Category Archives: Travel

Successful Journey

On the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday we traveled inland from Huntington Beach to see my pop. This would be the first time Pop would meet Addy, his youngest great granddaughter. Addy was very concerned about our pop who is not looking well. She had quite a grip on her daddy’s t-shirt.

She loosened up that grip to accept the cash her Great Grandfather pulled out of his wallet for her. Too funny.

She even had a slight smile for him when he handed her the second bill.

After the meeting she enjoyed multi-tasking, walking and holding the ball.

Pop had to spend 20 minutes on his Nebulizer. Addy was very interested in what was going on and her concern showed in her facial expressions. All my sisters were together for this visit, too, which was nice. We enjoyed some Borsch together and Addy liked her first taste of it, too.

My Pop thanked me again for this chair Dear and I bought him. The power control to move the chair to the recline and other positions has really come in handy for him. Before we left each of us daughters prayed for him and then we all sang Great is Thy Faithfulness and God be With You Till We Meet Again. That made me choke up but I’m glad to sing it to him while he’s still alive instead of just at his funeral.

From our time in La Habra with our pop/grandfather (dzeda), Great Grandfather, we headed back to Huntington Beach and met up with Debbee and Lenny for dinner at Ola’s. The next morning we flew home to Washington. Our trip to Southern California was full from beginning to end and little Addy adjusted well to everything thrown at her. Speaking of driving in Southern California, I’m happy to report that we had smooth sailing for each of our comings and goings. That’s a praise for sure!

The four of us sat together going to California and coming home and I was happy to enjoy more time with Addy and giving her parents some breaks in the journey. We parted in Seattle and their trip continued on to Spokane where they would have another hour drive to get all the way home again.

We have had some sunshine which has been great the last couple of days. Some much needed planter clean out has happened and I’m grateful to have been able to accomplish those tasks in that sunshine!

As I type away I’m enjoying the Winter Olympics in the background. Are you watching?

Weekend Roundup “F”

1. Starts with “F.”
2. A Favorite.
3. Flower.

1.This is our Father with me and my sisters. We call him Pop. His health is failing fast. His future is secure, even more secure in death. His heavenly Father has prepared a place for him. He is ready to go and be with his heavenly Father. We are very thankful for a faithful father. Youngest to oldest, Lana, Ellen, Vera, Kathy, and Pop. Pop is 94 years old and could be 95 in May. He has four sons, too, my brothers who weren’t with us this day.

2. A favorite and a first. Addy felt Pacific beach sand for the first time on her bare foot at Huntington Beach, California.

3. A flower. One of my favorites, the hellebore, Lenten Rose. It always surprises me when it blooms in late January or early February just in time for Lent.

And a parting shot:

Family fun at Ola’s in Huntington Beach. Full of good food and fun.

Linking up with Tom for The Weekend Roundup “F”.

Next weeks prompts Starts with “G.”  A Favorite.  Green.

Meeting Some California Family…

Dan, Jamie, Addy and I arrived at the Orange County airport on Saturday evening, February 3rd. It was going to be a weekend filled with new people for Addy to meet.

D, J, and A stayed with our niece Debbee and husband Lenny in Huntington Beach. Debbee and her brother David lived around the corner from us when Josh and Dan were little and they enjoyed lots of time being together. We missed seeing David and his wife Kristin this time since they were enjoying Maui.

I stayed with my sister Vera, Addy’s Great Aunt Vera. Vera is Debbee and David’s mom.

On Sunday at our Super Bowl gathering, Addy met a few more of her people. Great Aunt Kelly had interesting earrings.

Cousin Melissa once removed and great Auntie (Nan) Kathy.

Cousins once and twice removed. Our niece Michelle’s family. Michelle and Melissa are my sister Kathy’s girls. Our Josh, Dan, and Katie spent lots of time growing up with Michelle, Melissa, Debbee and David.

This is Great Uncle Terry, Dear’s only brother, and Auntie Christina.

