Surprise!

Surprise!

Nov. 4 was Mom's 98th birthday.  My brother was going to be in town anyway so he decided to have a surprise birthday party for her at Anthony's restaurant in Edmonds on the waterfront with all her friends that are still alive.  I got the silly idea it would be fun to be a fly on the wall to see this--emailed the thought to Britta who said, "Let's do it!"  Soooo we flew up to SeaTac early Sunday morning and managed to surprise Mom AND my brother and her friends.  Here is how it went . . .



Britta and Gary and I got up at 3:30 to be at the airport with the sunrise.  Gary dropped us off and went back to go to church and let everyone know what we were doing.

When we got to Seattle, we decided to scope out the restaurant and make sure our plan would work.  They were really excited to help us.










We went to Costco, got a cake and candles, then drove back to the restaurant where we hid behind a bush in our rental car until Monte and Mom arrived.

We then scurried in and hid around the corner while the restaurant staff helped us get the cake ready with lit candles.


With the hostess taking photos, we walked into the party singing "Happy Birthday". Everybody joined in and my brother thought "Why are they singing now, we haven't even ordered yet?"  Then he spotted us.  What fun to see his face.

Then Mom spotted us and had the same jaw dropping eyes bugging out reaction he did.

It was a lot of fun for everyone.

After lunch, we all went back to Mom's house for birthday cake and coffee and more visiting.  She looks pretty good for 98, doesn't she?

It was a short visit as Britta had to be back for work, so it was off to SeaTac in time for sunset on Monday.  We couldn't quit grinning the whole flight home.  What a fun trip full of memories.

Family Fun

My brother and his wife and sons arrived at Mom's yesterday for a short viist. I'm so happy I was able to see them, too! His boys are the best kids ever, very sweet and lots of fun. We visited and joked and enjoyed being together.

Now I am at the airport, ready to get home after too many days away. Seattle got a nice rainstorm last night so I was content with the weather. I'm not really ready for the heat at home, but I'm very ready to see Gary and the "girls" (our dogs).

The convention is over

I've been absent from the blog for a few days, as Britta pointed out to me. It was because I was in Bellingham, WA at the Daughters of Norway convention. It was so much fun being around so many other Norwegians. The first thing I noticed is that they all were wearing my favorite colors--lots of green and orange and purple and teal. And there were a lot of blondes that you know must be really blonde because their eyebrows and eyelashes were as blonde as mine. There was entertainment and lots of essential meetings and goodies and great stuff for sale, as well as raffles. I wish I could post photos because I won the raffle of an amazing wooden bowl that was painted black with red rosmaling on it. I was sooooo lucky! Our lodge founder has a gorgeous bunad (Norsk costume) that no longer fits her because she lost weight. I didn't lose weight so it fits me perfectly and I got to wear it today. I felt more Norwegian than ever in that beautiful outfit.

Now I am back at Mom's in beautifull Woodway. Tomorrow my brother and his family will be here so I'll get to see them this trip, too! I got to see my sister on Wednesday before I left for Bellingham. It has been a great trip, but I have been gone long enough. I got to talk to Gary every day, but I've been going thru dog withdrawal--I need to see my girls! At least I get to go out and give a dog biscuit to Mom's neighbor's lab each day I am here. She has begin to expect it whether I am here or not. It helps when I miss our dogs too much.

The weather has been my idea of perfect--some rain, some clouds and when it is sunny the high is about 75 or less. Today was 73. Gary told me it was 100 at 2 p.m. in Roseville. Yuck!

Bellingham, Here I Come

The past couple of days were full of errands. Mom likes having a free driver around. Yesterday was a bit rough. I took her to her eye doctor appt where she found out both eyes were bleeding and needed shots. She came home and slept the rest of the day. Today is a better day. She can already see better now that the bleeding is under control. Phew!

I am packed and ready to leave for the Daughters of Norway Convention in Bellingham. I have never been a tourist in Bellingham before. It was always a spot in the road on the way to Canada. This is going to be a fun few days filled with friends, nice scenery and cool weather!

