Hot day hiking escape to Gorge

The Tucker/Goldens and we escaped the September heat (what?) for a nice hike in the Gorge = LaTourelle Falls.

Homework

   It's increasingly common to see Eleanor busy with homework these days.  She volunteered to be a peer mediator, which has kept her out of class for a couple of mornings and made the homework load especially high.

   Stephanie also is staying very busy with neighborhood association, school, and other concerns.  So this is not an uncommon late afternoon:

Campfires and Candlelight at Fort Vancouver

We really love this event - it's a re-creation of one night from 1836, when the American ship called the Shark wrecked along the coast near modern day Astoria. The refugees were brought to the British trading fort in Vancouver. The volunteers do everything in the old fashioned way, and we get to watch. This year was the first year Mike has been home to join us.

Grandparents from Texas!

My Dad and my step-mother came for the long, Labor Day holiday weekend, which leads into the start of a new school year up in these parts... so they were here for Eleanor's first day of school, too!  We drove up to the Bonneville dam and fish hatchery to see the early end of the big salmon run predicted for this year, then we headed into Hood River for pie and wonderful farm views of orchards and mountains... and we naturally didn't take a single photo of any of this lovely day.  We also visited the Rose Garden, where we did (take a photo or ten).

First Day of School - 4th Grade!?!?

I'm behind on everything, especially photo posts.  But school started today so now I can catch up, right?  Here is The Fourth Grader!

too excited to wait for the photo to snap

Victoria, BC and Seattle with Amy

My sister (technically, step-sister) Amy came to visit us for one week this August and we drove north to see some other Northwesty sites.  Like Seattle and BC.  It was sunny beautiful weather and I was happy to take it all in even if my back was still hurting!

First there was the long drive and the ferry ride to get to Victoria.

Then there was Victoria!  

Butchart Gardens, high tea at the Empress, Miniature World, and kayaking were all on the list.

And let's not forget the view from the rented condo:

Then there was Seattle!
We had an above-average-ambitious agenda for our normal Seattle visit: space needle, a boat ride through the Lake Union locks, the Seattle Aquarium, Pike's Place Public Market, the waterfront, an underground tour, a Birthday dinner for Mike, and finding "The Troll".  I love Seattle, no matter the weather.

Ft. Stevens 2014

It is still kid heaven at Ft. Stevens, especially if a bunch of moms pack-up the kids and go together.  I threw out my back on the third day this year and had to lay low and take muscle relaxers for a few days, but luckily Mike was able to join us for the last part of the week so my cabin still had an adult on duty!

On our way into Warrenton we dropped balsa wood planes off the Astoria Column.  Then on our way out of town we hit a letter box and a great view at Eben H. Carruthers Park, and ate fish-n-chips at the infamous BowPickers.