Len and grandkids

Len is seated on the deck he built at the house he used to live in in Chicago....well Schaumburg, to be exact, with his 4 grandchildren.  His daughter and family live there now and he managed to summon up enough energy, a plane ticket and a portable oxygen machine, and made it back to the place where he raised his family for a visit.  His son and daughter in law flew in from LA with their two little ones so it's been a week of getting to know each other.

Shorline downstairs

Len and I went to dinner at the Shorline last evening and as always, we sat downstairs.  The tide was high so there was no Mr. Blue Heron poking around in the mud, but there were oodles of boats that came and went. Our favorite waitress/hostess had the night off so we got aquainted with a new gal and she too was a delight. We don't go out very often, but whenever we go to the Shorline, she remembers what we drink and to me, that is totally amazing.
Talk about amazing...how bout this video. It was taken over a period of 12 years, when his daughter was born up to her 12th year.  I hope he keeps filming.

And then there's this must watch...it's called If I Wanted America To Fail. 

Red and ready

Here she is....looking almost like a little red school house.  There are window boxes beneath the windows and a chalkboard inside, ready for whatever creativity comes to the minds of all who enter.
It has been a wonderful week for one special family and now it's back to school.

Tides and tulips

As you can see...the deck was closed at the Tides Tavern today at lunchtime thanks to more rain.  My friends and I sat as close to the window as we could to enjoy the beautiful flowers that were spilling  from the pots and hanging baskets. While eating, we spotted my son heading out. He has been tryng to get an autopilot to behave and lord only knows how much money he has spent on fuel.  All this computer stuff is great, but not so great when it's not doing what it's spose to do :O(

At last our house

It's finished and the family has moved in.  The girls on the right are sisters, live across the street and were happy to help with the move :o) What a wonderful spring vacation for a bunch of little girls.

Matching siding

Siding is on and now it really looks good :o)
And...look at this...the Smithsonian Magazine tapped Gig Harbor as the 5th best small town in the USA.  If they'd asked me, I'd have said it's the best small town in the US. We're so lucky to live in such a beautiful place and I doubt any of us take it for granted.

Playhouse Deluxe

Every kid loves a playhouse and daddy is building the girls their very own little house under their deck.  It's a dry spot tucked waaaay in the back with a floor to keep them up off the dirt so they'll stay clean and dry.  I have a feeling daddy is having more fun than the girls and knowing him as I do, I think we'll be seeing a very special little house once he's finished. Don't they say, building the tree house, is 99% of the fun :o)

Let's go boating

Jacob is all a twitter cause daddy is going to take him and mama out on the boat. Once they put his lifejacket on him. there was no getting it off..even while he ate lunch at his spot in my living room. It was almost a no go cause daddy couldn't get the engine stated, but with a quick trip to the autoparts store and four new sparkplugs....it started first try and away they went.  When we get a day of sunshine, we definately let  none of it go to waste.

Delia-Limassol

Will ya look at the name on that ship.  I bet you can't pronounce it and I bet you don't know where Limassol is....I know I didn't, but I looked it up and it's a town on the island of Cyprus. There, you've had your geography lesson for today :o)
Oh...and we've been working on Beethoven's Symphony No. 1....each movement is different, and I'm thinkin out of the four, the 4th is my favorite.   Give it a listen.  Movement 2 is altogether different and comes in a close second. For some reason Beethoven is an absolute kick to play...at least for the flutes :o)

Rick and Bella

Alright already..I admit it...I stole this from Briston Palin's blog...but...I thought this video was so sweet that I had to share.  I donated to the Rick Santorum race.... but ....as I watched this video..the more I feel that his job is at home with his family and little Bella.
If you didn't shed a tear watching the above video...let's see if you can stay dry eyed with this one. Oh..and..be patient with the ads...it's worth your wait.
Okay..are you telling me you've not shed a tear yet...well...this will, I guarantee !!!
And....if those don't work...look at this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you have remained tearless...then you've a heart of stone :o)

Piles of snow

There's so much snow at Mt. Rainier that they are stacking it up in front of the main camera.
How much, officially? As of today, they have gotten 653 inches of snow at Paradise on Mt. Rainier since last July, and there are 225 inches of snow on the ground.
So they have already passed the annual average, 641 inches, with almost three months to go. In that same time period last year, the mountain received 137 more inches.
At the end of June we'll know the  annual total and more  about what is happening to the glaciers on Mt. Rainier.

Happy Easter

I hope you all have a happy and blessed Easter.

Mountain morning

I caught this pix of the moon over Paradise this morning at sunrise.  Looks like it's going to be a fantastic Easter weekend :o)

Sisters

Finally...I made it up to see my sister's new house.  She used to live in Port Townsend in one of the old victorian homes, but she and her hubby sold it to some folks from Texas and bought an almost new home out of town.   It's all on one level which is nice for her hubby who is having a heck of a time with arthritis. They are now all settled in, other than emptying  the two car garage filled with stuff...all kinds of  stuff...tons and tons of stuff :o)  I don't envy them. My dream is to drop dead right here in my own home, leaving the sorting of stuff to my kids ;o0