Cranefly Migration

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

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

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

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

Hanford

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!

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

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.