Killer Whales

I'm a fan of killer whales, but don't really like the name. I think orca sounds better. There are two times in my life that I got to see a whole bunch of them, and both were very memorable. The first time was in 1998 on one of our many "cousins trips" that my sister and I drug our kids on. We were camping in the San Juan Islands and decided to stop at Lime Kiln State Park and see if we could see any whales. When we drove up we noticed a bunch of people on the rocks, all acting excited and pointing. We jumped out and got the kids out and soon we were watching the many whales swim by. The word on the street was it was the "superpod", or several pods of orcas swimming together. We watched from the rocks as all sizes swam by, including mothers and babies. We were as close as about ten feet to some of the them, and all of us were amazed. It was one of those amazing "right place at the right time" experiences.

The second time was 2008 when I was on a women's sailing class trip. We left Roche Harbor in our boat and headed out to Haro Strait when we started to see whales. We sailed some but mostly watched in awe as whales appeared to every side of us, including one swimming under our boat. We spent close to two hours just watching the whales, constantly scanning the horizon and never knowing where one would surface. We finally reluctantly sailed on but it was a day I'll always remember. I tried to get some pictures of the whales but they are fast and always appearing in a new place, so not many pictures turned out. Here's one, just so you'll know what I'm talking about. Thanks, killer whales, for coming by to say hi!

K is for Knight in Shining Armor

Today is my knight in shining armor's birthday. He's taken very good care of me through the years and allowed me to live a comfortable life. I am most grateful for his working so hard so that I could stay home and take care of the kids when they were little, a definite gift for both them and me. He's put up with me for over 30 years and slayed a lot of dragons in the process. He had to put in an extra long day at work today and then we had a busy evening with him taking phone calls and trying to open presents. This one put a smile on his face - a bottle of cognac and a flask to put it in! Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Kraft Macraroni and Cheese

Me and mac and cheese go way back. I always loved my mom's homemade mac n' cheese but was never too good at replicating it. She made it by boiling the noodles and then melting the cheese in the same pot with them. Once I was married, I learned to make it the Humphrey way from my mother-in-law, baked in the oven with layers of cheese, noodles and crackers. My kids, however, have always preferred the Kraft variety in the famous blue box. I tried unsuccesfully through the years to serve them the generic brand and the organic kind and the healthier kind, but they swore there was a huge difference and would only dine on Kraft. I have fixed hundreds of boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese. Back in the 90's we even had some Kraft plastic guys we got for sending in box tops. Now, Aaron is in Australia and the macaroni and cheese there is not the same, so he had to save room in his suitcase for some of the blue boxes. Nate still loves it, too, but swears the specialty kind (Spiderman, SpongeBob, etc.) actually tastes better than the original. The only difference I can tell is the boxes are smaller (less ounces) and cost more. At least now he can fix it himself. I've finally moved on and prefer my tweeked version of the Humphrey mac n' cheese but I think Kraft will always hold a special place in my kids' hearts.

Kims

I now have two favorite Kims in my life - my dear daughter-in-law Kim and my longtime friend Kim. Here's a picture of the two of them. They both work in medicine and are very smart. Other than that, I don't think they are much alike. I'm happy to have Kimberly Humphrey in our family and happy that she and Aaron were here recently. They seem to be a good match and we are happy for them. We loved going to Australia and seeing where they live and meeting her great family. We can't wait to go back again. It is a long way but I know we'll still see them often somehow. My friend Kimberly and I take a walk almost ever Sunday and we never run out of things to talk about. Today we walked and it was so COLD, but we still went out and did it. Hurrah for my favorite Kims!

Knitting

I am not a knitter, but my sister Rachel is. I wish I could knit. I have tried numerous times but I can never get the hang of it. I once made a scarf but it was uneven and lumpy and ugly. So, I leave the knitting to my sister. She has knit me several pair of socks which I love. She makes it look so easy and quick, but for me it's not. I guess we all have different gifts.

Koalas

We got to see some awesome koalas when we were in Australia. We even got to pet them at the Cleland Wildlife Park. They are not that cute and cuddly up close and supposedly a bit cranky. The one we got to touch was old and very busy eating eucalyptus leaves. His name was Sydney. The trainer with him warned us to only touch his hindquarters and not get near his face. Koalas don't drink water, they get all their liquid from the eucalyptus. We watched one pace around his enclosure on big ploppy feet and others hanging out up in the trees. When Aaron was little he wrote comic books about koalas and platypuses. It's amazing to me that now he lives where they do!



Here's my sister Rachel with Sydney. I'm meeting Rachel in Portland this weekend to hang out and Christmas shop. Hurrah!

Kneesocks!!

How random is that? I love good socks. I often decide what to wear based on what socks I want to wear. My favorites are soft and thick and cushy. Smartwool is my favorite brand by far, but they are quite expensive. Today I am wearing a pair that Nate got me for Christmas (or possibly my birthday?)last year. They are grey smartwool and long enough to go to my knees, with yellow and green stripes at the top. They are my favorite pair of socks! I actually love socks that go above my calves, but they are hard to find. Today it is really cold and good socks are a great comfort on cold days. Hope you have great socks to keep you warm!