This lovely garden is located a block away from our house. It was a huge selling point when we bought our house a couple years ago. Last night I walked down to this very park after hosing down the yard to prevent it from going up in flames. Fireworks and dry grass aren’t a good combination. It was really nice to see the fireworks lighting up the Seattle sky framed perfectly with the mountains in the background. When they were all over, I only had to turnaround and walk a block back home. City living rules.
Seattle’s summer typically doesn’t begin until July 5th. That’s the going joke as it is, but yesterday the stars were aligned. It was a fantastic 85 degrees with a nice breeze. I think everyone in the city was out enjoying the weather, including ourselves. I went for a bike ride, grilled dinner in our backyard, and watched the birdies magically pull worms out of the ground. Rumor has it that was only the 7th time in over 100 years Seattle reached 85 degrees or above on July 4th. Hurray!
While watching the fireworks I chatted up our neighbors. They are an engaged couple in their mid to late 40’s. It’s really nice to see how romantic they are as a couple. For those of you who might be discouraged because you haven’t found “the one”, keep in mind life is a long journey. These two are so cute and make me smile when I see them interacting. They’ve offered to babysit many times and I think we’ll make sure to take them up on this offer. Happy 5th of July!
The Continued Life of Monkey Boy 
AM i first???
I can hardly believe it. This has never happened to me. And yet, I have never tried to be first, so this is a completely random happeneing.
Egan, that garden is beautiful. And it’s so nice that your neighbors are so in love!!
Okay, so I just read the post (after the shock of being first wore off) and it is incredibly encouraging to read about your neighbors and their love found later in life. Having hope is so important. There is a great verse in the bible that reads, “Hope deferred makes the heart grow sick.” It’s beautiful when life reminds us to keep hoping.
And a beautiful garden.
That was so sweet, until I realized I wasn’t on the front page of EHarmony’s website! As the flowers bloom in Seattle, so doth love…at any age with the right amount of watering and the right amount of heat. Perhaps it was all just the heat of the night? I say blame it on the rain!
Good for Me – you got the top spot yo! Hurray! There’s a first for everything.
Good for Me – today is your lucky day. Now go seize the day!
Christina – hey, how are you? Feeling good these days? The garden is really cool. I love walking through it. I’ve got many more pictures from there I need to post. Have a good one.
Good for Me – yes, I agree with this quote. You just can’t give up is what I say. The garden is très joli!
Brother #3 – are you quoting Milli Vanilli? If so, well done. You totally miss Seattle. Are you coming back once Anna is born?
Hey Egan – Everything out here is good. Sorry I haven’t been commenting — I have been reading, but as a non-commenting lurker.
Sorry I missed the back from blog hiatus post, but I will say it was hilarious.
As a former resident of Seattle, I was going to comment on how fortunate you were to be watching fireworks without being drizzled on.
That garden is beautiful ~ you will have a nice excuse to go by it soon – with a stroller, natch.
Sounds like a perfect 4th of July!
Glad you had a good day!!
And that picture is stunning!!
happy 5th TO YOU!
it’s a pretty picture, and sounds like a great day you had yesterday. bring on the heat!
Thanks. I needed that.
it was absolutely perfect yesterday. it rained last year on our bbq but this year? freckles were multiplying!
sounds like you had a great 4th. 🙂
Of course I will come to see Anna! Girl you know it’s true, I’m gonna miss you! Too bad there’s not more Milli Vanilli in this world and less Vanilla Ice.
Christina – ah no worries on the commenting. I totally understand with everything else going on. I’m glad you’re doing well. My wife is also good, but she’s hella swollen these days.
QT – you used to live here eh? Yes, mid 80’s on July 4th is very rare here. The stroller loves the garden.
Airam – you better believe it chica. I have more pictures to share. I will upload those bad boys soon enough.
Brookem – bring on the heat? Well, we don’t have a/c here so the pregnant types don’t enjoy the heat. Nor do their spouses. I love it until I have to go to bed.
Brookelina – ha, I’m glad it was to your liking. Are we talking about the picture? If not, would you like a V-8?
Sizzle – it was crazy beautiful out. People were everywhere. It looks like the rest of the week will be just as nice.
Brother #3 – okay, I will make sure she cries often while you’re here visiting. If you can time your next visit so that we’re here at the same time, that would rule.
Some fun facts of the day:
It’s going to cost me over one paycheque to fix my car.
