual celebrations over these many years.    With Christmas just behind us, and the New Year yet before us,  it is a particularly poignant time of reflection.  Sharing love and gifts and meals and conversation with family and friends, and loving it all, reminds us of how dear we are to one another.   

Ed and I strive to live the Guatemalan proverb, "Everyone is the age of their heart."   But, one cannot just feel young at heart without working on young in body, leading to a Jungle Gym for Christmas.  On our travels, we will combine Jungle Gym exercises with biking, walking and yoga, a regiment designed to build strength, flexibility, and endurance.   Add eating well, weight control and brain games and we'll be force marching ourselves into an old age of vigor, if not exhaustion.

Ed trying out our new Jungle Gym

Our year started out with a trip to Ecuador, and a possible relocation to that country.  It ends with visions of North American travel in our van. 

Thistle

 Our home must sell first.   In the mean time, we are loving living here and are not too anxious to say goodbye to this very special place.  

Fredley Home

 Popping up in our minds this holiday season have been  thoughts of, "will this be our last Christmas here?", motivating us to savor each moment.   We collected sweet holiday memories this year.  

Fran, Benton, Brad and Yessi.   What's that dog doing on the table?

Christmas morning - Ed, Fran, Benton & Brad

Blowing bubbles

Early Christmas dinner with Deb and Greg, Yessi and Brad

Happy Holidays to All our Dear Family and Friends!

~~~

"In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony."

~ Eva Burrows

Our Spring Garden

Despite many reasons for the garden to be a mess this year, it isn't.  Naturally, we had the incentive of Yessi and Brad's wedding in the garden on the 20th of April, but…

I also have been in the hospital five times, with three surgeries, in the past year.  That's made gardening on my part limited, but then there's Ed, Yessi and Brad, plus a friend or two, helping out from time-to-time.  Bless them.  I had surgery on the 15th of March and then on April 25th I had another hospital stay and another surgery, with the wedding sandwiched in between.  Low energy, pain and discomfort made gardening challenging, but check out our beautiful spring garden despite the hurdles. 

The greenhouse is full of greens and peas.  

The garden has an abundance of good things to eat, including broccoli, spinach, onions, beets, strawberries, asparagus raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb, and more.  Also, the plums, apples and pears bloomed profusely so we're expecting lots of fruit.  And then there are the grapes.  Last year I made raisins and I'm hoping to do the same this year.

View of our home from the second floor of our barn, looking east

Looking east through a small grove of bamboo

This maple is still small and in the territory of the Exbury azaleas, but I'm loving the red and yellow combination.

More color, especially my favorite garden color -- Green!

We do indeed live in a family-created paradise, with a garden designed by Fran, a home designed and built by Brad, and with Ed participating every step of the way, including doing the wiring.  

Magic Happens!

Our kitchen, turned over to Rosy, Tan Hong and Yessi, has become an international delight.  Enough food was purchased at Uwajimaya to feed an army, and was miraculously turned into a magnificent feast in just two hours.   I mostly watched engulfing myself in the smells, sounds, and sights.  My expectations expanded until I felt like pavlog's dog.

~~~

"Any time women come together with a collective intention, it's a powerful thing. Whether it's sitting down making a quilt, in a kitchen preparing a meal, in a club reading the same book, around the table playing cards, or planning a birthday party, when women come together with a collective intention, magic happens."

