A Sad Goodbye to Snohomish

We sold our house in Snohomish. We've been trying to sell it for more than 3 years.  Funny thing ... when you give it away, everyone wants it.

It cost us alot of money, and it comes bittersweet. Selling this house will get my husband home from Iraq...

This house is where we became a family, and where we brought baby Ripley home.

It's where my son grew and became a man.  Here are his height marks on the wall.

Selling this house is a huge weight removed from us.  I feel like "we held on till the bottom".  We kept saving to pay the difference, but it was sinking faster than we could save. 

It finally took a good turn of Biotech to help us.

I'm saddened to lose my connection to Snohomish.  To lose the house that is 2 miles from my sister, and 10 miles from my brother.  Hopefully as I no longer make these payments I will come to appreciate it more.

Or

Maybe I'll just go buy an MDX to make myself feel better.  :-)

Jamestown Settlement, 1607

"In the Beginning, All America Was Virginia."
- William Byrd, 1732

"In 1607, 13 years before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, a group of 104 English men and boys began a settlement on the banks of Virginia's James River. They were sponsored by the Virginia Company of London, whose stockholders hoped to make a profit from the resources of the New World. The community suffered terrible hardships in its early years, but managed to endure, earning the distinction of being America's first permanent English colony."

They came in on 3 very small boats (it took 4 months)

I hope she is a better navigator than her father and I.

The making of a fishing net.

Erika at the Battlefields

Roger and Erika went to Gettysburg Battlefield.

and I took her to Manassas Battlefield.

It's a RedNeck party.

The neighbor threw a "Redneck Birthday Party"

The hostess

The dinner

The band (and livestock)

The appetizer

The drinks

The Birthday boy in stripes (it was a suprise)

Spenser and Erika visit Washington's Home

Spenser and Erika went to Mt Vernon for Easter.

http://www.mountvernon.org/

Washington's Distillery

A Sunny Sunday Ride

I put in 30 miles today (in 2 trips).

We also got Erika on the back with Roger.

Angie's first ride.

So I've been out on my motocycle 3 times now.

The 1st time I did about a mile on gravel, and I was scared to death.

The second time I did 3 miles on gravel and pavement.

Last week I did 16 miles on the real road.  Only had two close calls, and one that really freaked me out a bit.  I did get up to about 45 mph and in 3rd gear.

I'm way freaked out.  I have a hard enough time keeping 4 wheels out of the ditch!

Ed Foster, our friend.

Our friend Ed Foster was murdered in Yakima on Tuesday.

He was beaten during a robbery at the store were he was a clerk.

Ed was 70 years old.

We met Ed because he purchased Ripley's sister from us, and later adopted Ripley's mom Kate and gave her a wondeful home for her last couple of years.  Ed had to have Kate put down this past fall.

Spenser spent a week or two in the summers with Ed and went to a camp at the Vashon Sportsmen's club on Vashon Island.  Ed took the week off work to help the next generation learn about firearms, safety and conservation. We often went out to the club to shoot and hang out with him.

Ed retired a few years ago from his software job and moved to Yakima.

The man that murdered Ed is now in custody, thanks to surveillance video.

Ed, Thank you for your friendship - and the mentoring you gave my son.
We will miss you.

Bentley's Forever Home.

Bentley actually went to his forever home 2 weeks ago. We went to visit him this past weekend.

He and Ollie had a good time "catching up"

This is Ollie meeting Bentley's new best bud "Trooper"

Bentley now has 4 new brothers. Sam: a 16 year old pointer, Morgan: a 12 year old pointer, Joey: a 5 year old blind Maltese, and Trooper a 2 year old blind GSP pointer

Bentley's "job" is to become Troopers eyes, and his best buddy throughout their lives.  Their mother already reports that Trooper is much more confident when running next to Bentley and that Bentley already comes back to him to play.

Actually ... it sounds like they rough house all the time!

Bentley's job was to help me find a way to start healing after losing Ripley. He was a good boy and we quickly fell in love with him. He was alot like Ripley. I knew if Bentley didn't go to a new home within the next week or two, that he wasn't ever going to go anywhere.

He's in a great situation, and I couldn't be happier for them all.

Be a good boy Bentley
and thanks for helping me to smile again.

... and so we are again "stuck" with the screwed up one.  Who I might add caused us to stop at a car wash on the way home to pressure wash out the INSIDE of the truck. 

A Boston Bean Pot

While in Boston, I started to see these Bean Pots around so I to research them.

Rumor has it that THIS is the way you have to cook baked beans ... that this pot makes the difference.

So imagine how thrilled Roger was when I told him that he had to take me back to the Inn so that I could buy a 50 dollar pot to cook beans in. :-)
I now have an official Boston Baked Bean pot ... and a recipe book with 75 bean recipes. I'm finally excited to cook!

The Oldest Operating Inn in America

Longfellows Wayside in Sudbury, MA has been operating since 1716.

Much of the Inn remains original and feels like it is 300 years old.

They have a small bar, and several small rustic dining rooms as well as updated rooms.

The food wasn't great, but it was a nice atmosphere - and I bought my "Original Boston Beat Pot" there.

http://www.wayside.org/about

The Inn also operates a Grist Mill.  It's not even 100 years old (it was rebuilt to resemble the original)... but it's kinda cool looking.

Fenway Park

Roger and I are spending a few days in Boston.  I've never been to Boston - but Fenway Park was on the top of my list of things to see.

They are replacing the field at Feway right now, so I didn't get great pictures.

(There was an ice rink in the field)

But I did get to sit in the Green Monster seats

As well as to sit in the oldest seats in all of baseball.

Outside the park.

Loudoun on Top Again

Loudoun Co is again the wealthiest county in the nation.

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/108999/americas-richest-counties

I need to move.

Dogs don't need clothes

Everyone knows that I am not a fan of clothes on dogs.

We have a hunting neoprene vest that we've used (we used it this year when we had Bentley out in the snow), and some use them for protection while hunting.
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But dogs have their own coat, and don't need clothing.

Well, let me eat my words .... again.
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We've been dealing with a hot spot on Ollie for months now. He scratches it with his foot so a big collar won't help. We got him a shirt to cover it, and to keep medication on it.

It's kinda cute ... it's a baseball jersey.