Life in Fort Collins

We have completed our second week here now and things have become a bit routine. Patt has a lot of helpers doing the cooking. She is doing the evening meals as Laura and Matt are teaching and have afternoon responsibilities. She has good help.  

Patt is so calm with all this help. And somehow stuff gets done. I think Julianna is the key on this day - at least with that tray of eggs there.

Our mornings begin by being greeted by one of both of these guys who come across the breezeway with vigor and enthusiasm. We went through a stretch where an early morning game of checkers was    de rigueur. It is quite fun. Unfortunately Isaac can beat either of us quite handily. These two we can still take.

Reading though is still the preferred morning activity. We make a now regular Friday visit to the library and check out bags of books.

This past Friday just after leaving the library, we went by the Museum of Discovery and had a wonderful time. Patt and I alternatively watched the smaller two guys and the larger three kids pretty much took care of themselves checking in with us routinely. Luke made it easy during my shift with him - he found these electronic drums - and went to town. Bobbing his head moving his hips, I set the accompaniment to "Latin" and he was in a zone beating those various drum heads.

They made it easy for a while too when they were in the town train section of the place. A huge toy train section too.

And I liked the old stage coach from Wild Bill Cody's Wild West Show in the historical part of the museum.

And the morning ritual continues with the daily reading of books to Luke and John Paul.

John Paul spent the night with us last night, hence the preferred position while I was reading. Luke made do and was very patient. He was absorbed though as he does like my reading.

Also realized the shortage of photos of the other kids on daily life here. We don't see as much of them as we do Luke and John Paul. They have friends here and are often playing outside with other kids their age. We remain these two younger kids big interest— and we sure do enjoy it — I know I do.

A Father's Day hike in Colorado

Father's Day Celebration was different this year as Matt and I were honored by being accompanied by our family on a 5 1/2 mile hike to the top of Horsetooth Mountain in the Front Range just west of Fort Collins at the edge of the Rocky Mountains. From our view point of this photo we were looking into Wyoming and among the peaks at our back Matt and Laura think they identified Long's Peak which they hiked some years back (pre-children years).  

If you are thinking John Paul heard his name called by his mom about the time this photo was taken you would be right. Whenever we stopped for a rest and there were rocks to climb, and overlooks to look over, John Paul heard his name shortly after we stopped.  

 He is strongly related in that interest to both his dad and his paternal grandfather for sure.

Getting to the top required a bit of a scramble as Charles would have called it. And Charles and the hikes he took the kids on in Penang were remembered and compared often on this adventure.

There was more than one scramble and some serious steps too, one set carved into the rocks and a couple of places with rather slippery gravel that caused a scrape or two.

There were lots of nice stretches too and wildflowers galore. The purple lupine is one of my favorite flowers and about the only one I can identify, or one of its family. Isaac, not in this photo, as on the way up he was usually in front. He can flat out walk up a hill and scramble up some boulders.

 One of our resting points I tried to get  picture of Patt and the kids, not so much luck at getting a "hey everyone look at the camera and say "Hey Granddaddy". At least Patt looked at me.

On the way back down I didn't even ask — but it was fun, we are already talking about next hike.

With the oldest two - and only two - granddaughters, Julianna and Lydia, both excellent hikers. The big three kids each carry their own water in camelback packs, (note the pack next to Julianna).

A good part of the trail downhill involved a road that was easy walking and gave Patt some good visiting time.

and Matt and Laura too.

we had a beautiful day for a hike 

a beautiful place for a hike

and thanks to Matt for this and several of the photos.

Fort Collins and reunion again

Yes, we returned to Colorado and Fort Collins where we will be through July as Laura and Matt are teaching and the kids participating a good part of the day in a day camp. We are here on vacation as helper outers / playmates / and adventurers.  

Our apartment complex exceeds expectations, note yard outside our ground floor apartments which are across the breezeway from each other.

And the kids have already made friends. Patt, Laura and Matt found and purchased second hand bikes for the kids and a very competitive tic tac toe was waged yesterday just outside our door.  

Luke and John Paul are a hoot to watch play and both resist coaching but take great joy when they win (in spite of themselves). Issac does well holding in his urge to help — as does Patt — well almost hold in their urge to help. Sometimes there were four hands on the board.

Matt and Laura left us with the kids for dinner and bedtime as they went shopping for supplies and an evening out. Patt had help in the kitchen — I stood on the periphery and went to check on the older kids who were engaged in outside play with friends.

After clean up, John Paul observed "there is some water on the floor" (as Gomer would have said "surprise, surprise, surprise).

We three enjoyed a dramatic reading of A Fish Out of Water. In fact I have discovered I like doing dramatic readings and have enjoyed doing them for quite sometime. I recently found some old photos that Patt took of a dramatic reading I did years ago I will have to blog about sometime.

and "First Day of Summer School Activity Special Program Whatever" for the girls got started this morning.

Washington — Samish Island — and Chuck and Charlene

But first you gotta leave Oregon and see where Lewis and Clark wintered in 1805-06 just south of the Columbia River a couple of miles inland from the Pacific. It did not look like they had a good time.  Here is a view from Astoria OR, looking at the bridge across the river toward Oregon.

