I forgot to mention another part of the Memorial Day trip. On our way out into the country to visit some family, we decided to drive in to the now-abandoned homesite of Mike's dad, Bill Weber. Bill purchased this property from his sister, Anna Taylor, and lived there until he died in 1971.
Remember my recent blog about the long-remembered snowball bush at Anna's? Well lo and behold, it is still there, standing large and lush in all its blooming glory. Joel picked a start for me, and then I went off and left it behind. It does look like every other overgrown snowball bush, but needless to say, this one is special.
Since this property has not been inhabited for years, we scared up a bit of wildlife. An owl and two owlets flew up in front of the car, and while walking back to the car from the house, a Chinese pheasant hen flew up in front of us, abandoning her clutch of ten eggs that were nested right at our feet. I'm sure she returned. Oh yes, and a big kitty sitting up on the railroad tracks! Ciao
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Trips and Traditions
Getting to Mt. St. Helens with Jeff and Bev proved to be a two-day effort. We only got to the RV dealer and the quilt shop the first day, so had to save the mountain for the next day. We looked at the Winnebago and Alpine coaches again, and again assured our saleman that we have no money, but that didn't seem to slow him down. We are not especially serious about a new coach, but it is fun to look.
Bev was duly impressed with Sister's Quilt Shop in Chehalis, and I think it is the best in the area. Quilt shops are like book stores, one just can't walk out without buying something, even if you have no immediate use for it. Ken and Jeff found the bakery next door to the quilt shop and that is where they whiled away the time while we shopped.
Mt. St. Helens is always a fascinating visit, and I learned more about the dome building process which is continuing inside the crater. There are several ridges that have emerged and over time they build, collapse in on themselves, and then begin the building process again. The movie shown at the visitor's center is very powerful, and when it ends, the curtains open on a windowed wall that looks right out on to the mountainside.
I drove to Spokane on Sunday to continue a family tradition of visiting the Colfax cemetery where Mike's and my family is buried. I remember as a youngster that this was an annual outing combined with visiting some family while in town for the day. When I was young, the 70 mile round trip to Colfax seemed like a major outing. Sheila, I thought of you yesterday because the Palouse Hills were breathtaking with their blanket of green ranging from the light pea green to the winter and summer wheat hues of green. I remember you thought that countryside was quite lovely.
Mike and Mary go to the cemetery every year, but since Mary was in Texas visiting Becky, I said I would go with him as did Joel. After purchasing flowers in Spokane, we got as far as Spangle (about 15 miles south of Spokane's city limits) when I decided we should stop for a snack. Since it was now about 11:30, we opted for breakfast!! Then back down the road.
As with most rural cemeteries, this one sits atop the highest hill overlooking the town, and as usual, it was a bit windy and cold! In talking to a local resident, I learned that the FFA group makes and sets the holders for the veterans flags, and then the VFW places the flags. These are the flags from the coffins that the family has turned over to the VFW, and each of the flags is identified with the veteran's name. It is quite moving to see the 200+ flags flying at this relatively small cemetery.
Unfortunately, my brother Pat was not represented, and I suspect no one has made contact with his kids to ask for the flag. So I will follow up. Uncle Paul's flag was flying.
I have created a pretty tasty inexpensive roadtrip menu for the drive to Spokane. McDonald's coffee is very tasty and a junior hamburger at Wendy's with lettuce, tomato, and onion is plenty ample. So two drive-through windows, and I'm on my way. I was feeling pretty smug over my low-cal dining-stay-awake experiences. My other constraint was to set the cruise control at 65 mph even though everyone including the semis were passing me. That is my path of resistance against the gas prices, but I forgot to save my receipt so have no idea if there was any appreciable savings.
Now for the next week we will focus on getting the motor home ready to go to Mt. Home for Brian's change of command and farewell party. Ciao
Bev was duly impressed with Sister's Quilt Shop in Chehalis, and I think it is the best in the area. Quilt shops are like book stores, one just can't walk out without buying something, even if you have no immediate use for it. Ken and Jeff found the bakery next door to the quilt shop and that is where they whiled away the time while we shopped.
