The Reed Family Blog

Happy New Year 2012 !

2012-01-01T07:52:00.001-08:00

We have the whole family here from pre-Christmas to post New Year! Doesn't get better than that! Wishing you a happy new year, too.

Our Week-End in Leavenworth, Washington

2011-12-05T06:38:00.001-08:00

We spent the most lovely weekend in this little town about 100 miles north of where we live. We gathered there with old friends going back more than 30 years. What a wonderful time we all together in this pristine setting.

A Birthday Party

2011-11-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful family get-together on Sunday for our daughter-in-law's 35th birthday. Her twin sister joined us with her family, as well as, their parents and grandparents and a few other in-laws. Here's the cake we all shared.

October at our House

2011-10-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

I looked out the back of our house this morning just as the sun was rising and this is what I saw...

Harvest Time

2011-10-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

We live in an agricultural area and it is never more evident now at this time of year. We can walk down our road in either direction and be in an apple and pear orchard. The fruit has been harvested, so we often gather up a piece or two that was left behind. Fresh fruit right off the tree! It just doesn't get any better than that. As a friend told me..... no little sticker to remove, either.

Here is a look at the orchards down the road from us right before the harvest.

Family Game Night

2011-09-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

We had the whole family together for game night last night. Mark (far left) was here for the long week-end before heading back to Boston today. Drew and family live close by, so we see them often, but having us all together is a treat! Next get together will be Thanksgiving at our house!

Summer

2011-08-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost gone......

The kids start back to school on the 31st. No more bike rides over here for a quick visit, no more calls in the middle of a hot afternoon asking "Can we go swimming?" and no more long walks after dinner ending with popsicles on the deck after sunset.

There are still a few weeks of golf, though. Sarah and I have had the best time playing golf together. The course here is beautiful!

One last fling before school will be a trip to the planetarium in Goldendale. We've been wanting to do this trip for a couple of years now, and it is finally on our calendars for next week.

What I love most about summer is warm temps, short sleeves, sandals, frapachinos, long daylight hours, and having the kids come by most every day. Life does not get better than this.

Double Rainbow

2011-07-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

We were out on a walk after dinner last week with our kids and saw the biggest, brightest rainbow I'd had ever seen. Here are some shots we took and one someone else took. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Frappuccino

2011-07-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last summer we discovered frappuccinos. We got a gift card from Starbucks for a free one, so we tried it. The idea of cold coffee was not appealing at first, but ...WOW! what a beverage. We were hooked from that very first one. So, now that is our favorite summer drink. We found ourselves going to Starbucks far too often, so decided to go on the hunt for a frappuccino machine. Apparently, there is only one and it is made by Mr. Coffee. We bought it and now we can indulge ourselves everyday. What a treat!

It begins by brewing the coffee and dripping it into the lower portion where it is blended with the ice, cocoa, and milk. We highly recommend this!

New York Times

2011-06-13T06:42:00.001-07:00

For several years now we have been subscribers to the New York Times newspaper. I just love the stories of inspirations and creativity. The international stories about people's struggles and lives around the world cannot be found anywhere else.

I'd like to post links to two stories that inspired me in today's paper:

The first is about a boy who wanted/needed a summer job. Instead of going around and asking for one, as most everyon does, he had a creative and inovative way to get the job he wanted instead of settling for something he didn't want - or worse, not getting a job at all. Pass this along to anyone who is looking for find work......
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/us/13jobsatlanta.html?scp=1&sq=robbie%20brown%20summer%20job&st=cse

The other inspiring story I found in today's newspaper is about a school that was having all the same problems most other schools are having - not enough money. Instead of protesting and demanding, this superintendent came up with a brillant idea! Pass this along to your local school....
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/nyregion/tiny-newcomb-ny-recruits-students-worldwide.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=michael%20winerip&st=cse

That's it for today. The weather is gorgeous!!! Gotta get outside.
"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Coeur d'Alene

2011-05-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our 35th anniversary vacation. It was the best week-end we've had in ages. It's the first time I remember returning from a vacation feeling rested. Here are some pictures: John on Lake Coeur d'Alene on morning.

Jan on our deck overlooking the lake.

Suspension bridge we walked over on our hike.

Peaceful hiking trail

Moose statue overlooking the lake on a cloudy morning.

Wild Horse Monument we encountered on the drive over.

We spent the long Memorial Day week-end at Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho - http://www.cdaresort.com/. We had a great room overlooking the lake and took full advantage of it.

We took a walk/hike every morning to get the day started and to counter balance the over-eating we did these few days.

We took a lake cruise Sunday afternoon - but took no pictures - we just have those in our minds as memories.

The remote controls drapes in the room were the best! We opened them in the morning to let the sun in and see the beautiful view of the lake without even getting out of bed.

Huckleberries must be the state fruit - we ate huckleberry pancakes with huckleberry syrup for breakfast. We drank huckleberry lemonade in the afternoon and had huckleberry sorbet on top of huckleberry pie for dessert. Of course, there were chocolate covered huckleberries to tide us over between meals.

Spring!

2011-05-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

It really feels like the first day of spring today with warm temps - not quite 70, but really close. Yard work awaits, but couldn't pass up the chance to get out and enjoy the day with a walk and then relax on the deck - it is Sunday, after all. All the work will still be there tomorrow.

