Sweet Week 2016

Sweet Week has come and gone again, and Melody and I were able to visit several places, many which were new to us. Each place we visited seemed to be doing brisk sales of their specials, and a couple had even run out by the time we got there.

Wedding amidst a family weekend

My cousin Paul got married this weekend, and unlike the last two family events, this one was in Bellingham (less than 90 minutes north of our home), not Southern California. That meant other family members made the trip to Washington, including my parents.

141 Murakamis

My dad’s family has been getting together about every five years for a reunion, the latest being this past weekend. We had a great time, talking with people we hadn’t seen in years. Unlike Melody’s reunion which was a relatively unstructured weekend at an Indiana state park, this one centered around a luncheon with several activities happening around the meal, and a few before and after.

Fame is both fleeting and fickle. It's some sort of combination of hard work and luck, the exact combination being different for everyone. One's rise can be slow or meteoric. And you only have a little control over how long you stay (or how many times you rise). Knowing all that, it's still exciting to see people get their chance.

Hanging up the aprons

After over a quarter decade, my parents and aunt retired from the art supply business this week. It's hard to imagine them not going to the store full time, but at ages 80, 84, and 89, it seems amazing that this was their encore careers.

Bye Bye Birchies

We found out last month that the two birch trees in our back yard were infested with the bronze birch borer, so we had to decide what to do about them. They came down today, and it's surprising how much that changes our yard.