Today's mail brought an unexpected post card from Suzie "and the gang" (I assume Gwen, Mustafa, Amina and Kurt) from London. Unexpected because I didn't know they were gone.
     The picture is a truly impressive one including the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.
     London is just another one of the places we never got to while we were traveling. We saw so many, but the world is so big and we ran out of time when it was fun to travel. Vern and I read over the diaries I kept for our several long trips and enjoy them over again. I'm glad we went when we did.
     In one sentence, Suzie writes, "Weather is overcast (like home)" and I had to laugh, since we have been having a couple of weeks of very hot, sunny days. Very unlike Seattle.

    Yesterday, on our "Monday travel day", I chose a trip to Lynwood and lunch at the Red Lobster. All three of us, Nan, Vern, and I, ordered Shrimp and Lobster Caesar Salad, and enjoyed every bite.

Fish Kiss

     Then, we stopped for a few minutes at Wight's Nursery, where Nan and I prowled the gift shop and found a twirly windsock for our porch.

    Lovely day weatherwise, so Vern and I drove over to Golden Gardens and walked down to the pond. Lots of ducks... even some baby and half-grown ones. It is only about a block, down and back, but seemed much farther in the heat. Stopped at Little Coney and got soft ice cream cones. Big treat!

    Today is Garden Party Day at History House. Purpose: cleaning up the plantings along the outside of the fence. Hildy Lightfoot has agreed to oversee the work party (and do her share of the actual work, if I know my Hildy). I notice there are three Nordstrands on the work list.... Paul, John, and Nan. There are a few non-Nordstrands there, too, for which History House is very grateful.
     Since we know our limitations, Vern and I didn't expect to join the party, but John told us Paul was expecting us and had ordered lunch for us, so who could pass up on that? We went down at lunch time and were glad we did. Lots was accomplished. There were many bulging bags of weeds and yard waste and a good percentage of sweaty bodies to prove a good day's work. Also, that glow of satisfaction for a job well done.
     Paul had ordered a variety of sandwiches from Mom's Brown Bag catering (next door to History House), and they always have a cooler full of pop and bottled water. We were accepted just as though we had been helping. Lots of conversation. Good time.
     I delivered Paul and Liz' and Hildy and Dan's copies of Big Smoke, so now all our kid's families have their issues. I am very proud of this year's volume.

    Dave called Saturday morning and invited us for hamburgers at our favorite hamburger place, Little Coney, at Golden Gardens. He brought Ryan along. They packed our green yard chairs into the back of his car and we sat in the shade of a big tree, watching people as we chomped them down. There was a soft breeze to take the edge off the heat. Wonderful day. Thanks, Dave.

    July 31 is a double birthday in our family. Heather Lightfoot Withrow (our oldest grandchild), Hildy and Dan's daughter, and David's son, Russell. Heather and Thomas are living in Maryland. Russ is taking summer school college classes with National Outdoor Leadership School. Last I heard, he was bound for a 21 day adventure in the Wind River Range in Wyoming.

    Well, that finishes off a very hot month of July, 2004 Anybody besides me praying for rain?

Dixie/Dorothea, Senior Editor

Submitted by Kirby & Maria

    Maria would like you to know she is very very cool! She is having fun with Kirby, and Amina. She is 11 years old (but she is going to be 12 on September 1st.) She was born in Los Angeles, and she misses it. She is Mexican, Native American (Navajo), Philipino, Guatemalan and Hawaiian. Her favorite sport is kickball, or basketball. Her favorite color is black (no matter what her foster Uncle Mike says,) or blue. Her favorite singers (this week) are Twister or Lil' Rob (and Usher) all of whom are Rappers - and shows you what kind of music they are listening to down in Fremont these days.

    Vern went to lunch with several of his Saicom buddies. They meet at Claire's Pantry in Edmonds. This time there were Pat McClain, Bill Sroufe, Roger Miller, and Louie Olson (all the way down from Camano Island). Add to these Jim Laurine, who was never a Saicom, but who is known to all of them, and it was a good time.

    On Thursday, July 1, Hildy brought down a picnic, Dan, Heather, and Thomas. Jack came a little later. John and Nan delayed their planned trip to the Archives to join us, and Dave showed up with Ryan and Russ. It was lots of fun. We put the little, round table at the end of the picnic table and all sat squnched together and had a good, old family get-together.
     Russ stayed on after the others left. He showed us how he will make a poster or map from a plain, white plastic garbage sack so he can stuff it into a pocket to use in the outdoor leadership courses he is taking. He and his Gpa spent a couple of hours discussing mountain climbing and hiking. It was such an unexpected bonus to the picnic.

    Heather and Thomas flew home on Saturday. Uneventful flight, except that one of their bags went somewhere else and was delivered to them the next day. Hildy said she suggested they might want to leave their shadow box from Gma and Nan with her as the two of them would look great against her lavender colored wall. She says they declined her offer and carefully packed it into their stuff to go home with them..... just as she expected.

