Shenanigans and Adventures

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  • The Big Adventure

    August was promising to be a big month for us, as long as I could get through the first week with positive results.  I was in my seventh week of recovery from rotator cuff repair. I had a physical therapy appointment and the next day my surgical follow up.  I was hoping that with my promise to do my physical therapy on our trip, both the physical therapist and the surgical PA would agree to let me go.  And they did.

    Two days after my post op visit we left for Lynnwood Washington, the first leg of our I-90 drive.  We drove to J’s house where L was visiting for dinner.  

    Sunday the 9th J&K, David and I joined our son and his family at T-Mobile Park in Seattle for a Mariner’s game.

    A fitting beginning to a trip that would end in Boston.  We were planning to drive the length and breadth of the east coast after Boston

    Monday we drove from Lynnwood to Seattle to truly start at the beginning of I-90.  Pretty exciting!


    .

    We were expecting the worst of this drive because of fires raging in eastern Washington, Spokane in particular. The weather cooled a bit and the winds died down allowing for partial containment of the fires. This made the drive much more bearable than we had anticipated.

    IDAHO

    We drove all the way to Idaho that first day.  My cousin lives in Athol Idaho and I hadn’t seen him and his wife in years. They have a beautiful wooded piece of land with a very unique and welcoming 40 year old house.  

    They took us to dinner at the Captain’s Wheel on Lake Pend Orielle.  Our server, Trish, took very good care of us. I could see she was one of my cousin’s favorite servers.  My pastrami sandwich was so good and so big I put half in a take out box to eat on the road later.  The benefits of having an Iceco freezer refrigerator in the van. That night we slept in his driveway.  So quiet. So peaceful.

    On my cousin’s recommendation we stopped in Wallace ID.  This is an old mining town. We had plenty of time so we visited the Museum. We got totally sucked in from old safes to mine re-creation.  Wallace is literally in the mountains on the east side of the Idaho panhandle.  A really fascinating place.

    Montana

    Tuesday morning we were off again. Our destination for the evening: Big Sky Brewing in Missoula, MT.  The Garden City Taqueria food truck provided yummy street tacos and the beer was of course very good. This is where they make Moose Drool. How could we loose.

    The next day on our way east we stopped in Butte.  This was the trip of multiple stops, so this was the third.  We’ve always driven by Butte but never stopped.  

    Butte is built on a hill which gave us lots of cardio while we walked the town.  The 19th century buildings are almost all brick. Everything in town is protected because it seems as though the entire town is a national historic site.

    Butte architecture is a prime example of 19th century architecture and masonry work.

    Yeah, I take a lot of photos of old buildings.

    Moving right along to Billings we spent the night at a Love’s.  I know it seems we were moving very quickly but the reality was, we were only driving 4 hours maximum.  We’re just getting too old to drive 6 – 13 hours a day. 

    One of our stops was at Little Bighorn.  This battlefield is something you have to see to understand the horror and the tragedy that happened here.

    Something I did not know about Little Bighorn: It is considered a National Cemetery. Therefore, not only are the soldiers who died here buried here, but also their family members and some descendants up to 1967.

    WYOMING

    Our projects

    We decided it was time to search out a campsite. 

    Keyhole Lake is a reservoir in eastern Wyoming.  The lake was very low this year due to drought, so going to the shoreline was kind of unpleasant. That being said, we opted for watching the birds swoop through the air eating bugs and diving for fish and listening to fish jump in the lake. This is where I learned that no-see-ums bite, viciously.

    There were a lot of birds.  The ones I could identify were; Kaspian Terns, Mourning doves, woodpeckers, herons, and turkeys. Birds are not easy to photograph.

    On Saturday we walked down to the Marina Store.  We got caught in a bit of a rainstorm on the way.  We ate ice cream sandwiches while we watched the welcomed rain. 

    Thankfully there was a decent shower room at the campground and we made sure we used it twice.

    We were off to Devil’s Tower on Sunday.

    I had no idea this monument would be so intriguing.  Devil’s Tower is where Stephen Spielberg chose to film a good portion of Close Encounters of a Third Kind.  He chose well.

     

    It has been a sacred place for Native American people for thousands of years.  The trees at the monument are covered with prayer cloths.  The cloths remind us of how sacred this place is.   All those cloths also lend an ethereal feel to the area.

    People speak quietly here.

    While we were there a buck and a doe graced us with their presence and we watch them peacefully feed off the bushes. 

    South Dakota

    Monday we found ourselves in Spearfish South Dakota.  We had housekeeping duties like laundry, a visit to the hardware store, and groceries.  

    We started with lunch at Killians.  The lamb burger and amber ale made for a tasty, satisfying meal. 

    After we finished our “chores” we set off to find our Harvest Host for the evening, Crow Peak Brewing.  

    We enjoyed an Amber Ale and conversation with Brie, a local person who also works as a bartender at the bar.  We slept well on the side of the building.

    Spearfish has a canyon:  Spearfish Canyon.  This is a beautiful drive with many scenic stops along the way.  While stopped at Devil’s Bathtub we saw fish in the river and an Osprey across the road high in a snag protecting its nest.

    I’m so glad we included this canyon in our travels.

    After our meandering in Spearfish Canyon we made a stop in Deadwood. Lots of bars and casinos. Deadwood reminded me of Nashville more than Las Vergas.

    Our stop for the night would be at the Hairy Cow in Box Elder near Ellsworh Air Base. This is a stop that included good beer and Tapps in the evening and Revelrie in the morning.  (We were not expecting to be able to hear the base.)

    That night we were treated to a powerful electrical storm. We were blessed with no hail, only rain. The van solar panels would survive another day.

    Our morning started at Star Bucks where I was able to put a couple of hours into the blog. ( WIFI is hard to come by on the road. )

    Then it was time to check out Mt. Rushmore.

    I don’t do bucket lists and Mt. Rushmore probably would not have made it, but this was definitely was worth it – if only to re-create the Hitchcock thriller, North By Northwest, in my imagination.

    Crazy fact to stick in – and only a few will understand why – Mt Rushmore will not support a 5th face. It’s too fragile that’s why Jefferson is where he is. As they were working on his image the rock face crumbled.

    The sculptor’s studio was an interesting part of the stop. The rangers give a fifteen minute talk about every hour.

    We returned to Box Elder for the night. This time it was another Love’s. After an ok night’s sleep we ventured east once again.

    The next stop: Wall, South Dakota and – you guessed it – Wall Drug.

    What can I say about Wall Drug??? The town probably wouldn’t exist without it. For me it was a typical tourist trap

    Once I saw it I will never go back. Other folks, I know don’t feel they’ve done a cross country trip without stopping. We did buy a Christmas ornament there just so we can say we stopped.

    Dignity of Earth and Sky. This beautiful statue is actually at a rest stop overlooking the Missouri River a little way east of Wall off I-90.

    Stop here! It is beautiful and impressive. Make sure you stop before 5:00 PM before the interpretive center closes. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it. But I took pictures.

    Time to search for a place to sleep. We drove through miles of sunflowers on our search. I was surprised to learn that the sunflower is not the state flower. It’s a crocus.

