Oldma and Oldpa

San Juan Islands Trip

2010-07-27T15:05:00.001-07:00

We took the ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. We stayed at a darling bed and breakfast called the Hillside House for the two nights we were on the island.

Dennis visited Roche Harbor on his sailing trip to the San Juans. Something he did not see on that trip was the 85 acre sculpture garden outside of town.

This was in memory of the madrone trees Aaron enjoyed when the boys went on their pirate adventure with Dennis a few years ago on the tall ship Zodiac. We saw this tree on the trail leading down to the whale watching overlook where we watched two pods of orcas at play.

Oldma waded in Fourth of July beach and collected more pretty rocks for her front porch.

summer adventures and old memories of childhood

2010-07-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we decided to revisit the Oregon coast. Over 3 days we saw some old favorite spots (Astoria, Cannon Beach, and Tillamook) and discovered some new places (Cape Meares, Netarts Bay, and Cape Kiwanda).

Karen standing by Astoria Tower. Though it doesn't look that way the tower is much taller than Karen. In previous years Dennis and the boys climbed the 169 steps to the top of the tower. You can get a badge commemorating the feat.

This is the remains of a tanker that was shipwrecked at Warrenton Beach. When the boys first saw it there was much more of thhe ship. Perhaps by timee our grandchidren visit it may be completely washed away. A few miles inland was the Fort Steven's State Park by a lake which had places for RV's, tents, and Yurt camping. It would be a great family reunion site.

Dennis explored the tidepools at Ecola Beach just before Cannon Beach. It was too steep for Karen to get to. See the mass of starfish. The boys enjoyed enjoyed exploring the tidepools when we visited many years ago.

The boys may recognize this view of the Cannon Beach haystacks.

We went mountain camping at Lake Kachess in the Cascades. It was a lovely lake in the middle of an evergreen forest. We spent the time sitting on the beach, dipping our toes in the water, taking short hikes, and observing the wild life. We saw the usual wildlife (squirrels, birds, and deer that browsed in our campsite). But the high point was one evening when Karen saw this large bear, just behind our campsite.

When we woke up the next morning he was still there, so Dennis took another picture:

Lava Hot Springs

2010-07-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Oldpa, Aaron, Callan, and Connor played in the pools at Lava Hot Springs.

Oldma slept while they played.

After they dried off they played at the playground with other children.

They really enjoyed riding the car tire broncos.

Then the boys rode in the motor home with oldpa and oldma back to Logan.

We stopped at Wok Stop to bring home dinner.

Callan and Connor spent the night with us in the Crystal Inn. We were going to swim some more but the boys were too tired out so we rented out a movie, Planet 51, which tuckered out Connor really fast. Usually they get up in the morning but we had to get them them up at 8:30 to get them ready for Kaden's Baptism.

Kaden's Baptism

2010-07-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

Kaden was baptized 26 June 2010. I was so excited to be able to be there!

There were so many cousins to support him.

Kaden's family and Oldma took a picture together.

After the baptism I got to see Aaron's family at Aaron's home.

We went to Church with Donna Kunzler and her father.

We enjoyed a Sabbath meal with them. Donna is very weak from lack of iron but she is looking good

Heading home from Utah

2010-07-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Going home we decided to take the usual trip across Idaho, Oregon, Washington since my exhausted body slept at least 16 hours at a time. When we got to Baker we dedided to sto; and visit the Oregon Trail Interpretative Trail State Park. Dennis wanted to wrestle with a buffalo. I wanted to lead the wagon. It was a nice respite from the 80-90 degree weather outside.

Once we got to Washington, I wanted to go down the Gorge and then spend another night at a campground, but Dennis was so tired and I would have slept most of the way so I slept across Washington, instead. It was nice to be in our own bed.

Oldma and Oldpa enjoy spring

2010-04-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Spring came early to the Northwest. Flowers are blooming everywhere. Our yard is looking so pretty. So.....

