Thursday, July 1 – Bowpicker fish and chips for lunchFriday, July 2 – flying into Asheville after a long travel daySaturday, July 3 – my beautiful daughterSunday, July 4 – 4th of July sparkler funMonday, July 5, swimmingTuesday, July 6, a hospital visitWednesday, July 7, sunset behind Jodi’s yardThursday, July 8, a walk by the French BroadFriday, July 9, Queen Anne’s lace on the greenwaySaturday July 10 belly over Hominy Creek ValleySunday July 11 hiking on the parkwayMonday July 12 a visitor in west AshevilleTuesday July 13 Leaving for the hospitalWednesday July 14 all day and night at the hospital for poor AudsThursday July 15 welcome Sylvie Marie! 9 lbs 11 oz and her poor tired mama in surgical recoveryFriday July 16 grandmama went dancing with her friends at silent discoSaturday July 17 grandmama was so tired she did nothing all day but go to Ingles and take one picture 😀 Sunday July 18 home from the hospitalMonday July 19 evening porch chats with JodiTuesday July 20 Cascade with dear friendsWednesday July 21 everyone goes out a lot in AshevilleThursday July 22 an Adam installation in Bat CaveFriday July 23 sleeping and smilingSaturday July 24 thunderstorm at the laundromatSunday July 25 my last day in Asheville, hard to leave this beautiful face!Monday July 26 a long day of planes and busesTuesday July 27 I’m home! And the weather is perfectWednesday July 28 getting reacquainted with the neighborsThursday July 29 fog and pinesFriday July 30 a trip to the dump and the odd assemblage the sanitation workers have set up outside itSaturday July 31, a cheat, I took this on Sunday because I forgot to take a picture yesterday. but I totally could have, this is the garden and yesterday I only left the house to run errands. That was July. It was an exciting month! So exciting that I actually didn’t really take any super great pictures; I was too busy living it. The big news is of course the arrival of Sylvie Marie but also there was a lot of reconnecting with old friends, wandering around my old hometown – I miss my family and friends but not the weather, the traffic, the gentrification, etc – and two long long days of travel. July was probably the most eventful month I’ve had since, um, 2018? Something like that! I’ve been back for almost a week and I’m still tired.
AUGUST
Sunday, August 1, a foggy day full of seagulls at the beach this morningMonday, August 2, an Astoria view from the carTuesday, August 2, I got sick. But I managed to walk the dogs a little bit and see this eagle. Bad phone zoom shot.Wednesday, August 4, staying home, looking at old pictures, here I am with my daughter in 1983. I was 19 years old. Thursday, August 5, another slow gentle walk. The dogs are fascinated with this cow. Friday, August 6, rainy day at the Covid testing site. Saturday, August 7, made it to the rainy beach for 40 wet minutesSunday, August 8, heron over the dike trail. We’re all about the slow flat walks right now. Monday August 9 the view from the doctor’s officeTuesday August 10 Fort Stevens historical site was empty and lovelyWednesday August 11 early morning eagles on the dike trailThursday August 12 Harvey at the Forestry dept loop trailFriday August 13 jellyfish lensSaturday August 14 love foggy beach morningsSunday August 15 nothing like a lazy Sunday on the couch with your best friendMonday August 16 good morning neighborhood deerTuesday August 17 early morning at the rec centerWednesday August 18 a view from campusThursday August 19 one triumphant dahliaFriday August 20 deer in the yardSaturday August 21 low tide revelationSunday August 22 from dead minnow to artMonday August 23 international dog day and Harvey is just a blur on the trailTuesday August 24 another day another dog walkWednesday August 25 coming down 8th St and the neighborhood is reflected in the hoodThursday August 26 my boss has geeseFriday August 27 I had a very small party! Saturday August 28 I had a very large hangover! Sunday August 29 both dogs at the foggy early beachMonday August 30 snek on the sidewalkTuesday, August 31 early fall is the best weatherAugust! In which I came home from NC and went back to work. It felt really good to be home and reaffirmed my decision to move here in the first place. Coming up on three years now! Most of August was good with the exception of the ten days I spent sick with probable Covid, no thanks to the coughing, sniffling, obviously unwell man next to me on the plane from Asheville to Atlanta. Thanks to the vaccine, though, that my case was mild. But people. Masks and vaccines can only do so much. If you’re sick stay the fuck home please.
Wednesday September 1 a walk by the playgroundThursday September 2 my “office” – this is where I toilFriday September 3 very foggy beach morningSaturday September 4 a ship leaving the harbor at sunsetSunday September 5 green tomato chutney and hot pepper jellyMonday September 6 dead pelican, insert your own joke about labor day in the USA #bitterTuesday September 7 fog on the way to workWednesday September 8 someone left a giant zucchini on the side of the road! Harvey was very suspicious. Thursday September 9 a selection of work doodles and marginaliaFriday September 10 possibly the most boring picture ever taken anywhere by anyone, here are 3 crows at work.Saturday September 11 a beautiful morning at the beachSunday, September 12 sunsetMonday September 13 morning fogTuesday September 14 iconic Astoria evening sceneWednesday September 15 ruinThursday September 16 geeseFriday September 17 elkSaturday September 18 puddles on the trailSunday September 19 in the woodsMonday September 20 so that’s what was behind that panelTuesday September 21 morning light on the cornerWednesday September 22 gulls in formation at the beachThursday September 23 very foggy early morning walkFriday September 24 colorful drinks at the Portway after workSaturday September 25 cloud reflectionsSunday September 26 jellyfish lensMonday September 27 cloud show on the way to the supermarketTuesday September 28 I am just too tired and so are these twoWednesday September 29 pelicans at the port docksThursday September 30 elk on the trail
September – I feel like I worked a lot. Phew, yes, I did in fact work a lot and I was tired. In the middle of the month there was a rat in the kitchen and the subsequent discovery of a weird new cabinet, ugh. There were pelicans and jellyfish at the beach and elk all over the place. And the weather finally turned to fall.
