Friends And Family Fun

Next morning Conor was all happy and rested. He was glad to be home and in his own bed. Ernie and Brooke too. Brooke asked on Friday if we could stay the weekend and we said we could, but then they found out they had a bunch of stuff to do on Saturday so we just said we would go back to our trailer and we would see them when they another time. So we left around 10:00am and stopped at Cabela's to check out some camp chairs. They were really nice and on sale. I sat in one and it was good so we got two. Then it was to the ferry. We had about an hour wait. We finally got back to the trailer. We had been invited to watch fireworks off the Manette Bridge at Ron and Noreen's friends house who have a view of the bridge. We have been wanting to see their house, so now we can get a tour. They made their downstairs an Air B&B. It is an old house with lots of charm. There was an air show with a Bi-plane so we got to watch that and then we had dinner.

After dinner it was starting to get dark so we all brought things in and waited around the upstairs window for the show. It was a really good show. I took a video but will just show pictures here of both the air show and the fireworks. Dave and I didn't live far from the Manette bridge when we lived in Washington, so it was pretty neat to see that they close the bridge to car and foot traffic for an hour, a few days before the 4^th to bring this show every year. 

 

Because I posted the blog too early for June, I left out the above information about Conor. So in essence this is a end of June first of July blog. Ha! With that said----I will continue on for July!

Jonathan, my son, called us to ask if we could watch the boys for the 5^th as their day care was going to be closed. So we thought it would be fun to have Jon drop them at our trailer on the 4^th, and we would keep the boys overnight and bring them back to Jon late afternoon, after he got home from work on the 5th. He didn't know if Susannah would have the 5^th off, so we figured it was just better to have the boys so they wouldn't have to worry about it. We didn't have any plans for the 4^th anyway so it worked out.

On the 4^th Jon brought the boys over and visited with us a while before taking off for home without the boys. Since it was in the morning, I decided I would pack a lunch for us and take the boys to a park close by. Lions Field has always been a fun spot for kids to play but my girlfriend told me they now have a kid size zip line!!! Well hey----I knew the boys would love that plus it is by the water so they can have some beach time. The tide was way out and there was a lot of seaweed and of course rocks covered in barnacles so I didn't let them go down to the water due to them not having water shoes or boots on. So they weren't too happy about that but later on it didn't matter as they played in the sand, found shells and uncovered baby crabs. Then the boys were hungry so we ate lunch on the beach. After that they wanted to go to the playground so we packed up all our beach toys and headed in that direction. Once they saw the zip line they spent most of their time there. There wasn't a lot of people/kids there so basically they had it all to themselves. It wasn't long before they both were just zipping across back and forth. They had a blast. It had been a cool cloudy day but the sun came out and it got pretty warm. Then they ventured out to climb on the other playground apparatuses. Then it was time to leave. The boys were really tired. So we went back to the trailer and chilled.

The pictures I took of the boys on the zip line were movies so they aren't here.

They love sleeping on the sofa/couch. They think it is neat. It is a queen so there is enough room for both of them to sleep comfortably. Since it was the 4^th I bought some light up bracelets for them to wear to help celebrate. Next day it was cloudy and cool but not raining so we went down to Illahee State Park which is just about 2 blocks away from where we are staying. We went down to the beach and the boys had their water shoes on so I let them wade in the water. Cameron loved collecting shells and there were some huge oyster shells there. He didn't take them home, however. The boys had a lot of fun finding baby crabs and playing in the sand. We even found a horse crab in the rocks. I never saw one so it was exciting to be able to point it out to the boys. We had lunch on the beach and then they wanted to leave as they were cold.

So we came back to the trailer and played in the yard for a while. Cameron picked Grandma flowers.

Then Jon text us to let us know he was home so we could bring the boys. We packed the truck with all their stuff and them and off we went. The boys were happy to be home again but they had fun!!

I had a dermatology appointment on the 8^th, so my girlfriend, Judy, drove me there so we could stop and do some shopping and have lunch before the appointment. I really liked the doctor. She was thorough and checked my body for any suspicious marks and froze the problem areas on my face and nose. I felt so much better knowing nothing is cancerous and as long as I wear sunscreen and a hat I should be alright. No more laying in the sun anymore. Those days are gone. It was nice to have the time with my girlfriend too.