Our 35th anniversary is approaching, so we are thinking about what we want to do. We've just about got it narrowed it down, but not quite. On our 30th, we all went on a cruise. This anniversary won't be 'big', but we do want to get away for a little while. We'll post info as we get closer......

Boston Marathon

2011-04-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

Our daughter-in-law Sarah and her sister are running the Boston Marathon right now! What an achievement!

Happy Birthday, Mark

2011-04-01T07:49:00.001-07:00

Our baby boy is 24 years old today! I can't believe it. This is me this morning trying to get a grasp on our youngest being so old.

.......and no, this is not an April Fool's Day joke - he really was born on this day.

Spring has Sprung

2011-03-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

It seems like spring has been a very long time in coming this year. The temps are still topping out in the 50's, but at least we saw some wild flowers blooming while on a hike this morning AND the golf course started up the sprinklers this morning. That's out signal that spring is here - or at least - just around the corner. I'm SO ready for warmer temps.

Whirlwind Week-end !

2011-03-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

Mark flew in just before mid-night on Friday. Saturday we were up early and headed over the mountains to watch Hannah in her gymnastics meet and shop at the huge Apple Store over there. Mark got a new i-Pod phone - I marvelled at the new iPads!
That evening it was back over the mountains headed home. Beautiful day of sunshine with lots of snow in the mountains, but none on the roads - a perfect scenario. We were all gathered here for dessert and talked until way too late into the night. It made for a very long day, but since Drew had to fly out the next morning for DC, it was the only time we could all 7 be together.
We had planned for a hike on Sunday afternoon, but a very rare day of rain changed those plans, so we stayed home and played the boardgame "Risk". Not my favorite, but JJ and Mark really like it, so we joined it. Sarah and the kids stayed for dinner, but we called it an early evening and headed to bed since Mark had a 6am flight this morning - which means we are up at 4:30 - not easy after the busy week-end we had.
One great factor in living here, is that the airport is only 5 miles away and we can drive right up to the front door and park. It only takes 10 minutes from getting in our car here at home to being inside the airport - what a great change from dealing with the mega-airports we've dealt with before.
All in all - it was a great week-end, but very tiring. Think I'll go back to bed before starting my day.

Spring

2011-03-12T14:13:00.001-08:00

It's not quite Spring, but the snow is gone, the iris are beginning to show their new growth and the primroses are blooming. It is still cold, but spring is just around the corner, so we're feeling encouraged.
This morning we drove grandson JJ up to White Pass with a friend,so they could ski. Still lots of snow up there and more still falling. It felt like the middle of winter while up there.
We move the clocks up tonight, so we'll have some daylight after dinner. Sounds good to me. I love after dinner walks.

Snow Mold

2011-02-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

Ever since the snow melted, we have been wondering what is wrong with our beautiful golf course lawn. Well...... it seems we have 'snow mold' - caused by the lawn being covered in snow for so long. Fortunately, it should go away in the spring. I hope so.

Vacation Pictures

2011-02-05T13:07:00.003-08:00

Drew and Sarah just sent us some pictures from their Caribbean cruise vacation. Here is one. Great times for them and for us - because we get to have the kids for 12 whole days!!

Caribbean

2011-02-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

We have the grandkids with us for about 10 days while Drew and Sarah enjoy a Caribbean cruise. Here's a little of what they wrote this morning:

We had a wonderful day in St. Thomas. Went on a great shore excursion! We were on a catamaran and went snorkeling. We saw turtles, snakes, rays, and lots of fish. One was tiny and bright blue with green dots!!! I got burned so today we are going to try and do a little less sun. The Suite is awesome. Free wireless Internet, walk-in closet, and lots of other cool stuff we will tell you of when we got home. We had breakfast on our deck this morning and right now we are pulling into Dominica. Tell JJ we are going to a place where they filmed part of Pirates of the Caribbean! We will take pictures. We have had perfect weather so far.

and more......
Today we spent the day in Dominica. It is beautiful here, a "garden island". We went up into the mountains and we saw many places where Pirates of the Caribbean II was filmed. We swam through a narrow gorge and jumped into a water fall then we went to some natural mineral hot springs and soaked there. It was very fun and relaxing.

On the homefront, we are 'enjoying' temperatures in the teen's while they bask in 80 degree weather. Oh, well, we get to have the children with us and are enjoying having them here.
By this time next week, we'll all be back to normal.

January

2011-01-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

It's been too long since I've posted anything, so today is the day.
Next week the grandkids move in for 10 days while their parents take a much deserved vacation. We are gearing up for this - it has been a while since we were full-time parents dealing with homework, packed lunches, driving to sports activites, etc. There will be no time for the January 'blahs'.
We'll be back after the parents return.......

Happy New Year 2011

2011-01-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

We couldn't get from Christmas to the new year without having my birthday. We took a day trip to a small Bavarian town in the mountains about 100 miles north of here. We strolled around the town and through the shops. We picked up a Black Forest cake and brought it home to have as my birthday cake. Drew and family came over to celebrate with us. Calls came in from around the world - Germany and Australia in particular.
I think my most favorite part of my birthday, is hearing from people all over the country and the world. I love keeping in touch. The phone calls and cards mean a lot to me.
Then it was on to the New Year!! Today Drew and family are skiing. It's a beautiful sunny day, but only in the teen's here - must be single digit temps in the mountains. I'm looking forward to hearing about their day of skiing when they return.
The kids start back to school on Monday. We'll miss having them with us during the day as we have the past couple of weeks - digging snow caves and tunnels, playing board games, etc.

