Wendy and Larry had things they needed to get done today, so Mike and I decided to take the day and do some touristy type stuff.
We went to the Poulsbo Farmers Market this morning. A little on the small scale, but tasty offerings none-the-less. But talk about the Birkenstocks/Hemp crowd!!!! I felt like I was immersed in Santa Fe, New Mexico again. Yikes!!!! Mike got really grossed out when he saw one woman with hairier legs than his along with more armpit hair than he has ever had. Yuck!!!!!
After the Farmers Market I wanted to head to this particular fabric store that I visited earlier this week. One of my friends from my embroidery club asked me to check it out for some 50's rock and roll style fabric. So I went to check to see if they had any and sadly they didn't. Sorry Angie, I tried.
Then we went a checked out a couple of other gift shops and antique malls. Lo and behold, we actually made it back to the car without spending another penny. How that happened, I am unprepared to explain at this point in time.
Next item on our agenda for the day? Head to Port Angeles and Port Townsend to taste wines at the 8 local wineries listed in the flier we picked up. Little did we know when we started out that Port Angeles is more than 50 miles away. Oh well, as I stated when we finally found the first winery, "they better have some good wines for this lengthy drive out here."
You will notice that I stated "we finally found." Yes that is so right. Talk about out of the way, obscure signs and buildings. Wow! These wineries were not easy to find. Out of the 8, we actually only found three. And the wines? Not that great! Alot of dry reds. And for those of you who know us well, Mike and I are really sweet while wine drinkers. The third winery was the best. A very small operation, but fantastic wines. In addition to the fantastic wines, they only charge $2.00 for tasting. Not $5.00 like the others. And their wines were very reasonably priced, the most expensive being $10.99. Oh, the name of this winery you may be asking? Black Diamond Winery. They even have a web site www.blackdiamondwinery.com. I bought four bottles of wine there. Awesome. Can't wait for my weekly visit at Jennifer's house to begin my consumption of these tasty liquids!
After wine tasting, we decided to head back to the motorhome here in Poulsbo. Just reheated good old Domino's Pizza in the nuker and then just sitting back and relaxing. Nice. Tomorrow we get to go spend the entire day with the kids!!!!! Wendy doesn't have to go to work, so we will get to spend the whole day with her. Tomorrow will be stellar!!! Hurry up. Get here. We love our kids.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Fantastic Days With The Kids
Spent the last three days with Wendy, Larry and Hana in their apartment here in Silverdale, WA. Just cannot get over how much Silverdale has changed in the past 32 years since Mike, Wendy and I last lived here. Absolutely unbelievable! The Kitsap Mall used to be a little strip mall with about six tiny stores and a grocery store. Now it includes Kohls, Barnes and Noble, Macy's, Sears, etc. Silverdale has absolutely everything in it now. Just cannot believe it!
Larry's sister Barb and her two daughters Madison and Taylor were here as well. Got to finally meet one of Larry's sisters personally. Diane and Paul should be very proud of themselves. They have raised some really great kids.
Today Mike and Larry spent the day building a special bookshelf that will double as a private feeding room for Wendy's aging cat Patches. Have to admit, they are doing a great job. It is turning out quite nicely.I have never seen an idea like this before. Wendy just may have something here.
I got to spend the day with my little Hana. God I love that little girl. She is just the cutest, most special little girl on this earth. Although, wow can she tire a person out. I guess I really am getting older. Whew!
Had dinner with the kids and then just sat and visited for awhile. Absolutely fantastic evening. I love our kids!!!!!
Larry's sister Barb and her two daughters Madison and Taylor were here as well. Got to finally meet one of Larry's sisters personally. Diane and Paul should be very proud of themselves. They have raised some really great kids.
Today Mike and Larry spent the day building a special bookshelf that will double as a private feeding room for Wendy's aging cat Patches. Have to admit, they are doing a great job. It is turning out quite nicely.I have never seen an idea like this before. Wendy just may have something here.
I got to spend the day with my little Hana. God I love that little girl. She is just the cutest, most special little girl on this earth. Although, wow can she tire a person out. I guess I really am getting older. Whew!
Had dinner with the kids and then just sat and visited for awhile. Absolutely fantastic evening. I love our kids!!!!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
We have reached Poulsbo, Washington!
