House of Stiles!

It has been a while since I have spent some time with my blog, sorry, I have not been near my computer. I also want to thank everyone who takes time out of his or her day to read what I have to say. It is wonderful to hear the stories of people being interested in our lives. It has been a great way to keep in contact with many folks that are spread out over the United States, and I must say that I really enjoy writing about what goes on in my plane Jane life.

We have had Bill and Betsy here from Dallas, Texas. What a treat. They were here for about a week, we found plenty of fun things to get into. They arrived; we were all excited to see each other. We decided fairly soon that at some point we need to live closer. While they were here, John and Bill got some lingering tasks done around the house. They put the finishing touches on the kitchen and we can now say that the kitchen is done! Thank you guys! Betsy looks incredible and is as spunky as ever. She lovingly pampered us with massage and kept us busy with all her neat gadgets. We took some great walks and went on a couple great adventures. We also sampled some local restaurants. Thumbs up to Dirty Dan’s in Fairhaven, the Web Locker, and the exquisite Rhododendron Café in Bow. All these establishments were worthy destinations. We spent some time with my parents as well; Neal and Brenda cook a fantastic dinner for the entire gang over the weekend. They left early Monday morning and jetted back to home base. Until next time…. Sooner rather than later!

I have been enjoying biking more and more these days. My days that I commute are enjoyable and I have been dusting off my mountain bike and taking it out for some spins here and there. I went on an epic ride on Monday, pedaling down all of my favorite trails. I can’t begin to express my love for the trail SST. It has always been my favorite trail on the mountain, this year….it has a whole new place in my heart and on the fun factor. They have done substantial work to the upper section. WOW! No more drainage ditch… This is some high quality fast trail! I wish I were there right now. It is hard not to come off that trail with the biggest grin plastered on your face. For the love of bikes!

Dad’s garden is bursting with plenty. I harvested green beans, delicious carrots, onions and a bokay of flowers. Over the weekend we picked 5 (!) grocery sacks of basil! Last night I spent a considerable amount of time in the kitchen perfecting my pesto making skills. Coming to our house for dinner anytime soon? Expect pesto….