Kara and Nick visit Seattle

We enjoyed meeting Kara and Nick in Seattle, catching Nick on his last full day there.  We met at Paul and Kay's, seeing Yuri and Gareth as well.  Then the four of us went out to eat at Ray's Boathouse on the water.  The food was great (tuna, salmon, scallops, etc.) and the corner window absolutely picturesque. We watched young people paddle boarding as the sun set behind clouds which promised some badly-needed rain.

Sadly, I forgot to take my camera to Alyssa's and Bill's place Saturday when the clan gathered to enjoy three of Paul's delicious pizzas, each having two pieces specially made in accordance with his healthy diet.  The rest of us gayly added potato chips to our plates.  Dessert consisted of lots of juicy watermelon, an entire flat of raspberries and I forget what else.  I always enjoy those informal family gatherings at their place, seeing Yuri somehow being lured upstairs for his bath/book/bed routine at about 6:30.

With Stephen's mother's visit in several weeks, there was a special urgency to get the main floor in shape.  The guest room was nicely furnished with a new bed and adjoining bathroom.  The plumber will soon install the shower fixtures, but the toilet and sink were operational.  Stephen and Vivian installed the remaining kitchen cupboards, primarily the ones which hang on the wall, and then did the electrical work on the dishwasher, kitchen disposal, and electric stove.  The fridge was already in place and operational. 

On Sunday, Kara joined us at Vivian's and Stephen's house for an afternoon of work.  She and Janice cleaned/mopped/washed the dining and living rooms which had just been cleared of doors, boards, boxes, tool chests and the like for the first time in memory.  Kara also used the power sander on one of the trim boards and then, with Vivian's guidance, operated the power nailer.  Janice and I also washed the leaded windows inside and out, something I had wanted to do ever since I first saw them.  Since some windows could be reached only by using an extension ladder, it was surely the first time they had been cleaned in decades.  By about 6:00, the five of us closed shop, put all the tools in their places, and trotted off for a delicious meal at a local Ethiopian Mom-n-Pop restaurant.  When we learned that it was cash only, four of us had to empty our pockets while Janice smugly sat and watched . . . she had fortuitously left her purse back at the house and consequently got a free meal!

Goshen Reunion

Last Wednesday I left Bayside at 5:30 AM to go to Goshen to visit Mother with Bruce soon to arrive. Many hours later exiting PA I entered 196 West Street into my GPS for a quick look at the places I remembered there.  Even though I was six or seven years old when we moved to Indiana I have some very vivid memories from those young days, roller skating around and around the furnace in the basement with the wringer washing machine off to the side during the winter and on the concrete driveway in warmer days, swinging on that wonderful swing, eating golden pears right off the tree and, probably my favorite, forever playing in the big sandbox building and shaping things sometimes needing a bucket of water.  There was also the time I got a book of Citizen's Bank matches from Grandpa with the caveat I only use them to light trash in the trash barrel.  I gathered all the trash from the wastebaskets, mostly kleenex, and put it in the barrel.  To light the trash I had to get up on and lean way into the barrel.  As you can imagine or even remember, the kleenex went up with a whoosh and I was without eyebrows for several weeks.

196 West Street

Grandpa's Farmhouse Next Door

The Stover Homestead

Grandpa and Grandma Kreider's Last Home

Old Citizen's Bank Building

I drove on after taking these shots finally stopping for the night south of Toledo.

I reached Goshen in ample time for lunch with Mother in the dining hall on Thursday.  It was so good to see her and know that she was well and her usual cheerful, engaging self.  That evening we were surprised when Bruce arrived.  We had been expecting him on Friday but he drove from Kansas straight through in one day!  That's way more than thirteen hours behind the wheel.

Friday we spent a little time rearranging the furniture in Mom's living room and took measurements of the window in order to buy a curtain rod for a future valance.  Bruce drove us over to Walmart to replenish some of Mom's supplies and to look for a curtain rod and valance.  We found a nice simple rod but there was no suitable valance so we headed for J.C. Penny in the Concord Mall first stopping for a nice lunch at the Bag Factory's Trolley Cafe.  As it turned out Penny's and another store we went into had nothing that would go well in he apartment either.   The rest of the day we chatted, had supper, met some folks we knew then played Upwords on Mother's kitchen table.