    We use Love’s truck stops a lot. Traveling in the west and southwest we’ve come to rely on them so naturally we headed for the closest Love’s while trying to beat a storm.

    It was small and the only spaces we could park for the night were full hookups for $75!

    The search continued until we stopped at a Fuel Mart, about 20 minutes west of Sioux Falls. Several available spots and soooo quiet.

    We had a hotel room waiting for us in Sioux Falls. Thank goodness. We’d been on the road for 9 days and needed a bit of a break.

    Sioux Falls surprised me, and not just because one of the first landmarks we passed was the state penitentiary.

    It’s a very family oriented city. We were told this happened in the last ten years.

    The former industrial area has been included as a part of the Falls Park. Yes, it’s been “gentrified” but it was done with families in mind.

    The Falls park is somewhere between 123 – 128 acres. We walked from the Levitt Shell to the falls on the northside.

    As we walked to the falls we passed the Levitt Shell, a new splash pad, a playground that had to have been an acre in sized, a roller rink that becomes and ice skating rink around Thanksgiving, a family restaurant and bar.

    All these activities have free parking available near by.

    This area was not restricted to class structure. There were folks there from all over the area. The amazing thing is it is available at no cost for the families it was meant to serve.

    Later in the evening we returned to the Levitt Shell for a free blues concert featuring Bohdi Lunde as the opening act and Mississippi Heat the headliner for the evening. These concerts happen all summer long, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

    Oh and just when you think you’ve seen the whole park, there is the Arc of Dreams at the south end.

    Fun fact about Sioux Falls. The airport is almost smack in the middle of town.

    Before we left Sioux Falls we attended Sunday Mass at The Cathedral of St. Joseph

    Minnesota

    I -90 took us north after South Dakota to Minnesota. Another state we had never been to before. Our second new state.

    We found a campground unlike any we had ever been to before. Great River Bluffs is almost completely deciduous. Coming from the Pacific Northwest this was completely foreign to us. Other than a few pine trees the whole forest was deciduous trees. And to top it off this forest is inhabited by timber rattlesnakes. Another new thing for us to learn about. Fortunately, these snakes are very shy and we never saw one.

    Great River Bluffs over looks the Mississippi and Wisconsin. It is also the only place we saw the fall colors in the trees.

    And that is where I leave you. The Big Adventure part 2 will continue after we cross the Mississippi and continue our journey along I-90, the longest interstate highway in the lower 48.

  • July 2026

    Small disclosure here; several of this months photos were taken by my husband due to my non-functioning left arm.

    July promised to be relaxed and tad bit boring… for me.

    Since our children have grown and started families of their own and we retired, the 4th of July is sort of a non-holiday.  Usually a noisy one, but just another day.  

    This one was very pleasant.  Our friends D and R invited us to  a bar-b-que at their home in the south hills of Eugene.  Eugene is always tinder dry at this time of the year so several years ago the city banned private fireworks and although D and R are outside the city limits people in the area respect that ordinance.  So we spent the afternoon with D and R and some of their family and friends.  The food is always exceptional and the company enjoyable.  All in all a good way to start the month.

    Two weeks later we were on our way up I-5 toward Long Beach, Washington.  I prefer driving up the coast, but summer is a crazy slow time for that.  We were meeting our daughter and her family for a week at the beach.  They live on the west edge of the prairie 20 minutes outside Denver so she and the boys were beyond excited when we met up with them.

    Long Beach holds a lot of deep family history for us.  We came here to camp nearly every summer at Cape Disappointment.

    Long Beach is your typical seaside tourist trap.  Fudge on every block. Lots of seafood. Go carts. An arcade.  Surprisingly the grandsons didn’t ask to go to any of those places – just Scoops, the ice cream shop.

    The boys really wanted to go to the beach everyday.  They live a long way from the beach. The pool and art projects Mom brought occupied the rest of their time.

    The big event of the week was the Treasure Hunt!  This is something David started two years ago when all 4 grandsons were at Long Beach at the same time.  David bought a couple of little wooden treasure chests, some fake “jewels”, and fake doubloons,  and a large plastic spider.

    The rest of the week was very laid back and relaxed, which was great since I was still recouping and our daughter and son-in-law really needed some R&R.

    We finished off the month the way we started; dinner with our friends D & R.

  • June

    May sort of ran into June.  Since we landed at SeaTac early Monday morning, June 1st we were pretty jet lagged,  Red eye flights, not my favorites. When we arrived at J’s house we pretty much beat.  We got a bite to eat.  We got back to the house, turned on the TV and fell asleep.

    Tuesday we picked up L and went fishing at Blackman’s Lake in Snohomish.While David  and I set up L for fishing. J got lunch. Although, L didn’t catch anything David did!  Surprise!  

    It was a very relaxing and pleasant day.

    Wednesday we drove back to Eugene and medical appointments for both of us.

    The big event for June was my shoulder surgery.  Sometime before Christmas – I think – I fell and tore my front rotator cuff muscle, the supraspinatus.  June 15th – the day before our anniversary – I had rotator cuff repair and some cartilage cleaned up in the joint from arthritic damage.

    The last weekend in June our son, M , brought his two boys down.  We took them – and  their bikes to a local school yard to play and burn off a lot of pent up energy after a very long drive.  This was followed by a trip to Round One Arcade.  Where more energy was expelled. Strictly family oriented.

    Autzen is a football field.  Banana ball is baseball.  We were sitting above center field close to the east big screen. Also, most of the Banana Ball fans are from places other than Eugene. Consequently,  the closest the Uber driver could get us was  half a mile away from the stadium with a 6 year old and a 4 year old and me who was 11 days post op from shoulder surgery. 

    We watched most of the game and accompanying entertainment on huge screens above the stands.  The coolest thing about Banana Ball – for me anyway – is that it is exactly 2 hours long.

    I think the boys had fun.  I was beat by the time we walked across campus and Ubered Home.

    M and the boys drove home to Snohomish and David and I collapsed  into the love seat recliner.

    The rest of June was spent with me recovering and both of us prepping for July’s adventure.

  • May

    May 1st found us back in Washington.  This was moving day for David’s dad.  He was moving from LF’s house to an assisted living facility.  I have to say David’s oldest sister, J, did an outstanding job researching this huge project.  She found the facility, hunted down all the paper work from Medicare to The Veterans  Administration, as well as helping her dad fill it out.  It’s a very nice place and L seems to have settled in nicely.  Lots of activities and exercise.

    David had spent the previous day at LF’s house helping L sort his belongings.

    Friday morning J & I met the moving crew at the facility.  David had our van so there wasn’t as much room as there would have been in the truck and his dad rode with him.  Soon LF, JF,  and one of their twin daughters, SF, showed up.  With this many hands the move progressed smoothly and quickly,

    After we were finished the folks from the south Puget Sound area; LF, JF, and SF,  headed off to wherever they were going and David, L, J, and I went back to J’s house.  L actually could not move in until the following Monday.  He was staying with J until then.  

    The following morning David and I were up earlier than usual for us.  We had a long day ahead of us.  This was going to be a quick trip to Colorado with long days of driving.  It was May 2nd and we had to be home by the 14th for dental appointments.

