A Good Day

It was noticeably cooler this morning. So nice. I even rolled over and went back to sleep, enjoying the cool breeze coming in the windows. It had been insufferably hot yesterday, not cooling off even by the time we went to bed. Even with both windows open and the overhead fan running, it was miserable. As I laid there, I remembered Bobby telling me that I would want to change the direction the fan was turning when it got really hot. I did, and what a wonderful difference it made. (Bobby of Kustom Coachworks built the fan.)

Forry discovered that there was a recycling bin here, so spent some time taking out all the cans and bottles he has collected. I did several loads of laundry, otherwise never left the RV. It was the kind of quiet day we badly needed.

Another Move

We moved again today. Only halfway around the outside of the campground, but it's almost as much work to move a short distance as it is to go lots of miles. We were ready to go earlier, but the manager came and asked us to wait until they finished spreading new gravel on that side of the park. So we went on in to town to McDonalds for breakfast and then came back to move. They put new gravel down on all the park roads. It sure looks nice.

By the time we finally got moved and rebooked up, it was already noonish and HOT! We are in a site that is a l-o-n-g way from the power box. Forry had pulled as far forward as he possibly could to make sure he could get satellite reception. I used every bit of our fifty amp cord to make the electrical connection - and that cord is heavy to pack!

We took a bit of a break to cool off a bit and I put a load of clothes in the washer dryer. All was fine until it went into the dry cycle. Evidently, the dryer and the air conditioner together draw too many amps for even our fifty amp hookup. (Of course, as hot as it was,  everyone else in the park was probably running their A/C as well.)

By about four o'clock we went back into town to Safeway and loaded up on groceries. It was still extremely hot, even in the store. Even with a couple of frappacinos, we were tired and overheated by the time we got everything stowed away. So help me, tomorrow we are not going to do anything!

Peaceful Pines

Today we moved. Not very far. We didn't bother hooking up Toad Ii,.I just followed Forry over to Peaceful Pines RV Park on the other side of Cheney. It was only ten or twelve miles from Ponderosa Falls. We got a nice welcome from the young couple who manage the place, saying they had missed seeing us last year. I explained that due to Forry's back surgery, we hadn't moved around much. It's obvious they have done a lot of work on the place in the couple years they've been here. Besides some new sites, there were nice new electrical boxes.

It was just about noon when we arrived and it was HOT! I had my bandanna headband on and it was soaked through. We have a back-in site that cannot get satellite reception. We have this site for tonight, then tomorrow, after the present folks leave, we'll move to a pull-through site where we've parked before and know we can get reception.

We badly need to get groceries, but we were tired after moving and setting up, so will wait for another day. I scrounged some marinated artichoke quarters, palm hearts and stuffed olives to serve with the last package of shrimp I had in the freezer and we made do for supper.

We talked briefly with Daughter Mary Mae last night. She and Scott and Varick had flown in, tired and happy from the NASA pool Robotics competition in Houston. They isn't know their final team score yet as only the very top teams were recognized at the Saturday night festivities at Galveston Island.

Physical Therapy

We both had appointments with Group Health's Physical Therapy Department today for evaluations. Forry's was first, so I went in with him so I could hear the evaluation and recommendations. We told the receptionist where I was so that in a half hour, my therapist could find me when it was time for my appointment. The message didn't get to her as she was quite relieved when she finally stuck her head in the door... She said she knew I had checked in (they have check-in kiosks that even take your co-pay), but had checked all three waiting rooms before she finally talked to the receptionist.

After all of the testing, they gave me a heat and electrical stimulation treatment on my back. I don't know if it will make any difference, but it sure felt good. The two PTs agreed that we both could benefit from some aquatic exercise. They wanted us to come in to the Y on Friday morning, but that's when Forry has his cardiology appointment, so I guess we'll have to wait until we return to Spokane in mid-July.
They had Forry do some exercises on a recumbent bike that would allow him to get some exercise and build up his endurance without further stressing his back.

We stopped by the Eye department on our way out and discovered the referral had been sent, so I was able to call the Spokane Eye Clinic and get the cataract removal process started. Forry now has an appointment with Dr. Ranson on July 26th.