It's been a while since our last post on July 2, 2011. We were in Bismarck at Mike's mom's house until July 11th. We seemed to have something going every single day while in Bismarck. Mike's family had a family reunion at his mom's house on July 3rd. Mike's sister Colette drove up from the Denver area and Mike's sister Joan, brother-in-law Bob, nephew Brian and niece-in-law Takeisha drove up from Colorado Springs. Mike's sister Katherine and brother-in-law Bob shortened their weekend camping trip with their kids in order to come into Bismarck for the reunion. So, we got to spend the day with all five kids together. It's been five years since all of the kids were together. Cameras were flashing everywhere. It was a wonderful day.
July 4th was a nice relaxing day. We fully intended on heading up to the capital building in Bismarck to watch the fireworks display for the first time in North Dakota's state capital. However, once we got back to the motorhome to change clothes and apply mosquito repellent we smelled a horrible smell. No, it wasn't the sewer! It was burning electrical wiring. Whew that stuff stinks!!!!! Still not sure what happened, but our surge guard burned up! At least it cut out the electrical current to the motorhome before any damage could be done. Thank goodness for that. Unfortunately we missed the fireworks display altogether and then had to fork out a whopping $250 the next day to buy and install a new surge guard!
Friday, July 8th we headed to Katherine and Bob's ranch north of Lemmon, SD. We took Mike's mom with us. On the drive to the ranch we noticed some really dark looking clouds. Just like the clouds we had been seeing and experiencing for the last three days. Then the clouds opened up and dumped the rain. It was really heavy for about five miles, and then just sprinkles for the next five miles. After that, sunny and beautiful. We had such a nice visit at the ranch with Mike's nephews Donald and Jeff as well as Katherine and Bob. Also got to visit with Mike's great-niece Kaylene and his great-nephew Justin. Katherine and Bob suggested we go into Mott to the Pheasant Cafe for their weekly fish fry buffet. So they got into their car and we got into Mom's car and took off for Mott. A few miles outside of Mott my telephone rang and it was Mike's sister Valerie asking where we were because there was a tornado watch in Bismarck. I told her we were in Mott and thus not in danger as the sun was shining and the weather was beautiful! So off to dinner we continued. Dinner was delicious! I don't like fish, so I got the prime rib. Anyway, why would I want to eat anything other than beef when I am in North Dakota where they grow some of the best tasting beef in the country!!!!!! After dinner we went and visited Mike's uncle George for a bit before heading back to Bismarck.
Left Bismarck on the 11th and headed to Billings, MT. Called Pam and Rick to see if we could camp out in front of their house again for a couple of days. They were thrilled to have us back. Well, at least that's what they said!
Left Billings on the 13th. Traveled to Butte, MT and decided to spend the night in a WalMart Supercenter parking lot. After we pulled in and got all settled in, we decided to go into the store to get a couple of things that we had on our shopping list. Mike was tired and trying to rush me through, so he decided to let me stay in the store while he headed back to the motorhome for a quick nap before dinner. About 20 minutes later I got a text from Mike telling me to hurry up and get back to the motorhome because a storm was coming. So I headed to the checkouts and checked out. I couldn't believe how dark the skies were when I got outside of the store. As I was walking back to the motorhome the wind was blowing so hard it almost knocked me over. Whoa! I just got back to the motorhome and all hell broke loose! Wow did it rain!!!!! The next morning was just as unbelievable! We got to experience our first hail of the trip! Thankfully it remained small and didn't cause any damage. Anyway, after the skies cleared we headed out onto the road again.
Last night was spent in Moses Lake, WA at another WalMart Supercenter parking lot. Getting to be pros at this. Thankfully WalMart is camper friendly and allows campers to park in their parking lots country wide free of charge. Of course we tend to go into the store when we stop and make sure to purchase items we are needing.
Arrived in Poulsbo, WA this evening. What an absolutely beautiful drive through the Washington Cascades!!!! Snow still is plentiful in the mountains. Wild flowers are blooming in plenitude as well. It is just breathtakingly beautiful!!! Get to see the kids tomorrow. Cannot wait!