    Our first destination on this trip:  My younger brother’s house in Nampa, Idaho.  It was an 8 hour drive across Snoqualmie Pass, down through Yakima and Northeastern Oregon.  We arrived in the early evening just in time for my sister-in-law’s yummy cooking.  Whether my brother or my sister-in-law is cooking, the food is always good.

    The next morning we said our goodbyes and headed east – after we finally found our way out of my brother’s neighborhood. 

    We spent the night at a Love’s in Green River, Wyoming.  We must have slept pretty well because we woke up a bit late.  It always amazes me how many people pull in and out beside us in these truck stops, and we never seem to hear them.  I think it’s because we live so close to the freeway in Eugene.

    We arrived at our daughter’s house in Colorado just as our son-in-law left for work.  At the time he was working crazy long hours on a night shift.  Because this is often the way life is for these two, we try to help with the boys and around the house.  I couldn’t do a lot since I was trying to avoid damaging my left shoulder any further.

    Much of our time was playing games with the boys, letting N run errands without two little boys tagging along.  Grandpa played a lot of games with our grandsons. 

    Later in the week David and I took grandsons 1 & 3 to their local park and watched them play on the equipment.  Grandson #3 has really gotten into his balance bike so he wanted to be sure I took the right pictures at the right time.  He’s 5.  Some day he’ll be supervising employees. 

    We stayed through Mother’s Day.  We started with Mass in the morning.  In the afternoon David made an early dinner for us so we could eat as a family before our son-in-law left for work.

    Monday morning we left around 10:00AM and headed north to Wyoming.  We wanted to stop in Laramie since we always seem to drive past.  While David drove I pulled out my phone and looked for lunch in Laramie.  David had heard about a New York style deli and wanted to give it a go.  Then we’d spend the night back in Green River.

    Well that did not happen.  As we approached the state line – we were practically there – signs were telling us that Highway 80 west bound was closed to vehicles like the van because of high winds.

    We have experienced high winds on Highway 80 in the van and trust me once is enough.There were also high winds predicted for I25.  Our only choice was to turn around and take I 70 west.  All the way south of Denver.  A two hour delay.  And we had to find a different town to spend the night.  

    We finally got through Denver and onto  I70.  Things were going well.  The weather was perfect.  We sailed through the Eisenhower – Johnson Tunnel without any difficulties.   And then life stopped.  Just stopped.  Traffic was at a standstill in both directions.  Road crews were blasting on the mountains.  By the time we got to Green River, Utah ( yes another Green River – but hey, Green River towns have worked for us as a matter of fact I think we should stop at every town named Green River in every state) we were beat and hungry.  

    We had a delicious meal at the Tamarisk Restaurant.  This restaurant  was right on the river.  A beautiful view for dinner.  

    Then we toddled off to the local Love’s for the night. 

    The rest of the trip went smoothly.  We spent Tuesday night  the 12th at another Love’s.  We arrived home in the early evening on the 13th. 

    The next week was spent cleaning out the van and preparing for our next adventure. 

    Thursday the 22nd we were on I5 again, heading north to J’s house.  What is usually a five and half hour drive turned into 8.  Our first delay was in Longview looking for gas at a reasonable price. This meant Fred Meyer, about as far from I 5 as possible and still in Longview. And of course GPS took us the scenic route. 

    When we got into King County we were feeling pretty good about the time we made up from Longview.  Ha, ha, ha.  I5 in Seattle was a mess due to major lane closures.  It was a real slog, but we made it in time for dinner.  ( I know it sounds like we always make it “just in time for  dinner” We really don’t plan it that way)

    Saturday we took L to lunch at Red Robin. We had hours and hours before we had to leave for Sea Tac to catch a 7:10 PM flight to….San Juan Puerto Rico.

    We were leaving from Lynnwood for SeaTac with J.  To save money, time, and aggravation we took Sound Transportation Lite Rail from Lynnwood to SeaTac.  What a great system.  The train drops you in the parking garage and then it’s a straight shot into the airport terminal. 

    Our flight had changed a couple of times since we booked in December.  The original reservation had us leaving Seattle at 10:58 PM, stopping in Chicago, and then arriving in Puerto Rico around 12:30PM the following day.  This flight had us connecting in San Francisco to a flight to Washington DC arriving in Puerto Rico at 12:38PM the next day.

    What a nightmare. 

    The connecting flight to Washington DC arrived 40 minutes late.  We waited on the tarmac for another 20 minutes while they finished loading luggage.  We finally took off over an hour late.  When we landed in Washington DC nearly everyone on the plane had a connecting flight to make – ourselves included.

    We arrived in Puerto Rico after 17 hours – felt like 3 days.  K was there to meet us.  K had been working in the area for about a month, thus the trip.

    After a short uber drive we were at the condo.  We had time to kill before check-in so we played a card  game, Scout  – a new one for us – while treating ourselves to some libations.

    After check-in and a much needed shower we were off on foot to find food… in the rain.  

    Chido’s was our choice.  Located on a corner of the main drag, Chido’s made me feel happy and in the mood for new experiences. Our server, Vanessa, was very helpful answering all of our questions regardless of how confusing we were.

    Wonderful late lunch.   David and I had shrimp tacos with tostones – everything comes with tostones – K & J had shrimp avocados and margaritas and pinacolotas.  When you order shrimp in Puerto Rico they aren’t the shrimp we’re used to getting here on the Pacific Coast. These shrimp were 3” long, minimum. And the avocados had to have been 6” long.  We also had entertainment. 

    A couple of older gentlemen were playing an oil drum, maracas, and a guitar.  So we sat here at a table beside a huge open window (more of an open wall) in the rain and listened while we ate.

    Monday was Memorial Day.

      It can be very easy to forget Puerto Rico is a part of the USA, but Puerto Ricans do not forget.  They celebrate the same national holidays, use the same currency, and suffer from the same inflated gas prices we do on the mainland. And this day everyone seemed to be exiting the island. Going home to the mainland.

    The weather was not only rainy but also blowing gusts.  After a lazy morning of coffee and pastry ( K is always first up so he left early and went foraging for a pound of coffee and pastries. We all appreciate this weird part of his character. K makes great coffee), we decided to walk down the beach to one of the bars that had been too busy the day before. The trick was finding a beach bar with enough shelter from the wind.  We found one with an empty table we squeezed into.  We had tasty pulled pork sandwiches and of course margaritas and pinacolotas.  

    I’m really surprised margaritas and pinacolotas weren’t part of breakfast. 

     The condo was not stocked with any food at all so a trip to the grocery store was in order.

    Dinner was at a very small family restaurant. We ordered family style:  roasted pork, sweet potatoes, macaroni salad and just for a change of pace sangria.  Then a walk home in the rain.

    Tuesday we had papayas for breakfast before heading to the beach.  Since so many people left the island the day before the beach was relatively empty – of course it was raining.  Our two beach umbrellas helped until the wind shifted.  It was actually warm and very relaxing.  No sunscreen needed.