It sort of looks like a good share of the rest of our summer will be dealing with exercises and eyes...

A Very Busy Day

I was up early to get the oven heated so that I could stick some frozen raspberry turnovers in the oven for breakfast. We had time to eat and have a cup of coffee before we had to get ready to head down to Menno for church. It was a lovely service this morning. Three of the fellows led the music this morning. They started off with a song from Sing the Journey songbook, "If you believe, and I believe and we together pray..."  It brought back some awesome memories.

This songbook came out just before Hurricaine Katrina and some of our group took copies of the new book with them to Pass Christian, Louisiana where we worked with Mennonite Disaster Service. Singing some of those songs in the evenings brought disparate groups together through our common faith and that was the tune I heard various people humming or singing as they worked.

After church, we headed for Moses Lake, gassed the car, then went to Shari's to join Katherine and Dennis for lunch. As usual, we chatted our way through the meal and would most likely still be talking if we hadn't had an Open House to attend.

Our dear friend Vic turns 96 this week. His daughter Pam put together a cake and coffee party at Monroe House this afternoon to celebrate his birthday. There was a really good turnout, church family and Flying Farmer friends as well as Vic's family. There was lots of good visiting and catching up with people we hadn't seen for some time. It was especially nice to get to visit with Bob and Paula, who we hadn't seen for a couple of years.

It was almost five pm by the time we got back to Auntie Violet. I made a light supper and we lazed the evening away.

Team Cadmus

We've been quite fascinated the last few days with Grandson Varick's adventures with the international submersible robotics at the Houston, Texas NASA center. His 4-H Club, Team Cadmus, won the regional competition and the right to compete with teams from all over the world. The really neat thing for us was the opportunity to watch the competition live through the NASA live internet feed. The team had had trouble with fluctuating current during their first run today, so they were given another mission run.

The live feed had a split screen that allowed us to see the team on the surface as well as their robot working underwater. Each team had fifteen minutes to accomplish their mission tasks. The mission included such things as bringing up and analyzing an oil spill to identify its origin. Unfortunately, they had a camera go out and during their time underwater lost their second camera. (Most likely due to the current issues?) It was quite interesting to watch - and to see the large pool where NASA does weightlessness training.

After the excitement of watching our grandson, we didn't do a whole lot more today. We showered and Forry drained the tanks for the first time without ANY help from me! (I had been doing it since his surgery last summer and the last few times we've done it together.)

I got a nice email today from our friend Marge, approving my decision to go back to a daily blog. She also told me that she and Al have made the decision to move to Monroe House after harvest. If this keeps up, we're going to have all of our Menno Elders living there. That's a good thing.

Rainy Day

It was overcast when we got up this morning. First, we had a couple of brief showers, then it settled in to a steady rain for the next six hours or so. Towards late afternoon it started to taper off and by sunset, there were only clouds along the horizon. Of course, it meant it was a chilly damp day...

We talked about loading up all the recyclables that Forry has piled up and going over to the Waste to Energy plant, but that didn't happen either. We just sort of vegged out most of the day.

Daughter MM posted more pictures of Grandson Varick's Cadmus Team at the NASA pool in Houston this morning. They had their first run with the robot in the pool today. Sounds like they may have had a bit of trouble with the robot's camera. We'll have to wait to hear all their stories when they get home.

Rest & Dinner Out

It was a cloudy damp morning - good sleeping in weather, and we took advantage of it. We had small showers off and on all day. Just enough to leave dusty rain drop marks on the windshield.

We didn't do a whole lot all day. We watched the Mariners continue their free fall as they once more lost by one point in extra innings. Today's starting pitcher didn't even make it to the first inning. He had elbow pain during his warmup and they pulled him! The bullpen has had a tough couple of weeks.

Son Sean has been hinting for several days, so tonight we picked him up and took him out to dinner with us to Gordy's Szechuan. They had smoked bacon with peppers and cabbage as one of the specials tonight - so good! You have to be careful of the dried hot peppers they use to flavor the dish. They warn you about them and provide a little saucer for the half dozen or so that were in our serving.

