Summer Is Here

 Summer starts on July 5th in Washington State and this year is no exception. Today is going to be about 73* and it looks like the next week or so will have pleasant temperatures as well.

On June 21, the Summer Solstice, Amble turned into a yearling.

I've kept track of her on a growth chart and shes not getting a lot taller but she is getting bigger.

Her green waterproof sheet I used on her during winter is now way too small but she is big enough for the horsey print polar fleece cooler.

Wifi is so pretty, every season her color is different than the one before. 

I am in love with this mare.

Handsome Joey, 26 and still going strong.

Hawaii Was Beautiful

The Kualoa Ranch is gorgeous.

They've filmed so many movies here 

There are still a few dinosaurs roaming around! 

We did the ATV tour, 2 hours of blissful fun

They also do e-bikes, busses and other tours

After the ranch we headed toward the north shore

Water was so pretty

Second part of the trip we were in Maui, stayed at 

Kahana Beach Resort

View from our room

It was a studio with a pull down bed

Beach view

The Road To Hana is on everyones list of things to do and we've gone every time we've been there. This time it was raining int he morning & so many tourists were freaking out about washouts that they stayed in town. Their loss, it was a beautiful day.

Its known for all its one lane bridges and waterfalls

But I LOVE seeing the bamboo forest

We stopped by Hamoa Beach. 

This is Dentons tree.

I spread some of his ashes here when we were here in 2006, shortly after he died. 

Every time we go I visit his tree

The next day we went around the Northwestern side of the island & stopped at the blowhole

Waves were gigantic & so pretty

I much prefer this drive over road to Hana just because hardly anyone goes this way

This is one of my favorite pictures of the whole trip

And my once fave beach, Makena Beach. Its near Big Beach. When we were here before there would be maybe 6 people max, this trip there were about 100 and its a small beach. The turtles were still here.

After 5 days we returned to Oahu and that afternoon we hiked up Diamond Head

Next day we went to Pearl Harbor and toured USS Missouri

This ship used to be at Bremerton & I was on it when I was a little kid. This tour was much more extensive and we spent a good 2 hours on it.

After Pearl Harbor we drove up to North Shore again to swim at Bonsai Pipeline. I chickened out, waves were too big for me. 

Sunset was pretty

Sand was soft and warm

On our last day we got up to see sunrise at Waikiki

Then drove out to Diamond Head Beach Park

Where I spread more of Dentons ashes, under the tree with the unique branch sticking out. Hes got another beautiful view to enjoy.

And in case anyone is wondering...

 

Forget Counting Down Days, It's Time To Count Down Hours

 There are only 

days till we leave for Hawaii

I have a 

shift at work tomorrow & then I'm done till I go back on the 15th

We will get up at

and get on this 

and it will push back at

Then fly 2,675 miles to Oahu

Shits Packed

I used to think I needed to pack this much crap for a trip but after going to Europe with just a small carry-on for 3 weeks, I have learned how to travel light.

I use packing cubes & compression cubes, plus since I've already been packing for 2 weeks & only have one more to go before we leave, I've whittled away what I will or won't wear. 

Probably.

I searched EVERYWHERE for my Teva sandals, couldn't find them anywhere so I went today & bought another pair. Pretty glad too, these are so comfy.

This is how Lan likes to pack

We'll spend 2 days on Oahu, then 4 on Maui, then back to Oahu for another 3 days.

We'll be driving the road to Hana, again.

And going to Jurassic Park!!

We've reserved the ATV tour.

I love that movie

 

Hawaii Over The Years

I've been to Hawaii a few times

Not shown is 1994

This was me in 2006

2007

2009

2016

And in another month, I'll be adding another photo to this collection

 

March 2022 Horses

Black Orchid Ambleside

9 months old today

Withers: 51” or 12.3hh, same as previous 3 months

Butt: 54” or 13.2hh, 1” taller than last month

Heart Girth: 58.75”, 1/4” bigger than last month

Body Length: 65”, a full 2 inches longer

Weight: 679lbs, 48lbs heavier than last month and about 200 lbs heavier than when I got her.

Wifi is now 14 years old, shes 14.1hh

Such a lover

Joey will be 26 in a month

16hh

And in other news:

We've started a raised bed garden in the side yard. I had thought it would be good out front but there's too much shade. In the side yard it's going to have 12-14 hours of sunshine each day.

Lan made 5 beds this size 6.5'x3'x18" & 1 that's 13'x3'x18"

They're leftover roofing metal & the 4x4 corner posts are old posts from highway signs

I got a bunch of large boxes to put under them 

We put in a bunch of small branches and sticks, this will decompose over time

Then a layer of last years composted lawn grass, this stuff was black & packed with worms

Next came two year old horse poop, shavings, hay & sand mix from our compost pile. 

This stuff was so nice and had huge worms growing in it.

This garden should do great just from the worms.

Went to Purdy Topsoil & bought 1.5 tons of garden soil

Filled the beds, tamped it down & topped them off

Worms in the composted grass

A worm from the manure compost

Here are some of the seeds left over from last year, a few from this year. I'm so glad I didn't waste them last year in that failure we called a garden.

Today I'm taking my seeds and a planning book to work where I will plan out each bed. Going to do companion planting so each bed will have others that compliment them. There will be Marigolds to help keep Aphids away, Three Sisters where there's corn, squash & beans. 

The Three Sisters method is companion planting at its best, with three plants growing symbiotically to deter weeds and pests, enrich the soil, and support each other. 

I just hope it grows