    Dinner that night was a bit of an adventure.   We ubered west to Ocean Lab Brewery.  This gave us a very different view of the Atlantic and the area we were staying.  The complex was huge.  A beautiful beach with palm trees along the beach side of the open air restaurant, an aviary with a couple of  very large macaws, a gift shop and of course it seems to be attached to a beach club. After we ubered back to Carolina,  the neighborhood/town where we were staying, we finished the evening with a walk to Cold Stone – like we hadn’t had enough to eat – and a walk home in a downpour!  We finished most of our ice cream in a bus shelter.

    Wednesday.  The previous evening had gone on a bit late.  It was decided this would be a late morning followed by an early lunch and a stroll through Old Town at Barrachina.  K had heard that this was the best place for paella.  Our ultimate destination for the day would be a self guided tour of San Cristobal.  First an early lunch of paella with – you guessed it – margaritas and pina coladas.  

    I’ve never had real paella before,  This was incredible.  We of course ate too much, but we had a lot of walking ahead of us and it was hot so we needed the fuel.

    The architecture in Old Town is beautiful and some of it very old.  The first thing we noticed were the blue cobble stones.  The blue is from the iron content in the stone.  A fact that surprised me since usually orange that shows iron. 

    Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon founded the first European settlement in 1508 so some structures are over 400 years old.  This includes Castillo San Felipe del Moro, started in 1598.  

    I could give a cursory history lesson here, but it would take pages.  I’d rather just show you photos.

    Old Town

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    Thursday, the day everyone was looking forward to.

      The Bacardi tour! 

    We ubered out to the Bacardi plant/distillery and signed in at the tour kiosk.  While we waited for our tour we played Love Letter and enjoyed yummy rum beverages in the covered open air bar.  I have to say right here; I am not a rum drinker.  Rum is sweet as is everything that is mixed with it. They did , however, serve a rum drink I could really become addicted to.  Wish I could remember the name.

    Unfortunately, it was one of the most expensive drinks on the menu.  It was made with coffee, cinnamon, and light on the sugar.

    On with the rest of the tour. 

    A couple of things I learned: Bacardi was founded in Cuba in 1862 then with the Revolution in 1960 the family was forced to relocate to Puerto Rico.  They also have distilleries in Mexico and India.  The tour was great and our tour guide, Esther, was delightful.  

    We finished the tour in time to make the ferry for dinner in Old Town. J & K were looking for a restaurant that would serve a good Mofongo, a traditional dish of the island.  I ordered shrimp.  The mofongo looked interesting but I was determined to get as much shrimp as I could on this trip. We accompanied our dinner with sangria.

    Bacardi, dinner in Old Town

    Esther

    Friday.  This was going to be a huge day.  We had booked a tour of the El Yunque Rainforest.  This is the largest US tropical Rainforest. It has a very different feel than Hawaii.

    We met our Patria tour bus at a nearby hotel.  Our tour guides, Jorge and Adrion, were both very knowledgeable about the island’s history as well as the rainforest. Jorge was an excellent driver.  He could drive me through any jungle up any mountain and I’d feel safe.  Adrion kept the drive interesting with fascinating information about the island.  It was Adrion who told us that the “bird” we kept hearing at night was not a bird at all but a tiny frog called a coqui for the sound it makes.  The frog is less than one inch long but makes a very loud chirping sound. 

    On the way down the mountain we stopped at Yokahu Tower. 

    I really do not like heights.  Truly hate heights.  This tower at 1,575 feet has 64 stairs.   I really didn’t want to climb it.  The power of the camera and the desire to get that photo can be very compelling.  Combine that pull with your best buddy (J) egging you on and before you know it you’re at the top of a very high structure taking photos. 

    Dinner that night was a few short blocks from our condo at The Metropol,  a restaurant recommended by our guide Adrion.

    This has to be THE restaurant for all family celebrations.  While we were there no fewer than four birthdays were celebrated.  On our way out we passed a wedding party dancing their way into the restaurant.

    Art in the forest

    Saturday, last chance for the beach. There was nothing planned for Saturday but the beach.  And that is what we did.  The weather was beautiful, albeit hot.  We were there most of the day on our chaise lounges under our umbrellas reading or napping.   David and I did get in the water for a bit.  I’m a terrible swimmer and with a torn rotator muscle didn’t really want to try much.  But it was refreshing if not as cold as what I am used to.

    We bought homemade empanadas and mango sherbet from private vendors walking the beach.  It was a delicious lunch. 

    For our last dinner we went back to Chido’s.  Once again Vanessa was our server.  

    My sister-in-law took this photo with her I phone. I don’t have an I phone. Fortunately I have a very tech savy son-in-law.

    Sunday our last day on the island.  Our flight was leaving at 1:00AM Monday.  Lots of time to kill for last minute souvenir shopping in Old Town. We went to the Fort (Castillo) one more time.  J wanted to look at the cemetery – cemeteries are so interesting especially in an environment like the tropics.   Unfortunately, the cemetery was closed.  Kind of weird considering it was Sunday.

    While walking through Old Town we happened upon the Cathedral Menor de San Juan Bautista. If we had found the cathedral at the beginning of Mass instead of the end I would have stayed for Mass.

     K had secured a hotel suite next to the airport for later in the day.  When we got into the hotel suite we took turns taking showers, we read, we napped, and we watched part of the Mariner baseball game.  Then it was time to catch our flight to Chicago.  The flight home went off without a hitch.  Monday morning we found ourselves – having traveled back in time over time zones – safe on the ground at SeaTac.

    This trip was definitely one of the most interesting trips David and I have done together.  I embarked on this journey with no preconceived ideas.  I did not expect the feeling of being in a foreign country while at the same time feeling like I was in the US.  The history is both sad and fascinating.  And Puerto Ricans know their history and political situation well.  I left wondering if Puerto Ricans would have been better off without the US gaining control in 1898.  The US mainland certainly does not treat the people in this US territory as equal citizens.

  • April

    While finishing this post I became very frustrated with all the same first initials in our family and friends, since that is how I refer to people in my life to protect identity. So I decided to provide a cast of characters.

    • J – my sister-in-law and best buddy
    • K – J’s husband
    • L – my father-in-law
    • M – our son
    • KP – our son’s wife
    • LF – another sister-in-law
    • JF – LF’s husband
    • S – KP’s dad
    • LB – KP’s mom, S’s wife
    • N – our daughter
    • MH – our son-in-law
    • MD – David’s buddy since high school
    • P – MD’s wife

    I think that cover’s it….until it doesn’t

    L was still visiting at the beginning of April.  He stayed through Easter.  David took him back to Washington that Tuesday.  I stayed home sick.  I thought I had a norovirus and after talking with a friend who knew more about the virus I pretty much confirmed it.  Stupid virus knocked me off my feet for 3 full days and David and L never got it.  Go figure.

    After taking the entire week to recover I was a little stir crazy. So in the middle of the month we took a short camping trip.  We needed to test out the cabin battery in the van since it had failed on us earlier in the year.

    We chose Jessie Honeyman State Park.  Another wonderful Oregon Coastal park. Honeyman is usually open year round and just a few minutes south of Florence on Hwy 101.  This is a great family park.  Lots of group campsites, sand dunes for off roading, a lake with paddle boards, and biker/hiker campsites. We love doing off season camping here since it’s close to home and so close to Florence. In the past we’ve always been able to pull up mid-week and find a spot.  However, with budget cuts everywhere we learned we should have made a reservation.  We were just making ourselves at home in the van ( drinks and a game) when the ranger showed up and informed us we were in someone else’s space and they would be arriving from California at any moment.  She was very helpful in finding us a different space nearby.