Daughter MM posted some pictures from the robot underwater competition in NASA in Houston that Grandson Varick's Team Cadmus is participating in. So far they seem to be doing well. They did their formal presentation today - all dressed up in suits and matching neckties (the boys anyway!).

Guess Not

I have been told by both my older Sis and my brother and my nieces (via my brother!) that they miss keeping daily track of us. So boring or not, I'll keep posting our activities - or lack thereof.

It was an early morning for us. I had called Forry's dermatologist for his annual review (for farmer's skin carcinomas). They offered two choices for an appointment. We could come in this morning for a very early (7:50 am) or wait until the latter part of July. We elected to take the early appointment, not knowing where we might be in late July. It was a good checkup. He has no new lesions and ones that have been removed look well healed. So, that is one doctor taken care of until next year.

Today was a very pleasant warm day. The fifth wheel that was parked so close to the passenger side of Auntie Violet pulled out this morning, so we have our view back. Sites are very close in this section of the park where you can get satellite reception. Tight or not, these sites are very popular.

We watched the PBS special on polar bears, The Great Polar Bear Feast, tonight. It was a fascinating show.

Decision Time

I've been told - in no uncertain terms - that my blog has gotten "boring."

So from now on, unless we are actively traveling, I will only do a weekly or so post with an update for the week.

Quiet Sunday

As we had been busy all week, we decided we would not make the ninety mile trip to Menno this morning, choosing instead to stay home and watch the services later on U-tube.

As they were on the east coast, the Mariners game was at ten this morning. We watched that game, then Forry watched the NBA finals. He wasn't real happy about the outcome of either game.

All three of the kids called to wish their father "Happy Father's Day!" I guess they will always be kids even though they are all three either almost or over fifty.

A Rainy Day

There was sunshine when I woke up this morning, but the overcast quickly moved in. When I called Brother Pat to wish him Happy Birthday, he said it was raining in Moses Lake. By 1 pm, it was raining here. It came down pretty hard for a while, but only lasted for about an hour. The clouds haven't cleared off, so we we'll not be able to see tonight's Summer Solstice full moon.

It's been chilly here, the kind of damp cold that my joints do not like! In the meantime, it's been 100 degrees plus in Phoenix!

A Mostly Quiet Day

If Forry hadn't almost been out of breakfast sandwiches and distilled water for his CPAP machine, we would never have left the RV today. We were tired out from our busy week! But we did take the back road into the Safeway store in Cheney.

Forry had to hook up the sewer hose before we left as the gray tank was gurgling from all the laundry I had been doing. And I'm not done - I need to wash the sheets yet. After that I want to get the little throw rugs done as well. By then, I suppose it will almost be time to start over...

It wasn't very busy at the store today. At least when we were there. The clerk said it was a good thing we hadn't been there an hour earlier.

The Mariners moved up the East Coast to Boston today and actually beat the Red Sox! Hope they can keep it up.

A Day of Doctors

It was one of those days! It seems we sort of went from one doctor's office to the next. We started with early morning appointments at the eye doctors. The opthmalogist we have gone to for many years at Group Health has moved on, so we both saw new doctors. The one I saw was a retired doc who had come back to help out until they were successful in recruiting a new doc. She was very pleased with how my eyes were looking two years post cataract surgery,  but scolded me for not coming in last summer...

Forry, on the other hand, got exactly the news I had expected. He has always had eagle eyes, seeing things way before any of the rest of us. He's not been seeing road signs as far away as usual. Sure enough, the time has come for him to have his cataracts taken care of. So I guess that's the next set of appointments we set up.

This afternoon we went to Northwest Orthopedic Specialists to see the hip specialist's PA that Dr. Powers had recommended. They took x-rays of his hips and knees. His right hip and his knees are all pretty arthritic, but it's his back that hurts. After going through a range of motion stuff that didn't cause hip or knee pain, the PA concluded that replacing them at this point might do more harm then good. Recommended that he come back in a year so that they could follow the progress of the arthritis.

A bit ago, while there was sunshine on the left side of the coach, a thunderstorm moved through on the right side. Thunder, lightening and big rain drops. Within ten minutes, it had moved on and all is quiet.

