Ek and Ek

Burl likes the "wings" style of shirt collars. He is always smiling when he's with Alex.

Are we about done?

Most children enjoy mugging for the camera and Burl is no exception.

Where is the camera?

He cleans up pretty well. Normally he runs barefoot in the yard and can cover a lot of ground in a minute.

Burl in his "Go-To-Church" clothes Aug 23, 2009

Burl is giving us his best profile as he picks blackberry seeds from his teeth. I think he needs a "zip tie" to finish off his ensemble. Maybe grandpa can find one...

See what I mean? It doesn't take much of a tickle to make Burl laugh. Of course, his attention span is short but so is the amount of time grandpa can sit still with a 30 pound wiggle-worm on his lap!

Burl's mama was behind the camera and took about 30 pictures while we sat on the deck. He likes to be tickled and has the most endearing laugh.

It's good to be Burl. He has his mom and dad, his uncle Taylor and his friend, Jacqueline to play with every day. When grandpa Ek shows up he is not shy.

Burl has a new tricycle but he's happier climbing anything in sight. For a toddler he has pretty good balance. The strawberry pot was a little wobbly but he kept it upright. From the time he gets up in the morning or from his afternoon nap he is unstoppable. This boy is active and amused by everyday items - no need for expensive toys.

Kerry and Shanna Steed (Placerville, CA) were in Fungus Corners on a camping trip at the end of April 2009. Kerry and I met in Norway in 1966 so we had a lot of old stories to throw around to the bored listeners. These two people are some of the sweetest friends we have and it was good to see them again. I stopped at their house in June 2008 on my way back north from San Diego and Kerry helped me keep the old truck running (he can fix anything). He just got called as High Priest Group Leader - back to early Sunday morning meetings. Shanna is into genealogy, big time. We hope to see them again, soon.

Proud grandparents: Daryl and Sally Moss, Barbara and Richard Ek with Burl on his 1st birthday March 21, 2009. Everyone was pretty well fed and happy to see this little guy have such a good time with a room full of grown-ups.

Alex, Amber and Burl on his first birthday March 21, 2009. Burl is the most incredible boy; almost always in a good mood, always hungry and always inquisitive, always moving. He doesn't like to reach up and hold hands with anyone, not even his mom or dad. He needs no help getting around.

When it was his turn to dig into his carrot cake and home-made ice cream, he got a kick out of the attention paid from all the grown ups in the room; grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends plus dad and mom

Burl is no different than other 1-year old boy; he likes cake and ice cream! It didn't bother him to put his foot into the bowl. Funny, when he wanted to clean the goo off his fingers, he would wipe it on the carpet, not the sheet!

This picture doesn't show it very well, but Burl has taken to making faces and enjoys making us laugh. He is starting to do a lot of "toddler" things (a couple of weeks before his 1st birthday - March 21) and he is so much fun to watch.

Burl enjoys being outdoors more than indoors, even when the temperature is 45 degrees. He has the coolest little leather shoes but when it warms up he'll probably be barefoot most of the time. The dogs like it when he throws the ball.

Mukilteo Light

One of the pleasures of living in Fungus Corners is the proximity to water; either lakes or the Puget Sound. Only fifteen minutes from home is this 100+ year old working lighthouse near the Mukilteo ferry dock. We've had beach parties and flown kites at the park nearby.

Alex: Burl's dad

Pictures of our grandson, Burl, can be seen below. This is his dad. Like all new fathers, he is totally amazed at how his son is growing and learning. The little guy really began acknowledging his dad a couple of months ago and now follows him around the house from room to room. Burl really likes it when his dad tosses him on the pillows and plays rough. He even has a toy lawnmower to push around (Alex is a landscaper). I think Alex shaves once a week because on Sunday his face is as smooth as Burl's bottom.

Babysitting on Valentine's Day

When Burl came to visit on Valentine's Day it didn't take long before he wanted to play the piano. He quickly learned that he could produce sound by tapping on the keys and that he liked the sound even better when he pounded. The base keys were the best. Grandma Ek got the biggest kick out of teaching him. He has all the curiosity and wonderment that abounds in the hearts and minds of healthy toddlers. We can almost hear the sounds as his brain absorbs all the sights and sounds of his world.

Valentine's Day 2009

Burl's favorite toy is a Recorder. He likes the sound that it makes when he blows on the end or when he hits his Bongo drums. I stopped by the house to give his mother a Valentine's Day gift (3 milk chocolate bars from See's Candy) and Burl was ready to entertain. He walks inside and outside the house (it was up to 50 degrees that day!) and has developed depth perception (see bruise on forehead).

Silver Lake

Silver Lake is located about 4 miles from our home. This is a morning view with the sun shining on the west shore. We have used the beach and swam in the lake but we stopped during the "duck itch" outbreak when Alex was about 10. On the opening day of fishing season there are dozens of small boats, canoes and rafts out there. Ski boats are not allowed but once a year they hold competition racing for 1/4 size hydroplanes.

Cracked Pots

The Northwest is full of gray-haired hippies and wannabes who create all sorts of art and artifacts. We found one festival in Troutdale, OR just east of Portland. Cracked Pots runs in the middle of the week during the 3rd week of June.
It is held on the grounds of an old brewery with buildings dating to the turn of the [last] century. We have a couple of steel garden art pieces in our yard that we picked up down there.

La Jolla Cove

Barbara was born in La Jolla, CA and we visit the city whenever we are in Southern California. On this trip we visited her Uncle Jim and Aunt Pat Munyon who live within a stone's throw of La Jolla Cove. It is a popular beach for surfers and sea lions. In fact, the sea lions have overtaken the children's beach that entertained kids for several generations.

Daffodils

Every spring we drive through the Skagit Valley near our home and take in the sights of hundreds of acres of Daffodils and Tulips. Tens of thousands of spectators drive or bicycle through the valley each year. This is one of the reasons we enjoy "Fungus Corners" so much -- within 30 or 40 minutes we can be in fields like these, on the beach of Puget Sound, deep in the forest or canoeing on a river.

4 Generations

Summer of 2008: Art Bishop, his daughter Barbara, her son Alex and his son Burl

Glacier National Park

We took a break from cleaning the cabin and drove to Glacier National Park. It was July 2008, the sky was blue and this old ram clambered over the guard rail onto the narrow highway as we waited for construction crews to let us proceed. He had climbed a stone buttress at least thirty feet high and nearly vertical to reach the roadway. We also saw some baby big horn sheep and a couple of big brown bears with cubs that day.

Burl Augustus Ek

This was taken when our grandson was about 6-7 months. His mother has her own blog with lots of pictures and videos of this little guy. His first name was chosen because his mother grew up near the Redwood forests of Northern California and grew to love burl wood. Did you know that a piece of burl contains the capacity to bring forth new life? His middle name is the same as his 3rd great grandfather who emigrated from Sweden in the 1870's. Burl's home has 3 dogs that he absolutely loves. He also gets to visit Posado's Safe Haven and walks among the animals; chickens, geese, sheep, goats, dogs and llamas.

Thirty-nine years is a good start!

Barbara and I were married on her birthday, February 5th, in 1970. This picture was taken on her birthday in 2008. We are both from San Diego, CA where most of our siblings still live. We moved to Everett, WA at the beginning of 1980 and never regretted coming to "Fungus Corners." Our son, Alex, was born in San Diego in 1976 so he was raised in the Northwest. He and his family live about ten minutes away. Alex and Amber bore their son, Burl, on March 21, 2008 and it has been a joy watching him develop from the very first moments of life.