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.