Ya know it's summer when there's a tent in the yard

In early July Peoria Gardens, a wholesale nursery outside of town, opens to the public for a limited time. The first hour of the first day they were open we were there. So were a million other people. It was quite the buying extravaganza. Everything was so cheap and so beautiful that what's a person to do but buy?!?

I returned a second time at the end of the day when it was nice and quiet--and bought more. I used the excuse that I wanted our backyard and deck to be beautiful for Aaron's birthday party coming up at the end of the month. I needed an instant garden. (I was hoping that Aaron would understand that there was no money left over for a birthday cake--it had all been invested in flowers. What 13-year-old wouldn't understand that?!?)




Yes, the Honda was full and I was happy. Courtney was--hummmmmm--very tolerant and helpful. Even supportive.





Well, there will be more later about the results of all that, but meanwhile our friends Frank and Margaret from Pacific Grove came to visit. I think we can safely call it a tradition. This is the third summer in a row that they've come to see us and camped in our backyard.




At the old house they had to camp on the side yard to be as far away as possible from the road noise of 53rd St. But in our new yard it's nice and quiet in that way. Noisy in other ways. Like the rooster across from us and the sheep at the end of the street. And bicyclists and walkers talking as they take the path just on the other side of our fence.




In the photo above we're on the back patio of our favorite restaurant, Nearly Normals. Out for a leisurely dinner and good conversation. It's always wonderful to have Frank and Margaret here. We've got plenty, plenty to talk about and share.




We relaxed alot in the backyard and around the house. But it was also the Da Vinci Days weekend so we made a trip downtown to see the Kinetic Sculpture Parade on Saturday morning and then Frank and Margaret spent the rest of the day at the Da Vinci Days Festival. Live music, information on alternative everything, plus the races and sculptures. Aaron took lots of great pictures of the parade with my cell phone, but I'm not quite advanced enough to know how to get them from the phone to the blog. Maybe later......




Meanwhile, looking out into our backyard and seeing their tent, sitting around drinking coffee and yakking, showing them the Co-op. It was all fun and gave me the feeling of summer. Vacation, camping, leisure time. Ahhhhhhh....how good.

Only days after they left the next round of company was due here, so no rest for the wicked. More fun to come, stay tuned,

Valori

Look at our little girl now

Maya was one danged cute baby--right from the start. But who would have imagined that she'd someday be a high-powered, successful business woman.




Here she is with her mama and Aunt Kissy in her grandparents' home in Carmel. Their house was called the Rose Cottage and it was their living quarters while they were innkeepers at Happy Landing Inn in downtown Carmel-By-The-Sea. So Maya grew up in the motel biz and actually played desk clerk with her grandmother starting at the age of five.




In the summers I used to work for my friend Brad at his restaurant, The Sweetwater, in Jackson Hole. When Maya was 12 Brad bought The Smilin' S in Bondurant (which happens to be in the middle of nowhere in the least populated county in the least populated state in the US). It was a series of log cabins for rent overnight plus RV hook-ups and tent camping. The summer of 1994 Maya lived at the Smilin' S and rented and cleaned the cabins, plus did all the laundry. Yes, folks, Maya and I washed the motel's sheets and towels on two ringer washers and hung it all out to dry on clotheslines. Just like a couple of prairie women. Maya's got the motel biz in her veins.





Now since those days she's been busy doing many other things, including marrying Eder and having Baby Ben.





And it's clear that she loves and enjoys them both. (This is a really old pic of Ben. He's 20 times that size now!)




In 2003, shortly after the marrying and long before the birthing, they moved from Monterey to Corvallis. After a year of living in Corvallis Maya went to work at the Hilton Garden Inn, on the OSU campus (strategically located across from the football stadium). She started out at the front desk, and they quickly made her a supervisor. Then they sent her on several trainings around the country--to Dallas, and Tennessee, and Washington State. Then she became the Front End manager, and soon took on accounting responsibilities and human resources projects.

I know you are all wondering "Where is this going?" Well, let's all give a big round of applause for the Hilton Garden Inn's new Assistant General Manager, Maya Perez! You heard it here first! Straight from the mouth of her proud mom.

Well, I gotta go now and blow my nose. I get a little teary every time I brag.

Hope I didn't embarrass you too much, Maya. And thanks to everyone else for caring about our lives and taking time to read our blog,

Valori

Tour de 'hood continues

Here's a few more pics to give you a flavor of our new surroundings. This is Gene and Nancy's house, three doors down. The first time they saw us out front they stopped their walk with their dogs to welcome us to the neighborhood and to say they liked our bumperstickers.




A few more houses past Gene and Nancy's is this beautiful newly-constructed strawbale house, built by my new yoga teacher Laura and her husband. The front is the yoga studio and the rest is their home. So that's pretty darned convenient to walk to yoga classes. And Laura is a wonderful teacher.





On the street behind us is this cute place with the hand-built bus stop. The photo doesn't show the big sign on the side of the house that says "Stay Left" and the sweet gardens and dining table under the trees. The woman who lives there shops at the Co-op and has offered a tour, so...




I love the colors of this house below. It belongs to someone that Courtney knows and I guess it's a party house for progressives, so hopefully more later.




Lastly here's the fence beside our friends Cassandra and James' house. A cute little piece of artwork and creativity. One of many around here. We're very lucky. So much to look at--it makes our evening bike rides so entertaining (plus we get lots of good ideas).




And speaking of creativity, a parade of alternative transportation goes by our house every day. Including the Mayor's electric car, dubbed the Mayor Mobile. My favorite is the young mom who rides her skateboard while pushing a double jogging stroller with toddler and baby inside, with her black lab leashed and running alongside her.

More and more Courtney and I are figuring out ways not to use our car. Or if we do, then we try to pack in as many errands in each trip as we can. It just feels so much better to jump on our bikes and go somewhere. Better for our health. Better for the planet.

Well, there's more to come, but I'm out of time for now. Thanks for reading our blog,

Valori

A view of the 'hood

Here's a little tour around our neighborhood. These photos were taken at the end of June and beginning of July, before the dry season when the grass turns brown and things aren't quite as lush. Usually in September the rains will start back slowly, but enough to green the grass. Anyway, I am not getting attached to all the grass around our house because it will, over time, be turned to garden and that's a good thing.

Below is the path next to our house and yard that leads to Bell St (to the south side of us). It's a short-cut that many people use on foot and bike to get from the rest of the neighborhood to Willamette Park. People have planted along the path and so it's a bit of a community garden. Our big maple tree gives it good shade.




On the other side of the fence is our house and yard. Someone put this bench along the path and Courtney has planted grapevines on that side of the fence.




A bit more of the path...




About three or four houses north of us, my co-worker Karen has the most inspiring gardens all around her house--front, side and back. Every time I go by it gives me ideas for our front yard. She's created a boundary between the street and her home, but it's also open and inviting. A very good balance. Right now are yard and the front of our house is very open to the street and feels like we live in a fishbowl. There's work to be done, but no hurry.





When we decided to move to Corvallis I told my doctor, Adelheid Ebenhoech in Prunedale, and she told me about her brother Otmar who had recently moved to Corvallis from the Bay Area. He invents and makes parts for electric cars. She said we'd be able to find him easily because he also makes stretch Volkswagen vans, shops at the Co-op alot and looks like Luke Skywalker in his 40's. Well, she was right on all accounts and he's a real sweetheart--just like she is.




So that's the beginning of the tour. Stay tuned for more very soon. Happy summertime and lots of love,

Valori