Mt. St. Helens is always a fascinating visit, and I learned more about the dome building process which is continuing inside the crater. There are several ridges that have emerged and over time they build, collapse in on themselves, and then begin the building process again. The movie shown at the visitor's center is very powerful, and when it ends, the curtains open on a windowed wall that looks right out on to the mountainside.
I drove to Spokane on Sunday to continue a family tradition of visiting the Colfax cemetery where Mike's and my family is buried. I remember as a youngster that this was an annual outing combined with visiting some family while in town for the day. When I was young, the 70 mile round trip to Colfax seemed like a major outing. Sheila, I thought of you yesterday because the Palouse Hills were breathtaking with their blanket of green ranging from the light pea green to the winter and summer wheat hues of green. I remember you thought that countryside was quite lovely.
Mike and Mary go to the cemetery every year, but since Mary was in Texas visiting Becky, I said I would go with him as did Joel. After purchasing flowers in Spokane, we got as far as Spangle (about 15 miles south of Spokane's city limits) when I decided we should stop for a snack. Since it was now about 11:30, we opted for breakfast!! Then back down the road.
As with most rural cemeteries, this one sits atop the highest hill overlooking the town, and as usual, it was a bit windy and cold! In talking to a local resident, I learned that the FFA group makes and sets the holders for the veterans flags, and then the VFW places the flags. These are the flags from the coffins that the family has turned over to the VFW, and each of the flags is identified with the veteran's name. It is quite moving to see the 200+ flags flying at this relatively small cemetery.
Unfortunately, my brother Pat was not represented, and I suspect no one has made contact with his kids to ask for the flag. So I will follow up. Uncle Paul's flag was flying.
I have created a pretty tasty inexpensive roadtrip menu for the drive to Spokane. McDonald's coffee is very tasty and a junior hamburger at Wendy's with lettuce, tomato, and onion is plenty ample. So two drive-through windows, and I'm on my way. I was feeling pretty smug over my low-cal dining-stay-awake experiences. My other constraint was to set the cruise control at 65 mph even though everyone including the semis were passing me. That is my path of resistance against the gas prices, but I forgot to save my receipt so have no idea if there was any appreciable savings.
Now for the next week we will focus on getting the motor home ready to go to Mt. Home for Brian's change of command and farewell party. Ciao
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
It's a long way......
from Pike Place Market to Pioneer Square and back when loaded down with recently purchased books from Elliot Bay Bookstore!!
Bev and I had a great day in Seattle today. We drove in with Colleen and she dropped us off on First Street just a block or two from Pike Place Market. On a whim, we headed for the doors of the Seattle Art Museum and waited just four or five minutes until the doors were unlocked for the day.
SAM has just undergone a year-long renovation, and we found the museum to be top-notch with several collections available for viewing. It was interesting to realize how similar Bev's and my tastes are................realism all the way. We saw works that ran the gamut from Andy Warhol to John Singer Sargent (both of which we appreciated). And of course a number of pieces that didn't do a thing for us. One of the most beautiful and fascinating was a small room devoted to porcelain - with all the walls covered with lighted glass-enclosed floor-to-ceiling cabinets full of beautifully displayed porcelain.
By the time we had finished at the museum, it was time to meet Colleen at Cafe Campagne on Post Alley for lunch. This little cafe was even rated by Zagats, and it was wonderful. Bev treated Colleen and me and we enjoyed grilled goat cheese, mixed bitter greens salad, heavenly quiche and some quite exceptional wine. I had a white burgundy and Bev had a rose. Alas, Colleen had to go back to work, so she had sparkling water.
In the afternoon, Bev and I hiked down to Elliot Bay Bookstore, which is a must when one is in Seattle and we both found some books we just couldn't live without. But now with purchases in hand (in shopping bags), we had to hike the eight or ten blocks back (partly uphill) to get north of Pike Place Market where Colleen was to pick us up. But a rest stop for coffee and a sweet helped us to reach our destination.
So now after dinner and some more wine, I am off to bed. We are going to drive south to Chehalis tomorrow to look at some motor homes and a quilt shop, and then we are going on to Mt. St. Helens. Ciao
Bev and I had a great day in Seattle today. We drove in with Colleen and she dropped us off on First Street just a block or two from Pike Place Market. On a whim, we headed for the doors of the Seattle Art Museum and waited just four or five minutes until the doors were unlocked for the day.
