Mt. Rainier, Washington

Mt. Rainier can be seen from all around the Seattle area (when it's clear) and stands over 14,000 feet high. The day before we left Gig Harbor (see post below), we took a day trip to visit it. It was a beautiful, two-and a half hour drive from where we were staying.

I love the way the trees made a V as we drove closer to the mountain through the Mt. Rainier National Park.

This forest was as pretty as any I have ever seen in Colorado and Canada.

The park newspaper asks that people not walk in the natural areas of the forest, but stay on the trails only. There is much vegetation and a short growing season here.

Some of the trees here were huge---this picture as we were moving, doesn't do them justice, but the literature we got says they rival some of the giant sequoias in California.

This picture gives you a good idea of just how large these trees are.

A great picture that illustrates "from death to re-birth." Forests are amazing!

There is even life on rocks up here!

Beautiful little trillium growing on the forest floor. It obviously doesn't need much sun!

We were no where near the top of the mountain, but this was as far as we could go by car. This was at the Visitors Center at Paradise. They had had over two-hundred inches of snow last winter, and in June, it was still this deep on the side of the road!

You can see the people hiking into the trails from the visitor center. Most of them had on snow-shoes, but we saw one lady in a long dress wearing flip-flops! The temperature was in the high 40's.

A few years ago, Larry really wanted to try to climb this mountain, and Sally sent him a lot of information about it. Now, it's easy to see that this is not a mountain for amateurs. Even in the summer months, hikers have to wear special clothing and have all the right equipment and extensive training. Maybe snowball fighting is the better sport for Larry now!



Trip to Gig Harbor (Seattle) Washington

Land in Seattle, head over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge...wow!

And you end up in Gig Harbor, Washington, a beautiful little harbor town just southwest of Seattle, between Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean! It was founded in the late 1800's by some men in a "gig" who sought refuge during a bad storm in this little harbor. Hence, the name, Gig Harbor."



During dinner at a beautiful little restaurant on the harbor, the sailboats came out! Temps were in the high 60's!

Looking across the harbor from our restaurant, were some beautiful homes.

Several men also paddled on boards with the sailboats.

My delicious scampi caesar salad at The Green Turtle Restaurant.

 

Some of the beautiful lupines growing in Larry's daughter's yard in Fox Island, just off Gig Harbor.

A safe "harbor" for the birds.

Larry, with two of his sons-in-law, John Goforth on the left, from San Antonio, and Bob England, Sally's husband.

There's just something about a front door with a pretty floral wreath on it. This is Sally's door.

Some of the gorgeous fushia growing in the area.

Lillies

 

Beautiful rhododendron in every color, in full bloom!

Rhododendron up close.

Impatiens

We had a wonderful lunch at The Tides Tavern on the harbor. Fish and chips for Larry, clam chowder for me!

A large painting in the restaurant, looking at it from the harbor.

The whirly-gig at The Tides, which was whirling around like crazy, proving the wind to be a little too much to eat outdoors on the deck, like some people did.

The view from the table at lunch.

Some people travel to the restaurant by boat.

This is a view of The Peoples' Dock at Gig Harbor, where all the action was when it was first founded.

The little Gig Harbor Lighthouse, which was built in the 1980's to help boats find the harbor from Puget Sound. We can't wait for another trip to Gig Harbor and Fox Island! What a beautiful spot in our country!

The Baby Bird, by Macy, age 8

I have loved all the stages my grandchildren have gone through, from the time they were born and I could hold them and give them bottles until they went to sleep, the toddler years, the kindergarten years, and now, Macy is eight-years old and she loves to read and write! What a fun age this is! The other day, I showed her how to make a little 8-page, foldable book and before I knew it, a story was created! It was the week that Ainsley, her three-year old cousin from Houston,was here while her mom was volunteering a week at muscular dystrophy camp. Macy had heard us talk about Colleen's involvement with this camp and two summers ago, she and Marshall even got to visit this camp since they had collected many water toys for these special kids at their birthday party (instead of gifts for themselves.) All of a sudden, "The Baby Bird" began to form in her head. I sat with her at the kitchen table and as quickly as she could think, the story went onto paper. It really is sort of a "rough draft" with quite a few spelling mistakes, but I couldn't help snap pictures of each page before I left their house that day. Here is what it says:

The Baby Bird

by Macy

It was a sunny day. A bird named Joey had hatched. He had no wings and not able to fly. Joey was very, very sad.

