Quite a few of our family members stayed at the same hotel in Seattle. The hotel has a "free" breakfast each morning that is actually very good. It is not just a Continental breakfast with Danish, toast, sweet rolls and coffee,tea and milk. It had scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausages, oatmeal, a variety of dry cereals, make-your-own waffle or pancake equipment, bagels, muffins and juices...but by Sunday most of us were rather tired of the selections and the tables only accommodated four people and there were about 26 of us. We decided to walk to a resturant a few blocks away that Pete Lowry, Paul's nephew, suggested. The weather was perfect and outdoor seating was available and could easily seat all of us together and comfortably. We sat under magnolia trees that had hanging baskets of georgeous yellow flowers hanging between each tree. There was an elaborate iron fence between us and the street. It was brunch time. The food was excellent! I had Eggs Benedict with crab meat and the others ordered various brunch offerings that looked as good as mine. A couple of the guys had Bloody Marys. The kids enjoyed it as well as the adults.We ate and then walked back to the hotel so that part of the group could check out and move on.
The rest of us, that were not planning to leave until Monday, chose to drive to Mt. Rainier National Park. There were enough of us to need two cars. Mt. Rainier is 54 miles south east of Seattle. It is visible from almost anyplace you are in Seattle, when the clouds are not hiding it. It is exciting to drive along and look up ahead to see the snowy peaks rising above the clouds sometimes, at other times the whole mountain is visible, not just the peaks.
After we left I-5 behind us and got away from the city traffic it was a very pleasant ride. Needless to say it was uphill all the way, as we got further and further up the mountain the view out any window was beautiful. The trees almost met overhead and it was like driving in a two lane tunnel. Looking out the left hand window you could see that it was a long way down! The road signs warned of the curving roads ahead. The bright yellow signs with double s's as an example of what we were facing. Rowan had fallen asleep in the back of the car and Kristin was reading books to Maureen.
after a short time Kris said reading and riding the curvy road was making her feel a little queezy so she discontinued her reading. Suddenly, Maureen started crying and as we turned to see what was was wrong, the great breakfast was making a recurrence! Kris had only a book to try to catch it. It was just at that time that a small area on the right side of the road appeared. Fortunately, Tim could pull off the road and we had a major clean-up task. There was an extra change of clothes, even another pair of shoes and sox so that worked out well. Kris and Tim did a yeoman's job of parenting. Kris took care of Maureen and Tim was the clean-up man for the car. Poor Maureen was so sick and kept saying as she cried, I don't feel well! Rowan slept through the whole ordeal. There was a news paper in the car and it became the cleaning tool, when we got back on the road the whole mess was cleaned up. Whew!
By the time we caught up with Scott,Kathy, Paul and the kids it was too late to take a short hike on one of the trails so we just got out and enjoyed the scenery and took some pictures. With binoculars we could see climbers up on the mountain, they looked like little ants crawling along. We saw a deer run across the road and off into the wooded area. We started our trip back down the road. After traveling for a few miles traffic suddenly stopped moving. We could see emergency vehicles ahead and could actually see someone lying on the road. One of the medics ran over to the ambulance and came back with the defibrilator which indicated to me that it was not good. Finally we saw them doing chest compressions. We could hear sirens of more emergency units coming and the people in authority started to let us move on. We were third in line back from the accident on the right lane the action was in the left lane. We were the last to be let pass. As we passed by the scene we could see one motorcycle off on the side of our lane. We headed back to Seattle to meet with Carrie and Gabe so we could go to dinner. It was getting late and we needed to be up at 3:30 AM to get to the airport for our flight home Monday morning. As it was, we had a minor problem finding a resturant that could seat 13 of us but we finally made it. We arrived back at the hotel about 10 PM and had to pack and be ready to go before going to bed. We had to sleep fast! 3:30 AM rolled around very quickly. When Kristen awakened Rowan to get him dressed and ready for the trip home he was quite snarky! She said, "Rowan, don't you want to go home?", he said,"Not now!" He would have preferred to get a little more sleep before going.
Karen checked the internet to see if there was a report on the incident on the Mt. Rainier road and found the account of the accident. Two women were on their motorcycles going up the mountain road and a deer ran out in front of one of them, she swerved to avoid the deer and hit the other motorcycle. The biker died of the impact and the swerver was injured and taken to the hospital. The internet article said that after letting three or four cars get through the rest of the traffic was stopped for three hours before being allowed to go. We were obviously the last car to make it through.