I’m stuck in the computer lab at school. Well not literally “stuck”. Like I could walk around and actually leave the lab if I wanted to. But I have to read I think. And do a reflection. Reflections suck, especially when about math.
The weather is so shitty in Toronto that the top half of the CN Tower has been covered by clouds and filth.
Apparently complimentary doesn’t mean free.
That’s all for now.
airam, you know i feel your pain. our mornings both weren’t off to a good start. but it can only go up from here! and you know it will.
Love those flowers…sorry that the heat caused you to be ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ (sorry, I just couldn’t resist.)
oh, honey, I’ve found “the one” many times…. either “the wrong one” or “the one who runs away”
sorry to blow that nice set up of yours. don’t mind me, I’m just sick and bitchy.
The picture is GORGEOUS! I wish I had a green thumb.
What the hell? I take a day off from work and I’m so fucking late to the game!! You posted this 9 a.m. my time, too! But I was sleeping soundly. I didn’t wake up until 11 a.m. The heat and activities of yesterday really took it out of me.
Your brother is continuing to crack me up.
Those flowers are purdy.
And I love hearing about the engaged couple. I agree with what you said about the ones who haven’t found the “one” yet…give it time!! So cute!!!
ok i take back the “bring on the heat” comment as i just spent a sweltering 50 minutes in a cemetery during our lunch walk. hot and humid and pretty nasty here today. and im not a prego type, or a spouse. go figure!
So beautiful! The story, the flowers, everything.
I’m leaving the 40s soon. Will someone write a post someday about that cute couple in their 50s? 60s? Hmmmm. I dunno. I’m not sure if hope springs eternal. At some point it’s just time to focus on life. As it is.
Summer here starts the day after Christmas and ends Christmas Eve.
Not really, but damn, it’s hot.
Want to know what I just spent the last 25 minutes doing? Trying to transform a transformer. Shit, I’m out of practice.
That is encouraging, I’m going to turn 40 in four years. BTW, you won an award.
I thought Nero was “the one”.
I ahte typo’s…:-)
Neo!….
Airam – wow, you’ve not had a good start to the day. Like Brookem said though, it can only get better. I’m picturing you with a shackle around your ankle attached to a computer table leg. Tell me more about the “complimentary” story.
Brookem – look at you and your positive attitude. Your good for that sort of thing.
Lynn – well done on the “sleepless in Seattle” line. Oh boy, we rarely hear that one. It’s all good. Flowers make me happy.
Liv – you know you’re entitled to be sick and bitchy. But it comes with an expirary date so use it wisely. Get better yo!
Naynayfazz – I love gardening, yet I must tell you this isn’t my garden. It’s a community garden. I’ve got my hands full with our own yard.
Amanda – how does my brother crack you up? I’m not sure how I feel about him commenting all the time. I might have to do the old bait & switch routine to leave him in the dust. Just kidding. Wake up!!
Brookem – yes, being preggers with a hot house… not so fun. I love that you go for walks in the cemetery.
Tori – I try to be beautiful, sometimes it works… sometimes it fails.
Amusing – hello and welcome to my blog! I think my neighbors could be in their early 50s too. Don’t give up the hope. Have you not been focusing on life?
Jennifer – I didn’t know you lived in the Bahamas. Is it humid too?
Amanda – ..there’s more than meets the eye…
Furiousball – sweet, I like awards. Thanks for the nice blurb on me. I suppose I do wear my heart on my sleeve. You rock!
Brother #3 – who the hell is Nero?
Brother #3 – who the hell is Neo? You lost me man.
Neo. The Matrix. He’s “THE ONE”.
At least, I think that’s where Brother was going.
Young Jedi Master, I fear for your lacking in common pop culture knowledge….well, common for some. Is VH-1 on the fritz at your casa?…The Matrix, baby!
Amanda – you’re probably right. Perhaps I should watch that movie. I never got caught up in The Matrix craze. I do however love a good Man vs. Wild episode. New show tomorrow night.
Brother #3 – VH-1? You mean the “I love [insert a year here] Network”? I have better stuff to do than watch VH-1. Like what? Well duh, blogging man. I can’t blog and watch VH-1 at the same time. And those Sklar brothers, so not funny.
BEAR! Tomorrow night? Maybe Mr. Friday will go for that over damn bowling. Hmm.
Brookem – bowling can be so much fun. My mom and bro #5 love to bowl. So much so that they belong to a weekly league. Maybe Mr. Friday can date bro #5 if things don’t work out between you two lovebirds.
don’t go starting with the lovebird stuff. there is no love birding happening, especially with this extra head on my face right now.