We went to Skagit Valley to see Tulip Festival.

Two of the growers had demostration gardens. There were daffodills, tulips, hyacinths, primroses, and rhodies. This was a great year to see them all together! Aaron, we took the picture of the floating canoe garden just for you!

We saw some alpaca in a corral next to one of the tulip fields. Oldma had never seen them with their full winter coat. Even their faces were bushy!

2009-11-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Arthur visited Great Grandma Trask. One day we went out for lunch and then fed the ducks. Arthur enjoyed both lunches!

2009-11-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

Robinson, Bobbi, and Arthur came to visit. We went on a Pumpkin Walk at the Seattle Zoo...

and also went to the ward's Trunk-or-Treat.

Arthur enjoyed having a wild rumpus in front of the Chapel:

I wonder which jack-o-lantern he enjoyed most?

2009-11-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is almost a full year since we've blogged but then time flies when you are our age. We had an empty nester Halloween party the Monday before Halloween. Here are some of us:

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..."

Surprise--Dec 18th the snow came and came and came...
Dec 23 we had enough good snow we built

Oldpa and Oldma Snowpeople.

They lasted until Dec 28th.

By the Beautiful Seaside

2008-10-15T02:12:00.001-07:00

The two days we spent on Islay were the most beautiful of all. We could see a beach from the old parish church where my Currie's worshipped back in the mid 1800's. So we went out to enjoy. Of course I had to stay fairly covered to protect my skin from the sun. But I loved just watching the water come in. I couldn't go exploring with Dennis on the rocks as the feet neuropathy was unpredicable. I hadn't packed enough meds for it so I was on 1/3 dosage the entire trip.

The water was so clear. I wonder if my ancestors ever had the time to enjoy this great view?

Dennis found some great plant life on the cliffs (just for you, Aaron).

Picking up the algae brought back wonderful memories of tidepooling along the Washington coast. Some of the specimens I recognized from previous experiences. Others would need to be researched. No, I spared the passengers on our return flight. I left the samples on the beach. (Oh, if only Mom would have been so kind when we travelled in the van! :))

Wouldn't my first graders had loved these samples as we made our mural of the sea in April?

"Oh, those were the days, my friends, we thought they'd never end...." Yes, Alison, we sang a lot on this trip.

All roads lead to>>>>?

2008-10-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

Driving in UK was an adventure. We got a small car with just enough room in back to carry our camping gear and suitcases which had more genealogy materials and food than clothes. Dennis found it challenging to drive on the right side of the car and shift with his left hand. The gear shifts were the same as in US but the feel just wasn't the same and he often found himself not sure which gear he was trying to get in. We thought that the smallness of the car would make it easier to get around but we hadn't counted on the narrowness of the roads.

No, this is not a sign showing you where to take great pictures of the countryside. This is a warning that there is a hidden camera. If you are speeding you will get a ticket in the post. Speed on, tourist, speed on! Though we could never understand why we were always being passed till we realized that we were always under the speed limit. We didn't realize that the double signs (like 30 30) meant we were suppose to add the 2 numbers and go that speed. :)

These were curve signs. I got the biggest kick out of the fact that first we'd see 3 arrows, then 2 then 1 then you hit the curve. 3-2-1 you're there!

It seemed like every intersection was a roundabout. Tiny ones and big ones. Sometimes we'd go around the big ones a couple of times until we found the street we wanted. It took awhile before we realized that it was more important to know the numbering of the streets rather than the street names. The numbers always showed up on signs but not so their names. Dennis really preferred roundabouts by the end of our trip. There was less stop and go. It was just go, go, go.

There are M, A, and B roads with digits after them. The fewer the digits the wider the road. M's are the equivalent of our freeways. A's are usually our 2 way streets. B's scared us. Dennis was sure we would be returning a trashed car since many of the areas we visited were on B roads and we scraped along stone walls and high folliage.

The scenery was beautiful along this M.

