A Fair Month

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonFaire/

It wasn’t the weather, though that was pleasant, and we were even blessed with some rain to help clear the wild fire smoke. Rather, in three weeks we attended three fairs!

The first fair was the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire. I’d never been to this faire but was looking for something my husband might enjoy. The line for parking was terrible and I said I’d rather forget it if we had to wait an hour. Thank goodness just 45 minutes later we were parked and getting our first sight of knights, fair maidens, and fairy creatures.
 

https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonFaire

I had the best time. Ren Faire is now my favorite fair and we
will be back next year. Seeing all the period costumes inspired me to look for clothing appropriate for an herbalist of the time. I want to join in the fun rather than just be a spectator.

The mead (honey wine) tent offered half a dozen varieties and I enjoyed the traditional mead we shared. We brought home two flavors of sarsaparilla, and for lunch we enjoyed a meat pie (with every bite I pushed Sweeney Todd out of my mind 😬), and Scotch eggs.

Amidst the many vendor tents, shows, and events, these were all the nicest people I've ever met. Everyone was so happy to live in a different time, if just for the weekend.

Two weeks later we were off to the Evergreen State Fair. Unfortunately, this fair has diminished greatly since Covid. But we did run across this fancy creature I’ve dubbed Llama Hood. He even had a bow and arrow strapped to his side.

 

My husband had never been to the Puyallup Fair, now known as the Washington State Fair, and really wanted to attend. So, another week later, we drove an hour to a much bigger fair than the Evergreen State Fair. The first creature we ran into was Cameron, the camel I rode. A camel ride is very rocky, so it's easy to understand one might suffer motion sickness.

Both state fairs are known for the Fisher scones, and I admit, I got sconed. 😄 I love the fair scones served with a generous portion of raspberry jam.
 

 

 

 

While I eagerly await the fairs next year I will be researching medieval history, customs, and clothing so I can do better than "Can ye tell me where the olde restrooms be found?" (Happily, those were modern.)

 

 

 

R&R

Leavenworth, WA

While it wasn't exactly rest and relaxation, our vacation at the end of June was restorative. We hiked, shopped and ate in downtown Leavenworth, WA (a Bavarian village), hiked again, and rode the Tumwater Twister.

Our first hike was in the Peshastin Pinnacles. Even early in the morning this was a very warm hike as the pinnacles are on the arid side of the Wenatchee river. We spotted a couple of lizards and a mink, and mountain goat tracks.The Pinnacles gave us a great view of the orchards below that are irrigated by the Wenatchee river. 

 

As we hiked, I was intrigued by the wide variety of vegetation we saw. All of it was new to me though, I recognized many of the plant names we learned with a plant ID app: pineapple weed, fleabane, toadflax, broadleaf arrowhead, and yarrow.

Source

I’ve always heard that pineapple weed is a common backyard weed, but it’s not in my backyard. Its fragrance is a cross between pineapple and chamomile, and it's supposed to make a good tea so I plan to try growing it next year.

 

Our next hike was much cooler as it was along the Wenatchee river and under forest canopy. The trail is an old pipeline that provided water to a powerhouse that powered electrical engines pulling trains through the Cascade Tunnel between Leavenworth and Index, WA. One of the best sights was a fern grotto.

The Leavenworth Adventure Park is new this year and features an Alpine coaster, the Tumwater Twister. The coaster is 2,700 feet long and features three 360-degree spiral helix circles. I rode it with my husband (who, I’m sure, got braking and accelerating backwards 😀). I had much more fun with my feet firmly on the ground while panning for gems in the bag of sand we purchased at a small price.

Our gems included big chunks of aventurine, carnelian, jasper, rose quartz, and sodalite. We’ll run the larger pieces through our rock polisher to bring out their color and beauty.

It was a refreshing two days at a cabin on a lake. With a few days left in our vacation, it was time to head home to rest and relax. 😌

The Critter Days of Summer ~ by Jennifer Daniels

Well another summer is in the books and it was a beautiful one here
in Upstate, NY. I spent a good chunk of it on the lake at my parents' house. It was an interesting summer here as I am sure it was for many. We had many visitors of the critter kind. My son went crazy this year with feeding the chipmunks, to the point they were eating out of our hands. If we did not get out soon enough for meal times they would squeak until we fed them.

