Category Archives: Grandchildren

Goodbye Walla Walla~ Hello Country Roads

Tuesday July 2nd was pack up and drive home day. No formal breakfast at the airbnb but one last swim was in order!

It was an amazing trip and time together.

Goodbye Walla Walla.

We decided on a different route home north on highway 12 to 127 and then onto 195 to Spokane and then on 395 all the way home.

Our Colville kids took a different route home and stopped at Palouse Falls.

After the Palouse this was the scene in the rear view window for these tired out Grands.

Coming and going it was a wonderful family time being together and seeing sites we’ve never seen before.

Back to the present. It is hot, real hot. On Sunday we got up to 105 and today will be another blistering day before we start a gradual cool down. We are laying low and only outside in the early hours. Hope you are keeping cool in your neck of the woods.

Just Peachy Hodgepodge

 

A peachy sunrise on the last Saturday in June in Richland, Washington.

Joyce has some summertime Hodgepodge questions for us this week. Are you playing?

1. What is an adult problem nobody prepared you for? 

Growing old and all the things that come with that like; balance issues, getting up off the floor, bruising, hot flashes. I could have just gone with hot flashes…

2. Without mentioning any tech, what’s your most prized possession? 

One thing? Can I say my home even though there are a lot of techy things in it? Not the actual structure but the idea of my own place where I can relax and be safe and enjoy. Also a place where I can invite people in for relationship and community.

3. It’s National Peach Ice Cream Day (July 17th). Will you be celebrating? 

I could make it happen since Wednesday is Farmer’s Market in town and they might have fresh peaches.

Do you like peaches?

Yes I do but nectarines are my favorite summer fruit.

Given a choice would you prefer peach ice cream, peach pie, peach cobbler, or just hand me a peach?

Fresh Peach Pie. Way back when I enjoyed a scoop of peach ice cream in the center of half a cantaloupe, delicious!

Do you own anything that is peach in color? 

Do our day lilies count?

4. What makes a friendship successful? 

Forgiveness. The ability to say…”I was wrong, will you forgive me?”

5. Let’s give our brains a rest and do a little summertime this or that…

beach or pool? In my older age and avoidance of sun exposure I’m going with pool. You’ll find me under the umbrella or close to the pool in whatever shade is available.

ice cream or snowcone? A snowcone is fun or a slurpy which is kind of like a snowcone.

amusement park or camping? The quiet of camping sounds better to me if someone else has totally set up the camping area. I could come visit for the afternoon and then go home to my own bed.

burger or hot dog? We had the best lamb burger last night. We bought the meat from a local rancher. A good Chicago Dog is always a treat, too.

watermelon or strawberries? I’ll save strawberries for Spring and say a good sweet watermelon.

get up early or sleep in late? Get up early while it is still cool and enjoy a cup of coffee with the birds singing.

sunrise or sunset? In these parts sunset comes late in the summer and we are sometimes in bed before sunset so it’s sunrise for me!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Catching up with some summertime swim lesson photos at the local pool.

Someone was brave enough to jump off the diving board in the deep pool!

Thanks for stopping by Hodgepodgers and others, too. Hope your summer is going swimmingly.

Monday in Walla Walla

Our last full day together in Walla Walla started off with cuddles on the couch with the Grands before breakfast. Our breakfast was served up by Josh and Laura, Joshua’s now famous Huevos Rancheros. Morning swim time before we all headed downtown for our meal out at the Indian restaurant. After our lunch we all bought treats at Bright’s, fudge, caramel apples, ice cream cones, lollipops and other delights. Back to our airbnb for a nap before we had more swim time and a delicious burger meal created and served up by Katie and Andrew. Some Frisbee time was thrown in there somewhere, too, and jigsaw puzzle time here and there. There was one more surprise before bedtime.

This photo was of our movie night on Sunday evening, not Monday but this is where all the morning cuddling happened, too.

Earlier in the weekend Katie and I got the frame of the puzzle done and others contributed here and there to completing it.

Walking to Main Street for our Indian Restaurant meal.

Someone almost fell asleep waiting for his lunch. Swimming really takes it out of you. After lunch we shopped for some souvenirs from Walla Walla before having our treats at Bright’s.

Time to leave Main street behind and head back to the house.

There was another kind of ‘pool time’, too.

Finishing the jigsaw puzzle.

The ‘littles’ weren’t the only ones who had a nap.

Before it was time for bed we had another surprise. Many months before our gathering we gave Josh and Laura an old movie reel of our church wedding shower from November of 1974. They were able to send it out to digitize it and we all watched it together by casting it on the TV. My brother-in-law recorded the movie. It was silent and poor in quality but rich in memories. Both my maternal and paternal grandmother were in it, my parents and Greg’s parents and many other friends and family who have since gone to heaven. Such a sweet finale to our family gathering to celebrate our 50th year.

One more post to come on our travels home on Tuesday and any bits and bobs I might have forgotten.