Brookem – I’ve got my binoculars out so I can spot you two lovebirds. I get the feeling you’re a rare species that requires skrinkering about. What’s your habitat range?
our type of birds keep a low profile. quite UNlike the falcon/flamingo that i made eye contact with in the river that time.
What a day yesterday. As you say, it usually isn’t nice here consistantly until after the 4th.
We sat on out front steps and watched two different professional fireworks displays and myriad foolish neighbors. One person set their dock on fire. HA!
Hi Egan:
I agree with you regarding City living, especially in Seattle. I was born and raised here, and I’m biased. Did you see the Lake Union display or the Ivar’s display, or both? We were coming home from a friend’s house and driving across I-90 so we saw a bit of both.
I’m proud to say my husband and I are in that category of people still in love. I still am as attracted to him today as I was twenty years ago.
Good luck on your impending fatherhood!!! I hope you are relaxed and happy at this point!
Brookem – the falcon in Merrimac was taunting you. Making you think twice about your committment to triathlons. Thankfully you didn’t flinch.
Meno – they set their dock on fire? Yes, that’s what they deserve. Stupid fools. I hear it was nearly impossible to get a boat on that lake where you live yesterday. Good thing you don’t need a boat launch.
Are you actually hooraying the heat? Shame on you, I thought you were a hippy and all against global warming and stuff.
Oh, that is a cool garden. Finally a post to respond to! 😉
Katy – I know you don’t like when I chat about Baby Singe, but my life is all about that these days. Flowers are pretty. I’m not really jumping for joy that it’s hot out, but you must admit it is really nice.
I used to live right on Lake Union, off of Dexter, so we always had a big party on the roof at our place on the 4th. That, and the Blue Angels used to practice over our building the week before Seafair every year. Lots o’ grumpy senior citizens would complain about those Blue Angels – there was one old dude who was always up there watching with us, “That’s the sound of freedom!” he said to me one time.
Those were the days….
Pretty garden. My husband and I, both never married before, met when we were in our late 30’s.
Goals!!! Do your goals, Mr.!!!
I’m not really a Matrix fan, myself. But my iZac is, so I got to watch all 3 of them. The second one got a little too freaky for me with the whole rave/orgy thing.
I’m picturing Brookem staring down the flamingo/falcon thing. Hilarious.
I’ve been mired in life. Now I’m focusing on it. Repairing it,, maybe? There’s a difference.
You on the other hand — are living the bountiful life: Flowers. A babe on the way. All things blooming. (The best thing about babies? I hadn’t sung in years and suddenly there were lullabies to make up, silly songs for soothing to be sung. Oh the joys. Have fun.)
Um…you’re Brother #5…unless you are doing some new math…could be good practice for when Anna goes to school.
I must admit i snickered a bit at the flaming dock, and then theu put it out. Damn.
Nah, for me the head is not so nice … I’m one of the few that doesn’t dig the heat so much. And seriously, my emotions aren’t as strong as I don’t like it when you chat of baby, I just don’t read much here and was stoppin in to say ‘lo.
85 degrees and a breeze! WOW you are one lucky man. We reached a sweaty 98 degrees and no breeze. That’s cool about your neighbors, I enjoy seeing happy people.
happy 6th (as it is here).
The whole thing looks stunning.
I’ll take your word on The One 😉
You’ve done it again.. made me stop and contemplate life. Dammit Egan.. There’s something oddly poetic about the flowers blooming, the heat, the baby on the way, and last but not least. the lovebirds in their 40’s. It all just reeks of love.
Does this post go with your theme, too? I’m so damn confused this week.
Don’t go poking Amusing. I’ll lay the smack down. You’ve been warned.
and, I am better, the piss and vinegar has, well, almost dissipated.
I love the picture of the flowers and the one you created in my head when you described your day. Sounds like an awesome time. Also sounds like you have found a little peace (could it be?).
Looks lovely and inspiring. I miss the warmth of summer!
city living rules!
Oh I know it wasn’t your garden. I was just saying it was really nice and I wish I could so something like that. I have no time or patience for gardening. Maybe if/when I own a house someday I will be more inclined to do it.
That’s a great garden picture!!
QT – wow, you had the primo spot for fireworks. That’s kind of close to where my wife lived when she moved here. She was on the other side of Lake Union. I love old men and their wisdom.
