Day 4 The 4th of July

It should be worth noting that while I certainly don’t have control over the weather, the last couple years it snowed while I was home in December and this last trip it was cloudy the day before I got in, clear for all 6 days, then cloudy once I left.



image courtesy of Wikipedia

So, that being said, July 4^th dawned early and bright! Dad headed over to the church to help cook for the pancake breakfast. Mom and I  went later and enjoyed the flag raising ceremony put on by the Boy Scout troop and then had pancakes, eggs and sausage for breakfast. We sat with my cousin and her youngest daughter who are also in Mom & Dad’s ward.

After breakfast Mom and I went for a walk around their neighborhood and Dad went to work on ‘neighbor relations’ i.e. he went to scope out the goods at the Chehalis tribe firework stands and did not leave empty handed. We load up the Jeep then head to Safeway for a killer sale on soda. Mom and I see the same man there that we had passed on our walk earlier in the day. We also stop and buy another flat of Spooner Farms strawberries. We pick up Lara on the way. Next stop Lake Margaret.

Somehow in the course of conversation we miss the turn to Highway 520 through Carnation so end up taking 522 through Woodinville instead. When what to our wondrous eyes should appear but a stretch Chevy Metro. Red and no windows in the back. It looks like a hand-sautered mini-hearse. So ugly it’s cool.



We get to the lake and soon we’re in the water. Well, most of us. This is a conglomeration of a couple siblings, their children, my SIL's family, as well as friends and their children and the missionaries showed up as well. Plus Jake and his friend Buddy. (gold and black retrievers respectively). At one point during dinner I counted 7 Moms who had kids there…oye. It was a crowd and we didn’t even have our whole family there! Our Spokane counterparts were unable to make the trip and were sorely missed throughout the weekend!





C heading to the water. She's my mini-me :)



Dinner was a crazy, messy affair but many were fed and watered and not many leftovers were well, left over. The candy bar salad was a hit. As was the potato salad and frog eye salad. There are some Dill potato chips left over from the beach and they didn’t last long.



Now to the main event: fireworks. I have a brother-in-law who was kind enough to be born on July 4^th. Since he joined the family in 2001 we have always blown something up in his honor. This year it was a cantamelon. It was set on a fence post with a mortar in it. BOOM! Happy Birthday! Bits of cantamelon fly everywhere to the cheers of the crowd. One year it was a Hostess cupcake. It left a grease mark on the pavement and a small crumb on someone’s shirt. That was it. All gone. It went boom and bye bye.



Jake decided it was time for humans to go get the stick! I took my turn as well but didn't go all out like L did.



  Acornucopia of lawn chairs and blankets cover the driveway as the Dad’s light off the fireworks. The nice thing about being by the lake is that you get to see everyone else’s fireworks displays reflected in the lake. Usually there is some smart person who just sits in a canoe in the middle of the lake taking it all in. They probably have the best view and they don’t get sparks raining down on them.  One party across the lake has used flares in the past for lighting fireworks. Before the fence was put up around the park access to the lake there would be bottle rockets flying both ways across the street when the boys would shoot them at each other.



Things finally wind down and family’s start leaving because tomorrow Mom’s and Dad’s have to go to work. Gingersnaps and strawberries are all gone L Boo. They were a hit!

Dad, kids, grandkids & Jake in the lake

Day 3 Sunday, A day of rest

Church starts at 10. I haven’t been to church in ages and am looking forward to the spiritual nourishment. The sacrament hymn is “I stand all amazed”. My eyes leak through the whole song. It offers such sweet words of hope and redemption of ‘the love Jesus offers me… to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine…oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.’ It is one of my favorite songs. The lyrics are by Charles H Gabriel.

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died

Chorus:
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me
Oh, it is wonderful
Wonderful to me

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine
That he should extend his great love unto such as I
Sufficient to own, to redeem and to justify

(Repeat chorus)

I think of his hands, pierced and bleeding to pay my debt
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me
Secure in the promise of life in his victory
Thus ransomed from death I will live to my Savior's praise
And sing of his goodness and mercy through endless days

My parents ward is great. They are truly amazing souls. The Gospel is true everywhere you go but the Church feels different outside the “Mormon belt” of Idaho & Utah. You are unique and special and it is a different kind of feeling of brotherhood.