And on to Chuck and Charlene's home on Samish Island, looking onto the Puget Sound that is part of what is now called the Salish Sea. The first evening's sunset was, well, pretty nice, huh, Julie?
Chuck and Charlene are friends from Peace Corps days in Thailand and with whom we had visited in Washington DC years ago prior to their career in various parts of eastern Europe and Asia.

Ferries are like taxies here and we took one to Whidbey Island and again the cloudy, rainy northwest proved to be just myth for us.

In Port Townsend on Whidbey there was a Steam Punk festival. And, yes, I am seriously considering becoming a Steam Punk aficionado (check next photo).

Steam Punk is a genre of science fiction that features alternative history of 19th century England and to a lessor extent western US history that incorporates steam power and industrial capacity of the 19th century. 

Port Townsend also has nice beaches, replete with the washed up logs that populate northwest beaches.

Including a nice log on which to perch and take in some sun.

The old bridge, and only bridge, over Deception Pass off Whidbey Island is striking as are the exceptionally strong currents under the the bridge. Also a good place to view eagles. Seeing bald eagles is something we did several times with Chuck and Charlene, including seeing a fledgling in a nest. We also just plain had a great visit picking up right from old times.

In the far distance are the San Juan Islands and beyond them is Vancover Island. We were close to Canada and one day the four of us went to Bellingham, WA just a few miles south of Canada. Brisk would describe the weather.

As much fun as this trip up the west coast has been it is time to return to Colorado 

And some grandkids.

Oregon — to Bob and Mary's — and the Mountains!

But first we had to stop near Coos Bay Oregon to visit several small Oregon State Parks to see if I could find what I remember as the "prettiest camp site ever" from our family camping trip in 1964 or 65.  Could not find it but but sure saw a lot of seals and rocky coast.

Bob and cousin Mary live in Lake Oswego, a suburb of Portland, OR, and they are great hosts. We enjoyed our visit and time with them very much.   

Across the state line in Washington is Mount Saint Helens. What a mess that volcano made of the forest and landscape in 1980. The top of the mountain is still gone and the blast zone — looking across for seven miles of it below is just beginning to be reclaimed by nature. There are some small trees and brush returning but an awful lot of dirt and rocks appear to be the main feature of the landscape.

Talk about "wow" sites. This is certainly one of those.  

Bob and Mary took us on a hike for a mile or so along a trail leading out to a point overlooking the valley into the Toutle River which flows from the ice fields on the mountain. 

Patt was glad when we turned back.

Some of the blown down trees from the blast of the volcano are still visible. Closer to the volcano the trees were just obliterated by the force of the blast.

Often in the Great Northwest where Oregon and Washington reside, the sky is not known for being blue as it was when we visited Mt St Helens. With the promise of a partially cloudy sky the four of us went the following day a little south and west of Portland to Mt Hood, another volcano mountain.  Arrival at the mountain did not disappoint with regard to to the partial cloudy part.  

Fortunately we got a break in the weather as did the skiers of whom the US Olympic snowboard team benefits as they train here. There is year round skiing and Bob and Mary skied just the day before we arrived. June skiing ,Mark!  

From 30+ miles away, the top of the mountain continues to generate cloud cover but the day cleared off nicely. And got warmer. In Sacramento we had 100 plus degree weather, in Lake Oswego, we had 50 plus degree weather.

Along the Columbia River Gorge, we stopped by Multnomah Falls and climbed to the top.

It is a climb of some 2000 feet elevation gain as that is the drop of the falls. And quite steep in places.  The trail is one of continuous switchbacks. And I should mention that it makes you breathe hard - or at least did me.

Redwoods and California & Oregon Coasts

Santa Rosa, CA, where we spent the night is also the home of Charles Schultz, that one, and before he died he helped design a Charlie Brown museum. There are some pretty large cartoons there too.  We enjoy Peanuts and the characters and have for a long time.

And then on to Humboldt State Park and Awe Inspiring Redwood Forest. Just plain awesome. The Avenue of the Giants is just that.

A person does not feel "big" at all among these trees. And quiet, like very quiet, except for birds or a stream when close to one.

The coast was covered with fog all morning, but still quite a sight.

Further up the coast the cliffs and forest reaching the shore is stunning and so different from the North Carolina coast.

At the Klamath River we were disappointed that while down close to the river it was clear, near the mouth where the river meets the Pacific and up at the view point, it was completed fogged in with zero visibility.

Then is was on to the Prairie Creek State Park and another redwood forest. We alternately were on California 1 and US 101 on our trip and sometimes they were the same. We also left the highway to take routes through the parks.

This park has some of the largest trees in California and has a different flora on the floor of the forest as it has very large mature ferns.

One tree, imaginatively named "THE BIG ONE", is big. Patt and I are somewhat visible below in the splash of sunlight at the bottom of the tree. According to the information on the nameplate the tree is approximately 1,500 years old, 304 feet tall, 22 feet in diameter and 68 feet in circumference.

Parts of the Jurassic Park movies were filmed here. It is easy to see why.

The trees were an amazing experience to walk through and so awe inspiring that such grand things exist on this earth.

Then into Oregon, Patt's 49th state to visit, and more coastal highway. We had another hike along the coast with high winds and much cooler temperatures. The views of the shore were again beautiful.