Summer Has Arrived

                                           My roses have bloomed...

                                          Bailey had her Gramma Camp...we actually dedicated this camp to Grandma Luedtke...all our activities were things she loved to do! 

                                           My Linden trees have burst forth with their most glorious fragrance!

                                         Eden played softball for the first time in 17 years!! 

                                        And McKena finished her softball season...pitching, playing shortstop, and hitting a double in each of her tournament games! 

Seattle

 Reed and I drove to Seattle the first part of June...we stayed with his brother and sister-in-law...the view from their balcony! 

                                          Morning walk to the beach...

                                          Breakfast at the neighborhood cafe...Serendipity

 The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet!  From the novel by Jamie Ford...the Panama Hotel is still open for business...

                                          its historical significance...

 The owners have cut a viewing window into the floor so that one can see some of the trunks and artifacts still remaining in the basement...when the residents of "Japantown" were "relocated" to internment camps, they left many of their possessions stored here...many never returned to retrieve them.

 We were invited to enter the hotel proper, tour the rooms which have been refurbished to the standard of 1910, when the hotel was built...bathrooms down the hall, literally "bath" rooms, and w.c.s separate from rooms and bathrooms! Men and women use the same w.c., but different bathrooms.  So interesting!  Many lovers of the book visit, some bring whole book clubs to soak up the history! 

 The real reason for the trip...baseball!  The Yankees were in town and Reed wanted to watch them play the Mariners.  Ichiro still gets the love from Seattle fans...they played "Welcome Back" when he got up to bat.

                                        We rode the ferry to Bainbridge Island for breakfast...   

                                      The return trip...

                                        Seattle skyline...

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

I got to see Cache play...shortstop...he made some good plays, got some outs.  Got some hits...it's machine-pitch this year.

                        Interesting choice of uniform shirt color...I guess real men can wear pink!

Finally The Last of the Elevens!

McKena was the last of the 5th grade granddaughters to turn 11.  She was so excited for her "Brazil Party" There were Brazilian decorations, food, and music...FUN!

                       Every present seemed to follow a purple theme...except

                            the GREEN...$11...she watched her cousins receive $11 each, and couldn't wait for hers.  Bellamie wanted to try the Amazonian gummy creatures...tree frogs were especially delicious!

Happy Anniversary To Us!

June 1, 1970 to June 1, 2013...43 years of marriage!  We celebrated at Cottonwood Grille...2 wedding parties were in the banquet rooms...I hope they last 43 years as well!  Reed told our waiter to go tell them this is what they will look like in 43 years...I told him not to, so they wouldn't run screaming from the restaurant!