These are some of our tall tomato plants with grape vines and strawberries in the background.  Tomatoes are just starting to ripen and be picked for the table here in our northern late summer.  Grapes are ready to be picked but could be a little riper.  Peaches are about through.  They have been huge---as big as softballs this year!  We have given away many peaches, and I will be canning the rest this week.  And blackberries are so plentiful right now that we picked three gallons today.  They are as large as cherries and so beautiful.  Strawberries need to be picked every day.  We get at least a quart a day from our small circular bed.  We make a great dessert of strawberries and blackberries with maple syrup on it.

OUR VACATION

We spent a week with family and a week on the Olympic penninsula.  It was a perfect vacation.  Time was spent with Nathan, Joe and Steve and families, then with Chris in Portland on the way home.  We canned fruit and cooked and picnicked, went to farmers markets, played with kids, and discussed diabetes and diet endlessly.  I tried to potty train Evelyn, at least got her off to a good start.  It was a productive trip as well as a fun one.  I really love my family.

Emily, Seth, Evelyn, Sofia, and Evan (in the canoe) were enjoying a lake in Oregon on a camping trip.  

These are some photos from our vacation on Olympic penninsula.  The wildflower pictures don't do justice to the flowers we saw, because where I saw fields of orange paintbrush, we couldn't pull off the road.  But they were so beautiful.  Val and I had lunch with a deer and about 15 Clarks nutcrackers (birds) who sat on our laps and ate from our hands.  Also a crow sat at our feet.  The animals were so tame.  We fed them vegetables and fruit.