July 4th was a nice relaxing day. We fully intended on heading up to the capital building in Bismarck to watch the fireworks display for the first time in North Dakota's state capital. However, once we got back to the motorhome to change clothes and apply mosquito repellent we smelled a horrible smell. No, it wasn't the sewer! It was burning electrical wiring. Whew that stuff stinks!!!!! Still not sure what happened, but our surge guard burned up! At least it cut out the electrical current to the motorhome before any damage could be done. Thank goodness for that. Unfortunately we missed the fireworks display altogether and then had to fork out a whopping $250 the next day to buy and install a new surge guard!
Friday, July 8th we headed to Katherine and Bob's ranch north of Lemmon, SD. We took Mike's mom with us. On the drive to the ranch we noticed some really dark looking clouds. Just like the clouds we had been seeing and experiencing for the last three days. Then the clouds opened up and dumped the rain. It was really heavy for about five miles, and then just sprinkles for the next five miles. After that, sunny and beautiful. We had such a nice visit at the ranch with Mike's nephews Donald and Jeff as well as Katherine and Bob. Also got to visit with Mike's great-niece Kaylene and his great-nephew Justin. Katherine and Bob suggested we go into Mott to the Pheasant Cafe for their weekly fish fry buffet. So they got into their car and we got into Mom's car and took off for Mott. A few miles outside of Mott my telephone rang and it was Mike's sister Valerie asking where we were because there was a tornado watch in Bismarck. I told her we were in Mott and thus not in danger as the sun was shining and the weather was beautiful! So off to dinner we continued. Dinner was delicious! I don't like fish, so I got the prime rib. Anyway, why would I want to eat anything other than beef when I am in North Dakota where they grow some of the best tasting beef in the country!!!!!! After dinner we went and visited Mike's uncle George for a bit before heading back to Bismarck.
Left Bismarck on the 11th and headed to Billings, MT. Called Pam and Rick to see if we could camp out in front of their house again for a couple of days. They were thrilled to have us back. Well, at least that's what they said!
Left Billings on the 13th. Traveled to Butte, MT and decided to spend the night in a WalMart Supercenter parking lot. After we pulled in and got all settled in, we decided to go into the store to get a couple of things that we had on our shopping list. Mike was tired and trying to rush me through, so he decided to let me stay in the store while he headed back to the motorhome for a quick nap before dinner. About 20 minutes later I got a text from Mike telling me to hurry up and get back to the motorhome because a storm was coming. So I headed to the checkouts and checked out. I couldn't believe how dark the skies were when I got outside of the store. As I was walking back to the motorhome the wind was blowing so hard it almost knocked me over. Whoa! I just got back to the motorhome and all hell broke loose! Wow did it rain!!!!! The next morning was just as unbelievable! We got to experience our first hail of the trip! Thankfully it remained small and didn't cause any damage. Anyway, after the skies cleared we headed out onto the road again.
Last night was spent in Moses Lake, WA at another WalMart Supercenter parking lot. Getting to be pros at this. Thankfully WalMart is camper friendly and allows campers to park in their parking lots country wide free of charge. Of course we tend to go into the store when we stop and make sure to purchase items we are needing.
Arrived in Poulsbo, WA this evening. What an absolutely beautiful drive through the Washington Cascades!!!! Snow still is plentiful in the mountains. Wild flowers are blooming in plenitude as well. It is just breathtakingly beautiful!!! Get to see the kids tomorrow. Cannot wait!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Why Photo Traffic Law Enforcement Doesn't Work Well in North Dakota
And this is one of the cleaner vehicles!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Travel Day to Bismarck, North Dakota
Left Dickinson, ND this morning around 9:00 a.m. (MST). A beautiful day to travel. The wind was at our back pushing our motorhome eastward, the sky was partly cloudy so it wasn't too hot. Just a perfect day. It is so absolutely green here in North Dakota. The entire country has been hearing about the flooding in parts of the state due to the heavy winter snowfall in Montana as well as the rains that have been going on all spring and summer thus far. All of this moisture has resulted in beautiful heavily grassed fields. Of course all of the rivers and lakes are exceptionally full as well.
Arrived in Bismarck, ND at about 12:30 p.m. (CST). The road from the interstate to the KOA Campground is being torn up so that it can be widened to a four lane road. Wow! Messy! Made it just fine to the KOA and checked in. Got one of our favorite campsites. The trees don't block the satelite signal for our DirecTV. Awesome. Got our motorhome all set up and then tried to get our laptops hooked up to the free WiFi here at the campground. Major difficulties. The owners of the campground are really accommodating. Sat beside Mike and telephoned the Internet provider and tried everything to get connected. Couldn't get it done at that point in time, but assured us they would keep trying to get the problem resolved.
