Mid-Summer Recap

Ben - Has moved out. And I didn't even have to ask him to go. The Army did. They also gave him a sweet bachelor pad (and sometimes a roommate!) in the city. We are about to start our 5th month of his relocation. He spends on average 24 hours a week at home, 80 hours a week in a hospital and the rest in his sweet (read: not great) apartment. Sometimes he gets to stay in luxury hotels elsewhere in the U.S.; Chicago, as documented by my accompaniment on the trip and most recently Rochester, Minn at a little place called the Mayo Clinic where he practiced sewing on vasculature 1/8 of a millimeter thick (Ben made me show him with my fingers how big an inch, then centimeter, then millimeter was, etc. until I was duly impressed). A big thank you to all of those Minnesotan mice for your service.

Professionally, I could not be prouder of him. Every day he becomes and better and better doctor and every day he already starts off as a pretty good one.

Me - I got to keep the house. And all of the maintenance that goes with it. I can almost always be found in the yard, wearing a sweatshirt and boots, wishing I was wearing cutoffs and flip flops.

Avery & Miles - Took a few tennis lessons but otherwise are enjoying everything an unstructured summer should be - except for heat, which we will try very hard to be grateful for.

Cruz - Does whatever everyone else does and generally destroys most things in his path. If it's edible, it's a goner.

School's Out for the Summer!

I love watching for Avery as she comes down the drive after getting off of the school bus. Sometimes she sprints home, backpack bouncing. Often she dilly-dallies and takes it all in, many times talking to herself or singing. Always fun to watch.

The last day of school I expected a cheerful dash to the front door but what I saw was a newly graduated first grader sobbing...sob-bing... as she made her way home. I dashed down from my usual vantage point on the second story and greeted her on the driveway. I thought something bad had happened on the bus or that she was injured. Nope. Her heart was just broken that another school year was over. She mourned moving on from her teacher, the 10 week break from her friends and bus-rides, not a bit consoled by the fact that she could now sleep-in and stay up late(r).

This guy is not sad to have her home for the summer.

Girls and Boys of Hula

In an effort to get in touch with their island heritage the kids started taking hula. It began as Avery's class but Miles' was quickly invited to take part as well. Here is a video of their first performance.

(Miles is up front in green and Avery is to the left in black with a white lava-lava)





Ben is not as thrilled as I am about Miles' "dancing" but I think traditional hula is about as masculine as it gets. In defense of my opinion you can check out the Men of Hula on PBS. Or see below:






You're welcome ladies.

He also taps.

This is what ensued when he found my old tap shoes in a cabinet.

Cape Flattery/Neah Bay

Fourth of July weekend we packed up and headed for the Northwestern most point of the continental U.S. - Cape Flattery. We stayed at Hobuck Beach on the Makah Indian Reservation with our usual partners in camping, the McA's. We saw some great scenery, but first I will bore you with pictures of my children.


This is Miles' sad hiking face. Before we ever take two steps he always let's me know how much he does NOT like to hike. Or walk. Unfortunately for him, we were going to do a lot of both.


This is after I showed him how ridiculous he looked with his sad face. Avery, always ready to spot wildlife.



You know you are on a Washington beach when it's July and you are wearing a fleece jacket.




The kids don't care though.

Sanddollars like Washington beaches too. And now I will bore you with some pictures of those.

Ben cooking up the best chicken quesadillas ever!

Cape Flattery - This is the view we came for.

Lovely, albeit frigid, Washington beach.

Really great smoked salmon.

Ben and Avery getting skunked, fishing from the bridge.

The men doing their, 'must get to highest point' thing.

Cape Alava

Ben carrying the boys (6.4 miles)

I got the better end of the deal and got to hike with the tie-dye twins. We left everyone in the dust...er..moss.

They didn't want to share germs by using the same water bottle. So they used this Skunk Cabbage leaf to share germs from.

On our way home we identified what could potentially be our next camping adventure: Salt Creek Recreation Area. I've never seen so many mussels in my life. And there were deer on the beach.

This is what I imagine Neverland looks like.

Some miscellaneous photography of Cruz, doing what he does best.

Fathers Day 2011

Still Standing and Delivering

I have been wanting to post about my grandpa Dwight for quite a few months now...since his 85th birthday. He is actually closer to 86 now but as he just gets more remarkable with age, I guess there is no harm in the wait. Plus, as it is Father's Day, there is no better time to feature someone whose fatherhood directly impacts my existence.

Recently, he was featured in the Record Gazette, which highlighted his extensive (and ongoing) teaching career. I have witnessed him in the classroom and found his ability to adapt and connect to today's generation and demographic amazing. He even incorporates Spanglish to get the attention of his students ("ojos -up here").

The article captures the spirit of my gpa as well as a brief article can. It mistakenly lists that he has three daughters (make that granddaughters) and it fails to mention that he does 200 reps each morning with his dumbells (I believe they are 20 lbs each) and that even at 85 he might build a block wall or two, maybe pour a driveway or any other miscellaneous concrete work that he has more years experience in than I have breathing. When he is not working or working out, you might find him in the hot tub, in the kitchen frying up some delicious meat product, studying scripture or watching the Angels play ball...or women's basketball (he may be the only one).

My kids keep laughing that their grandpa (great) is in the newspaper and I love that the interviewing gathered some of his words of wisdom to be passed on to my/his posterity. Miles always says that gpa tells him that he is "full of beans" and the gpa Dwight phrase that I associate most with him is "oh, fudge!", which rings as clearly in my ears as if he were standing in the same room...wearing swim trunks, a ball cap and making "goulash".

85!

(I had to sneak this picture of my mom in b/c I think that she and Cruz look alike)

Special thank you to Sara for photographing our special day!