ToadMama – Page 36 – ToadMama.com

April 26, 2016April 26, 2016

Fun with Family

Our time in Washington went by way too fast. But isn’t that always the case when you are enjoying yourself immensely?

Eric (youngest kid) and his wife Kelsey weren’t able to join us in Washington. Shannon (eldest) and her boyfriend, Chris, flew up from San Diego for the weekend. Amy’s husband, TJ, had to work during the day on Saturday and Sunday (he’s in the Army), but we did get to see him in the evenings.

We didn’t do a whole lot besides hang out and enjoy each other’s company both days. It was awesome.

We didn’t need to do anything, really, besides just relax, chat, laugh, carry on a bit, etc. It was perfect. Especially since we all live so far away from each other. I would never be one of those parents who insist that their kids stay close geographically just for the parent’s sake. I am a firm believer that your children, when they are adults, need to make their own places in the world. I do miss all of them, as does Hubby, but we try not to dwell on it.

I, of course, had to walk around taking pictures. Who else is going to document events like this?

Some of Joe's art work. — Some of Joe’s art work.

I couldn’t help but smile at Joey’s creations.

Meanwhile, back downstairs…

I’m not sure if that’s a Rose of Sharon tree (in their front yard), but it sure is pretty. Especially with the blue-sky backdrop.

Since the sky was so clear, I decided to borrow Amy’s car and drive about seven minutes to a place from which I know Mount Rainier is easily seen. I never get tired of seeing that mountain.

Yes, I zoomed in to capture that photo. The mountain is not as close as it appears. Also, I was sort of shooting into the sun, which is why the sky behind the mountain looks so gray.

Saying “the mountain is out” (referring to Mount Rainier) is the local way of saying it’s a pretty day.

When I got back to the house, I was tickled to see Amy sewing.

She apparently also favors using a machine that was built before she was born. (She borrowed the 70’s era machine from a neighbor friend.)

The Grand Kids - Brianna (15), Joe (8), and Gaige (12) — The Grand Kids – Brianna (15), Joe (8), and Gaige (12)

Joe did have a baseball game in the early afternoon, so we all went to watch. Brianna had lacrosse practice, too.

Interesting weeds. — Interesting weeds at the ball field.

That little guy LOVES baseball.

He’s very focused, can you tell?

After the sports stuff, Shannon, Amy and I did some shopping for lunch and dinner fixin’s, adult beverages, and some other local specialty items.

Then, after lunch, we got to sit outside and test TJ’s special beer coozies.

The hand-shaped coozies were fun, but wouldn’t a Sasquatch hand be REALLY cool to have? And fitting, given the area.

The next day, Joey made chocolate-chip pancakes for Hubby and I to celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary.

We had to get a family photo or two. I’ve always been able to get the kids to pose nicely by letting them do a goofy shot or two at the end of the session. Chris wasn’t used to that. LOL. The goofy shots often end up being some of my favorites.

Later, Shannon and I decided to walk to the park to watch the sunset.

I absolutely love those orange azaleas, which Shannon and I saw during our walk to Sunset Park. Yes, that’s really the name of the park.

The sunset wasn’t anything extra-special, but we did get a nice view of the mountain bathed in the late-afternoon light.

Mount Rainier as seen from Sunset Park in Auburn

Sunset as seen from Sunset Park in Auburn

It wasn’t long after that when Shannon and Chris had to head to the airport. 🙁

All-in-all, it was a great weekend, even if it was far too short!

Hubby and I have certainly been blessed in so many ways.

April 25, 2016April 25, 2016

ToadMama the Tour Guide

Hey there! We are back at home in Virginia. While it’s good to be home with the girls, we both miss everyone. I try not to dwell on the fact that most of our kids and all of our grand kids live far away from us, but it does sort of suck. So it was really, really nice being able to visit.

Speaking of visiting… I took a special friend along as a surprise.

ToadMama_and_ScooterBob — ScooterBob and My Toadercycle (Thanks, Fuzzy!)

ScooterBob is a wooden scooter that once belonged to Bob Leong, a moto-blogging friend of mine. Bob was a very well-known and well-liked moto blogger (blogged about motorcycle travel and other stuff). The wooden motor scooter earned the name “ScooterBob” the moment it was assigned a globe-trotting mission to meet-up with other moto-bloggers and see the world.

As explained on the Travels With ScooterBob page…

That nomadic far-ranging mission was one Bob had set for himself. He had already ridden his BMW R1200R from coast, to coast, to coast; from his home in Vancouver to Charlottetown, and back. Along the way Bob met moto bloggers, lots of moto bloggers. Some he had already met, others he met for the first time.