Left to head down to Mike's mom's house. Mike's sister Colette is already here. Got to visit with her and mom and then Valerie and Leroy arrived. Really nice seeing everyone and visiting with them all. Looking forward to the next ten days with Mike's family.
It's really interesting how time seems to move alot faster when you change time zones. Came back to the campground to get some sleep. Checked to see if we could access the campground free WiFi and as you can all see, we have success.
Arrived in Bismarck, ND at about 12:30 p.m. (CST). The road from the interstate to the KOA Campground is being torn up so that it can be widened to a four lane road. Wow! Messy! Made it just fine to the KOA and checked in. Got one of our favorite campsites. The trees don't block the satelite signal for our DirecTV. Awesome. Got our motorhome all set up and then tried to get our laptops hooked up to the free WiFi here at the campground. Major difficulties. The owners of the campground are really accommodating. Sat beside Mike and telephoned the Internet provider and tried everything to get connected. Couldn't get it done at that point in time, but assured us they would keep trying to get the problem resolved.
Left to head down to Mike's mom's house. Mike's sister Colette is already here. Got to visit with her and mom and then Valerie and Leroy arrived. Really nice seeing everyone and visiting with them all. Looking forward to the next ten days with Mike's family.
It's really interesting how time seems to move alot faster when you change time zones. Came back to the campground to get some sleep. Checked to see if we could access the campground free WiFi and as you can all see, we have success.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wendy, Larry and Hana Arrived Today!
Wendy, Larry and Hana arrived at my Dad's house in Dickinson today. I could not wait to get my little Granddaughter out of her car seat and into my arms. To my surprise, she let me take her out and hold her and she didn't squirm out of my arms. It has been six months since we last saw her and she made me feel as if she hasn't forgotten me at all. She is just so sweet and so special.
I got all of the baking done for my dad yesterday. I baked him cinnamon rolls, caramel rolls, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal date cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies. His freezer is once again well stocked with goodies. Mike finished all of the chores on his list as well. He pruned all of the bushes and trees, changed the oil and did all of the car service checks on my dad's car, and replaced a ceiling light fixture. And people think we actually are on vacation when we come to North Dakota. Really?????
My Dad decided that Larry and Wendy should have homemade rhubarb strawberry jelly and homemade rhubarb sauce to take to their new home in Washington. So he picked all of the rhubarb in his garden. Mike, Larry and I cleaned it all and Mike and I cut it into pieces. Then Dad gave me the recipe cards so that I could make the sauce and the jelly. Of course there was plenty of rhubarb so that I could also make jelly and sauce for him as well as jelly for Mike and me. So needless to say, my chores have not ended yet. Maybe tomorrow when I get the jelly done? One can only hope.
Thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my little Hana while her mommy and daddy went and did a little shopping with Mike. I am just a very proud Grandma. Had such a nice visit with Wendy and Larry when they returned. I can't believe how much Wendy has grown up in the past year. It truly is a wonder what motherhood will do to a person.
Of course, I also thoroughly enjoyed whooping her in a game of pool too!!!
I got all of the baking done for my dad yesterday. I baked him cinnamon rolls, caramel rolls, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal date cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies. His freezer is once again well stocked with goodies. Mike finished all of the chores on his list as well. He pruned all of the bushes and trees, changed the oil and did all of the car service checks on my dad's car, and replaced a ceiling light fixture. And people think we actually are on vacation when we come to North Dakota. Really?????
My Dad decided that Larry and Wendy should have homemade rhubarb strawberry jelly and homemade rhubarb sauce to take to their new home in Washington. So he picked all of the rhubarb in his garden. Mike, Larry and I cleaned it all and Mike and I cut it into pieces. Then Dad gave me the recipe cards so that I could make the sauce and the jelly. Of course there was plenty of rhubarb so that I could also make jelly and sauce for him as well as jelly for Mike and me. So needless to say, my chores have not ended yet. Maybe tomorrow when I get the jelly done? One can only hope.
Thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my little Hana while her mommy and daddy went and did a little shopping with Mike. I am just a very proud Grandma. Had such a nice visit with Wendy and Larry when they returned. I can't believe how much Wendy has grown up in the past year. It truly is a wonder what motherhood will do to a person.
Of course, I also thoroughly enjoyed whooping her in a game of pool too!!!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day
Today is Father's Day. I think the last time I was able to celebrate Father's Day with my Dad was when I was 18 years old. Needless to say, that was a long time ago. Started out the day with my Dad coming out to the campground to have a special breakfast with us in our motorhome. I made my famous crescent breakfast sandwiches. Of course we started out with toasting Father's Day with a Bloody Mary. After breakfast we cleaned everything up and then headed over to my Dad's house for the day.
A very good friend of Mike's, Walt Heath telephoned Mike and let him know that he and his family are on 30 minute mandatory evacuation notice due to the Memorial Fire located near their home in Sierra Vista, Arizona. This is so absolutely devastatingly unbelievable! Walt just retired a couple of months before Mike did. This is no way to enjoy a person's retirement, by worrying that they may lose everything. Mike and I are both praying very hard for Walt and Bea's safety as well as the fire not coming anywhere near their property!!!! Please Lord up above, hear us loud and clear!!!!!
As I mentioned earlier, once we cleaned up the breakfast dishes we headed to my Dad's house for the day. Yesterday Mike started pruning the bushes and hedges surrounding my Dad's house and today he finished the last three that he needed to complete. The only tree left is the apple tree. Mike would have completed that task if it hadn't started to rain. You sure don't want to be using electric power tools when it is raining with lightening and thunder. A little bit of a death wish if you do.
Wendy, Larry and Hana called to wish Mike a Happy Father's Day. We thought they were still down by Mount Rushmore and would be heading to the Kilzer farm near Lemmon, South Dakota tomorrow. We were wrong. They had already finished their visit to Mount Rushmore and arrived today at the Kilzer farm. They will be spending the next couple of days visiting with Mike's sister Katherine and brother-in-law Bob, and then they will be heading to Dickinson where we will be able to see them and spend five days with them while they are here visiting my Dad.
We had dinner this evening with Dad. My cousin Clare Ann had given my Dad some homemade sausage that she and her husband had made using her Dad's delicious recipe. Dad saved the sausage for when Mike and I came and we had it tonight with Dad's homemade baked beans. Quite delicious! It has been years since I have eaten either one of these two food items.
After dinner we sat and visited for a while, then Mike and I headed back up here to the motorhome.
A very good friend of Mike's, Walt Heath telephoned Mike and let him know that he and his family are on 30 minute mandatory evacuation notice due to the Memorial Fire located near their home in Sierra Vista, Arizona. This is so absolutely devastatingly unbelievable! Walt just retired a couple of months before Mike did. This is no way to enjoy a person's retirement, by worrying that they may lose everything. Mike and I are both praying very hard for Walt and Bea's safety as well as the fire not coming anywhere near their property!!!! Please Lord up above, hear us loud and clear!!!!!
As I mentioned earlier, once we cleaned up the breakfast dishes we headed to my Dad's house for the day. Yesterday Mike started pruning the bushes and hedges surrounding my Dad's house and today he finished the last three that he needed to complete. The only tree left is the apple tree. Mike would have completed that task if it hadn't started to rain. You sure don't want to be using electric power tools when it is raining with lightening and thunder. A little bit of a death wish if you do.
Wendy, Larry and Hana called to wish Mike a Happy Father's Day. We thought they were still down by Mount Rushmore and would be heading to the Kilzer farm near Lemmon, South Dakota tomorrow. We were wrong. They had already finished their visit to Mount Rushmore and arrived today at the Kilzer farm. They will be spending the next couple of days visiting with Mike's sister Katherine and brother-in-law Bob, and then they will be heading to Dickinson where we will be able to see them and spend five days with them while they are here visiting my Dad.
We had dinner this evening with Dad. My cousin Clare Ann had given my Dad some homemade sausage that she and her husband had made using her Dad's delicious recipe. Dad saved the sausage for when Mike and I came and we had it tonight with Dad's homemade baked beans. Quite delicious! It has been years since I have eaten either one of these two food items.
After dinner we sat and visited for a while, then Mike and I headed back up here to the motorhome.
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