SAM has just undergone a year-long renovation, and we found the museum to be top-notch with several collections available for viewing. It was interesting to realize how similar Bev's and my tastes are................realism all the way. We saw works that ran the gamut from Andy Warhol to John Singer Sargent (both of which we appreciated). And of course a number of pieces that didn't do a thing for us. One of the most beautiful and fascinating was a small room devoted to porcelain - with all the walls covered with lighted glass-enclosed floor-to-ceiling cabinets full of beautifully displayed porcelain.
By the time we had finished at the museum, it was time to meet Colleen at Cafe Campagne on Post Alley for lunch. This little cafe was even rated by Zagats, and it was wonderful. Bev treated Colleen and me and we enjoyed grilled goat cheese, mixed bitter greens salad, heavenly quiche and some quite exceptional wine. I had a white burgundy and Bev had a rose. Alas, Colleen had to go back to work, so she had sparkling water.
In the afternoon, Bev and I hiked down to Elliot Bay Bookstore, which is a must when one is in Seattle and we both found some books we just couldn't live without. But now with purchases in hand (in shopping bags), we had to hike the eight or ten blocks back (partly uphill) to get north of Pike Place Market where Colleen was to pick us up. But a rest stop for coffee and a sweet helped us to reach our destination.
So now after dinner and some more wine, I am off to bed. We are going to drive south to Chehalis tomorrow to look at some motor homes and a quilt shop, and then we are going on to Mt. St. Helens. Ciao
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Trains and Rain
Since I have been asked by two different people, it would appear I have failed to follow up on Brian and Sheila's move as to where they are moving!! It will be the Pentagon in Washington D.C. For a while it looked like he would get orders to Lakenheath, England (and we were all excited and checking our passports), but that was not meant to be. This will put them very close to Sheila's mother and sister and family, and they will be about 1 1/2 hours from Keith and Janet in Columbia. So for us, one trip allows us to see all four of our grandchildren and their parents. Brian and Sheila will probably stay with her mother in northern Virginia for a while until they decide where to settle in.
I finally talked to brother Mike last night to wish him a happy birthday, and he said he is going to retire the end of June, as is Mary. I know they already have a trip in mind for the summer to drive to Iowa to see Martha, but beyond that I think they are just looking forward to calling their time their own.
There was no way to get in touch with Brian, so we will make up for that when we see him next month.
Bev called last night to say she was looking forward to some wine and cheese and crackers and perhaps a bit of knitting and/or sewing while here next week. She and I are going to drive in to Seattle with Colleen on Tuesday and spend the day browsing some of the neighborhoods such as Fremont or Belltown. Of course we will meet Colleen for lunch.
Jeff called to see what his and Ken's schedule would be because he needs to be available for a conference call on either Monday or Tuesday with regard to the train at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital where Bev works. Once a delightful energetic train layout that drew hundreds of eager children, it recently has fallen into disrepair so Jeff and his former boss, Bob Herendeen, have volunteered to keep the train running and the tracks open.
The reason for the call is that there is a major remodel going on at the hospital, and Jeff and Bob want to make sure the woman back east who is designing the new train layout knows what she is doing and what she needs to do! So while Bev is involved in the design and creation of new operating room suites, Jeff and Bob are making sure the children will have the train to entertain them. Good going guys.
It is a dark, drizzly, cool western Washington day. But the dark and the drizzle cause the rhodies and other blooms to shine. Ciao
I finally talked to brother Mike last night to wish him a happy birthday, and he said he is going to retire the end of June, as is Mary. I know they already have a trip in mind for the summer to drive to Iowa to see Martha, but beyond that I think they are just looking forward to calling their time their own.
There was no way to get in touch with Brian, so we will make up for that when we see him next month.
Bev called last night to say she was looking forward to some wine and cheese and crackers and perhaps a bit of knitting and/or sewing while here next week. She and I are going to drive in to Seattle with Colleen on Tuesday and spend the day browsing some of the neighborhoods such as Fremont or Belltown. Of course we will meet Colleen for lunch.