(Look at the picture of him in his wheelchair.)

He had five friends. Sally, Johnny, Junior, Belle, and Jack. They tried to teach him how to fly, but he always failed. (The picture shows his score card and his sad face.)

One day, his friend Sally, told him about "Camp Dissy-Bird." (Note, she said it was called this because it was for DISABLED birds!) She would be a volunteer (like Aunt Leenie). She set them up. She would be his assistant. (I had told her that each of the children at muscular dystrophy camp had a volunteer who was with them every day for all 24-hours.)

He toe-painted (we had just painted her toes that day!), went swimming, and played a fun game of Dissy-Bird. He went every summer.

He always looked forward to it. (Picture of him in his wheelchair with his thought bubble that says, "Camp.")

The End.

As a retired English teacher, I would love to have her re-do the book with all the corrections and colored pictures, but I know how important it is at this age, to just relax about that and let children find JOY in writing! I loved sitting there with her and listening to her thoughts as she wrote. This book was written really fast, in probably about ten minutes, pictures and all! I am amazed at her love of the written word, but I am more amazed at her beautiful, caring heart. I love you, Macy, and I love you, Aunt Leenie (Colleen), for being a giving, caring role model for your niece and nephew!

New Picture of Ainsley

This is a new picture of Ainsley that was in Larry's Father's Day card. We are now fighting over it!

Camp Mimi, 2011

For the past couple of summers, the first week of June coincides with the week my daughter-in-law volunteers at a camp for children with muscular dystrophy and the three extra days Julie must work after the kiddos get out of school---so lucky me! I get all three of my grandchildren for a few days of fun! It's a chance for some "cousin-bonding time," and has proven to be lots of fun. This year was no exception!

Sunday was a day for church. Ainsley was a super-good girl and enjoyed listening to the "CREATURE" (her term for "preacher") and even going to the altar for a little communion/tea party. I would have loved to have a picture of this for the blog, but it wasn't really something I could do. Later, in the evening, she watered the plants on the deck with her spray bottle (easier for her than a watering can!), and then we ate popsicles while we watched the hummingbirds swarm to the feeder.

She enjoyed entertaining Papa and me with her talents...

Then it was time for bath, teeth-brushing, a bedtime story, prayers, and "night-night." We had a lot of things planned for the next few days.

It began with a trip to Macy's and Marshall's house (because they have all the neat stuff!) and watching Marshall play with his "magic ball."

Such talented grandkids!

Macy and Marshall have become excellent swimmers, but since Ainsley is still learning how to swim, I was reluctant to take them to the "big pool," so they had to be content with splashing and playing with water guns in a little pool in the backyard! This occupied them for about an hour each of the three days.

It was a bit crowded when they all decided to lie down in the water!

Next, they put on costumes--Ainsley chose Tinkerbell wings and wand...

Marshall put on his SWAT team outfit and handcuffed himself! Macy never got into the costume activity, but was pre-occupied with getting out her Littlest Pet Shop toys for Ainsley.

Ainsley was quickly intrigued and I think may be asking for LPS for birthday and Christmas! Get ready, John and Colleen for a thousand little pieces!

Next, we had a Camp Mimi Spa with manicure and pedicure for the girls. This was a first for Ainsley. She chose blue for her toes and pink for her nails.

I told her to hold her fingers out so they wouldn't smear, and she spent a couple of hours in this pose!

The next two days, we also played with bubbles...

...and played with Play-Doh, making all kinds of sea creatures and food items...

like Marshall's fudge-colored jelly-fish. It took a lot of work to get this perfect shade of brown!

For some reason, holding the mouth a certain way always helps when you're creating art!

Ainsley's special creation.

We had lots of fun each day with other art activites, coloring, cooking, eating, playing with dolls, hula-hoops, jumping rope, playing musical instruments, and writing books. This book above is Macy's little book, called "The Baby Bird," which will have a blog post all of its own. It's about a baby bird who was born with no wings and had some special friends who took him to a camp called "Camp Dissy-Bird" for disabled birds. She had obviously been influenced by her Aunt Colleen's volunteer work at the camp for children with muscular dystrophy.

Before long, Camp Mimi, 2011 was over and we were off to meet John in Schulenburg so Ainsley could go back home to Houston, with a trip to her mom's camp the next day. It was a fun-filled week for Mimi and Papa, who returned home to pack for a trip to Seattle the next day to see one of the older granddaughters get married. We are blessed to have fourteen grandchildren!!