Post Christmas Fun

2010-12-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Hannah

JJ and Hannah scaled this mountain of snow

Hannah posing atop this huge pile of snow.

The grandkids were here all day today. We had a grand time! We played Christmasopoly board game and then went outside to climb some huge piles of snow made by snowplows clearing the streets. We also dug a tunnel under this huge (8'- 10' high) mound of snow.

Christmas Day

2010-12-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

The table is set with mom's silverware in honor of her passing exactly 9 years ago today. A plate Mark made us years ago will be used to serve my handmade chocolate peanut butter balls. The guests will be arriving shortly............

Christmas at our House

2010-12-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just two days away and today we got a request from our Australian friend via her Christmas card to keep our blog updated because she checks in on us and keeps up with us this way.
So, dear Raimonda, here are some things you'd see around our house if you were spending Christmas with us.
We are hosting Christmas dinner this year, so I'll post 'people' pictures in the next few days when we all gather.

a nutcracker reminds us of Christmases spent in Germany

a cute snowman that we've had for many years. It reminds us of the many white Christmases and snowmen we've made over the years - lot of snow this year, but no snowmen in our yard.

so many Christmas cards from friends around the world - also our new Christmas monopoly game slated to be played on Christmas Day

Our centerpiece given by our kids a few years back and a runner made by a dear friend our last Christmas in Woodinville

The reason for the season

A treasured Christmas tree Mark made in his very early school years. I always treasure it and put it in a prominent place.

This was almost our main Christmas tree this year, but with Mark expected home and our hosting Christmas dinner, we felt we needed a real tree, but this one will one day be our only Christmas tree. We're just not there yet - maybe next year.

a close up of some ornaments - among them: old photos glued on orange can lids, hand painted bulbs made by kids/grandkids, popsicle stick angels, bulbs commemorating a first Christmas, a new grandchild, etc. All of them priceless to us and each one with a special meaning.

Our 8-foot live fir tree in all its glory. Note the star on the top. Drew made it about 30 years ago. It's aluminum foil covering a cardboard star mounted on a toilet paper tube. I treasure it and wouldn't trade it for a real silver star!

If you want to see what it looks like outside our house - just scroll down to the previous posting - it still looks like that outside. We are definitely having a white Christmas this year.

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

It started snowing very heavily this morning about 9 o'clock and hasn't quit. Now less than 6 hours later this is what it looks like - with no hint of it stopping any time soon. I wonder what it look like tomorrow.

Here's our house as it looks right now......... those big white spots are huge snowflakes.

Out with Thanksgiving and In with Christmas

2010-12-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

This was our week-end to take down the Thanksgiving/Fall decorations and put up the Christmas ones.
We got our tree up inside and changed the motif of our all-season wreathe, which we made last year. Pictured are the before and after of the change over yesterday.

Frozen Fog

2010-11-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke up to 18 degrees and freezing fog. The dampness from the fog coated every tree limb and froze - makes for a beautiful sight! Now when the sun comes out the trees should sparkle.

Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

2010-11-24T07:38:00.000-08:00

We woke up to sub-zero temperatures this morning with lots of snow. This same shot looks a lot different from what it did earlier this month.

Leaf Raking

2010-11-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

We had the kids here over last week-end and they raked a big pile of leaves under the tree and then dropped into the pile from the lowest tree branch. It was a fun fall day! A few days later, the golf course crew came by and removed all the leaves. We got our fun in, just in time.

CBS Weatherman stuck in Yakima

2010-11-16T14:26:00.000-08:00

If you have been following the Early Show on CBS, you have seen their weatherman traveling across the USA from Anchorage to NY. He started with just $50. He's working and begging his way across the country. He got to Yakima yesterday and got stranded. I actually emailed him and got an answer, but he managed to get out of town (barely) without our help.

Here's a video link to part of the story - followed by a written page about it.
Copy and paste to view them.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7056423n

You can follow more of the story here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504463_162-20022835-504463.html?tag=latest

Where we live..........

2010-11-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

If you want to see lots of photographs of where we live, click on this link........
note: you may have to copy and paste.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=137911&id=119900176686

Gleaning

2010-11-03T10:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I had a craving for some fresh fruit, but was totally out. I didn't want to drive all the way to the store, so ...... since it was a gorgeous sunny day and the apple/pear harvests are finished, we decided to glean the orchards down our road. We only took what we could carry in our pockets and after a couple hours in the fridge, they were ready. Sooooo good!

Old Friends

2010-10-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

We had a great time yesterday visiting old friends in our former stomping grounds.
We visited our former neighbors of 30 years - Jim Ennes and Diana Gore. We spent a couple of hours visiting with each of them in their homes before heading out to a surprise birthday party where we got to visit about 20-30 other long-time friends. We have missed our old friends since moving to the other side of the state, but it was great seeing and visiting them all again.

