Welcome to our Backyard Oasis!
  
Summers are always a blast for us in the 'Wack, with lots of friends and family coming out to visit.
This July has already been mighty warm, which means that we break out the inflatable pool and awnings to get some relief from the heat. While it may not be the most attractive of setups, our little Backyard Oasis is just perfect for our needs.
Now, you may ask, why not go into the river to beat the heat? Well, friends, there is cooling down, and then their is glacial melt.... However, if we experience another dreaded heat dome, the river is the only answer!
It's a Girl! or a Boy... but definitely a Bird!
One of the most magical things about our property is all of the nature that surrounds us. Living here, we expect deer and maybe bears, probably cougars... but, surprisingly, the birdlife is a highlight!
This year, our swallow house has been occupied by a busy family raising 2, maybe 3, babies. The babies just began chirping last week, and soon after were brave enough to stick their heads out of the little house and watch us timidly. They were so darn cute!
Just 2 days ago the babies began leaving the nest. Jamie captured this excellent shot of the second baby calling after her sister to fly back and get her. Over the course of 2 days they all moved out, some a little braver than others. Yesterday we watched them learning to catch bugs over the river, their very white chests standing out from the older birds. Hopefully they will come back next year and do it all again!
Dolmades, the Obvious, and Most Delicious Solution!
Once again, our garden is providing more produce than we can handle. The first harvest of our chard and beet leaves proved to be enough to make a full recipe of dolmades.
Although these are not lookers, they are absolutely delicious and made even better by Michelle's amazing avgolemono sauce. Could there be a better summer meal???
This is just the beginning, we decided to grow a bunch of new stuff this year, including 3 approximately 30 foot rows of corn where we lost our cedar hedge this spring. Michelle has been joking about opening a garden market in our front yard and calling it "The Hedge Fund". At least we hope she's joking...
If anyone sees her selling produce on the side of the road, will they please let us know?
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