7-22, Anacortes

After leaving Seattle, Sven and I drove the long way around, via Anacortes, to get to Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island.  These photos encompass a few different visits back to Anacortes over the next few days.  The highlight of this part of the trip was getting to see our friends the Hansens.  Sven has visited them a few times during his business trips, but I hadn't seen them since we'd both lived in the DC area.  It was surreal to be sitting with them in their home in Anacortes, laughing like a day hadn't passed since we'd been together, and remembering the last time we had been was when we spent a day touring museums in DC.  Navy lives and friendships somehow have a way of coming full circle.  I am so happy for them and the life they have recreated in Anacortes.  A big part of me would love to move up that way and set up roots in a small town like this.  Small like the town I grew up in Montana, but transplanted near the sea.  I feel so strongly about this, I actually spent one of my days with a realtor touring the Anacortes area and looking at homes.  I'm so glad I had the opportunity to do this (again, without the kids!) in conjunction with Sven attending a conference in Oak Harbor.  We do not know what the next year will bring as Sven transitions from the military to a civilian employment, but I do feel more comfortable about what our options might be if moving is on our radar.   It truly is so beautiful and charming there.

Sven and I joked that we'd buy this RO/RO (Roll On, Roll Off) and lash our trailer to it and  make it our houseboat.   Problem solved!  Might be a tight squeeze accommodating mom and dad's motorhome for visits and calculating the CG (Center of Gravity).  LOL......

7-21, Seattle

We continue our journey.  So far, we've spent time at Flathead and Hamilton.  Our next stop was a night in Coeur d'Alene with Kelly enroute to Seattle.  Thad was away working and we had a nice heart to heart with Kelly.  What did that heart to heart reveal?  She wanted kids for a few days and we wanted a few days without kids!!   Isn't it amazing how life works out sometimes?  You know I am not known for my spontaneity.... but this change in plans was actually much easier than I anticipated.  Sure, at face value, leaving the kids for a few days while Sven and I go to Seattle sounds like a dream, doesn't it?  But in reality, understand that we'd never left Emalie for a single night in three years.  We were not at all worried about Nik-- a few days without mom and dad nagging, life on the river swimming and fishing all day-- oh, yeah he would be just fine.  But little Emalie?  The longest time I'd been away from her was for 12 hours when I went to the Sandy Puc photography seminar in Denver.  How could we leave our little girl behind?!  How?  Well, hop in the car and go.  LOL....Really, and that is just what we did.  Are you shocked?  I know, we were, too.  We can't believe we actually did it! And I won't leave you hanging in suspense to find out the outcome.....  she did AWESOME!  I think she had the best time being Kelly's little helper (somebody needs to help eat all the cookies they made together).  To this day, she is still telling stories of what they did at Thad and Kelly's and how we need to go back and do that again.  It was a growing experience for all of us and a memory I will truly cherish forever.  Sven and I got some much needed time together without the kids, the kids got some much needed time with family without the parents, and childhood memories were created that filled up their heart tanks.  I don't know what prompted Kelly to come up with that idea (well, actually, I do, but what possessed her to actually speak her thoughts was the crazy part.....LOL......)  but we will forever be grateful for the experience, not only for us but for the kids.  So, here we go, sans kids, to Seattle......

We treated ourselves to a night downtown.  We met up with Sven's mom for the first evening.  We were so glad the kids weren't with us when we embarked on a six-mile walking tour of the city the next day (we were our own tour guides).  It was so nice to walk in whatever direction we pleased, down memory lane or new streets, and have no little complaining voices around every corner.  Yes, the kids would have hated our day in Seattle.  Sven and I loved it.  We even went on the Underground Tour in Seattle.  All those years we'd lived in the Seattle area, and this was the first time we'd ever taken a tour like that.  It was quite interesting!  Every time we go back to Seattle and the surrounding areas, the pull is magnetic for me.  It sure makes it hard for me to leave, but it sure made me happy while we were there!

Sven and his mom

Watching the cheese being made.

Oh, yummy.......

A little Montana in Washington.

Oh, but the traffic......

This was the building I worked in when I worked downtown.

Two Union Square.... boy was that a terrible commute from Whidbey.

Views from the Columbia Center

(the 2nd tallest structure on the west coast and the tallest building in Seattle)

My company leased the 52nd floor of the white building with the flag  on it.  I remember looking down at the Blue Angels as they flew over Lake Union during Sea Fair.  Awesome, awesome views.

Qwest Field

The Underground Tour.

The skylights in the Underground City-- built into the sidewalks above.

The new sea wall being built in the harbor.

The market stairs.

For more images from our stay in Seattle, visit my other blog:

Finding Focus: 7-21, Seattle

7-18, More from Grandma's

Well, a person can only be so organized....  This post was intended to be the portraits of Kyla and her family until I found some more pics from our afternoon at Grandma's that I forgot to include in the last post.  A post with even more family photos is better, right?  

Nik and Emalie passing some time waiting for Kyla's family to arrive.

Keyera is a crack up!  Look at that little monkey!

Of all the generations of kids playing in that ditch, I don't remember anyone ever finding a frog!  Leave it to Nik!

