Another Summer In The Northwest

August is here and the Northwest has had some beautiful weather with only a few days of clouds and showers!!! Nothing like the northwest in the summer time!

Since Noreen couldn’t take vacation in July, she decided to take it the first week of August. Instead of taking the boat to the South Sound as they had planned for July, she and Ron decided to go to Ocean Shores. They invited us to join them but before we could make reservations in the same hotel I had to wait for instructions for my colonoscopy that was scheduled for the August 6th. Because the paperwork hadn’t arrived by the time Ron and Noreen made their reservations, when we went called the same hotel to reserve a room they told us they were full. So we booked a room with a hotel down the street. Ron and Noreen got a mini suite with living room, kitchen and bedroom which worked out well as we planned to cook our meals. We couldn’t get a room with a kitchen in the hotel we booked with so meals would be cooked at Ron and Noreen’s place. We all left on Sunday the 3rd with Ron and Noreen, for Ocean Shores. Dave and I had to come back on the 5th , a day earlier than Ron and Noreen, due to my colonoscopy appointment on the 6th, we took our jeep and they drove their car.

The weather was warm and beautiful when we left Bremerton and up until we were in Ocean Shores did we witness fog rolling in. Ron and Noreen drove to their hotel and we went to ours and after checking in and getting our stuff to the room went down to see Ron and Noreen. From their room you looked out toward the beach but could only see a small part of it due to the fog rolling in. It was misting which felt good!!! It had been hot in Bremerton so the cool down was nice.

The next morning we went to Ron and Noreen’s room and had breakfast, and then we went to some stores. We went to Galway’s Irish Restaurant and Pub and had good beer and onion rings and sat in their relaxing fireplace area in comfy big chairs watching an old movie. It was fun. Then we went back to Ron and Noreen’s room and sat around for a while. We woke to fog and even though it lifted enough to see part of the beach, it socked right back in late in the afternoon and was like that until we left.

Dave and I had to leave on Tuesday the 5th and it was very foggy you couldn’t see anything and very wet. Ron and Noreen get to play another day. Once we got back to the boat I had to fix my solution for drinking that night. Oh yay!!!! So you know where I spent my night!!!!

The morning of the 6th I had to drink the rest of the solution and then not eat or drink anything after 10:00am until after my appointment at 2:15pm. I got checked in and then had to wait as they were really busy. I finally got in and had the procedure and was cleared to go home. There were no polyps this time!!!!!! Yahoo!!!! I don’t have to do this again for another 5 years or so. That is wonderful!!!! Ron and Noreen were home by the time I returned from the doctor’s office I was still tired from the anesthesia I laid down and slept for a while. I felt so much better and my head was clearer when I got up.

Ernie, my eldest son, and his soon to be wife, Brooke, were taking care of getting things organized and ready for their wedding on the 16th. It was a really busy time for them as they just moved into their new home and trying to get things coordinated for the big day!! We traveled north to Anacortes on Tuesday the 12th to stay with our friends Bre and Brent for a couple days.
Dave and I visited Brent’s new shooting range and store. The last time we were there he was still working out of a storage unit. He made bullets (that is how it all started) then he bought some land and made a shooting range where the police could come and practice and it was also open to the public. Adjacent to the shooting range is store with all kinds of related items for sale. He has made a nice business for himself.

The wedding rehearsal was the evening of the 14th with a dinner at Ernie and Brooke’s new house. We attended the rehearsal and the dinner and Brooke and Ernie handed out gifts and said their thanks to all who were in the wedding.

We left there and went back to Brent and Bre’s place to stay for a couple more days. Since the wedding was scheduled to be at 5:30pm, the 16th, at a Country Club in Arlington, we were invited to come back to Brent and Bre’s after the reception. That was nice because we were thinking of driving all the way home to Bremerton from there and it would have been really late by the time we got home.

So Ernie and Brooke had a beautiful wedding, the weather was fantastic since the ceremony was outside, and they planned a fun time for all. There was a kids table with crayons, color books, paper, legos, etc., so there weren’t kids running all over the place. There was a photo booth to have silly pictures taken, and a really good DJ with wonderful song choices. It was a fun time.

We left around 8:30pm and got back to Brent and Bre’s around 9:30-10:00pm. Bre had gone to bed but Brent was still up. So we visited with him for a while and then we all went to bed.

Next morning Bre had a bon fire going as there was a chill in the air so we sat and enjoyed that then had breakfast then Dave and I had to say goodbye. I’m really glad we got a chance to visit with them and we even got to see J.J. their daughter who was home from college.

So we were back on the boat the 17th and 18th, then on the 19th we were headed back up north to Marysville to watch the grandsons, E.J., Eian, and Brody while Ernie and Brooke went on their honeymoon to the Dominican Republic for 10 days. We were looking forward to spending some quality time with the boys. When we arrived at the house, Brooke and Ernie had been grocery shopping and putting away the food and giving us the lowdown on what was going on with the boys for the time we were going to be there. Once all the important stuff was taken care of, they left for the airport and we were alone with a 5 year old, 17 year old, and a 15 year old. Brody was with us a couple days so we built a fort in the living room

and he rode his bike around the neighborhood while I walked, played kick ball in the community field behind their house, and watched him play the game Plants vs Zombies on the X-box. He also got to come with the boys while they went to their High School to get pictures taken for their ASB cards. Brody lost a front tooth so it was exciting for him. He spent that night with his other grandma, so the tooth fairy visited him there. Wow!!!! Can you believe the tooth fairy left him $5.00!!!! Times sure have changed!!! Then he spent a night with his dad, then his dad picked him up for the weekend to spend the rest of the time with him until Brooke and Ernie return from their honeymoon. It was a fun time and I got to know Brody (Brooke’s son) a little more and have some special time with him.