When we returned home, we found an email picture from my cousin Steven in Texas. Just to give you some perspective on the size of this animal - Steven is 6'4". This is his newest 'pet' named Golddust. They sure do grow 'em big in Texas.

Drew

2010-10-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

Drew returns home today after 10 months in Qatar!

Foreign Fare

2010-10-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Drew's final dinner in Qatar consisted of sheep brains. Yummmm!

Fourth Grade in 1959

2010-10-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

I just dug out a picture of my 4th grade class and sent it to some of my former classmates - what a hoot! Who says we don't improve with age!

One Year Come and Gone

2010-10-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today marks exactly one year since we moved into our new house. It's been a great year! So glad we are here.....

Great Day in a Great Town

2010-09-29T16:21:00.001-07:00

Yakima Avenue - the main street downtown

Old Train Depot - now a restaurant

one of many old stone churches 100+ years old

Capital Theater - live theater

Today has been such a great day, we decided to walk around downtown. We took a few pictures a long the way......What a great place this is. We love our new town.

Wedding

2010-09-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to a friend's wedding near Olympia. Mark flew in from Boston to be a groomsman. He arrived late Saturday and flew out late Sunday. It was a whirlwind trip for all of us, but well worth it. It was good seeing old friends and, especially Mark. Here are a couple of pictures of Mark and his friend, Stephen James, as well as, the newly weds.

Happy Birthday, Drew

2010-09-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

Our first born is 33 years old today. Sadly, he's on the other side of the world, but it won't be long now and he'll be back with us. We did celebrate his daughter Hannah's 7th birthday today, although it is another 2 days until her real birthday.

Apple Harvest

2010-09-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

It is harvest time once again the Yakima valley. There seems to be an abundance of fresh produce everywhere. We went out for a walk in our neighborhood this morning and walked past this apple orchard. The branches are so heavily laden, it seems they will break.
In case you are wondering......yes, these apples do taste as good as they look.

Last Summer Days

2010-09-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

In these last days of summer, we celebrated Hannah's 7th birthday at the pool yesterday. There are not too many of these warm summer days left.

When my dear friend Charlene was here a few days ago, we also noticed the summer days were waning. We took a hike in the Cowiche Canyon and notices some leaves starting to change colors. It seems fall is in the air.

Tobacco Growing

2010-09-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

We went to the reservation today and discovered that the Yakama tribe grows its own tobacco. What a surprise! We had no idea tobacco could grow in this climate. We stopped along the side of the road and snapped this picture.

Labor Day Week-End

2010-09-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

Long-time friends Barb and Jim Sullivan came over for a visit on their Harley this week-end. We had a wonderful visit with our greatly missed Woodinville friends. We cooked fresh, wild salmon on a cedar plank on our new grill.
We're trying to get them to move over to the sunny side of the mountains. They're thinking about it....

Yesterday we went blueberry picking with Sarah (daughter-in-law), her sister, and their parents. All together we picked more than 65 pounds - 21 of those pounds were ours to bring home. I love blueberries, so now I have enough to last me a while.

Shopping Cart

2010-09-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

We were out recently and came upon this huge shopping cart. It is actually a vehicle - look closely and you'll see seats, a steering wheel, and an exhaust pipe.

Cranefly Migration

2010-08-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, we witnessed a cranefly migration in back of our house. I had no idea there was such a thing, but sure enough, that is what it was. I saw more cranefly in a few minutes than I've seen in my entire life. Thousands of them were heading south to warmer climes. I wish I'd gotten a picture.

Breezy

2010-08-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today we took JJ to the local airport where a different plane is presented and flown every Saturday afternoon. Today it was a 'Breezy' - so called because there is no enclosed area at all - hence it is breezy when flown. Here's the plane we saw - JJ even got to sit in the one passenger seat after the flight.
Hannah went with us last time, but opted out this time.

Camp

2010-08-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Grandson JJ just returned from camp. We got to bring him home from camp, so we were able to see the camp and meet several kids. He is pictured here with his camp friend Gabe.
This is a special week-long camp for children of deployed military. It's called "Operation Purple" and there is one in every state. It's a chance for kids to be with other kids who have a deployed parent. Our grandson loved it! He's proud of the camouflage soot on this face and didn't want it to come off.

Here's a link to some TV reports on the various Operation Purple camps.
http://www.militaryfamily.org/our-programs/operation-purple/media.html

Dress Up at our House

2010-08-05T15:56:00.001-07:00

Hannah was here recently and got into Grandpa's old uniform.

Hanford

2010-08-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we finally got to tour the Hanford Nuclear Reactor site about 80 miles from here. The place is surrounded by the most desolate landscape I've seen. It's also full of rattlesnakes and scorpions - we didn't venture far away from the plant. What an experience it was! We learned so much! There was a lot of history we didn't know about, either. Too much to elaborate on here.

What a Day!

2010-07-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our good friends Ray and Doretta Dalseg from Woodinville, were here for an early week-end visit. Our grandson JJ was out on a long anticipated fishing trip with his great-grandfather in an alpine lake west of here. Then we got a call from Sarah saying her grandfather had had a heart attack while out fishing. Fortunately, Sarah's uncle was with them and rowed the threesome to the other side of the lake where they could summon some help. It took a while to get back to Yakima and to a hospital, but they did. After finding blockage and inserting a stint, great-grandpa seems to be on the mend. Our grandson, JJ, was a trooper, summoned the initial help, and kept his head during the whole ordeal.
What a day it was! Today should be quiet and calm - our friends have returned home and nothing planned except a little yard work and maybe a swim later in the day.

