We spent this past weekend in Lynden. Among the many things we did was celebrate Zac's graduation. The Eide compound was filled with cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents. John cooked a delicious salmon on applewood blocks. Congratulations to Zac. By the way, he has been spending several weeks with us in Southworth this summer and it has been great.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Markus' new MacBook Pro
Following a tradition set with Bjorn, we present each son with a computer as a high school graduation present. Markus chose the highly acclaimed MacBook Pro. Now he is the envy of this Macintosh household with his powerful sleek machine. We trust it will last him through his college career; as Bjorn's G4 PowerBook looks like it will complete the course with his college tenure. Markus is pleased with his new computers ability to handle gaming programs.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Seattle with Sis
We went to Seattle today with Ellen. We visited the library, the market, the waterfront and the locks. I had not been to the new library yet. It is quite impressive. I like all the natural light coming in at many of the levels. The spiral floors of books are also unique. After a quick walk through the market, we headed for the Crab Pot on the waterfront. Esther had been looking forward to a crab feed for a while, so she thoroughly enjoyed the mess with bib and hammer. Ellen also shared in the barbarism, while I chose a more civilized culinary experience. We ended the day with a visit to the locks and fish ladders. Ellen gave us a great excuse to spend a day in the city. Thanks Ellen!
Sunday, July 09, 2006
brother impresses sister with sailing disaster
My sister Ellen is here from Sacramento and I wanted to impress her with a Puget Sound sail to Blake Island. The wind was brisk, so I reefed the mainsail a little. About a half a mile into the sail, the mast blew over and broke off, falling into the water! A new experience for all on the boat, including the skipper! We were fortunate to recover everything and balance the mast across the bow as we carefully motored back to Southworth. After accessing the damage, I discovered that the cause of the mishap was a deteriorating cable connection (starboard stay). The girls were calm and helpful inspite of the excitement. I doubt that I will convince either one to get back on a sailboat.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
I got her on the boat!
As you know, my passion for sailing is tolerated by my wife, but not exactly shared. Today, she obliged me by joining in an Independence Day Sail. The wind was perfect for a smooth, yet swift cruise around Blake Island. Her stiff legs from yesterday's hike have now been complemented by a healthy sunburn! Thanks for the voyage, dear.
uncompleted trail
I can never remember hiking a mountain trail on which I did not make the intended destination. I'm sure that in the hundreds of hikes in my lifetime there must have been one, but I don't remember it. .... until yesterday! Esther, Bjorn, Markus ,nephew Zach and I attempted to hike to Upper Lena Lake in the Olympics. I have never been to Upper Lena, but have heard good things about it. We gave ourselves a relatively early start. It was a beautiful day and we made Lower Lena for lunch overlooking the lake. The reported trail conditions for Upper Lena were muddy with an ice-covered lake. Not to be deterred, we plodded up the steep and rough trail. We started to meet returning hikers who said it was impassable, but we still needed to try. About less than a mile to the lake we lost the trail, and came to dead ends of cliffs and rushing streams. Not having been there before, we decided against bushwacking it. So disappointed and exhausted, we made the long nine miles back down. Today we are resting our aching muscles.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
cousins visit
Today Anna, Sovann and daughters came with Lisbeth to have dinner with us. Maia (5 years) and Lucy (4 months) were as cute as ever. Lisbeth will be returning to Norway on Tuesday after almost a year in the states as an exchange student. She braved the beach rope swing, not to be outdone by her American cousins: Bjorn, Markus and Zachary. Anna just came back from Norway after spending six weeks there with her daughters. It was great seeing them all.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Valedictorian South Kitsap HS 2006
We are still trying to figure out where Markus got the brains to accomplish this honor. (600 graduates - top GPA!) Our clan got choice seats in the Tacoma dome and were able to cheer Markus through the ceremony. We had a great day with the Eide clan over at our house. They helped make it a special day. It was a great Father's Day gift. Thanks Markus! Markus will be at Lake Shasta on a houseboat all week with his church friends.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Norwegian family visits
This weekend we had the opportunity of having not only Jenny for a few days, but also Peter and Lisbeth Andersen (Esther's cousins from Norway.) Lisbeth spent the past year as an exchange student in California, and Peter, her father, is here to spend some time with her in the states before she returns to Norway. It is wonderful to catch up on eachother's families and share stroies.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
a wild sail
I was feeling an itch for a sail today, and Bjorn said he would join me. By the time we got to the boat, the wind had picked up considerably, so we reefed the mainsail. It was a good thing that we did, because even with the added ballast of a crew and the reefed main, it was all we could handle. After about forty-five minutes of white knuckle sailing, the wind died a bit and we took the reefs out. Then the wind picked up again, but not as much as earlier and we were able to keep to full sail. All in all, it is an enjoyable time and I got my sailing fix for the weekend.
