Keeping Up With the Starks - keepingupwiththestarks

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Sedums on Bainbridge Island, Washington


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Mt Ranier on August 2, 2010


Driving up to Mt Ranier


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Multnomah Falls in Oregon


Sunset over Columbia River, Oregon

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Arizona 2007
Bob, Jessi, Stephen and Andrea at the Grand Canyon over Spring Break- April 2007

Arizona 2007
A pensive Bob at the Grand Canyon in April 2007

Williamsburg 2006
Stephen, Andrea, Bob and Jessi on the Crim Dell bridge on the W&M campus.

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471 Oak Hill Pittsboro NC

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redoneagain.JPG 2007-05-24

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The Whole Gang
The gang's all here! Well, almost - June 2008

Mom & Dad on their 60th anniversary
Mom & Dad at Anniversary party - June 2008

Grandma on the beach
Grandma on the beach - June 2008

Grandma and Kyle
Grandma and Kyle - June 2008

Grandma and Stephen
Grandma and Stephen - June 2008

Cutting the Cake!
Cutting the cake! - June 2008

Paul, Keith, Mom, Lynn, Dad, Phil & Bob
Parents and Children - June 2008

Olivia, Jessi & Mariah
Olivia, Jessi, and Mariah - June 2008

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Michelle and Jessi - June 2008

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7/17/2009 12:27:21 AM - 002078584117
Great picture from the wedding--what good looking children you have. We have bought my mom's house and are moving the end of the month. What a mess I have here after 20 years. Thanks for sending us your photogallery.
Dixie and Tom

between North and South?  Because it sure seems like we get northern winter weather on a regular basis these days!   When I put the lovely snow-covered shot of our house on the masthead, I thought of it as a novelty.  But it's not.  It's become a typical winter photo!  We've had record cold temperatures this year as well as a couple of snowfalls/ice storms.  And it's not over yet- this short respite of daytime highs of 50 is about to end with a return to 30's.  Lulu has become a garage kitty, trotting through the house to the garage door each night to snuggle in her bed Jessi got for her and trotting back out each morning.  She's quite a character in this house of characters.

some relief from the dry, dusty miasma hanging over everything. I read somewhere that we had 90 days over 90 degrees this summer.  Wow.  I knew it was a hot one but that's a record I think.  Add in zero rain for weeks on end, and we're seeing plant loss in every yard around here.  Despite judicious watering, I'm sure there will be some holes in my garden next spring.  Ah well.  It's all over now with a week of good solid rain and moderate temperatures at last.  We may get some fall after all!  I'm not sure how much fall leaf color we'll get though as they've been brown and falling for a couple of weeks already.

I want to remember what a lovely summer it was in the garden BEFORE this hot, dry spell so I've uploaded some favorite shots of my summer garden this year.  Enjoy!

well, sort of easy.  Some of the time.  I don't know about the fish jumping and I don't grow cotton, but my squash bushes are high.  And my German Johnsons.  All the tomatoes that I started from seed are tiny still, but that's ok because I'm counting on getting big fat slicing tomatoes from my store-bought GJs and then loads of the rest a month later.  I worried it would all shrivel up and die because we were starting off so hot and dry but lately we've been getting good rains every week.  Bob did the back-breaking work, and I did what I could, to get rid of the ivy in front of the house.  it looks great now but I know I'll be pulling ivy still as it sneaks around the landscape fabric.  We've had 4 or 5 days above 90 degrees already (one in April!) but also then get a couple of lovely cool days where we can open the doors and enjoy breezes, work outside without worrying about heat stroke, and generally enjoy the easy living.

School is out for everyone now which also makes the summertime living more relaxed.  We all stay up later and sleep in a bit in the mornings.  Even Bob tends to work from home more so he doesn't have to bolt out the door at 6:30am.  For me, it means reading too late.   No vacation plans yet but hoping that will change:  it's time for a real vacation this year!  Hope you're getting your summer off to a good start. 

here in Pittsboro, NC.  It's late though. We're usually pulling weeds and eyeing the garden centers sooner than this.  I appreciate our "real" winter this year because I'm hoping the harsh temperatures will deter some of the bug life this summer.  Not that I expect it.  But hope is enough.  The bright yellows of the forsythia and daffodils with the pastels of the cherry and pear trees, the hyacinths that look almost fake in their perfection all make me feel excited about the new growing season.  Bob tilled the veg garden already and it's ready to be planted.  I've started lots of seeds this week, already have spinach and lettuce which over-wintered under my hoop house.  There's leeks and onions which over-winter every year and I added garlic just recently.  I've rooted more fig twigs and even rooted some of our apple tree trimmings!

