Eva's Wine Cellar

Sharp house!

Sophie made this just for you, but I'd pass some down to Dag if I were you. She will love it.

Wow, beautiful scenery. Sweater weather sounds lovely about now.

It's really comfortable. They designed it so they can stay there permanently. When they get too old to do stairs, all the essential rooms are on the top floor (main level from the street.) Solar panels on the roof and super-energy efficient, too. They put a lot of thought into it.

Hubby, SonofEva and Bro-in-law caught Dungeness crabs about 100' off their rocky beach...photos to come tomorrow. Hubby rented a movie and wants me to come watch it with him right now.

Everyone, please stay and enjoy the treats! Jacques and Sophie aren't going anywhere tonight.

That's a nice house and it seems to have enough room for the Eva family to go and visit them once in a while.

Dungeness crabs... sigh.

Thanks Eva and Sophie!

Hopefully Dagmaraka will be around to enjoy the mousse while it's fresh.

Indeed. Dagmaraka is just having a coffee and what could go better with that than some mousse.

Just gorgeous! I camped at Deception Pass when I was a kid. The scenery is out of this world. Lucky you! And Dag, I'll have some of that mousse... yum.

Fantastic photo's, Eva. I cannot believe that son of Eva has grown up. Hope he still plays the piano. Beautiful house. I know what you mean about the heat.

I had mini wheats this morning with delicious raspberries Framboises. Yum.

Yes, CJ, plenty of room! 1,800 sq. ft. on the main level plus another 1,000 and garages on the lower level. Since the master bedroom/bath is on the main level and the guest rooms/bath are on the lower level, we didn't trip over each other at all. As I said before, a very thoughtful design.

Glad to see you're enjoying the chocolate, Dag & Mame! How interesting that you know the area well, Mame.

Letty, you would barely recognize my son now. (Yes, he still plays the piano. He has perfect hands for it...very long and thin.) Look at these photos of him and Hubby crab fishing:

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Bro-in-law got up early, rowed out about 100' from his beach, and set out crab pots. That afternoon, SonofEva (above in captain's hat) and Hubby rowed out to check them.

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"Awwww....all we got was this one little bitty baby crab."

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Just kidding! Bro-in-law, SonofEva and Hubby show off one of their catch. They caught 6 Dungeness and one huge Red Rock crab...more than enough for our dinner. The Red Rock crab was so old it had barnacles all over it. We cooked them in the big blue boiler and ate them right here, throwing the shells back into the waves. (Note to Mame: We also had sauteed fresh asparagus, artichokes from a neighbor's garden, and corn on the cob along with drawn butter and fresh lemons.) Only a small part of the rocky beach is shown here: it was high tide.

Damn, son of Eva is a handsome dude. Love his long hair. He also did a good job of looking sad at those tiny crabs. Actor as well?

I recall that kid playing my out of tune piano with his great hands and looking a little skeptical when some of the keys stuck.

Saw Jane's little Jane. She's growing up as well, and what a beauty.

I look like a banshee today. Although I warned my lawn mower man to watch out for my sprinkler heads, he mowed one off its base and I got caught in old faithful trying to put it back in its place. Thank God for good neighbors. Gus came over and fixed it in no time flat.

SonofEva is indeed very handsome - the girls must be calling your house
quite a bit, Eva. Husband is very sympatico too! I just showed the picture
to my daughter and she agreed that your son is "hot" (as they call it nowadays)
especially his hair.

Well Eva, let's talk matchmaking here.... but before that, let's have brunch

Of course I agree with both of you. I think he's pretty cute, too!

Um, uh, CJ...please tell me you didn't put cole slaw in the mimosas. <blush>

Oh no, Eva, that's fresh squeezed apricot juice with julienne cut up apples.
Our good (expensive) champagne should not be mixed with anything...

Is that seared tuna? Looks scrumptious!

<Whew!>

OK, back to the pictures.

Last weekend we drove through the North Cascades.

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We stopped at this roadside fruit stand for fresh blueberries, raspberries, and homemade ice cream. All were delicious. We ate on a nearby picnic table while watching the farmer shoo a fawn away from his organic garden.

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Roadside waterfall. They were everywhere. VERY cold water.

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Getting higher up. This is Diablo Lake. The unbelievably bright turquoise of the water is caused by glacial silt in the lake that reflects this color.

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Near Washington Pass, there was still snow in places at the side of the road. Who could resist a snowball fight in July?! It was SonofEva vs. the Old Guys. Above, Hubby looks for a loose patch of snow for his next handful after being hit by SonofEva. Bro-in-law shows good form.

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The whole crew at Washington Pass, the highest point on our route. (Left to right: Eva, Hubby, SonofEva, Sis, Bro-in-law)

By the way, NONE of these images have been Photoshopped. The colors are absolutely original, not a single pixel has been enhanced.

I've just signed up for membership with Macchia winery near Lodi; they make some real good red zins - full of fruit flavors.