Spirit Lake at Mount St. Helens, Washington - July 18, 2015

Jeff and I hiked from the Johnston Ridge Observatory to Spirit Lake - approximately 7.7 miles.

 We enjoyed eating some wild huckleberries along the way.  We also saw wild salmon berries but didn't know what they were until later so didn't eat any of them.

  Spirit Lake was so beautiful and worth the agony to get there on a very hot day - 90 degrees.  The white in the water looks like snow or ice but it's the trees that were killed at the time Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.

 It was so fun to see this cute fawn just watching us as we took pictures.  The wildflowers around it are beautiful.

These little chipmunks were having fun playing.  We saw lots of chipmunks while we hiked.  This was the hardest hike I've done in years!  I won't be doing it again soon!

Mirror Lake and Little Crater Lake, Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon - July 11, 2105

 Jeff and I hiked about 3.5 miles to Mirror Lake.  The water was like glass.

 The wildflowers were beautiful.

 A bee on the flower

A picture of me by Mirror Lake.  It did reflect just like a mirror.

 Then we walked to Little Crater Lake.  It wasn't far enough from the parking lot to consider it a hike.

 The aqua-blue color was so beautiful. 

This lake is made by an artesian spring.

Two beautiful lakes....

At Home With Charity - July 6, 2015

On my last day with Charity, we shopped for pillows and pictures to match this area rug in my family room.  We found pillows but decided to duplicate some of my photos for pictures so I bought two picture frames instead.

I also tried on all the clothes in my closet and made piles for what to keep, what to give away, and what to donate.  I got rid of more than I kept.  It was really nice to get my closet cleaned up.

Charity also helped me sell one of my beds since I had an extra from buying myself a new mattress.  It was nice to get an extra $100 for it from my craigslist ad.

We had dinner at Killer Burger and that was fun.  I was really sad to have the weekend end.  She left at 6 am Tuesday morning and we both returned to work after having a fantastic time together!  I sure love my daughter!

Richland, Washington and the Drive Back to Vancouver, Washington - July 5, 2015

Sunday morning we woke up early and took a short walk along the Columbia River.

I was so happy to be spending the weekend with my wonderful daughter.  We had such a fun time.  We talked and laughed and laughed some more.

We attended this LDS Church for Sacrament Meeting.

On the way home, we stopped at Burgerville and Charity enjoyed a Triple berry shake.

Later that evening, we went to Randy and Susan's house and had a good visit with them.

Road Trip From Vancouver, Washington, to Richland, Washington - July 4, 2015

Charity and I left early Saturday morning and drove east on Highway 14 along the Columbia River enjoying the beautiful scenery.

I was dressed festive for the 4th of July holiday.

We stopped at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington to have breakfast.  We both had delicious meals - I had fresh basked biscuits and gravy (velvet style sausage gravy).  Charity had Challuah French toast - challah bread dipped in vanilla bean batter & grilled to perfection, served with whipped butter & berries!  It was divine!

For lunch, we treated ourselves to lunch at a nice restaurant on the Columbia River.  This was our view from our table by the window.

Charity had fish & chips and we shared a spinach salad.  It was so good!

We drove by the Columbia River Temple in Richland.

We also drove around Kennewick and Pasco.  In addition we looked at housing in Richland as Charity was considering a job opportunity there.

We stayed at a very nice Hampton Inn in Richland with a view of the Columbia River.  We enjoyed the sunset as we waited for the fireworks.

We saw a few fireworks and enjoyed a dinner with baked chicken and salads from the deli on our patio.  It was a really fun day and also exhausting.  It was over 100 degrees.  It was so fun to spend the holiday together.

A Look at the Past - Pasco, Washington - July 4, 2015

While Charity and I were visiting the Tri-Cities, we drove to Pasco, to see the house where we lived in 1982.  This was the first house that Casey lived in after he was born.  Shortly after he was born we moved to Federal Way, Washington.  This house is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, and just over 1,000 sq ft.  It was in much better condition when we lived there.

This is the LDS Church we attended in Pasco on 20th Court.  This is where we were when Mount St. Helens erupted in May 1980 and the ash started falling from the sky.

This is a picture of Kadlec Hospital in Richland, Washington, where Jason and Casey were born.

The End and The Beginning - July 3, 2015

On Friday morning, Paisley and I had a lovely walk on the beach as we woke up before everyone else.  We picked up shells and crab claws.  Paisley looks so beautiful in this picture.

Then we had breakfast and packed up.  I was sad to go home alone when they left for California.  It was a super fun week together and I'm so very grateful that I could join them on their road trip from Kalispell, Montana, to Cape Meares, Oregon.  It was so fun!  Thanks Jason, Ashley, Paisley, Spencer, Audrey, and Emme for all the great memories!

A few hours after I returned home, Charity flew up from California to spend the 4th of July weekend with me.  We started off by going to dinner on the Columbia River with my dear friend Mo.

The food wasn't that good at Who Song & Larry's but we sat on the patio with a terrific view of the river and enjoyed the evening together.

After doing a little shopping at Costco (bought a blue area rug), we stopped at Sheridan's for custard ice cream.  Yum!!!!!  It was so good.  As you can see from the picture, we had a great time.

Lincoln City/Cape Meares, Oregon - July 2, 2015

 

 We played on the beach in the morning.  Audrey didn't want to leave.

 Jason took Paisley and Spencer kayaking on the lake.

 They had a good time.

Then Paisley went again with Audrey.

 

They had so much fun. 

 Spencer made his other Lego.

 Washing shells in the front yard after picking them up on the beach. 

 Ashley with the kids in front of the rental house

 Emme playing on the bed

 Then we went to the Lincoln City Outlets and the kids each got to select a toy from the Toys-R-Us store with a budget of $15 each.

 Audrey picked a Minnie Mouse item.

 Paisley was excited with her finger nail polish and stuffed animal.

Audrey was excited to get a new outfit that matched Paisley at the Outlets.

 

We drove back to Tillamook and had dinner again at The Fish Peddler.  This is a picture of my yummy shrimp and crab Louie.

 Jason and Audrey walking on the beach.

 Spencer picking up shells on the beach.

 Paisley and Audrey on the beach at sunset. 

 

The beach at sunset

Jason with Paisley, Spencer, and Audrey at sunset.  We had such a fun time.

I shared a room with Paisley, Spencer, and Audrey.  It was so cute seeing them beside their pillows instead on them.  I felt guilty sleeping in the bed while they slept on the floor.