OCTOBER
Friday October 1 a run through the marsh leaves Harvey smelling like murky death but very happy indeedSaturday October 2 the womens march for reproductive rights – I don’t take recognizable digital pix at protests so lots of backs Sunday October 3 view from Pipeline RdMonday October 4 view from the drs officeTuesday October 5, my very first clamming adventure 😀 Wednesday October 6 early morning spooky neighborhood decorationsThursday October 7 early morning spooky neighborhoodFriday October 8 wow I only took 1 picture – through the windshield on the way home from SafewaySaturday October 9 jellyfish lensSunday October 10 a fortuitous coffeecup on the way back from Sunday marketMonday October 11 golden hour on the dike trailTuesday October 12 a fawn by the college libraryWednesday October 13 driftwood becomes monsterThursday October 14 evening light over the bayFriday October 15 coworkersSaturday October 16 waiting for pizza amid the bright lights of downtownSunday October 17 people at the Peter IredaleMonday October 18 moon from the bridgeTuesday October 19 everybody went to the vet, everybody is healthyWednesday October 20 rainbow over campusThursday October 21 physical therapy morningFriday October 22 foggy beach eveningSaturday October 23 elkSunday October 24 port docks crab trapsMonday October 25 rainy work lunch at peter panTuesday October 26 early morning neighborhood deerWednesday October 27 the neverending window delights of Deals OnlyThursday October 28 it is in fact fall yes it isFriday October 29 set for The Weir, a play at the 1015 Theater I went to seeSaturday October 30 birds on the beach in the early early morningSunday October 31 summoning the crow army on Halloween
October! Yet again I feel like I worked all the time and that might be because I did in fact work all the time. Sigh. Fall fell, the rains began, the elk began gathering in huge herds. We had the most trick or treaters we have ever had, which was nice – I was on the beach myself, LOL, I heard this via report – and I saw all my local friends this month.
NOVEMBER
Monday November 1 a walk down Olney AveTuesday November 2 sick day! This is my feet in bed and my view of Noelle’s paintingWednesday November 3 a rainy day view through the screen of a classroom windowThursday November 4 classroom views from this college are incredibleFriday November 5 went to a poetry reading and out for a drink with my friend ShawnaSaturday November 6, a tiny still life from a kitchen shelfSunday November 7 HAIL all day, thunder and lightning hailMonday November 8 blurry early morning deer in the distanceTuesday November 9 Perdita wants her chair backWednesday November 10 a colleague in the rainThursday November 11 my first foray into savory pies made with hot water pastryFriday November 12 it rained and rained and then it rained some moreSaturday November 13 murmuration over the oceanSunday November 14 Harvey admires some beach artMonday November 15 evening behind the collegeTuesday November 16 just before I turn right to go to workWednesday November 17 sunrise over Saddle MountainThursday November 18 early morning dike trail walkFriday November 19 late afternoon driftwood frameSaturday November 20 terrible picture of an incredible full moon over Astoria and Youngs BaySunday November 21 Hammond elkMonday November 22 morning rainbowTuesday November 23 evening behind SafewayWednesday November 24 neighborsThursday, November 25 – this is what I’m thankful forFriday, November 26 a ship at the end of the streetSaturday, November 27 Thanksgiving’s bread turns into french toast for breakfast and garlic bread for dinnerSunday, November 28 rough seasMonday, November 29 Harvey is cozyTuesday, November 30 the City Lumber window, or, where you go when all the kitchen lights die at once
November! Several short weeks as the holidays got rolling, which leads to more beach time, whooo! Thanksgiving was quiet and I didn’t take a picture of the food, which we had on Friday instead. It gets dark really early now and the rain is basically constant. I’m okay with that.
DECEMBER
Wednesday December 1 neighborhood cheerThursday December 2 the view from Patriot Hall never gets oldFriday December 3 sunset and sunset reflections on the bridgeSaturday December 4 my somewhat pathetic decorations are upSunday December 5 driftwood windowMonday December 6 water droplets on a branch at workTuesday December 7 Perdita snoozlesWednesday December 8 Chinese for someones birthday dinnerThursday December 9 the DQ is classic american noirFriday December 10 the stage at the Labor TempleSaturday December 11 Harvey through the driftwoodSunday December 12 Christmas Tree! Well, Christmas Branch 😀 Monday, December 13, Frosty is out and it’s officially Christmas nowTuesday December 14 frost on the windshieldWednesday December 15 another slightly surreal college view,Thursday December 16 the moon in a pink ringFriday December 17 i mailed the Christmas box to my daughter and her familySaturday December 18 wreck and wind and rain and squall, a somewhat too intense dog walkSunday December 19 snow on Saddle MountainMonday December 20 rainy rainy run at the airport dike trailTuesday December 21 Hug PointWednesday December 22 faithful FrostyThursday December 23 rainbow at the beachFriday December 24 Christmas Eve on the riverbankSaturday December 25 Merry Christmas cake and wine!Sunday December 26 snowstorm and a sudden murmuration at the corner storeMonday December 27 still snowingTuesday December 28 snow on the bay laurel treeWednesday December 29 frozen hummingbird in the christmas wreathThursday December 30 sky and seaFriday December 31 the end of the year, looking forward to the path ahead!
The end of December is the end of the year and the end of this project. This morning I thought, oh, that would be an okay photo of the day and realized, hey, I don’t need to take one! What a relief! and also, kind of sad! It’s been an interesting year, to say the least, and of course it is the most important year ever, given that it is the birth year of Miss Sylvie Marie. Thank you for sharing this year with me.
6000onions 