Annie & Ryan meet newest cousin Izzy

Our last official activity of the visit was to meet the Martins for dinner the night before they flew home to Pittsburgh.     Annie and Ryan had met Shannon and Chris before but not their newest cousin Izzy.    It was a fun sunny evening at a floating restaurant in Camas and a good time was had by all.

 

Annie & Ryan, Next Stop Long Beach, WA

The coach is getting a little crowded for 4 adult size people so we had one night in the coach near Mt St Helens and the last night near the airport.    For the rest of the week, we stayed at our friends Gary and Darcy's cabin in Long Beach, WA.   The weather wasn't the best but we managed to find a beautiful sunny day in Seaside.   And we had great fun together exploring the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and hike, Marsh's museum, the Boardwalk and Discovery Trail in Long Beach,  the Prom and Turnaround in Seaside, Spiderman, the Astoria Column, and the Columbia River Maritime Museum & Lightship.   Whew, no wonder we were exhausted.    The best part was getting to spend time just hanging out with our far away grand kids and feeling like we know a little more about the wonderful young adults they have become.

 

Annie & Ryan visit from Pittsburgh

It is amazing how grown up the Pittsburgh grandkids are now.    We picked them up in Chehalis after a week at Grandma Linda's.    Ryan is over 6 foot tall and Annie is taller then I am.  At almost 13 and 15 they are becoming almost adults..... and they eat like 3 adults ;-))

It was a perfect NW summer day so we headed right up to Mt St Helens for a view of the famous volcano.    After a great lunch with amazing views and a drive with increasingly beautiful vistas, we listened to a ranger talk, the movies, and the the curtains opening on that amazing sight.    After a short hike along the interpretive trail, we headed back down the mountain and more pretty sights.

 

Tom & Sheila visit from Tucson

Tom and Sheila are friends from Tucson.   We visited them in San Carlos, Mexico this past winter.    They volunteered at the Oregon Coast when we were in PT and then made a stop in Portland to see us and the city.    The weather mostly cooperated and we had a great time sight seeing at Washington Park and the Gardens and BBQing.

 

A Stop on the way to Portland & Fourth of July with the Kids

After we paid goodbye to PT, we headed to Portland by way of Chehalis.   There is a wonderful park just off the freeway where we met my sister's family and the Martins for a great time with the kids (Chris, Lydia, Gracie, Sammie, and Izzy).    Great impromptu picnic and fun on the playground.

Our first outing in Portland was a trip to the zoo on the 4th of July.    We were up and out early and good thing too as it was really crowded by the time we left.    But we early birds had the gift of a lovely morning with the animals.    The Lorikeets are favorites of Izzy's and they will drink from a cup in your hand.   Izzy's red wagon was a perfect ride and we all had a great time.    Then back home to get the food ready for a BBQ with Erik, Jenn, and Grandpa Bill joining in.    What a great holiday!

 

Port Townsend June 30th

We left Port Townsend on July 1st with mixed emotions.    We are anxious to get to Portland & catch up with family and friends there, but also sad to leave LeAnne & Benny and the new friends we made in PT.    Working at the Coast Artillery Museum was an interesting and fun experience.    The museum and the Fort Worden history were much more intriguing than I expected.   The best part though, as always, was the people.   Alfred, Kevin, David, and the other local volunteers were so nice and helpful to us.   We really felt like part of the group and valued for our contribution.    We have heard from other volunteers who say that isn't always the case.    The CAM is a great place to volunteer (if the weather cooperates ;-)).   We also made friends with our partners in crime, Patsy and Tim Moberly who came all the way from Kentucky to volunteer at the museum.   They were great neighbors and work partners.   Patsy is a great cook and warm and kind.   Tim is funny as a crutch and kept us in stitches during slow times at the museum.    They both were so thoughtful and helpful.    They are coming to the Portland area in early August and we are looking forward to seeing them here.   The last week we were there, all the volunteers at Fort Worden had a potluck in the kitchen shelter.   Great people and a great time.    We will definitely stop by the Fort and the Museum whenever we are in PT.

 

Port Townsend, events, family and friends- Spring 2012

Port Townsend, Spring 2012
We made our plans for this spring last year because our oldest Grandson Benny graduated from high school on June 8th.    He also had qualified for the district tennis championship and had an excellent chance of going to State!    So we  talked with the director of the museum at Fort Worden and landed ourselves our second work camping job.    We would be hosts at the museum 4-5 days per week from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.   Mostly we took admissions, sold gift store items, and generally welcomed visitors and gave them an overview of the museum.    Both of us had some small projects to keep us busy.    This was a great job for Port Townsend in May and June because it was inside.    Those months tend to be cold, windy and rainy.    We really enjoyed the assignment and especially all the people who volunteer and visit.    The family was working or at school while we were at the museum, so for the most part, it worked.   We did find that we love the freedom of retirement and a regular schedule tied us down a bit.
 
But the important part was being with LeAnne and Benny during such an important time.   We had lots of dinners together, tennis matches to watch, graduation ceremony and party to put together, and just good times.

It was a fun time to catch up with old friends in the Seattle area too.  We celebrated birthdays with Jan and Lonnie and they also came to PT for a short visit.  I spent a couple days  in town with the Q girls lunch group, Betty Anne, and Michael.  We met Doug and Diane in Kingston for a great catch up.  Diana came to dinner while she was in PT.    We met John's work buddies from Kaspar Mechanical.  Twice we took the ferry to Coupeville for lunch with Kathy and Bill and again with Ted and Elaine.  And Margaret and I met at Bainbridge for lunch and wine tasting.    Brother Arnie and Jean, Matt and Madonna, Cindy and Dave, Gary and Darcy, and then Trina and Ken all visited PT and we got to catch up with them here.   It was a wonderful reminder that we have an amazing community here that is so important.

We did get one good hike in during our PT stay.    On a lovely May day we drove to Ranger's Hole and Staircase Rapids in the Olympic National Park for short hikes.    The wild flowers were fantastic and it was a great day.   Unfortunately I re-injured my knee and have been in physical therapy since and so no more strenuous hiking for a while.

I made one trip to Centralia and Vancouver to see family there and had a super time but I am missing them already and anxious to get closer.    Both John and I are ready to be on the road again and have a couple months without a work schedule.    Even retirees need a summer vacation, right?