Monday, July 26, 2010

Last post...

My parents have a large berry patch with Cascade, Logan and Boysenberries. The jam they make from it is amazing. The last afternoon we were there, Addi and I went up to eat some off of the vine.
And then there was the crab. There is nothing like fresh crab, eaten the day it is caught. I prefer a toasted crab sandwich. So good. That water looks pretty gross, it is because it's the water the crab is cooked in. The crab is delicioso.

Eagles and an Oreo

So, while the kids and I were hanging out outside, the eagles that live on my parent's property decided to make an appearance. This is Addi and the 40 foot bluff we are constantly trying to keep the kids away from.
And then all of a sudden, here is one of the parents with a crow. They were both diving for dinner.
And then there is Bubba with an oreo...
...and one of the baby eagles on the branch on the right side of the tree.
And then both of the parents flew overhead. Crazy.
And then later that night, one of the baby eagles, who had yet to leave it's nest yet, got stuck on one of the branches below the nest. My dad and I watched for about a half hour as both of the parents tried to coax the eagle off of the tree. I went inside, but by the morning, the baby was off of the branch, hopefully he had a safe first flight.

Corned Beef

My Grandma's corned beef gets a post of it's own. It was a special request of mine. For years and years and years, my grandparents would drive all the way to downtown Seattle to go to this little butcher shop to buy this special corned beef. So, one of the last times my mom was in Seattle, she picked up a few of them so we could have some when I was there. It was just like I remembered it. Amazing. I am so skeptical to buy or try corned beef anywhere else, because I am afraid it will not measure up to this corned beef. So we had a traditional meal of my grandma's with curried fruit and scalloped potatoes, the dishes we grew up on (and were chubby kids because of). Also, while I was there, I went searching through my grandparent's basement for some hidden treasures. And treasures I did find. I came home with a krumkake and rosette (both Norwegian pastries) iron, vintage fabric, recipes for lefse and kanekabrod, and a set of baby spoons that were my great grandma's.

Von's First Boat Ride

Addi loves the boat. Everyday, she would go check the crab and shrimp pots with my dad.
Von was not a fan of the life jacket. Once we got going, he did really well. I thought he might freak out because of the noise, (he still jumps everytime we open or shut our garage door) but he did great.
Addi driving the boat...
...and then sleeping behind the wheel. She is really sound asleep.
He was into "driving" it.
I can't believe how big she is getting. While we were there, she was in the tub and she asked me, "Mom, can I call you Alisa? I'm over calling you Mommy." She is 4 going on 14.
This is what we call the wind blown look.

Home Sweet Home

While I was in Idaho, my kids were with my parents on Camano Island. Addi loves it there, they live on the water and have plenty of property to play on.
Our sweet boy.
There is a new park on the island, so we had to check it out.
I grew up in a little Scandinavian community, so it would only be appropriate that the playground be built as a Viking ship.

Reunion

Last week I made the trek back to Idaho to get together with six of my old roommates from Ricks. We met in Garden Valley for four days of catching up. It was awesome. We didn't do much. I slept until noon everyday, and then napped. We floated the river, played cards and Dr. Mario and ate. Just like the good old days. We all should have earned degrees in cards and Dr. Mario, because I think we spent more time doing those things than studying. Between the seven of us we now have 22 kids with 2 on the way. The best part about it is that 10 plus years later being together is just as good as when we were kidless and carefree.
We didn't take many pictures, although I did get this gem of Carrie, aka "future member of the NRA." You know you are in Idaho when there are loaded guns in the closets, "just in case."