    Lesson learned.  Make a reservation.  

    The following day we were low on power and although it was sunny it was very cool.  

    Field trip time.

    We walked through Old Town Florence stopping at Traveler’s Cove for a very yummy Mexican lunch. We had stopped here  years ago for a drink, since then the restaurant has changed hands and is much improved. 

    We did some more walking and browsing shops.  At Crystals at Waterlilly Studio I bought a bracelet made from upcycled Indonesian glass. Simple, inexpensive and pretty.

    Our lunch was very filling so dinner was simple.  Cookies.  

    We had our first campfire that evening. Once it burned down the cold drove us inside for the night.

    We slept very soundly in the van.  So soundly that we didn’t wake up until 9:30 the next morning.  It felt so good.

    Again it was a beautiful sunny and cold morning.  

    We drove to the South Jetty where the Siuslaw tidal river meets the Pacific. I took pictures of pelicans, kayakers, and waves. We did our hour walk on the beach before walking back to the car. By then our breakfast of overnight oats had worn off.  After sandwiches in the van we drove to Reedsport.  

    In Reedsport we found Two Shy Brew Pub.  We sat down at the bar (our favorite seat in any pub or bar) and talked with Leah, the bartender on duty.  We had a lovely conversation with her while we enjoyed our beers.  I had a true Irish red.  If you really want to know if the brewery is worth your time try the Irish Red.  If it measures up you know you’ve chosen well.  David had an IPA. Doesn’t he always.

    On April 24th we drove to Seattle to celebrate my father-in-law, L’s, 99th birthday.  David really wanted to get the family – as many as could make it – together for a day of fishing with his dad.  L has always loved to fish.  He has told us many stories of fishing with his father, Walter. When our children were young he and David would take our son, M, fishing at Silver Lake in Whatcom County(about 45 minutes from our house)  David’s mom, our daughter, N, and I would drive up later with lunch.  If it was raining we would wait until the three of them came home – soaked – to have lunch.  Later when our son was in his teens the three of them would go deep sea fishing out of Westport WA.  Our poor son had terrible motion sickness, but always wanted to go.

    David and I arrived at LF’s house in time to go to lunch with L , J, and LF.  After lunch David, J, and I drove north.  J drove to her house in Lynnwood and David and I drove to our son’s house in Snohomish. It was good to see their house unpacked and the boys playing in a huge backyard.

    Saturday morning it was baseball for the boys.  M’s father-in-law, S, met us at the ball park.  We watched them play until the game was done.  When baseball is age 4-5 there is a finite time. 2 hours is maximum.

    From the game we went to Martha Lake in Lynnwood to prep for the birthday party.  It was opening day of fishing season! We met J and her husband K and started setting up food. L , LF and JF arrived soon after. David and his dad started sorting out fishing equipment.  It was crazy windy so we had to weigh everything down.

    David worked on getting himself and his dad set up on the fishing dock where they remained until food time. Our friends MD & P showed up to help celebrate as well as one of David’s twin nieces, M, and his boys. Everyone rotated between food and the dock.  There were about five eagles on the lake doing their own fishing. (I was unable to get photos of the eagles. They are fast.)

    There was a spot on one corner of the fishing dock where fishermen were pulling in their limit within minutes.  Unfortunately, our fishermen never got their turn at the secret spot.

    Early on we discovered there were no restrooms open – opening day of fishing season –  K decided to go home and bring his camper back.  Good thing.  About the time our grandsons were in the camper with our son, grandpa decided it was time he checked out the mobile facilities.

    Things started breaking up after yummy chocolate cake.  People started heading home.

    Once things were cleaned up and packed up we drove to M’s house where our daughter-in-law , KP, had been planting new shrubs (17) while we’d been at the park.

     Soon we piled into our respective vehicles and went to KP’s parents house for a wonderful dinner that her father cooked followed by key-lime pie.  I’d never had key-lime pie before.  It was very delicious but a bit sweet for me.  I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth.

    Sunday we left M and his family for Eugene.  Our intention was to get the van ready for a trip to Colorado to visit our daughter, N, and her family.  And we did that. 

    What we weren’t expecting was a call the next day from J in Lynnwood telling us the spot at the assisted living for L had opened up and we needed to be there by Wednesday, April 30th  to help move him.

    So early Wednesday morning we climbed in the van with our coffee and our Builder bars (breakfast) and headed north…again.

    David stayed at LF’s house where L was living while J and I took off for her house. David was staying to help his dad sort through his belongings.

    So ended the month of April.

    More to come in May’s blog.

  • March

    March has always been a tough month for me. It’s long, the weather is grumpy, it’s Lent, and it used to be nothing happened in March.

    However, March is birthday month in our family. In our small branch of the family there are five birthdays. 3 of our 4 grandsons, our daughter, our daughter-in-law, and our son-in-law. This doesn’t even count for a niece, sister-in-law, nephew, and a very good friend. So the first couple of weeks were spent selecting the right gifts, sending them off, and making birthday cards.

    At this time we also had to drop the van at the shop in Corvallis. It had been making a clunking sound for a while and it was now affecting steering.

    David kept himself busy with the “to do” list. He fixed the drain in the kitchen sink – for the third time – and replaced a light fixture in the guest hall.

    I finished my painting of the Olympic Mountains. Now I need to incorporate them into a larger painting of sailboats on Puget Sound.

    David picked up the paint brush and started an acrylic painting. The photograph is of a sunset at Uncle Dick Davis Campground near Shreveport, Louisiana, January 2024.

    The middle of the month is when things got busy.   

    We drove back to Washington for a “celebration of life” in Bellingham and a graveside service in Sunnyside. 

    On the 13th we drove to Lynnwood to spend Friday and Saturday night at J & K’s house. The weather was dubious to say the least.  It was fine until we got into Washington.  We started hitting rain around Centralia.  By the time we got to King County it was mixed snow and rain with slush on the side of the road.  

    We spent the night at the home of David’s sister, J and her husband, K.

    The following day we were going to drive to Bellingham for a “celebration of life”.  We woke to fresh snow.  This did not bode well for our drive that day or the drive across Snoqualmie Pass the following day.

    The weather broke while we were in Bellingham. By the time we drove back to Lynnwood it was a different season.

    Sunday the passes in the Cascades were clear. This meant a much more relaxed drive than we had anticipated. We took this opportunity to meet up with our son and his sons to deliver birthday presents.

    We met at a huge family sports center where grandson #4 was participating in the last soccer practice.

    While he worked on soccer and his dad watched, David and I played a card game with grandson #2. He pretty much stomped us both. (I think he had lots of practice. ) After soccer wrapped up we all played some arcade games before going to a nearby restaurant for brunch.

    For some reason I did not take photos of this restaurant. The Crystal Creek in Kenmore WA has an aeronautic theme. There is a large gas powered model airplane hanging from the ceiling. The food and the coffee were delicious. We would have loved to spend the rest of the day playing with these guys, but we had to be on our. way.