E.J. had his work schedule for McDonalds and also his Cross Country practice schedule to keep up with. He generally worked evenings so he would go to practice for a couple hours then come home and go to work. Eian had his own schedule for Football and before he started practice we got to take him to get pictures taken with his team. That was fun.



Eian also had practices in the afternoon and for about 4 days worth his practices were from 3-5, and 6-8. The first couple days he was a tired, sore and a bit dehydrated guy, but we bought Gatorade and made sure he had enough of that and water to drink and pretty soon he was feeling better and his throat and mouth wasn’t so dry anymore. E.J. was pretty tired and sore as well for the first 2 days. Now they are up to snuff and doing well. E.J. did injure his foot somehow on one of the practices, so he couldn’t participate for a while but now is back running again. It is going to be a busy year for all of them as Brody is due to start soccer soon, and is in 1st grade, E.J. being a Senior and having track meets; Eian being a Sophomore and football games; Brooke teaching High School English and being a Cheer Coach, and Ernie working and helping out with the busy schedule of the boys-phew!!!!! It will be a busy but fun year! Here are the other two handsome grandsons, E.J. and Eian.

Dave and I had to get back to Bremerton, to the boat as Noreen and Ron were going to Sucia Island in the San Juans for my birthday and Labor Day weekend. We had to leave on the 28th, a Thursday, and Ernie and Brooke were due home late on the 29th. So we arranged with Brooke’s mom to come and spend the night with the boys on Thursday, because we all know that if teenage boys are left to their own devises, not so good things can happen!!!!! We had to leave the boys in the late morning so we could catch the Edmond/Kingston ferry home. Ron was leaving that afternoon with the boat to pick Noreen up in Seattle then travel to Everett for the night. So we said our goodbyes to the boys and they had their practices and E.J. had work for that day and their chores (which they were excellent about doing) and we left. We got home just in time to help Ron with the boat and off we went. We met Noreen at Bell Harbor Marina in Seattle and once she was on board we were headed for Everett. When we arrived in Everett a lot of the slips were full and/or reserved but there was a couple left open so we grabbed one. It was about 8:30pm when we pulled into Everett and we had planned on going to the restaurant within walking distance of the marina but by the time we got settled and they took the dogs for a walk the restaurant was closed. So we thawed out something for dinner and then sat and enjoyed the evening then went to bed. The next morning we were on our way to Sucia around 9-9:30am and the weather was starting to cloud up. The weather report had been calling for thunder showers over the weekend and rain!!! We were hoping that wouldn’t be the case in the San Juans. We arrived at Sucia in the late afternoon and Ron and Noreen’s friends, Laurie and Rich were already up there and tied to one of the park docks. So we rafted off their port side and stayed that way for a couple days. Noreen didn’t have to be back to work until Wednesday so when Rich and Laurie left we would get the dock space. There was also another couple, Kathy and Phil, friends of Laurie, Rich, Noreen and Ron, who joined us shortly after we got in and they rafted off us for the night then were able to move to the dock behind us the next day.



I got to spend my birthday in Sucia, which is one of my favorite San Juan Island spots!!!! I was so happy I took a birthday selfie!!!!!



We had a wonderful time and the weather was absolutely phenomenal the whole time we were there. We did get a few clouds a couple late evenings with sprinkles, but otherwise it was grand!! We walked a trail where it took us atop of a hill looking out across the Straits and Lopez Island and a couple other San Juan Islands.



We went for a dinghy ride where Laurie and Rich towed Kathy and her husband Phil in kayaks behind their dinghy to Echo Bay, which is on the other side of Fossil Bay where we stayed at Sucia.



Then we came back and Kathy and Phil paddled back in the kayaks to their boat and Rich, Laurie, Ron, Noreen, Dave and I went to the beach to find fossils. Since there are signs all around the area about not taking fossils off the island, we all took pictures of them instead.



It was a lot of fun and when everyone was ready to go back to the boat, I decided to walk back instead of go by dinghy. I needed to get some exercise.

Kathy, Phil, Laurie and Rich left on Monday, Labor Day, after a great breakfast on the dock. After they left we moved over to the dock and tied up. Then we took a hike to Echo Bay. There are several trails but this one was about 3 miles. When we got back to the boat we relaxed. It was a great hike and the weather was great too. The mosquitoes were out in force so we had to burn the mosquito burners at night and lather up with bug spray. None-the-less it didn’t ruin our time there. We had beautiful sunsets and had fun watching the ferry drop of campers and kayakers to enjoy the island all day or all day and night and the ferry comes back to pick them up and take them to Lopez Island.

We left on Tuesday to go to La Conner for the night, hoping that we could find a moorage for the night. Once we got to La Conner, the boat was fueled and we were lucky enough to find a spot to tie up to for the night. The weather was warm and once the boat was secured to the dock we took a walk into town and stopped in a couple stores to snoop and then went to the grocery store to get what we wanted for dinner and came back to enjoy our dinner and the evening.

The next morning we left early and headed for home. The water was smooth and the weather sunny. As we got closer to Brownsville the wind picked up and the clouds were rolling in. Ron was a little nervous about getting into the new slip due to the wind, but surprisingly enough the wind had died down in the marina and was able to back the boat in perfectly. So we are back in the Brownsville Marina for the rest of our time here.

The summer was great and the weather couldn’t have been better and we got to spend time with family and friends!!!!! Looking forward to when we come back!!!!