Being social is very tiring.

On Monday the meetings continued with Great Aunt Lana and our dear old pop and Great Uncle Len.  I’ll have a post of it’s own on Addy’s meeting with her Great Dzeda (grandfather). The evidence is in that Addy is comfortable around people and is very social. She is especially willing to go to you if you have some jewelry on.

Monday evening Addy got to test out the sand on her toes, too.

It was so good to have many hours with Addy May and to spend time with Dan, Jamie and the members of our family that could come out to Huntington Beach for the Super Bowl party. We packed in a lot of extended family time and Addy adjusted well to everything new to her. All of my sisters were together on Monday with our dear old pop and that was good. Didn’t see any of my brothers this trip. I didn’t get a chance to walk the Huntington Beach Pier this time around, either. Next time…

So thankful to God for safe travels, seeing loved ones, cuddle time with Addy, being able to pray with our dear old Pop and that Pop could meet Addy and pray a blessing over her, Dan and Jamie.

Back here at home we are waiting for a promise of weather that is dryer and brighter next week. Hoping for a dry morning on Friday for a walk with Katie and Laura. Other than that we are having a quiet weekend. Hope you all have a good weekend.

Back to My Digs…

Soon I’ll share the long and short of it all.

It was a very good few days in Southern California. I’m home again this evening and will be sharing more about my time away this week. I’ll be catching up with your blogs soon. On this trip I did not take my computer. One thing I found out is that I’m not that comfortable using my phone for the same things I use my computer for. That translates to, I’m way behind on what you all have been doing the last several days. Happy for the chance to travel and see loved ones and happy to be home again. See you soon.

It’s February

Do you associate the color red or pink with the month of February? I think of purple, too, because of my sister Vera’s birthstone, amethyst. She is a leap year baby. My mom was big on birthstones and each of us girls got a birthstone ring for our 16th birthday. Or maybe some of my sisters got necklaces instead of a ring. (Vera?) Now I’m wondering if my youngest sister ever got a birthstone ring. If she didn’t don’t feel sorry for her because her boss has gifted her some amazing precious stones! I remember picking my ring out at a jewelry outlet in Los Angeles.

The stone, aquamarine, is not precious in this ring, the setting is in white gold, though.  Lots of memories associated with it. I need to have it sized so it will fit me again.

I’m joining my kids from eastern Washington on a plane ride to John Wayne Airport in southern California for a few days.

From views and walks like the one above to…

…a walk on the Huntington Beach Pier.

On this trip I’m looking forward first to being reunited with our Eastern Washington kids and Addy at Seatac airport. From Seattle we fly together to Orange County/John Wayne airport in Southern California Saturday evening. On Sunday we’ll be seeing many of our extended family after Jamie and our niece Debbee run in a half marathon in Huntington Beach with brunch at the end of the run and then a Superbowl party later in the afternoon and evening. And last and certainly not least visiting with my dear old pop on Monday. He will get to see Addy for the first time. He is her only great grandparent on my side of the family. My pop is not doing well and is tired and weary of continuing his life on this earth. He is in Hospice care in my oldest sister’s home. Bittersweet moments.

I am not taking my computer with me on this trip so there will not be any posts about my trip until after I get home on Tuesday. Hope you all have a great weekend. See ya next week!

Saturday’s Critters

When we took a quick overnight trip to La Conner for an anniversary celebration on December 11th-12th we happened upon this field of Snow Geese in the Skagit Valley. They really were a noisy flock!

I’ll be linking up with Eileen for Saturday’s Critters. Thank you, Eileen, for being such a gracious hostess.

The last Saturday of 2017 and I’m recovering from boxing up all the Christmas decor and putting it back in the attic and vacuuming up all the needles from the tree.  Saturday evening our daughter and son-in-law will be hosting a small dinner party here to celebrate Katie’s birthday. Are your Christmas decorations still up? Will you be going out for New Year’s Eve celebrations? We’ll be fast asleep before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.