I Think We're Back...

When you walk into a restaurant and the waiter knows what you want to drink, I think you're back home! We went to Gordy's Szechuan tonight. As usual, it was really good. The special tonight was beef tenderloin with red bell peppers. An entree of that plus some appetizer prawns followed by some ice cream with chocolate orange ginger sauce made for a great meal.

We had an early start this morning with appointments with Dr. Brennan, our primary care doctor at Group Health. She made some adjustments in our meds, but overall seemed pleased with the way things were going. She does want Forry to see their physical therapist to see if there are some exercises he could do that would relieve some of his back pain.  She had them take some x-rays of my back as well.

I started on the laundry when we got back to Auntie Violet. I hadn't done it at all while we were in Oregon and it had really piled up. I got a load of jeans and one of underwear done, but the rest will have to wait until tomorrow.

I spent some time this afternoon making reservations for the next couple of weeks. Once again, I had not been paying attention and had not noticed that the 4th of July was coming up. We'll be moving down to Moses Lake, but they did not have a site available until after the fourth. In the meantime, when our two weeks are done here, we'll move over to Ponderosa Falls in Cheney.

Finally, Back to Spokane

Well, actually to Cheney and Ponderosa Falls RV Resort. Ponderosa Falls is part of the KM Resort properties, so we can stay here without charge for two weeks at a time.

It was harder getting up this morning and getting going. It was eleven o'clock by the time we left Boardman. We followed I-84 to I-82 East, then 395 North. We made a stop at The Mercantile on 395 and bought some Chelan cherries and some beautiful apricots along with some maplenut fudge and an chocolate peanut butter ice cream cone for Forry.

The overcast day we started with turned into blue skies as we crossed the Columbia River into Washington State. There were dark clouds floating around, but we never caught up with them.

After taking a nap break at the Rest Stop by Sprague Lake, we pulled into Ponderosa Falls just before  five o'clock - 9 minutes before the office closed (as the girl behind the counter was quick to tell us). It didn't take us long to get parked and set up. We quickly set up the satellite so that we could watch the Mariners game that was already in process. They were ahead at that point, but ended up losing by one point....

Oh well, tomorrow is another day - with lots of appointments.

On the Road Again

Things went fairly smoothly this morning and we were packed up and ready to go by ten. We had said our good-byes last night, but our hearts were sad as we headed out. One thing really nice about the full-time RV life is our ability to visit family and friends in various places. But the flip side is that we always end up having to leave.

It was wonderful to meet - and fall in love with - our little great granddaughter. Kahlyn is quite a little character. She is almost eleven months old and doesn't miss a trick. Of course we just a bit biased, but she is incredibly smart and precocious. She lives with her Mommy, our Granddaughter Havela and Daddy Ben, in Illinois, which is just too far away!

We went north on I-5, turning onto 205, then I-84 to take us along the beautiful Columbia River and the Columbia Gorge to the RV park in Boardman, Oregon. The Boardman Marina RV Park is a new stop for us. We wanted to break the trip back through the Tri-Cities to Spokane into shorter segments, so we wouldn't get quite so tired.

We pulled into Site 48 just about four this afternoon. It's a pull-thru with full hookups. The park had a few open spots when we arrived, but by tonight it was very full. I think we've found another nice place to spend the night!

Another Busy Day

It was a good, but busy day - though I did manage a nap this afternoon!

Todd's sermon this morning was taken from Paul's letter to the Galations. If he keeps this up, he's going to change my opinion of Paul...

After church, Janny and Jerry, Todd's parents, headed back to Idaho. The rest of us went to a place called Nancy's Burgers. The place was packed because they have really good burgers and fries, as Dawn says, "Just like the ones we used to make on the ranch!"

After lunch, we came back to the RV, watch a portion of the disappointing Mariners game, and took a nap! Dawn called and woke me in time to be ready to go with them to a graduation reception (they had been to two others while we rested!) for the Granddaughter of our friends Warde and Pat. It was so good to see them! I had been afraid we wouldn't have an opportunity this trip.