Sometimes I think they thought that if you see a white line in the Lakes District you would think you were on a better road. Sometimes they even helped you along with that misconception by marking the road as an A or B2 (B with 2 digits) when we were sure it was really a B3. We had to hug our side to share this B2 road.

It was really fun driving behind this delivery truck. It had the right of way when it came to passing and since we were behind we got to go along, too.

The US could take some pointers from the UK about handling road construction. The US wastes money widening roads. It's much more economical to put up a sign warning you that the road narrows and be courteous enough to take your turn. Sometimes they add a light so that you know when it is your turn.

B3 roads are the narrowest of all. We decided the only reason for B4 roads is to assure you that the gravel or dirt path you are on is really considered a road.

Some B 3 roads warn you that the road is going to get very narrow. Do you see the pull over on the right? Who ever gets there first pulls in.

Too wide for you? Then let's narrow it even more. Our little car brushed the sides of the folliage you see ahead.

The difference between a B3 and B4 roads.

We realized that we were better off taking public transit and letting them do the driving for us in Edinburgh, especially, where parking is almost impossible to find.

Walk on the Wildside of the UK

2008-10-08T16:33:00.001-07:00

A sheep eating while kneeling. Some even walked on their knees.

Following a sheep along a road on the Isle of Islay.
A couple of wooley's on the hill.

Sheep dog bringing the sheep to the Beatrix Potter farm in the Lake's District of England.

You don't want to get near these unpredictable steer.

A stone creature in the Natural History section of the York Museum.

A bird in the water park in front of the Kew Garden Records Office.

While at York the Rotary Club was having their annual Dragon Boat fund raiser. Each team dressed up according to their chosen theme.

Go, Elvis, Go!

While enjoying a ghost walk in York, we came across a stag party. The Hens were not as crazily clad.

This is dedicated to our 4 campers

2008-10-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

We camped in Scotland and most nights it rained. My favorite camp was on the Isle of Islay. It was tent camping on grass with a nice community center with hot showers and a cafeteria. The view of the bay was gorgeous!

We didn't buy many meals during our 2 weeks but when we did we tried the local cuisine. I had soup and Dennis had Haggis. It was really quite tasty--like liverworst with chopped nuts.

In Edinburgh we saw the most variety of tents and caravans. Our US caravans would be considered gigantic. But their tents sometimes housed tables, chairs, cots, etc.

This is dedicated to the Botanist we love....

2008-10-08T15:51:00.001-07:00

These pictures are dedicated to you, Aaron:
On the Isle of Islay there are folks who still use peat to heat their homes and so it is still cut out of the ground though with modern equipment:

In the Lakes region of England (the area of Beatrix Potter fame) there were many homes and walls built from slate. Because of the wet environment, we saw beautiful samples of little plants:

If you can read this sign, thank a teacher

2008-10-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

We took a lot of pictures of signs--the way some people take a lot of pictures of castles and mansions.
Some signs represented the different ways Scotland/England warn of danger:
Falling off a cliff. Watch out for those gravestones. They may jump out at you!

What to do if you're in a traffic accident on a motorway:

Some represent the blending of 2 languages: English and Gaelic

Some represented memories: for the younger generation Judi Dench was M in the last few James Bond movies. She's one of our favorite Brit actresses. Watson was a street some ancestors lived on. The street is gone but there is a sign in the park marking the street's past location.

Some were just whimsical:

It was interesting that in the UK they didn't store there eggs in refrigerated areas.

An example of the US shopping influence in the UK.

I have often walked down your street before....

2008-10-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

The coal mines are gone for the most part in the Hamilton area. But people have artistic ways of remembering the days gone past.

The coal miners lived in tenements. For that matter, most working people lived in tenements. Though the tenements look old they are fairly new. When they tore down tenements they just rebuilt the new ones with indoor plumbing or whatever was the newest invention. Sometimes the low one story tenements were placed with multistory apartment buildings.