Last Minute Trip…

…over the mountains and through the woods to see this little one and her parents!

We decided Friday evening to hit the road on Saturday morning to see our kids in northeastern Washington. We wanted to see them since they won’t be traveling to be with us at Christmas this year. I’ve been absent from visiting blogs because all my time has been spent chasing and enjoying our little Addy.

Addy recognized us and was willing to come to us with no hesitation. That is always a relief since there are weeks that pass between our visits.

Addy is cutting a new tooth and she continues to take a few steps at a time. Snow fell for most of the day on Sunday. We are heading home on Monday because of weather forecasts and the conditions on the roads and…I still need to decorate our tree.

It was a short and sweet trip getting caught up on all the new things Addy is enjoying from food to chatter to movement.

Fun times with gramps!

The Christmas tree was found and cut down on our kids’ property.

You have to catch a photo of her fast as she’s always on the go! She’s enjoying “pat a cake” and she can really move about in her walker!

It was fun to visit and have some sweet cuddles until next time.

The adults were able to complete a couple of projects, too, with extra hands keeping an eye on Addy.

We are hoping for clear sailing on the roads between Colville and Seattle today. Christmas is just one week away. Are you ready? We are more ready now that we’ve spent time with our kids in Colville.

Update: Thank you all for your good wishes and prayers. We made it home in great time and with very nice conditions most of the way home. We are very thankful we decided to come home on Monday as Tuesday welcomed snow and bad conditions on most of the roads we traveled yesterday. Today I will finally put the ornaments on the tree and since it is so rainy and blustery outside maybe I’ll even start wrapping some gifts.

Overflowing With Gratitude

We had 4 days of family time living under the same roof and enjoying cooking for each other, eating together, working together, and play time, too. We had a sit down Thanksgiving meal together on Saturday evening with all the trimmings and we were stuffed.

Dan showed us the skull and antlers of the Buck he preserved from our first annual family hunting trip in October.

Dan and Jamie indulged me and let Addy have an early Christmas opening the stocking filled with little things from Gramps and Baba. We will not be with Dan, Jamie and Addy on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day this year so it was fun to enjoy this early gift giving.

The elephant was her favorite and she really wasn’t too sure about the soft dolly.

Josh and Laura flew home on Sunday and we enjoyed some family shots before they left for the airport.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is
    when brothers dwell in unity!
 It is like the precious oil on the head,
    running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down on the collar of his robes!

Psalm 133:1-2 (ESV)

The family selfie. We were sad that Andrew was not able to travel with us this time. A degree in Aeronautical Engineering takes lots of study and class time and his fall quarter is overloaded with classes.

Katie, Dear and I had one more evening to spend with Dan, Jamie and Daddy’s Girl.

Early on Monday morning we posed for our obligatory goodbye photos.

So thankful for this little girl and all the joy she has brought into our family dynamic.

We thought we’d have rain for our full 6 hours of travel time but thankfully we had some very short periods of sunshine breaking through and we enjoyed several rainbows on our drive home.

We spotted this rainbow passing through Ellensburg, Washington. Yep…I have a burg.

Back at the home front Dear went right into action removing the old counter tops. We are currently without counters, our cook top and our sink. Yikes. Hopefully things will get installed for sure on Wednesday so I can cook our portion of the Thanksgiving meal we are taking to our friend’s home on Thanksgiving Day. Good thing we did not plan on a Thanksgiving meal at this old house this year!

We are thankful to the God who is who was and who is to come for all he has done for us and to us during our lifetime.

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 1:8 (ESV)

Hope your Thanksgiving week is shaping up nicely. Are you cooking or is someone else doing the hosting and cooking? For our Canadian friends who have already enjoyed Thanksgiving, have you started your Christmas decorating?