Since it is the first Sunday of the month that means Fast & Testimony meeting; as soon as the Bishop finishes his testimony Dad gets up and goes to the pulpit and in a loud booming voice declares “Hello. My name is “AGB” and I have been married to my trophy wife “C” for 42 years.” This got chuckles from the crowd and for the next little bit Mom will be known as the trophy wife. J

Church was great and I can’t wait until my life situation is such than I am an active member again. (I don’t like working Sundays but I need to pay the bills too)



with Grandma Bentley



After Church Dad leaves to go get his Mom so she can join us for dinner. We have yummy rice, pork & black bean taco salad with home fried tortilla chips that I could not get enough of. Especially with jalapeno Tabasco sauce on them. My taste buds are watering now just thinking about them. After dinner we watch Independence Day and I help Mom make gingersnaps. No one makes them quite like her. I’ve tried to make them here in Utah and the recipe doesn’t turn out. They are soft and chewy and full of ginger and molasses flavor! Mom & I also slice up a flat of Spooners strawberries. Later we have them with Twinkies. Ok but not the same as the shortcake cups and whipped cream.

My parents’ neighborhood is situated somewhat between two Indian reservations. That’s where you go to get good fireworks. After the sun set all we heard were booms from people setting off fireworks. Some legal - some probably not. Ahhh…such glorious sounds! Especially since the 4^th of July is a big holiday at our house. I only remember one year where we didn’t host the party. That was because we went to Lincoln City, OR and spend time with some relatives. 4^th of July on the beach was cool! Now the party is at my sisters’ house…but that’s for the next blog.

Hi! Mom is waving at you from behind the bush.

It was nice to spend some down time with Mom & Dad since my vacations usually get spent at siblings’ homes with children. The quiet was a nice break AND I got warm gingersnapsJ

They also have a couple hummingbird feeders... 

Day 2 Grayland Beach

After getting up, having breakfast, getting food and kids ready we are finally off to Mom & Dad’s house to meet up with the rest of the family and head to the beach. The drive was mostly uneventful with the exception of a child who was ready to be at the beach NOW and not 3 hours later and her younger brother who was being a comedian. Traffic wasn’t too bad either; even through a slowdown north of Fife due to a structure fire.

This is how we build Sand Castles!

As we pass through Aberdeen we catch a glimpse of a tall ship that looks a bit like the Black Pearl. We get to the beach and the tide is in. We carpool onto the beach and leave a vehicle up at the parking lot that doesn’t have 4WD. We play in the water, fly kites, eat fried chicken…and then the clouds come in and we play in the water, fly kites and eat more fried chicken.  A nice day, no sunburns and lots of fun!

J finally decides sand it ok. FINALLY!

flip flops- check, swimsuit - check, bag of potato chips - check,

winter coat - check LOL! funny girl!

                                                                                  Cousins

                                          Cheetos anyone? They make your tongue orange :P

                                                                       Sand. Everywhere.

I like the reflection and softness of this picture.

Brimley kids in the hole George, their neighbor dug.

Bentley kids in the hole George dug

 M flying with her iTunes.

Dad showing C (the neighbor girl) how to make the kite not crash...

"keep your hand together like this".

    C 'helping' M with her downed kite. What a helpful sister!

The original plan was to stay at the beach and maybe light off some fireworks and have Smores but it got cold and some had LONG drives back home so we called it a day and went our separate ways. The beach will always be there and I'll hopefully make it again next year.

Friday, July 1^st

The day started out clear. Perfect for a 7:15am flight from Salt Lake City to Seattle. The plane was full and heavy. It took about 45 seconds for the plane to have its wheels up from the time we started going. The flight path took us over the Great Salt Lake north towards Idaho. We passed over Twin Falls and Boise. As we are over Oregon I start noticing massive wind farms spread throughout the terrain. When we reach the Tri-Cities area in Eastern Washington we veer more north than west to go around Mt Rainier. There is a touch of haze but I can see Mt Jefferson, the Sisters and Mt. Hood in the Oregon part of the Cascade Mountains. The Columbia River cuts a wide swath through the mountains and also acts as a border between Oregon and Washington. The Washington side of the Columbia River shows us Mt Adams and a crater view of Mt St. Helens.  Mt Baker is on the other side of the plane so I can’t see it. Off the left side of the plane we are treated to a 20,000 foot view of 14,400 Mt Rainier snow-capped in all her glory. ‘The mountain’ stands supreme over Puget Sound and its surrounding communities. It’s still clear and there are no clouds to hinder the view.  We land safe and sound at Sea-Tac airport after coming in over Bellevue and Downtown Seattle.

