Apex Summer Party in Pictures

The theme of this summer's annual Apex costume party was "Super Hero or Super Sinful" and my oh my was it fun. These are some of my favorite pictures from the evening:

Rosie the Riveter Sara & Stone Protector Randy

Alan, Jennifer & Barbara Bush Betsy
(LOVE what my camera did to the lights!)

Super Kale Kirsten!

Super Loser Andy!

All that ruckus you heard in Belltown Saturday night? That was the Yellow Hat Band playing on our roof!

Will certainly get the crew dancing everytime!

Sincere Community Thanks

Hello and welcome back to the World Rekoj!

Over the weekend I had a pretty severe episode with my back. It was a rough time, but through it I got to experience just how amazing my household is. I was so well looked after, checked in on and cared for that when I was trying to tell a friend about it I got a serious case of the warm & fuzzies. You know - that feeling you get when you realize just how lucky & blessed you really are?

So here I am, on a random Monday writing a random sappy email to my housemates of the Apex Belltown Co-op. Even when times get rough (and they've been pretty rough these days) we need to keep in mind just what it is we're fighting for. It isn't just some floors in a building. It isn't just low-income housing in a city where such space is rapidly disappearing.It is for our community. Our family of choice. Sincere thanks to everyone who helped me out this weekend - either with kind words of encouragement, the loan of meds, the loan of movies, the sharing of food and even the gift of laughter and stories - thank you thank you thank you ALL. We are all truly blessed to be in such an amazing place together. Okay - done with the sap - for now =)

House Retreat

My oh my has this week been busy busy! It's a good thing I got some art out on the weekend because I haven't had a free moment in the last few days. Or if I did have a free moment it was spent tuckered out and sleeping.

Silly daylight savings time.

A whole lot of my time this week has been filled with lots of work at the day job. Funny how that makes the week just whizzzz by. It's whizzed right into being Thursday already - which brings in some serious weekend preparations tonight.

This weekend, commencing tomorrow, is the long overdue, much anticipated infamous Apex Retreat. It happens once every 3 years or some such. As a household we'll be going to this lovely lodge out in the woods to spend 2.5 days of cooking, cleaning, eating, sleeping and talking together.

We'll be working on our Cooperative skills like facilitation, communication, active listening and beer drinking. Er... wait - is that a co-op skill?

Just kidding - actually I think the journey and the weekend will be quite recuperative for the group of us as a whole.

I'm one of the few members who own a car so I'll be driving part of the caravan tomorrow eve and on top of that I get to take part in a trip to Costco. Not a place I frequent so it should be ... um... fun?

Too bad I'm totally ready to do everything but any of this. That's the way it goes sometimes.

The muse has struck so I'll be bringing my sketchbook and watercolors with the intention of stealing away for some creative time throughout the weekend.

I'm sure it will be nice to spend a couple of days in such a comfy looking lodge no matter what. A rare and privileged treat.

We'll be back to our regularly scheduled art ponderings next week I'm sure!