Fog!

We have now had one more new type of weather that we didn't have on our trip--fog. It is so nice and cool here--can't complain at all.

This morning I am making the traditional cinnamon rolls for Mom--her favorite thing to eat--cinnamon rolls are followed closely by pie. Last night her old friend Buck came over for Linda Hultman's beef barley soup and pie and he wanted to skip dinner and just have pie. I told him he had to eat what was good for him before i'd give him pie. ; )

As Mom and I sat in church yesterday I thought about how lucky I am to have a 97 year old Mom who is doing so well. It is a real privilege to sit with her in church and do things like this trip with her. The hard part is that there are only two people she still knows at Trinity. Everyone else has died. She only gets to church when I am here to take her, so doesn't make new friends. It is a HUGE church and not super friendly like Advent.

We're still adjusting to the time change. I don't know how you people who go overseas ever adjust! Only 3 hours and our sleep schedule is still weird.

Back to Seattle

We made it to Seattle in record time today--got here early. On the ride from the airport we got some nice rain (as per my order--I always put my order in for rain before I come). But now it is cool and nice outside with no rain.

Delta First Class is much nicer than Alaska First Class. If you get to choose, go with Delta.

Our most expensive hotel was the worst. Not only did they give us a room as far from the elevator as you could get (after I requested close to it 2 months ago when I made the reservation) but this morning the toilet broke. Three visits from the repair staff caused them to determine we needed a real plumber. We checked out early and went to the airport where they have many toilets to choose from and at least one must be working at all times! The bus drivers were the best part of this hotel visit--and they were wonderful. They loved Mom and took very good care of her.

I have been to Trader Joe's for essential groceries and we are ready for bed. It is 8 p.m. Seattle time, but 10 p.m. Minneapolis time that we are used to. Maybe tomorrow will find us back on PDT.

It was a good trip, but we are glad to be back where we don't have to eat in restaurants for awhile.

Thunder, Lightning, Rain--a beautiful day!

Last night we enjoyed the sound of thunder from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. Got up to a very warm, humid morning. As we drove from Decorah to Minneapolis, we saw flashes of lightning and lots of rain. Then we drove into sunshine and wind. It gave us lots of variety.

Before the rain hit, we accidently found the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Burr Oak, Iowa. It was quaint and interesting and a nice break in the drive.

We got to our hotel, checked in to a room that is as far from the elevator as it can get--even after I explained we needed to be close. It also has a sloped floor into the bathroom. If neither of us falls tonight it will be amazing. Otherwise it is a pretty room.

The rental car was returned with 1155 miles driven --all by me! Then we took the hotel shuttle to the Mall of America. It is HUGE! And it could be a destination point like Disneyland with all the rides and carnival games in the middle of the mall. Mom really wanted me to see it and I was duly impressed. She found a pair of shoes on sale and a pair of slacks. My suitcase is already too full to buy anything more. As we left the mall, the skies opened up and poured. We got soaked because those raincoats we carried the whole trip were in our room. Duh.

Tomorrow we head back to Seattle. I'm looking forward to no more restaurant food for a few days.

Miles and miles and miles

We are up to almost 900 miles on this rental car this trip and still need to drive to Minneapolis tomorrow. I am ready to take a long break from driving.

Drove to Decorah, Iowa today through corn and corn and more corn. It was so green and beautiful. We learned that locals in Wisconsin consider a speed limit just a suggestion unless they are driving through a small town. I was driviing the speed limit and angering a lot of drivers behind me. I'd pull over and let them pass and eventually there'd be more stuck behind me. We drove Old 18 so didn't mess with the freeway today. Much prettier scenery when you avoid the freeways. We also learned that a Rest Area in Wisconsin is called a "Wayside". There is no end to the education you get on a trip like this. : )

Vesterheim is beautiful We saw two rosmaling items done by my Daughters of Norway friend, Karen Nelson. She is so talented! While I enjoyed Vesterheim, I have to say without bias that the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard, WA is equally well done.