Jeff called to see what his and Ken's schedule would be because he needs to be available for a conference call on either Monday or Tuesday with regard to the train at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital where Bev works. Once a delightful energetic train layout that drew hundreds of eager children, it recently has fallen into disrepair so Jeff and his former boss, Bob Herendeen, have volunteered to keep the train running and the tracks open.
The reason for the call is that there is a major remodel going on at the hospital, and Jeff and Bob want to make sure the woman back east who is designing the new train layout knows what she is doing and what she needs to do! So while Bev is involved in the design and creation of new operating room suites, Jeff and Bob are making sure the children will have the train to entertain them. Good going guys.
It is a dark, drizzly, cool western Washington day. But the dark and the drizzle cause the rhodies and other blooms to shine. Ciao
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Spring in all its glory
The dogwoods in front have been in full bloom for the past week, and the rhododendrons are just now beginning to open. We have one lilac bush on the west side of the house, and it too performed beautifully these past two weeks.
Today Ken is working on planting a snowball tree that the kids gave me for Mother's Day. I shared with Colleen that I remembered, as a youngster, someone whom we would usually visit over Memorial Day (Anna Taylor), and there would be her snowball tree in full bloom. We found one at a nursery in Tumwater and it is going to reside at the edge of the lawn nearest the driveway and close to the sidwalk. This has all been easy for me since I didn't pay for it and I am not the one planting it!! I did however pick it up and bring it home. The tree is about ten feel tall, so on its side it ran the full length of the Jetta, and I had to go through some interesting gyrations to shift gears.
Sunday was very enjoyable with everyone remembering me and pampering me. Colleen started the day with homemade banana bread, spinach quiche and mimosas and then Craig, Cassie and Greta joined us for the annual Mother's Day dining experience: KFC! Phone calls and flowers rounded out a very nice day. I really don't have a very demanding schedule at any time, but Mother's Day is fun to indulge myself and do just exactly what I want to do.
I have several sewing projects going - most of them for quite some time, but now I have ventured back into trying my hand at making myself something to wear. The jury is still out on that one, especially since I am using a pattern that I have had forever, and needless to say, it isn't quite big enough. More challenges.
We are on track to drive to Mountain Home on June 7 and 8 to be present for Brian's farewell and change of command. Then we are going to leave the motor home for them to use while moving out of quarters and they will drive up here with it about the first of July.
Brian's birthday is this coming Friday, May 18, and we have three other relatives who share the birthday as well as at least two people outside the family. Happy birthday to Brian and Mike - the two who read this blog.
Jeff and Bev are coming up for a visit next Monday. Jeff is a season ticket-holder for the San Jose Sharks, so as long as they were in the playoffs, we figured we wouldn't see them. But alas, they were eliminated, so travel plans could be made. We have nothing in particular planned, and if the weather stays as lovely as it has been, I'm sure we would be content to sit on the patio and swap war stories. Ciao
Today Ken is working on planting a snowball tree that the kids gave me for Mother's Day. I shared with Colleen that I remembered, as a youngster, someone whom we would usually visit over Memorial Day (Anna Taylor), and there would be her snowball tree in full bloom. We found one at a nursery in Tumwater and it is going to reside at the edge of the lawn nearest the driveway and close to the sidwalk. This has all been easy for me since I didn't pay for it and I am not the one planting it!! I did however pick it up and bring it home. The tree is about ten feel tall, so on its side it ran the full length of the Jetta, and I had to go through some interesting gyrations to shift gears.
Sunday was very enjoyable with everyone remembering me and pampering me. Colleen started the day with homemade banana bread, spinach quiche and mimosas and then Craig, Cassie and Greta joined us for the annual Mother's Day dining experience: KFC! Phone calls and flowers rounded out a very nice day. I really don't have a very demanding schedule at any time, but Mother's Day is fun to indulge myself and do just exactly what I want to do.
I have several sewing projects going - most of them for quite some time, but now I have ventured back into trying my hand at making myself something to wear. The jury is still out on that one, especially since I am using a pattern that I have had forever, and needless to say, it isn't quite big enough. More challenges.
We are on track to drive to Mountain Home on June 7 and 8 to be present for Brian's farewell and change of command. Then we are going to leave the motor home for them to use while moving out of quarters and they will drive up here with it about the first of July.