    Sometime during his visit here, Russ hiked the part of the Pacific Crest Trail that runs from Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass, taking two and a half days to make the trip. He surely does love the mountains.
     He flew home on the 5th, just in time to make another of his summer school hikes.... this one in Montana. After that, he is off on a 21 day jaunt into the Wind River Range of Wyoming with the National Outdoor Leadership School.

    The Fourth of July fireworks this year were the best I've ever seen. As usual, we watched both the ones out over Elliott Bay from Myrtle Edwards Park and those over Lake Union from Gassworks Park. Vern has a great remote action, switching from one channel to the other with great luck at finding ever-increasing drama in the sky. This year, there were many bursts of display meant to look like Saturn with its rings. We never can make up our minds which one to watch, so we watch them both in turns. My favorite part was the Grand Finale from Lake Union, with tremendous burst after burst accompanied by the beautiful voice of Kate Smith singing "God Bless America". No one else can come close to her rendition of that song. Makes your heart beat faster and your eyes fill with tears.

    John and I both submitted stories to Seattle Sun for their August History issue. It will be fun to see if our efforts are both accepted.

    Met our new neighbor living in Camilla's house. Her name is Anne Evans and she is a pretty blonde, college age, attending Bastyr U in Kenmore. Her big, black dog is named Lola. I hope the dog is as friendly as she is.

    Paul and family came for a welcome visit on Friday evening. Chris brought pictures from his graduation and gave me a lovely one of himself and his date. I shall look for another frame so it can go up with the other family pictures..
     At Vern's request, Chris returned on Saturday and worked for Vern for five hours, cutting lawn, weeding, and raking up. He did an excellent job. I think John will be pleasantly surprised not to come home to a big mowing job. It wasn't done last week and he won't be here until next Thursday. It will be like taking up where he left off.

    Dave just called and invited Dad and me to go down to the beach place with him and Anne for a picnic. How wonderful. That will give us a Sunday to remember. It is so lovely down there. (We went, and it was as great as we expected.)

    John and Nan returned from their trip to Coeur d'Alene, with stops on the return in Newport, Tiger, and other points of interest, including the Lavender Festival "downriver" somewhere where they caught up with Lee and Curt. They returned just as smitten (John's word) with that part of the state as before. They found everyone they were looking for except Yvonne Piper, whom they missed by inches. They brought several copies of Big Smoke. Our story is presented beautifully, and I loved reading Lila's story about her husband, John Middleton as he has lived his life along the beautiful Pend Oreille river.

Curt & Lee at the Lavender Festival

Historical Society Picnic

     I have a copy of Big Smoke for each of my kids. You know who you are. If I forget to give it to you, ask me.

Dixie/Dorothea, Senior Editor
(This heat wave is making me feel even more senior than usual)

   We've just had a very busy three weeks, starting with John and Nan fixing a great breakfast for us on Father's Day. Hildy and Dan presented him with two handsome new shirts. Dave continued our subscription to the satellite radio we enjoy so much. Paul was working at History House and selling ice cream, soda, water, and (their big money raiser) used books. He found time to call and have a nice visit with Vern, too, so all our fledglings were accounted for.

    Dave brought Ryan and Russell over and we went for breakfast on Tuesday at Blue Star, where Vern and I can split a Brazilian Omelet with fresh fruit.... my favorite omelet of all. Russ brought some terrific digital pictures of the training trip he completed just before coming here. There were six trainees and it was a 10 day ski trip in 5 - 6,000 feet of elevation in the mountains of southern Colorado. Spectacular pictures. Russ did a very good job of telling us about it, too.

     Heather and Thomas arrived June 25, for a short visit, including a baby shower given by Misty Flowers (who has been Heather's best friend since they started grade school together). Misty hosted the shower which was held at Hildy and Dan's on the 26th. The weather was lovely, so the party took place in their woodsy back yard. Many of Heather's local friends were there along with members of her family. Thomas wanted to be there, too, and seemed really delighted with the whole thing.

    When Heather and Thomas were married, August 10, 2003, Heather presented her Gpa and me with her beautiful wedding bouquet as the prize for being the couple who had been married for the longest time, 59 years. I was so touched by her action that I decided then and there to do something special with those beautiful, creamy white roses.. Nan showed me how to preserve them with silicone, which I did over the next several days.
    Over time, Nan and I assembled two shadowboxes, each with a spray of roses and tiny ivy, also preserved from her bouquet.... one for Heather and Thomas and one for Hildy and Dan, as a remembrance of that beautiful occasion.
    They were presented after the baby gifts and were a complete surprise to their recipients. To say I was gratified by their emotional reactions would be putting it mildly. Nan and her digital camera were poised to get the picture, and managed to get an unforgettable shot of two weeping, emotional ladies (Heather and Hildy) and one maniacally joyous one (me).

Dixie/Dorothea, Senior Editor