Back from the Farm

A wonderful time was had by all.  We ate fantastically well - fresh vegetables from the garden and local meat.   We made a fire every night - no lack of wood in this part of the world - and roasted marshmallows. The children played croquet and badminton in the fields.  The adults played too but in their own particular way (adult play is work that adults actually enjoy doing.)  Here is what we managed to accomplish....

Finished the siding on the barn.

This kind of siding is called board and batten and it is often used for barns.   Large wood planks are nailed into place and then smaller strips of wood are used to cover the spaces between the large planks. 

Weeded the flowerbeds

Painted the exterior of the house

Finished painting the inside of the house

This morning we packed up and headed back to Washington.  Every time I cross over the Columbia River, I think of the Woody Guthrie song, Roll on Columbia:

"Roll on, Columbia, roll on
Roll on, Columbia, roll on
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn
So roll on, Columbia, roll on

Green Douglas firs where the waters cut through
Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew
Canadian Northwest to the oceans so blue
Roll on Columbia, roll on

Other great rivers add power to you
Yakima, Snake, and the Klickitat, too
Sandy Willamette and Hood River too
So roll on, Columbia, roll on

Tom Jefferson's vision would not let him rest
An empire he saw in the Pacific Northwest
Sent Lewis and Clark and they did the rest
So roll on, Columbia, roll on....."

On the Washington side, no trip up Interstate 5 would be complete without a stop at Mrs. Beesley's (Exit 59 - Toledo, Washington).  The best hamburgers and fried onion rings I've ever tasted.  

After four hours on the road we finally arrived in Seattle and, as we passed by Boeing Field, we caught a glimpse of Boeing's new airplane, the 787 Dreamliner.

We are back at the Phinney  Ridge house now - tired, tan and happy.  I brought my Kindle along on the trip and managed to get some reading done.  More tomorrow.