Our little friends all were named. First came Jimmy, he was always the first one to arrive. He bounced higher than the others. Then there was Pip, that was my son's favorite one. She had a shorter tail than the rest of them. Shortly after she came Tiny showed up. She was the littlest of the bunch, hence the name. You could tell the females from the males because they typically walked more and the males hop. Last but not least is Nux. He was named after a character in Mad Max. He had what we thought was a tumor under the skin, but I think a fly laid an egg in him and he came back one day and it was gone. He also was the darkest of the four.

We all were able to have them eat out of our hands. They would hop right up and sit there while they feasted. My husband got such a kick out of the little guys that he made them their own perch to sit on so they were closer to the porch window. We could reach out and pet them. They are cute little critters to watch.

Then came Bonnie and Clyde, the racoons. They became our nightly pastime, watching them climb up the bird feeder pole then slide down it like they were off to a fire. It was hysterical. They, too, liked the perch that was originally made for the chippies.

They are little bandits! No wonder they wear masks. They stole one of my bird feeders. I have no idea where it is. We have looked everywhere, and to boot, they stole my favorite feeder. They look so funny and cute, but make no mistake about it, they are nasty little buggers.

I hope you all had a wonderful summer, continue to stay safe and protected.

State Fair Time ~ Lexa Fisher

It's state fair season! As has been our practice for over a decade, in late August we attended the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, WA. Every year the fair has a theme, and you can see this year's in the photo at the side.



The 4-H (Head, Heart, Hands, Health) animal exhibits are favorite attractions for us, though I always want to take home a small farm's worth of cute animals like the ducks (I love their soft squabble sounds) and dwarf goats. 


One of my favorite challenges is to find eggs in the chicken displays. We were treated to many different chicken breeds, and even fan-tailed pigeons, but the only egg we found was in the duck exhibits.

For over a decade my husband has enjoyed the International Lumberjack Show. Axe throwing, crosscut sawing, underhand chopping, tree climbing, springboard chopping, and log rolling are all part of the skills these men demonstrate.

No day at the fair is complete without a Fisher scone (no relation to me), for which the fair is famous. Spread with Fisher raspberry jam, it is delicious!

After we enjoyed a scone snack, it was off to the petting zoo! The animals are friendly, and eager for their snacks, too. In addition to the usual farm yard pigs, cows, goats, ducks, mules, and ponies, this year there were even a couple of small kangaroos sharing the tent.


Not going to make it to Area 51 this summer for the big storming event? Area 51 came to the fair this year! 

There is so much to see and so much fun to have. But at the end of the day, even the animals are a bit harried. 

Until next year!

Summertime Fun ~ by Jennifer Daniels

When you live in Upstate NY you don’t have to go far to see some awesome sights and have some fun. I went on an overnight visit to Albany, NY this month for my great nephew's First Birthday party. On my way, I took a few pictures. I would have taken more, but I got caught up in my crocheting.

These pictures were taken between High Falls Gorge in Wilmington, NY and Albany. If you're into Hiking, whitewater rafting, or sightseeing, this is one of the extraordinary places you can come and visit to take in the sites. The mountain views are incredible to see, everything looks so green and fresh. But, if you want to see an even better sight, come during the fall when the leaves are changing into incredible reds, oranges, and yellows. The smell of the air is so crisp during the fall season.

My next day trip was an Uncle Sam’s Boat Dinner Cruise in Alexandria Bay, NY. It was such a nice day to go, the weather was beautiful for an evening ride. My husband and I wanted a date night so we chose this to do. And we made the perfect choice. There are a variety of choices you can make when you go on these cruises. They even have a cruise that will bring you to see Singer Castle or Bolt Castle. The photos are of Bolt Castle during the daylight and one at dark. It’s an amazing site to see and the castle is fun to tour. On the Fourth of July they always have fireworks. Everyone goes and parks their individual boats out in the shallows to watch the show. We once stayed the night on our boat to watch the display and the next morning we enjoyed our coffee with the incredible sight of the castle and the clock tower.

But we also got to see a ship and enjoy the gorgeous views of the St. Lawrence River.

Now I bring you back to Star Lake, NY... where I spent most of my summer days as a kid growing up. This was an evening raft ride my family went on and we saw some of our local wildlife. The Crane, or Mud Hen as many others call it, was sunning itself and enjoying the peace and quiet until I had to go snapping pictures of it. I tried to get a good picture of it in flight. Then we came upon a Loon. I love to listen to them. Their calls always sound so calming in the early mornings, and in the evening after the lake has quieted down after a busy day.

