Seabrook Stay

This past weekend the Bulthuis family (minus Calvin and Sassa😟) enjoyed four nights at Seabrook.  We stayed at 'Life of Riley' and liked several features.  The private patio area with a fire table was definitely a well used feature.  We spent each evening around the fire and didn't go to bed stinking like smoke.  The first night was Papa Murphy's pizza in honor of Markus' birthday, even though they had to arrive late.  The next night was superb Sri Lankan food provided by Markus and Steph.  The third night was chicken wings Vietnamese style provided by Bjorn and Jenny, and the last night mom made seafood fettuccine.  Mom also made some soups for lunches and plenty of snacks.  The first morning Ada had a traumatic accident with her bike and got some deep slivers.  Jenny and I ended up taking her to Urgent Care in Elma, 40 miles away.  They didn't do anything to her injury besides taking an X-ray.  Back in Seabrook our days were filled with walking town, going to the beach, playing on the zip line, playing pickle ball, swimming, riding bike, visiting the gnome trail, going to the bakery and sweet shop and painting ceramics.  All that peppered with lots and of eating and drinking.  The weather was the best on the first day and the last day, of course; but at least there was no rain except for some fog drizzle.  All in all, it was another successful Seabrook vacation.

Shelton tour and Ellen

On Tuesday we met Jack, Sue and Ellen in Shelton to do a sister hand off.  We ate Sisters for lunch and then took a 2 mile walk through Shelton with a tour map designating the historical buildings.  It was surprisingly interesting.  Ellen spent the next 24 hours with us before we brought her to the airport, but not without a bowl of ramen in South Center before she left.

Surprise!

Surprise parties are not on the Bulthuis radar.  For some reason it has never been a part of our mode of operation.  So when our daughter-in-laws schemed up a doozy for our 60th birthdays, we were totally clueless.  You could have knocked us over the head and we still would have missed it. The huge 'party next door' with the Nelsons as guests didn't even perk our suspicions. The party was an absolute shock.  Under the guise of seeing Emily and Katie's new house, we walked into a room full of family and friends singing Happy Birthday.  There were so many people involved in the scheem including my sisters who are not used to deceptive practices.  We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and regretted not being able to connect with everyone who came.  Marti had skillfully provided the food and the setting at the Olson's was perfect. The day ended with a family dinner at the Thai Hut in Gig Harbor.  Thanks to Steph and Jenny, surprises may become more commonplace in the Bulthuis family.

Road Trip - Day 8

Breakfast at the motel was great with a ‘chef’ making custom omelettes.  We had a long trip ahead of us but we could not leave without a 3 mile river walk.  We took I-15 north to Butte and I-90 home. We had never traveled that stretch of interstate and were surprised at the lack of mountain passes.  Our last meal of the trip was our only fast food, Carl's Jr.  Our smooth trip home was interrupted by a three hour delay waiting out a brush fire on the Vantage bridge.  We got home at 2:30 am. 3250 miles of driving, 33 miles of walking, 4 National Parks, 1 National Monument, 4 dumpy trumpies and 3 nice lodgings; we’ll call it a successful Bulthuis road trip!

Road Trip - Day 7

Motel waffles and Starbucks got us off and running to our last National Park.  Crossing Wyoming off the interstate let’s you see a few towns but the landscape is the same.  Wind River was very scenic as we approached the Grand Tetons.  As usual, we enjoyed the Jackson Lake Lodge Lobby with its panoramic view of the lake and mountains.  We hiked for 4 ½ miles along String Lake.  The temperature was great and the views spectacular.  We will save the Jenny Lake loop for another time, but we did enjoy the pull out views.  The town of Jackson was all we remembered and more.  It was packed with tourists but we found a nice Thai place to eat.  We made reservations for a nice motel in Idaho Falls and headed out for our own evening drive.  Idaho Falls was an unexpected delight.  The motel was right across from the falls and there was a wonderful river walk including a great Japanese garden.  We couldn’t retire for the night without another 1 ½ walk in the coolness of the night.

