Vacation in the Northwest

We have blended the busy-ness of the routines being with Matt & Hannah and the boys with various outings, both short and long. Many photos have been shot too, though uploading the best will have to wait until our return to Durham.

Some of our activities (not in order) included: birthday supper of chicken kabuli for Matt; birthday cupcakes with Phillip on his 2nd; a visit to the local government auction during which M & H never had a chance to bid on a Eurovan; a lovely picnic at Point Defiance in Tacoma and time of interacting with friends John & Lura Morrow (first met in Ethiopia in 1973); a two-day visit to Vancouver Island (via the M.V. Coho) to see Bonney & Tom Major and, of course, the Duncan Miners (on our return to P.O. we drove 13 miles west of Port Angeles to Salt Creek County Park with its interesting Tongue Point; and, oh yes, what a surprising and thick fog enshrouded the vessel during the middle part of the crossing of Juan de Fuca!); a picnic at Scenic Beach State Park on the Hood Canal, where we also kyaked a bit; and two different day outings to Mount Ranier National Park (one to see the Carbon Glacier, lowest elevation of a glacier in the lower 48), one where all six of us went and set-up picnic and chairs at Sunrise Lodge Visitor Center (while Matt and I hiked to Second Burroughs Mountain about 7400 feet elevation for an amazing close-up view of Mt. Ranier; the morning hike your mom joined us for 2.7 miles along a ridge trail with wonderful clear-sky view of the nearest Cascade range). Whew! We missed Kyle for these hikes - no mountain goat this year either. Pete, you might plan to come for skiing at Crystal Mountain next season!

Good memories and good to be outdoors in cool, fresh air. What a magnificent creation; our God, the living One, is an awesome God; he reigns!