Still here

Well it's been a couple of months, but I'm still here. I just haven't taken the time to sit down and "write".
We were all wondering how long it would be to get the wedding pictures back from the photographer...well I understand her dilemma. It's tedious to sit and edit pictures. I had some photos on my phone...and it just took me a while to download, edit, etc. all the photos. I actually finished that...a couple of weeks ago...but once I got through step one...I ran out of steam.
I (obviously) don't write this blog because I have lots of followers...I do it for myself. I know I  also have a few family members and friends who check in from time to time, but it's kind of a way for me to write down my thoughts and add the pictures. From time to time I do look back and read old posts. I have half-hardheartedly started one or two journals over the years...but find this blog makes it easier for me to combine photos and thoughts all in one place. So...I may  ot write often...but I guess I'll keep going for now.

With that said...this post is a recap of our recent trip to Washington state.
My sister and her husband bid on a vacation stay at a resort near Seattle...last year at a hospital fundraiser. They "won" the bid, so plans were under way. We talked about it last September (2018)...and after a month or two they decided to plan to go this year in September. Seattle is a mid way point for all of us. It's approximately a 5 hour trip for them from Honolulu and about the same for us from Florida.
They also invited Tony's sisters and their spouses. Maris and Wim from Maui, Judy and Tom , currently in Washington, and Cathy and Andy from North Carolina.  Andy and Cathy arrived a day before Martha, Tony, John and I did. They met up with Maris and Wim and Judy and Tom. They all spent a day and night in Seattle. The next morning the group from Honolulu flew in and John and I arrived a few hours later. We had a relatively easy drive from Seattle airport to the resort in Cle Elum.  We drove through a rain storm or two, but there was not too much traffic on the road....so that was nice!

We arrived to the house

 a few hours after the rest of the group. They had already been to the grocery store and they were checking out the house and the resort. John and I arrived and got settled in in our room down stairs. It was kind of nice...not quite as nice as the rooms upstairs maybe...but we had a bathroom to ourselves and the play/game room was also downstairs. We didn't have any kids running around...and that room was unused for the most part, so it gave us more room to watch TV, relax.
We planned ahead and brought some board games. Maris brought a couple, Cathy brought one or two and so did I. The guys were relaxing...the girls got right to the games.

 It was great to have enough people to "play with" hahah At home it's usually just the two of us and most games are more fun with other players.
The plan was that each couple would be responsible for cooking dinner one night. Andy was already working on our first dinner when we arrived. We had a fir going...it was wonderful to be cool enough to want to sit near a fire!!!! When we left temperatures were in the 90's...with some days feeling like 104 !!! There was plenty of wine, some great food and some stories and laughs by the fire.

Martha, Tony, John and Andy had plans to golf the first day there. The girls and Wim and Tom went to play Pickle ball. There were lots of hiking trails in the area and a "1000 Step Challenge" down by the resort lodge.

river at the bottom of the steps/hill.

Also just walking around the neighborhood was a good workout. (for me anyway hahaha) We lucked out...the weather was great.

The golfers golfed again  on the second day, After pickle ball and/or walks, the rest of us set out to do some sightseeing. Judy and Cathy had a few places in mind. We all loaded up in our car and went to Leavenworth Washington. It's a "Scandinavian" themed town.

 It was a picture perfect day and the town was full of colorful flowers and colorful in general. Everyone was friendly, it wasn't too crowded....after Labor Day...kind of quiet. We poked around in some of the shops, got some snacks, and met up with the guys (who knows where they had been haha) for lunch. I managed to find something on the menu full of bratwurst, kielbasas, potato etc. Not exactly my top choices for eating out...but I had some of the appetizers we ordered and enjoyed my lunch. Hey it was what I expected it to be. Pretzels and cheese.....helped hahahahah

we ate on the upstairs porch of the place with the red umbrellas-

We also went to the town of Ellensburg. Judy had been there before since one of her children went to college near there.