Bob was, like the rest of us, an imperfect human being, with some wonderful qualities. Anyone who met him knew him as gentle, humble, kind, thoughtful, generous, and adventurous. Those are the qualities that endeared him to the moto blogging community.

Bob gave the wooden motor scooter to an east coast blogger, which is how it ended up in Montreal, where it stayed for a time. On a whim, and as a prank, the scooter traveled with another moto blogger to Key West. The goal was to surprise Bob when he showed up there on another leg of his mission, only to find that the lowly wooden motor scooter had beaten him to the destination.

Unfortunately, that prank never happened (read about Bob’s unanticipated passing here). There are also some touching tribute posts by other moto-bloggers.

That’s when a special group of moto-bloggers decided to show ScooterBob around the world, sharing places and things Bob Leong would have loved. Sharing those adventures on Bob’s very own blog.

As luck would have it, ScooterBob arrived in Virginia the day before we flew to Washington. I was so excited to finally get my turn!

When I started blogging many years back, I had a blog called Appalachian Tours. That’s how Bob found me. He was one of the first moto-bloggers who reached out to me, and it was Bob who brought me into the fold. He introduced me to an amazing group of like-minded people, many of whom I proudly call “friend.”

The last time Bob and Yvonne were in my neighborhood, we were supposed to meet. I couldn’t get away from work. There were deadlines looming and not enough time. Bob was very gracious and understanding, saying that he’d be back in the area next year, and that we could arrange to meet then.

A few weeks later, Bob was gone.

I will always, ALWAYS regret not having made the time to meet him. That regret is what has inspired me to meet as many of you lovely folks as I can. Bob’s memory lives on in many ways. His quirky, warm, sometimes-odd, charming ways have touched many lives. I miss Bob, and I am truly honored to be able to show ScooterBob some adventures in Bob’s honor.

I was even able to suprise three fellow moto-bloggers. We’d all planned to meet up while I was in the area, but they didn’t know I’d have ScooterBob along. (Of course, I only knew for sure a few days ahead of time!)

It was lots of fun showing ScooterBob around and meeting fellow moto-bloggers face-to-face. If you’d like to read about our adventures and see some fun pics, click the links below:

Meet-ups with three other moto-bloggers
A shout-out to Bob
Sights around Victoria, BC, Canada
Some roadside oddities in Puyallup and Tacoma, Washington

I’ll do some posts about our visit with the family soon, I promise.

April 23, 2016

Do You See It?

I can’t help it. I see faces in the oddest places. And once I see one, I can never unsee it. Know what I mean?

She kind of reminds me of the shrunken head character in the movie Beetlejuice.

In other news… I am honored to be hosting my friend ScooterBob for the next few weeks.

I met a couple more moto-bloggers today, and also surprised them with a very special guest. You can read about it HERE if you like.

April 22, 2016April 22, 2016

Girls’ Day Out

I’m sad that we missed the tulip festival we were supposed to attend — Spring came early to Washington this year — but thrilled that Amy and I got to enjoy a mini road trip together. Hours together in the car, on ferries, and enjoying a couple of adult beverages on the deck of a waterfront café then exploring a super-cute town gave us plenty of time to catch up. It was awesome.

Here are some pics from our journey to Port Townsend and back.

Restaurant at the Mukilteo ferry terminal.

Ferry pulling into the terminal at Coupeville.

Leaving Coupeville, view of Fort Casey and the Admirality Head Lighthouse.

Mike and I visited that very spot back in 2013 with our friends Annelies and Yves. Thank goodness Amy and I had MUCH better weather!

IMG_3486_Coast_Guard — View of Port Townsend from the water.

Those are the Olympic Mountains in the background.

IMG_3492_PT_from_Water2 — View of Port Townsend from the water.

IMG_3496_PT_from_Water3 — View of Port Townsend from the water.

IMG_3501_PT_from_Water5 — View of Port Townsend from the water.

IMG_0325_PT — View of Port Townsend from the water.

IMG_0327_PT — View of Port Townsend from the water.

IMG_0317_PT — View of Port Townsend from the water.

IMG_0328_PT — View of Port Townsend from the water.

The weather really was picture-perfect.

IMG_0336_Amy_on_Ferry_2 — Amy on the car deck as we prepared to disembark in Port Townsend.

Amy_in_PT — This waterfront café was a great spot for a lunch break.

PT_Ferry_Dock — Amy’s view from the cafe’s deck.

TNBridge — Tacoma Narrows Bridge with Mount Rainier (taken by Amy)

We really did have a great day out. It was good for both of us. I think Amy really enjoyed being chauffeured around all day. 🙂

I know I certainly enjoyed the company. I miss that kid, who isn’t technically a kid anymore, but who will always be one of my kids. <3

I’ll share some pics of the town in another post.

