A little excitement!

 We had a weekend visit from Sophie, Gia and Ceci and their folks.  The girls discovered a sword in the garage and checked out its waterproof capabilities.  The sword has been on top of the freezer for a few years after Bruce found it in the canyon while he was working.  It started to squeak just as the girls arrived. 

Ceci found that the creek was a refreshing place to cool off in the 90 degree heat.

 Gia used one of the rocks as a foot stool. 

 On Friday morning this little dog showed up at our back door.  We could tell she was lost.  I made a few calls trying to see who was missing their sweet dog, without success.  The kids started playing with her and wanted to keep her if her owner didn't show up.  I was pretty certain the owner would be frantic when they discovered she was missing. 

 Ceci and Poppi drove around the neighborhood looking for the dogs owners.

 They posted signs on mailboxes and fence posts to the north of us since the nearest house to the south was almost a mile away.  We also posted on Facebook and the Animal Shelter posted on their Facebook page.  At around 3 o'clock we had our first call from a goofball about the signs.  The lady was a kook and we were concerned about our phone number being posted.  A few minutes later a guy called frantic that his wife's dog was missing.  He was at our house within seconds and Jaycee (the dog's name) was so excited to see her owner, she immediately jumped into his car.  Jaycee recently moved with her family to a farm a mile south of our house.  She must of been out exploring her new place and lost her way home.  Thank goodness the wife saw the post on Facebook.  We also had another call from a second kook - she wanted us to tell her where the dog was.  She said she thought the dog might belong to her sister that lives in Texas.  The sister lost her dog several years ago near Ellensburg. We quickly took down all posts and signs!

 The garden is doing pretty darn good.  We have a whole crop of volunteer sunflowers.  We believe the seeds came from the bird feeder we used last winter. 

 Ceci took this picture of a grasshopper making his home in the center of a sunflower. 

 The sunflower on top of the rocks I thought was destroyed in the storm managed to bloom.  Ceci was quite impressed after our measuring experiment. 

 Gia and Ceci stayed behind while their folks headed back home to work and Sophie is attending soccer camp at WWU.  Sophie was pretty excited to go to camp and eat in the dining hall - all the ice cream you can eat!  Gia helped me after I spilled noodles on the floor. 

 Restaurant Plates!  Gia wanted to use the restaurant plates I recently bought at a yard sale.  She was so excited and ate almost her whole dinner.  None of us cared for the Stove Top stuffing with apples...... the pork chops and applesauce was delicious!

 Ceci's dinner.  It's hard to see in this picture but the plates are oval and quite large.  Great for eatting outside!

 Usually Ceci is in bed before the cattails light up but last night she made it until dusk. 

What a great end to a great day!

Maple Valley Visit

I drove over to Maple Valley for a visit this past week.  Bruce stayed home and took care of the home front while I was gone.  The Sheets garden is growing and producing wonderful zucchini.  Elle picked the first squash of the season. I believe Kimmie will be looking for zucchini and tomato recipes as the garden continues to grow. 

Fried zucchini and mushroom burritos for breakfast - yummy!

While on the coast (what us Central Washington folks call anywhere on the west side of Snoqualmie Pass) we had the opportunity to celebrate Mom's 81st birthday at the Red Lobster restaurant.   

 Baylor and Elle lined up to share Great Grandma's ice cream sundae. 

 We had a great visit with Mom and Pat before Mom had to leave for an eye appointment down the road.  Kimmie and I did some power shopping at some great stores on Thursday - Home Goods, Tuesday Morning and TJ Maxx.  I scored a plum colored Le Creuset frying pan!

Today I headed for home by way of the Renton Landing.  Lots of fun shopping at Marshall's and Cost Plus International Marked and had lunch at my favorite restaurant, Ivars!

 Baylor and Elle waited patiently for their lunch.  The sea gulls entertained us and a mother duck with 5 babies paddled by. 

 Baylor's shirt says it all - the lunch was perfect!

 Picture of the restaurant from the dock.  While we were there we saw lots of power boats and a float plane land.  The boats pulled up to the dock for lunch. 

 Baylor got new shoes and thought he was the fastest boy around.  We walked around Lake Washington after lunch. 