Road Trip - Day 6

The apex of our ‘planned’ trip was the Badlands.  That required another hundred miles east.  As we approached the park at midday, temperatures were hovering over 100 degrees.  With some trepidation we chose a mile and a half hike through the strange spires.  We enjoyed the surreal landscape but could feel ourselves starting to overheat. On our return route we needed to wait behind a large group of young people trying to descend a ladder.  The line would be 45 minutes and we would have wilted.  We were bad examples and scrambled down a side path instead. When we got back to the car, it was 106 and we were feeling the start of heat exhaustion.  Our stay in the park was short and ‘sweet’ and we high tailed it to our next destination: Wind Cave National Park.  We were fortunate to get in a cave tour before closing and enjoyed the mile and a half walk through the 53 degree cave.  Wind Cave is an impressive 195 miles of caverns with unique box work formations.  A late evening drive brought us to Casper, Wy and the best dumpy trumpy of the trip for $49, which was better than the car option in the heat.

Road Trip - Day 5

After a real breakfast in the Grand Hotel dining room and a morning stroll through the deserted town, we got serious about road miles and headed for Rapid City.  Avoiding I-90, we took a more direct route through reservation land.  The Black Hills are a welcome landscape to the dry prairies.  After checking into a Ramada in with clean everything, we stopped at a Mexican grill downtown and headed for Mt.Rushmore for the first evening.  A feeling of patriotism felt appropriate for the Fourth of July, and as the crowds gathered for the evening ‘light show’ we hiked the loop under the country fathers a couple times.  The show was anticlimactic with no sound for a video and a disaster of a sing along.  The only redeeming portion was all the veterans coming out of the stands to help in the flag retirement for the day. 

Road Trip - Day 4

One of our goals for the trip was to connect with Dan and Judy Mulder.  Given our fluid schedule we did not make prior arrangements, but hoped for the best.  Luckily, they were available for a lunch meeting that lasted four hours.  We ate at the ‘Windbag ‘in downtown Helena and caught up with each other's lives.  It was great to connect again.  In hopes of a respite from dingy motels, we followed a lead from Dan about the historic Grand Hotel in Big Timber.  Big Timber has high sentimental value as Soren, Esther’s dad, immigrated from Norway in 1929 to sheep herd in the Crazy Mountains.  The hotel was great. $90 got us a classic room with a toilet and sink, along with a superb breakfast.  We ate in the hotel dining room and enjoyed Sonoma chicken and tolerated Rocky Mountain trout.  We were serenaded with fireworks on our 3.5 mile walk through the rustic town.

Road Trip - Day 3

We were anxious to get to Glacier Park, so after a morning Starbucks stop we enjoyed the lakeside drive up to Columbia Falls and the entrance to the park.  Esther got her National Parks Passport and her first stamp.  We stopped at Lake McDonald Lodge and scoped out the old timber lodge with bark covered logs.  Going to the Sun highway was breathtaking and we stopped on the summit to join the throngs of East Indian visitors on a snowpacked trail to Hidden Lake overlook. While we would have liked to spend more time in the park, the priority of further adventures pushed us on to Great Falls and a night at the worst Super 8 of the franchise. ($66, missing linen, stains on the sheet, air conditioning shut off from 10pm – 8am, not to mention a horrible smelling hallway).  We redeemed the evening with dinner at Applebee's and a sunset walk along the river trail.

Road Trip - Day 2

We decided to start our day with a cool morning 3 mile walk along Lake Coeur de Alene.  After a quick Costco trip we found ourselves on a stalled I-90. Luckily, our maps app routed us on a 30 mile detour on a mountain dirt road.  It was surreal being in heavy traffic on a washboard mountain road. We left I-90 at St. Regis and headed for Polson. We stopped in St. Ignatius mission church and appreciated the fresco paintings.  The motel situation looked pretty dire in the Flathead area with Motel 6 at $110 and no vacancies.  We found a lakeside dumpy trumpy in Polson for $95.  Poop on the toilet seat and curtains too small for the window highlighted this gem.  We thoroughly enjoyed our 4.5 mile evening walk and dinner at a lakeside Mexican restaurant.

2017 Road Trip - Day 1

After Esther worked the morning, we caught a ferry to start our road trip.  Our first stop was MS International in Seattle to check out some slate for our new kitchen.  Then it was off on I-90 for our adventure.  We ate dinner in Moses Lake at a Bistro.  Service was bad, but the food was good.  We booked a room in Cheney at a dumpy trumpy and hoped for the best.  The best was not to be had.  But what can you expect for $55.  The door was beat up and there was a smashed bug on the wall.  We did enjoy a 3.5 mile evening walk through EWU campus.  We were shocked to find an ice arena, but enjoyed the cool down.

