13-20 October 3013 South Prairie

October 13-14 Went to Olympia to take care of some business, then returned to our rig in South Prairie.

October 15  Went to Shelton today to pick up mail at our mailing address. We've had this same service for about twelve years, even when we lived in Shelton. Mail was sometimes stolen from rural mailboxes in Shelton and we were traveling often, so changing our mailing address was a good idea for us. We call them whenever we want our mail forwarded to us, and they hold it until we call. We are also able to receive non-postal service deliveries at our mailing address. Works for us.

Carlos has a special relationship with the manager Carole--he always knows when we drive into their parking lot, and runs in for treats and loves whenever we are there, excited even if it's been a year.

Kelly had a hankering for a good steak, so we went out to the Black Angus in Puyallup. Always good.

October 16  Wednesday. Drove to Poulsbo to visit our dear friend Patty who just moved there from Spokane. We met Patty in Shelton when we traveled with a senior group to New Orleans in 1999. At the time she lived in Olalla, Washington. In 2007 she moved to a senior apartment community in Spokane Valley, where we visited her a few times. Her birthday is one day after mine (she's 86!) and in 2011 and 2012 we went to the Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane for lunch and birthday dessert.

Earlier this year Patty's grandson in Poulsbo invited her to come live with him and his family, and he built a detached apartment on his property for her--it is lovely, airy and snug, and with excellent carpentry and workmanship. She is just delighted and the place just suits her. We took her out to lunch in Poulsbo, had a little wine--she flirted with the young waiter. We are so happy for her. 

 

                                                           

Patty's dolls and frogs all have names

A good description of Patty is Lovingly Eccentric

Antiquing in downtown Poulsbo

Later in the afternoon we took some KFC over for dinner with Katrina, husband Jeff and our grandchildren Chandler, Taylor, and Makenna. After dinner we all went to Chandler's music concert. He's a junior and the head drummer in the band and orchestra--quite the confident man in charge! He has blossomed this year, and is a great student and musician.

October 17  Today we visited our friends Rod and Annette in Tacoma. I worked with Rod for many years in Tacoma at the US Geological Survey, Water Resources Division. We played bridge with Rod and Annette and other USGS people until we left Tacoma in 1990, and we have substituted for bridge evenings occasionally since then. It was Rod's cousin in Newfoundland that we visited, so we had lots to discuss and catch up with.

We looked over Rod's family tree, finding the Newfoundland branch

Later that afternoon we drove up to Auburn to see granddaughter Taylor's soccer game. Taylor is a sophomore this year, a good student, an athlete, and a beautiful young girl. Soccer is her love.

October 18  Friday. I dropped Patrice off at the Birthday Club lunch in Fircrest. The Birthday Club started over forty years ago, with Tacoma USGS wives getting together to celebrate birthdays in the month, typically on the second Friday of the month. Being October, they celebrated Jessie and Marci's birthdays. Six ladies attended, while Tom (Lorene was at the Birthday Club) and I had lunch at a Thai restaurant nearby.

That afternoon we drove south on I-5 to the Great Wolf Lodge near Chehalis to attend grandson Jason James's third birthday pizza party. The Great Wolf Lodge is a nice hotel with a water park and kids amusement area. Jason and Allison reserved a room overnight at the lodge, large enough for a pizza party. Daddy and Mommy, grandpas and grandmas, aunts and cousins brought toy firetrucks and helicopters, clothes and goodies for the birthday boy. We were tickled to meet Jason James's little girl cousin Astoria--she'll be three sometime in Noember. The kids (and parents) had been in the water park and as we were leaving, they were going to attend a Halloween show after the party. There would be more time for the water park in the morning.

Jason James' birthday cake 

 Proud daddy Jason with cake all gone

Jason

October 19  Saturday. Our granddaughter, Makenna, had a scoccer game this morning and we were able to attend. Makennais a sixth grader, a great student, and another beautiful granddaughter.

Makenna wears number 1

Older sister Tayor cheering for Makenna

After the game we went to Kelly's to visit grandson Matthew. He graduated from Central Washington University at Ellensburg in June and now has a job with Google in Bothell. Had a great visit with him and Kelly went to dinner with them at the (smaller quieter) Ram in South Hill Puyallup.

October 20  Sunday. Today we moved our rig to the RV Warehouse in McMinnville, Oregon. We have been pleased with the annual maintenance checks that they do every year for us. We have a couple things extra that need to be done and expect that it will take a couple days to complete the job, so we found a motel nearby.