An Arabian Night
Saturday evening Esther and I went to to the Puyallip fairgrounds where Mike, Marti and Marika were at a horse show. One of the competitions which Marika entered involved an Arabian costume. Marti made both costumes herself. Marika and Program did a nice job at the compettion where they ended up with a second place. Nice work Marti and Marika!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Sidney Glen boy's night out
On Wednesday afternoon, the male staff at my school took the ferry over to watch the Mariners. There is something of a bonding that takes place among males at a predominately female workplace like an elementary school. After a great meal at Fado Irish Pub, we watched the Mariners win a game against the Twins. Well, technically we didn't witness the win, because it was 9-9 at the top of the ninth when we had to catch the ferry. It was fun being out with 'the boys.' Thanks to Don, it was a free evening for me, as he treated me to dinner and the game, compliments of my birthday.
6/6/6 Birthday
It felt a little strange having my birthday this year. As it turned out, there were a couple of negative things that occured on that day. First of all, Don and I had to physically remove a student from the class. He was kicking and punching the whole way down to the office. We had to file a police report, which wasn't fun. It never feels good to physically remove a student. The other bummer came when I started up my truck after school. The engine was running very rough. As it turns out, I need a valve job. Ouch! I thought that these things didn't happen to Toyotas! Well, at 180,000, I can excuse it a little. But it was still disappointing. The highlight of the day was dinner at El Sombrero with the family. I don't think I have to worry about hitting 6/6/3006; at least not until after the antichrist!
Thursday, June 01, 2006
three boys set out to sea
On Monday, while we were spending a family day in Seattle, three of Markus' friends decided to embark on a nautical adventure. They built a raft of driftwood and set sail for Blake Island. Then with two paddles and a pair of flippers, they were off. A ferry came over to investigate the odd sight. One detail that they failed to consider was the amount of daylight to complete their adventure. By the time we came home at nine o'clock they had made it to the island and were wise enough not to try to return in the dark. Using a ranger's cell phone they contacted us for a ride back home. Despite Bjorn's urging to let them rough out the night, Markus and I took the sailboat over to the island to retrieve them.
Thor Heyerdahl look out!
Thor Heyerdahl look out!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Class Valedictorian
Well, it's official. After a couple of months of speculation, Markus was awarded the South Kitsap Valedictorian Award at the Laurels Award Ceremony tonight. We are very proud of his commitment and hard work. Considering that his class is over 600, it was quite an accomplishment! Good job, Markus.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Bjorn's new workplace
After a week or so of emailing resume's to no avail, Bjorn took his mom's advice and showed his innocent face to a couple of job possibilities. Well, it worked; and he got a job at the second place he went. He started the next day, and has worked a week. It's an indefinite arrangement so far, but they seem to really like him. The company is called 'Masterworks', and it is a graphics/advertisement company that does contracts with different Christian ministries. Bjorn helps the IT person with all of the computer and software stuff. The graphic artists all use Macs, so Bjorn is kind of the 'go to guy' for the Macs. He loves that of course. The company is in Poulsbo, so he has a little of a commute, but the Rabbit diesel keeps the cost down. We are all very thankful for this job, since it will give him experience in his chosen career.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
What's this? another mac?
I've been waiting to upgrade for almost a year. My iBook is five years old and feeling a little slow and behind the times. When the MacBook Pro came out, I was really tempted, but Bjorn urged me to be patient. I'm glad I did. This seems to be just the ticket. I was tempted to buy the black one because I've had 'snow white' for the last five years. But being a true Dutchman, I couldn't dish out the extra $150 just for the color. I upgraded the RAM to 1 gig and the hard drive to 80, so the configuration is the same as the black one. Bjorn helped me transfer the data off from my old iBook, so I am up and running. It is lightning fast compared to my old one. I am getting acquainted with the larger screen and raised keys and enjoying the new features. I have found one negative so far and that is that it gets really hot on the lap compared to my old G3 iBook. It's a good thing my child producing days are over!
Monday, May 22, 2006
Neah Bay 2006
Every year Don and I take our fifth graders to Neah Bay. Once again we were very fortunate with the weather, even though it looked a little menacing. The Makah Reservation is such a beautiful place. We did our usual schedule of activities: hike to Shi Shi, museum, camp overnight and end with a hike to Cape Flattery. This year we had the added treat of having one of our families originally from Neah Bay. In fact, our student's grandfather is the president of the tribal council. They were able to arrange a great campsite that even topped our former situation. We also had a member of the tribe tell us Makah stories around our beach campfire. The presence of many parents made the work of feeding and transporting the students a lot easier. We ended up with 27 students and 15 adults. It takes some organized prep work to make this trip work, but we always feel that it is well worth it, realizing that it will be a lifelong memory for the kids. By the way, I am posting this blog with my new computer, but more about that tomorrow.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
In the water and ready to play
I had some time this week to get the boat ready for launching. Today, Bjorn and I slipped her in the drink and had a nice afternoon sail to Southworth from Manchester. It has been great having Bjorn home. He came on Monday from a week in Juneau, and will be staying home all summer. He is trying to get some kind of a summer job in computer programing. He may have to fall back on construction, but he will try for a little while to get something in his intended career field.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
A Visit From the Eides
This weekend Mike, Marti and Mikal came down from Lynden for a visit. Marika and her friend were at a horse camp at nearby Miracle Ranch, so M and M took the opportunity to visit us for the weekend. It was great hearing about their recent trip to Mexico. I also helped with the neighborhood beach clean up. Every spring, the Southworth neighborhood gets together and trims the trail to the beach and cleans up the garbage left by uninvited guests.
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