Snoqualmie Ridge in November

A week at James and Amy's (Spencer and Garrett, too) in Washington at the beginning of the rainy season. Beautiful weather for our flight out Wednesday (11/4) where we met Brenda at Sea-Tac Airport and picked up her rental car. We couldn't seem to find a place for a late lunch so we went directly to Reagan's house on the Ridge. Late lunch with Amy and Garrett, then on to pick up Spencer at his bus stop. Later to see Spencer at Tae-Kwon-Do class.

Thursday we got the boys off to third grade for Spencer who gets a ride to school with James on his way to work and preschool for Garrett who shares rides with another boy. After we picked up the boys from preschool and dropped off Kyle we were off to do some shopping--the girls to a craft barn and the boys (Garrett and I) off to Home Depot. Then late lunch at a great steak house. We picked up Spencer at his bus stop and were off to home to get Garrett ready for soccer.

Breakfast Friday was in North Bend at George's Bakery for some of their fabulous baked goods, especially their BIG doughnut. Spencer's school had teacher workday so he and G-man (preschool M, T, Th only) had a great time at Imagine Children's Museum in Everett--water discovery; train, plane, and bus exploration; art center; construction arena; rooftop play and climbing; and self-directed theater kept the boys (and adults) busy for hours. Met James at home, the off to Kent for dinner at Spiro's followed by WHL hockey game; Seattle Thunderbirds lost to Spokane Chiefs.

We are now in the midst of some serious rain and on Saturday morning Spencer plays soccer in the water and mud of a nearby park. I am proud he tolerated the cold rain, playing very hard in difficult conditions. We boys watched some college football (which starts 9 am there) including Purdue's win at U of Michigan for the first time in our children's lifetimes! and a nostalgia rush playing vibrating football (called electric football when I was a kid), the game where plastic football players move on a vibrating field until the ball carrier is touched by an opponent. Meanwhile, the women were off to a scrapbook and craft convention and fabulous lunch.

After a lazy Sunday morning we dressed for threatening weather we expected in Seattle for the Seahawks-Lions football game (luckily it was dry, though cool and overcast). Lunch at a Chinese restaurant in the International District, the off to the game where we watched the Lions end the first quarter ahead 17-0 but finally lost 32-20.

Monday found us easily fixing some doors and laundering clothes between transporting the boys. Amy fixed dinner for us and we watched Monday Night Football which begins at 5:30!

Kathy and Amy help at Spencer's school on Tuesday while Brenda works on business and I read my book at a nearby Panera Bread. We pick up Garrett from school along with a friend and his brother who we watch so their dad can work from home. All of us go to a McD with a play area for the boys. Later Mexican cuisine for our last dinner.

Brenda, Kathy, and I go to the airport together early Wednesday, drop off the rental car, and grab a quick bite for breakfast. Brenda got on her flight and we ours a couple hours later--since she had a stopover our planes landed about the same time. A wonderful visit, the first time we'd all been together in well over a year.

From the Ridge to the Mitten.

Grandsons Spencer and Garrett brought their mom, Amy, for a visit before Easter.   We had great fun with the three of them.  They also visited Amy's family and friends in NW Indiana both before and after their visit here--they changed cars in Marshall.

Colored and decorated Easter eggs.  Went to Buddy's for pizza and Fuddrucker's for burgers.  Saw the movie Monsters vs. Aliens while eating candy and slurping cold drinks.  Looked for frogs in our pond but found only tadpoles.  Waited for the last big snowfall to melt.  Played games including checkers and Isolation.  Looked at family pictures, especially of the boys when they were younger.  Jumped on the inflatable bed like a trampoline.  Roasted marshmallows.   Read and wrote.  And gave lots of hugs.  

We had a great time.   

