Wily Wednesdays - Cave Transformation

Randy's basement went through a bit of a transformation before Kai and I moved in, so I thought I'd show just what happened. In order to create a separate room, we decided to block off the part with the closets and turn it into a bedroom. Randy graciously offered to build us a wall, complete with two sliding doors. It really couldn't be more perfect -- the closed doors give us a private bedroom (complete with two big closets and a row of windows), and when the doors are wide open, the whole basement feels larger. Thank you, Randy!

I never appreciated how much potential this space has, and we had a blast transforming it into our home, which still remains a work in progress. We decided to paint some accent walls to bring more color into the room, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that Awesome Violet (my choice for the bedroom) and Jargon Jade (Kai's choice for the living room) go quite well together.


In the beginning . . .





Let's get to work!

Wily Wednesdays - Fun with Fractals

Making fractal art is a guilty little pleasure of mine. I used a program called Apophysis for this one. I'm sure there will be more to come...

Secular Summer Camp Coming to Seattle

If you want to know what I've been doing for the last month and a half (besides Seattle Atheists, of course), it's been this: making Camp Quest NorthWest a reality. Part of me still can't believe we're really doing this, but it's happening! And I'm honored to be a part of it. Here's our official release:

SEATTLE, WA - In the summer of 2012, Camp Quest NorthWest is bringing a new kind of summer camp to the Pacific Northwest. With science experiments and s’mores, campfires and activities to foster critical thinking, Camp Quest NorthWest provides a secular twist on the time-honored summer camp experience for campers aged 8-17.

On August 20, 2011, Camp Quest NorthWest will host a half-day “Taste of Camp Quest NorthWest” Potluck event at Cottage Lake Park in Woodinville from noon - 6:00pm. The event is open to everyone, including parents, children, and volunteers. “We want to serve campers a slice of the Camp Quest experience,” says Chuck Wolber, Camp Director.

In many ways, Camp Quest NorthWest is a traditional sleepaway summer camp, with camp activities like sports, crafts, games, swimming, and campfires. But the camp also has an important intellectual side, says Wolber. “Camp Quest provides the opportunity for inquisitive children to explore the boundaries of their minds. That’s why we have educational activities like Socrates Café and code-breaking. We put a focus on the important stuff like critical thinking, ethics, scientific inquiry, philosophy, and comparative religion.

Excitement is high among Seattle-area freethinkers who are pitching in to help the fledgling camp. The Humanists of North Puget Sound have offered to match all donations up $10,000 until the end of 2011, which will be used for facilities, speakers, supplies, and “camperships.” In addition, earlier this year, Seattle Atheists raised $2,700 for the camp with its “Rapture Relief” campaign.

Camp Quest NorthWest is a chapter of Camp Quest Inc., a fast-growing 501c3 secular summer camp organization based in Columbus, Ohio. There are currently 13 active Camp Quest chapters across the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Norway.

For more information about camp registration and upcoming events, and how to volunteer, Camp Quest NorthWest’s website is at campquestnorthwest.org.

Wily Wednesdays - Edibles

This week is a little different -- less crafty and more planty. Since Kai and I have been working so hard on our garden for the past few months, I thought I'd share the fruits (and vegetables) of our labors. We started growing a lot of our seedlings back in March while we were still at the apartment, and in the meantime we slowly prepped Randy's yard every weekend and brought over the starts as they became ready. Right now we have a few ripe blueberries and strawberries, and we've been making good use of our mixed greens and pansies. This is the first time I've had a productive garden in my own yard, so I'm pretty proud.


In the beginning . . .







And then we brought life . . .





Now it looks like this:









Dinner