We've had two birthdays, Mine and Jessi's, and Adam's is coming up soon.  Bob is finished with the new fireplace area with a lovely new mantel.  Check out the photo I got of him in his "time out box".  Now I need to get cracking on the mosaic for the middle panel.  My welding class is almost over.  I've made a couple of things (a plant trivet for the front porch and a tall outdoor candlabra.  I will have a plant stand also because my teacher shared some pieces that he'd already made and didn't want...Score!

Stephen is on the tech crew for the high school's musical "Guys & Dolls" starting tonight and Adam is an actor in "Working-A Musical" that will be performed in mid-April.  Jessi is literally counting down the days until her sophomore year is over. 

We've made no vacation plans and I'm itching to go someplace special this summer.  Let us know where you're going/what special plans you've made for 2010. 

for taking stock of our lives, our lifestyles, our life choices.  Nah, I'm okay with the same old, same old.  Everybody is back to school (even me- I'm taking another welding art class!) and/or work; it was a lovely holiday, plenty of friends, just enough family time which makes the normal routine welcome again. 

On Christmas Eve, we had a beautiful dinner with lamb and salmon, then we all played Settlers of Catan together.  Stephen loves this game, and now I see why. It IS fun!  We finally banged and clanged around to wake the young ones up about 10 on Chrismas morning, put the breakfast casserole in the oven, and had a leisurely morning of opening gifts and joking around.  Then in the afternoon, we all went to see Sherlock Holmes at the movies.  That was plenty of excitement.  It was a rather dreary, wet day and night so other than the movie excursion, we were inside reading, watching, eating, and playing with our new toys.

New Year's was quiet.  We invited a neighbor couple to supper, and we all agreed we didn't want to even try to stay up until midnight!  We've never been very caught up in the New Year's Eve hoopla.

We're in the middle of a deep freeze like 3/4 of the country.  Morning lows of 18 are shocking!  While I was snowed in up in Blacksburg, Bob and Jessi taught Lulu to walk straight from the kitchen door to the garage door.  Jessi also made her a warm snuggly cat bed over the holidays.  What a spoiled kitty! 

We wish you all good things in 2010.  Drop us a line sometime!

and boy was it great!  I was very nervous about navigating LaGuardia airport, catching a taxi into Manhattan, etc.  but it was really quite easy.  The USAir terminal was on its own so it was as easy as RDU.  Of course- they're used to tourists so they have a system all set up. 

The smartest thing we did was buy a 7 day metro pass so we could use the subway and busses as much as we wanted.  The least successful (imho) was paying $20 to hang out in a huge crowd to get to the top of the Empire State Building and crane around those same crowds to try to see out only to see lots of rooftops.  oh well. 

We crammed alot of fun into about 4 days (got there Thursday afternoon and came home Sunday early evening).  We walked through Central Park, along Battery Park, Chinatown, Soho, Greenwich Village, Washington Square Park, Rockefeller Square, Times Square many times as our hotel was right there.  We saw a hilarious show, 39 Steps, spent a rainy Saturday afternoon in the Natural History Museum, and of course hit some stores, most notably Toys R Us in Times Square to ride the indoor ferris wheel and FAO Swartz just because it's FAO Swartz.  I'll let you in on a secret:  it's just a toy store. :)

Sunday we managed to catch up with Amos and Mason who have migrated to NYC after graduating and working for a year.  We had lunch, caught up on their lives, then walked up to Washington Square Park and then to our subway stop so we could get our bags and head to the airport.

I know Jessi had to jump right back into school, she had test before and after her Fall Break, but I think she would say it was worth it.  I know I do.

but we don't really mind.  Bob is finishing up his massive powerwash/repair/paint project on the outside of the house that's literally taken all summer and fall.  He says he has about a month's worth of work left.  Now it's down to the detail work like painting windows and a few more boards to replace.  I've planted a new bed on the side of the backyard thanks to his tilling, and I've got the big garden ready for winter with a cover crop of rape and mustard planted in hopes of killing off some nematodes and bad fungi that infect my yellow pear tomatoes each year.  Of course it would only affect my favorite tomato!  I've planted broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce and onions.  The leeks and onions already there are doing well, and i may get a few more roma tomatoes yet.  But generally, we're done for the year.  The hens are slacking off a bit too.  It's amazing how important sunlight is to all of us, hens included.  Many more fall chores yet to do but we're feeling good about how much is already done.  Adam, Jessi and Stephen are doing fine in their respective schooling.  Nothing really noteworthy.  Jessi is in midterms, Adam has fall break most of this next week, and Stephen's Acting Ensemble class has picked OUR TOWN for their November show.  Jessi's fall break is Oct 22-25- she and I are getting excited about our NYC trip.  I've made lists of places we want to see, things we want to do, gluten free restaurants we can eat at, etc.  I am nervous about being able to walk very much...but I'll figure out a way because this is very important to me.  I've always wanted to have a long weekend in the City.  Can't wait! 