Now generally this is when I race to get my luggage and meet up with the family member providing taxi service that day. However, due to previous obligations or having moved out of town there isn’t anyone close to come pick me up. I have two choices; I could ask family to drive 2 hours one way on a ‘holiday’ Friday during Seattle rush hour or I could spend the day playing tourist in Seattle and take the train to meet up with them later. I chose the latter.

Once I collected my luggage I walked through the parking garage to the Light Rail station. I had chosen to pack light and had my purse and a duffle bag. The kiosks at the station provided a way to buy all the tickets I would need for that day for getting around. It worked out great!  I took the light rail to Downtown Seattle then walked DOWN the three blocks to the waterfront. Two more blocks to the left and I am at Pier 52; the passenger terminal for the Bremerton ferry. Tickets for the ferry are $7.10 from Seattle to Bremerton but Bremerton to Seattle is FREE. How cool is that?! I buy my ticket for the 11am ferry to Bremerton.

Next item on the agenda is food. I’m in Seattle there is great food all around me but its only 1015am. The cool places to eat aren’t open yet. Plus I am on a budget. Subway $5 footlong. Yeah! Not super exciting but I can eat some now and some later and I’m good for the day! I decided to eat outside and enjoy the sights and sounds of the pier and waterfront area. The ferry lanes for the vehicles was below me and I could see large tankers (ships) being loaded with their cargo.  I watch the Kitsap come in to drop off cars, trucks and walk-on passengers and commuters, then take us to Bremerton.

The ferries used on this route are pretty big. It isn’t until you get inside that you realize how wide they are. There is plenty of seating room inside on benches or in booths reminiscent of your favorite diner. The boats have tourist brochures, wifi, a coffee shop and café and some arcade games. But for me the best place on the ferry is the front area; the wind in your face, fresh salty sea air, feeling alive and having an unimpeded view of where you are going. This is where I hang out for the ride all the way over to Bremerton.

As we are about half-way we come across the Kaleetan; she’s the other Seattle-Bremerton ferry. I catch a picture of her in front of Mt. Rainier.  I had overheard someone talk about a park next to the ferry terminal. My plan is to take this ferry back to Seattle then either head to the Seattle Aquarium or go to Pikes Place Market.

We pull up to the terminal and this seagull is making quite a racket. She must be laying an egg or is really upset she has to stay and tend them. It could be a he… I take a look at the park and decide that I want to investigate. Had I done some research on the Bremerton waterfront I would know there are restaurants in the vicinity and that it is right next to the Navy shipyard. 

Harborside Fountain Park isn’t really that big but it has fountains to play in, tables to sit at and a small grassy area. It will be an hour or so before the next ferry comes so I wander around then sit in the grassy area, finish my Subway, share some with a seagull, read, watch the boats go by and just relax. The fountains go off at somewhat regular intervals. There are five of them. The interval seems to be about 45 seconds. The first goes off, then the third, the fifth, second and fourth. The fountains themselves look like the top of submarines.

The perfect foreground for the Puget Sound Naval Station located the other side of the park. There is also a museum but I want to enjoy the perfectness of the sunny summer NW day by sitting outside and absorbing all its glory. It’s too bad the Olympic Mountains are being shy and keep hiding behind the clouds. They provide a stunning backdrop to the Kitsap harbor and Bremerton area.