Brian's birthday is this coming Friday, May 18, and we have three other relatives who share the birthday as well as at least two people outside the family. Happy birthday to Brian and Mike - the two who read this blog.
Jeff and Bev are coming up for a visit next Monday. Jeff is a season ticket-holder for the San Jose Sharks, so as long as they were in the playoffs, we figured we wouldn't see them. But alas, they were eliminated, so travel plans could be made. We have nothing in particular planned, and if the weather stays as lovely as it has been, I'm sure we would be content to sit on the patio and swap war stories. Ciao
Friday, May 04, 2007
Alpines, Rose of Karen and Rainbows
I need to get with the program with this blogging - I am way behind!!!
We had a brief interlude in Steilacoom before going to Spokane for the opening of fishing season. The greatest accomplishment was to hire a gardening service to spend 2 1/2 days getting the FRONT-YARD-ONLY under control. Craig's affectionate name for the Asian families who do the gardening is Ninjas, and his description of their mode of operation is that they come in and prune everything and what they don't eat they haul away. I found it humorous - and not true. They were three hard-working souls who loved coffee. I put both coffee and tea out for them and one cup of tea was consumed, but the coffee thermos was empty as was the cup of milk and cup of sugar!
They topped the evergreens that are on our neighbors' property (with their permission) and the view we have reclaimed is spectacular. It had been several years since any pruning had been done, so we had lost about 90% of the view of water. Colleen has been edging stepping stones and flower beds and Karen and I worked on the back patio.
We met Rod and Karen in Chehalis a week ago last Sunday and oohed and aahed over big beautiful Alpine and Winnebago motor coaches. And we did manage to come away without doing something foolish like buying a new one. Uhlmans in Chehalis is the only dealer for Alpine coaches in Washington and Karen and Rod are always looking. When we parted ways, Rod headed for Ft. St. John in Canada and we brought Karen home with us.
I am a container-gardener only, and a pathetic one at that, so I seized my chance when Karen came to visit last week. We shopped for mostly flowering annuals such as petunias, snapdragons, and others that I don't know intimately, and as soon as we got home, she was up to her elbows in potting soil. Everything is looking very perky and happy and I can't wait for all of it to fill in with glorious color. Following Karen in the garden store is as befuddling for me as it is for her when I drag her into a kitchen store or gourmet grocery. We do make a good team.
She and I made a road trip back down to Chehalis so I could take her to Sister's fabric shop which is where any quilter would want to spend her every breathing moment. Ten thousand plus bolts of fabric in tight formation shoulder to shoulder, color by color, for as far as the eye can see to the back of a very small shop. After the frantic shopping we were in need of sustenance, and found a delightful bakery where we supped on quiche and creme brulee. I detected a definite German influence and learned of the couple that owns it that one is German and the other Icelandic.
We returned last night from the annual fishing trip to Spokane. Ken and Bob fished three days straight: Lake Sacheen, Waitts Lake and Liberty Lake with some nice fish, mostly rainbow trout, from all three. The weather was as nice as I've seen it for opening week end and I remember one year when they came home covered in snow.
We caught up with Mike and Mary last Saturday at a neighborhood garage sale in north Spokane, so we chatted and shopped and then had lunch together. Their lives are currently taken up with pending retirement and the anticipation of a grandson. Becky is expecting a baby in July, to be named Benjamin. Now that I know it is a boy, I need to be thinking about a quilt perhaps? She lives in Texas, and Mike and Mary were there to see her in April, and Mary is going back down for a few days the end of May. We haven't had a baby in the family for quite a number of years!
Sharon and I had lunch last week in the restaurant at the new Davenport Towers in Spokane which is just across the street from the original restored hotel. The decor of the entire hotel is a safari theme with two life-sized, gold-leafed rhinoceroses greeting you at the entrance. Once inside, animals and jungle abound with a beautiful stuffed tiger looking at you from above. It was beautifully done, and I was very impressed.
