Trick or Treat

It's interesting seeing these two children grow up. A month ago they actively played together and chased each other. They have now reverted to playing along each other and not with each other. It does leave me wondering what the future holds for each of them and how their friendship will alter as each of them change. Will they remain in contact through the years? What direction will each take when they proceed to higher education.

This year Ben was an astronaut for Halloween. On the Friday before the 31st, downtown closes the roads to vehicle traffic so children can visit the local shops and acquire "Tooth Loosen-er." Ben had his first taste of candy so we walked to Whitman College to release his burst of energy. Ben walked ahead of us, well, mostly ran ahead while kicking the pile of leaves along the sidewalks. It's fascinating to see how cautious girls tend to be in comparison to perpetual motion.. I mean, my son or boys in general. As we approached a side street, Ben began to run and she immediately grabbed him to prevent him from crossing the road without looking both ways. I quickly captured a photo of the moment and rushed to help her detain Ben.

"Ben!" I said in firm voice. "You need to listen to her." He immediately looks at her and in a sincere voice says, "Sorry."

It's nice to see how she cares about his safety at such a young age.

125th Anniversary

This excursion was miserable. Through out the trip I wish I could've had a paper and pen to vividly describe our odyssey as it evolved. We began questioning our trip as we drove off our driveway since we all felt under the weather. Given the fact that I have a niece in California and I am occasionally stubborn... well, I was determined to see her. We had hope to reach Klammath Falls on our first leg of the trip yet I was unable to proceed past Bend, OR since my health began to decrease as the evening advance. We slept for 3 hours in a Walmart parking lot alongside other travelers and got back on the road at 3 am. I only lasted an hour from driving and fortunately found a rest area were I obtain an additional 3 more hours of sleep. Obviously we had begun our trip on the wrong foot.

Traci felt terrible the following day and the reckless drivers of the Golden State didn't help us feel better. Through out the day I hummed the melody to the hymn that says, "We have this hope that burns within our heart!" Somehow, I could relate to the words as I hoped for that moment when we would stop driving and reach the small haven known as Yosemite National Park. We reached the park shortly after dusk and immediately our health's felt alleviated from being back in nature. The lighted Curry Village welcome sign immediately brought back memories from my younger days and the smell of pine trees reassured me that the 20 hours of driving had finally paid off. On Thursday we explore Tuolumne Meadows since the fire department was conducting control fires in Yosemite Valley. Ben fell asleep on the way up but was anxious to run and play in the rain when he woke up. Fortunately Traci felt a bit better from the previous day but I felt miserable with a head cold. Despite our illnesses, the panorama view of the undisturbed mountains kept our minds distracted and we had a great time walking around Tenaya Lake and seeing the back side of Half Dome from a distance. Without a doubt it was worth the drive especially since we avoided the crowds of people and even got to see a bear dash across the road.

On Friday we drove to Fresno to spend time with my grandma. Several family and friends dropped by with food and we had a great time catching up. As always my grandma and I talked to the early hours of the morning until I admitted to her that I was exhausted and needed sleep despite that I wanted to continue talking. It's always nice to visit with her and be reminded of my past, childhood and the history of my family.

I was unhappy that the visit with my grandma needed to be cut short since we are unable to make the trip home in one day. We began our trip back home at 9am and headed straight to Yosemite National Park to have lunch at Curry Village with Tio Joaquin and Tia Amanda. Ben enjoyed eating half of the pizza while the four adults divided the other half. It was with great sorrow that we said our farewells to the park that had been our refuge from the wonderful California drivers. Our intent was to spend the night at Klammath Falls yet we staggered to Shasta Lake and spent the night at a rest area. The following day was about getting home. We enjoyed a great sunrise on the road as Black Butte rose above the clouds.

There are days that I dislike living in Washington State, not to mention, living in a town that is getting to big for my liking. Then there are weeks where I feel stuck and would like to experience something new for a change. Although I enjoy owning my 57 Chevy and a house with plenty of family history, I sometimes feel that I am a prisoner to my possessions. Yet it wasn't long ago that I was living in an apartment and praying to have a little place to call my own. It's far to easy to see where I would like to be in life and not as fun to see where I was just at. Some people would refer to The Jones. In any case, upon seeing the Columbia River as we made our way home, we both agreed that living in Washington is not all that bad. Think about it: amazing apples, sweet onions, Chinook Salmon, longest Rail-to-Trail, a Rain forest, Big Foot, etc... It could be worse. I could be living in the state I just came from... No offense.

Time for a Haircut!

I had to ask a few vital questions to the stranger that walked into my house last night to make sure that it was the correct Traci. It could've been a robot in disguise. She past the quiz when she began mentioning Jeep models that are on my top 5 list. Well done...

Learning is Fun

I have been meaning to post these few pictures for a while now but keep being distracted. I don't have a story to go along with the pictures yet as I look at them, it fascinates me how much Ben has changed in 3 months. I can see why many parents miss out on the younger days of their children years since life becomes abundantly interrupted everywhere we turn. Today, is a great example for myself. My goal is to simply wash the dishes and tidy up the living room yet it's past 9 pm and there are still a few remaining dishes in the sink. This morning he sat on the living room floor browsing his book of trucks and tractors quietly waiting while I completed a few tasks. I realize that it's good to teach him patience but I much rather read books with him than to wash dishes or clean my house. It's fun to see his excitement in learning about things all around us or how he begins to put two thoughts together to solve a problem. Kids are great in a every way. Ben has such an eagerness to learn for the sake of gaining knowledge and not because it will bring him a reward, praise or money.