It’s on the ride back to Seattle that I discover why my Dad wanted to move here when I was growing up. It never happened but not for lack of trying. It has an abundance of beauty, from the beautiful waters of Puget Sound to the picturesque Olympic Mountains. I could live here. I really think I could. That includes the foggy, rainy days that seem to go on without end. The beautiful, warm summer days make all those feelings of dreariness disappear. The whole feeling is just uniquely northwest. If you happen to visit Seattle on one of those days you’ll know why people choose to live here. (hahaha all this coming from a person who has chosen to live in a land-locked, dry, desert-y state LOL)

The way back to Seattle we pass the Kitsap going to Bremerton. I catch a picture of a sailboat going under Mt Rainier. It’s a pretty good picture considering the cheap camera. The clouds have cleared up a little over the Olympics. One of the cruise ships docked in Seattle has left as well. I can see it moving north towards the San Juan Islands.

We dock back at Pier 52. It’s hard to believe it’s already 3pm. I retrace my path back to the Light Rail so I can back track a couple stations to pick up the Sounder to Everett. This means I have to walk the three blocks back UPHILL. Oye. I think I might pass out about half-way through the second block. It’s a killer because it is mostly stairs. I make it on the train after almost getting on the wrong light rail and having problems finding the train station since it’s a couple blocks away from the (underground) light rail station. The train hugs the shore of Puget Sound on its way to Everett. We pass the cruise ship that had left port earlier and see an aircraft carrier parked at the Puget Sound Naval Complex. We also pass Shipwreck Beach.

Let me back track to this morning. I turned off my nifty smartphone (with all my phone numbers, camera and internet access so I could upload photos to facebook throughout the day) before I went through security at the SLC airport. Went to turn it on and it won’t restart. The battery is fine. It is stuck in restart mode and I don’t know how to reset my phone. I try a couple things that I had done when my previous phone (same model MyTouch 3G Slide) went into stupidphone mode. Ugh. No phone. Sigh. Don’t see a T-mobile kiosk at the airport. And have no idea how to find one without my Dex mobile app on my phone. Guess I’ll be without a phone today (and the rest of the trip!). Poo. On the plus side it was nice to be ‘unplugged’ for a few days.

So I arrive at the train station in Everett on time; a little after 5pm. I don’t know my brothers phone number or what kind of car he’s driving so I just find a place and sit. A few minutes later I realize that the area I’m at is for busses; not for passenger pickup. So I walk over to the park and ride lot and don’t see him. Well maybe he’s not here yet so I stand in front of the passenger terminal. 5 minutes, 10 minutes. Ugh. Potty break and I check the pay phone situation. Long distance requires a calling card I don’t have and there’s no guarantee I would be able to get a hold of anyone on the phone numbers I DO know. Crap. So I decide to go back to the front of the building and sit in the shade. I’m there for about 10 minutes when by brother walks up. FINALLY! I’ve been there almost an hour now. I’m tired, frustrated and near tears.

It turns out I did see him in the Park and Ride lot earlier but because he had his head down and it was shaved again so I didn’t recognize that view of him. Oye. Stupidphone. Glenn and his family live in Sultan. It is a tiny town along Highway 2; a two lane road that runs through some of the prettiest mountain scenery in the North Cascades winding through Bavarian themed Leavenworth, scenic Cashmere and coming out in Central Washington. It’s Holiday and Friday rush hour. But it doesn’t take too much time.

While Glenn and Jessica are at the movies I am watching the two boys who are also watching a movie in the tv room. The girls are at a birthday party. After a yummy dinner of baked salmon with spinach salad it’s time to make food to take to the beach tomorrow; marinated brussel sprouts and tortilla pinwheel rollups.

The brussel sprouts are easy enough. Cook the brussel sprouts then put them in a container with canned whole mushrooms and a bunch of Italian dressing. Let it marinate overnight mixing it up occasionally to get everything coated.  Note: use CANNED mushrooms; not fresh. The other fun treat is really yummy. Take a brick of cream cheese and about 1c sour cream. Mix it together til it’s all blended. Add some taco seasoning, 1-2c shredded cheddar, a can of chopped pimentos, diced green chiles, chopped olives and diced green onions. Mix it all together then spread it out on flour tortillas. Roll the tortillas up then wrap each tortilla with plastic wrap. Let it set up overnight in the fridge. Then cut them into 1/3 inch slices. Quite tasty!

It was kind of a busy day but didn’t feel hectic; which was nice because vacations aren’t supposed to be hecticJ