Dave and I left the next day and took our trailer to Kitsap Memorial Park near the Hood Canal Bridge. It is a nice park but didn't like the sites being so close together. 

 

But it turned out alright and we met some veterans, and nice people while we were there. I went to the beach a couple times and looked at the pebbles. Not much sand. Found some rocks for Brody, our grandson. I took a walk around the park and did some reading. Relaxing time. Our friend, Laurie, who doesn't live far from the park came for a visit. It was nice to see her. She stayed for dinner as her husband wasn't home so no need to rush home for anything. After dinner she left and we ended up talking to a nice couple staying in the park. He was a principal of a school and she was a teacher. It is so neat to meet different people and find out a little bit of their life. We stayed at the park 3 days and left on the 4^th day and went to our old stomping grounds, Brownsville Marina. Ron and Noreen were having the house rewired so we thought it best not be around and we could enjoy the amenities of full hook up at the park. Brownsville had just electrical. We don't mind as we filled our water tank and emptied the black and gray water tank before leaving the park. It was nice to visit with some of our friends that still come to and live at the marina. 

 

We were invited to the Brownsville Yacht Club Officers picnic which was really cool. We never was told or saw anything about it until we were talking to one of the gals and she said we had to come. So we did. It was nice to spend some time with old friends. We used to belong to the yacht club when we lived here.

Since we were camping at the Marina I thought it would be a good time to display and sell my crafts one day. I couldn't do it before Monday the 15^th, as we just got there on Friday. I had to make a sign and make sure all crafts had an amount on them. It sprinkled on and off all day on Monday which hampered sales plus it was a work day. Oh well. Sunday would have been a beautiful day to try and sell my stuff, but since it was such a warm and beautiful day, I probably wouldn't have gotten many lookers as they were all enjoying the weather. I did end up making some sales so now I have enough to go get some of the supplies I need. A friend of ours came by after she got off work and visited and bought 3 of my things. Earlier her husband had gotten some granite pebbles from Alaska and gave me 4 to make earrings for her for her birthday. So I made some money there and she was thrilled I made them.

We stayed 5 days at the marina and then went back to Ron and Noreen's yard. It was a little bit of a challenge for Dave to back the trailer into the spot Ron wanted us to go. He didn't want us back in the spot we were as he wanted to look out his window and see green instead of a trailer. Ha!! It wasn't a straight back parking. Ron helped Dave with instructions and Dave finally got the trailer in the spot. We will be here for a while as it is getting expensive for us to camp. Plus we only get 9 miles to the gallon when we pull the trailer. So we will slow down a bit. We are planning on going back to Brownsville toward the end of August for 3 days so that will be good.

Dave and I took a drive the other day to check out the Belfair and Twanoh State Park. Belfair was nice but we weren't impressed with Twanoh.

We signed up to be camp hosts at Kitsap Memorial State Park. We filled out the paperwork and now we are waiting for them to contact us to tell us where we can go get fingerprinted. We thought that might be a fun way to stay in different places. It is free and most of the time you don't have to do much but walk around and greet people and make sure everything is running smoothly. We might get to do that before we go back to Mexico. That would be cool. Then we can see if we like it or not. It is just one way to travel around and see different places.

Today, the 22^nd is my niece's birthday. She has also retired so she is going to have a great life!!! I am so excited for her!!

Today my friend, Judy and I are on a road trip. We go somewhere every year for 3 days. We decided it was cheaper to do our trip during the week as prices are more reasonable than on weekends. So our adventure trip this time is to Centralia. It is located south of Olympia and has lots of outlet and Antique shops to explore.

I booked a room for us at La Quinta Hotel in Lacy, which is right outside Olympia. We started out finding places to stop and look and/or shop. We like going into the Dollar, Goodwill, craft places and fabric stores. We couldn't check into the hotel until 3:00pm so we had time to kill. We stopped for lunch and when it was time for check in we looked for the hotel. It wasn't the easiest to find as it was hidden behind some trees and off a side street. With using GPS we finally found it. After getting settled we left to find places to shop and then had dinner. After dinner we went back to the hotel and put our swim suits on and headed for the hot tub. Judy is 7 years older than I am and she is starting to have trouble with her knees, so we make a great pair. Her knees and my back. The hot tub felt so good. After that we went back to the room to rinse off and then settle in for the night. We opened our bottles of wine, as she drinks a sweet wine and I drink red, and sat and watched TV and relaxed. We are looking forward to a busy fun day tomorrow.