For tonight we are in a motel with a large number of motorcycllists--very large motorcyclists. Interesting group.

Our motels this trip have run the gamut from a 50's style small town motel to modern high quality motels, to the beautiful Ruby Marie Hotel in Madison last night that was buiilt in 1875 and refurbished about 10 years ago. It is full of antiques and was very nicely redone to stay in the 1800's period style.

It has been a great trip and Mom has held up very well and so have I.

Pick Your Own

As we left Sister Bay this morning, Mom had an even stronger craving for raspberries. Since we woke up so early, nothing was open. When we finally passed a roadside stand that was open we stopped. Yes, they had raspberries, but you had to pick them yourself. Sooooo, at 9 a.m. I picked a pint or raspberries. Mom was so horrified at the price she insists I put it in the blog--it was $4.50 a pint.

Then it was on toward Madison. Unfortunately, because we were up so early there weren't many things open for stopping, so we kept on driving. i have already driven over 700 miles on this trip and we aren't anywhere close to the end. It was another sunny, but cool day--in the high 70's and low 80's. This time we drove along Green Bay. And we thought of Tom and Audrey as we drove through the city of Green Bay.

Yesterday we drove past about a zillion Lutheran churches, two Catholic churches and two other assorted denominations. Today there was more varety as we drove south. So many cute old fashioned white churches, lots of corn growing, everything neat and clean--this is a beautiful area.

Mom is like a little kid--if we stop anywhere that you can find ice cream, she has to have a cone. That is what she ate for lunch today and Monday. Yesterday she ahd sausage gravy and biscuits for breakfast, so wasn't hungry for lunch. I've been keeping half my breakfast bagel and eating it for lunch. I should not gain weight this trip!

Door County, WI

Lake Michigan was smooth as glass as we rode over from Ludington, MI to Manitowac, WI on the Badger, the last coal fueled ferry on Lake Michigan. It was a diffrerent experience from the Puget Sound ferries we know and love. For the Badger, you leave your car with the keys in it and they park it on the ferry for you. You are not allowed to go down to the car deck at all. They turn the cars around because they have to be driven off the same end they used to drive onto the ferry. A lot of teenagers had jobs driving cars on and off the ferry and they hustled. No walking for them! There was a lift alongside the stairs for Mom and other slow-movers.

After the four hour ferry ride, we enjoyed a beautiful drive up to and into Door County. We went past beautiful, clean farms with gorgeous flower beds, all within view of bluer than blue Lake Michigan. Definitely not polluted looking at all---very clean.

I sure wish I could post photos for you. Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay is so cute! There were 3 goats on the sod roof today when we got here. I got lots of goat photos. And on the way we stopped at The Farm, which is a tour of an old farm with plenty of animals to feed. There is a Texas long horn steer that sticks his tongue out so you'll toss in the grain they give you to feed them. He was a riot!

The weather is nice and cool--high 70's to low 80's today. We drove along water all day. The only complaint I have is there was too much sun to be comfortable driving weather. I'm really glad we decided to go home by way of Door County.

Last day in Michigan

We started the morning by heading to the Walmart in Cheboygan. Needed a new Garmin gps since ours broke the first day I tried to use it. Such a relief to have one again. My iPhone gps worked fairly well, but Mom couldn't see it, so I had to take my eyes off the road to look at it and that isn't good.

We drove an interesting route from Mackinaw City to Ludington today. Lots of farmland, lots of beautiful scenery. Sure wish I could put a photo up, but no luck yet. I even tried taking a photo with my iPad and still couldn't put it on Blogger. Might have to try a new blog server. Britta has been working on that for me.

My favorite sign of the day was a road id sign that said "Road 12 3/4". It is a real road!

Rest Areas in Michigan are called Roadside Parks. They have porta-potties and the only water is an old pump. You pump it until water runs into a water fountain looking bowl and quickly stick your hands under before the water stops. No soap anywhere in sight. But the park part is beautiful--lovely settings. I have a photo for you, but no luck loading it.

Tomorrow is the ferry ride to Door County. Can't wait!