Traveling the Great Northwest

On Wednesday we took the Amtrak train from Seattle, where the train station is being renovated, to Vancouver which has a fine train station adjoining a bus station.  No problem with immigration and customs in Canada (on the train we saw cars lined up at the border checkpoint).  Not far from the Vancouver station is their Skytrain light rail system that took us to downtown.  It's interesting that there are no turnstiles.  Buy your ticket from a machine and board the train.  Notices are posted that you must have a fare receipt and I suppose some people cheat, but they must figure the savings in personnel and construction must outweigh losses in revenue.  The train is underground in downtown and we exited our station to walk about four blocks to our hotel

Our room overlooked the harbor and we could see float planes take off, land, and taxi to their marina below us--they are used to taxi people about the region and for sightseeing tours.  And a cruise ship got underway while we watched, backing out of its slip, then heading off toward Alaska.  Fascinating.

We walked along the sea walk, past the float planes, and eventually reached a marina with some very large boats.  One in particular caught our attention and another visitor with his two daughters told us he worked for the owner who is a self-made billionaire and had been on the boat once for a meeting.  He said it is nicer inside than what it looks outside.  One hundred fifty feet, at least.  Some of the other boats we saw are for sale and prices ranged from about a half million to  about one and a half million--but that's Canadian dollars I am reminded.  Later we grabbed a quick snack and went to an IMAX movie.  Next day we walked to the Gastown section of the city, saw the famous steam clock toot noon, then toured a classic Chinese garden in Chinatown before our return train trip to Seattle.

Thr following morning we walked to Qwest Field to buy tickets for the Tigers-Mariners baseball game, had lunch, then entered the stadium in time to see the Tigers take batting practice.  We became some of those folks we notice standing in the first row watching their favorite players and snapping pictures.  A couple rows in front of our seats were a couple and their two boys who were Tiger fans.  We found out the dad was back from Iraq about a month after a 15 month tour.  We had a great time though the Tigers lost.

Saturday we picked up Brenda from the airport and, on our way to James' house, we visited the Museum of Flight.  Planes from all eras of flight, an old factory restored, and some space flight memorabilia.  The highlight was a walk aboard a Concorde and an Air Force One.

The next day we left for Lake Chelan located east of the Cascade Mountains just west of the Columbia River.  We drove a northern route on US 2 through Stevens Pass (we returned to Snoqualmie Ridge via I-90 through Snoqualmie Pass) pausing to walk a trail to a waterfall and stretch our legs in Leavenworth; some compare it to Frankenmuth but there are important differences like not having its main street through the center of town.  On to Wapato Point Resort and our condo for the week.  Amenities include outdoor pools, a great view, beaches, and many water recreations such as jet skis.

The lake is 55 miles long and we took the Lady of the Lake boat trip from Chelan on the southeast end to Stehekin, a town of about 80 with only water access, on the northwest.  Great scenery, relaxing ride.  When the boat arrived we took a narrated tour (aboard a school bus) to the 312 foot Rainbow Falls.  We left the tour bus on its way back to Stehekin to eat lunch at Stehekin Bakery Company.  After lunch we purchased some goodies to take back to our condo and walked the two miles back to the boat landing where we visited the shops and National Park center.  On returning to Chelan we had dinner and then to the condo.

Another day we rented a boat and  toured some of the lake and had a mid-lake picnic--very comfortable for nine of us.  A little chop in the water kept us from wandering too far toward Stehekin.

We swam, hiked, played Wii games, and played with the boys.  James grilled and we ate out.  The ladies took the boys into town to see the movie Wall-E and eat popcorn and drink soda pop. We found geocaches along the Columbia River on a day trip north from Chelan to see some of the small towns there, and on our way back to the Ridge.

Joey joined us for a couple days--drove over from Spokane the day after one of his bicycle races.  We talked, went to the local coffee shop (this is a resort, not camping), played with the boys.  We were all glad to see him.

On our way back to Snoqualmie Ridge we saw forest fires still burning along the Columbia and the black remnants were visible for miles along our route--something we do not see in Romeo. Then close to Snoqualmie Pass James gave us coordinates to his cache and we found it in a park where we walked past rapids and a waterfall.

