Home Again Home Again, Jiggety Jig

 Yep, I read a lot of nursery rhymes as a child.  You're welcome for the title.

So Brad and I had a little vacation this last week and we headed out for adventure.  Well, at least Brad did, I headed to Seattle to visit my parents.  I love Seattle and I love my parents so it was as good as adventure.  Oh, and I got to visit my brother and his cute family that just moved there and my sister and her cute family and Ashley's cute baby (I'd say little baby but he's BIG) Jack.  Ashley is my sister's daughter and just had to have surgery to remove her thyroid...thyroid cancer and all, bleh.  Missy is helping her.  The surgery went well and the prognosis for Ashley is good.

Like I said I headed to Seattle and visited my parents.  It was so relaxing and fun to see them.  Mom and I discussed our geneology and history.  History is so interesting!  I verified that I wasn't just making it up that my great grandma Nora (my Dad's mom's mom) died from an infection that she got from trying to give herself an abortion.  We spoke about my great Grandma on my mom's side (Mom's mom's mom) and how she wanted to marry the younger brother but ended up marrying the older brother instead which she was not happy about.  But the best story of all...well, my other great grandma (my mom's dad's mom) was put in a mental institution when she chased my great grandpa around with a butcher knife because he'd been fooling around on her...then when she was in the mental hospital she ended up pregnant with my Grandpa's younger brother, his name is George.  Wouldn't that make a fascinating story?  Probably all of their lives would make a fascinating story.  I should be an author.

While I am on history here's a little side note.  I've been transcribing my Grandma's journal and I came across this entry from my Grandma on my mom's side that just made me chuckle:

"Ramona & Rick’s family & Rick’s mother came to visit.  Enjoyed the kids very much.  Would hope that Rick’s mother doesn’t come again but if she does, will survive."

Funny thing about that is I remember that trip and I remember that my sister, Anjee, who loved Grandma Catherine (what am I saying we all loved Grandma Catherine) invited her along on the trip and even though my mom didn't think it would be great to have both grandmas together she still let Grandma Catherine come and my Grandma Catherine didn't want to pass up on the opportunity to go because we were visiting Disney World too and apparently, my other grandma didn't like that so much.  And if it ever happens again, which it didn't, she would survive.  Ha! 

Anyway, enjoy some lovely pictures I took of Washington (please know that it was smoky due to all the wildfires...I hated that):

Yes, blackberries are in season.  I love fresh blackberries.

While not the same type of wildlife as I see at home, you do see cool wildlife when you head to the beach like for example an elephant seal....

which you think is just driftwood until it registers that you just saw a sign to not approach the elephant seal and that you are not seeing driftwood but an actual elephant seal...which kind of looks like a giant slug which are prevalant wildlife in Washington too.

Oh, and some dolphins in the sea that you try to capture a picture of...and yes, it's the black speck in the water and yes, there were three originally but by the time I got my phone out and steadied myself (yes, by the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean water which undulates I get dizzy) there was only one that was surfacing.

Yes, it was that smoky :(  

One last pictures of my favorite walk to go on. 

And finally the grand finale....a picture of me with my parents.

Don't they look cute...and yes, I look like my dad.  And yes, I don't love that picture of me except that my parents are in it so I am posting it anyway.  But of course, after I saw it I had to make sure that I was still cute and took two pictures of myself.

Yes, I know that is vain but truth must be told.

Brad took the boys on a fishing adventure.

They passed through Brad's old summer stomping grounds to visit family.

Ben said he could understand so much more about Brad after stopping there.

They stayed with our friends John and Annie and spent time with their beautiful family.

John even did some dentistry for Brad while he was there.

Then they fished, kayaked and camped their guts out on the Boise river.  Jake caught his first fish ever which he was so proud of.

While they were on the road they got to visit Jordan and Kenzie on the way down and on the way back home.  Of course, I was jealous.

Jordan and Kenzie seem to be thriving despite the covid.  Yesterday, Kenzie had a chance to go camping with her friend, Anna and wrote this.  She said I could share it with whoever I wanted to I'm sharing it here.  I think it is lovely.

We wandered into the woods

Not following any real trail

But the call in our hearts 

to find a place resembling

Home.

Somewhere we can see the mountains clearly, 

and the sky is rimmed 

by the tips of pines 

and yellowing aspens.

We talk about nothing in particular, 

pouring our souls out

into the quiet of the woods,

The first time we've heard nothing

but creaking aspens

And rustling leaves 

Since leaving home.

Our words drift away

with the light of the setting sun.

The first stars shine

through the top of our tent.

As the cold creeps in slowly,

the soft touch of a shiver

is not unpleasant.

We wrap ourselves in our blankets,

only our heads showing

the laughter of a lifetime of friendship

can keep our cheeks warm.

The gentle tune

of your beat up ukelele 

and tired voice

float up to meet the clouds

lit only by starlight.

My headache starts to fade

for the first time in a month.

The mountains are unfamiliar

and the trees are just slightly different

but the sounds

and the stars

are the same.

We aren't quite home,

but we have each other

and the feeling of being 

immersed in the wildness

of the mountain's forest.

So no, we aren't home 

but we found peace

and a space big enough

to hold 

Memories.

So we're close.

While adventures are fun, it sure it nice to be home.