Golf Lessons

2010-07-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

When we moved here, we were offered one free golf lesson. I never thought I'd want to play, but thought I should take up this offer and at least learn a little about the game since we live right on the course. John opted out, so our daughter-in-law Sarah and I decided we'd do it. Today was the day. We had our first ever golf lesson. We were both surprised that we enjoyed it as much as we did. We've decided we're going to do it again and maybe get the grandkids signed up. too.

Updates

2010-07-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

It seems we've been in a whirlwind lately....

Drew and family left for a week-long visit to Disney World in Florida. The kids were just told they were taking a vacation and had no idea where when they boarded the plane. They finally found out when they landed in Orlando. The kids have called several times to update us on the great time they are having - from hot rain, alligators, and dining with Cinderella in her castle, to 'real' trips to outer space, the water park, 6-inch grasshoppers, Space Mountain, and, of course, the Tower of Terror. They're just having too much fun - best vacation of their lives, they tell us. Drew will return to his deployment in Qatar the day Sarah and the kids return here. That'll be a tough time for everyone.

On the homefront.... my dear friend Alice came back for another visit - her second in 2 months. We just didn't have enough time during her first visit. We took a quick day trip to Woodinville to celebrate another friend's (Charlene's) birthday and visit Molbaks - our favorite haunt.

We drove by our old house - shouldn't have done that. It was distressing to see how little the new owners have done to maintain it. But, we've moved on and LOVE our new place.

There's more, but that's enough for this time....

Thanks for reading. Comments are always welcome.

Drew's Home!

2010-07-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we totally surprised the kids by taking them to airport under the pretense that we were going to fly out. Instead....they saw their dad arriving home after 6 months in the Middle East. What a great surprise it was since the kids had no idea he was coming home. We are all having a grand time with Drew being home - long walks, dinners, swims, etc. Another surprise in the works for the kids in the next few days. I don't want to blow it, in case they see this, so I'll save that for the next entry.

Cherries Galore!

2010-06-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

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 !

2010-06-20T11:43:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Snake and Lizard !

2010-05-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Mark is home for a brief visit and he enjoys hiking more than we do, so we went out with Sarah and Hannah to hike Cowiche Mountain at Snow Mountain Ranch just west of here. Along the way we encountered a snake (I think it is a bull snake) and a lizard. Thanks to Hannah's keen eye, we saw them before we stumbled over them. They are well camoflaged so look carefully in the middle of the pictures. Notice the snake is spread right across our trail.
We also saw some interesting rock formations. Wish I knew more about geology.

Stormy Day

2010-05-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

We went hiking up in the hills today and saw this rain storm moving in....

French Mission

2010-05-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

In this morning's newspaper was an article about the first mission established in this area. It was founded by Catholic priests who from France in 1847. We'd never heard of French missionaries in this part of the country. The mission is not far from us, so we decided to go see it this afternoon. It was established in 1852 and called the St Joseph Mission at the Ahtanum. We found out that church services are still held here on the first Sunday of each month from April to October in the building shown. Here are some pictures and a link to an article about the St Joseph Mission of Yakima.
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=5285

Bald Eagle

2010-05-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

We live in a golf course community called Apple Tree. This gorgeous bald eagle called Apple Tree home for a few weeks. A resident here captured these shots from his back yard on the 13th hole. The eagle was preying on Koi fish out of the greenside pond.

Llamas

2010-05-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite sites along our morning walk is a field with several llamas. I should have taken a picture yesterday so you could see the contrast, because today they look totally different. They have now been shorn. Here's the 'after' shot.

Spring Time

2010-04-24T04:58:00.000-07:00

Well, spring has finally arrived and the all the ice is gone from the trees. We went out for a walk yesterday and took some snapshots along the way. The apple, pear and cherry trees are all in bloom.

We came across this old house and in the distance is the steeple of a church dating back to the late 1800's. Drew and his family attend here.

Most of our walking route takes us along Apple Tree golf course......

and several orchards......

as well as, a pasture with a beautiful horse grazing in the distance.

More beautiful blooming trees along the golf course - our house is on the far right.

Here's the scene behind our house - our house is off to the right.

April Apple Trees

2010-04-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

We went out for a walk this morning and saw these apple trees. They are coated in ice to keep the buds from damage. The growers turn on the sprinklers at night knowing the freezing temps will cause ice to coat the buds. I guess this is April in Yakima. I thought it would be a lot warmer by now. It still freezes most nights. Daytime temps are high 50's and sometimes low 60's.

Sewing 101

2010-04-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Granddaughter Hannah has been wanting to sew for quite a while, so we picked her up from school a couple of days ago and headed to a local fabric shop. She picked out two different fabrics to make a pillowcase for her dad. She also wanted to embroider her name on it, so that's what we did. Here's a couple of shots of her working on this project.