How tragic, instant death on a blacktop mountain road. It can happen so fast! May she rest in peace.
We headed out the next morning and had a smooth trip home. Karen and Paul arrived home on Tuesday evening, Carrie and Gabe are in Hawaii and we will always remember their wedding week!!! Ciao
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Carrie and Gabe's Wedding Week
Ordinarily I am a very promp person. I like to be on time for things but for this event I was a few days late arriving. The wedding ceremony was on Saturday, July 23, 2011 at 5 PM. The actual festivities began on Sunday July 16. I arrived on Wednesday, July 20th. very late in the evening so my fun began on Thursday.
If you've never been to Seattle, you should put it on your bucket list of places to see before you die. It is a picturesque, quaint, beautiful, city overflowing with lush flora and I'm sure fauna even though I didn't see any. (Other than Harley Rose and the resident cat, whose name escapes me.)The hills remind me of Cincinnati but the homes perched on those hills are of a distinct architectural style that blends in with the natural landscape. The view from Carrie and Gabe's deck/porch is spectacular. It reminded me of a view that I had from the balcony of my room in Delphi, Greece. The majestic mountains in the distance and the cloud formation above them was breath taking. We were fortunate enough to get the full view because the clouds were high above the mountains. Imagine getting up each day and being able to step out your front door to such beauty.
On my first full day there, Thursday, we visited the Aquarium. We drove there and parked near Pike's Market, a tourist attraction in itself, and walked over to the Aquarium. Some of our group took the bus almost there and then got off and walked the rest of the way. Seattle is a great city to walk in if you are not in the burbs where you might need one of those tools that the mountain climbers use. The ones with the big hook on the end? It is a very good aquarium, the kids could pet(?) the star fish and feel the skin of a shark, a dead one, and watch the otters play. They had both river otters and ocean otters. One otter floated on his back using his chest as a table with his food fish on it. He floated and ate and looked so relaxed that we were amused. There is an arch over one of the paths filled with jelly fish, fun to walk under that and see the jelly fish overhead.
After the Aquarium we went to lunch at a Seafood Resturant, Ivars I think. We ate on the patio overlooking the water and watched the pelicans cavorting about. We moved on to our next activity after lunch.
I'll digress here for a minute to relay some information that had an affect on the next activity. When Gabe awakened that morning he became aware of the fact that the tooth that had been giving him some trouble had suddenly become pretty unbearable. It was Thursday, he was to be married on Saturday and leave for Hawaii on Monday! Get thee to the dentist!!
We carried on without him.He went to the Doc-tor and we went on the "Duck-Tour" Reservations had been made for all of us. (24) During WWII there was a need for vehicles that could operate both on land and in the water. (Amphibians) These vehicles are still operable and are used as tour vehicles.We toured around Seattle and saw many of the tourist attractions on land and then went into the water and sailed around the inlet and saw a whole community of houseboat homes. It was remarkable. We had enough life jackets overhead to accommodate us if we needed them! It does give you pause for thought to realize that this vehicle was built about 65 or 70 years ago.
The tour guide was a comedian. He was actually very funny. He found out that Carrie was being married and we were all celebrating the event so he directed most of his comedic spiel to Carrie's wedding. He asked where the groom-to-be was and when told he was dealing with a dental immergency, that really gave him fodder for his act. We did a lot of laughing at Gabe's expence. He, the guide, had a bubble machine and a vast selection of hats. He changed his persona each time he changed his hat and fired bubbles out the window at random. When we arrived at a very busy intersection, he had us all shout, "Hello Seattle, Carrie's getting married!" Meanwhile he is shouting through his mike and shooting bubbles out the window.It sounds very juvenile but it was actually very amusing.He insisted that Carrie come to the front of the bus, she looked so cute and did in fact become a true 'blushing bride"-to-be.
Thursday night was Kareoke(sic) night. It was so much fun! We went in with so many people saying they would be listeners, not participants, but before the evening was over, after a few libations and exhibitions almost every one joined in.