to Blacksburg to visit Mom.  Jessi and I are driving up this afternoon for the weekend.  I'm looking forward to it.  Mom says it's chilly up there already!  Down here, we've had the kind of days that make me love living in NC:  low 80's, sunny, low humidity, whatever makes me itch like a manic in August stops blooming about now.  It's time to open up the house, putter in the garden throughtout the day, clean up the porch and patio for spending time outside again.  I just plain love it.  Back to Blacksburg:  Check out the picture I took of Cascades waterfall.  I went to visit Mom by myself back in July (I was taking a friend for a visit but one of her children got sick) and Margaret and I hiked the 2 miles up the harder trail then down the easier 2 mile fireroad.  I wasn't sure I could still do it so it really was a personal victory.  I don't know if we'll do anything like this hike but whatever we do, it'll be a lovely weekend.  I hope yours is enjoyable too!

Lulu!  She's a lovable little striped tiger we brought home from the pound two weeks ago.  She was awfully skinny and rather than playing with us, she just rubbed and cuddled.  Now she's plump and feisty, ready to pounce all the time! You should hear her purr- what a motor she's got!  The chickens are not impressed however.  Whenever she gets near their pen, they squawk and raise a ruckus warning her away.  She's so tiny they intimidate her completely, and yet she remains curious. 

We've enjoyed an unusual summer with lots of rain and temperate climate until recently when it turned back to the normal beastly hot and humid.  The garden doesn't seem to mind...yet.  I'm picking tomatoes, beans and cantaloupes like crazy these days.  I get such joy in walking down to our garden and coming back with dinner.  

We've hit that time of the summer when the thrill of being off school is over, it's hot, and we've already done all our usual summer fun things.  What to do now?  I was looking at this nifty blog called Pink of Perfection, and she was listing fun things to do to enrich your life without breaking your bank.  I was reminded of a few of my favorite things to do that don't make me feel guilty about spending alot of money. 

One of them is coming up tomorrow: I'm getting my quarterly massage at the local massage therapy school!  So far, each student massage has been delightful, an hour of unwinding/unknotting all my kinks.  And very affordable. 

Along those same lines, I've found that a haircut can be a treat as well, especially the kind I just got from Leigh down at Salon Blue in Pittsboro yesterday.  She gave me just exactly the style of cut I was hoping for (and probably NOT articulating very well!).  Thank you Leigh!!  I love supporting her as she is a young lady just starting out in the world, she's pleasant, and she doesn't overcharge.  That one is a biggie for me because hairstylists around here seem to think they are supposed to charge an arm and a leg for a basic cut.  Or they refuse to let you come in with wet hair and skip the washing that's an extra $20, let alone leave off the blowdrying.  If the style has to be, well, styled, then fuggitaboutit, cuz that's not for me.  I'm a swim and go kind of girl.

Have you ever tried:

- making your own jewelry at a bead store?  you decide the budget, make it there and for nominal fees (think 25cents!), they will help you wrap and crimp so it looks professional.  I have a friend who can stretch a $15 giftcard into several creative afternoons and come out with gorgeous earrings, etc. each time.

-strolling through botanical gardens, arboreteums, especially lovely neighborhoods, farmer's markets, campuses?  Bring your camera and you've added a new way of looking at something you might see all the time.

-those same places will often offer free or inexpensive programs.  Ask questions, talk to people and you'll find out about fun things to do as well as the walk.

-joined a book club? Are you a mystery buff?  or just have to read all the latest political pundits?  Whatever it is, I'm sure there are more people just like you out there who'd love to get together one evening a month to drink coffee (or wine!) and talk about it.  You'll have fun with old friends and/or make some new ones.  At one time I was in 2 book clubs simultaneously! 

Have you done something new and interesting and inexpensive this summer?  Do tell.
 