And night before last we spent with Jerry and Lois. We had not seen them since last November, so we had a good time catching up. Jerry is recovering from a pulled hamstring, and Lois was her usual perky self. She had a one-man art show in Spokane recently and has enjoyed some good successes with her work. She is so talented. But the shows are hard work. Not only the creating of new pieces, but the matting and framing, and loading, and hauling, and unloading, and hanging, and "un-hanging". I have helped with just one or two and I was worn out.
It is gray and cool today; a typical Puget Sound spring day. I am off to figure out what it is that I need to do for the day. Ciao
We had a brief interlude in Steilacoom before going to Spokane for the opening of fishing season. The greatest accomplishment was to hire a gardening service to spend 2 1/2 days getting the FRONT-YARD-ONLY under control. Craig's affectionate name for the Asian families who do the gardening is Ninjas, and his description of their mode of operation is that they come in and prune everything and what they don't eat they haul away. I found it humorous - and not true. They were three hard-working souls who loved coffee. I put both coffee and tea out for them and one cup of tea was consumed, but the coffee thermos was empty as was the cup of milk and cup of sugar!
They topped the evergreens that are on our neighbors' property (with their permission) and the view we have reclaimed is spectacular. It had been several years since any pruning had been done, so we had lost about 90% of the view of water. Colleen has been edging stepping stones and flower beds and Karen and I worked on the back patio.
We met Rod and Karen in Chehalis a week ago last Sunday and oohed and aahed over big beautiful Alpine and Winnebago motor coaches. And we did manage to come away without doing something foolish like buying a new one. Uhlmans in Chehalis is the only dealer for Alpine coaches in Washington and Karen and Rod are always looking. When we parted ways, Rod headed for Ft. St. John in Canada and we brought Karen home with us.
I am a container-gardener only, and a pathetic one at that, so I seized my chance when Karen came to visit last week. We shopped for mostly flowering annuals such as petunias, snapdragons, and others that I don't know intimately, and as soon as we got home, she was up to her elbows in potting soil. Everything is looking very perky and happy and I can't wait for all of it to fill in with glorious color. Following Karen in the garden store is as befuddling for me as it is for her when I drag her into a kitchen store or gourmet grocery. We do make a good team.
She and I made a road trip back down to Chehalis so I could take her to Sister's fabric shop which is where any quilter would want to spend her every breathing moment. Ten thousand plus bolts of fabric in tight formation shoulder to shoulder, color by color, for as far as the eye can see to the back of a very small shop. After the frantic shopping we were in need of sustenance, and found a delightful bakery where we supped on quiche and creme brulee. I detected a definite German influence and learned of the couple that owns it that one is German and the other Icelandic.
We returned last night from the annual fishing trip to Spokane. Ken and Bob fished three days straight: Lake Sacheen, Waitts Lake and Liberty Lake with some nice fish, mostly rainbow trout, from all three. The weather was as nice as I've seen it for opening week end and I remember one year when they came home covered in snow.
We caught up with Mike and Mary last Saturday at a neighborhood garage sale in north Spokane, so we chatted and shopped and then had lunch together. Their lives are currently taken up with pending retirement and the anticipation of a grandson. Becky is expecting a baby in July, to be named Benjamin. Now that I know it is a boy, I need to be thinking about a quilt perhaps? She lives in Texas, and Mike and Mary were there to see her in April, and Mary is going back down for a few days the end of May. We haven't had a baby in the family for quite a number of years!
Sharon and I had lunch last week in the restaurant at the new Davenport Towers in Spokane which is just across the street from the original restored hotel. The decor of the entire hotel is a safari theme with two life-sized, gold-leafed rhinoceroses greeting you at the entrance. Once inside, animals and jungle abound with a beautiful stuffed tiger looking at you from above. It was beautifully done, and I was very impressed.
And night before last we spent with Jerry and Lois. We had not seen them since last November, so we had a good time catching up. Jerry is recovering from a pulled hamstring, and Lois was her usual perky self. She had a one-man art show in Spokane recently and has enjoyed some good successes with her work. She is so talented. But the shows are hard work. Not only the creating of new pieces, but the matting and framing, and loading, and hauling, and unloading, and hanging, and "un-hanging". I have helped with just one or two and I was worn out.
It is gray and cool today; a typical Puget Sound spring day. I am off to figure out what it is that I need to do for the day. Ciao
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)