Marika and Corbin's Wedding

Last weekend we had the opportunity to join in the wedding festivities in Lynden.  Niece Marika married Corbin Hill.  The two have been friends for years and make a great couple.  The Narnia theme was exquisitely portrayed with a wardrobe entrance, winter setting and a snow machine.  Marti and Marika put an incredible amount of thought and planning into the special event.  Our family did a first in that we rented a house in Lynden for the weekend.  With all of the out of town company and activity at the Eide compound, it worked out best.  It was a very comfortable house near Berthusens Park.  Despite the Seahawks loss to the Panthers, it was a great weekend.

Holiday Post

This holiday season saw a lot of visitors in Southworth.  It began with an Eide Thanksgiving celebration that lasted three days.  The Cle Elem and Lynden contingents were happy to rendezvous in Southworth.  As many as sixteen people spent the night in the house.  It felt good to fill all of the rooms for once.  We cured our cabin fever one day and walked the Chambers Creek trail.  The Christmas season saw Bjorn, Jenny and the girls up for a week, and Markus and Steph on the weekends.  We went to a Seahawks game and a Nutcracker performance.  The extended Bulthuis family came for the night on the 22nd.  Christmas was spent with our immediate family in Southworth, followed by a night in Cle Elem with the Eides.  Then Ellen spent a couple of days with us before returning to Sacramento.  The last few days of break were spent recouping from all of the activity.

Anniversary Weekend

Yet another Central Washington anniversary weekend.  As usual we held off on deciding where to go, depending on the weather.  We were hoping for a Victoria trip but the Pacific low pressure system would have none of that.  So it was back to our tried and true Leavenworth, Chelan, Pateros, Wenatchee destination.  We left early Saturday morning and spent a few hours in Leavenworth before heading for Chelan to check out the fire damage.  We stumbled upon a trail that meandered through the burned riverside acreage.  We were amazed at how close the fire came to large residential areas.  We spent the night at our familiar Pateros Lakeshore Inn.  The morning sun on the lake and pouring in the room is one of our favorite parts about it.  We spent a couple of hours enjoying the warmth of the 80 degree wind, knowing we would shortly go back to the low sixties.  On our way home we stopped in Wenatchee to walk four miles on the loop trail.  We came home in time to watch most of the Seahawks/Packers game:(

A visit from the granddaughters

A summer is not complete without Ada and Ruby spending a few days with Papa and Farmor.  Since school starts late this year, I had a few weeks before responsibilities started.  Esther has been slaving away for most of August.  I drove down to Portland to rendezvous with Jenny Tuesday morning and brought them back on Friday morning.  Esther tried to make the most of the evenings with the girls.  Wednesday I spent most of the day in Southworth, at the beach and in the yard, enjoying one of the last beautiful days of summer.  On Thursday I took the girls to the Point Defiance Zoo.  The girls really enjoyed it and we spent the whole day there.  My favorite was the polar bear feeding inches from our heads (separated by glass of course).  Ada's favorite was the snow leopard cubs and Ruby's was the elephant.  The girls spent the nights in their 'new bedroom'.  I set up bunk beds in one of the basement rooms.  They were tickled to take ownership of the room and help do some decorating.  We enjoyed their company and were missing them as soon as they left.  Ada stated that it needs to be a summer tradition to spend time in Southworth.  I think it already is.

Let the Light Shine in

Ever since we moved to our current house we have been trying to get more natural light into our main living space.  Our view is to the north, so most windows in these spaces face that direction.  In attempt to utilize southern exposure, I have installed an additional window and two skylights.  Esther has wanted to get a glass front door for several years, but it was difficult justifying the disposal of the existing unique door.  This summer we decided to go for it.  We ordered a door June that has glass and a contemporary design.  It was delivered shortly before leaving for Japan, but we decided to wait until we got back.  Yesterday I installed it, and so far we love it.  It does compromise our privacy some, but only our entry area is exposed.  It takes a little getting used to but so far so good.