Easter

2010-04-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

Easter was wonderful in our new community. We took our grandson to the outdoor sunrise service on the golf course. We walked there at 6:30 am since it wasn't too far and then sat in the 30 degree temps for the service. The sunrise was spectacular - a sunrise service was the first for us and we liked it so much we are planning on it again for next year - we'll try to get more family to join us.

Afterwards we went home to warm up, then to 'regular' church and then on to our Easter dinner at our daughter-on-law's parents' house with lots of family gathered around. Both our sons were thousands of miles away and couldn't be with us, but we had our grandchildren and other family with us. Drew should be back home next year and hopefully we can get Mark here, too. We did get to interface with Drew on the computer Easter morning and we talked with Mark the day before, but we still missed them. Memories of their childhoods always flood back on family holidays.

The days are trying to get warmer, but the nights still freeze - at least the days are mostly sunny. We do love living here!

April Fool's Day

2010-04-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

Today is Mark's birthday - he was born on April Fool's Day 23 years ago. What a fun day for a birthday! We are on opposite sides of the country today, but close in thought. If you are reading this - Happy Birthday!!

Sarah did great in the marathon - she finished in 3 hours 36 minutes - fast enough to qualify for the Boston run - if she goes, we'll go, too.

Strange noises here..... every morning we wake up to 'helicopter' noise. It really sounds like a helicopter has landed next to our house and doesn't shut down. We came to find out that the orchards here run huge fans to try and stave off the frost from damaging the buds on the apple trees. It still freezes most nights, but since the buds are out they need to take precautions. Another thing they do is spray the trees with water in the evening so it encases the trees with ice. That way they don't drop below 32 degrees and it does seem to protect the buds from getting too cold.

That's about it for now.... Easter is just a few days away. Happy Easter to all!!

Marathon

2010-03-23T05:28:00.001-07:00

Our daughter-in-law Sarah is running a marathon this Saturday with her sister. Here's the link....

http://sportsyakima.com/2010/03/sisters-taking-it-all-in-stride-for-marathon/

Yakima Home and Garden Show Here We Come...

2010-03-19T07:54:00.001-07:00

Sundome

Today we are volunteering at the Yakima Home and Garden Show held in the Sundome. We've been wanting to attend to see what kind of plants will do well here. We want to add some colorful plants to our yard.

Uplands Trail Hike

2010-03-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago it was sunny and fairly warm, so we ventured out for a spring hike in the hills around Yakima. Some of the spring wildflowers are blooming and the snow covered mountains were visible in the distance. It was a great day! Beautiful flowers, sunshine, semi-warm temps, and, best of all, way too early for the rattlesnakes to be out.

New Pix

2010-02-21T18:24:00.000-08:00

Our darling daughter-in-law snapped this picture of us on our cruise just before Christmas. This was a family trip to celebrate my 60th birthday - among other things. She takes better pictures than the pros on board.

Friends from our old neighborhood drove 3 hours each way today to visit us! What great friends we have! The day was crystal clear and sunny, but still cold. We had a great visit with old friends. Nothing like 30-year friendships - no time to make new friends like that.

Can hardly wait for spring. I want to plant flowers, but it is still freezing at night, so that will have to wait.

Reeds

2010-01-30T08:02:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine in California found this place. Hope we can shop here someday - it's on Main St in St Helena, CA.
We are having cold and dreary weather here - warm, sunny California sounds good about now.

New Year

2010-01-22T07:06:00.001-08:00

After a super charged end of the year and having the whole family here everyday for about 2 weeks, the new year has been very quiet. Mark is back in Boston, Drew is in Qatar, the kids are in school, so our days are back to the mundane. Winter doldrums have set in. Time to get motivated and productive!

Family Game Night

2009-12-31T14:24:00.000-08:00

It has been so great living near our son and his family. With our other son also home for the holidays, it just doesn't get better than that. Both of them will be leaving on Sunday, so last night was game night at our house. It was a chance for us all to have some fun times together since it might be another year before we can all get together again. We had the board game Risk going while Grandpa and Hannah played some chess and then the keyboard. We also played a couple of rounds of dominoes.
While it was warm and cozy inside, outside it was cold (20's) and snowing.

Post Christmas

2009-12-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

Mark did get in the day after he was scheduled to arrived and so we had the whole family together for Christmas. We had 19 people at Christmas dinner which was hosted by our daughter-in-law's parents. A great time was had by all. On Monday we are headed back to Woodinville for a wedding. We haven't been back since we moved in October. Don't know yet if we'll drive by our house - we'll see.

Christmas Time

2009-12-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is almost here. All that is lacking is Mark. We was to have arrived yesterday, but the last leg of his flight couldn't make it due to heavy fog, so he was to stay the night in Seattle. He's trying to get another flight out today, but it is still foggy, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
Since I last posted, we have gotten word that Drew will be deployed to Qatar in early January. So glad we are here near his family while he is gone.
Merry Christmas to all of you!!

December Already??

2009-12-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

It's December already?? We whizzed right by Thanksgiving without even taking any pictures. We had a great time with our family and even our daughter-in-law's parents joined us.
Soon we are off on our big family cruise. It had been so cold here that will be nice to get into the warm waters of Mexico. We'll have to get some pictures on this trip. I'll post them when we return......

