The Tulip Fields

We stayed overnight in Anacortes with friends, and when we drove home today we took our usual route through the back fields between Anacortes and the freeway exit at Conway. That takes us by some of the tulip fields, so we got to see some tulips after all. Enjoy!

License Plate Fun from the Tulip Rallye

Here are a couple of the more interesting license plates we saw at the rallye.

MG Car Club NW Tulip Rallye

Yesterday Phil and I took the Miata up to the Skagit Valley to participate in the 32nd annual Tylip Rallye sponsored by the MG Car Club NW. This is the time of year when the tulip fields in the Skagit Valley are in bloom and the Tulip Festival is held to facilitate the many people who flock there to see the tulips. This was Phil's second car rallye and my first. Given the rallye's title, we naturally expected to be driving through the tulip fields. Instead, we and the 250+ other cars that came were sent on an interesting series of minor and a few short stretches of major roads to the east of Mt. Vernon. We had a seven page guide full of directions and puzzles to answer by finding the things along our route. We missed a number of the puzzle questions, and by the time we finished four hours later, my eyes were tired from squinting to try to read road signs and look for the various items around and on houses and buildings that helped us answer the puzzles. We didn't miss any turns, which was good, because much of the time we had no idea where we were! We explored the tiny towns of Hamilton, Lyman and Concrete, as well as many hills, dales and lengths of the Skagit River around them. It was fun, and lots of different kinds of cars participated, including several that were not all all sports cars (an old Plymouth Fury, a couple of Range Rovers, and a few regular old vans and station wagons). Here are a few pictures of cars at the rallye. I'll do a separate post of a couple of fun license plates.

Alton's new home -- part 2

Here are views of the living room, the dining room with my dad, Charita the caregiver, and Joan, another resident. The final two views are of Alton's bedroom. He says he likes the view of the nice trees outside his bedroom window. We shall see how it goes.

Alton in his new home--part 1

Yesterday and today I got my dad moved into his new home. Yesterday we got the furniture moved. Today I got the pictures hung, the element that is most important to him feeling "at home." I'm hoping that the pictures will help him feel a little better oriented to his new environment. it's very difficult to go someplace new when you have dementia. As you will see, it looks a bit like his previous apartment, though this is just a bedroom, and smaller than his studio apartment.

The pictures begin from the outside parking area. You open the gate to the right of the garage and walk down the pathway, shaded by bamboo and plants on the right. Outside the house is a small deck where the residents can sit on sunny days. I gather they like to barbecue out here. The house is situated on a wooded ravine with a creek running through the back of the property, so there's a nice view from the deck.

Proud Grandpa and Siren

Got to have a picture of Grandpa and his new granddaughter, Siren.

Family dance

Guy and Joahnna had a fun dance with Luc and Siren. unfortunately my camera was not quite up to the task of capturing them in motion, but you can get the idea.

Playground fun

Luc and his Dad had a great time at the playground yesterday.

A 3 generation truck wash

Phil and Guy embarked on washing Guys truck, and again Luc was the helper. Initially a little overawed by the hose, Luc soon adapted and gave his best.

Juicing with a little helper

We are enjoying our stay in Santa Clara, especially catching up with the developmental skills of our two grandchildren. Luc had a great time helping his mom juice a bunch of fruits and vegetables, and enjoying the end results. This child eats and drinks EVERYTHING!

Charmed again in Naples

I've missed a few days of posting and now we are homeward bound, so time to catch up. We spent the middle days of last week in the community of Naples, tucked inside of Long Beach, visiting our friends Ken and Jean Frost. I always enjoy our time there because of the charming setting of houses alongside curved canals. Here is a picture of the canals and also of Ken and Jean.

In Maricopa with Ed and Helen Dolan

We enjoyed a lovely two days with Ed and Helen Dolan, who lived in an oasis in the desert, named Province, in the city of Maricopa. We had our own little "casita" to sleep in, a separate bedroom/bath unit not part of the house. The grounds were lovely to explore on my morning walks. I've included a picture of the man built lake by the clubhouse (they use reclaimed water to fill it), the casita, and Ed and Helen.

Maricopa, Phoenix and the Heard Museum

Sunday afternoon we arrived in Maricopa, AZ, a bit southwest of Phoenix, to visit with Ed and Helen Dolan. Ed was my boss at Bellevue community College for several years, and has remained a friend. He and Helen spend their winters in Arizona and return home for summers in their original home of Chicago, where we also have visited them. Today Phil and I spent a wonderful day at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, with its superb collection of southwest Indian arts. Phil said it was the first time he'd spent an entire day in a museum that didn't have any weapons. And he enjoyed it!

Picture include the courtyard of the original Heard Museum (now greatly expanded), an enchanting sculpture of a woman "floating" titled "Woman in Love" and a pair of sculptures from the museums current entry courtyard.

Bisbee--Canyon Mining Town

Way south, at the border between Mexico and Arizona, is the small town (population 6000) of Bisbee. A mining town, it now hosts a combination of artists, people still involved in mining, and tourists. It is a town of steep hills and LOTS of stairs. We stayed in a charming small hotel called the Bisbee Grand. Nice room, far enough back in the hotel that the band playing in the bar below did not keep us awake. We also did a tour of the underground Queen City mine that is no long in production. My stepbrother Gregg and his partner Laurie were there for a month, so we joined them for a couple days and had a great time. One visit is enough, however.

The pictures include me outfitted for the underground mining tour, Gregg, Laurie and Phil at breakfast on our parting day, and a shot of the open pit mine just outside of town.