Category Archives: Summer

Friday in Spokane

The main reason for our weekend stay in Spokane was to watch our granddaughter compete in the annual Irish Feis at the Convention Center. The Feis would begin at 8am on Saturday. We arrived to Spokane on Friday late morning and did some of our usual shopping before we ventured all the way into the Downtown area. Our first stop before we would check in to our hotel was the MAC~Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. This museum is in an older historical neighborhood of Spokane. The houses surrounding the museum were all quite grand.

There was a special exhibit on called Iron and Honor: The Art of Knighthood

The contents of this exhibit were a collaboration from Italy.

On the grounds of the museum we spotted this small statues in bronze on our way to the Campbell house (mansion) and Carriage House which was open for visits on this Friday.

They are called ‘The Return of the Four Leggeds”

The historic Campbell House was built in 1898. The greatest advancements in technology were included like indoor plumbing, hot and cold running water, electricity, central heat and a telephone. The Campbells lived in the house with their servants for 26 years. In 1924 the house was donated to the Eastern Washington Historical Society.

What a grand entrance hall! The house is approximately 13,000 square feet on three floors.

This reception room was a bit out of place for the design of the house in general. It did make us say, Wow. “Mrs. Campbell received callers on Thursdays in this room. It is decorated in the French Rococo style and has silk moire and gold gilt on the walls.”

You can see why the pink room seemed out of place in contrast to all the other ground floor rooms.

Up the grand staircase to the bedrooms. There were a few other smaller staircases going up and also down to the basement rooms.

We had a nice chat with the docent who was sitting in the kitchen. It was interesting to read the hand written menu courses for a typical evening meal. Fourteen courses! The cookie recipe is one that the house serves during their special Christmas openings for tours.

We ended our house tour in the Carriage house where the electric car is housed and a lot of history and displays are available to read and on videos to watch.

At this point on Friday our room was ready at the hotel. We drove to the hotel and checked in. I used a mobile key entry for the first time and was quite proud of myself that it worked. After freshening up we walked to Tavolata for dinner. A little Italian theme happening with the Italian Knighthood exhibit and then an Italian dinner. This walk along Spokane Falls Blvd. gave us a few moments to experience the Good Samaritan story (we did not identify as the Good Samaritan on this walk, we moved to the other side of the road).

We enjoyed this meal celebrating Greg’s birthday again. We would recommend this restaurant especially at Happy Hour with same dinner portions at a lower cost. After dinner we had a pleasant walk back to the hotel.

Our Colville kids arrived to the hotel after dinner and came to our room to visit and to say goodnight. Early to bed to rest up before a full day on Saturday.

Labor Day 2026

We have had some beautiful days which are so appreciated after all our smoke filled skies lately.

The following photos were taken on our way to church Sunday the 30th of August. Our drive is just over 6 miles to church. All these views are from the first 3 miles of our drive. They are also the views out the passenger window so to the west and a little north.

Today is Labor Day in the states and in Canada.

Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.

And most often what we end up doing on Labor day is labor about the house or yard. I’ve managed to clean up our front planters over this weekend which is a good accomplishment for me.

Remember to put your white shoes away. Does anyone still do that?

Enjoy your Monday whether it is a holiday or not.

Back to School Hodgepodge

From years ago, our sons heading off to the first day of school in Ventura, California and several years later our daughter waiting for the school bus on the first day of school in Bothell, Washington.

Hello to September and another Wednesday Hodgepodge hosted by Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. What’s something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to doing? 

With fires and smoke filled skies we never got around to our short summer road trips.

2. Were you the student who sat in the front row or hid in the back of the class? If you could go back and take one high school class again just for fun, which would it be? 

When seats weren’t assigned, I’d tend to sit closer to the front than the back. We don’t sit in back at church, either.

If I was going to choose a class to go back to, I would choose English, especially literature.

3. What characteristics do you think are essential in a good teacher (this can be applied to anyone who teaches, not just classroom teachers)? 
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Listening to and knowing those whom you are teaching would be good.
I get weary of teachers who talk too much or ramble on.
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The teachers that I remember fondly are those who treated me as if they liked me, understood me, and were kind. Teachers I remember fondly are my 1st and 2nd grade teacher, my 6th grade teacher who was my first male teacher, a high school English teacher, and my social studies teachers in high school. I had 3 older siblings ahead of me who were good students (my sister Vera was Valedictorian and a math whizz). I got tired of hearing, “you aren’t like your sisters”.
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4.  September 2nd is National Grits Day. Have you ever eaten grits? Are you a fan? If so how do you like yours? Would people describe you as ‘having grit’? 
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Growing up in Southern California and now living in the Northwest, Grits are not a common thing. I might have tried grits when we were in the Carolina’s but I don’t remember. I can’t say that I’m a fan.
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Yes, I think some would agree that I have grit.
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5. What’s something you’re never too old or too young to enjoy? 
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The Zoo! 🙂
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If you are a Born Again follower of Jesus gathering on Sunday to worship Jesus is something you are never to young or old to enjoy!
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6. Insert your own random thought here. 
These two started 2nd and 4th grade last week. Each year they answer the question, What do you want to be when you grow up? At the beginning of this Homeschool year Addy wants to be a Daycare provider and JJ wants to be a Hunter.

