Sequestered in Seattle, Day 371

Wednesday was another lovely day in Seattle. The forecast for the next few days is less inviting. Nicole checked the car this morning and found it still started. Hopefully that holds up until we can get it serviced.

During the lunch hour, first Colin delivered some birthday cake to the Hansens, then Nicole and I went by bike to give some to Paola and the Sanfords. The Sanfords have just taken possession of a new house over on 7th Avenue, and Ruth wanted to know what the trees in the yard were. There's a paperbark maple in front, a Japanese maple in back, and what I guessed might be vine maples on the side. There were others that I couldn't identify without leaves or flowers, and one with yellow bark that I've seen elsewhere but never figured out. There are lots of interesting shrubs, too, including one unknown woven into the back fence.

Nicole made dinner early, so we had lots of time to finish Life of Pi after, and then have dessert. I also got to read a few pages from the new issue of Douglasia, the journal of the Washington Native Plant Society.

The kids wanted to resume family reading time, and tried to select a book. I read a few pages from several, but in the end I just started reading Black Hearts in Battersea, a sequel of sorts to The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, which follows Simon, one of the peripheral characters, to London, and has now introduced us to Dido Twite, a major character in subsequent books. It promises much more intrigue, but for now we're just wondering what's happened to Dr. Field.