Friday, we went to Carrie's and Gabe's and helped with some last minute preparations for the up-coming rehearsal dinner. Some of us worked on completing the decorative flags for the wedding and we all ate KFC on the deck. Good fun, lots of laughs, camaraderie, and bonding. All Gabe's family and Carrie's family had the chance to meet and share life stories! That was a good thing!
The rehearsal dinner was at the Gas Works Park and we were joined there by all the friends and the rest of the family for excellent food and drink. The tention is building for the main event!! Tomorrow at 5PM we're all good to go.
Early on Saturday morning as we had pretty much taken over the breakfast room in the hotel, Karen's phone rang, she shouted out, "Gabe, that's not funny!" The question? " Have you seen Carrie?" Actually, we all laughed, it was funny.
Some of us headed to Carrie's with wedding garb in hand and others headed to Martha Washington Park where the ceremony would take place later in the day. Last minute glitches took over for awhile, the music "thing" somehow or other fell or was dropped and distroyed and Carrie's phone fell into the bath tub and the back-up music met with the same fate as the first or something. I was a little confused by the music disaster and am not sure of all the details but I do know that before long
Gabe was talking about Bridezilla which aptly discribes Carrie's reaction. Gabe's mom was out shopping for solutions for some of the glitches. Pretty soon, Carrie showed up smiling and her usual ebullient self and we knew that ALL WAS WELL! A few of the boys worked on making a blue satin bow and blue ribbons on Harley Rose's collar and Harley was overjoyed to be an integral part of the wedding!
The wedding ceremony went off without a glitch. Alex escorted me down the pathway to the chairs. We were followed by two of Gabe's grandmas then, Karen and Paul, Gabe's mother, his step-mother and his father. The music was provided by a really cool group of musicians that had the look of a Blue Grass band. They played while the guests gathered. The band stood to the right of the area where the actual vows were made. Gabe's friend played and sang a song that I think he composed, and then his dad sang and a friend of Carrie's read a reading. The bride and groom each had composed their own vows. The vows were beautiful and heart felt and sincere. Carrie, cried a little and needed a hankerchief provided by Gabe who later told us that someone had ask him beforehand if he had a handkerchief and when he said,no she provided him with one. How wise of her! Both sets of vows were very touching, very revealing and words to remember. Abbey was the junior brides maid and Gus was the ring bearer. Emotional!
The ceremony took place,as I said, at Martha Washington Park. They chose a spot between two huge oak trees, Carrie had asked that we make flags to string between the trees. They were in keeping with the color theme of the day, turquoise, red and blue. There was a soft breeze that kept the flags moving, the sun was shining, it was about 77 degrees and the clouds were white and puffy, and the mountains were clearly visible beyond the Martha Washing Lake. Blue skies smiling at us on a picture perfect day! Flawless!
We moved on to the reception site. The band came along for that too. Good food, good music and a happy crowd made for a marvelous evening. Carrie and Gabe started off the dancing by dancing together, then Carrie and Paul, Gabe and his mom and finally everyone joined in. We could never have pulled it all off without Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and Carrie being Carrie came prepared with shorts on under her sensational wedding dress so she could do the splits and wow the crowd with a cart wheel!! Gabe, are you ready for lots of surprises in your future? A good time was had by all!!!!! Aloha.
If you've never been to Seattle, you should put it on your bucket list of places to see before you die. It is a picturesque, quaint, beautiful, city overflowing with lush flora and I'm sure fauna even though I didn't see any. (Other than Harley Rose and the resident cat, whose name escapes me.)The hills remind me of Cincinnati but the homes perched on those hills are of a distinct architectural style that blends in with the natural landscape. The view from Carrie and Gabe's deck/porch is spectacular. It reminded me of a view that I had from the balcony of my room in Delphi, Greece. The majestic mountains in the distance and the cloud formation above them was breath taking. We were fortunate enough to get the full view because the clouds were high above the mountains. Imagine getting up each day and being able to step out your front door to such beauty.
On my first full day there, Thursday, we visited the Aquarium. We drove there and parked near Pike's Market, a tourist attraction in itself, and walked over to the Aquarium. Some of our group took the bus almost there and then got off and walked the rest of the way. Seattle is a great city to walk in if you are not in the burbs where you might need one of those tools that the mountain climbers use. The ones with the big hook on the end? It is a very good aquarium, the kids could pet(?) the star fish and feel the skin of a shark, a dead one, and watch the otters play. They had both river otters and ocean otters. One otter floated on his back using his chest as a table with his food fish on it. He floated and ate and looked so relaxed that we were amused. There is an arch over one of the paths filled with jelly fish, fun to walk under that and see the jelly fish overhead.
