Spring Break Part Deux

The last weekend of spring break! We drove to Burlington, Washington yesterday (no particular reason to stay here other than to break up the trip) and explored La Connor this morning. We were in the heart of the Skagit Valley, famous for its tulip fields. The Cascade mountains are magnificent here, their towering peaks dusted with snow and capped with clouds. The tulips were nowhere to be seen, however daffodils were in full glory along one farm road. We saw an intersection with one sign pointing south...that was called the Farm to Market road. The other sign pointing north was called Best Road.

whirligig in La Connor

across the channel from La Connor is Fidalgo Island

fresh out of the oven

ancient tree

Today we also drove to Richmond, BC for a Steve Bell concert. The fellow at the border crossing turned out to be married to Steve Bell's cousin! Our hotel here in Richmond is a sweet little studio with a curving floor to ceiling window that overlooks the Richmond Center Mall. We walked over there to grab a bite before the concert. We noticed a crowd and wandered over to see what the fuss was...they were waiting in orderly fashion for the new Ipad 2. Each time a person walked out of the store with the new Ipad the crowd cheered!

waiting outside the apple store

inside the mall

I really enjoyed the concert. It was in a Mennonite church, not far from us, about a 10 minute drive away.
Steve is a deep thinker and excellent songwriter. He had four first class musicians with him. I'm not that familiar with him or his music, so I didn't come with any expectations. I was not disappointed. He is a down to earth, genuine, humble and self effacing person. That, and he's a good musician.

I'm watching the news in French. Even though this is only 6 hours north from us, it is a different country. There is a distinctly international feeling here. Housing is exorbitantly expensive. A very simple, small home (1600 sq ft) is listed for 649K. The average price of a split level home was just over 1 million.

through the front door of a shop in La Connor

Spring Break, Part I

This spring break started off with me coming down with a virus. I thought I'd dodged the bullet that was felling my colleagues a few weeks ago.......but no such luck. They would miss a week of teaching and come dragging their exhausted and leaner bodies back to the classroom, still coughing and moving at half normal speed. I was quite pleased with myself for not catching this. I attributed it to my constant hand washing (not an OCD issue, just that my hands get dirty in the clay or handling student work).

Well, humble moment. I came down with it.

I started off last Monday feeling a bit puny and thought I would shake it off. Came home Tuesday, gargled with warm salt water, took a warm bath and went to bed. By Wednesday I was clutching my desk with coughing fits and arranging a sub for Thursday. Friday was a furlough day (an unpaid, nonschool day...we have 15 of them this year, really hits the paycheck).

I've heard some say that this flu took them 6 weeks to conquer. Hope that won't be true for me. I was planning to go on a road trip with my hubby to Idaho this weekend, but declined and am glad I stayed home. When the body says "I need to lie down NOW" you must heed the call.

Hubby has gone on said road trip, playing with the same musicians as the England trip. He's been to see Shoshone Falls, which are magnificent. It's a nice time of year to view the falls, what with fewer tourists to contend with.

I will do a kiln firing this week, have coffee with my friend Lynn. Might even get the oil changed in the kid's van.

So, what did I do for fun the last couple of days? Got a haircut/color yesterday. Got a nice pedicure also. Took my daughters and granddaughter out for lunch yesterday and dinner tonight. Watched a full episode of Portlandia at my daughter's house. Scrubbed old chewing gum off Pop Gray's handmade trash bin, and glued the side back on. Did more ironing. Took naps. Read from the book "South of Broad". Slept some more. Felt shaky and tired and dozy.

Pop Gray's trash can before

and after 

Although I'm not kickin' bootie like the last hubby hiatus, I'm not watching tv and eating bonbons either!