I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. It always seems to fly by so fast, one minute you're swimming, and overnight the weather changes and now it’s time for my son to go back to school. I’m not ready and neither is he… Until next time. I hope you all enjoy and have a safe Labor Day!

What do your summer plans hold? by Joanne Jaytanie

Are you traveling to an exotic destination you've never visited before? Maybe you're taking a road-trip down the coast or visiting friends and family you haven't seen in ages. It could be your idea of a vacation is to hang out at home with your family and pets. Are you someone who enjoys sitting out on your porch, enjoying your morning coffee and soaking in the world around you?

Early this year I had the opportunity to spend nearly a week at Disney World and a week in Hawaii. 

Two places I’d never visited before. I shared tons of pictures and wrote a couple blogs about my explorations. You can find them here on my personal page. So, my vacation days are all used up for this year, except maybe a weekend away, here and there. Instead, I'm spending the summer at home and trying to stay focused on my writing. So far, I'm on target.

This past week I finished my final edits on Twice as Bad, Miss Demeanor, P.I., Book 2, and I can’t wait for it to be released. This is a fun series to write. It takes place in Seattle, where my P.I., River Nightingale owns a private investigation agency in Pioneer Square and her boyfriend, Gage Hamlin is a lead homicide detective. Here’s the book blurb:

For private investigator River Nightingale, the stakes are high, and her losses are twice as bad.

River has already lost a partner to a better job, and now a truck has mowed down another partner and a key informant. Her surviving crew is reeling and dead set on finding the killer. Working with them is a Seattle PD homicide detective, Gage Hamlin. Gage and River have been a volatile combination since day one, but now it’s twice as tense, as they both seek the killer and Gage struggles to keep River alive.

On the waterfront, Seattle is known for slinging fish, but River’s stakeout of a seafood plant reveals that fish aren’t the only thing being sold on the docks. And if River isn’t careful, fish aren’t the only thing that will end up dead on the docks.

I’m currently working on a story that will be part of the S.O.F. Soldiers of Fortune series. We are the authors of Romance Books 4 Us, and we're trying something different with this series. We’re writing in installments or as I like to refer to them as—episodes. Each of us is writing our own stories about one of the members of S.O.F. The Soldiers of Fortune, Volume 1, was released in June. Zane's story will begin with volume 2, which will be releasing on August 15. I hope you’ll read along. Here’s the setting: 

 They are the Soldiers of Fortune... and these are their stories.

Rhett Fortune settled on the small parcel of land he purchased in 1858 with his wife Clara and founded the beautiful landscape that surrounded his newly built home and what is now known as Fortune, TX. A veteran of the United States Army and as a Colonel who served with honor in the Mexican-American War, Rhett and Clara raised a large family. Sons and daughters, and grandchildren to follow, their clan grew throughout the decades. 

Now in the 21st Century, two of their descendants remain at the helm. Chance Fortune, a former member of the Army's Delta Force and co-founder of Soldiers of Fortune, has an innate duty to serve and protect. Working with his brother, R.J. Fortune, a former Navy SEAL and wounded warrior, they take the cases that their government won't. And vow to protect the civilians that no one else can. 

They have quietly put out the word, and now, after three years, other former brothers-in-arms have contacted them bringing situations that span not only the country but the globe. On Fortune family land they have built a facility out of the public eye for their office, a helicopter, a gun range, and whatever else they might need.

Next on my summer schedule is The Winters Sisters, Book 5. I can't wait to get back to their world. Life is never dull on the Winters campus, and it's about to get even crazier. Back to the world of genetic engineering, corporate corruption, psychics, and Dobermans. You never know what each new day will hold.

I hope you have a fantastic summer full of love, excitement, adventure, and memories that will last a lifetime. And if you feel like relaxing in your lounge chair and soaking in the day, why don't you pick up a book. You never know what adventure you’ll discover between the pages.

Click here for more information on Joanne's books and blogs

Until next time~

Joanne

A Killer Vacay You Won't Want to Miss ~ by Andi Lawrencovna

Photo: Google images

My family own camps in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. Now, when I say “camps,” I really mean homes that are made out of wood and that we call “camps” but that are pretty high-end pieces of real estate – absent air conditioning. These cabins reside on the banks of a small lake. Not directly on the lake, but each house has a golf cart, and the lake is less than a half mile away from the front doors, so we say “on the lake” and no one really argues it.

