Pipes Galore!
A Cup Of English
I'm feeling really happy with myself at the moment. It's almost ten o'clock at night, and I have just finished a DIY project that has been (1)hanging over me for close to a year. It really wasn't anything very difficult or complicated, just time consuming. The task was simply to hook up a bathroom sink. "Not a big deal," some of you might say. And that is correct; it's not really a big deal at all. Now, I already have a bathroom sink, and that was the problem. The pressure was off. However, I have two bathrooms, and the second one wasn't finished. When 2024 ended and we entered into 2025,...
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Paw Prints on the sand.
A Cup Of English
There are few things as relaxing as walking on a beach. I don't think many people would argue with that. And when I say "beach", it could mean either next to the ocean, a lake, or a river. I walked on a beach on a little island that juts out from the shore in one of the parks we have here in Wenatchee. The Riverfront park follows the Columbia river for eleven miles, then crosses a bridge and continues on the otherside for another eleven. So, it is basically a long park that was built right next to the river. As such, there are many beaches of different sizes, some accessible and sandy,...
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97 Rock House.
A Cup Of English
There is a place like no other for a brief get away from where I live. If you don't mind a twenty minute drive on a highway that goes into a deep forest, then this is the right place. 97 Rock House is the name of this coffee roasting, food serving establishment. It's not your average quick stop for a coffee. A lot of hard work went into its design and decor. The theme of 'rock' is carried into the interior, which has a stoney, wooden cabin (1)vibe. It has high ceilings, garage doors for windows, (2) heavy duty stringed lights, and even artificial gems embedded in its rock walls. Live music...
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Yoga and wine for New Year's.
A Cup Of English
It's already 2025. Can you believe it? The celebrations for the New Year came and went so fast! Typically I don't do much on New Year's Eve during the day, but this year, or should I say 'last year' I did a lot. I worked a little in the morning, and then, in the afternoon I checked online to see if there were any yoga classes available at my local gym. Most of the teachers at the gym were already on vacation, so my expectations were low, but there was one. "Great!" I thought to myself, "I'll be able (1)to stretch out my stiff hips, and get (2)nice and loose for the New Year." I quickly got...
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Photos of Christmas
A Cup Of English
Lights, decorations, games, there are so many photos in my camera of the recent Christmas celebrations. For me, it is one of the best times of the year. And it has been that way since I was little. A Christmas tree is a staple of the festivities. Strings of lights also keep the darker season jolly. Santa, on the other hand, (1)is a different matter. I've never liked him that much, to tell you the truth. My dad actually used to dress up as Santa and carry a big bag of presents to the tree, saying "Ho! Ho! Ho!" in a very dad voice. Well, of course I knew that it was him. It was very sweet of him...
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Happy Winter Solstice!
A Cup Of English
The sky, when I woke up this morning, was a blurry white all over, not of snow, just a layer of cloud with the light of the sun behind it. It was a dreamy look, nothing like the blue sky, bright sun, and streets and houses covered in snow that we have had recently. I was tempted to stay in bed. I remembered, however, that there is a Saturday morning yoga class just up the road at 9 o'clock. "Should I go, or shouldn't I?" went back and forth in my head. I realized that exercising first thing in the morning would be better than staying in bed, and I would feel energized probably for most of the...
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I love Turkey, part one.
A Cup Of English
I wasn't sure, starting this podcast, about the title. "I love Turkey, part one" is very basic, and sounds like a child is saying it. But, honestly, I can't think of another because my recent trip to Turkey left me both astonished and dying to go back. I had only done a little research about the country before I left, so I confess that I was quite ignorant about it. Unfortunately, (1)add to that the fact that in secondary school we were not taught anything about Turkey, and you get a picture of just how ignorant I was before my trip. My father had the good fortune of working in Turkey when I...
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Steamer's West.
A Cup Of English
I have discovered a local (1)haunt that I have (2)made my own: Steamer's West. It's a cafe/ restaurant I can pop into in between my interpreting jobs for a quick bite to eat. It's a simple place, actually a converted mechanical garage. It has been renovated to be appropriate for serving food, but has maintained the two large mechanic shop doors, and its very basic structure. It's only open until 3pm every day, and it swarms with customers until then. That's a good sign, I think. The simple, clean food and good quality coffee keep the humans coming back. There is a quaint outdoor seating area...
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Finley and the moon.
A Cup Of English
Peace. Imagine this: a cool evening, a quiet street, no one around, birds already asleep in the darkened trees, a blanket on the grass, the stars appearing overhead, and a cat by your side. Can you feel it? My cup of decaf is already cold, ignored. I'm too enthralled by what I can see and feel. The moon is not full tonight, but is extremely bright. My mind (1)wanders over the night sky, until I sense the warmth of the quiet feline who has placed himself gently next to me. The nights here in North Central Washington are like a sensory sanctuary, at least for me. When the farenheits dip down...
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Roll Out The Problems.
A Cup Of English
"My soul has been tested today," is a saying that a friend of mine uses on a regular basis. Sometimes, when problems pile up, it feels that way, doesn't it? Of course, some are more serious than others; we know that. Some, however, are just downright bothersome, annoying, frustrating. I could go on. So, I am nearing the end of the renovation of my condominium. I still have a lot to do in the garage in order to transform it into something wonderful and useable. The last few steps needed inside my living area are to carpet the stairs, and to put the shower in my bathroom. For a year I have been...
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"I had no idea that there are so many!" I said to the lady in the garden who was busy cutting off dry flower heads. "Oh yes!" she said excitedly. "There are at least 10,000 kinds of dahlias now, and new varieties are found each year," her wide eyes showed her enthusiasm. I had walked past the rows of dahlias earlier as I had hurried into the clinic without paying much attention. However, when I was walking back to my car, checking my phone messages, the kaleidoscope of colors caught my eye. I had to have a look. The look was more like a long, satisfying gaze. I walked slowly up and down each aisle, shaking my head in wonderment at how many varieties of the same flower were all in one place. And such unexpected petal shapes! Some flower heads were like huge dinner plates in size and full of frilly, rolled up petals. Others had the quintessential daisy look: seven or nine oval petals, but painted masterfully with colors blending into eachother. The pistils, or centers, were like bright alien landscapes with odd forms decorating the stigma bumps. The lady, who was a member of the North Central Washington Dahlia society, informed me that dahlias originated in Mexico, where there was one variety. Adaptations have developed, as they always do in plant life, through reproduction and genetic variety. It seems endless. In fact, it is! Like the saying in English goes: "God laughs in flowers." Plant life, and flowers in particular, are a painter's eternal canvas. "The bees must be happy," I thought to myself as I got in my car, "to suddenly find, in the middle of town, a paradise of pollen." And they certainly were happy, busy at least, their little bodies climbing all over the flower heads, hundreds of them. What a treat, to come out of work, and to be able to walk through a well manicured garden, brimming with beautiful flowers. Hat's off to the NCW Dahlia Society.