Hiroshima

This being the last full day in Japan we were determined to get the most of it.  Hiroshima and Miyajima were on the definite bucket list for Ellen and Jenny.  Calvin and Sassa took the girls for the day because the marathon day would be too much.  The newlyweds took the girls to the Osaka aquarium.  Calvin and Sassa had not been there yet, so it was something new to them as well.  The highlight for the girls was the penguins and sea otters. Meanwhile, the five of us ventured out without our faithful tour guides.  Sassa gave us a detailed itinerary and Calvin let Bjorn borrow his Japanese iPhone-We were in business.  The hour and a half bullet train ride brought us to our southern destinations.  Miyajima is a postcard island with the iconic Torii Gate standing in the water next to a Shinto shrine stilted in the tidelands.  We took a ferry to the island and were  immediately struck by the abundance of 'foreign' tourists.  Esther was delighted with several oysters snacks, and we waded into the cool water avoiding jellyfish.  After lunch we returned to Hiroshima and Peace Memorial Park.  Ellen and Jenny said that it was well worth the effort and one of their highlights.  Being at the Memorial one day after the seventieth anniversary of the bombing made the experience seem very fresh with residual crowds and the dismantling of the ceremonial pavilion. Putting faces and names to the 140,000 victims of the bombing was very sobering. The Children's Memorial with the millions of cranes choked us all up. We worked up an appetite walking in the afternoon heat to enjoy some much anticipated Okonamiyaki at three floors of mini restaurants that all serve the famous Hiroshima dish.  Chefs grill the dish in front of customers.  We sped walked on full stomachs to the train station and caught an evening bullet train back to Kyoto.  It was a bittersweet evening spending our last night with Calvin and Sassa.

Nara

An early rise got all of us on the train for a morning trip to Nara before Markus and Steph needed to leave for Tokyo.  Nara is the ancient capital city of Japan.  The city preserves the historic hillside and has the peculiar presence of deer in the park areas.  I mean hundreds, maybe thousands of them, roaming the streets and sidewalks.  Needless to say, Ada and Ruby were delighted by the deer. They are extremely tame and will allow people to pet them.  If you dare to feed them, they attack you.  Needless to say there is a distinct odor that permeates the upper city.  There is also a magnificent temple that boasts itself as the largest wooded building in the world.  There is a gigantic iron Buddha incased in the temple.  We quickly made our way back to Kyoto to say goodbye to Markus and Steph.  We decided that we needed to get some shopping done before it was time time to leave Japan, so we spent the rest of the evening shopping and hanging out in our rented house.

Himeji Castle

It was a comfortable night with AC and ample space and some privacy.  A breakfast on the go saw us on a morning train to Himeji sleepiji Castle.  The medieval castle was recently renovated.  It stands above the surrounding landscape and presents a prominent profile.  It is named after a white egret, because of its resemblance of the bird taking flight.  The castle itself is a very impressive timber framed structure six stories high.  We were able to climb through the entire ancient building imagining the centuries of occupants and the events the ancient walls witnessed.  The entire grounds with its gates, moats and shooting holes was for me the most impressive historical site that I have visited in Japan.  In the late afternoon we took a train back to Kyoto and visited the Inari Tori gates.  Thousand orange Tori gates line a 4 kilometer walk to the top of a hill.  Not all of our party hiked to the top, but everyone got their fill of the orange arches. Our final dinner with Markus and Steph before they head for Germany was appropriately take-out curry which was enjoyed in our rented house.

Kyoto

We left Kanazawa and Japan's west coast on a morning train to Kyoto.  The heat and humidity cranked up a bit and we had to adjust to the discomfort.  We were able to drop our bags off at the house that we are renting.  After a ramen lunch we were off to the Golden Pavilion the sweltering heat.  The grounds were crowded but the scenery did not disappoint.  We still had time to go to the large temple on the hillside over looking the city.  Orange pagodas and a huge ancient temple with a massive thatched roof nestled against the wooded hillside make this my favorite Japanese temple so far.  We were happy to get acquainted with our rented house: authentic furnishings and woodwork, tatami rooms and plenty of space for the eleven of us. It will be nice to stay in the same place for four nights. A visit to the neighborhood bathhouse where the women were schooled in boathouse manners prepared us for a good night's sleep

Cooling Off in the Japanese Alps

Our host at the small hostel in Kanazawa is very persnickety about every detail of our stay: where to put things, when to shower, how to wash the dishes.  He lives in the hostel and uses the same facilities as the guests.  It is a little uncomfortable, but it gives us plenty of entertainment.  We met Bjorn, Jenny and the girls at the train station where we enjoyed our first Starbucks coffee since being in Japan.  We then took a bus to visit a historic tea house street and give Ada and Ruby some playground time.  The city of Kanazawa is very pleasant; it doesn't have the bustle of Tokyo, yet it is very modern.  In the afternoon we caught a tour bus up to the village of Shirakawago.  This scenic village nestled under lush green mountains features gassho-style architecture.  Crafted centuries ago the framing structure is fastened together with special rope and covered with two foot thick thatch.  The result is a building that can withstand monsoon winds and earthquakes.  We spent three hours exploring this unique village which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Back in Kanazawa we ate dinner and retired to our lodgings.