    The drive across Snoqualmie Pass and Manastash Ridge was uneventful. Something you always want to be able to say after that drive.

    We spent the night at Best Western Grapevine Inn in Sunnyside. After a very nice graveside service we made our way home to Eugene. Once we got down to the Columbia the weather had warmed up and the skies were clearing, leaving a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood.

    This gave us two days to prepare for J & K’s one night visit as they launched their big road trip: Camping in the Redwoods and Utah.

    The day after J & K left was Project Hail Mary day!! David and I listened to the book on Audible on one of our trips to Colorado. We were both very excited about seeing the movie. It did not disappoint. If you haven’t seen it, do.

    The end of March was also the end of Lent. It was also time for us to host David’s 98 year old dad, L. L currently lives with David’s youngest sister, also L, in a small town west of Mt. Rainier. David and his sister J host L from time to time. This was our turn since J was out of town and we were not able to host much last year and won’t be able to this year either. And L likes going to Easter mass with us.

    David’s mother was raised on the north coast of Oregon. When their family was young, David’s parents moved them from the Yakima area to his mother’s home town for about a year. David’s grandfather owned charter fishing boats. I think this is where L developed his love for deep sea fishing and the ocean. When he comes to visit we liked to get out to the coast at least once.

    The week we brought L down from Washington turned out to be the last of the beautiful days for the next 2 weeks. We spent the day in Florence. Starting with lunch at Home Grown Cafe (one of our favorites) and ending with a walk along the docks.

    It was a lovely way to end a not so lovely month.

    Next month promises to be a bit more pleasant and a bit more active.

  • February

    This was a very odd month. Filled with ups and – some very low – downs. 

    The month started with knowing I had at some time before Christmas torn my left suprispanatus (the front muscle of the rotator cuff).  This means trying to avoid doing more damage by not using my left arm for a lot of things like; braiding my hair, lifting anything, most yoga moves and I could go on.  As I write this I’m still waiting for a date for my MRI with the orthopedic surgeon’s office. But I’ve been down this road before and survived so I’ll survive this also.  It’s just not a fun thing.

    In the second weekend of the  month I received the news that the doctor I worked for in Bellingham was in hospice with the end stages of Parkinson’s Disease.  He’d been diagnosed two years prior which explains why he did not respond to my text message in 2023. He passed the next day. I worked for this brilliant, compassionate, kind man for eleven years.  The news was devastating. 
    I had been hoping to get up to Bellingham this spring.  With this news we decided it was time. 

    So we packed up the van and drove north the next day, Tuesday the 10th.

    Bellingham is a 7 hour drive from Eugene.  We do not do 7 hour drives anymore.  We stopped above Marysville, Washington at the Tulalip Casino.  Most casinos have space for overnight parking.  Most of the time that parking is in the middle of dozens of semis.  The Tulalip has specific RV parking and all you do is go into the casino, get a players card, and give them a description of your vehicle and viola a place to sleep for the night.  We found the very large sign with a phone number to call security and register.  There wasn’t a security person available to come out and get our information, so the person on the phone said welcome and have a good night.  There was one other camper in the parking lot at the front so we took a spot at the back.  The parking lot was amazingly flat – not usually the case.
    Once we parked the van and put the shades on all the windows it was time for dinner.  It was a Tuesday therefore the casino was nearly empty.  That went for restaurants also.  Three of the restaurants were closed.  We found a table in The Cedars Cafe.  I was starving so I had the risotto, which was delicious, and I ate the whole thing. 

    It was a very quiet night and we both slept very well.  Since we wanted to be in Bellingham before noon we bought coffee in the casino – also very good – and had protein bars for breakfast on the road.

    When we arrived in Bellingham we stopped in Fairhaven at Whatcom Art Market.  This is where my friends’ Norma Appleton and James Williamson’s art is always on display.

    30+ years ago Norma taught me art framing at a small gallery/gift shop in Lynden WA.  (I loved it but you can’t feed your family on the pay.) At that time Norma wasn’t painting or papermaking, her specialty at the time.  Jim was doing mostly watercolors of  tall ships and work for a tugboat company in Seattle.  

    Since then they have both expanded into other fields.  Jim is doing more Pacific Northwest nature oils and Norma is painting beautiful acrylic paintings of the beauty found in the Pacific Northwest.  She is also making jewelry.  I bought one of her prints and a lovely pair of amethyst earrings.

    If you live in Whatcom County or just passing through you must see Whatcom Art Market. So many talented artists producing so many beautiful pieces.

    Norma’s “North Cascades View – Mt Baker & Sisters

    From Fairhaven we drove to the north end of the city for lunch.

    David’s favorite restaurant in Bellingham is Mi Mexico on Guide Meridian across from Bellis Fair mall.  They do Mexican like no one else. We left with leftovers for dinner that evening.

    After lunch we were off to visit my friends Norma Appleton and Jim Williamson. It had been far too many years since I had seen either of them.   

    This was an unexpected educational visit.  Norma and Jim took us into their inner sanctum; their studios where beauty is created..   I revealed that I wanted to pick up oil painting again after 53 years.  Both he and Norma gave me marvelous tips, which I have taken to heart since picking up the brush this month. Before we knew it two hours had passed and we had to move on to our destination for the night: Valley Tap House in Nooksack, about 2 miles from our old house.

    I know I’ve mentioned Harvest Hosts before.  Once again our membership saved our butts.  

    Valley Tap House is a warm, friendly beer stop with a very flat parking lot. The owners, Cindy and Kevin, had actually lived a few blocks from us in the 90’s.  We arrived about 15 minutes before closing but they stayed and talked with us until we finished our beers.  Fortunately, we were able to stay here for two nights and the train no longer makes a 5:45 AM run through town.

    Thursday was another clear day so we ventured back into Bellingham and Boulevard Park on 

    Squalicum Bay.  We found a place to park and after a quick lunch of left over lunch from the day before we decided we really needed a good walk to offset the lunch and dinner from the day before and the meal we knew we were having later that evening. 

    Bellingham is a great town for walking and bike riding.  The 2.5 mile walk from Boulevard Park to Fairhaven takes you from the park along a board walk above the water.  It’s beautiful.  Do it!  Just remember to bring your camera. For some strange reason I left mine in the van and only had my phone.

    We left Boulevard Park and drove north to Squalicum Harbor.  The weather was starting to turn but I wanted to get some pictures of boats so that I could start putting on paper an idea I had for a painting (a suggestion from Norma and Jim). This time I had my digital.  We walked around for a bit ogling boats of all kinds and the weather started to turn. The wind picked up and the sky got dark. It was time to fill up the van and grab some groceries.  

    The drive to the North Bellingham Fred Meyer was when we saw how Bellingham had really changed in the 13 years since we lived in Whatcom County.  Eye opening.

    After wandering a bit we went back to Everson and met our former neighbor Ed and his wife Loni at another favorite restaurant, Herbie’s Steak House, for dinner.  We learned from Ed that the restaurant was nearly lost in the December 2025 floods.

    We built our first house in Everson with Self Help Homes and with five other families.  Ed and his first wife were one of the five other couples. It was great to catch up on families.

