Well, I was wrong about being home for a while. We just spent a wonderful Labor Day week end with Brian, Sheila, and the boys on the Washington coast at Pacific Beach. It was rather last-minute, but we were able to get a site at the Pacific Beach Conference Center which is owned by the U.S. Navy and is available to all military. We were fortunate, because the park was full! The sites are very nice with lots of green grass and a few trees.

Nolan and Warren dug up about half the coast of Washington as they proceeded to create 'the world's biggest clam farm'. It was only a few hundred yards down a hill to the beach from our campsite, so it worked out well. We were able to drive the car down so we denied ourselves nothing for a day on the beach: wood for a fire, a dutch oven chicken dinner to cook over the fire, lawn chairs, wine, wine glasses, and wine holders and extra long roasting sticks for the marshmallows for s'mores. It was a good time. The down side is that it is a ten hour drive each way for Brian and family.

So now we should be home for about 2 weeks before we leave for California. We have decided to drive instead of fly, so we will be leaving about 9/22. The Navy reunion is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and then we plan to spend a day or two with the Larsons who were also our neighbors while we were with VP-46. In fact, since Ken was in Hawaii, it was Gary who drove me to the hospital when Colleen was born. They live in Virginia and we haven't seen them for at least 10 years.

We were delighted to have Gary and Carolyn Ousey come through for a week end. We were able to sponsor them so they could stay in the Fam Camp at Ft Lewis and that put them close to our house. We enjoyed some good wine and some good company - and Gary was able to utilize our internet connection and get his on-line fix. We are beginning to talk about a rendevous this winter in Yuma, AZ at a resort where they stayed last year, plus a trip across the border to Puerto Penasco which is about 60 miles south. I have been to San Miquel de Allende, but that is the extent of our Mexican travel, so Puerto Penasco should be fun. I understand one can simply while away the time by eating fresh shrimp and sitting on the beach. Sounds good to me!!

Our warm dry summer is coming to an end. Today it turned cloudy and rainy, and I'm sure this is only the beginning. Although I suspect we will have a few nice fall days. I do love the fall with the chill in the air and all the wonderful produce that is available. We still have a bit of corn in the garden, along with herbs and some strawberries. The dahlias in front are still blooming, and I want to get some flowering kale for the flower pots on the back patio.

The ivy and the blackberries are about to take over everything so we have a young man coming tomorrow to do some clearing in exchange for some money to augment his college fund. Those 2 weeds are insidious and it takes a Heruclean effort to get rid of them.

Ciao