Kanazawa

Saying goodbye to the Maruyama family was very hard.  We have come to love them dearly and have appreciated their generous hospitality.  We caught a series of trains in the morning and made our way Kanazawa.  Because the hostel we found does not allow children, we separated our party for accommodations and Bjorn and Jenny and the girls are staying in a hotel.  After dropping off our luggage at our respective lodgings, we did some sight seeing in Kanazawa.  Some of us went to a museum which was kid friendly while others went to a Ninja Temple, a ninja barracks disguised as a temple complete with secret passageways and booby traps.  We met up again to visit an ancient garden with ponds, waterfalls and bridges.  Dinner was Shabu Shabu, meat and vegetables self cooked on the table

Living in Art

The youth hostel was hot with no AC but the food was pretty good for a hostel.  We spent the day visiting more art exhibitions and driving through mountain villages.  The scenery is beautiful with lush green rice fields in every semblance of flat land.  We enjoyed a couple of meals at some local restaurants and the ladies got another bathing experience while the men moved luggage around.  Our final evening with Sassa's family was spend in an amazing house called the Shedding House.  It is part of the art festival so guests can only spend the evening hours at the house.  A group of artist took an abandoned historic house that had been modernized.  The workers restored the house to its original condition and then painstakingly carved millions of divots with chisels on all the inside surfaces.  The floor, walls, framing and rafters allThree thousand people contributed their labor, and the project took two years to complete. The result is stunning.  We slept on spread out futons on the carved floor.

Birthday Surprise

A beautiful morning greeted us; and while most of the party got a couple hours of morning sleep,  the girls and I took a walk in the quiet mountainside community.  After another great breakfast we were off on an art tour in the valley next door.  Japanese roads don't go over mountains; they go through mountains.  After just a short night together as newly weds Calvin and Sassa joined us.  Sassa's parents rented a twelve passenger van and brought us to several art museums and venues near their hometown of Tokamachi.  Every three years the valley takes a month in the summer to put on an art exhibition.  Tourists come from all over Japan to enjoy the exhibition.  Both of their parents are connected to the production of the tour, so they were eager to share the local talent.  We viewed forest exhibits, the world of dirt, a traditional mountain home and a modern art museum.  The highlight of the day was a surprise visit during lunch of preschoolers dressed in kimonos came to bring Sassa flowers and sing songs to Calvin and her.  The teacher was the same preschool teacher that Sassa had as a child.  They also sang Happy Birthday to Esther.  For our evening accommodations we are staying at a youth hostel.  The day ended with a visit to the local Hot Springs to experience Japanese bathing at its best;)

A Wonderful Wedding

The momentous day began with a great breakfast at the pension.  Most of the morning was spent stringing paper cranes and prepping for wedding.  We moved to the venue around noon and continued to prepare programs and take wedding photos.  A quick rehearsal just before the guests arrived was just enough to get a few of our party a little worried.  The venue was perfect for the number of guests.  The bilingual service helped frame the union of our two families.  Pastor Rich did a good job presenting a Christian marriage.  The ceremony was simple and purposeful.  After the ceremony the guest left the room while the staff transformed the room for the reception.  Japanese receptions are a bit more formal with a lot of speeches and explanations.  The 'shoe game' presented by Steph and Jenny was particularly enjoyed by the Japanese contingent.    The meal was exquisite, comprised of ten courses each matched with a connection to Calvin and Sassa's relationship.  Every course was beautifully presented on a new set of unique china.  Dancing is usually not a part of Japanese weddings so the Bulthuis worm had to refrain themselves.  Calvin and Sassa left to catch a train for a quick overnighter before having to return as tour guides.  We returned to the pension and were joined by Sassa's family.