After the Aquarium we went to lunch at a Seafood Resturant, Ivars I think. We ate on the patio overlooking the water and watched the pelicans cavorting about. We moved on to our next activity after lunch.
I'll digress here for a minute to relay some information that had an affect on the next activity. When Gabe awakened that morning he became aware of the fact that the tooth that had been giving him some trouble had suddenly become pretty unbearable. It was Thursday, he was to be married on Saturday and leave for Hawaii on Monday! Get thee to the dentist!!
We carried on without him.He went to the Doc-tor and we went on the "Duck-Tour" Reservations had been made for all of us. (24) During WWII there was a need for vehicles that could operate both on land and in the water. (Amphibians) These vehicles are still operable and are used as tour vehicles.We toured around Seattle and saw many of the tourist attractions on land and then went into the water and sailed around the inlet and saw a whole community of houseboat homes. It was remarkable. We had enough life jackets overhead to accommodate us if we needed them! It does give you pause for thought to realize that this vehicle was built about 65 or 70 years ago.
The tour guide was a comedian. He was actually very funny. He found out that Carrie was being married and we were all celebrating the event so he directed most of his comedic spiel to Carrie's wedding. He asked where the groom-to-be was and when told he was dealing with a dental immergency, that really gave him fodder for his act. We did a lot of laughing at Gabe's expence. He, the guide, had a bubble machine and a vast selection of hats. He changed his persona each time he changed his hat and fired bubbles out the window at random. When we arrived at a very busy intersection, he had us all shout, "Hello Seattle, Carrie's getting married!" Meanwhile he is shouting through his mike and shooting bubbles out the window.It sounds very juvenile but it was actually very amusing.He insisted that Carrie come to the front of the bus, she looked so cute and did in fact become a true 'blushing bride"-to-be.
Thursday night was Kareoke(sic) night. It was so much fun! We went in with so many people saying they would be listeners, not participants, but before the evening was over, after a few libations and exhibitions almost every one joined in.
Friday, we went to Carrie's and Gabe's and helped with some last minute preparations for the up-coming rehearsal dinner. Some of us worked on completing the decorative flags for the wedding and we all ate KFC on the deck. Good fun, lots of laughs, camaraderie, and bonding. All Gabe's family and Carrie's family had the chance to meet and share life stories! That was a good thing!
The rehearsal dinner was at the Gas Works Park and we were joined there by all the friends and the rest of the family for excellent food and drink. The tention is building for the main event!! Tomorrow at 5PM we're all good to go.
Early on Saturday morning as we had pretty much taken over the breakfast room in the hotel, Karen's phone rang, she shouted out, "Gabe, that's not funny!" The question? " Have you seen Carrie?" Actually, we all laughed, it was funny.
Some of us headed to Carrie's with wedding garb in hand and others headed to Martha Washington Park where the ceremony would take place later in the day. Last minute glitches took over for awhile, the music "thing" somehow or other fell or was dropped and distroyed and Carrie's phone fell into the bath tub and the back-up music met with the same fate as the first or something. I was a little confused by the music disaster and am not sure of all the details but I do know that before long
Gabe was talking about Bridezilla which aptly discribes Carrie's reaction. Gabe's mom was out shopping for solutions for some of the glitches. Pretty soon, Carrie showed up smiling and her usual ebullient self and we knew that ALL WAS WELL! A few of the boys worked on making a blue satin bow and blue ribbons on Harley Rose's collar and Harley was overjoyed to be an integral part of the wedding!
The wedding ceremony went off without a glitch. Alex escorted me down the pathway to the chairs. We were followed by two of Gabe's grandmas then, Karen and Paul, Gabe's mother, his step-mother and his father. The music was provided by a really cool group of musicians that had the look of a Blue Grass band. They played while the guests gathered. The band stood to the right of the area where the actual vows were made. Gabe's friend played and sang a song that I think he composed, and then his dad sang and a friend of Carrie's read a reading. The bride and groom each had composed their own vows. The vows were beautiful and heart felt and sincere. Carrie, cried a little and needed a hankerchief provided by Gabe who later told us that someone had ask him beforehand if he had a handkerchief and when he said,no she provided him with one. How wise of her! Both sets of vows were very touching, very revealing and words to remember. Abbey was the junior brides maid and Gus was the ring bearer. Emotional!
