Cherries Galore!

It is cherry time in our town. The harvest is in and cherries are everywhere. We went to a local cherry farm today and will go back with the grandchildren on Saturday to pick some ourselves. We can finally get our fill of cherries!

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to Us!! Thirty-four years today and still going strong! No big plans.....I think we are saving that for next year.

Turtle

Our pet turtle died Saturday. We'd had him about 25 years and don't now how old he was when we got him. He could well have been 40 - 50 years old. He seemed fine one day and then was gone the next. We buried him in our planted area along side the house. So now, for the first time in 30 years, we don't have any sort of pet. we've been through them all - several dogs, many birds, a hermit crab, multiple fish, 4 turtles, and some others I probably can't remember. The grandkids have 3 pets at the moment - a lizard, a cat, and a dog, so if we start lamenting our pet-free home, we have plenty to visit. It's the end of an era for us - there's no turning back, either.

Air Conditioning!

I've never lived in a house with air conditioning until we moved here. Today is a hot day (90's), so we turned it on. It is wonderful! Having been in the Seattle area for the past 34 years, we didn't need it, but this side of the mountains is a different story.

122 Degrees !

That's the temperature in Doha, Qatar today where Drew is stationed. I can't imagine what that feels like. That's the high for the day - at night it dips down to 90 degrees. Can't wait until he is back.

Hiking

Long time friends, Alice and Jerry, came to visit for a few days. We hiked up in the hills above town. At the summit we could see Mt Rainier in the background and the town below. We also went to the Yakama Nation Cultural Center, as well as, a couple of other fun places. The weather was great - mostly 80's. We had a grand time!

Graduation

We just returned from a trip to Massachusetts to attend Mark's graduation.
Graduation was phenomenal! The day was sunny and bright. The graduation ceremony opened with a prayer and the national anthem followed by some inspiring messages.

After graduation we spent a couple of days on Nantucket Island. What a great place! There are no franchises on any sort - no Safeway, no McDonalds, no Starbucks - no national chains at all. The houses are all of the traditional New England architecture and most of the houses have names.

A great trip and a great time with Mark.