Downtown Construction

There are two major construction projects in our little downtown

Nearby Parkplace is undergoing redevelopment & will become Kirkland Urban - a mixed use development - stores and apartments as well as community gathering spaces. This is about a block from us. Our grocery is to the left, just out of the top picture. Fortunately the grocery will remain open during construction. It will move into a much bigger space in the new building. Read more here.

The building in the first picture is now gone

This totally changes the view coming into Kirkland from the east. The brick building to the left in the picture below is the same building that's in pictures 2 & 3. 

above - If you look closely you can see Lake Washington in the distance. Seattle is on the other side of the lake. On clear days you can see the Olympic Mountains. The new building will be taller than the office building on the left. It's going to fill up that space in a big way.

image source - We are located near the green space between the development and the lake. 

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Kirkland Main Street Project

This antique mall operated in downtown Kirkland for 26 years. (image)

Now it's been torn down to make way for another mixed use project

128 apartments on top of stores & restaurants

The brick building on the right side of the above image is the Heathman Hotel. More about the project here, here, and here

This is the only picture I could find of the proposed project (source)

I attended a neighborhood meeting at which the developer of this project spoke. When the property was sold, the seller stipulated that there had to be a statue memorializing her daughter who died at the age of 12. There will be a statue of a girl with a butterfly. 

Thank You

A friend texted to say she was coming to downtown Kirkland and wondered if I'd like to take a walk. It was just what the doctor ordered! An absolutely gorgeous fall day in Kirkland. A brisk walk, and then time to sit on this dock and talk. 

This was a wonderful reminder to me of the importance of acting on those nudges from the Spirit.  God knows what we need. He uses the Spirit to put someone's name and need in a person's head and heart. Then it's up to us to heed that prompting - call, text, or otherwise reach out to the person who is in your head and heart. I'm glad my friend responded and made time to reach out to me. I felt the warmth of our time together and the peace that comes from the beauty of nature for days afterward. Thank you Spirit. Thank you friend. 

Magical

Sometimes there's something in the air that makes everything

SPARKLE

it's magical

I Did All That For This?

A "would-be dinner, a dead car battery, yelling children." "Is it all worth it?" a mother wonders.  When the clean room is messy again or the clean child turns up dirty again, or the lovingly planned activity didn't go as desired, we might ask ourselves, "I did all that for this?" 

I like Julianne Heywood's perspective in this article. She looks at times when she catches glimpses of why she does what she does. She turns the "I did all that for this" from a question into an affirmation. 

She reflects on taking her family to see the Christus statue. They looked at the nail marks in Christ's feet. They looked at the marks in HIs outstretched hands, and "talked about how He got the wound in His side." She realized He did all that for her and her family. 

The Simple Things

Light - Tulip - Mom's Vase

Book - Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams

Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams

 by Louisa Thomas

"Born in London to an American father and a British mother on the eve of the Revolutionary War, Louisa Catherine Johnson was raised in circumstances very different from the New England upbringing of the future president John Quincy Adams, whose life had been dedicated to public service from the earliest age. ... They lived in Prussia, Massachusetts, Washington, Russia, and England, at royal courts, on farms, in cities, and in the White House."  goodreads.com

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JHT's comments – I highly recommend this book. It's a wonderful insight into the early days of this country and women's often untold contributions to that history. The author feels that John Quincy Adams probably would not have become president of the United States without the help and skills of his wife.

John Quincy Adams held a series of overseas appointments. When approaching people, he often had to explain what the United States of America was. The country was that new.  “He was representing a nation that did not exist in the minds of many. What was worse, the traditional great powers of Europe generally treated the young nation as an annoying child.” (89) Louisa accompanied him to all these assignments. At one point her in-laws, John and Abigail Adams decided Louisa and John Quincy's two young sons should remain with them in Massachusetts instead of going overseas. Louisa suffered numerous miscarriages under what must have been very difficult circumstances. A daughter was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and died a year later. 

Louisa has much to say about women and their roles. She also has a lot to say about politicians. Reading some of her comments, it comes to mind that some things never change. 

Here's an interesting article about America's first foreign born first lady.

Click here for more information from the author's website

See more at goodreads.com

Trading Cardinals for Seagulls

I truly miss cardinals. These beautiful birds don't live in this part of the world. Whenever I've traveled back to Ohio, I'm thrilled when a cardinal makes an appearance for me.      cardinal                                 









It took a long time to get used to hearing and seeing seagulls every day. Interestingly, we see and hear fewer of them at our new place than we did a few blocks further east. You'd think it would be the other way around because we're closer to the lake than we used to be.   seagull







 Crows, ravens, blackbirds - They've never been on my list of favorite birds. They seem ominous to me. There were plenty of them in Ohio. There's no shortage of them out here.   Crows, ravens, blackbirds - read more here            crow 






After we moved here I kept seeing a bird that looked like a cross between a crow and a blue jay. Most of the ones I saw were very black with a touch of blue. The triangular crest made it clear these weren't like the various black birds in Ohio. When I asked someone what they were, she called them "sky rats." Evidently they're a nuisance bird. Later I found out they are Steller's Jays.  Read more here     Steller's Jay

images from pixabay

We Are Not Alone

We love the scriptures. We learn much from them and from the Spirit as we try to apply counsel from the scriptures to our own lives. 

“… for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning. (1 Nephi 19: 23)

“Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him. And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination ... ” Alma 58:11-12

During challenging times, it is helpful and hopeful to receive reminders that we are not alone. We have received “assurances” that this is but a small part of our eternal journey together. We have received “peace to our souls.” We do have great faith and hope. We do feel courage as we face our challenges with “determination.”