I loved the hydrangea plants - Elle was dressed in the perfect outfit for a flower picture.  After lunch I headed back home to Ellensburg and Kimmie, Elle and Baylor headed back to Maple Valley.  The weather was perfect all week, including the thunder, lightening and rain early Wednesday morning.  By noon the sun was out and the flowers were watered!  It was so nice to shop at the stores I seldom get to visit and spend time with Kimmie, Colby, Elle and Baylor - Thanks Guys!! 

Festival in Chewelah

This is a totem pole I've admired for years in Spokane.  It is always freshly painted by the Boy Scouts.  The totem is located on the way to Marc and Tracie's house. 

 

On Friday Marc invited us to come to Colbert and go to Chewelah for the Chataqua Festival.  We dropped our chore list into the basket and headed east.  On the way I did some research to find out what the word Chataqua meant.  It wasn't easy but I finally found a definition - basically it means a meeting place, usually a tent.  The Chataqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day. Chewelah has been celebrating this event for 40 years! 

We arrived in Chewelah in time for the parade.  Olivia and Poppi stopped in front of this building for a quick picture.  The town is filled with history and the townspeople are very proud of their heritage.

 The parade was amazing!  This float had the music from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  All the kids and Grandparents knew all the words. 

 A sea monster

 And a great float from Deer Park.  The music was Foot Loose. 

 Super cute space float from Prosser.  The parade lasted about 1 hour with lots of great participation. 

 After the parade we headed over to the festival held in the city park.  This creek runs right through the middle of the park. 

 C'mon Poppi the water isn't that cold!

 Cooling down.  Emma, Olivia and Marcus

 The arts and crafts were first class. 

Marcus took a try on the climbing wall. 

 
 After just a few minutes Marcus was halfway up the wall. 

 This guy is a climber!  There was a $100 dollar bill at the top if you made it.  Sadly the $100 was still there when we left.  Marcus did amazing, enjoying every minute. 

 The Catholic church in Chewelah is beautiful.  I spotted this copper roof from a mile away. 

 Emma models the hat Olivia made at the festival. 

The festival had a whole gazebo filled with kids activities.  The kids painted gourds for the birds, made beaded bracelets, owls and painted on real easels.  I am marking this festival on my calendar for next year as a must do again! 

This morning Poppi and the kids had breakfast on the deck.  

Yummy chocolate chip pancakes and sunglasses.  After Bruce helped Marc with some farm chores we headed back home.  Thanks for the great weekend - Marc, Tracie, Marcus, Emma and Olivia! 

Fire!

Around 4 o'clock on Sunday afternoon we noticed this fire in a hayfield west of the house.

The fire was tended by a few firetrucks and a couple of hay wagons trying to get the hay off the field.  It was probably caused by a spark from the hay equipment. The fire didn't last too long but it is a reminder it is fire season.  Bruce is out cutting the field right now making sure we don't have any extra fuel for a fire near our house. 

Saturday Night -

Clam chowder all around! 

The girls decided to entertain everyone with some lively singing and dancing.  The back steps served as a stage.  I was surprised they knew all the words to so many country and rock songs! 

Gia put up the flag

Gia giving me her Shirley Temple pose.  Such a cutie! 

A drive into the hills

Just about once a year I agree to take a drive into the canyons behind our house.  This year the promise of seeing the sheepherder and his sheep was the draw.  We stopped along the Naneum Creek for lunch.  Bruce hiked over to check out some modern logging equipment.  Some of the burned trees from last years horrible fires are being salvaged for lumber. 

Sophie

Gia, Poppi and Baylor

Wes taught Sophie and Ceci how to forge a swiftly moving creek.  It's not as easy as it sounds.  Both girls made it across and back without getting too wet. 

Kimmie, Elle and Baylor.  Elle wanted down to play with her cousins along the banks of the creek. 

We did spot the sheep and the sheepherder's wagon!  The wagon was really cool but I didn't get a picture.

The dogs kept us inside of the truck but Bruce snapped these photo's from the window.  Beautiful animals as far as the eye can see!

This doe checked us out - these trees are part of the fire damage.  The grass has grown back nicely but the trees are all dead.  I'm glad they are harvesting them instead of leaving them to feed another fire. 

This was the last all together photo of the Grandkids from the weekend.  Elle, Baylor and Kimmie left for home after dinner.  All the kids were sad to see them go.