I always loved/love going up to the cabins. It’s a yearly ritual that I feel incomplete without completing.

Of course, now days, I go with a bit more trepidation than when I was younger, but…it is what it is.

I should probably explain.

As a child, I was oblivious to anything else around me but Disney movies and my Barbie doll. When asked: “Where you going?” I would respond and walk away without waiting for the resulting questions or, as I now have come to expect, shock when I spoke my answer.

You see: “Where you going?” was answered with: “The camps in the Adirondacks.” “Oh, where at?”

“On Crystal Lake.”

Let me repeat…I’m oblivious, and I watch ONLY Disney movies…mostly.

But I definitely do NOT watch horror movies, and yet would routinely get a “horrified” expression in response to “Crystal Lake.”

As it turns out, Crystal Lake happens to be the setting for a horror

Photo: Google images

movie.

Jason, whichever one he is…I don’t really know, never watched it, you see?...is a serial killer who worked or lived or whatever-ed at Crystal Lake in Upstate New York…

Yes…MY Crystal Lake. The one where I spent an idyllic childhood completely unaware of the horror that had ensued there sometime during the 80s.

Because, despite the “Friday the 13th” movies being fictional, apparently most people believe that Jason really did commit those dastardly deeds up at Crystal Lake.

It doesn’t help that there really was a boy’s camp up there at one point…just like in the movies…

Oh, and that one of my relatives actually bought one of the dorm houses that the boys used to camp in and converted it into their cabin…

Okay, you caught me, all three of my relative’s cabins were originally boy’s dorms! FINE!

I have never once found a remnant of blood or gore or chainsaws or knives or the like anywhere near or around the camps…but it’s still the first question people ask when they put one and one together: “Crystal Lake? Like from the movie?”

Why oh why can’t it be a movie about a romantic heroine who gets caught up in a love affair and she and her lover escape to the camps where they defend themselves by growing giant mega-crocodiles that eat-- wait, that’s Lake Placid, never mind.

I’m getting them confused.

I should probably point out, though, that for the thirty plus years I have been going to the Adirondacks, I have never once met a serial killer nor been threatened by anyone except the gas station attendant who was not going to let me get a lotto ticket without seeing my ID.

Finding a place to get away from the everyday, to relax in nature, enjoy time with your family, that honestly is the moral here.

No matter that Crystal Lake has this invented history of horror, it

Photo: Google images

has been a place that will forever be for me linked with good times and great memories. It’s where my Babushka (not the scarf, this is the Grandmother) went down to the rec hall and because she had to use a walker, sat down in a chair and danced the night away all while sitting. This is where my uncles taught me how to fish, and I had more fun rowing the boat across the lake than learning how to bait a hook. It’s where we sat around one night before the bonfire and passed around a Kindle and read “Meg” to each other, because why the heck not? The voices were epic, and the story was fun. It’s the place that someday I hope I can take my kids, blocking their ears from whispered tales of men with axes, so that they can go to the lake and run in the sand. So my uncles can tell them “the water’s so clear you can drink it,” even as I know WAYYY better. It’s the place where on the 4th of July, we’ll pack up the cars into a caravan, making seats where there most definitely are not seats so we can take as many people as we can with us over to the Dude Ranch where they set fireworks off after the rodeo and the little kids can have hotdogs on the house because it’s a celebration and it’s family but way more than family too.

It’s a retreat, and it’s a home, and it’s a vacation, and it’s work.

It’s crazy, and the people there are crazy, just not serial-killer crazy.

And I wouldn’t change it for the world.

My family own cabins in the Adirondacks. We try to go up once or twice a year, usually at the beginning and end of summer. The waters of the lake are so clean you can see all the way to the bottom twenty feet below, and that’s why it’s called Crystal Lake. The people are friendly, though some are a bit standoffish, but they’re family, and it wouldn’t be the Fourth of July without traveling to that place where the internet doesn’t work, but the TV does, and someone’s always got some sort of game going and you go home more tired than when you got there because there’s something going on somewhere every minute.

I hope you get a chance to visit someday, just remember that if you hear noises in the woods coming after you in the night…

…it’s probably just a bear.

Summertime Girl ~ by Darlene Kuncytes

We are fast approaching the July 4th holiday, and summer in Ohio seems to have arrived. FINALLY! Although, usually, July 4th always meant the beginning of the end of summer, this year I’m forced to look at it in a completely different way.