So about the pictures, this is the neighbor girl whom Ben is great friends with. She had just acquired her John Deere Gator and was excited to take him around the neighborhood. Ben kept wanting to grab the wheel but she promptly pointed to grab on to something else because there can only be one driver at a time, in which he complied but kept forgetting after a few minutes. Anyhow, yesterday I had a small conversation with Ben and I thought it should go on the record about a key chain laser light.

B: I need my wittle wite... I need to find my wittle wite.
J: Hmm, sorry Ben. I don't understand you.
B: My wittle wite
J: Oh!
B: I see what you mean.
J: Your little light!

If only I had a camera rolling each time he brightens my day.

What's that mean?

B: Let's go downstairs!
J: Actually, do you want a slice of bread?
B: Huh? What's that mean?
J: It means that you are going to eat some bread.
B: Oh yeah, that sounds good!!!

Toy Catalog

We received a catalog from Toy's R Us in the mail and I'm not sure that Ben is aware that the items can be purchased. Regardless, he enjoys spending time flipping through the pages. I wonder what he thinks about each time he picks up that catalog.

7th Anniversary: Long Beach, WA

Each year Traci and I make an effort to get out of town and celebrate our anniversary. Since we had seen Ben's excitement when we visited Venice Beach last Christmas, it was decided to make a trip to the coast. We got on the road once Traci got home from work on Friday and drove until we reached the small town of Boardman along the freeway. There in Boardman, we fueled up the car and also nmade a quick pit stop for Ben. We cut Ben lose at a park nearby to release his stored up energy and found out that it was a water park; that meant the fun had just begun. Ben had a great time getting wet and stomping on the jet's of water shooting from the ground and we had a good laugh. Our unexpected stop had turned into a hilarious good time, yet after all, the goal of the trip was to have fun and so far... so good.

Coincidentally our anniversary weekend paired up with the local car show. There were over 800 cars registered and that didn't include the cars driving up down the peninsula. We were amazed at how many 'Cudas, Hellcats and Challengers we saw; a great treat for any Mopar enthusiast. Interestingly a huge number just drove up and down the peninsula and the locals took a seat by the road to watch them drive by. An alternate way of seeing cars and not lose any calories I suppose.

Our Anniversary fell on Sunday so we made an effort to make the most of it. We drove on the beach to begin our day and headed down to Astoria were we saw one lonely elk grazing along the road. Ben fell asleep during the drive so we adjusted our plans accordingly and instead played around the old St. Mary Church along hwy 101. It's always fascinating to read how huge of an impact the white settlers had on the Native Americans and how resourceful the natives had become in creating shelters, hunting or surviving the seasons. There is a plethora of historical information around the church but Ben was not having any of it. The canoes had to be explored, the pathway had to be examined and to keep the canoe afloat, the Frisbee had to be thrown overboard. It's moments like these that I am happy to see that an anniversary doesn't translate to a vacation from him. Or as Traci says, "It's just me and the boys." But anyhow, after playing around the church and having a late brunch with the family, we proceeded to the beach to build sand castles. I'm not sure where his fascination of destroying the castle came from but he couldn't get enough of it. The dump truck came in handy as it was essential to relocated sand around the beach. To end the day, we visited the town of Seaside where Ben enjoyed riding in a carousel and Traci's cousin treated us to a Mexican restaurant for supper. We had great weather through out the day and questioned why we didn't live closer to the beach.

We began our journey back home early on Monday morning since it would likely take us the whole day. We began by driving several miles down the beach and letting Ben jump in the water once last time before saying goodbye to the beach. He was excited to spend the entire day at the beach and finally had to promise him ice cream to divert his attention to leave the beach yet he fell asleep once we got back in the car. Anyhow, we traveled a bit on either side the of the Columbia river and eventually crossed the river 5 times. We even caught a ferry to cross the river! Quite exciting. We took the opportunity to stop by Bonnevile Dam to see the Chinook Salmon swim up river and that really got Ben all stirred up. Not to mention that he also got to see a few long BNSF trains zoom down the gorge. Once again we milked a 6 hour trip to a 11 hours because after all, what's the big rush? I'm spending time with two pretty neat individuals.

So after seven years I wonder when will I get tired of spending time with Traci and begin acting like a 44 year old married couple. Personally, I'm not too excited of the term "wife." After all, it's ridiculously easy to sign a marriage certificate and both partners don't even have to like each other. Why is it that we can laugh at the term, "Ball and Chain?" No seriously? But in reality, my best friend 7 years ago was Traci and the one I desired to make happy above my own happiness. She is considerate, loyal, patient, rarely complains, thoughtful, attentive, respectful, loving, kind, trustworthy, and the list goes on. Yet even if one day I lose her personality traits to Alzheimer or Dementia, she will still be the one I long to make happy. She is my best friend and far more than I deserve.