Fairhaven Park

Another gorgeous Saturday in Bellingham! Mish had Hallie for the day again, so we took her over to Fairhaven Park for a walk in the woods, and a little cool-off in Padden Creek. Great day for it.


Google Maps is erroneously identifying this as Marine Park. This is not Marine Park. Pay no attention to the Location tag.

Two more signings at Villa Park

Aston Villa have completed two more signings this week: Danish striker Nicklas Helenius (fans at Villa Talk have already decided on "This is the dawning of the age of Helenius" for his chant) and Spanish left-back Antonio Luna. Left back is a position that we have badly needed to strengthen, so it's great to have a little competition for that spot. Helenius is raw material at the moment but looks like he's got tons of potential. I'm pretty excited about how things are starting to shape up at Villa -- five new signings already and it's not even July. I wish the season would hurry up and start already, I'm anxious to see all the newcomers in action.

Speaking of which, the fixture list came out. Our first three games are Arsenal away, Liverpool at home, and then Chelsea away. Really difficult start. After that we have international break, and then things get a bit easier. Our December schedule and late-season run-in looks a good deal easier, and frankly I'd rather get the tough teams out of the way early.

Also some outgoing news at Villa: midfielder Chris Holman has completed his transfer away from Villa to some club I've never heard of in the United Arab Emirates. Not gonna bother looking it up. Holman was only there for a year and I'm not sure we ever saw the best of him, but he worked hard and probably deserved a few more games to show what he could do. Good luck Chris!

American right-back Eric Lichaj, who was released by Villa a few weeks ago, has already landed himself a new gig at Nottingham Forest (the Tricky Trees!). I have a lot of fondness for Lichaj and was sorry the club let him go, and I wish him all the best at Forest.

Cornwall Park

By a lucky stroke of fortune, I got a text from my friend Mish last night suggesting that we check out Cornwall Park today, since she had to take Hallie for a walk anyway, and so that's exactly what we did. She was surprised to learn I'd never been to Cornwall Park before, not even when I lived here back in the 1990's. Clouds rolled in and threatened to rain on us once or twice, but we had a nice walk around the park, and Hallie got to watch squirrels and take a little dip in the creek. Fun time was had by all! 

After

During

Before

New signings and new kits at Villa Park

Already a busy summer for Aston Villa! Two new signings today, Jores Okore, a much-needed central defender, and Leandro Bacuna ("Bacuna Matata" has already been decided upon by the Villa fans for his chant), a young utility attacking midfielder. I think Okore may go straight into the first team, despite being only 20 years old, and Bacuna may be more of a backup/rotation option. Exciting times! Sure beats chewing my fingernails on deadline day. Nicklas Helenius, a Danish striker, is expected to sign any day now also.

Of the three, I'm most excited about Okore, the defender. Our back four was shaky to say the least last season and we could use some propping up. Okore comes to us from FC Nordsjaelland in the Danish Superliga, and he made a big impact against Chelsea in the Champions League last year. Given that Chelsea trounced us 8-0 in the league last year, I'd say we could do with a defender who knows how to handle them. And, rather deliciously, Chelsea apparently tried to buy him in January and he turned them down -- he preferred to go to a club where he could play first team football right away. Welcome to Villa Park, Jores! And Leandro! And hope to see you soon, Nicklas!

Meanwhile in other news, the new Villa kit for the 2013-14 season has been revealed:

I actually love both the home and away shirts, and I don't know that I've ever liked an away shirt since I've been following Villa. I might actually have to pony up the dough to get one of each this year. I'm waiting for the squad numbers to be announced before I buy, though.

Lee Memorial Park: June 8, 2013

The second of my two parks this weekend is Lee Memorial Park, also known as "The Library Lawn" because, well -- it's the back lawn of the public library. Unfortunately the fountain was empty today. This is a small park as you can see, with a few nice benches for sitting quietly and reading your book in the fresh air. I like the giraffe sculpture, personally.

Elizabeth Park: June 8, 2013

Because I didn't make it to a park last weekend, this week I have a bonus -- two parks for the price of one! The first is Elizabeth Park, which I visited with my friend Marla. Elizabeth Park is notable for its trees,which you can read more about here.

Aston Villa sign Aleksandar Tonev

Villa have made their first signing of the summer, Bulgarian winger Aleksandar Tonev, from the Polish club Lech Poznan. He's quick, strong, good with the ball at his feet, and can shoot with power using either foot. He's also young and inconsistent, which means he'll fit in just great. :-)

His highlights reel show off his great pace and his ability to score screamers with either foot. Looks like a great prospect. Welcome to Villa, Aleks!