We wandered around a bit. Stopped in a coffee shop. One thing about Washington...there is no shortage of good coffee shops!!! I love it and if I lived there I'd probably be drinking coffee all day long.

view as we drove along. Little rain shower in the distance...but look at the colors of the day

Other sight seeing trips we took were to the town of Roslyn. There are less than 1000 residents (if signs are up to date) and other than one street downtown...there didn't seem to be much else there. And yet...I kind of liked it

the Smith sisters

always happy to act like a tourist

. A coffee shop/bookstore (another thing Washington has a lot of), a couple of restaurants, some crafty shops and boutiques, a post Office and one storefront window that has the "set" of the" radio station" that was in the TV series "Northern Exposure".

on Facebook there were several comments about this sign...hahaha no comment

 There's also a World Famous bar....that John popped into for a minute...but I didn't bother. A bar is a bar. I did take a picture out front though. hahah We stopped in a Glass Shop where there was a friendly artist/craftsman and some nice artwork. I bought a little souvenir there. He had some great blown glass pumpkins....if I had had unlimited funds, I would have bought one of them. In general glass art doesn't usually catch my eye...but maybe it was the artist who was so friendly and informative....I found several things I liked.

Another time we drove out to a lake that Judy wanted to check out. There weren't many people around.....the place was mostly deserted. It was a longer walk down to the water, than you realized at first glance. 

Because it was so quiet...it was kind of an odd feeling standing at the top looking down towards the water. I had a sensation that there was going to be a sudden dramatic drop off to the water. There wasn't...but it was weird the way it may me feel like it might....if that makes any sense.

There was one small camper and a few people down closer to the shore of the lake...we never really got close to where they were. There was also a boat launch area down there...so I imagine on weekends and in the summer there might be boats on the water. When we were there...just old big evergreens, driftwood and shells scattered about and sand.

We all went out to dinner one night to a place on the property. The Swiftwater Cellars, It was a nice bar and grill. Casual but nice. Everything we had for dinner was tasty. It was a little smoky in the place when we first arrived...but thankfully the sliding doors to the outside were open and it cleared out a bit. We had a fun dinner and were were especially happy that our reservation got moved up...thanks to Andy. Original time was for 7:45 (I think)... but got moved up to closer to 6pm. More than once that evening one or two of us looked around the table and commented "Thank goodness we got in early!...we would just be getting here"..etc,etc

Another afternoon Judy, Maris, Cathy and I were out walking along one of the trails. It took us along the road, through the neighborhoods, and eventually up near where the Swiftwater Cellars bar and Grill was located. We had no money with us...but we figured the group on the golf course would come bail us out...hahah or Andy and Wim would drive up with some $$. We sat down and ordered a drink and a couple of appetizers...meanwhile no one in the group was calling us back!!! hahah We were getting just a little nervous...but not really...we knew eventually one or all (all finally did) join us and bring money!!! It all worked out and we enjoyed a nice late afternoon/evening on the deck before we went back to the house for Tony's delicious chili that had been simmering all afternoon.

It was a great week. We had lots of laughs and lots of conversations. It was relaxing and fun for me to be part of the group. It was fun to see the Smith siblings interacting....they are a lot like my family. Listening to the stories it's clear they have spent a lot of time together traveling around the country and the world.  I enjoyed listening and getting to know them all a little better.

Okay..if I keep writing and adding pictures...I'll still be typing this up next September hahah so I

ll close this out now. Till next time.....

Unexpected family fun

We had some unexpected family fun with some of John's family in June. My nephew Justin had a job down in the Keys one week in June; and his family decided to drive down to join him near where he was working. (His wife's sister was also down in the Keys at the same time...so why not?)

Another family member spotted a posting on Social media and asked Justin where they were...because she thought she recognized the surroundings in one of his posts. Sure enough they were in the Keys. Debbie suggested they stop by here on their way back to Alabama...it's kind of the half way point. Justin was excited about the thought...and checked with the rest of his family. Everyone thought it would be fun. It was a last minute idea...in more ways than one. But some how...everything fell into place perfectly.