The ceremony took place,as I said, at Martha Washington Park. They chose a spot between two huge oak trees, Carrie had asked that we make flags to string between the trees. They were in keeping with the color theme of the day, turquoise, red and blue. There was a soft breeze that kept the flags moving, the sun was shining, it was about 77 degrees and the clouds were white and puffy, and the mountains were clearly visible beyond the Martha Washing Lake. Blue skies smiling at us on a picture perfect day! Flawless!
We moved on to the reception site. The band came along for that too. Good food, good music and a happy crowd made for a marvelous evening. Carrie and Gabe started off the dancing by dancing together, then Carrie and Paul, Gabe and his mom and finally everyone joined in. We could never have pulled it all off without Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and Carrie being Carrie came prepared with shorts on under her sensational wedding dress so she could do the splits and wow the crowd with a cart wheel!! Gabe, are you ready for lots of surprises in your future? A good time was had by all!!!!! Aloha.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Annie
I've tried two or three times to write about the passing of Karen's friend, Annie. She was so dear to all of us and was a very major part of our lives. She will be sorely missed, not only by Karen but by me also. She was bigger than life! She laughed with us and she cried with us. I would like to offer the words of Charles Dickens as a eulogy to her:
"And can it be that in a world so full and busy,
the loss of one creature makes a void in any heart,
so wide and deep that nothing but the width and depth of eternity
can fill it up!"
At the end of the funeral Mass for Annie the mourners in the church stood and gave her a standing ovation for her life well lived. We loved her.
May she rest in peace.
Ciao, Annie
"And can it be that in a world so full and busy,
the loss of one creature makes a void in any heart,
so wide and deep that nothing but the width and depth of eternity
can fill it up!"
At the end of the funeral Mass for Annie the mourners in the church stood and gave her a standing ovation for her life well lived. We loved her.
May she rest in peace.
Ciao, Annie
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Time Marches On
I have been so busy living life that I have not taken the time to write. It seems that there are so many events that I want to reflect on and blog about but before I get to it, something else happens.
The last time I blogged we were preparing for our annual Family Festival. It did, in fact, take place as planned and was quite successful. Everyone had a good time. There were a few family members that could not make it and we missed them. It makes me pleased to know that they all enjoy each others' company and share a lot of laughs together. There isn't even bickering among the little folks. They have fun, share and show good sportsmanship by playing fair and just enjoying each others' company. Wow, what a family.
We did have Frogmore Stew, as planned, and a variety of other foods and drinks. The kids had great fun fishing, slip/sliding and riding on the ATV, and attacking the Pinata. The adults had great fun visiting and catching up on all the things that took place during the past year. Andrea and Travis are gratious about sharing their home and grounds for our event and for this we sincerely thank them. I'm already looking forward to next year.
I was very touched by Nathan choosing to wear Doc's special hat to remind all of us that Doc was with us in spirit. I'm sure he also would be as proud as I am of this spectacular family that we have. We are truly blessed!
No one fell into the lake this year and that's a good thing! Ciao
The last time I blogged we were preparing for our annual Family Festival. It did, in fact, take place as planned and was quite successful. Everyone had a good time. There were a few family members that could not make it and we missed them. It makes me pleased to know that they all enjoy each others' company and share a lot of laughs together. There isn't even bickering among the little folks. They have fun, share and show good sportsmanship by playing fair and just enjoying each others' company. Wow, what a family.
We did have Frogmore Stew, as planned, and a variety of other foods and drinks. The kids had great fun fishing, slip/sliding and riding on the ATV, and attacking the Pinata. The adults had great fun visiting and catching up on all the things that took place during the past year. Andrea and Travis are gratious about sharing their home and grounds for our event and for this we sincerely thank them. I'm already looking forward to next year.
I was very touched by Nathan choosing to wear Doc's special hat to remind all of us that Doc was with us in spirit. I'm sure he also would be as proud as I am of this spectacular family that we have. We are truly blessed!
No one fell into the lake this year and that's a good thing! Ciao
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