We went to our friend Adam's house last night for the first bonfire of the year.  He and Lenore live a ways out, so you can hear the calling of the coyotes, see the stars if they aren't covered in clouds, and generally feel like you're camping.  Carne Asada and 2 splendind birthday cakes in honor of Hector's birthday were a nice surprise.  Willow and Owen took control of all the marshmallow roasting and left the rest of us to chat. 

Johnny told me about the mansion he stayed in for a couple of days on San Juan Island.  It had a custom door with an Arbutus tree carved in 3-D; a branch served as the handle.  It had lovely gardens and a lot that overlooked the sound and the Olympics beneath a perfect sunset.  Gardens with perfectly manicured bonsaii and vegetables growing throughout.  I wondered 2 things: #1,  What did these people do for a living to get a property like that?  #2, Now that they have it, do/can they appreciate it?  We don't really know the answers, but it does put things in perspective again.....not to mention the article I heard that morning about people barely surviving in an area of Vietnam where the government had approved a dam that would displace them all with water.  What a vast difference in livelihood.  

Andy and Katie are interested in getting bees.  Nate has bees as of 2 weeks ago.  I think eventually, we'll all have bees and chickens if we're not careful...but that's what we love, living a simple life and being stewards of the earth in some fashion.  Hearing about the mansion, and how those people live in such a manicured, beautiful place makes me think about our house, and our life.  We have it pretty good, and I enoy living in a little place.  I came home at midnight to see my freshly mowed lawn with our rock landscaping, plethora of "forget-me-nots" bursting with blue and 2 brand new daffodils adding their yellow splash to the mix.  I thought "I like coming home".  I don't need a mansion to be happy.