Summer 2015

A quick review of our family summer trip to the coast.

A visit to Mt. Saint Helens.

Stopping on the way to Astoria.

Time on the beach.

Summer 2015 Beauty and the Beast

Summer Camp 2015

Beauty and the Beast Jr.
ages K-7th

Spring break 2015

Travel has been on the back burner with so many other things that have our finances tied up in knots this year.
My folks were awesome (as usual) and were able to use their travel points to fly us down to Texas for a family visit!

Since we last visited, there have been 3 new additions to the clan!
Three little boys all born within a few months. A set of maternal twin cutie boys to my brother and a handsome little dude to my sister. Making the grand total of grandkids 6 for my folks. And... there is a little gal still cooking up for my sister who is due a few months from now!

We headed down south with a 12 hour day of travel.

The next morning started with a day trip to Brenham to visit my dear Granny and my cousins and their families. It was a super short visit! But, always good to see and be with them!

Then Sunday was Easter with my immediate family.

Monday, my hubby and bro spent some bro time together while my mom, my kid and I  babysat my sister's 2 kids.

Tuesday started with me not feeling 100%. The 3 of us took a morning trip to Mother Neff State Park. It's a cool little park. The 1st State Park in Texas and sporting phase 1 of an over 6 million dollar rehab / addition! It would be cool to overnight camp and walk the trails.  We walked the prairie trail loop. Hiked to the cave, the water hole and the water tower. Checked out the bird blind. Drove around the park. Checked out the new interpretive center. All in under 2 hours (even with me slower than usual).

Enjoyed some Clay Pot!

That afternoon, went to the Waco Mammoth Site (hopefully, soon to be a US National Monument). That place is pretty cool. I don't know why it wasn't listed on my Google "things to do nearby". It is a 45 minutes guided tour of the site. The only place you can visit an active dig site of the largest known mammoths in North America. With 3 different ages of remains. Our guide Jeremy, was very informative and entertaining. Pretty darn cool. Hoping to be able to go back again in a few years and learn more as they keep discovering and learning.

Wednesday, our last day. I started off with a sore throat and not feeling too well. I skipped out on the Mayborn Museum but, my hubby and daughter enjoyed it.

We got to nosh some real tex mex - yum!
That evening was family dinner at my brother's place. I was getting worse by the minute and kept my distance from the kids. I love it when we siblings can get together!

By the time bedtime rolled around I was feeling bad enough for a visit to the urgent clinic. Another strep infection just in time for departure. Boo. Thank goodness I kept from the babies!

Thursday was a 14 hour travel day!
Miss my family.
So good to be home and resting.

The Wizard of Oz 2014 district production

The school districts' 2nd annual production: The Wizard of Oz

Here is a photo run of the 2nd show.

There's no place like home.

Summer Musical 2014 The Music Man

I am finally getting to sit and write some blog.

The 1st part of the summer was a bathroom remodel while the kid was at workshops.

The kid was signed up for a 5 week theater workshop which she was reluctant to attend.

But, after the 1st day, she was super excited.

By the time the cast party rolled around, she was already to sign up for Beauty and the Beast next summer and audition for the school-year district-wide production of the Wizard of Oz this year.

She played Alma Hicks in The Music Man this summer.

November 2013

Cleaning out the photos (over a year later :-/)

Here are a few photos of fall-early winter of 2013.

Installing and painting the old pantry from the kitchen wall we tore out and re-purposing as built in storage.

Moved the wood drying shed from the orchard to the meadow and replaced the roof.
Filling in with the fallen maple from the west side.

Experimenting roasting a squash in the new woodstove.

Baking

Feels like the Holidays

Lichen for Santa's Reindeer Christmas Eve

Ah-guest 2013: Part 2 - A Whale of a tale.

mom n pop

The 2nd part of August hails in my folks from Texas. It is always good to see my parents and the older we all get, the more I soak in the moments (the good and the frustrating).  After a busy week with my brother-in-law, we still had a busy week but it was slightly more laid back.

This visit was flipped from the last guest, with my hubby going to work and me hanging out with my folks for the most part.

We started the week off with a visit to the Space Needle. (Sorry all my future guests... Your visits to downtown Seattle will be on-your-own. Rent a car, take a cab, or transit there 'cause this train is done with the typical Seattle tourist hits).

playing with forced perspective - how fun!

Seattle Space Needle  - my untested tip: Plan ahead...well ahead and make reservations for dining to visit the needle. No lines, no waiting and although there is a minimum per-guest charge, the view is free, the visit to the deck is included and you get chow. Plan a few weeks in advance because reservations are a few days to weeks out in the tourist season. Our family has been a total of 3 times (one regular admission, 2 VIP) and still wish we would have done dinner or lunch.

singing flowers

The next few days were filled with quality time with the parents and they with the grand-daughter.

Yum! goulash!

We had a campfire, visited the lake and gardens, completed school-shopping etc...

Then we took a 3-day weekend to "Beautiful British Columbia". We packed up like clowns into the VW Golf and took the Coho over to Victoria. Stayed in a nice little apartment near the Fishermans'Warf. Visited the Butchart, Craigdarroch, Parliament, and with all the walking we did... you would think I should have lost weight instead of gained.

Here is our experience...

Papaw and kiddo

Coho ferry   my rate = 4/5 stars
departs Port Angeles on the upper OP, across the Strait of San Juan de Fuca into Victoria Harbour. Wear appropriate clothing to stand out on the bow of the ship and look out for sea life. We sighted Humpback whales on the way and back. If you have kids or are a kid at heart... get up to the bow right away and watch them cast off.

Craigdarroch Castle   my rate = 5/5 stars
More of a mansion with a tower but, very cool anyways. The history of the building makes it interesting and how it is still in process of being restored after all the many faces it has worn. The docents are extremely knowledgeable and my hubby couldn't even stump them with his inquiries.

Parliament Building  my rate = 4/5 stars
How fun is this. A bit of politics, a lot of detail and astounding beauty in this building. Makes ya wanna run for office just so you can work here. The great thing - free! The guides were lacking and we were on the weekend so, the group was huge and wish we could have taken more time as we could have during the week. The guides seemed like they were scripted and did not know much beyond the speech with the exception of the surprise period speaker (not sure if there is a different one each time).

Waterfront  my rate = 5/5 stars
There is no lack of water-front on Vancouver Island. Walk the harbours, visit the parks. Fantastic! You can go at your own pace. Relax. Exercise. Eat. Watch the wildlife (people too).

Butchart Gardens   my rate = 3/5 stars
My 1st visit was (clears throat) about 20 years ago.Yikes. Seems about the same except the time of year.
It took us about 2 -2.5 hours to go through. We took our time and read signs and such. It is nice and the sunken garden is really nice. I was quite disappointed in the rose garden (they were labeled) because they planted carpet phlox along the pathway and it really really masked the scent of the roses. Carpet phlox is kinda stinky! If you are a garden person then I would suggest it otherwise... you can get your garden fill just walking around the city. It is a private garden not a botanical so, the plants are not labeled.

B.C's licence plates slogan is well-fitting and is not just a slogan - it is truly Beautiful! I would love to visit again and hopefully see some of the upper-lands.