Historical Hodgepodge

1. What takes you out of your comfort zone?

A very manicured home or a completely cluttered home. I like something in the middle with comfortable places to sit.  Driving on snow and ice throws me over the edge. Lying in a dentist’s chair makes my blood pressure go up. Right now because my master bathroom is totally gutted (see photo above) I’m way out of my comfort zone.

2. Your least favorite spice?

This is a tough one for me. I like a variety of spices but not used in an overpowering way. I’ll say my least favorite is curry.

3. What’s a small change you’d like to make?

Flossing so I can use up the 500 free floss containers the dental hygienist has gifted me over the years. BTW: she wouldn’t think this is a small change.

4. Do you enjoy visiting historic homes?  What historic home near you is open to visitors? Have you been?

Yes, and yes. The closest historical buildings I’ve been to are located at Bothell Landing. Yes I’ve been to the landing but I’ve only seen the outside of the buildings.

Southern Living rounded up eleven of the best in the southern part of the US and they’re as follows-

Monticello (Jefferson’s home in Virginia), Nathaniel Russel House (Charleston SC), Swan House (Atlanta), Ernest Hemingway’s home (Key West), The Biltmore (Vanderbilt home in Asheville NC), Mount Vernon (Washington’s home in Virgina), San Francisco Plantation (Garyville, Louisiana), Windsor Ruins (Port Gibson Mississippi), Longue Vue House and Gardens (New Orleans), Whitehall (Palm Beach FL), and Pebble Hill Plantation (Thomasville GA)

 Have you been to any on the list?

img317In the early 1970’s my best friend and I made a trip east from Southern California and one of the places we visited was Mount Vernon. I have a post about my first plane ride and all we saw and experienced here.

Biltmore 004

Biltmore 002Our daughter and I were at The Biltmore in Asheville in May of 2014 on a cross country trip we made. I have several posts of the gardens and grounds. One of the posts and photos is here.

If so, of the homes you’ve visited which one was your favorite?

I’ll have to say that the Biltmore was my favorite of these homes.

Of the homes listed which would you most like to visit?

Since I’ve never been to New Orleans I’ll say Longue Vue House and Gardens.

5. What’s something you think will be obsolete in ten years? Does that make you sad or glad?

Dvd’s and dvd players. I’m pretty neutral about it.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

We are having an early family Thanksgiving this weekend. We are going over the mountains and through the woods to granddaughter’s house. She’ll be 8 months old on November 20th. We’re slowly accepting some big changes at this old house. We are finally saying that Dear is retired instead of unemployed. With that fact there are many new choices to consider.

Here we are halfway through November! How did that happen?

Linking up with Joyce From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Barns, Pumpkins, Corn Mazes and More!

On Sunday October 15th the girls headed to Knight Farm to enjoy the corn maze and pumpkin patch. The Barn built in 1907 is on the Washington State Heritage Barn Register.

With corn maze map in hand (Katie’s hand) we set off for the maze entrance.

Katie masterfully led us to each checkpoint in the maze never making a wrong turn.

Addy started out awake and soon fell fast asleep.

We started at the bottom at station #10 and ended our trek at station #1.

When we were done with the maze Addy woke up and we picked out 3 pumpkins. One for daddy, one for mommy, and one for Addy.

Yep, the cutest little pumpkin in the patch!

While in the maze I spotted these farms with barns in the distance.

The guys were done hunting on Sunday with early success bringing a buck home just after noon.  Andrew had to leave us all to drive the 350 miles back to Seattle so he could be in class on Monday morning. Dear, Josh and Dan started the hard work of prepping the venison while we were away at the pumpkin patch.

I spared everyone the full image of the buck in the back of our son’s truck but you can see the antlers if you look closely. One side of the antlers look like they are growing out of Joshua’s head. Andrew left before they had the celebratory toast.

Addy with auntie Katie before we got dressed for the pumpkin patch. She was interested in the guys excitement in retelling the story of how their successful hunting morning unfolded.

Linking up with Tom for The Barn Collective and Maggie at Normandy Life for Mosaic Monday.