Happy Tuesday to you. Our temperatures are still soaring close to and above 100. Our hot water tank got replaced on Saturday with the help of our son. We are keeping things low key and doing inside or early morning projects around the house. Hope all is well in your corner.

Sunday in Walla Walla

On Sunday the 30th of June we had breakfast and lunch at the airbnb. Dan and Jamie provided these 2 meals for us all. For breakfast, Dan used Jamie’s sourdough bread to make French Toast to order and an egg on the side if we wanted.

After breakfast we had a glorious time at the pool as Greg baptized Dan. Greg gave a great background on what baptism is and Dan explained to all of us why he was taking this step of obedience.

After Dan’s baptism there was lots of splashing and fun in the pool before and after lunch!

For lunch we had a Charcuterie spread that was over the top.

More pool time after lunch.

Such delight!

For dinner on Sunday night we tried a Mexican Restaurant and it was okay. Some of us thought we should have gone back to the Greek restaurant. We were fed and we came back to our airbnb. Baba and Gramps offered to watch a movie with Addy and JJ while the married siblings went into downtown Walla Walla for some fun. We watched Greyfriar’s Bobby and it was a little slow for the Grands but we persevered to the end just as everyone came back home and it was time for bed for the littles.

Some photos from downtown Walla Walla…

Bright’s was a fun candy, ice cream, novelty store that they found and that we would all enjoy on Monday after our lunch downtown.

So thankful to God for these souls!

Dan and Jamie had just celebrated their 9th Anniversary on the 27th of June!

It was a good and glorious day from beginning to end!

Thanking God for his lovingkindness to all of us!

Gathered Together

We made plans months ago for an early celebration with our family of ten in Walla Walla for Greg and my 50th wedding anniversary. Our actual anniversary is on December 6th but getting the ten of us together that time of year can be difficult. We decided on Walla Walla which was a place none of us had been to before. Laura researched the areas Airbnb options and we looked at a couple possibilities and decided on the Italian Villa. We locked in our dates that were good for each family unit and started making plans. On Saturday the 29th of June our four vehicles had driven equal distances from the northeast of Washington and the Western Puget Sound area of Washington to arrive here.

When Greg and I arrived at four we were in for a special surprise from our kids.

Who are those young kids!?

Dan’s macarons arranged in the numerals to celebrate our 50 years!

Laura retrieved photos from each of our kids’ weddings to add to ours for this special memorial photo collage. This is the message included in the photo collage…

They also had t-shirts made for us. All these things were a fun surprise and great beginning for our time together.

Thank you to all our kids for how you love and honor us!!

We all had our own bedrooms and each couple had their own bathroom. Not too shabby. Plenty of room for all of us to spread out.

We got settled and then got ready for dinner out at Yama’s Greek Eats in downtown Walla Walla. This would end up being our family favorite out of three restaurants we ate at. If you find yourself in Walla Walla eat here!

Our first day of celebration came to a close with excitement about pool time on Sunday and another special event. More to come, soon.

Our gifts have found their special place in our home.

We are currently in a heat wave and staying cool inside as much as possible. Hope all is well in your corner.

Red White and Blue Hodgepodge

Joyce has the questions for our Wednesday Hodgepodge posted and ready for us to answer. Welcome!

1. It’s a big week in the US of A as we celebrate Independence Day. Do you have any special plans? How will you mark the day? BBQ? pool-lake-beach time? fireworks? homemade ice cream? If you’re not an American you can tell us what’s happening in your corner of the world on Thursday.

We are celebrating with a good crowd on the 4th. We bring our own meat to barbecue and a dish to share with the crowd, either a side or a dessert. The party starts at 4pm and ends after fireworks. In between there is a very competitive Corn Hole tournament. Fireworks are downplayed in our corner of the U.S. because of fire danger.

2. What’s your favorite ‘All-American’ dessert?

I’m going with Chocolate Chip Cookies and Strawberry Shortcake.

3. Does that patriotic feeling come easily to you, or are you having to work for it more these days? What’s something that makes you proud to be a citizen of your country?

If I think about how our country was founded and the principles that shaped our Constitution and governance I can be proud and patriotic. Our leadership these days brings me down in this area. I’m thankful my hope and future are in God’s hands.

4. Your favorite ‘patriotic’ movie? Favorite patriotic song?

Yankee Doodle Dandy for the movie and America The Beautiful for the song.

5. One simple pleasure on your July ‘bucket list’?

Besides the 4th our calendar is free of any big events so I’ll say relaxed mornings are on my July bucket list.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Our family of ten have been enjoying each other since Saturday in Walla Walla, Washington at a VRBO. Today, Tuesday, we are all traveling to our respective homes. It has been such a delightful 4 days and there will be several posts covering our time together. Today will be a day of laundry and yard work!

Happy July Y’all!

Awe Inspiring Hodgepodge

Joyce has posted the questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge, some thought provoking and some easier.

1. What do you think has remained the same about you your whole life?

Being in church on Sundays was ingrained early and is a constant in my life. Having my Spiritual life nourished is a deep and consistent need that I have. This involves much more than just Sundays in Church. On many of our out of town weekends we end up in a local church and meeting Christians from around the U.S. and the U.K. has been a rich experience.

