Looking Ahead to 2019

Happy New Year! 2018 is in the review mirror, and 2019 is an open road before us. Nature, gardens, friends and family are stops on the map for the year to come.

Looking ahead, my big theme for the year is "plants to dye for". For a long time I've wanted to learn more about dyeing with plants. I did a some research during my sabbatical about the history of dyeing, the plants used for dyeing, and the recipes used to dye with plants. I have a lot of interesting posts and hands-on dyeing projects planned for the year to come.

Plants for dyeing	Exploring nature
Enjoying gardens	Dyeing fabric with plants

Along the way we'll continue with some of our favorite pursuits, like hiking the parks and preserves of the San Francisco Bay Area, enjoying beautiful landscapes, reading books, and watching movies (where plants are the movie stars). Best of all, we'll continue to celebrate the people that walk along beside us on the journey of life, by sharing experiences, enjoying a good meal, and engaging in great conversation. Hope you'll join me on the journey!

Reflections on 2018

Hard to believe we're at the end of the year already! I thoroughly enjoyed my "sabbatical" in 2018. I slowed my pace a bit and freed up some time for research, but still managed to explore the San Francisco Bay Area, and enjoy the beauty of the every day. I also took on a few small-scale projects like forcing bulbs, growing herbs, and looking for good ideas in the garden,

We focused quite a bit on the seasons, and how seasonal changes influence a place (I think the change in light is the most fascinating aspect of the seasons)! We explored several more East Bay Regional Parks, including Wildcat Canyon, Garin and Dry Creek Gardens, Point Pinole, and Black Diamond Mines. We visited gardens in season such as Heritage Park in spring and fall, Filoli in fall, and Bishop Ranch in all seasons.

Historical gardens	Beautiful plants
Exploring nature	Seasonal beauty

We traveled to Southern California, Southeastern Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest to drink in the natural beauty, learn something new, and enjoy the company of loved ones. Really, shared experience in a beautiful setting, followed by a tasty meal, and good conversation is one of life's blessings. It was a great year for gardens!

Christmas in Seattle

My husband and I are looking forward to a Christmas gathering in Seattle with our son, daughter-in-law, and granddog, Mako the Alaskan husky. New to the gathering is our daughter-in-law's mom from Shanghai, and our new granddog, Dakota, a rescue Husky from Qatar. We're looking forward to our shared Christmas traditions, and adding a few new ones. We've been texting ideas and plans and reminders to each other for over a month, which adds to the anticipation!

December has already been full with Christmas fun. We had a visit from my folks on their way home to Alaska after warming up in the desert. Together with my aunt, who lives locally, we enjoyed dinner at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants and an evening of beautiful music provided by Chanticleer (several of their recordings are in our Christmas music collection, so it was a treat to experience their music in person)! Listening to Christmas music, baking for a cookie exchange, shopping for and wrapping gifts, watching Christmas-themed movies, and observing the Advent at church are all favorite activities of the season. Did I mention egg nog?

A greenhouse ornament ready for the tree!

As we gather to celebrate, I'd like to think we're pushing back against the dark, and letting in the light (something we definitely need these days). We're all busy; all at different stages of life; a mix of ages, genders, and species; but we're all committed to the journey. I'm looking forward to some rest, fun, good food, and time together!

Merry Christmas!