Phylicia Rashad  

~~~

Any time women come together with a collective intention, it's a powerful thing. Whether it's sitting down making a quilt, in a kitchen preparing a meal, in a club reading the same book, or around the table playing cards, or planning a birthday party, when women come together with a collective intention, magic happens.
Phylicia Rashad
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/meal.html#tkyJAzGAfcA11fHt.99

The preparation ~

The food ~

The eating pleasure ~

We give thanks!

Welcoming Yessi's Family

China becomes our friend.  A country always far, far away and not much in our sights has, because of sweet Yessi's influence, become more and more familiar.  A few years ago I engulfed myself in Cultural Revolution readings, but that's not the China of today and not the China I'm experiencing vicariously through Brad and Yessi's relationship.  I suddenly feel like my world has expanded in a million new ways as our lives expand to include thoughts of traveling to China, walking the Great Wall of China, enjoying meals at Yessi's family home in Xiamen, experiencing the coffee at Pacific Coffee of Mukilteo Coffee fame) in Hong Kong, and so much more.

The holidays have brought us visitors from China making our immersion in the Chinese culture deeper and sweeter.  Yessi's mom, Tan Hong, and aunt, Rosie, arrived a few days ago for a two week stay.  They will be at our home the first week of their stay before going to Seattle for another week.  On these first couple of days everyone has been tentative except for smiling, smiling, smiling!  Yessi is trying to keep us all connected but with six people in the room, and only one bilingual person, she's pretty busy.   

Our first evening together (left to right:  Tan Hong, Brad, Ed, Fran & Rosie)
Photo by Yessi

We're honored to have guests for the holidays and very pleased to get to know Yessi's family.   

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart."

Confucius

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
Confucius
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_travel.html#qwPRBdG7ZzqYAPPD.99

Preparing for the Holidays

This year our holiday preparations have been especially fun and exciting as we plan for Yessi's mom, Wu Dan Feng (or Tan Hong for short), and Yessi's aunt, Zeng Ming Ling (or Rosie for short) to arrive from China on the 21st.  We are also seeing our holiday traditions through Yessi's eyes, as this is her first Christmas in the United States, and everything we do is once again new and exciting.  Hearing Yessi say, in her delightful voice, "really?" delights us all.

One of our  first holiday activities was, of course, putting up our Christmas tree.  But first, we unpacked 45 years of collected ornaments.    Brad has received at least one ornament each year of his life, plus Ed and I have a few of our own, so the big trunk holding our ornaments is jammed full.  Unwrapping each ornament brings forth exclamations of, "Was that my first ornament?"  Or, "That's the one Greg brought back from Germany."  Or, "Remember that one?  We got it in Banff."  And then telling Yessi all about Banff or the Pass, or whatever place or memory the ornament unleashed.   

Pinocchio 

The lion of the scarecrow, tin man and lion from The Wizard of Oz

Yessi, Brad & Ed putting on ornaments

Yessi and I spent one day making candy and cookie gift boxes.  We made chocolate chip cookies for eating now.  But then we also made nut balls, peanut brittle and fudge to put into Christmas tins for gifts.  The next day I also made toffee but although following the recipe carefully all we have to show for the effort is burned toffee and a smelly house.

Fran packing Christmas tins

Yessi carefully preparing wax paper lining in the tins

A table full of sweets

With Chinese visitors we needed stockings to hang with their names, and not in English.  吴丹凤 for Yessi's mom; 郑敏玲 for Yessi's aunt; and 哦 和 for Yessi, or at least close.  The translations on Google are slightly different than Yessi's translations.  I'm betting on Yessi being right!  Our stockings this year have a delightful international look.   Good Cheer has been scoured for wonderful little crazy trinkets for stuffing, along with some more useful items for use throughout the year.  

The stocking were hung with care -- no chimney.

We also lit up an outside tree for both beauty and a night light for our house guests.  The path between the  barn's guest room and our main living building, even with our outdoor lights on, is dark.  The tree helps light the path and the steps, plus it's a very beautiful Hinoki so the lights accent its beauty.  

Hinoki lighting the garden 

Most of the shopping is completed, along with the wrapping.  Now we need to focus on meals and cleaning and gardening to be ready for our wonderful Christmas-of-two-worlds.  Right after Christmas Yessi, Brad and Yessi's family will head to Seattle for several days, where they will be house and dog sitting for a friend.  Yessi's mom and aunt return to China on the 3rd.

Our living tree to be planted on Brad and Yessi's property after Christmas

Ed and I depart for Ecuador on the 3rd for our 4 week trial run.