    Before we parked for the night we stopped in at the Valley Tap House for a last beer.  We were so glad we did. The place was packed but they made room for us at the bar.  It was a wonderful evening of conversation, reminiscing, and learning who was still in the area and who was gone

    Friday we started our journey south.  Not wanting to do a seven or 8 hour drive to Eugene, we called David’s sister J to see if they were going to be in town. J’s mother-in-law was recently moved to Hospice and they were planning a trip to Sunnyside to say goodbye. As it turned out they weren’t leaving until the following night.  Friday night was a go at Hotel Williams.

    The following week J’s mother-in-law passed away.  We were all very relieved that she had found peace.

    The last Sunday in February I received the news that my cousin’s eldest son had suddenly and tragically died after falling from a truck.  

    As I said; this was a very odd month.

    I’ve tried very hard to keep this blog upbeat and really didn’t want to end on a sad note.  So after some editing I’ve decided to end with the following:

    Once we got home to Eugene and I got some household chores out of the way,  I pulled out my paints and brushes, bought some brush cleaner, bought some linseed oil, a new brush, and a couple of tubes of oil paint.   I tried my hand at oil painting.  It felt wonderfully relaxing.  The results were ok.  Not fantastic.  Not a masterpiece.  But a good learning experience.
    We’ll see how it turns out next month.

  • January

    Welcome 2026

    Well, 2026 just sort of snuck in, didn’t it.

    Shenanigans were mixed in with adventures in January.

    We had a week at home after New Year’s Day.  Then it was on to Seattle.  We hadn’t seen the Seattle crew since Thanksgiving and our son and his wife had purchased a new home during that time.

    Our first stop was lunch with David’s dad and sister, J, at the Orting Senior Center.  J drives  3 hours round trip every Wednesday to pick up Dad and have lunch with him at the senior center.  

    It’s a kick in the pants. We are all seniors now, but David’s dad at 98 is, I believe, the oldest person there.  Lunch was hamburger and cheese sliders, a pasta salad and cake.  The sliders were my favorite.

    After lunch we took Dad home and drove the 90 minutes to J’s house for fun and games. 

    J’s husband wasn’t going to be home that night so we opted for a really yummy dinner at Sparta’s.  Sparta’s is an Italian/Greek restaurant very close to J’s house on Highway 99 in Lynnwood. During Covid we’d ordered pizza from them, but we really hadn’t gone into the restaurant for a number of years. 

    It was so nice to sit in the cozy restaurant and have spaghetti and meatballs knowing none of us had to cook and none of us had to clean up.

    Having found some treasures we headed back to the house for some libations and games.  We played several rounds of golf – the card game – everyone got a bit happier and we had dinner.  J and I spent some time in the hot tub before Ted Lasso. 

    This made my knee very happy.

    Saturday found us at loose ends.  David and I had been discussing the future purchase of a truck and a trailer, so we almost went looking – just looking, no buying.  In the end we decided on a hike through Discovery Park in Seattle.

    I thought I had not been to this park, but when we arrived and started walking it was all looking very familiar.  We found an informational sign just above the beach explaining the park was originally Fort Lawton.  I knew I had been to Fort Lawton as a Campfire Girl and remember my parents talking about Fort Lawton.

    Fort Lawton has an interesting past.  Established in 1896 the intention was for the Fort to defend Seattle from naval attack.  It opened in 1900 as an army base.  In 1909 It became home to the Buffalo Soldiers.  Things were pretty quiet at Fort Lawton until WW II.  It was the second largest embarkation center for American soldiers during the war.  The Fort also housed 1,000 German Prisoners of War and 5,000 Italian Prisoners of War on their way to Hawai’i. 

    There is more including;  a riot between the Italian POWs and Buffalo Soldiers, housing of soldiers during the Korean War, establishing a radar station in the 1960’s.  It’s pretty fascinating. 

    When we got to the trailhead for the beach no one was interested in heading down to the beach.  Except me.  It was, admittedly, very muddy, steep, and lots of open grate metal stairs.  And as J’s husband, K, pointed out; “whatever goes down must come up.”

    But, I had my camera and I rarely get back to Puget Sound and Elliot Bay.   So I accepted the challenge and carefully walked down to the beach.  Once down there the sight was breath taking.  Although it was an overcast day the view was incredible. The Olympics (my favorite mountain range) were in view below some heavy clouds the sun was trying to break through.  There must have been two dozen sail boats on the water.

    More of Discovery Park

    Later in the early evening we had just ordered food at a favorite watering hole, The Bulldog in Lynwood, when I got a call for help from our daughter-in-law.  Our son was sick and they were in the throws of moving with a five year old and a three year old and she was leaving on a work trip the following evening.

    We stopped by J & K’s house after we ate, to pick up just enough clothes/toiletries for a couple of nights and our car, and drove to our son and daughter-in-law’s new house.

    We spent that evening and the following day helping unpack, wrangle boys, nurse our son and easing some of our daughter-in-law’s understandable anxiety. 

    We stayed with our son’s family until Monday.  I helped our daughter-in-law with unpacking and nursing our son.  David was downstairs I assumed keeping the boys occupied.

    By Sunday evening things had smoothed out a bit.  Our son was able to leave his bed. The boys were more settled and familiar with the new house.  And our daughter-in-law made her flight to LA for work.  We spent one more night per our son’s request. 

    Monday rolled around and we visited our friends M & P in Edmonds.  They had recently moved from Tacoma so that they could provide childcare for their first grandchild. They care for him at their daughter’s house.  So they invited us to lunch.  We spent a lovely afternoon catching up and getting to know their newest family member. This was a real treat since we no longer have babies to play with in our family.  The boys are getting too big.

    We spent the next two days hanging out with J & K who were actually busy preparing to fly to Mississippi that Friday. They do this every year to celebrate Mardi Gras in Bay St. Louis.  

    Our last day in Lynnwood was Wednesday.  It was J’s birthday month so we drove to Orting Senior Center for their monthly birthday lunch with David’s dad.  After lunch we drove back to Dad’s house and picked up his dog and luggage so he could spend a week with us in Eugene.

     I didn’t realize what home bodies David and I are until Dad came to visit.  David’s dad is losing his sight due to macular degeneration and walking can be difficult – as I said; he is 98 – so without the senior center life at our house can be pretty boring.  Dad wanted to go somewhere every day.  So when David and I were recovering from our 3 mile walk Dad stood up and said,  “ Let’s go look at trucks. I’ll spring for lunch”

    We convinced him to wait until we had showers.  

    Since walking can be difficult and tiring for Dad I wasn’t sure how truck shopping was going to work.  As it turned out David really only wanted to look at Toyotas, so we didn’t do much walking.  We also didn’t buy anything.

    The following day there was lunch at our neighborhood club house so we started the day there.  David’s dad won a drawing for some rain bells.  After we found ourselves at home again with nothing planned.  Nothing planned.  Nothing to do.  Let’s go buy that truck.  And that’s what we did.

    Our Kia Soul is 10 years old and can’t pull a trailer.  A Toyota Tacoma was the answer.  It drives like a car, but for the life of me I can’t seem to park the thing without making 3 tries.

