Serve and Volley

Kalua pork sliders with Franklin & Emily: perfect way to end the week, and to start the weekend!

Okay, it was only Thursday, but close enough.

But let me backtrack a little. Thursday was the annual Seattle U Faculty & Staff Service Day. Nice way to remind myself that I should really be doing more for my community. And definitely more than one morning of work... but hey, you have to start somewhere, right?

This year I was put in a group that worked at the Danny Woo Community Garden. Cool spot. I'd never heard of it, even though it's been there since 1975, but luckily the woman we worked with told us a little about it. And here's a bit from their website in case you're curious, reader:

The Danny Woo International District Community Garden is a special urban park in the heart of downtown Seattle. Located adjacent to the City of Seattle’s Kobe Terrace Park, the Danny Woo Community Garden makes up part of 1.5 acres of the largest green space in Seattle’s Chinatown/International District (C/ID). The steeply terraced garden is comprised of nearly 100 plots, tended by about 70 elderly Asian gardeners. The garden is an important place where low-income gardeners can socialize, get exercise and raise vegetables that reflect their cultural foods of choice: bok choy, bittermelon, daikon, and watercress among others.

Great setting too:




Here's an action shot—heading to get some tools and start uprooting blackberry bushes (lesson from the two Service Days I've attended: Seattle has way too many blackberry bushes!).

Someone also got a group shot when we were finished, but I haven't tracked down a copy yet...

UPDATE 19 August: Here it is!


After putting in almost three hours of work in the garden, I figured it was fair to take the afternoon off. Headed over to West Seattle and spent an hour or so hanging out with Franklin and his classmates at the Intergenerational Learning Center.

Then Emily joined us and we had that delicious dinner mentioned up top. Also had to get the kimchi quesadilla:

If you're ever in West Seattle, you've got to try Marination Ma Kai!

Finally, Franklin's been having fun with his now 18-month-old (!) self. Working on throwing Saturday morning:


And today (Sunday) we thought if we could get to the playground before they finished filling the pool, we might actually be able to persuade Franklin to have his fun on dry land for a change... No such luck :)

Oh well, who can argue with "splash! splash!"?

Have a great week!

Congrats, Jamie & Monique!

Beautiful celebration for a beautiful couple.

Huzzah!

Weren't able to get any good pictures of the two of them ourselves, but luckily we have an anonymous source:

Thanks, Facebook!

Hopefully we'll eventually see photos of the ceremony, which took place at the very charming Parsons Gardens.

In the meantime, I love this shot Emily got of us:


Great summery spiked lemonade on offer at the reception:


Also saw Wendy and Roman, which is always fun:


Even Franklin put in an appearance at the reception:

Cheers, Jamie and Monique!

Midsummer Days' Fun

Thanks for visiting, Nana & Papa!

Good food, good conversation, good play time—just about perfect! A family emergency back east did cast a shadow on things, but in the end it just makes me happier we were able to spend the time together.

And Franklin had a blast. He seemed to especially enjoy hanging out with Papa... and saying "Papa" over and over :)

Just wish we could see family more often...

Meanwhile, as you may have heard, I feel a little conflicted saying it, but I'm looking forward to the approaching increase in Franklin's daycare time. Don't get me wrong—it's been absolutely amazing spending so much time with him. Nevertheless, he's in such a busy phase, and I'm really starting to miss having long stretches of time for work/research.

The good news, of course, is that he really seems to like it at daycare:

So, I'll miss all of the dad & Franklin days, but I think it'll be good for both of us. And don't worry: I'm still going to hang with him on Fridays! :)

He's a Busy Man...

Busy making friends with Maisie, whose parents we met in our birth class:


Busy in his "business lunch" bib at Coastal Kitchen with Pete:




Busy with all the cool toys people share at the Volunteer Park Wading Pool:


And of course busy at daycare:


All right, reader. I'd better go—Franklin's about to wake up from his nap; or to put it another way, back to business!