old friends, new places

An old high school friend came to visit us recently. She'd never been to the West Coast. So we showed her a classic PNW time, Sinn-style: a little coast, a little flowers, a little ethnic food, & lot of garden freshness on the farm.

We spent a day at Newport, strolling the boardwalk, watching the fishmongers, window shopping.

I took her to see a light house: all we did was see it, because it was so windy & foggy. You can just barely see the light house below. That's the Oregon Coast for ya: in Newport it was sunny & just a little breezy, five miles up the coast it was Cape Foulweather in every sense of the word.

Most of our time we spent at home though. Such is life with a five month old:). We did make potstickers to celebrate her Chinese heritage...and because we love Asian food:).

We raided the Tom & Edith Sinn Wonder Garden for a stirfry to go along with the potstickers. My friend was in awe of their garden. And the general agriculture of the area. It's not just corn & beans here! They were harvesting cauliflower, beans, & onions while she was here. It takes a Midwest person aback to see heads of cauliflower getting chucked into the wagon instead of soybeans.

She got in on some canning, too. Everyone should have green-bean-canning on their resume.

Dar loves dill beans, & since I had an extra set of hands, we went ahead & made a dozen pints.

I don't know...do you think I worked her too hard?

We also went to a dahlia farm, but they weren't in full bloom yet. The few blooms out there were gorgeous though! I'm planning to go back soon, when the fields will be one brilliant sea of color. 

She did so good with Fiona & Livy. She has a tender heart & has been through a lot. 

Her story isn't mine to share, but she's had heartaches in her young life most of us can't imagine. It was so sweet & encouraging to see that she can still enjoy life & have a positive outlook despite them.