Next morning we got up around 8:30am, got dressed, had a bite to eat and off we went!!! We walked and walked and then walked some more. We thought we would have lunch at McMenamins in Centralia but after looking at the menu it was too pricey and the food gourmet. We just wanted something simple for lunch. So we ended up at the Country Kitchen which is a really good place to eat. Then it was more shopping and snooping. We had a great time and we now call ourselves the turnaround girls. We made more turnarounds trying to find places than ever before. It was crazy but it is always an adventure. On the 3^rd day we checked out of the hotel and headed for Tacoma. We know the area there and the shops to visit so we finished out our day in Tacoma and ended up having dinner at a Sizzler restaurant. There isn't one in Bremerton anymore and we miss it. I love their salad bar. After dinner we were ready to head back home. We were tired but we walked a lot and got our exercise. I had found some treasures that were on my wish list so I was happy about that.

Our grandson Brody has a soccer tournament this weekend, the 26^th. We won't be able to see him play on Friday but will on Saturday and Sunday. It was pretty hot on Friday, in the 80's so I heard they didn't do so well. They did not win but they were playing older kids and this was to get them to develop better skills and team play.

We made reservations at the only Hotel that wasn't booked or super pricey. We drove to Redmond, 60 Acres where Brody was playing and found the field. We had to park way far away from the field but there again, an opportunity to get my steps in. The boys had to play a good team and second half Brody's team did much better. They lost but it was a good experience for them. 

 

After the game we went to lunch in Woodinville. We had Brody with 3 of his soccer team mates, Conor, us and Brooke and Ernie. After lunch we said goodbye as we had to check in at the hotel. It didn't look like much from the outside, but was really nice on the inside. We had a nice room that had a sitting TV area. Later on, we got together with Ernie, Brooke and boys for a while. Had a nice visit. I brought the picture scrapbook with me so Ernie and Brooke could look at it and also 3 of Ernie's letters he wrote to us when he was in boot camp in the Air Force. They got a kick out of them. The big boys were off playing and Conor was being a character as usual. Then we left so they could get the boys to bed early as they had one game to play the next morning. We went back to the hotel and relaxed and had some wine and watched TV.

Next morning we took off for the soccer field to watch Brody play. He didn't have much energy and they didn't play as well as they could have. Second half was better but they lost 3-0. They have another tournament next weekend, so maybe they will do better. I think that one they play their own age group. Of course we will be there.

We got back to the trailer on Sunday late afternoon. There was a baby shower going on which was coming to an end. We got to meet the expectant mom, and saw Tyler again. Tyler is Ron's grandson. He and his wife, Jocelyn are in the Navy and stationed in San Diego. They have to go back on Monday. It was nice to see some of our friends there too and said hi. It looked like they had a great time.

The last Monday of July and my friend Judy and I are going to her dermatology appointment in Tacoma. She liked what I told her about the doctor so she wanted to be seen by them as well. She has a spot they think might be cancerous, but they will look at it and determine what to do. She was nervous and I was glad I could be with her to try and take her mind off it. As always we find our favorite shops to stop at, have lunch and then after the appointment head back to Bremerton. When she had finished with her appointment, she said they just took a biopsy to have a look and see if it was cancerous or what it was. They would call her with the results. So right now we don't know if is cancer or not. But she feels better that she was seen and checked out. The doctor she was going to see in Poulsbo was the same one I went to see which looked at me as though I had 2 heads. He was going to burn the spot out on her shoulder. The other doctor said that wasn't a good thing. So we were both happy with the doctor in Tacoma.

While I was with Judy on Monday, Dave had his doctor appointment and all went well. So we are both healthy and will live a while longer. LOL!!

Time is getting tight for us now and our calendar is starting to fill up with things and people we want to see before we leave. We will probably head back to Mexico mid to late September. We want to be at our house first part of October.