GGD Kahlyn had a great time at the party. She made friends with some of the girls who ended up feeding her a cupcake with hot pink frosting. She ended up with frosting all over her hands, face and hair! So much so they gave up trying to wipe her clean and stuck her in the utility sink for an impromptu bath.

It was very hard to say good-bye to Granddaughter Havela and little Kahlyn. It's been a fun week with them, getting to know the newest addition to our family. We're definitely going to miss them!

Party Time!

Granddaughter Kyra Anne graduated yesterday, so today we had a party! It was good to see so many people we had previously met. There were family members, people from both Zion and Salem churches where Todd has served, former neighbors, as well as many of the people that Kyra works with at the Croc Community Center pool. People started arriving a little after four and there were still a few there when we left about ten.

Of course, the grandparents - all six of them - were there early to help out. But, the biggest help was Great-Auntie Roxy. She was like the Energizer Bunny all day, preparing and serving food. Everyone pitched in to pull pork for the bbq sliders. There was coleslaw to go with, along with vegetable plates. Then there were miniature cream puffs with raspberries, blueberries and strawberries for dessert. Large containers of lemonade and ice tea completed the repast.

Great-grandaughter Kahlyn had a great time getting passed from one person to the next, and stuffing down bbq pork as fast as Grammy could feed it to her! Even with pretty little shoes on those busy feet, she kept us all on our toes keeping up with her!

Towards evening, Grandson Micah started a fire in the fire pit area and many of the younger guests started making S'mores. What a lovely way to end a lovely day!

Kyra Graduates!

Today was Graduation Day for our Granddaughter Kyra Anne here in Salem, Oregon. She was one of a class of 400 (though she says they started with 600). The graduation was held at a field house in the fairgrounds. I don't know how many it seated, but it was full.

Kyra and her friend left a little before three along with her bio-grandparents and Granddaughter Havela to save seats for the rest of us. We left at four for a five o'clock ceremony. It's a good thing the others had gone earlier as the stadium was rapidly filling up.

It took over an hour for all of the graduates to parade across the stage to receive their diplomas (at least the covers for them!). The speeches were short and sweet, the air conditioners were working. It was as pleasant a graduation as we've ever attended. With three sets of grandparents, her parents and Sister Havela and Kahlyn, we pretty much filled up a row.

We returned back to the house for the leg of lamb and pork chops that Todd had smoked. As we finished eating, my Sister Roxy and Rich arrived to be here for tomorrow's party. Talking with Brother Pat, we discovered that Nephew Nick was in the ER with possible appendicitis, thereby interrupting Pat and Cindy's trip south!

It was another busy day, but a good one, filled with love and laughter.

Babysitting

I am one tired lady tonight. Havela and Kahlyn arrived about 10 AM this morning with Kahlyn still in her jammies. She helped me eat my breakfast bagel, then was quickly back to exploring every inch of the motorhome.

Havela had an appointment at the clinic this afternoon, so we got to have Kahlyn all to ourselves for several hours. She is such a busy little girl! After a couple of hours of playing, she fell asleep sitting on my lap. she just needs to hold still long enough for her eyes to close and she's out. After her nap, she shared a cheese stick and half an apricot with GGrandpa.

Later I gave them each a ginger snap cookie. It puzzled the little one for a bit until she figured out she couldn't break it with her fingers, she had to bite a bit off. Then she thought it was funny.

After Havela returned, we moved the baby's car seat to our car so that GGrandpa could take Kahlyn over to Daughter Dawn's house while Havela and I took her car to the grocery store to pick up some vegetables for supper. We also picked up some juice and treats for little Kahlyn for when she is at our house. Then we too headed for Dawn and Todd's for dinner.

Todd's parents, Jerry and Janny had arrived this afternoon from Idaho, so we had a chance to visit with them while enjoying dinner. It was another very good day!

A Quiet Day

It was twenty degrees cooler today than yesterday. It rained during night sometime and the front that came through chased out the heat.

We definitely needed a rest day today. There is definitely a reason that people in their seventies do not have babies! But, the house was awfully quiet today without either grand-children or our great granddaughter.

We did go for a short walk this afternoon, but that was about the extent of our activity. I did a bit of house cleaning and Forry took the garbage over to the dumpster and that was about it.