This is the street Grandpa Mount's family lived on before coming to the States. Grandpa would have gotten a big kick out of the pizza deli since he enjoyed Italian bread when he lived in Detroit.

Everyone loves a parade and a parade, and a ....

2008-10-08T14:23:00.001-07:00

On the 4th of July we were walking along the street where my Grandpa Mount was born and we heard bagpipes. There was a parade! Wasn't that nice of them to celebrate the 4th with us, Yanks! Come to find out it is a Glasgow area yearly event. Many of the folks didn't know the history of the parade but they all enjoyed it. Later we discovered it was the Protestant's version of the Catholic's St. Patrick's Day parade. In olden days they would march past the Catholic Churches. The funny thing is after seeing the parade on Grandpa's street, we saw a parade again in front of the public library in Hamilton. And then there was another parade the next day in the Holytown area where my Aitken families worshipped.

2008-10-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Scotland for the Grandkids:
Oldma's ancestors worked in coal mines in Scotland. Many of those mines became dangerous and were closed. One of the mines is now an amusement park like Lagoon. The Lagoon part was closed, but we couldn't resist playing at one of the picnic ground parks.

Happy 37th Anniversary, Dennis

2008-10-08T13:17:00.001-07:00

Dennis, I'm afraid you won't be able to see the message on the picture, so here it is again:

I don't want this moment

To pass without telling you

How much happiness

You bring me ...

I also want you to know

That I love you,

And I'm thankful for you

Every day of my life.

Happy Anniversary Darling

Hanging out on the wildside

2008-06-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

The sun was really up all the time so we could lots of walks as long as it wasn't raining. So we just "hung out" and enjoyed the wild life.

This tree is on their property. It is bound and determined to find the sun. Their property is beautiful. When we working in the yard the last day of our stay, we saw the prints of moose at the edge of the spot they hope to someday be a large garden plot.

During one of our walks we came across this jet! People seem to collect lots of stuff and keep it on their property. On our cruise the guide mentioned that having stuff in the yard was a sign of prosperity. During the cruise we saw different types of homes--small boats, train cars, buses, etc. Perhaps someday this will be turned into a home or a business.

We went to a bird sanctuary which used to be a large daity farm. The major resident population consisted of sandhill cranes. Thomas, we loved how well our camera zoomed in to get these shots!

Of course, my favorite wildlife site to "hang out" at was the TURTLE CLUB.

"We were cruising along..."

2008-06-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Monday, Dennis and I went on the boat cruise Dennis and the boys went on when we were in Alaska for the Kayak Trip. At the beginning of the trip we visited by camera a pilot in a float plane. He took off right past us, flew overhead, and then landed next to us. I thought about how much my grandchildren would have enjoyed seeing the plane. Then when we got to the point where the 2 rivers meet, we saw another plane land on a sandbar. Aaron, this is at the point where you saw the marriage of the rivers. In the last 3 years the water was lowered and the silt has settled that a large sandbar has diverted the river. They had to move the docking for the village experience and moved the fish trap, too.

The lady has died who owned this dog sled homestead, but her husband carries on the tradition along with their children. It was so much fun to see how excited the team got when they realized they were going out for a demo! They were so hot when they returned they ran straight for the river. Normally a fence keeps them in the area, but the water being so low gives them an escape route and a couple of the dogs head out in the direction we travelled. The one daughter got almost across where the 2 rivers meet before she headed back, unfortunately, without a dog. We assume he trailed back on his own.

Sharing information about influence of the European. Talking about the various furs and which were the most valued. Mink was the least valued.

The lady who manages the fish village and demonstrates beading also keeps the gardens. We took this picture to give Bobbi and Robbie some ideas about how to deal with their critters invading their gardens.

Dennis couldn't resist!

Ice Hotel

2008-06-04T14:46:00.001-07:00

"Let's get going."