How has your perception of yourself changed over time? 

The more I know about myself the more I know about why I needed to be saved and why I need my Savior, Jesus Christ every day.

2. What was the first thing you learned how to cook?

This is a hard one for my memory bank. I didn’t cook with our mom in the kitchen. I’m guessing it was something in my Home Economics class in Junior High in the kitchen at school like biscuits or cookies or eggs. Later in my life our family started getting together to learn to make some ‘heritage’ foods with our mom. A cooking day with our mom, my sisters, sister in laws, and nieces was always such a fun event!

Do you prefer to cook or bake? 

I enjoy both. Cooking is always faster and something I do more of these days. Baking is something for special occasions.

3. What are some of your current priorities in this season of life? Elaborate. 

Spending time with our children and Grandchildren is a huge priority.

4. How much time do you spend on your hair each day or, put another way, what’s your hair care routine? Do you get it cut regularly or just whenever the mood strikes? Do you go to the same stylist every time? Do you tell your stylist everything? Any other beauty treatments you indulge in throughout the year? 

A visit to my hair stylist happens about every 6 weeks. She works out of her shop on her home property so yes, it’s the same gal every time. I do not tell her everything because she’s a stylist to several other gals and guys from our church. LOL! I’m not a fan of beauty treatments. I do love a good massage and it’s been ages since I’ve had one of those. I spend about 1 minute on my hair everyday. If it’s freshly washed I spend under 10 minutes drying and shaping it into my same old hairdo, a ‘Bob’.

5. What is the most awe-inspiring place you’ve visited? 

I have been privileged to be in many awe-inspiring places in my life. Cathedrals always have the ‘wow’ factor. The Ark Encounter in Kentucky was awe-inspiring.

Last September when we walked around Fountains Abbey in the Yorkshires, the four of us just kept saying, ‘Wow!’. It was so awe-inspiring.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Early Summer Delights!

A day at the lake. (Thank you, Jamie, for this great photo!)

Look carefully to spot the young quail.

Shade cloth up and doing it’s magic making it pleasant to sit out on the deck.

I love the cool of the mornings and listening to all the birds singing.

We rested from our labors on Sunday but the days prior we did a lot of work outside tackling some weeds, weed cloth and mowing the lawn. We are back to a watering regiment since we haven’t had rain the last few days. Do you have to water?

Have a good week!

 

Hello Summer

Hello from Summers past. This shot above was from Butchart Gardens in 2009.

Time for summer sport camps and lots of time outside in the sun!

For us older folk it means mowing and weeding and watering!

After we did a lot of weeding we took a drive into Kettle Falls in search of a good hamburger.

We were very pleased with the quality of our burgers and with my onion rings at a little joint in Kettle.

Heading back to Colville from Kettle on Highway 395, I took a photo of this beautiful first day of summer view.

We will be enjoying our first Summer adventure the last weekend of June into July. More about that soon.

Happy Summer to all of you.

The Last Three Days…

After pulling some weeds early on Friday morning we were inspired to hit the road and go a little north and then west about an hour to the little town of Republic, Washington.

We had lunch at the Mexican Restaurant in town and then poked around the few shops on the main drag. We found the thrift store in town and then found the park where there was a Farmer’s Market and a Library book sale.

Republic, Washington is a city with an early 1900s look and a heritage based in the mining and logging industries. Originally named Eureka Gulch, Republic had a population of 954 in 2000. Noted for its fossils, natural beauty and recreational possibilities, it is nestled in a valley between Wauconda and Sherman Passes at the intersection of Washington State Routes 20 and 21 in the north central part of the state.

On the way back to Colville.

When we spot the Columbia River we know we are close to home. The weather was great for our quick trip to Republic and back home but things began to turn after we got home.

On Saturday we got some mighty winds and thunderstorms with some hail and rain. At one point the temperatures inside our home dropped five degrees. We also saw that the same roads we had taken to Republic that were clear and dry had snow and slush on Saturday and into Sunday at the highest point on Sherman Pass! Sherman Pass has an elevation of 5574 feet.

On Father’s day we had clear weather again as we headed to church and after we got home from church this was the view we had out our windows.

It didn’t dampen our little Father’s Day meal on Sunday evening with our Colville kids.

Happy Father’s day to our son who is faithful and loyal and cares for his family well.

The two dads got nice gifts and we enjoyed our time together.

Dear got phone calls from our out of town kids wishing him a happy Father’s day.

Happy Father’s Day to Dear. A good Father with integrity and faithfulness.

Today we are scheduled to have our windows washed. We didn’t anticipate all this crazy weather. Hopefully the day will be dry and we’ll be able to enjoy the clean dry windows for a few hours.

Tomorrow I’ll be helping in the kitchen for our Church High School camp and I’ll be gone from home from 6am till after 6pm. I won’t be visiting blogs. Time will tell if I’ll be able to muster for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Hope you all had a good weekend and have a good week ahead.