Red Roofs of Cuenca!

As we huddle in the low 30's here on Whidbey Island I check the temperature in Cuenca, Ecuador.  It is 73 degrees.   So I begin to dream of the warm temperatures and the warm red roofs of Cuenca.

The color alone is warming me on this cold NW day

Then my mind turns to the colorful, fresh, year-around fruits and vegetables of Cuenca.

Cuenca market

 Followed by the idea of fresh flowers year around.

Cuenca flower vendor

All of this adds up to the news that we have reservations to fly to Ecuador on January 3, 2014.  This first trip we will only stay for 4 weeks to test out our instincts and the wisdom of relocating to a strange land.  When there we will look for housing; check on Resident Visa requirements; determine the key items we'll need and what we can weed from our baggage; and investigate what the details of life will look like once we move.

At first we thought we'd just go.  Dog crate in one hand, two bicycles in another, plus several bags of clothing and various household items piled around our feet.  As I tried to visualize this, it became too fuzzy to imagine.  We changed our plans to include a trial visit.  Dog and bikes stay home as do all household items.  After our January run, we'll know more about housing, transportation, and a million other details, like what to pack and what to leave behind.  Whew!  Breathing again.  Now, back to learning Spanish. 

Adios para hoy.

The Sweetness of Yessi and Brad

Brad has found a very special woman in Yessi.    We are delighted for him and we are delighted to have Yessi in our lives.  This relationship will bring together two very interesting and adventurous people.  We will all expand our thinking, broaden our horizons, and benefit from this beautiful blend of different worlds, languages, tastes, experiences, ideas, political views, desires, expectations, habits and more….

Yessi & Brad ravishingly hungry after a day of hiking in the Olympics, 2013

Yessi & Brad hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, 2012

Yessi & Brad in New Zealand, 2012

 

A delighted Benton,  Fran & Ed!

We hope Yessi and Brad enjoy years of love and happiness!

Yessi & Brad

Life is to be lived

Brad has always been an amazing influence on my life, in so many ways, all the way back to his birth.  Initially it was me leading him into camping, hiking, biking, skiing, kayaking, new friendships, travel, and design but that changed.   I can't remember when it was that he began to push me to the next more difficult step.   We were still doing all the same activities but with Brad's nudging, I would go harder, faster, further,   He radicalized my thinking in topic after topic.  He radicalized my efforts in activity after activity.   I've spend every day since 1968 teaching and learning; learning and teaching; and marveling at the unfolding adventures Brad has introduced me to.  The latest is his wonderfully sweet relationship with Yessi.

If you've been reading this blog, or Brad's blog you'll know that he hiked 5000 miles in 2012.  At the end of the year, his adventure was topped off with Yessi's company.  They met in New Zealand when Brad was hiking the Te Araroa trail and Yessi was spending a year traveling and working in New Zealand.  They got together again in China where Brad met her family and enjoyed a quick tour of Xiamen and surrounds, before they took off to hike the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.  Yessi's first hike was begun on one of our world's most challenging treks, not a hike at Ebey's landing, or some other wonderful, but relatively easy hike. 

Yessi on the Annapurna Circuit

Yessi is a go-for-it-person and she's hooked up with a go-for-it-guy.  Wavering isn't part of the relationship Brad and Yessi are tackling.   From Customs to hiking to cultural differences, their relationship has been one huge adventure.

With a traditional Chinese upbringing, Yessi's exploratory enthusiasm is especially remarkable.  Not that she doesn't suffer conflicting values, like us all, but she still jumps in to experience the new, taking her well beyond her upbringing in xiamen, China.  And, naturally, she takes all of us, especially Brad, well beyond the customs of America.

The latest, and perhaps one of the more remarkable activities she's engaged in on her return trip to America is climbing.  On a cold day in November, on Whidbey Island, she conquered her fear of climbing on Mt. Erie, WA.  Shivering with fear, she stepped over the edge with a smile on her face.

Yessi rappelling off Mt. Erie

Brad's life is far richer for knowing Yessi and her life has expanded to unfathomable places in her relationship with Brad.    All our lives have expanded.  We are grateful!

Yessi & Brad sharing a quiet moment on the Mukilteo ferry

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.

Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow.

Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
Albert Camus
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_friendship.html#2AHQCmQAJQmJVwKY.99

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
Albert Camus
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_friendship.html#2AHQCmQAJQmJVwKY.99