    We ended the month with our friends D & R.  David had been searching for an authentic, traditional mole recipe.  He finally found one and of course wanted to make it, which meant making enough mole chicken for a family of 6 and enough mole sauce for 4 meals.  We asked D & R to dinner on January 31st.  R brought one of her amazing salads and a lemon cake topped with raspberries.  ( R is a dangerous friend to have).  Dinner was followed by a game of Golf (the card game) and wonderful conversation.

  • December

    Once we got home from Thanksgiving it was time to prep for the next adventure:  Christmas in Colorado.

    We were flying this time. 

    David and I made our 2022 Christmas trip to Colorado in the van.  It was our first official van trip.  It was cold.  We were warm in the van and got lucky with no snow, but December – even in northern Arizona and New Mexico – is not a trip we wanted to repeat.

    The two weeks following Thanksgiving were a whirlwind of cleaning house and packing for our flight. 

    For one thing, packing was ridiculous because Colorado was experiencing warmer weather than Eugene.  I didn’t have a clue what to pack and still fit it into our one checked bag.  We went heavy on the warm weather clothing and light on the cold weather.  Good thing we did.  On Christmas day the temperature reached 72 degrees.

    The next puzzle was transportation to the airport.  David checked in to parking our Kia at the Eugene airport.  At $19 a day for 2 weeks that was out.  We decided to Uber until our wonderful neighbors, B&G, offered to drive us and pick us up when we got home.

    When we arrived at our daughter’s house we found a very sick woman.  My daughter had what appeared to be a very bad cold or an upper respiratory infection. It was later diagnosed as a sinus infection.

    Grandma and grandpa took over.  That first week we were more nurse, cook, and housekeeper than grandparents.

    Since our daughter was feeling so ill we took the boys to jui jitsu twice.  It was interesting.  I had never been to the boys jui jitsu classes so this was a new experience for me.  

    Grandson #3 is the smallest of all our grandsons and the smallest in the class.  Watching him work so hard for this was inspiring.  And he got his first stripe on his belt.

    Because grandson #1’s class is more advanced, there are more age levels and more people in the class.  That meant getting any photos of him was impossible.

    As I mentioned, our daughter was sick so we pretty much stuck to the house.  

    She and I did a bit of Christmas shopping one day. Another day we went over to her sister-in-law’s house to take care of some laundry that her sister-in-law did not have time to finish before she left for the holidays. 

    Anyone with children will tell you about the many stages of Children at Christmas. The first few years are very relaxed and take hours to all day to work through presents. Then there is the stage where the process is reduced to the morning hours. Our grandsons are at the second stage. Stockings and Santa presents take about 30 minutes then the rest of the morning is opening gifts under the tree. At the first stage there are many opportunities for adorable pictures. The second stage, not so much.

    The photos here are about the best I could get. At 7 and 4 there is a lot of rapid movement.

    We went out as a family on two different days to two different parks. 

    At the parks David, our daughter, and son-in-law played disc golf and the boys and I played on the playground equipment.

    One of those days was Boxing Day and I was not feeling well.  The temperature decided to start dropping that afternoon and I was feeling worse as the afternoon wore on.  I was pretty much worthless the rest of the weekend and I was getting on a plane the following Tuesday.  

    I was well enough to fly home, but boy did the flight take its toll.  I was pretty much in recovery mode through New Year’s day.  And that’s how I ended the year.

    Content for this post was limited, Some months are like that. So I perused my photo library for some photos from 2025 that may not have been included (if there are duplicates, I apologize) and decided a photo “dump” was due. After all we are closing out 2025.

    Here’s hoping 2026 is better for all of us.

  • November

    Since it took so long for me to get October’s blog off I decided I’d better get started on November early.

    November was busy, but not like October.  November was all about family with some medical and dental appointments thrown in the first two weeks.

    In the middle of the month we brought David’s 98 year old dad down for a visit.  He lives with David’s youngest sister and her husband.  So the siblings trade off spending days or weeks at a time with him.  Because of David’s surgery and recovery, we hadn’t had a chance to host him since Christmas last year.  By bringing him down in the middle of the month he was able to celebrate David’s 71st birthday with us.  We really don’t pack these visits with a lot of entertainment – just us.

    We pretty much took it easy the first week.  I did manage to escape for some alone time at The Eugene Holiday Market.  The Market should not be missed.  I quite often get gifts for out-of town family here.  I purchased a wonderful candle from Mad Candle Company that was intended for a gift, but it’s mine now.  The young woman who makes and sells these heavenly candles actually delivers within Eugene for free! I was unable to go back before we left for Colorado for Christmas.

    The week after David’s birthday was Thanksgiving – it usually is.  We were going to the Seattle area to celebrate with my sister-in-law, J, her husband K, our son and daughter-in-law, and our daughter-in-law’s parents.
    David volunteered the turkey and dressing.  I got busy baking my grandmother’s ginger bread and cream cheese dainties. (I don’t cook, but I will bake.)  Since we were traveling with our stuff, my father-in-law’s stuff (including his dog and all that comes with her), David decided to bone the turkey on Tuesday and refrigerate it until we left . Wednesday morning.  He made cornbread dressing on Tuesday also.  My daughter-in-law’s family is from the south and David was hoping the dressing would be a kind of homage to their roots.

    When we drive to Seattle we usually stop for lunch after we cross the Columbia.  This trip we left earlier than we usually do so we were hungry before we crossed.  Thanks to F&A Vanlife we had a new stop – Jubitz! All the trips we have made across the Columbia since 2011 and until we saw F&A’s vlog we never knew Jubitz was just east of the bridge. We learn a lot when we watch our YouTube couples.

    Jubitz is an incredible truck stop.  There is a full restaurant, a deli, a laundromat, a movie theater, a chapel, a post office, a hotel,  and probably more.  There is also a massive parking lot for overnight stays. David, his dad, and I had deli sandwiches that lasted all the way to Snohomish County. Good thing too since our normal 5 hour drive ended up being 8 hours.  It was the day before Thanksgiving and I-5 was congested. 

    Thanksgiving

    Busy day.  Lot’s of cooking.  Lot’s of cooks. While things were cooking David and I took grandson #2 and #4 across the street to ride bikes. When that got boring we taught them how to play Red light Green light. Red light Green light can be very interesting with a five year old and a three year old.

    David’s cornbread dressing was a hit with everyone, including our son’s southern in-laws.  We also celebrated our son’s father-in-law’s birthday.

    Black Friday David and I babysat while our son and daughter-in-law took her parents out for her father’s birthday.  When they returned we had dinner and then all piled into the car.  We were on our way to Woodland Park’s Zoo Lights. 

    This is something I always wanted to take our kids to, living in Whatcom County we were about 100 miles too far away.  Grandson #4 was our Christmas lights spotter on the route there just to occupy his 4 year old mind.  He did a great job.  We saw all the lights, had some hot beverages and quickly walked back to the car.  None of the adults were prepared for how cold it became.

    Saturday we spent the night with David’s sister, brother-in-law, and his dad at his sister’s house.

    December 1st we said good bye to. family and Seattle.  We would return sometime in January to celebrate Christmas.

    Christmas was scheduled for Colorado with the other half of the family.

    I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season.

    I’ll be back next year.