Meeting up with the in-laws

We said goodbye to Tokyo this morning as we packed up all of our things and caught a bullet train to Niigata prefecture.  A bullet train experience is not complete without a bento box and we were lucky enough to snag some before leaving Tokyo Station.  The Maruyamas (Sassa's parents) were there to greet us and welcome us to the scenic mountainous valley where the wedding will take place.  We piled in their two cars and a couple of taxis to the wedding venue.  We spent the rest of the afternoon helping prep for the wedding.  The Bulthuis' are getting pretty proficient at making origami cranes.  We even got an assembly line going.  The venue is wonderful.  The complex features open timber framing and windows.  We enjoyed a Japanese version of Italian food that was superb.  It was a pleasure spending time with our new in-laws though any meaningful communication needed to be channeled through Calvin and Sassa.  A bus from the pension where we are staying brought us up the foot of a mountain to our accommodations.   Tomorrow promises to be an eventful day.

A Whale of a time in Tokyo

One of the features of Japanese culture that our family seems to enjoy is the unique architecture.  The Japanese are champions of simplicity and balance.  This morning we took a trip to the Edo-Tokyo Architectural Museum.  The museum has collected historic buildings from around the area and reconstructed them for visitors to explore.  We spent the morning taking our shoes off and on, exploring tatami rooms and beautiful woodwork.  We ate a lunch of Udon at the museum.  In the afternoon, I took Ruby and Ada back to Fuchu to play in the house and swim in the pool at the church.  The alternate activity fit the girls fancy well and they nodded peacefully off to sleep at a decent hour.  The rest of the gang spent the afternoon and evening on a final Tokyo adventure.  Ueno Park is a vast inner-city park with a zoo, temples, museums and an extensive lake filled with lily pads.  After wandering through the park, the crew did some shopping at the nearby Yuniqlo store. Some of the more brave of the party pretended to enjoy eating a snack of whale meat.  They next went to a geek's paradise, including the largest electronics store in the world where the  weary tourist enjoyed Okonaniyaia on the 8th floor.  The evening was capped off with a jamb packed train ride at 9:00.

The Adventure Begins

Hot muggy weather does not invite sightseeing especially to the tune of fifteen miles.  After quick breakfasts we walked to ICU campus.  I stayed with the girls in the cool cafeteria while Calvin gave a quick tour.  Once again we were struck by the beauty of the grounds.  Next we caught a bus and then trains to Meiji Shinto shrine.  Large trees helped give some shade to our walk through the grounds.  Ruby in particular was irritated by the direct sunlight.  After some yogurt cones we wandered through several shopping areas, stopping occasionally to make purchases.  Ada did wonderful through the long hot afternoon, but Ruby had a little too much and began to melt down and embody the weariness that most of us felt.  We eventually made our way on foot to Shibuya station for a look at Hachi the dog and a long anticipated bowl of Ramen.  As we squeezed into trains on our homeward journey, both girls fell asleep in someone's arms.  We collapsed into our lodgings at about 10.  Josh deLacy dropped in after returning from his hike up Mt. Fuji.

The Journey Begins

Our long convoluted journey to Tokyo ended in midnight arrival and collapsed exhaustion.  It started with a 3:30am get up in Lynden.  Bria and David accompanied our small caravan to the Vancouver BC airport, as they returned our vehicles to Lynden.  A morning flight brought us to Los Angeles at about noon.  We met Markus and Steph for our next leg.  Steph was feeling a little better from her stomach ailment, but was clearly suffering.  After a four hour layover it was on to a twelve hour flight to Japan.  Ada and Ruby did great considering the length of the flight.  We were all exhausted from trying to sleep in a cramped airplane seat.  Calvin and Sassa were at Narita to welcome us to Japan at about 8 o'clock.  Our last task of the trip was to drag nine exhausted bodies and eleven bags of luggage through trains and train stations for two hours.  After 28 hours of traveling, we were ready for some sleep.  We are housed at two locations:  Markus, Steph, Esther and I are sleeping in Calvin's apartment; and Ellen, Calvin, Bjorn, Jenny and the girls are staying at the church's guest house.  Pastor Rich and wife Candice are generous hosts.