More Family Time

After getting my banking done online this morning, we made a quick trip to the grocery store to replenish our supply of water and Pepsi - and to get some Popsicles. When we got back to the RV Park, Granddaughter Havela and Baby Kahlyn were out on the grass waiting for us. Since Mom and Dad were both at work today and her brother and sister were in school, they came to hang out with us this afternoon.

Kahlyn is SO busy! She is never still, just a very busy little baby! Havela closed the sliding door that goes back to the bathroom and bedroom, so we pretty much had her confined to the living area. I think she explored every inch of it. There was a lot of putting various things up out of reach - and some discovery that our idea of "out of reach" doesn't necessarily meet with reality! She's very smart and quickly learned that she had to stay away from the steps.

Kahlyn is fascinating to watch as she explores her world. At only ten months, she knows that if you swipe your tiny finger across an iPad, you can make the pictures change! And if you play with Mama's phone, you can get music to play. She recognizes the music from Big Bang Theory and dances to it. It's a whole lot of fun to get Grammy's little table pushed over so that you can slide it across the floor - and even climb into it.

And of course, everything goes in her mouth. Cheese sticks, bagels, cookies, cherries, Hershey bars and Popsicles. Anything Mommy's eating needs to be shared! She even thought sun flower seeds should be shared. She loves water bottles and will chug the water down - you have to tip the bottle down to get her to stop long enough to take a breath.

Are we fascinated and enamored of our first great grand child? No! Absolutely not!

She finally fell asleep in my arms as she was looking out the window and playing with her toes. She got in a good half hour nap before she and her Mommy left to go for a swim with Auntie Kyra at the Croc Community Center pool where Ky works as a life guard.

What a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

Sailing

Mondays are pastors' days off, so Todd invited us to go sailing with him today. He picked us up at about 10:30, along with Granddaughter Havela and Greatgranddaughter Kahlyn, and we drove about an hour to a reservoir near Eugene where he has his sailboat in a slip. This sailboat has quite a story. For our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, Forry organized a trip for us to a sailing school in the Virgin Islands. After some initial training, we went on a two weeks trip around the Islands on a forty foot sailboat. When we got back, Forry started looking for a boat of his own and found a 23 foot San Juan sailboat and trailer in Oak Harbor, Washington.

We sailed that boat during the years we lived on the ranch. Then we moved to Spokane when I went to work for the AHEC at WSU Spokane. We parked the sailboat on its trailer in the driveway of the Spokane house with the intention of looking for a nearby boat slip so that we could use it. But life got busy, Forry found other interests and the boat sat in the driveway for 18 years! Finally, he gave it to our son-in-law, who completely rebuilt the trailer and the inside of the sailboat, repainted the outside and re-rigged it. Now he and his family are enjoying it.

It was a lovely day for sailing. There was a nice breeze and it was very comfortable out on the water. Kahlyn was not real happy about having to wear a life jacket, but she enjoyed playing in the cabin. We made a loop pretty much around the reservoir, getting a bit of suntan in the process. It was a wonderful day.

Kahlyn has been a bit skeptical of her Greatgrandfather and his beard. Forry's spent enough time with her the past couple of days that she's decided he just might be okay and started making up to him. She is just a little character and we are enjoying her immensely. She is a good eater and game to try anything. She shared ice cream bars with her mother and I on the way home and I think she ate more than we did!

Another Good Day

It was HOT again today. We went to Salem Mennonite Church this morning where Son-in-law Todd is pastor. The church was quite full as today was ordination day for one of their members who was ordained as a chaplain. It's always fun to sit by Granddaughter Havela and hear her beautiful voice. We got a few snuggles with GGD Kahlyn before she went to the nursery to play with the trucks.

We went back home after church while Dawn and Todd and family attended the potluck at church and then went to a Graduation  Open House for a friend's child. After watching another disappointing Mariners game and a nap, we rejoined the family at their friends' house near Canby. Mark and Hallie had prepared a feast. We had ribs, potatoes, corn on the cob, grilled asparagus and Bolivian tomato salad. So good.