Arthur enjoys riding in the car and usually falls asleep. Saturday we went to Chena Hot Springs and the Ice Hotel. You can stay the night in the hotel for $575 per person per night. Not very many people who try to spend the night make it through the night.

On our way to the hotsprings we saw this yearling moose.

The Ice Hotel is inside a refrigerated building kept at 30 degrees, I believe. They offer you coats if you come unprepared. Bobbi carried Arthur in the front pack with a coat over him to keep him toasty warm. The creators of the Hotel were there making martini ice glasses and refurbishing one of the bedrooms.

Venus at the entrance to the great hall.

In front of the joustlers without flash. Same picture with flash.

Enjoying the "fireplace" in the dining room next to the ice bar. How about some couple time in the igloo?

Chest, anyone?

Looking down the hall from the bedrooms. The pillars on the right lead up to the wedding chapel.

A bear bed.

The skins on the bed were wet and cold. BRRRRR.

The Alaskan Duffy's

2008-06-04T14:10:00.001-07:00

Oldma and Oldpa were excited to be in Alaska to meet our newest grandchild. It was fun to finally see Robinson and Bobbi in their home. Bobbi composts and even suggested giving Dennis worm castings for Father's Day. :) The weather was beautiful so we were able to explore and work in the yard.

Sometimes Arthur would get fussy because he was very tired. So Daddy would hold him like this and stick his thumb or a pacifier in Arthur's mouth and Arthur would quickly fall asleep.

Mommy and Daddy playing with Arthur, yes, on a Darth Vader blankie!

It was amazing to see how much Arthur changed just in the few days we were there. We even saw the beginning of some smiles towards the end of our stay.

2008-05-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

This has been a very busy couple of weeks. All arrangements are made for the Scotland trip. Yesterday I finished the research on Currie's, Mount's, and Aitken's families as modern as I could come. It was fascinating that one of the Aitken family lines connected to an Islay Stevenson Currie (Islay is the island where my Dad's family lived and where we will be visiting). He was born in 1963 so may still be alive somewhere in Scotland. I would love to find out through which Currie line he comes and would laugh hysterically if he came through our Currie's connecting Mom (Aitken) and Dad's (Currie) lines!

I didn't get to finish journaling our trip to Utah so thought I'd try to get it our before we leave for Alaska tonight.

Temple Square was so beautiful:

I Love To See The Temple:

These brought back memories of the "Way We Were":

Alice Corrigan gave us a model of this statue. In 1985 we went to the Nauvoo Historical site. It is one of our favorite places to visit. Dennis and I always hoped to serve one of our missions here.

What sweet sons!

Besides going to Temple Square, we also enjoyed the Primary Children's hands-on exhibit at the Church History Museum. The exhibit is based on this year's Primary theme: I am a child of God.

Making a mosaic window for the temple

Drawing a picture for the "I Can Follow Jesus" bulletinboard

Building a temple

!YES, IT WAS A WONDERFUL DAY!

Enjoying Logan Duffy's

2008-05-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

A TWO POINTER!

A LAY UP SHOT!

A THREE POINTER!

"If I do it from the grass, is it a four pointer?"

THE CHEER LEADERS--GO, TEAM, GO

What shall we do next?

LET'S GO TO THE PARK AND SEE THE BABY DUCKS!

WHAT A HAPPY TIME!!!

Square Dancing

2008-05-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Last month Dennis' school had a square dance with the 3rd and 4th graders. It brought back memories of Utah. Hee, Haw!

Spring in Auburn

2008-04-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

This past week was spring break for the schools. For the most part it still felt like winter most of the week. Saturday, though, it was in the 80's! The missionaries (or the Duffy's boys as the neighbors refer to them) took a couple of pictures of us posing under a street neighbor's blossoming tree which we call the Tree of Life.

This is a full shot of the tree. I always thought this would be a great tree to take wedding pictures at!

Just look at the love seat crooks in the tree.