April 21, 2016

Whirlwind of Activity

Holy cow it’s been a crazy week. But GOOD crazy. Fabulous crazy, really.

A couple of posts ago, I said, “More adventures are on the horizon. Could it involve family, friends, a road trip, airplane rides, surprise visitor(s) , a voyage to another country, a boat ride? Or maybe all of the above? One never knows. I do know, however, that exciting times are definitely ahead.”

In my anniversary post, I meant to enlighten y’all a bit and reveal that we are in Washington, which is where that handsome, pancake-cooking grandson lives. But I forgot. Sorry!

I’m guessing if you follow my Instagram feed, you know — or have been guessing! — where I am. We are in Washington State. Our daughter, Amy, lives outside of Seattle with her husband, TJ, and three kids. Our daughter Shannon and her boyfriend, Chris, flew up from San Diego for the weekend. So we were just a son and daughter-in-law short of having a full house for our anniversary.

It was awesome having everyone together for the weekend.

PT_Trip — We drove this route counterclockwise.

Shannon and Chris left on Sunday evening. On Monday, while the kids were in school, Amy and I set off on a little road trip adventure, choosing to take the scenic route to Port Townsend (PT), a historic seaport town on the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula.

I gave Amy the option of a fast, medium, or slow, scenic ride, with me driving, of course. I was very happy when she chose the scenic route, which involved two ferries and a quick visit to Whidbey Island, one of my favorite locations in the state.

It was really, really nice spending the day with Amy. I don’t get to see her much, since we live on opposite sides of the country and all. 🙁

While we were off on our girls adventure, TJ and Hubby went to the Lemay car museum in Tacoma. Then they went to the Army base to see TJ’s boat (he’s a boat captain). The guys seem to have enjoyed their day as much as us girls did.

I’ll share pics and tell you more about PT later. But first, there’s some other excitement.

Amy and TJ had to go away for a few days, so we are in charge of the kids. Which means we need to be here to chauffeur them around to various activities, make sure they eat, bathe, go to bed on time, don’t kill each other, etc. Hubby and I are both working remotely from here, unless something else comes up.

Most evenings are pretty busy. Wednesday (yesterday) was one of the few days only one kid had any place to be (Brianna had lacrosse practice), so I decided to escape for an adventure.

I drove into Seattle and took the Victoria Clipper (a passenger-only ferry) up to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada for the day.

Victoria is a beautiful city. I took LOTS of pics. But want to know what the highlight of my day was?

Happy hour!

Not just because it was happy hour, but because of who I got to enjoy happy hour with!

Darlene, aka Princess Scooterpie! We’ve been following each other’s blogs for a few years now. I’d been to Victoria previously, but was traveling with friends so wasn’t able to squeeze in a visit. This time, I was very determined to meet this cool lady in the flesh.

She’s every bit as awesome as I knew she would be. Our time together FLEW by. Hopefully, next time we’ll get a couple of days together, instead of two, too-short hours.

I took a ton of pictures in Victoria. It really IS a beautiful city. I’ll share more when I get back home.

But guess what? Tomorrow — Friday — Hubby and I get to meet some more moto-blogger buddies. I really shouldn’t wish my time away, but I have been looking forward to this for quite some time.

I’ll leave you with this for now…

IMG_0388 (2) — Sunset over the Olympic Peninsula

I captured that pic from the back of the ferry as we headed back to Seattle. It was a beautiful end to a fabulous day.

April 17, 2016

A Very Special Day

Twenty-three years ago today, I married the love of my life. It’s been a long road, filled with ups and downs, joy and sorrow, happiness and pain. But it’s been a fabulous ride. Hopefully we’ll have many more years together.

us_in_1992 — Mike and Me, Christmas 1992

Look how young we looked. That picture was taken in 1992, about four months before we tied the knot.

We didn’t make any children together, but together we raised three fabulous kids.

We’ve had lots of fun over the years. And together have shared many adventures, big and small.

10906130_10204674338811476_4187689243506203197_n — Christmas 2014

We’ve enjoyed lots of travel together, too.

525112_4224059833137_61735845_n — Mike and I at the not-so-famous Treviso Fountain.

mike_and_me — Me and Mike upon his completion of his ride around the US.

We are both lucky to have each other. Not only have we been blessed with three children, we have three grandchildren, too.

One of those, Joseph, age 8, made use a special anniversary breakfast this morning.

Chocolate chip pancakes. My favorite.

I am a lucky, lucky lady. I have a beautiful family and a wonderful husband who loves me. I love him right back.

Here’s to many more very happy years. And a whole lot more laughter.