Nessa – see, that’s what I like to hear. Thanks for sharing this information.
Amanda – me so not a Matrix fan either. I saw the first one right before the second one came out. I did actually like it, but I’m not an uber fan or anything. I get the feeling Brookem has stared down a few things in her days.
Amusing – I will most certainly have fun. Fatherhood should be a real treat. It’s going to have its ups and downs, but I get the feeling the ups will far outweigh the downs.
Brother #3 – allow me to break this down for you. I have five brothers. You happen to be one of them. The youngest brother of mine would be number five. You got it?
Meno – I think it’s okay to snicker in this instance. Vive le retaliation!
Katy – you really know how to flatter a boy. Yes, the heat can be a bit much here in Seattle, but what can you do? It’s not too bad compared to other parts of the country.
actually i always lose the real “staring contests.” i can’t keep a straight face. in this instance, with the freaky falcon/flamingo, we caught eyes, i took off my goggles, looked at him, and he flew off. so who wins? me?
Wow I think I’m in love. With your blog that is. I’ve been meaning to hop over here for awhile now.
I love your blog title and when you explained to Meno why the plural of singe I laughed because I do that all the time.
Bonne Journee et Merci pour donne moi une sourire. (See now, I probably got the gender wrong on smile and let’s not even talk about my spelling, and there’s sentence structure. But hey, I’m practicing as much as I can.)
I love the garden – so beautiful. And every time you mention Seattle I miss it a little more…
And the note about the 40yr olds being so in love.. thank you for that. 😉
gorgeous!! I love it when people put time and thought into their gardens. Or at least pay someone good to do it!
Cake-Lady – yeah, it truly doesn’t get much better in Seattle than this. I did get heaps of mosquito bites though. Bastards!
Mez – it’s very stunning. I’m not sure I believe in the whole “one” theory, but I do think love can be found at any age.
Golden – ha, funny how all those themes appeared in one post. I never really put much thought into the topics on this post, but thanks for pointing them out for me Golden. You say nice things.
Amanda – not really, I abandoned the theme mid-week because I wasn’t ready to get naked on my blog.
Liv – I’m not allowed to poke anyone? Lame. I thought that’s why people wrote blogs. Enjoy the beach this weekend.
MsMachine – hey, long time no comment. How are you? What’s up? I’ve found some peace. The colourful flowers in this local garden are very soothing. Good to see you back.
ChickyBabe – I must admit the summer can really bring out some great qualities in flowers, people, and humanity. I swear I’m not smoking pot.
Mone – yes, city living is pretty nice. I like convenience.
Naynayfazz – yeah, you really have to have a piece of your own property to get into it. That’s my feeling at least. That being said, I should mow the lawn.
Angelcjr – hello and welcome to my blog. Thanks for the visit. Yeah, the garden is a city garden a block from our house with an amazing view of downtown.
Brookem – in this case you definitely win. Keep me posted on tonight’s developments.
Maggie – salut et bienvenue a mon blog! I’m too lazy to use accents. I’m glad you can appreciate the use of plural. Meno sure is a swell woman. Thanks for the visit. Come back now you hear.
Desiree – did you happen to live in Seattle also or did you come here to visit? It’s a crazy beautiful town in the summer. I happen to like it when it’s gray too, but I’m a native type. Love, no matter what age, is pretty special.
steppingoverthejunk – we sure as hell didn’t pay to do ours. Well we did once, but this shot is taken at a city park overlooking the city. It’s a great oasis in the city.
Dude, I just realized that Fridays are boring when you’re old and married and all your friends are young and not married. Ok, maybe I exaggerate the age part, but I’m pretty bored right now, yo. I hope your Friday is good and that you and Mrs. L are partying it up Seattle style.
Salut monsieur Egan.
Je pense que tu es un singe tres jolie!
Tu es un bon ami!
Ah, the good life!
So sleepy. Hope you have a good day …
Amanda – Fridays when you’re married are a lot different. I did notice you commented on lots of blogs in the past 36 hours. Well done. Ha, what is partying it Seattle style? We stayed home and watched tv while I read stuff on the internet. Oh, we shopped a bit too.
Airam – ha, tu parles bien. Oui, je suis un singe. Aw, merci pour les mots gentils. You’re a damn good friend too. Have a good Sunday.
The Grunt – yes, the good life is right. The weather has been awesome here this past week.
Airam – I should probably go to bed too. I have to stop watching tv and telling myself to post something new.