May 2017 Update

This was an exciting month, so it will have a lot of pictures!

 

I have officially applied to be a member of the Chorus of the Genesee, our local barbershop chorus here that I mentioned in last month’s update.  I am excited to be singing regularly again, especially doing barbershop, which I love.  I had my vocal evaluation with them and am a confirmed baritone.  My last step before being granted full membership is to learn and sing my baritone part of “Wait Till the Sun Shines Nellie” in a quartet.  I’m working on that now.  They are doing a show this weekend which I hope to attend, although I am unable to sing in it since I’m too new.

 

From April 20 – 23, Hannah and Kevin and their kids went to Texas to attend a friend’s wedding, and they took Levi with them for extra help with the kids.  They all had a really good time seeing friends from when they lived there a few years ago, and it was a great experience for Levi too.

 

From May 5 – 7, Krista, Abigail, Zach, Jem, Levi, and I went to Philadelphia for Cai’s graduation from Cairn University.  Ella also came with her daughters.  He received his bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies, and we were very impressed when they announced he was the valedictorian with a perfect 4.0!  Carissa and her husband, Matt, and Caitlin were also able to attend the graduation, so Cai had a good cheering section.  After the ceremony we all went out to lunch at Red Lobster, along with Cai’s girlfriend, Amy, and her parents, to have a graduation celebration.  Rather poetic turn of phrase there, isn’t it?

 

Cai entering the graduation ceremony

Cai (the one in the cap and gown) singing in the Chorale

If you zoom in this shot and peek between people, you might be able to see Amy (Cai's girlfriend) on the piano

Cai and Amy singing with the Chorale

Getting his diploma

Ivy, Ella, Caitlin, Amy, Cai, Hazel, Greg, Jemmie, Zach, Krista, Levi, Abigail, Matt, Carissa (and baby!)

The cute couple at Red Lobster

Of course, May 5 is also Cai’s birthday, so it was an eventful weekend for him!  And it just continued for him, because after a day to recover, he went with his college Chorale to Hong Kong!  He said it was very beautiful, and they all truly enjoyed singing and touring there.

 

Levi has started playing baseball this spring, and his team is doing well.  He wasn’t planning on pitching this year but got called into it one game when the team was short of pitchers.  He did a decent job, he said, although he threw a wild pitch at the end of a close game.  But he thought quickly and covered home while the catcher chased the ball and was able to make the last out to save his team’s win.

 

From May 10 – 17, Hannah and Kevin and their kids, who apparently can’t get enough of traveling, went with me to Seattle (and the surrounding areas) to visit my family there.  We were so thrilled to be able to see many of you that get this monthly update and make real connections to my roots.  We had an uneventful flight there, although it was long.  We flew from Rochester to New York City, then a long non-stop flight from NYC to Seattle.

Fancy looking plane from Rochester to NYC

Play area in NYC airport

 

And now a word from our sponsor:  I am a big fan of JetBlue airlines.  The seats, even in plain old coach, are roomy, the aisles are roomy, they give free drinks and snacks, free TV and movies, and it just makes for a very pleasant flying experience.  I recommend them highly!  OK, they really aren’t a sponsor of this monthly email, but if they want to send me some money or miles for plugging them, I won’t say no!

 

My grandkids, Alma (19 months) and Alex (4 months), did a great job on the flight there, putting up with having to sit still for 5-6 hours, and I was very proud of them.  There was a little screaming and crying, but once Hannah and Kevin quieted down, it went well.  We even got to see the glorious Cascade Mountains, especially Mt. Rainier, on our way in.  That was nice because the rest of the week was pretty typical Seattle weather:  cloudy, rainy, 50s – 60s, so if we hadn’t seen them from the plane, I wasn’t sure Hannah and Kevin would believe they were really there.

 

Kevin entertaining Alma with bags of suprises

She liked it!

Cascade Mountains

Mt. Rainier

Can you tell I like this mountain? :-)

We made sure to enjoy the restaurants the Seattle area has that we don’t, like Panda Express, Taco Time, Chick-Fil-A, and Ivar’s Salmon House and Fish Bar.  We loved every one of them, some more than once.

 

Panda Express

Salmon House

They woke up in time to eat

Salmon House view

Russian boat by Salmon House

The Chick-Fil-A was within walking distance of the hotel!

