Between Here and There

On the MV Coho from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC Gampa with Lillian and Phillip in an Arbutus tree (Beacon Hill Park, Victoria) 'Captain Crunch' Uncle Bill's first and only tugboat - isn't she a beaut? The crew before leaving

So here I am again, way behind in posting. Lots of stuff going on, tomorrow we are heading to Victoria (and on to Duncan) for the week. (Sorry Mom W you can't be with us.) Rachel will meet us up there on Tuesday. If the weather gets nice maybe we'll even head to Cowichan Lake for a ski and tea (that's to entice all the far away Miners). So for now, here are a couple pics from the last couple weeks. Fourth of July - red, white and blue     Kyle doesn't stop his woodworking even for the holiday.     Manchester Park for a picnic and a swim, maybe. Too cold and too much seaweed. Actually, we visited this park again a couple weeks later with my parents and she did get in and made me get in too. It wasn't too bad but I prefer to leave the cold water tasks to Kyle.

Thought I would put up some pics from our visit with the Howards in Vancouver two weeks ago. As some of you remember, Jake and Lillian are 11 days apart and we spent a lot of time with them those first 6 months. They've come along way since then. Wonder what the pictures will look like from the next visit?        

Finally I'm able to post this. Enjoy. We sure loved the rolls. Now it's time to make some more!

As the Oregon coast boasts some of our favorite spots, we were excited to travel up the coast again. We enjoyed a beautiful night and pleasant morning on the southern coast before the rain came. Unfortunately the weather forced us to alter our plans and truncate our itinerary. Sadly, we headed east to catch I-5 south of Tillamook. Oh well. Thanks to Hannah's excellent grocery shopping skills, we're making up for that most evenings in Port Orchard.

Upon departing Walnut Creek, we traveled through some of California's wine country. Although it was quite pretty, we kept moving in order to save a little time for the Redwoods in northern CA. After an unsuccessful attempt to find a particular stand of trees, we enjoyed a short walk through an impressive grove.

One of the last stops on our trip northwest was in Walnut Creek, CA. We had a good visit with our friends Layne, Anne, Noel, Tyson, and Molly. It was fun to see them in their element there. After our visit we pushed north through the CA Redwoods and on to the OR coast.

 

(May 18-20) We had a great visit in Malibu with the Newman Family. We spent time at the beach hiking around and playing in the sand. Some even braved the cold water and big waves.

The good news: as seen below in the pics. The bad news: we'll save for another day. Lillian jumping around a short trail in the Petrified Forest just after colliding with a chair and busting open her upper eyelid. (It's healing nicely and didn't need stitches. But only the first of many ouches to come.) A view during a hike in Sedona area. We wouldn't mind if a close family member would want to move there so we can visit you... And we made it to the Grand Canyon. Why Lillian was making a face, I don't know? Lilly and I taking in the view. I was very nervous with her there. The fences are few and not sufficient. I think I wouldn't mind waiting until she's 15+ years old for the next visit. Kyle at a stopping point on a hike down into the canyon with Kevin. Sunset at Desert View, Grand Canyon. Kevin at Sunrise. Uncle "Rorrville" was a huge help and fun to have along. He's now on a flight home and we'll continue on without him. Our iti...

Lilly and I had our last day with Elliott and Oliver on Thurday. We are really going to miss them. Maybe when we visit for playdates next fall she'll be able to pronounce their names better. She has the whole summer to work on her sharing too. We'll see.

Here are a couple shots of the day. Mom and Dad Welty were down for the event as well as Uncle Kevin (Lillian's godfather also). She was a bit shy during the ceremony.