Northeast Washington Fair Parade

This is Main Street Colville and in just a few minutes the street will be lined with people for the Northeast Washington Fair Parade. This year it will be different as it will start with a somber walk and ride in honor of a fallen Police officer from the city of Colville.

First the color guard and then the rider less horse and many many first responder vehicles from Colville, the county, State patrol, Border Patrol and surrounding cities to honor Officer Aaron Davis who leaves behind a wife and 5 children. Officer Davis died in a motorcycle v. deer tragic accident on one of our local roads.

After the somber start the parade continued with many of the usual suspects and always lots of candy being thrown out to the kids along the parade path.

Colville High School Crimson Hawks

One last shot of the Grands on our way to our cars when the parade was over.

I don’t want to leave without saying hello to September. I’m so happy to be in the ‘ber’ months!

Northeast Washington Fair 2026

We don’t have to travel far to get to the Northeast Washington Fair because it is in our city of Colville. It’s about 5miles from our home. We decided to attend on Friday morning even though the smoke was thick.

Our first stop was at the Children’s Craft entries since our granddaughter had entered a watercolor painting of a bee. Seems odd to have her entry in the craft section instead of paintings but that is where we found it.

We love it, Addy! Katie says you really did well on the feet.

Our next stop was a barn at the other end of the fair where they have a variety of adult entries including quilts and we were on the lookout for our Grands’ Great Granny’s quilts.

As soon as we stepped into the barn one of her quilts caught our eyes. Granny and Granny Great love purple!

Her postage stamp quilt is amazing and we can see why she got a stack of awards!

Linda entered her mom’s quilts without her mom knowing. (Linda is our Grands’ Granny)

 

This is the second of three entries made on Granny Great’s behalf, Purple Mountains Majesty.

Here’s Granny Great with her third quilt entry.

I took a couple photos of other quilts we enjoyed, too.

This was a clever Washington state quilt featuring several of our eastern counties with cities.

This entry tugged at the heart as it is a photograph that this young person took of her grandparents home in 2020 for a school project and it was a casualty of the Modrite Fire on July 30, 2026. If you look at the upper right photo that is what the home looks like now.

We saw lots of cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, bunnies, ducks, horses and dogs, too.

We stopped at the Colville National Forest booth and had a nice conversation with the conservationist.

Our fair is not a huge fair and it is easy to navigate. We think it’s great. On one of the days that the fair is in town they also have a rodeo that is well attended.

Tomorrow I’ll share some photos from the Fair Parade down Main Street Colville.

I’m An American Hodgepodge

Speaking of cultures not my own, (Question #3) this is my kindergarten class. Top row left end.

Another summertime Hodgepodge is coming our way thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

When I went to link up this morning for the Hodgepodge we had the news from Joyce that her dear Mama passed away earlier this week. Our hearts and prayers are with you, Joyce, and with your whole family.

1. How do you feel about the transition from lazy summer days to a busier fall routine? 

I’ve always loved the transition from summer to fall. Even the years I was in school, I welcomed with excitement going back. These days I enjoy the fact that Ladies Bible studies will start up again and there will be more order in our days. I enjoy Fall weather and Fall events like cider fest and the corn maze.

2. Your favorite cookie? 
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I like homemade Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies with oatmeal, walnuts, almonds, and sometimes coconut!
I use the toll house recipe and load them up with extras.
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3. What’s something you’ve learned from a culture different than your own?
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I grew up in Southern California just outside East Los Angeles and the neighborhoods we lived in were multi cultural with Mexicans, Jews, Russians, Armenians, Japanese, Scots, and Heinz 57 Americans. I included Scots, although I only first heard of anyone who was Scottish in 5th grade when Karen’s parents moved to Montebello and she was introduced as a new student in our class. I was enthralled with her from the start and she taught me a few Scottish dance moves that we shared with the class for show and tell. I think we sang a song, too, The Bonnie Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomand.
Apart from the great food we enjoyed in the homes of my friends from these cultures, I learned about the Jewish custom of coming of age.
A bar mitzvah and a bat mitzvah are both Jewish coming-of-age milestones. A bar mitzvah (“son of commandment’) marks the religious maturity of a boy at the age 13, while a bat mitzvah (daughter of the commandment) marks the religious maturity of a girl, traditionally at age 12. 
I was invited to one of my Jewish friends Bat Mitzvah and I was blown away by the lavishness of the celebration!
These are my multi-cultural Cheer friends from my high school  at a Russian dinner at my house before a football game. (My Scottish friend from 5th grade, Karen, is the one with the rollers in her hair). We would have a meal at a different Cheer members home before Varsity games. They are eating borsch. That was just one of the food items my mother prepared for them. I think I see piroshky on the table, also. After the meal we would all get our cheer clothes on and head to the game for a night where we would work off every calorie we ate at dinner!
This is one of my best buddies from school days, Nanc. I spent a lot of time in her home where I learned how to make guacamole and we learned every popular Leslie Gore song by heart. Her parents brought me along to Mexican restaurants with them and to the downtown wholesale fashion district for shopping. Growing up, my family did not eat in restaurants so that was an eye opening experience all its own. Her dad drove a Volkswagon Square back and we spent many miles in that little car. One summer when she got back from visiting her uncle who was a jeweler in Mexico City she gifted me the ring below that he made for me.
While we were living in Camarillo for a short time Nanc and I reconnected online and we met up a couple of times for meals and to catch up on life. The photo above is of one of our meet ups. I hadn’t seen her for 40 years! There is a long story about that…
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 4. Food critic, film critic, book critic, art critic…which hat would you most like to wear? Tell us why. 
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Of these choices I’d choose the Food Critic hat because I love to travel and I love to try new restaurants and eat good food. I’d have a hard time writing bad critiques, though. I’ll just choose to be a traveler and enjoy trying new food in different places and being satisfied.
I’m not a film buff, or the reader of a variety of genres, and I’m definitely not artsy.