We’ve had a horribly wet and rainy few months, and for someone

who craves the sun, it just has not been a fun spring. It’s been heart-breaking, and extremely difficult for those who have been flooded. Lake Erie is overflowing and we’ve had a few beaches near me wiped out because of it. I don’t ever remember that happening.

Summer has always hit late May to early June. The pool has always been open by Memorial Day, but not this year.

Not to mention that I’ve fallen so far behind in getting the yard ready that it has been stressing me out to no end, and the few precious days of sunshine that we have had so far have been sporadic at best.

I don’t know about you all, but being cooped up in the house drives

me positively batty! Not to mention my fur babies refuse to go out when it’s raining, which makes for a not so endearing battle of wills. Lol  And, I can’t really say that I blame them, either. Who wants to have to walk around in a swamp as you are getting pelted and drenched?

Living in Ohio, we have maybe 4 really good months of beautiful weather, at best. And believe me when I say that we covet those months! 

Now, I’m not saying that I don’t love fall, because I do! It’s also a favorite of mine. But, waiting months and months for that much needed vitamin D, ONLY to be denied week after week can get anyone’s panties in a twist! 

Then one day you watch the 8-day forecast, and it shows sunny and hot! For days!!! That right there is my Christmas! This is what I look forward to!
Sun! Swimming! Family coming in for vacation!

It means sitting outside and listening to the birds. Listening to the sounds of people mowing their lawns and getting that whiff of fresh cut grass!

It revitalizes me!  I find that I write more when I can sit outside. I have so much more energy. The bones don’t creak quite as much! And that is a very good thing!

I know to those of you who are lucky enough to have sunshine year around, this doesn’t mean much, but to a girl who spends approximately 6 to 7 months of each year covered up – summer is everything!

So, this month I want to remind everyone to just enjoy it! Do something different this year! Make the most of it!

Have a great July everyone!
Love, Dar

Summer Cocktails! ~ by Kim Hornsby

With summer’s warmer weather quickly approaching, I’m trying to get my backyard in shape for living on the patio from sunup to sundown. I like to write on my laptop at the backyard table staring at the garden. As a matter of fact, I’m staring at my fishpond right now watching hummingbirds feed at our little red feeders all over the property.

What I really want after mowing the yard, cleaning the fishpond and re-screening one of the patio doors, is an exotic cocktail. You know those drinks that have fun names, are pink and come with a slice of something citrus on the side? I love trying new drinks like this one my writer friends at a retreat ordered for me called Dream Come True.

Here’s a few cocktails you might enjoy this summer, whether you’re inside getting quietly smashed in front of the TV or outside with friends enjoying the fresh air in your backyard!

The Whiskey Smash

Fresh Lemon Juice

Whiskey

Mint

Simple Syrup or Agave Syrup

The picture is a bit misleading since I used a blend of Whiskey and Rye, an all Rye version is fantastic as well. Either muddle the Mint at the bottom of the glass or give it a good clap between your hands to release the oils. Fill the glass with ice and fill it 2/3 with Lemon Juice (about 3-4 lemons) and 1/3 Whiskey. It is pretty tart as is, so a shot of Simple Syrup helps to balance out the cocktail.

FIRST BLOOM          

      

2 oz. Material Vodka

75 oz. Lemon Juice

75 oz. Lavender Mint Syrup

5 oz. St. Germain

Combine vodka, lemon juice, lavender mint syrup and St. Germain in shaker with ice.

Shake for 20 seconds.

Strain into a coupe glass.

Garnish with a cherry blossom sprig if you have one.

                               

The Paloma

2 ounces silver tequila

2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice

½ ounce fresh lime juice

¼ ounce St. Germain

¼ ounce simple syrup

Lime or grapefruit wheel, for garnish

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the tequila with the grapefruit juice, lime juice, St. Germain and simple syrup. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled bucket glass. Serve immediately, garnished with a lime or grapefruit wheel.

                                   Mojito Slushie 

1/2 c. fresh lime juice (about 4 to 6 limes)

1/4 c. agave

1/3 c. fresh mint leaves

Zest of 2 limes

1/2 c. light rum

ice

Mint sprigs, for garnish

Lime wedges, for garnish

Add the lime juice, agave, mint leaves, lime zest, and rum to a blender. Blend until smooth. Fill the blender to top with ice and blend until slushy.

Pour into glasses, garnishing each with a sprig of mint and a lime slice.

Enjoy, Everyone! 

Do you have a favorite summer drink with or without alcohol?

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