Wreath Making

2009-11-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

When our boys were young, we had a family tradition of making Christmas wreathes from the abundant evergreen boughs in our area. Now that we are in an area almost devoid of evergreen trees but very well supplied with grapevines, we decided to take a class on how to make wreathes from grapevines. We really enjoyed it and this will now be a new tradition for us. Here's the first one we made ourselves! We made several more and they just got better each time. The best part of these grapevine wreathes is that they last from year to year - the evergreen ones dried up and had to be made new every year. We also like that the vine wreathes can be used for several different seasonal events, depending on how they are decorated.

Halloween

2009-11-01T11:01:00.001-08:00

Last night we celebrated our first Halloween with our grandchildren. They came with their cousins and we grabbed a quick picture. Of course, I had to get dressed up in my costume, too. I made this years ago when Mark was in second grade and also made a matching one for him. Maybe next year, I can get one the children to wear it.

Autumn

2009-10-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

Fall is definitely in the air. The is cold and brisk at night, but the days generally warm up nicely. Late this afternoon, we stepped out on to our deck and just enjoyed the view. The picture at the top shows the view from our back deck.
Then we went out front for a couple more shots. After living amongst the tall trees of Western Washington, we are enjoying the unencumbered views which include the sunrise and sunset.

First Snow!

2009-10-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

We are now settled in our new house, although we still have lots of boxes to unpack.
We got our internet and telephone connections today, as well as, our first flurries of snow.
We already love it here - it's great having a brand new house and, most of all, having family right here in town with us. They drop in frequently.
Happy Days !

The Big Move

2009-10-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

The movers arrive in just 2 days. It will take another 2 days to pack and load and then on Wednesday everything will be delivered to our new house 150 miles from here.
We were over there a couple of days ago signing papers and going through the house to check for any last minute details that needed to be taken care of before taking possession.
John absolutely loves his new garage. We took some pictures of it so we could remember how great it looked before we put our 'stuff' in it.

Surprise Party and a New House

2009-09-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how surprised I was when one of my dearest friends surprised me with an early 60th birthday party with most of my oldest, dearest friends. There wasn't anyone there I'd known less than 25 years. Each one took a turn and said some kind words to me. I'll treasure that memory forever and am so grateful to those who made the effort to come, even those who had moved away years ago. What a wonderful memory! I know I'm blessed richly with great friends in my life. This party also served as a farewell party, too, since we are moving early next month.

So, day after that big event, we went back to Yakima and bought a new house. We had been struggling with which house to buy. There were several we liked, but finally boiled it down to two and then after a couple of stress-filled sleepless nights, we settled on one and had a great peace about it.

Here's a picture of our new house...............

New House

2009-09-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

After the inspections, appraisals, and fixes on our current house, we have finally come to terms of the selling aspect of our big move.
Yesterday, we went to Yakima and made an offer on a new house. We still don't have a response, but will let you know. There are actually 2 houses we like, so we will make an offer on both and just see what happens. When we get an acceptance, we'll post pictures....... fun times!

Moving on....

2009-08-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

We signed the papers yesterday to sell our house. Closing is October 5th. It's a big step for us. Now we need to buy a new house in our soon-to-be new hometown of Yakima.
We'll post more as know more.

Blueberry Time

2009-08-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

This has certainly been the year for blueberries. The front page of our local newspaper recently touted the blueberry season we are having. All the right weather conditions came together to make this a crop to remember. We have been out picking blueberries several times in the past few weeks and now have a total 30 pounds in our freezer - that should hold us until next year.
Here's a picture of some of the blueberries on one of our own bushes. Also note that although it is only mid-August the leaves are already beginning to show signs of autumn. Theses leaves are also on the same blueberry bush.

Lean Times

2009-08-08T05:57:00.000-07:00

We were recently having coffee with friends and talking about ways we save a little in these lean times. Here are some of our ideas:

We pick blueberries at a county park that was once a blueberry farm and so now all the blueberries are free for the picking. There are no signs - you just have to know it is there. We go once a week and so far this season have picked 22 pounds of blueberries. They are frozen and should last until next season. Of course, since the season is still going strong, we'll go back for one more round and may just top off the year with 30 pounds - all free!!

We are Starbuck's fans so we bought a Gold Card and get 10% off purchases plus several other perks. Last month Gold Card holders were sent a certificate for a free pint of Starbucks ice cream (value about $5). Earlier this week we were sent a certificate for a free Vivano (Starbucks smoothie). Often there are sample drinks and pastries in the shop of which we partake - of course. Another favorite of ours at Starbuck's is reading the newspaper. Patrons buy newspapers there, or bring their own, and after reading them, just leave them in the basket for others to read. We have canceled our local newspaper, because there is always one there for us to read. To top it off, we order one drink (10% off with the Gold Card) and split it between us as we peruse the newspapers. What better way to start the day! Oh, and don't forget the pastries behind the counter..... the banana bread for example costs about $1.75 per slice, but they give out the recipe cards and you can make an entire loaf of banana bread (10-12 slices) for less that the cost of one slice. Our Gold Card has paid for itself and then some!