Mackinac Island

We began the day with the fun of breakfast with the extended family. Great food and more visiting. Our extended relatives are such nice people.

Then it was off to Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw Island). Cars are not allowed on this island, so we took the ferry over, then went on a horse buggy ride. It smelled so good and was so relaxing to go at a horse's pace.

We did a self-guided tour of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. It was very nice, celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, but Mom was expecting a grander hotel. It is huge and lovely, but old.

Then we took the ferrry back to Mackinaw City and our hotel. Every night has been early to bed. We don't eat a lot. Tonight I bought a small pizza to share in our hotel room. Michigan is beautiful--so much green. Lots of farmland is in this part of the state. I love it when you ask people where they live in Michigan and the first thing they do is hold up their left hand with the thumb toward the middle. They all think of their state as the shape of a hand. I keep learning new stuff every day.

I've been trying, but can't figure out how to put an image on blogger. So this trip will be without photos until I have a lesson from Britta or get to a real computer. Sorry.

dp

The Reunion

The reunion was small, but fun. Mom had a ball answering questions about her grandmother. I emailed a request for photos to Britta, who came thru with flying colors, sending 4 emails full of photos they needed. This enabled them to ask Mom more questions. I learned things I didn't know, too.

This area is so beautiful. Reminds me a bit of North Lake Tahoe, but every yard is manicured here and the lake is incredibly blue. I had always heard about polluted waters in the Great Lakes--not in this part of Lake Michigan! Haven't seen a single homeless person. Lots of absolutely gorgeous people walking the streets, many of them walking equally gorgeous dogs. We were lucky weather-wise. First thing this morning we had a big rainstorm, but when it stopped the sun came out along with humidity. Our hostess' house was out in the country and no humidity there and cooler temp. It was a perfect day.

Michigan!

Morning came very early today. We were up at 2:30 a.m. to be ready to catch the airporter at 3:45. I think it will be early to bed tonight. Mom is taking a nap as I type this.

The first leg of the trip was wonderful. It was my first time to fly first class. I could get used to this kind of flying! We had a very tasty breakfast--omlet with gouda cheese--yummy. Lots of snacks came by and my tea was refilled over and over. Very nice.

The good flight ended in Minneapolis. Then we got on Pinnacle Air--a puddle jumper with 26 seats--all full, mostly people who evidently don't believe in deodorant. Stinky flight.

This part of Michigan is beautiful. Traverse City Airport looks brand new--very small, but very nice. We found our way to Boyne City in spite of the Garmin that decided to die as soon as we got in the car. My iPhone gps only worked now and then depending on signal strength. Our motel is older with only swamp coolers for a/c--but with this humidity, it is better than nothing. While Mom took her nap, I went for a walk and discovered that Boyne City is having a celebration tonight and there are 3 bands performing in different parts of this cute little town.

The signal strength is so weak here that I won't attempt to post photos until I get somewhere that we have more signal. Sorry--I'll keep on taking photos just in case I can figure out how to get them from my iPhone to my iPad.

My flight from Sac to Seattle was fun. One flight attendant announced that the fellow who was in charge of my row among others, was selected Flight Attendant of the Year for 2012. I don't know if that is a real competition or not, but he was very funny. Had most of the plane laughing all the way to Seattle. I've never had so much fun on a plane ride!

We're looking forward to the family reunion tomorrow. I'll do my best to blog afterward.

Home Sweet Home!

We made it home by about 2:30 this afternoon. Dogs were so happy to be in their own yard. We're happy to be home, too.

We really like the look of our new safety features--railing and lights on front steps. And we feel much more secure that there is less of a chance of another injury on our steps.

Brrrrr!

It was 19 degrees when we woke up early this morning in Bend. In May! Brrrrrr. Alex helped me walk the dogs and we found this property where the sprinklers had come on while it was so cold. It looked like a silver thaw---so much ice.

















Monte and Brenda's house has a view of Mt. Bachelor where the boys like to snowboard and ski.



















The boys love walking the dogs and the dogs love them. Happiness is having Josh and Alex with them.




