Spent Sunday night at James' and the following morning with Amy and the boys (she took her folks and Brenda to the airport earlier in the morning) and walked to get our coffee and rolls at the local Starbucks. Kathy and I left for our flight home.

A great trip.  A week with the whole family--fantastic.

A Week on the Ridge

Our first stop after Amy picked us up from Sea-Tac Airport was a shopping center. I left my belt somewhere in the security area at Metro Airport--took it off to pass the screening and did not pick it up. It was quite worn and needed to be replaced anyway. So I bought a new one at Macy's. Ate at nearby Bahama Breeze and then on to Reagan house on the Ridge. Boys were still sick (flu) or just getting over it. But all were in good spirits though they needed to still sleep to fully recover. Weather would turn out to be great for the whole week--sunny every day getting warmer each day.

Monday. We hiked some local trails and took the boys to a local park for swinging, sliding, and climbing. James did some work from home since he did not feel well enough to go into office. In the evening James introduced us to Guitar Hero, an electronic game where Kathy and I played guitars, beat some drums, and sang some lyrics. Spencer joined us but Garrett was too tired and slept through our concert. Only drawback for me was the songs are all too recent--from the eightys!!! Nothing from the Golden Age of R&R, say mid-50s to mid-70s.

Tuesday. A trip to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma. Spencer especially liked the penguins and Garrett the monkeys and reindeer. A wonderful zoo, great walkways to exhibits, informative signs. I especially liked the marine exhibits which focused attention on the north Pacific and Puget Sound.

Wednesday. We drove up to Smoqualmie Pass for some sledding. Snow depth up to second story of houses. Found a Sno-park and the boys took their sleds up and down the hill. It was warming to about 40 so the snow was getting slushy and slow but the kids had a ball. We ate a late lunch at the restaurant at Summit Inn where the windows were blocked with snow and icicles you couldn't get your arms around.

Thursday. Into Seattle to Dick's Drive Inn for burger, fries, and shakes (only drawback is no special orders like 'ketchup and onions, hold the dill pickles'). Then to Green Lake Park for picnic and playground fun. Spencer loved the merry-go-round. A father wore himself out spinning it 'round and 'round to the delight of several kids in addition to his two (he was careful that the kids did hang on). Garrett liked monkey bars and slides. The day was cool, perfect for active kids. Great, large green space on Green Lake in north Seattle with diverse visiors. On the way home we stopped at a Lego store so Spencer could spend some of his Valentine gift money from Grandma and Grandpa; he got a couple pieces he has had his eyes on.

Friday. Spencer and Garrett took long bike rides with us. Our route took us to Starbucks for breakfast, then to Amy's neighbor's scrapbooking store. We stopped at a couple parks on the way home. The boys loved riding their bikes in the cool and sunny winter weather. For dinner we met James at the Crab Pot restaurant in Bellvue, a seafood eatery we went to a couple years back. Great food.

Saturday. Kathy came down with flu-like symptoms so a visit to Mount Rainier was scrapped and she slept all afternoon, evening, and night. Bike ride to a park, swinging, climbing, and running around was followed with pizza for dinner.

Sunday. Kathy was feeling much better though certainly not nearly 100% when we left early in the moring to catch our flight home. She tollerated the flight quite well, sleeping much of the way. Driving from Metro we had no snow on the ground until Shelby Twp, then deep remaining snow in Romeo.

A great trip with lots of different activities and fun with the grand kids.

Ten days in the northwest

After the Lions' victory over the Vikings we spent the night near the airport, rose at 3 am, shuttled to the airport at 4:30, and boarded our flight on Frontier Airlines to Denver. Changed planes for Seattle where Amy and Garrett picked us up.