You're never too old to play in the ditch at Grandma's house!

Kyla and Keyera

Kyla and Dave

Kyla, Dave and Keyera

What a smile!

Beautiful eyes.

She's even adorable lost in a trance!

And one of my favorites-- Grandma and the girls (disregard Em's hand in the Veggie Straw bag though!).

7-18, Skalkaho Schoolhouse

I'm taking the lazy way out today...... post and paste!

Finding Focus: 7-18, Skalkaho Schoolhouse

7-18, Hamilton

Every time I hear the Tim McGraw song "Where the Green Grass Grows" I think of my hometown.  It's ironic (or is it?) that when I hear that song I also envision a future home and life where that song is also applicable.  Currently, my corn is not 'popping up in rows' nor do I have my 'rocking chairs pointed to the west', but there is comfort in hoping that I will one day have these things that remind me so much of my wonderful childhood home.  When I tell people I am from Montana, the response is always this:  "Oh, it's beautiful there."  I couldn't agree more.  I haven't yet found a place that compares to Big Sky Country-- even John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" can't compare to the Bitterroot.  Whether for a day or a week, I'm always happy to return home and join the pace of life where it's ok to spend an afternoon on the porch reminiscing with family.  

Bitterroot Valley, Montana

Corn in rows and laundry hanging from the line.  Nothing more could feel like home.

We were missing a cousin, but these four enjoyed catching up with each other.

Family is family, no matter how many legs they have!

My aunt Vickie and me.  Boy, do I love this lady.  She keeps 'home' a tangible place for me.  Thank you, Vickie!

How fun it was to spend a few days staying with my grandma.  She'll kill me if she ever sees I posted this photo of her, but I'll take my chances.  What is more precious than a great-grandma comforting a tired great-grandgirl?!

The kiddos all tucked in and ready for bed.

I have a great series of photos from the afternoon we spent with my cousin and her family at our grandma's house.  Unfortunately, I can't post most of them because Miss Keyera insisted on being naked for most of them.  LOL......

Kyla, Tee and I got a kick out of thinking about how many generations of grandkids and great-grandkids have played in the ditch in front of grandma's house.  It's even funnier to think about how big that ditch used to be when you were little and playing in it.  How is it that age changes one's perspective so much?!

A different night and a different wiped out great-grandkid.  They'll squeeze into that chair with her no matter how big they are!

A bedtime story for Emalie.

And, alas, no vacation photos from grandma's house are complete without one of everyone playing a game of cards-- grandma's favorite past time.

7-11, Flathead Lake (part 2)

As most of you can tell, I see life through two sets of eyes:  personal and photographic.  Below is the link to my Finding Focus blog post and the landscape images from our week at Flathead:

Finding Focus: "7-11, Flathead Lake"

7-11, Vacation: Flathead Chapter

Ok.  Let the flood of blog posts commence.  We have been back from vacation for well over a month now, but with catching up on life, spending the last few days of summer with the kids (and not on the computer), and the commencement of school, it has taken  me a long time to process, organize and edit the photos from our vacation.  On the plus side, all of the photos are ready to be blogged, both on this blog and my photography blog, but on the downside, what do you say after so much time has already passed?!  Please excuse the factual posts which will follow, but you know how hard it is to relive the moment of things once those chapters have been closed.  But, I didn't want to not post and not share our wonderful memories and photos from the trip.  So, let part one begin!  And where do 99% of all of our summer  vacations begin?  You got it-- visiting my parents at Flathead Lake in Montana.  My birthday, my mom's birthday and my mom's mom's birthday (now that's quite a sentence....) all fall within a few weeks of each other.  I love going home during the summer to celebrate all of us, no matter which birthday the visit falls on.  This year, it was planned for my mom's birthday.  We loved celebrating her special day with both my parents, my little family and my brother.  

Driving through Wyoming on our way to Montana.

Emalie happily watching Grandma open her birthday gift.   

What's that I see?  Is dad smiling?!  Oh, right, he's about to eat chocolate brownies.  That explains it.  Hahahaha......

Emalie loves, loves, loves her Uncle Thad.

Now how often do you see a teenage boy hug his Grandma like that?

Anchors Aweigh...... 

Life on the open seas.... I mean, Flathead Lake.

Look at Mom rock that hat!

Grandpa never gets to fish when grandkids are in the boat!

Uncle Thad gave Emalie some awesome private fishing lessons.

This ingenious idea came from the youngest crew member.....who had no idea how 'refreshing' a swim in Flathead Lake is.  LOL.....

And like a bunch a penguins they all jumped in......

My dad and his brother Dennis.

Anybody out there reading this remember Zvonko's brother?  I will never again look at a picture of someone at the helm and not hear the words (with a Yugoslavian accent) saying, "Who's driving the boat?"

Dennis, Lynn, and Burt taking Nik out for an evening fishing trip.

And, Nik hardly ever comes back empty handed when he goes fishing!

Nor does he come home alone-- he makes friends everywhere he goes.

Ooo-la-la.... isn't mom and dad's new motorhome amazing?

Alright, stay tuned for the next stop on the Krauss Haus vacation!