Yes, it was tempting and Dennis and I were both sitting in the tree, but I was so unstable he got down before I knocked him down.

I colored my hair Thursday so I feel much better about being 60! Now my handsome honey won't have people thinking he is just being kind to his aging mother when we go on dates. Here comes the song: What a difference some color makes, lalalalalala.

Conference weekend

2008-04-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

We went to Ocean Shores for Conference weekend. In the past we were able to meet with the sweet branch for all the sessions. Inbetween sessions we would park on the beach, eat, and then walk along the shore discussing the various sessions. This year it rained and rained and rained. The only ones who enjoyed being out in the rain were these deer who browsed along the church property.

But we did enjoy the wonderful spirit of the conference. Looking forward to getting the May issue so we can reread all the talks we *'d while taking notes.

April Foolishness

2008-04-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a weird day. It started out all right for May 1. I went to read the Book of Mormon with a friend--we are reading it with the youth for their annual challenge of reading it in 2 months. Came home and started my house work. Randi came over and we cleaned a venetian blind and then since we are doing an exchange I showed her the genealogy I found for her. Then I realized that it wasn't May 1 but April 1 (I think Easter got me mixed up) and that I had missed my doctor's appointment in the morning and that certain April birthday cards hadn't been sent. I couldn't find my cell phone; I couldn't find my cancer journals; etc. We went to the YMCA for the first time since Feb 21 and I couldn't find my strength! But I did find these pics which reminded me of Robinson's trip to Chicago. Trying to get them scanned and put on the BLOG felt like another April Fool's Day, but here they are. So enjoy our foolishness in Washington DC! (embarrassed)

Look at me! The Lincoln Memorial is under my legs. OOOOH, am I tall! (smiley face)

Dennis is patting the top of the Congress Building. (smiley face)

Karen is supposed to have the umbrella protecting the congress building from the rain. But then what can you expect from a woman who has trouble keeping the umbrella over her own head. (smiley face)

Dennis is putting his elbow on Washington Monument! Be careful, honey, it might hurt! (sad face)

This is one of the best pics--hands got to the correct position! Karen touching the top of the Washington Monument. The light square around Karen's face is my attempt to lighten up the picture since I couldn't see my face. (embarrassed)

2008-03-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRISTINE,
Oldpa and Oldma missed not being able to be with you today.
Oldma worked on a project while she listened to Primary songs I sing with you as we rock and cuddle together.

Everyone in your family tree loves you very much, sweetheart. Oldpa and Oldma are so grateful for all that you are teaching us about how to become a worthy son and daughter of Christ. We are so appreciative of the opportunities to serve you. We look forward to seeing you soon.
LOVE,
OLDPA and OLDMA

Christmas 2007

2008-01-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

OK, family, here I try again. Aaron's family came to Washington for Christmas. For Dennis and I it was a nostalgic one for Dennis and I for we looked back on Christmases Past. We enjoyed young ones getting ready for Christmas, had a visit from Santa, enjoyed the glee of young ones opening presents, and tasted recipes from the various countries we visited over the years. Grandma Trask and Aunt Kathleen came for our Jesus dinner Christmas Eve and were there when Santa came. Dennis and I were keenly grateful to be together this Christmas since we realized that last Christmas was to be our last as far as the doctors were concerned.

Washington Fall

2007-11-24T21:57:00.000-08:00

There are many pretty leaves all around the park. Here's a pretty bunch now.

"That was a cool game!"

After enjoying our playtime in the leaves, we made a leaf family to display in our front room window.

Our Mums were really pretty this year. I put a planter in front of the scarecrow. You can't see it, but the "Attack Turtle" is peeking underneath the scarecrow.

This posting took a loooooooong time. First I couldn't get into my first Blog (but then I changed my email since I was in Utah in October, I think). Then, I had problems getting a new one set up. And lastly, It was very difficult getting the pictures on the page. They kept disappearing. Here's hoping this gets to the publish section. (Crossed fingers)