A) Debbie and Duane were out of town camping with two of their grandsons...but they would be back the same day Justin and family arrived in town
B)Josh has been traveling a lot for work...but he happened to be home for this particular week
C) We were going to be going out of town the day after Justin and family were leaving from here
D) Lance and Sara hardly ever both have the same day off...but this time BOTH were able to join us along with all their kids
E)Lucy and Mac were able to get here...they hadn't met Justin and Darby's children...and hadn't seen Justin in almost 12 years or so
F)The weather cooperated...it threatened to rain...but never really did...just helped cool things down a little

Sooo...we all just figured out who was doing what...we ordered BBQ from a local place, Lucy and Debbie brought all the sides and we had a wonderful time!
We invited my nephew and crew to stay here...they questioned whether we really wanted all the chaos that comes with 4 kids and Mom and Dad...but John told them to bring it on. They are all easy going and everyone just "went with it" and slept here and there. No 5-star hotel by any means...but no one cared.
First day here...I had a headache I could not get rid of...so I stayed home and everyone  else headed out. I was tempted to go...but Brenna said...Mom just rest we'll be back later and we're all getting together then.

First stop was where we always bring anyone who comes to visit...LongDoggers for lunch. It's the local spot...and has something for everyone in a relaxed beach atmosphere. After lunch, John took Justin and the two boys down to the beach and brought along a surfboard.

 The waves were.....very small...but perfect for learning. The boys had a blast and both had success!!
Brenna, Darby and the girls loaded up in Brenna's car and went shopping around town. stopped in a few local boutiques and then ventured out to HomeGoods where they all had a good time. While everyone was gone...I got things together for our "cook-out" without the cooking hahaha. I also had time to make a batch of cookies of course.
When we all got together that evening there were 20 of us in all.

Mac had fun talking to all the kids.

The younger kids enjoyed meeting each other and comparing musical tastes. And of course there was the pool. Justin loved seeing Lucy and Mac...and Debbie, of course, again.

 He and Darby enjoyed talking with Sara and Lance, Debbie and Duane and Lucy and Mac...it really was a great time for all. worth all the chaos! and even with my headache that would not go away...I enjoyed it all too!!! we all vowed to get together again to...and not wait 13 years in between time!
Justin and family left on Wednesday to make their way home. We cleaned up and packed up for our trip up to Tennessee for the 4th of July and a visit to some more family.
My nephews and their wives have an annual 4Th of July...AKA Here Comes The Boom fish fry and party. It's a great way to celebrate Becky's birthday and the 4th.
We've been hearing about the get-together for several years, but it just never worked out for us to get up there. This year we planned ahead and made sure we would be able to go. Parties at the Snyder compound are always a lot of fun. Good friends, plenty of food...and for the 4th...lots of fireworks. Personally...I'm not crazy about the fireworks...but over the years we have had many friends who ARE so I kind of knew what to expect.
We arrived in town on the 4th...so we headed over to Solon and Chase's houses from the airport and we had a small cookout with the family. We got to meet our newest great nephew. At 9 months old,,,he was at that pleasant stage when he pretty much just smiled at us and enjoyed all the extra attention. Traffic wasn't too bad...since most people were probably already where they wanted to be by the time we arrived in TN. After our cookout, Sandy and Ken lead the way back to their house in Pigeon Forge. We wanted to get "home" in time to see the local fireworks there.

 We got to watch the fireworks display down the street (at the local park) and then from the front porch my brother-in-law pointed out we had a great view of the nightly fireworks display from Dollywood. Perfect...not too close...away from the crowds,,,right in the comfort of their yard!
Friday we drove around town a bit, revisiting some of the places we originally visited back in the '70s and '80s! (back when it was a sleepy little area in the Smoky Mountains

. Well...it's sleepy no more...hasn't been for many years...but I was surprised that it was NOT as bad as I feared it would be. The town has done a good job of organizing a transportation system of trams, buses, etc to get people from point A to point B. It's made a big difference. I remember past trips where every time we tried to go anywhere...there was a long line of traffic in all directions.
We stopped by a favorite spot The Apple Barn.

 First went there when Brenna was a baby,( ,,she's 34 now).

We got there early to beat whatever crowds there might be on a holiday weekend. Had an apple doughnut and some fresh apple cider. Picked up a few turnovers to bring back for the rest of the gang back at the house. Later that day my brother -in-law took us for a drive around town and in to Wears Valley. We stopped by a store that my nephew sells some of his wood works. I've seen it online and enjoyed seeing the actual store.

 We drove past an area  we once owned a lot...back in the mid '80s. We kept it for a few years then sold it for a good profit. At the time we bought the lot...there were no roads, etc...so a lot had to be done before it would have been feasible for US to do anything on the property.