Cherries are another favorite of ours this time of year. They generally sell for about $5 a pound, but this time of year they're about $2 a pound in the grocery store. Costco had them for $1.50 a pound, but a truck along side the road was selling them for $1 a pound, but.........buy 10 pounds and they are just $5 - that's only 50 cents a pound - now that is a real savings. We got enough to last us a year.

We never did have a gym membership, but if we did, we'd cancel it. We just get outside and hike several times a week. Who wants to be in a stuffy gym? Yuck. Also having a house with stairs is great exercise. We go up and down stairs several times a day - who need a stair-stepper exercise machine - not us.

Eating in rather than out is another huge way to cut back, as is cooking from scratch rather than buying packaged foods and mixes. We bake cookies rather than buy them, turn old bananas into yummy banana bread, never buy frozen meals, make popsicles from our own juice rather than buy them, make our own pies from the abundance of seasonal fruits and buy single-ply toilet paper (50 cents a roll).
As for the gasoline bill, we let our errands accumulate and run several in one outing, especially if it involves going to a neighboring town.

We try to make our big trips/vacations during the off season - now that we don't have school age children or jobs that tie us to a set schedule. We recently booked a family cruise and saved more than half, by going two weeks earlier than originally planned.

Not only is traveling off season a huge savings, but buying clothing is, too.
Food is bought seasonally, but clothing and travel are off season purchases.

What ways are you cutting back and saving big $$ ?

Back to Normal

2009-07-31T12:47:00.001-07:00

After having the grandchildren here for 5 days and having 'historic heat' as the weatherman put it, we are back to normal.
The temps hit 106 at our house yesterday and the day before for the first time in recorded history. Seattle has never recorded any temperatures over a 100 degrees. Since our normal for this time of year is 77, we were ill-equipped for the heat - ie. no air conditioning, but we survived and are enjoying having our usual summer weather back again today.

The children are now with their other grandparents until their parents return on Monday, but we had some great summer fun with them while they were here. We went to the ice caves, went blueberry picking, played in a local river, and the local lake.
Here are some pictures of our adventures over the past few days.

Also in preparation for Drew and Sarah's return on Monday, we decided to surprise them by washing their car for them. We all joined in the fun of detailing their car.

Big Four Ice Cave Fields in July

Down the road to pick blueberries

Playing in the Snoqualmie River

Cottage Lake

Washing the car

Music in the Park

2009-07-17T08:30:00.001-07:00

Every Thursday evening all summer there is a free concert in our local community park. We went last night for the first time this year. We are hoping to get to the others. It was a great time for everyone. Kids were swimming in the lake, families were having picnics on the lawn and others were just sitting and listening to the music. The weather was perfect for such an event.

New York Times

2009-07-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

We are avid fans of the New York Times daily newspaper. We started subscribing about 2 years ago and never fail to learn something new and/or find something interesting when reading it. I especially love the human interest stories not found anywhere else. For instance.........

Today there was a delightful article about two Swedish women who went out looking for blueberries in the remote central part of the country and ended up finding one of the richest gold field if all of Europe. Why don't we hear about this anywhere else? Here's that article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/world/europe/13sweden.html?scp=1&sq=gold%20in%20sweden&st=cse

Note: you may have to copy and paste to open the link.

I will post some more of my favorites on occasion. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

July 4th

2009-07-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

What a great July 4th we had! The weather was unusually great, especially for this part of the country. It was in the mid 80's and sunny. We decided to forego our usual visit to the local parade and go hiking the Cascades instead. We were at about the 4000 foot level, where we hiked through patches of snow and beautiful cascading waterfalls. The views were breathtaking, as was the hike (a lot of huffing a puffing on our part). Mark went much farther and higher than we did, since we were maxed out, so he got some of the best pictures, but here is one of mine. If I can get some of Mark's I'll add them later.

Another Week with the Kids

2009-06-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

We are now enjoying another week-end with the kids - grandkids and our own kids. The weather has been perfect! Last week-end everyone was here for Father's Day. We were all 7 gathered together and now the kids are here again. Drew and Sarah are gone during the day, so we get some extra time with the grandchildren. Since Mark is here, too, and he always likes an adventure, we've been hiking, and boating, as well as, attending an African Children's Choir performance. Here are some pictures. Of our week-end.......oh, yeah, it is also our 33rd anniversary today!!

Father's Day

2009-06-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

The hot dry spell we had is over. Rain and cool temps have returned.
Also returning is Mark who flew in a couple of days ago and Drew who arrives with his family later today. We're all 7 here for Father's Day. Hopefully the weather improves so we can get out for our favorite family activity - mountain hiking.
We'll try to get some pictures to post after the week-end.

Hot and Dry

2009-06-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hot and dry are not words we generally use to describe our weather here in the Seattle area in early June, but that is how it is right now. We haven't had any rain in 2 weeks (this may be a record) and the temps got up in the 90's the past two days. These temps did break the record for today.
We're enjoying it while it lasts. How long will that be?? Don't know, but we'll keep you posted.

Paradise Valley Pix

2009-05-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

We managed to get back to our new favorite hiking spot and even remembered to bring the camera. Here are a few photographs of the trails and views - look closely to see the snow covered Cascade Mountains on the territorial shot - it was very obvious 'in person' but didn't show up very well on the photograph.
There are several miles of hiking trails here in a 660 acre area. If you are local - try it out. It's definitely worth it.