5. What’s a small, random thing from your childhood that you still remember clearly? 

This will give you a little insight into my character. I remember hiding from my mother and father on Saturday mornings because I did not want to go to Russian School. When they found me, I would stomp my feet and say, “I’m an American!”. Well that didn’t work. In my latter years I was thankful to have learned the Russian alphabet and to learn to read and write in Russian.

To say “I am American” in Russian, use Я американец (if you are male) or Я американка (if you are female). If you want to say “I am from America” or “from the USA,” you can say Я из Америки or Я из США.

Я американка, Yah Amereekanka, I am American.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

These questions pulled up a lot of memories from my past.

Until next time, hodgepodge friends…

Acres in August

Views from our summertime yard.

On summer mornings I walk out to turn the oscillating sprinkler on to water our planters. The faucet that the sprinkler is connected to is further away from the house. When I walked back on this particular morning last week I took some photos.

I wish you could hear the birds serenading and the quail warning signals that a human was about.

Can you see the reflection of me still in my summer robe?

These last two photos are afternoon photos after yard work. I do the mowing on the riding lawn mower and Greg does the weed wacking. When I’m done mowing there is a set up to wash the undercarriage of the mower which takes 5 minutes with me sitting on the mower for the process. I took the photo above from my mower perch. If you squint, you can see Greg on the left walking with a white bucket.

After yard work if the deck is still in the shade we cool down with some iced cold water and we thank the LORD for being able to get the job done yet again.

Just after midnight Saturday we had a thunderstorm roll through with lots of lightning bursts and a downpour. It was welcomed. Some from our church got their power knocked out. Ours only went out long enough to have to reset the oven clocks!

As I type this Sunday afternoon we hear more rumblings in the distance. Hopefully more rain is coming. We have a new fire 30 miles from us that is thankfully being managed well. More rain will be welcomed.

We are entering the last week of August and already there are more events on the calendar. Hope you all have a good week.

 

Good Things

I started another thrift store puzzle and it’s a tough one.

I’m making slow but good progress.

Josh and Laura surprised me with this puzzle in the mail. They chose this one because our VBS theme this year was centered around Psalm 23. I’m looking forward to starting it soon. Thank you, Laura and Josh for your thoughtfulness!

On Thursday Addy and JJ were over in the afternoon so we made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with walnuts. They are at an age where all I have to do is watch while they mix and load the cookie sheets. They are experienced in the kitchen. We threw caution to the wind and enjoyed a little cookie dough, too.

The big news is that the skies were not smoky on Thursday because of our rain. That meant that soccer games were not cancelled and we could finally watch Addy and JJ play soccer. There games were on adjoining fields. It was a cool evening on the soccer fields.

The skies continue to be glorious and the air is good to breath. We are over the top grateful. It is exhilarating to say the least to have our clear skies again.

Have a great Saturday!

Horsetail Falls

On our way home from Cannon Beach in June of this year I forgot to create a post about our waterfall stops along the Historic Columbia River Hwy. We had tried to get to Multnomah Falls on this day but it was overcrowded with sightseers and they were monitoring how many people would be allowed. We continued up the highway to the next exit and got on the Historic Columbia River Hwy. It was misty and wet with giant puddles to navigate.

We didn’t make it down the puddled steps to get better views because we didn’t have our muck wear on.

We continued on the narrow Hwy back to Multnomah Falls but there was no parking available so we turned back the way we came to get on the interstate.

2011 was when we had visited Multnomah Falls and were able to climb up to the bridge and get an up close view.

During our time in Cannon Beach we met a couple who were on a waterfall trip. That would be a fun road trip to plan out.

It sounds like a broken record but we are still under smoky skies with poor to dangerous air quality. Our community is thankful to all the firefighters who are enduring in the fight to get the fires under control.