My baby brother and me.


















Monte, Brenda, the boys and our girls.



















Mt Shasta was gorgeous as we wove our way down Oregon and into California at Weed.













We got to the RV park and a fascinating dog was at the dog area. Her name is Helen Keller because she was born blind and deaf. This wonderful older couple trained her to respond to touch signals and take her to schools and nursing homes. She was so sweet, loved sniffing our dogs.

After waking up shivering, we ate dinner outside at this RV park in Redding. The cool weather was so nice, but now it is back to reality.

Snow in May?

This was our view as we left Mom's lower driveway. She sure lives in a beautiful area.












I couldn't blog last night because there was no signal. It was quite a trip to Mt.Hood, OR. Lots of rain and even more wind the whole way. As we drove across the bridge over the Columbia River it was so windy it felt like it would blow the RV over. Gary had to slow way down to make it safely across the bridge. Super Scary!


















We stayed at a lovely RV park at the base of Mt.Hood. You could tell it rains a lot here by the moss on all the trees. It rained all night long. Our new windshield leaks, so we had a bit of a clean up. Guess we'll take it back and ask them to fix it right.
















We drove away about 11 a.m and within 10 minutes we were driving in a snowstorm. Those are snowflakes coming down.

















And this is how much had fallen before we got there.



















We made it to my brother's house in Bend. Both dogs recognized the route when we turned onto their street and were watching for the boys who always come to take them for a walk right away.


















As my brother bbq'd chicken, some deer came to visit on their land. Sometimes the deer come right up to the flowerbed outside their family room window.















We had a nice visit and a good dinner. As we walked the dogs Gary commented that he thought it was freezing out. We set out our thermometer and sure enough. You can see he was right--28 degrees!

Clean Dogs

Mom wanted to serve crab for dinner so I rushed out first thing this morning to get it for her. Then it was off to the do-it-yourself-dog-wash. That was a first for our girls and they loved it! Tule especially enjoyed the dryer. Elsie could hardly wait for Tule to get out of the tub so she could have her turn. I was amazed. And now we have two very clean dogs.


















Gary used a chain saw to cut the tikis into manageable sizes so we could fit them into the RV. Britta gets one and I get to figure out where to put the other one. They are real treasures--family heirlooms since my Dad made them.



Had a great crab dinner with potato salad. My sister and brother-in-law came over to enjoy dinner and a visit before we leave in the morning.

Busy Day

Today we enjoyed the goat deciding to climb in the manger to eat her dinner. The horse just ate around her while Elsie stared on in fascination.

















I made dinner for my Mom's 3 local living friends tonight. Gary bbq'd pineapple and teriyaki chicken and I did the rest. Kept me busy all day, but it was a fun evening.

There are three bird's nests on or near Mom's house. Can't get a shot of one, but the other two are here:



































This tiki is one my Dad made. We are figuring how to cut it so it can fit in the RV to come home with us. It truly is an heirloom since Dad has been gone 29 years and he made two of these at least 10-15 years before he died.

Elsie and the Goat

Today was a day of shopping and odds and ends. The main entertainment for the day was watching the goat and Elsie play hide and seek. The goat would stand at the fence and when Elsie ran down the hill to chase her, the goat would run around to the other side of the barn and peek around the barn, waiting for Elsie to run that direction. Back and forth--silly fun.

In this photo you can barely see the goat by the tree right next to the barn The blur running toward the goat is Elsie. I'm afraid to mention how nice it is to have an uninjured dog this trip. Tule is obviously 12 years old and a senior dog. She still enjoys the fun, but paces herself very carefully.

Sunday

We walked into Mom's church this morning to such a nice surprise. All of the pews and altar were covered with wonderful handmade quilts. These quilts will be sent to many places all over the world. When it was time to do the blessing of the quilts, the pastor had everybody place their hand on a quilt in front of them. It was a very moving experience. Most of the quilts will go to Africa.

Then I took Mom to her apartment building so we could empty the meters on the washers and dryers. She loves to wrap the coins.

