Stacey Mayer, Artist

Seattle Rain Memories My husband, Phil, brought home a memo from work, the Owner of the company he was employed with was asking for help in the home office during upcoming staff vacations. Was I interested?  "If I could work in downtown Seattle again for a couple of weeks, sure!" Seattle would be a long bus ride from our home in Marysville , but I looked forward to helping out, however briefly, just to be in Seattle again. I used to work in downtown Seattle as a young woman, and memories from my childhood and youth, make this a happy return. The Metro bus rolled past many old friends in the dark morning. Even in the rainy dawn, I spot favorite restaurants I visited with friends, many years past. Some of the older buildings are sporting “facelifts”, but I still know them. There’s the Bank of Americ a building. A huge oil painting, a quilt of colors I passed often as a young woman, is still on the foyer wall. The painting watched over our comings and goings,

Adopting My Camano Kitty We have a new member of the family. We adopted a seven-year-old orange tabby cat from the great folks at the Camano Island Shelter, in mid - December 2012. We're glad to share Reese's story with everyone. He's an interesting, thoughtful cat. Very respectful, and he doesn't take anything for granted. He gets along with our other cats well, even eating right beside them. It was as if they knew Reese was coming! Reese was brought into the Camano Island Shelter in late summer, and since he was a stray, he has no known history or habits to share. He was tentative at first; loud noises or play would startle him. He watched us a lot. We gave him some space; meaning, we'd "moosh" our faces into his soft belly, at least five or six times a day, although we wanted to kiss him much more. We would pet him when he was comfortable, in a spot of his own choosing. Soon, we found him sitting on the couch right by my husban

The sun has finally returned to the Pacific Northwest, drawing families to the beaches and waterways of Washington. As I listen to the news of recent swimming accidents, I'm reminded of a summer when I tragically lost my family on the water. My little sister, Martha JulieRay Rank, would have turned 61 this Fourth of July, 2024.  She drowned at the tender age of 10 at Ozette Lake in Clallam County on July 11, 1973, along with my father, Robert Ray Rank (44), my mother, Joyce Merilyn (Black) Rank (44), and my brother, David Alan Rank (8). They never found my sister and father. As the 50th anniversary has passed, I remember them with both fondness and sorrow. I never had the chance to share my adulthood with them or introduce them to my four daughters. My children missed out on the love of grandparents, an aunt, and an uncle. Cold water drownings are a harsh reality in the Pacific Northwest. Even when outdoor temperatures soar past 85 degrees, the lakes, rivers, and streams of Washi

A Trip to ArlingtonDarrington.com Darrington, Washington is home to the beautiful White Horse Mountain, rising 6,850 ft (2,088 m). Rising dramatically from the valley floor, this glacier-rimmed mountain features brilliant waterfalls, wildflowers, and abundant wildlife. Darrington's valley is a favorite hiker's and photographer's weekend destination just northeast of the Seattle-Everett metro area on Washington State's SR-530, along the north fork of the Stillaguamish River. It's right in the center of one of Snohomish County's most beautiful scenic drives, the Mountain Loop Highway. From incredible scenery to down-home culture, Darrington is a unique community. Growing from their "Tar Heel" heritage, one of the best parts of the town of Darrington is the many Grandparents that live near their grandchildren. They may even be the "golden" ingredient of Darrington. After any typical school day, it's just as common to see Gran

Family Day at the Horse Show We're going to help at the Mother's Day Fund Raiser at PeopleHelpingHorses.org in Arlington, WA for the day. There are some marvelous people involved in this organization, and we're happy to support their great cause. We met several wonderful horse owners and admirers from the Pilchuck Tree Farm area at the March show, and you can read more about what we're up to on the pages of AWhiteHorse.com . We'll bring our  booth display, as Phil and Shannon are making chocolate cupcakes, orange cupcakes, mini chocolate truffle tartlets, and truffle-topped brownies to bring and offer as additional fundraisers. We've pulled out the stops to help make a few extra dollars for the horses. To keep in touch with what we're up to, see the main page at AWhiteHorse.com  and be sure to download our new cell phone app, "AWhiteHorse", from the Android Market . Currently, you'll find us volunteering for the BVHorseShows.org in Br

Autumn at Country Village I was cleaning up my AWH hard drive, and what did I find? Dozens of great Mayer family pictures I thought had been lost. Here is one of the best ; all my girls at Country Village in Bothell, WA, some years ago. I will ask them and we'll try to figure out exactly what year it was. Country Village of Bothell was one of the girl's favorite destinations. The best outings always included Charleene, too!