Cousin Christina

The past couple of days we have had the privilege of hosting Esther's second cousin, Christina Andersen from Norway.  She spent the last month in the US visiting family, most recently helping to babysit our granddaughters in Corvallis.  Christina is a charming young lady who is very personable. It was a pleasure reacquainting ourselves with our Norwegian family.  We spent a day visiting the Seattle sites and spending a few hours with George and Kirsten Eide.  Christina was very excited to see her great uncle and aunt.  I think she was a little relieved to be speaking some live Norwegian after a couple of weeks of only English speakers.  She returns to Norway today.  We hope to see her again soon.

Lavender Ladies Day Begins Big Weekend

The past 4th of July weekend began with the Eide and Bulthuis women congregating in Southworth for an overnighter before a day trip to Sequim.  They converged from Lynden, Seattle and Corvallis.  The ladies did the lavender rounds at four farms, stockpiling fragrant goodies for another year.  Meanwhile the Bulthuis boys minus yours truly had a bachelor party day, hiking and enjoying a Freemont made dinner.  On Saturday the Bulthuis family all came to Southworth to celebrate the Fourth and say good-bye to Calvin.  The evening was capped off with a trip to Olson shindig  and some impressive Bulthuis dancing.  Bjorn, Jenny and the girls left Sunday morning to pick up Christina from Anna's on their way to Oregon.  Markus and Steph spent the day with us as we encouraged Calvin in his packing preparations.  On Monday, Esther and I took Calvin to the airport early in the morning and said good-bye as he embarks on a Japanese life for a couple of years.  It wasn't too hard because we will see him in a matter of weeks.  Since we were in Seattle, Esther and I did some Japan trip shopping and even score on a dress for her to wear to the wedding.

Hello Corvallis

Last month Bjorn started his new job working for Oregon State University Foundation.  He and Jenny quickly found a great house to rent that is a block off of the main drag.  It is on a somewhat quiet street, but is accessible to the unique downtown Corvallis amenities.  Calvin, Esther and I spent Memorial Day weekend with the new residents.  Jenny was able to show us all of her old stomping grounds.  We even took an extensive walk through OSU and saw Bjorn's new office.  Ada and Ruby were troopers and showed that they will be ready for Japan.  The weekend included a BBQ with Greg and Janette, Jeff and Whitney; the new intown family; a dinner with Mikal and friends who popped in Sunday; a visit to Zion Lutheran Church; a climb up Mary's Peak (highest in coastal range); and a visit to the local nursery to gets some landscaping started.  We enjoyed Bjorn and Jenny's new house.  It has a lot of historic integrity with lath and plaster walls, high ceilings and large wood trim.  The back deck and yard are a great hangout place.  The girls enjoy the enclosed driveway with their bikes and trikes.  I am sure that we will soon be wearing our vehicles out driving the four hours down I-5 on a regular basis.

A Much Needed Sunny Break

It seems like California is our default road trip for Spring break.  We had kind of planned on going to Arizona this year, but with a late start to the trip, we decided on California.  The added bonus to California is the chance to spend some time with my sister Ellen.  Usually our spring breaks do not coincide, but this year they did.  So we were able to do some day trips with Ellen.  We took our time heading down, spending a night in Ashland and Chico, with a stops in Redding, Oroville and Sutter Buttes.  The weather was perfect all week, sunny and mid-seventies.   Our sunroof got a lot of use and my head got a lot of burnt :)  We discovered a great park on the outskirts of Chico-Bidwell Park.  It gave us a chance to hike up one of the surrounding hills.  Northern California is in the full bloom of spring and the wild grass is still green.  It won't be long and it will turn brown.  

With Ellen we visited the town of Murphys in the Sierra Foothills, stopping at a winery and browsing the town boutiques.  We also enjoyed a six mile hike on the American River trail and a stroll through the capital grounds.  Other highlights of our time in Sacramento was dinner of Japanese shabu and an Easter service on Saturday night at Ellen's church.  Our trip home was a thirteen hour grind on Sunday with our only food stop at a casino for their Easter buffet.  We returned ready to hit our schools for a close to the year.

Bria and David

Our Spring break began with a bang.  Niece Bria and new husband David tied the knot at Rosario Beach near Deception Pass.  The venue was a risky call for the end of March, but the weather gave the needed break with filtered sunshine.  The ceremony and reception were a delight. The setting was fantastic-a secluded cove with camp/convention facilities on the western shore of Fidalgo Island.  Our family (kids and grandkids) shared a cabin for two nights and were able to spend some time together planning our trip to the next wedding!!  Esther and I got a late start to our road trip, but it was well worth it.