Saturday was a bit on the gloomy side so we didn't venture out until noon when we went to Das Dutch Essenhaus in Middlebury.  The countryside is so beautiful. It still speaks to me in ways I can't explain.  I had a "Manhattan Style" roast beef sandwich though I've never seen anything like it in Manhattan the past forty-two years.  It was good though and even had enough gravy for me!  In the afternoon we played some Rummycube with one of Mom's game mates, Dorothy, I think, who's funny and pleasingly feisty.

On Sunday Frank, Lori and Nick drove down to join us. After catching up for a while we went for buffet at the Ponderosa.  In the afternoon we trekked down to the game room where Mom taught Frank, Lori and Nick how to play Rummycube.  I you haven't played before, the games are short and addicting!  Nick was a quick study and had five wins under his belt in no time at all.  Each of us won at least once.  Toward evening it was time for the Jackson Kreiders to head back home.  Bruce, Mother and I had a final supper in the dining room after which we played just a few more games, then said goodnight and goodbye to Mother as Bruce and I would be heading homeward very early next day.  It was a wonderful time all around.  Frank, Lori and Nick's appearance really topped things off in such a nice way.  It felt so good to be surrounded by family!

Next Move

A Clean Slate - Game On!

Then...and Now

April 14 and April 21

The Big Reno

It appears that the two brothers are glad that they are not in charge of this project. The sister-in-law is imagining how great it will look when finished.
Here is an historic photo with the Ohio license plate, now replaced by a WA plate. In the background is the rear of the house, with the deck. You can see a bit of the old part on the left--the guest bedroom. Upstairs above the guest bedroom is a walk-in closet designed especially for midgets. I hope this helps you envision this BIG project, combining the old and the new.

Name the brother

Name the brother . . . .

"Whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow . . . ."

Grandma

I found this photo amongst some taken at our celebration of Grandma's 90th last May.

[and for the record . . . .]

Grandma the Librarian

Just before we left Goshen, we had yet another lovely visit with Grandma.  As we were leaving, she put on her Library Volunteer ID card and I thought it deserved a photo.

Christmas 2011 in Vancouver

A Boxing Day walk in Stanley Park.Hans came for Boxing Day left-overs.
Aaron is reading books about buying property (????)
Tofu (as usual by Aaron) plus vegan cornbread by Julia.

Stephen made Thai noodles with peanut sauce and two kinds of dolmathes: vegan and lamb.
Stephen loves this couch, especially after cooking a lot of food.Evan washed lots of dishes!

The Hike

Backtracking to Saturday, November 26th, it was a beautiful day sunny, dry with quiet breezes in the low 60s.  After several days of ernest Thanksgiving feeding it was time to get some exercise to work off the gravies, fondue, sweet potato casserole etc. so a road trip was in order.

Bernard and Katherine had been to Montauk on the South Fork once before but it had been a cold, rainy day and they only took a brief stop of ten minutes or so before heading west again.  Today would be different.

To maximise the day we took the shortest route to the South Fork which was via the North Ferry to Shelter Island on the ferry Mashomack then traversing the island north to south on Route 114 ending up at the South Ferry to North Haven on the South Fork, a trip of 30 minutes or so instead of an hour and a half by road only through Riverhead to the South Fork.

At Hither Hills State Park we stopped to check out the hiking map at Hither Woods

Here we decided to make our way to the dunes in the large Hither Hills State Park area to hike the Walking Dunes, dunes that continually change their shapes, positions and heights with the occasional howling winds off the Atlantic particularly during those pesky Nor'easters.
I was first to the top.

A view of the Peconic Bay from the South Fork

Looking over the crests of the dunes

When we got down from the dunes we drove to Fort Hope Sate Park adjacent to the Montauk light.  The Atlantic coast cliffs were eroded such that they were under-cut and were posted with warnings to stay 25 feet back from the edge.  No one did, however, as going close was the only way to really see everything, even thought there was ample evidence that many cave-ins had occurred at the base of the cliffs.

Montauk Light stood sentinel to the east

A closer view of the light showing the new building built in WWII, now with high tech equipment keeping the eastern end of Long Island safe from those who'd wish us harm.

Here an old sub-watching block battlement has fallen to the foot of the cliffs

The happy hikers at the end of the hike, tired, exhilarated, with a bit of sun rosiness on our faces ready to do whatever was necessary to get some fried clam sandwiches.

So long for now...