With horses, pot-bellied pigs and dogs, GGD Kahlyn had a ball. For only ten months old, she is extremely agile and active. She takes five to six steps at a time before she tumbles, she'll walk, then drop to hands and knees and just go. She climbs steps and backs back down. She's a very busy little girl! She's fun to watch, but I could use a bit of her energy!

Grands and Great-Grands

Granddaughter Havela and Greatgranddaughter Kahlyn flew in from Illinois this evening. When Todd and Dawn asked if I wanted to go along with them to the airport, there was only one possible answer!  Kahlyn was born last summer after Forry's back surgery and there was no way I could leave him to go back for her birth - and there was no way he could travel. So this was my first chance to meet her in person!

Oh, we talk on the phone and she chatters to us on Skype, but it's not quite the same. They had taken the bus from Bloomfield to O'Hare in Chicago this morning. They had a several hour wait for their flight (thanks to TSA), then the long flight out here that arrived a bit after eight this evening. They evidently had a tail wind as the flight was early. They were waiting at the curb when Todd pulled up.

Kahlyn looks so much like her mother did when we met the plane bringing Daughter Dawn and Havela from Bolivia! Her hair is not quite as dark, but she has the same chocolate eyes. I did get a few minutes of holding her before Grandma Dawn snatched her away!

We stopped to feed Havela and Todd supper, then came on to drop me at the RV park and introduce Kahlyn to her Great-grandfather. I don't think she knew quite what to make of the beard...
Havela was exhausted and Kahlyn hadn't slept on the plane, so it was off to bed for both of them.

Another Friday

Another relatively quiet day. We took showers and I did laundry. It's the third of the month, so I spent part of it paying bills.

Son-in- law Todd called and said he was barbecuing chicken for supper if we'd like to come over.  He made a quinoa side dish and a strawberry spinach salad to go with the chicken. Daughter Dawn got home from her job at the health department a few minutes after we arrived. Grandson Micah was at a Magic Card gathering and Granddaughter Kyra was at the pool working, so it was just the four adults -- and Sparky, the dog.

Family Time!

Granddaughter Kyra Anne got out of school early this afternoon and wasn't scheduled to work (She's a supervising lifeguard and teacher at the Croc Community Center pool), so she came over and spent the afternoon with us. So nice. I was able to ascertain just what model she wanted and we ordered the coffee & cappucino maker she wanted for her graduation present.

Turns out Grandson Micah had a band concert tonight. His Dad took him to the band potluck which started at five. Dawn came by after work; we enjoyed guacamole Kyra made as well as some fat marinated shrimp; then Dawn and I went to the concert which started at 7, while Kyra went home for an early bedtime.

The concert actually didn't get started until almost 7:30 (they were giving out awards at the potluck), but it turned out to be well worth waiting for. Micah's freshman band did well, then the rest of the music mostly focused on the graduating seniors. It was very enjoyable.

Dawn dropped me off at home where Forry was still listening to the Mariners game! It had started before we left! The Mariners came back from a ten point deficit and won the game 16-13!!!

Family!

It's been a good day. Daughter Dawn came by for lunch in the midst of her work day for the Health Department. It was so good to see her!

I texted with Granddaughter Kyra Anne. She was already at work at her job life-guarding at the Croc Community Center and had a Senior Banquet this evening. Maybe we'll get a chance to see her tomorrow.

We drove the twenty-five miles to Wilsonville to Camping World mid-afternoon to pick up some of the blue packets for the gray and black tanks. They are the only thing we ever use in the tanks and they have always done well for us. No reason to change anything that "ain't broke!"

Son-in-law Todd called to see if we'd like to come over for dinner since Dawn had a meeting tonight. I told him I had been thinking about making Gruyere cheesewiches for supper and suggested he and Grandson Micah come and join us. The two of them did. It was good to see Todd and our no longer short grandson. Micah turned fifteen a week ago and is now a good six feet tall - with a deep voice to match!

They stayed and watched a few innings of the Mariners game with us. After the 17-4 shellacking last night in Seattle, the Padres are returning the favor in San Diego and are leading the Mariners 11-4 in the 6th....