Happy 4th of July!  We're hot and dry here in North Carolina but thankfully it's not as hot as it was last week.  With the help of a little hand watering, the garden is thriving:  I'm picking green beans, one or two tomatoes, blackberries, onions, and I'm cutting flowers for beautiful bouquets.  It's a thrill to me to be able to walk out my back door to get most of the same things I'd drive to a farmer's market to buy.  Still, I love to visit farmer's markets to see what others have planted, sometimes to get something I don't grow here, definitely to get just-picked corn (I will have some corn in a week or two).  I even went to the farmer's market in Charlottesville last Saturday just to check it out.  It was packed with vendors, many more arts/crafts/prepared foods than the markets around here, but very enjoyable.  I even bought still-hot doughnuts to take back for the others.  Being gluten free is usually not a problem because I substitute smelling the wonderful yeasty breads instead of eating them!

Summertime can be a struggle for me in the kitchen because I have serious meat-n-potatoes people to feed and yet I want to make lots of salads and cold dishes because of the heat.  Add to that Jessi being vegan, both of us gluten free, and Adam is the only easy person.  He'll eat anything!  Today I embraced the kitchen wholeheartedly and made some serious baked beans, put short ribs in to slow cook all afternoon, made carrot/raisin salad and frosted sugar cookies with red/white/blue frostings.  Even made some of the Tarheel feet cookies white w/ blue heels.  After all, it's a Carolina Fourth around here!

That's right, and preferably an NC beach.  I'm a bit of a snob about my beaches.  I have to have a relatively quiet beach that hasn't been hit by the masses.  The more remote the better in all honesty.  I remember going to Jekyll Island with my parents for veterinary conferences.  Now, as an adult in these ecology-aware times, I am embarrassed that I would hang on a rubber float and pull sand dollars up by the bucketfuls.  But I also remember being very careful with our flashlights as we went out to watch the sea turtles lay their eggs.  What a magical time for a child, racing around in the sun, swimming all day, seeing sea turtles at night.  For our honeymoon, Bob and I meandered through the Outer Banks, stopping when we felt like it, staying in little Mom & Pop motels, making no plans.  When we moved to NC 26 years ago, I was so excited about going to the beach regularly.  However, it took about ten years to get there.  Work, using vacation time for family visits, having babies, all sorts of things kept getting in the way.  But eventually we started going to Sunset Beach for a week each summer.  Perfect.  You had to cross one way at a time to get on the island, there were 2 stores period, one tiny motel, and loads of relaxation on the beach, up in the crow's nest, walking out to Bird Island.  It was all good.  Then we tried Emerald Isle so Mom could feel a part of the beach right from the house, and that became another beach haunt.  I'd really like to go to Bald Head Island for a stay because there are NO CARS allowed.  That sounds like heaven to me.  This summer we are trying a new place for us:  Topsail Island.  I really can't wait.  I'll tell you all about it...with pictures of course!  But for now, I think I'd better start packing.

It's almost June, and as the school year winds down and summer mode kicks in, it seems like a perfect time to start a website.  Why not, right?  I'm still thinking about what to include, how to focus the site, how this venue will differ from say, my Facebook page.  So it's a work in progress... like everything in life...and that sounds just about right to me!  Happy summer everyone!

What kind of plans do you have for summer family fun?  We're going to the beach as soon as school lets out (in fact in just about a week!) thanks to the generosity of our dear friends, the Vanderlindens.  I'll post from Topsail that week to share that special NC beach vibe. 

Ok, I have to veer off for a sec:  I swear there's nothing like our coast for giving you exactly what you need.  Want peace and quiet?  We've got that for miles and miles.  Want excitement?  We've got that too.  History?  Duh, Wright brothers ring a bell?  Blackbeard?  is championship golf (or just mini golf?!) what you like to do on vacation? Oh yeah, there's plenty of that as well.  I'm telling you, whatever makes the perfect beach getaway for you can be found here in NC.  I know I sound like a tourism brochure (and yes, I DID write a few about 25 years ago!) but it's so true.

Back to our summer plans.  Also in June, we have THE WEDDING.  Jamie and Rachel are getting married in Charlottesville, VA on June 27.  I've already been looking into farmer's markets to visit that morning (the wedding is at 4pm in the UVA Chapel).  Not sure if we can tour Dave Matthews' farm but that's a goal as well because he took land that was farmed conventionally (read: with chemicals), set up a conservancy, and slowly cleaned it up so it's now organic and bio-sustainable.  Very cool.  I really want to see how they've set up their chickens!

After that, we have no plans.  Yet.