The days were busy. We walked Spencer to school in the morning and home in the afternoon with Garrett accompanying us on his tricycle--up hill both ways!. Some days we stopped for morning coffee and a muffin or cinnamon roll on the way back. After school we all went to Spencer's soccer matches and Tae-kwon-do classes, then geared down with baths and showers, video games, and reading children's books together.

We took Garrett to Pacific Science Center in Seattle to see their dinosaur exhibit and an IMAX 3D about dinosaurs where Garrett sat with his feet straight out, munching his popcorn and sipping his drink, watching the tail of a dinosaur tail appear to swipe near our noses. Another day Garrett took us to Snoqualmie for a train ride and four train-related activities hosted by volunteers for the Northwest Railway Museum.

Our hike to Snoqualmie Falls was exciting--trees two hundred years old lying beside our trail, views of the valley through breaks in the trees, several varieties of slugs and beetles, benches to sit on and have our snack and hydration break with a view of the falls, and a return trip culminating in a challenging (for me) four hundred foot climb from the rail-trail up to their neighborhood playground.

We did find time to follow the Tigers' attempt to recover from their post-All Star game slide, Michigan's defeat of Penn State, MSU can of whoop-a__ they opened on ND, and the Lion debacle in the City of Brotherly Love (none shown for the Lions)

Landscape changes will be noticed--moved some things, trimmed others, and set many new plants (Kathy, mainly). Spencer and Garrett both love to play outdoors so we took them to parks and their backyard to swing and climb structures.

Learned about how to use a computer to help manage geogaching waypoint and cache information, and then used the info to grab a few caches (missed a few, too). And used a Skyscout to locate given stars and constellations, and, conversely, to identify them.

When we were ready to return, it was clear and sunny at the Reagan house but Amy returned from an errand to tell us she heard of flight delays out of Seatac airport. We checked and our flight was moved to an hour later. As we drove we could see the fog over Seattle that caused it. Mostly we had seen clouds in the mountains and clear below, but this was reversed. We did not mind because our layover in Denver was originally over three hours. (We purposely did that to accomodate everyone's schedule.) Smooth sailing home--not much traffic from Metro Airport to Romeo at 2:30 in the morning.

Great trip, had a ball. It's always good to be home.

Reagans at Emerald Lake

What an exciting week.

Picked up Brenda from Grand Rapids airport last Wednesday. On our way to Emerald Lake with her we visited Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in GR. Great display. Many important historical events in his partial term that I had forgotten--fall of Saigon, WIN for Whip Inflation Now, and the SS Mayaguez capture. In addition to the museum his burial spot is outside the museum as is a garden dedicated to Betty Ford.

James, Amy, Spencer and Garrett arrive in the middle of the night after driving out of a severe thunderstorm in northern Indiana. Unbeknownst to us the pump was not working to bring water into the house until they arrived, but the following morning Kelvin fixed the problem, a broken pressure switch.

Off to the circus in Evart. Cotton candy, elephants, jugglers, trapeze, trained dogs and horses, etc. The sounds and smells are distinctive. And as soon as it ended, workers were tearing down the bleachers and tent for their trip to the next stop.

Angie hosted a cookout and bonfire for the family--three generations laughing, telling stories, playing on Kamber's wood play structure, eating, laughing, roasting marshmallows and making s'mores.

Geocached around Evart, Reed City, and Big Rapids. Found some and had a couple stumpers. Still cannot find the multicache in Hemlock Park!

When the rainy weather sent us indoors, we tried bowling one day. Spencer and Garrett gave us a run for our money. Did not know alleys now have bumpers along the lanes to keep kids' balls (and mine, too) out of the gutters. I should get out more often.

Ranger rides took us out over our property and Kelvin's. We saw turkeys and deer, picked apples and berries. And rode through the woods.

The highlight for the boys might have been the fire station tour that Shane gave them. Sitting inside a fire truck and climbing up the outside, putting on the fire suit, and dragging a hose put smiles on two boys' faces.

The week at Emerald Lake put big smiles on our faces too.