It was fun to see the area after all these years. Then we drove along a new stretch of the Foothills Parkway. Hardly any traffic  and being the passengers...we got to really enjoy the views.

Finally...Saturday was the big party day. We didn't have much to do to get ready. Sandy was preparing a couple of dishes to bring. John and I took a walk down along the river. Over the years that part of the town has changed quite a bit. There's a big park/hotel/etc complex about a mile from their house. It's nice...and the pathway to the complex

jumping frog ride

 is pleasant...but it's....developed. Good for the economy...sad to see the trees and wildlife being slowly pushed farther back. Another big project going up soon. Word on the street...hahahah...is a grocery store and other shopping. Convenient...but there goes another few acres of woods.
We got to the party a few hours early and helped finish setting up tables and odds and ends. Enjoyed sitting down by the river on the dock with my nephew's wife. At one point we were there so long...everyone was looking for us. hahahah We knew where we were the whole time hahah So relaxing sipping water (or whatever) down by the water on a summer afternoon.

When the guests started to arrive...we all enjoyed the fish Solon and his buddy were frying up. All the fish the guys (and girls) have been catching for months. Yum! Sampled all the side dishes...I love a pot-luck! I know a few people who don't, for whatever reason, but I have always liked trying everyone's favorite dishes they've cooked up.It was fun to watch all the kids running around and playing together in the yard, in the creek, etc.

John checking out the sno-cones

There was a neighbor who was making sno-cones...kid version...and some adult only flavors.

 My great niece had at least 4 before dinner. Ahhh to be 7 years old on the 4th of July! We all enjoyed a surprise visit from another great niece/cousin. Victoria and her husband, who none of us had met, had recently moved to the Knoxville area. When Sandy found out she suggested that Victoria and Clay call sometime. Well, they ended up being able to make it to the party which was great. We all got to spend some time just chatting and getting reacquainted . The fireworks were pretty impressive. These guys put a lot of time and money in to planning their display.

those are sparklers...not flames

before we all had to duck and run

Of course things can always go awry...and we had a brief moment of panic when one "launcher" tipped and started shooting the fireworks at us!!! No one got hurt...but I guarantee it got our heart rates up!!!!!! When the first one came in our direction...I wasn't paying complete attention. I thought Wow , that was close. Saw a small cluster of people jump back. Then... more started coming and I thought "S&%#! these are coming right at us! The guys saw what was happening and acted quickly to knock the launcher aside...so any further fireworks would go off to the side. Again...no one got hurt...but I confess I thought to myself...that's why it's a good idea to leave some things to the professionals. I feel like an old lady sometimes...but that IS what I thought. Over the years, as I've said, we've had friend who like my nephews LOVE putting on a big display...and there's been some close calls...but as far as I know nothing too bad. One year a group of us in our neighborhood were shooting off some small (in comparison) rockets, etc. We knew it was dry...so we were ready with buckets of sand just in case. Well...one little fire started...and you never saw people run so fast with buckets of sand and water,,,before we set the  whole area on fire!!!! Another time a group down the street was shooting off all kinds of bottle rockets, etc...and one ended up going right through the screen over the neighbor's pool...while they were in it!!!!! Laura was NOT happy...she marched down the street soaking wet with what was left of the rocket in her hand to give them a piece of her mind. It was funny...but only because nothing really happened. The first 4th of July after 9/11...I swear I've never seen SO MANY fireworks in my life! Everyone was shooting things off. My brother Mark and I were driving down to Melbourne Beach that night...to a party? or something...and I swear it felt and looked like a war zone. Things flying in all directions and smoke to go with them. It was crazy! I always fear that one will go under a car....or into a car driving by...and that same thought crossed my mind this year, as the road goes past their property...and if one of the Bigger fireworks went towards the road...it could be bad. It didn't...it wasn't...every had a grand time...and I enjoyed it too.....but personally...I'd be happy with fish and food hahahahahahah

It was a fun 4th of July. I always feel like it's more of a special day on a  holiday when we actually DO something special. Summer in Tennessee is GREEN and lovely. As a friend and I decided...Florida is green too...it's just a different kind of green. 
Until next time.......