Raincharm’s Weblog

We had a rather normal weekend.

Work. Carl Baseball. Sounder Soccer.
Sleep.
Carl Baseball. Jay Soccer.

It was a nice weather weekend.
Not too hot. Not too cold.
And not raining.

And now it is time to sleep again.

We have had two full days now of empty nest.
Nothing has changed.

That’s not really true.
What hasn’t changed is where all of our house’s debris is located.
Except a small, but heavy, amount that should be winging its way toward the east coast.

Back here at the ranch, life has continued – work, work, work, and a little play.
If the WORK part will slow just a bit, maybe there will be progress toward at least organizing the debris around the house. As always it is probably easier to start with a room, but I feel the need to start in the lower reaches of the basement – where the, “most likely to be discarded,” debris lives.

If the temperature would rise above the 60’s I might be more tempted to spend time in the cool depths. July 5th (Seattle’s traditional summer start) is still a bit in the future, so I will have to use willpower to get me downstairs.

Oh – Ashlan, we still need to measure the basement. Weekend home to help?

Oh the places you’ll go
Dr. Suess

She was ready. Freaked, but ready.

The Gathering of Ones Things

Packed before 11 PM the night before.
Up at 6:30 AM
Off to the airport by 8 AM, with only a few tears all around.

We only had to remove a few things from the bags to meet the 50 lbs each limit.

Packed for adventure

And then she was gone from sight.

Each person approaches lives changes in their own way.
Ashlan tends to have an idea, arrange it so it can happen, and then take the leap.
I know I took off when I was her age, but I think I was not so brave.

I just finished the last post and realized my focus on getting one kid out of town had led me to forget the other child. And it’s his BIRTHDAY!

My the years are flying by. Since I am at work – we will limit this to a picture from last summer. HAPPY BIRTHDAY REY

Rey + Jane - beachbound

Well a mild sort of wild.

One full of activities that leave you falling asleep rather easily afterward.
It really seemed like a wild week overall.

Travel, party, wonderful weather, sports, …… packing.

All true, except perhaps the packing part.

I will admit that the packing part has been delayed by all of the other activities that inserted themselves into our weekend. Saturday we were party central. Sunday was sports central. Carl had a baseball game, we all had the Mariners game (Ms won), and then Ashlan and I had a soccer game.

Then it was home for some food, visit with Rey (skype) and a bit of TV via dvd.
(I am not sure I can say that Ashlan fully participated in the last bit … although she was in the room.)

There has been packing, and unpacking, but today the packing must be completed.

That’s right! Tomorrow is moving day – at least for the little one.
So the last week and a half is culminating tomorrow morning (for us) and tomorrow evening (for her).

Perhaps tomorrow evening should be viewed less as an ending, and more as a beginning.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day.
Started cool, but warmed up quickly. My first day in shorts this year.

And we had a party.
That was after the yard work, Mariners game, shopping trips (2) and general cleaning.

The party was for Ashlan’s graduation and going away.
A smattering of neighbors, friends, and co-workers.
Folks that have seen her grow up.

We had some pictures around, and diplomas and mortar boards from both Kindergarten and UBC.

Smackeral type food plus tater-tots. An amazing amount of food was eaten, and yet we still have a full refrigerator.

A champagne toast (sparkling cider for the little kids) during which I teared up, and when everyone was taking a drink Jet (5-years old) announced, “Naked Butts!”

Most has been cleaned up, although dishes still remain.
That is for tomorrow – which is supposed to be gorgeous again!

Sorry there are no pictures – it just didn’t happen.

Back home.
3 of us anyway.
Work and a Mariner game.
Half of a carpool. (That is where you drive one way, and carpool the other, leaving a car at work.)

Weather?
It rained in the morning, but cleared in time for the Mariner game.
I would still not call it warm.

Carl had a kid or two, and Jet accompanied him to the start of the Mariner game.

Batting Practice Lounging

Unusual bits:
Ashlan and Caitie were at the game as well.
The Mariners scored lots of runs. 5 in the second, 1 in the third and 2 more in the fourth.
And it is supposed to get positively warm today.

Car
Shuttle Bus
People Movers (many)
Airplane
Light Rail Train
Bus
Feet (or foot and cast)

7:30 AM (CDT) – 4 PM (PDT)

And I am ready to rest.

Going through the mail, and waiting for a second wind.

What was that big yellow orb. Unobscured by clouds.
Sunscreen required.
So nice to sit out in shorts and a t-shirt.
And then need to move into the shade to cool down a bit.

OK – has winter really been that long in Seattle??

Yes! I checked the weather for Seattle tomorrow on our return.
Surprised? NO! 50’s and rain.

Well, it is supposed to get into the 70’s on Saturday – so there will be something to look forward to.

Some pictures from our walk today – before the camera battery died.
I have relatives with “real” cameras, and these are just a point and shoot with limited zoom.
But here they are.

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We saw a pelican, osprey, blue heron, ducks, meadowlark (we think), redwing blackbirds (lots of them), small yellow birds, and a rabbit and a snapping turtle. Some of them are in the preceding pictures. Some are not, and some will not be recognizable for what they are. But it was a very enjoyable walk, and if we lived here this would be on a frequently visited list.

To complete the day there was lunch at Coopersmiths.
They make their own beer, so this was sort of like visiting another brewery, although the tour was very limited, and I don’t think they have any horses.
Then the aforementioned time in the sun, followed by dinner and more chatting. (I will admit to missing a bit of the chat as I struggled to stay awake. Too much sun.)

Off to bed as tomorrow we must arise in time to head back to the dampness we call home.

The highlight of today’s wild west adventures was touring the Fort Collins’ Budweiser factory. Carl, Doris & I partook of the 1 hour, 1 mile tour and beer making lesson. At the end Carl also pointed out that I was drinking beer before noon. WELL IT IS A VACATION. I tried Land Shark, Carl had Shock Top and American Ale. Both Carl & Doris also sampled the Bud Light Lime. And the Clydesdales are really big. Jackson was the horse I was closest to, and he was huge.

I know for sure this is at least the 2nd Budweiser tour I have been on, with the other in St. Louis. But I am sure I remember another tour of a liquid refreshment plant. One where the can loading machine stuck and things were piling up together. (Help me out here family folks.)

Carl and I were planning to tack on a separate walk after the tour, but when we completed our taste testing it was pouring rain. So back to the ranch for lunch. We also mended pants and sorted CDs through the afternoon.

Then it was time for dinner. Leg of lamb, potatoes and peas with mint. Jeanne and Steve certainly know how to put on a dinner.

Basically we got to spend the day with family – chatting and catching up. Really the point of the whole vacation. Family = Bob, Doris, Jeanne, Steve, Carl & Jay. Good times.

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