I don’t drink coffee, but Hannah and Kevin are big Starbucks fans, so we made sure to visit the Starbucks Reserve Roastery.  Even I, a coffee tee-totaler, enjoyed looking around at the different beans and roasting process.  The same day we did that, Thursday May 11, we visited Pike Place Market, the waterfront, and rode a ferry.

 

Starbucks Reserve Roastery

Beans from Papua New Guinea (where my son-in-law, Matt, grew up, and where my brother-in-law, Jonathan and family serve as missionaries)

At the ferry terminal



On the ferry

That night, we went to my niece, Nicole’s, house for dinner (she is my brother, Gary’s, daughter).  We had delicious pasta and “meat” balls (some made from lentils and some from turkey) and salad, and we had a great time getting to know her and her family better.  Gary came over after dinner, and we made the interesting discovery that he and I have exactly the same sneakers, right down to the color and style.  I guess brothers do think alike in some ways.

 

Kevin, Hannah and Alex, Alma, Santi (Nicole's oldest son), Gary, Nicole and Luke (her youngest son)

New Seahawks fan (she stole my hat)!

Friday May 12 started with breakfast with my brother, David, and his wife, Wendy.  We met them at the Family Pancake House in Edmonds.  The food was really good, and it was so nice to get to talk with them over breakfast.  My only regrets were that I forgot to take any pictures, and that we couldn’t get any more time with them.

 

Our next big adventure was driving across the mountains that afternoon to visit my brother, Ken, and his wife, Carrie.  Again, Alma and Alex did incredibly well with a very long drive (about 6 hours), and even Kevin and Hannah screamed less.  The scenery crossing the mountains was beyond beautiful with rushing rivers, snowcapped mountains, and picturesque villages like Leavenworth.  We stopped there at the Heidelburger Drive-in at Gary’s recommendation, and he was spot on.  The burgers and shakes were delicious!

 

Skykomish River

Heidelburger Drive-in

Stretching our legs by climbing mountains

She coped on long trips by watching Paw Patrol :-)

Columbia River

We met Ken and Carrie at what he calls their slum apartment and got the full tour of it.  That covered the first 10 seconds.  Truly, it is one room that doubles as a bedroom and living room, plus a skinny kitchen and a skinny bathroom, but it meets their needs during the work week.  I can understand why they are always more than ready to head up to their cabin on the weekends and in the summer to move around a bit more!

 

Their cabin is a beautiful log home with gorgeous views of the lake and the valley.  Carrie fed us scrumptious lasagna, and then we were ready to settle down for the night.  I stayed in an upstairs loft, and Hannah and Kevin and their kids stayed in an apartment above the garage.  On Saturday morning, after a wonderful breakfast casserole, Ken waded out to retrieve their dock which had floated away from its moorings because the lake is about 3-4 feet higher than normal.  The water was so cold that his legs were red when he got out!  But they were able to retrieve a canoe from their dock, and I got a chance to canoe around the lake for a while before we had to leave for the long drive back to Seattle.

 

My loft room. I call it mine, but it's OK if others use it

View from loft out back window to Curlew Lake

Looking down from loft

More loft

Kitchen, dining room, and lovely hostess

Master bedroom

View of valley from master bedroom

Den/study

View from canoe showing top peak of their cabin (it is mostly hidden by the hill) and the path down the hill from their cabin to the lake

Canoe selfie

Ken putting their dock back where it belongs

If you look closely, you can see the ramp is underwater at this end

Greg, Carrie, Ken

Seriously!?!? Another long road trip!?!? I guess I might as well get comfortable

On Sunday morning we went to church with Gary and Pam.  They had a choir and orchestra from California Baptist University there, and we were surprised to discover that Krista’s great-niece, Bethany, was a member of the choir.  Hannah first recognized her fiancé from Facebook pictures, and then saw her.  The group was amazingly good and really brought praise to God with their music!

 

Bethany and Greg

On Sunday afternoon, we crashed Gary and Pam’s family Mothers’ Day party at their house.  I am so thankful to God that this worked out, and that their family let us invade.  It made it possible for me to see all of my nieces and nephews and their families in Gary’s family, and Pam’s sister, Diane, and her husband, Steve, and Pam’s mom, Betty.  They all provided parts of the meal, and we freeloaded on them.  Everything was so good!  You’ll notice I keep mentioning food from the Seattle trip.  That explains why my clothes all feel a little tight now.