Mom is doing very well--much better than last year. And the dogs are loving being near the horse and goat in her pasture.

Family Time

Today we had a laundry marathon, visited Costco, then went to my sister's for dinner.

This is one of my favorite parts of my sister's yard. That is Carol pulling some weeds in the background.


We had a great dinner and good visit. The it was back to Mom's to feed our hungry dogs who were very happy to see us.

Tulips!

When we woke up this morning, I took photos of Mom's gorgeous yard. She has so many things blooming. The daffodils around her fountain on the patio are gorgeous. The hillside as we look to the barn is covered in color.


















This photo doesn't do the view toward the barn justice. Her yard is gorgeous.
















We decided Gary hasn't done enough driving in the past few days, so we went up to Mt Vernon to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Wow! Tulips are everywhere. In fact, when Mom went to the Netherlands, she was told their tulip bulbs come from the Skagit Valley. I wonder if that is true? There were definitely a lot of tulips still blooming. Tulips as far as the eye can see.

















Mom and me with tulips at one farm.

Seattle, Here We Come

"The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle. And the hills the greenest green in Seattle . . .:" (from the old tv show "Here Come The Brides"). We had another great day in the rain until the sun came out at lunch time. But I can't complain about the sun coming out because we were having lunch on the waterfront in Tacoma when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

Our dear long-time (not old) friends, Norm and Barb met us and drove us to a great little restaurant right on the water in Puget Sound. It was a fun visit with a beautiful view.

















A seagull even stopped by for a visit as we waited for our lunch.
















We noticed a lot of Scotch Broom (bushes with yellow flowers) along the freeway. When we were growing up it was considered a nasty weed, full of bugs and way too prolific. Now we see it for sale at nurseries in CA and cringe. You won't see any in our yard, but it is kind of a pretty plant, for a noxious weed.

















We drove past the freeway exit for our very first home. Our address was Thorne Lane North SouthWest. Weird, huh? But true!















Then the wonderful Seatlle skyline appeared on the horizon, complete with Space Needle. It is such a beautiful city. The Olympics were showing here and there among the clouds, but not in position for a good shot from the RV moving at 65 mph.






As we turned the last couple of corners going to my Mom's, the dogs figured out where we were and started crying. When we parked, they flew out of the RV and ran to see the horse and goat, so happy to be free. Then it was up to see Grandma. Their fun has begun. We were amazed that our senior citizen, Tule, was able to run so much and enjoy the space. Up and down the outside stairs--the dogs will sleep well tonight and so will we. No photos of Grandma's because she had plans and we hit the ground running--to the PO and Walgren's and for groceries and Costco. Maybe tomorrow will give us the time to take a few photos of this beautiful yard (while my Mom is stlll sleeping).

We Love the Oregon Coast

Today started with our annual fantastic breakfast with Alan and Karen at the Pig n Pan. Note the interesting breakfast choices on this exerpt from the menu.

















As we left Newport and passed Cape Foulweather (yes that really is the name) we were slowed down by work on the fallen trees from the latest windstorm.



















Oregon believes you need to follow a car after you've been stopped for road work.


















We drove through Depoe Bay--such a beautiful little spot in the road.



















We drove past lots of Skunk Cabbage--a beautiful flower with a nasty smell. You don't want to go anywhere near it, but it sure is nice to look at. The yellow spots are Skunk Cabbage.



















We drove through Astoria with only one stop at Home Bakery. Had to buy a loaf of their yummy rye bread and a couple of treats. This bakery has things you just can't buy anywhere else--lots of Scandinavian goodies. Drool.


















There are rhodies like this all the way up the coast.


















The azaleas look like these everywhere in the "moist" areas this time of year. All the rain sure makes the towns beautiful.



















Britta likes castles, but I'd rather see a scene like this than any castle any day. This is my idea of a beautiful sight.



I did put my order in for rain before we left home and I got it, but I goofed and forgot to ask for the wind not to be included. It was a drive that was very easy on the eyes today but the wind made it a bit tough for Gary. It was my kind of day, but I wasn't driving.