We have been home for one month...........isn't it time to go somewhere?
After the jacks are repaired on the motor home. Three are in need of replacement parts, and I guess it would be wise to wait and take care of that. I have been following my friends as they make their way from Minnesota to Washington via Texas, sans motor home, and have been wishing it were me. A road trip in the car is second best to an outing in the MH.
Our time is pretty well occupied with trying to get the kitchen finished and tying up the loose ends. And it is like a line of dominoes with each step dependent on another so it is a bit of a balancing act. We are close to finishing the lighting, redoing some of the plumbing, and making a decision for the floor. Even with all that, it is quite joyful to work in new surroundings. I am equally thrilled with my new 25 cu. ft. french door refrigerator......I have never had such spacious luxury, and even after a major shopping trip it still looks empty.
Craig returned from spending time with his friend who is recovering at Walter Reed, and he says he is glad he went. I believe the next major hurdle for his friend is to get finished with surgeries, get stabilized, and then get moved here to Madigan.
As I mentioned, the trip was also an opportunity for him to spend time with Keith, Janet, and the girls.
Colleen's Sacred Music Chorale is having its spring concerts this weekend so I will attend tomorrow night in Lynnwood. It is quite an amazing group, about seventy strong and including a number of professional musicians, and the works performed never cease to amaze me.
We are looking forward to a short visit by the Spragues on the 16th of May. They will have been attending a rally in Wenatchee and then will come here for two nights. We don't have enough room in the driveway for two coaches, so we reserve space for them at the Fort Lewis Travel Park which is just a matter of three or four miles from here. It has been several years since they were here, but I know Karen can't stand to not see the kitchen!! I don't know what I will do to get them back here next time.
Enjoy the lovely spring days as each one brings more and more beauty. HK
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Where is spring?
We are still waiting for a full day of sunshine. There have been a few teasers, but the weather has not been great since returning home.
We drove to Chehalis yesterday to meet up with the Ouseys as they are making their way back to Victoria. Since we left Casa Grande in a bit of a hurry, it was nice to spend some time with them as we sipped some wine and dined on Subway sandwiches. They are planning to be on the 2:00 p.m. ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria today.
I just investigated another shopping venue here in the Northwest - Grocery Outlet. I know Craig and Cassie have shopped there, but this was a first for me. The stores are a bit on the dismal side, but there are some gems if you look, including fresh produce. For the size of the store, they have a large wine selection, and most everything I saw was in the $5 range. Mind you, I didn't recognize one single label, but for $5 they are worth a try. According to their website, there is a three-tier system for the marketing of wine, and they purchase at the lowest or third tier which means they buy up the cases that didn't sell through the first two tiers such as wholesalers and restaurants. Remember, if you are used to shopping at AJ's in Phoenix or Queen Ann Thriftway in Seattle or Metropolitan Market here in Tacoma, THIS STORE IS NOT FOR YOU!!
Craig is headed to Baltimore for a few days to visit a friend who was injured in Afghanistan and is now at Walter Reed. His injuries aren't life-threatening but he lost several fingers. One leg is going to require multiple surgeries and lots of metal. Fortunately, Craig can stay at Keith and Janet's while he is there so the trip is a two-for-one visit.
Colleen is in Spokane to attend a conference, and she too benefits from family and will stay with Jerry and Lois. The last time I checked, the rest of the family is where they are supposed to be although Brian said he has some travel coming up. And that includes Ken and Cooper who are still in bed!!
Ciao
We drove to Chehalis yesterday to meet up with the Ouseys as they are making their way back to Victoria. Since we left Casa Grande in a bit of a hurry, it was nice to spend some time with them as we sipped some wine and dined on Subway sandwiches. They are planning to be on the 2:00 p.m. ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria today.
I just investigated another shopping venue here in the Northwest - Grocery Outlet. I know Craig and Cassie have shopped there, but this was a first for me. The stores are a bit on the dismal side, but there are some gems if you look, including fresh produce. For the size of the store, they have a large wine selection, and most everything I saw was in the $5 range. Mind you, I didn't recognize one single label, but for $5 they are worth a try. According to their website, there is a three-tier system for the marketing of wine, and they purchase at the lowest or third tier which means they buy up the cases that didn't sell through the first two tiers such as wholesalers and restaurants. Remember, if you are used to shopping at AJ's in Phoenix or Queen Ann Thriftway in Seattle or Metropolitan Market here in Tacoma, THIS STORE IS NOT FOR YOU!!
Craig is headed to Baltimore for a few days to visit a friend who was injured in Afghanistan and is now at Walter Reed. His injuries aren't life-threatening but he lost several fingers. One leg is going to require multiple surgeries and lots of metal. Fortunately, Craig can stay at Keith and Janet's while he is there so the trip is a two-for-one visit.