 

Gary's son, Ryan, and Pam's mom, Betty

Gary's son, Jacob, Gary, Pam, Gary's son-in-law, Steve

Hannah, Alma, Kevin, and Eduardo (Nicole's husband) and Santi in foreground

Diane, Kristy, and Diane's husband Steve (Pam in background)

Pam, Kristy, Steve, Jacob, Betty, Kristy's son, William with his back to us, and Alma

Alma, Jacob, Betty, Hannah

Ryan, Nicole, Eduardo, Diane, Steve

Little ones:  William, Luke, Santi, Alma

William, Alex, Alma, Luke, Santi

On Monday morning, we took a trip up to Warm Beach Campgrounds where I went every summer as a child.  On the way, we stopped in Everett and saw my Aunt Bev (my father’s sister) and Uncle Loren.  She is the matriarch of the Matthews clan now that my Dad has gone on to heaven, and we enjoyed visiting with them, talking about the Erie Canal (Uncle Loren is a big fan of it) and family memories.  Aunt Bev gave me a needlepoint picture my Mom had stitched for her several years ago.

 

Uncle Loren, Greg, Aunt Bev

When we got to the campgrounds, we looked around at the places I remembered.  We made sure to stop at the Taylor Volunteer Center, which is the refurbished cottage my Grandpa, Herbert Taylor, built there.  Hannah and I posed in front of the fireplace he built and the mantle he carved for it with an old Gaelic blessing “Lang May Your Lum Reek” which means “Long May Your Chimney Smoke.”  Then we went over to the senior community to visit my Aunt Grace (another of my father’s sisters) and Uncle Erle.  Again, we had wonderful fellowship with them, remembering old times and catching up on each other’s families.

 

If you zoom this, you can read the history of the cottage.  My mom wrote this history up for the campgrounds

Warm Beach mudflats selfie

Cedar Lodge (can you see Hannah?)

Uncle Erle, Greg, Aunt Grace

She loved holding Alex!

Monday night, we went to the Mariners game.  Kevin went shopping first so we could be properly attired, and we all looked like the ultimate fans, even Alma and Alex.  I had picked great seats in the front row of the upper deck, not realizing how scary they would be with having to watch little ones there.  But Hannah and Kevin talked someone into letting us move to the lower level after a while since the stadium was not full.  The kids were tired of the game after about 6 innings, so we listened to it on the radio as we drove home, and then watched the last inning at the hotel to see the Mariners get the victory.

 

Alma all decked out

Cutest Mariners fan ever

Playing at Chick-Fil-A before the game

Our scary seats (notice the tight hold Hannah has on Alma)

All the cool kids wear their hats backwards (Ken Griffey Jr, for example)

These seats were safer

Might as well get comfortable (she likes taking off her shoes)

We went to the Children’s Museum at the Seattle Center on Tuesday morning and had fun watching Alma play with all there is there.  She especially loved watching the fish and sliding down all the slides, including some that looked like giant fish and glaciers!  There’s also a little grocery store there where she could pretend to shop.  She wanted to empty all the shelves, like she was shopping for a coming catastrophe.  I wonder if she knows something we don’t.

 

How am I supposed to work in this?

What? No snacks?

How do I get down from here?

We tried to make the kids really tired that night by playing at the pool back at the hotel, so they would sleep good the next day on the long plane ride home.  It only partially worked, but again, considering all we put them through, they really did very well.  Our flight from Seattle to NYC was delayed because of weather and construction in NYC limiting how many runways were available.  We had to take a southerly route to get around bad weather in the northern U.S., so the flight was a little longer than normal too.  It was cloudy when we finally did leave Seattle, but once we got above the clouds, Mt. Rainier came out to say goodbye.  That was nice of him.

 

Cool at the pool

Bye Mt. Rainier!

This shows how far south we went

We had to run through the NYC airport to get to our connecting flight back to Rochester.  We were supposed to get in just after midnight, but it was closer to 2AM when we arrived.  Kevin went out to get the car he had left parked there and discovered it had a flat tire.  So we had to stay up about 45 minutes more waiting for assistance before we finally got home and to bed around 3AM.  Smart Kevin took Thursday (yesterday) off work, but I had to drag myself out of bed.  At least I had arranged to work from home, so I could get up a bit later.  I think my body is close to getting back to New York time now.

 

Praise God for His goodness to us on this trip with no major mishaps and lots and lots of wonderful memories.  That’s all until June!