Colleen is in Spokane to attend a conference, and she too benefits from family and will stay with Jerry and Lois. The last time I checked, the rest of the family is where they are supposed to be although Brian said he has some travel coming up. And that includes Ken and Cooper who are still in bed!!
Ciao
Sunday, April 04, 2010
A Blessed Easter to You
We have been to church, and we will join Craig, Cassie, Greta, and Cassie's parents for dinner later on today. There were other plans that involved other family get-togethers, but I think we all decided we were tired, and we had had plenty of family togetherness lately.
Ken and I spent three nights in Prosser after we left Spokane to afford us some time for wine-tasting and wine-buying. We were finally able to make arrangements to have someone meet us at Steppe Cellars which is way out in the country and this time of year (as is true with many other wineries)there is no one at the tasting room. This winery has a female German winemaker, and we especially love the white wines, so we made it worth their while to meet us there.
Nephew Joel and wife, Shawna, were in the area this past week, so they came and stayed with us on Thursday night. We haven't seen them since before they were married one year ago last December (theirs is the wedding we missed because the entire state was buried in snow) so we were thrilled that they came to see us. Shawna teaches math at one of the Spokane community colleges so she had this past week off. Joel works for Honeywell, but he wishes he could spend all of his waking hours at their property in Clayton where he is building their 'shome'. The building is about 60' x 40' with the lower level all shop and the upper level living space.
Craig and Chuck, our contractor, were here having a beer when we arrived home on Thursday afternoon, which is appropriate since they have been the masterminds and worker bees for the kitchen remodel. The cabinets, the countertops and backsplash and the big archway into the dining room are all beautiful. Chuck is the best of the best. His workmanship and business management are so awesome that I would like to have him build a house for me.
I love the knotty alder wood for the cabinets although I am a bit disappointed with the kitchen planner with some of the things we ended up with. Do not ever ever ever let a kitchen designer talk you into corner cabinets that form right angles with hinged doors. They are a nightmare to open and close, and a blind corner would be far better. And do not let a kitchen designer plunk 12" wide cabinets into small spaces. A 12" wide cabinet is useless. Leave the wall space open and hang a calendar with hunky men on it!!!
It has been rainy and cool to cold since we got home, but I think that was my mantra while we were in Arizona so nothing has changed. I'm sure we will see some warmer dryer weather sometime soon.
Upon reflecting over the past three weeks that included a family death and funeral, I see the silver lining in that it afforded us as a family to connect and reconnect, and I'm sure many of us will stay in closer touch in the future. Give your loved ones a hug and let them know how much they mean to you.
Ciao
Ken and I spent three nights in Prosser after we left Spokane to afford us some time for wine-tasting and wine-buying. We were finally able to make arrangements to have someone meet us at Steppe Cellars which is way out in the country and this time of year (as is true with many other wineries)there is no one at the tasting room. This winery has a female German winemaker, and we especially love the white wines, so we made it worth their while to meet us there.
Nephew Joel and wife, Shawna, were in the area this past week, so they came and stayed with us on Thursday night. We haven't seen them since before they were married one year ago last December (theirs is the wedding we missed because the entire state was buried in snow) so we were thrilled that they came to see us. Shawna teaches math at one of the Spokane community colleges so she had this past week off. Joel works for Honeywell, but he wishes he could spend all of his waking hours at their property in Clayton where he is building their 'shome'. The building is about 60' x 40' with the lower level all shop and the upper level living space.
Craig and Chuck, our contractor, were here having a beer when we arrived home on Thursday afternoon, which is appropriate since they have been the masterminds and worker bees for the kitchen remodel. The cabinets, the countertops and backsplash and the big archway into the dining room are all beautiful. Chuck is the best of the best. His workmanship and business management are so awesome that I would like to have him build a house for me.
I love the knotty alder wood for the cabinets although I am a bit disappointed with the kitchen planner with some of the things we ended up with. Do not ever ever ever let a kitchen designer talk you into corner cabinets that form right angles with hinged doors. They are a nightmare to open and close, and a blind corner would be far better. And do not let a kitchen designer plunk 12" wide cabinets into small spaces. A 12" wide cabinet is useless. Leave the wall space open and hang a calendar with hunky men on it!!!
It has been rainy and cool to cold since we got home, but I think that was my mantra while we were in Arizona so nothing has changed. I'm sure we will see some warmer dryer weather sometime soon.
Upon reflecting over the past three weeks that included a family death and funeral, I see the silver lining in that it afforded us as a family to connect and reconnect, and I'm sure many of us will stay in closer touch in the future. Give your loved ones a hug and let them know how much they mean to you.
Ciao
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