Grampa's 90!

Grampa turned 90 last weekend and we opted for a small family party to commemorate the occasion. Dinner at Olive Garden was just right and we had a great time!

Kevin and Mindy arrived with gifts for the kids and Mitch promptly had a strange baseball demigod circle around his plate...

 Kevin arranged for dessert - 11 pieces exactly!

 Gramps blew out his candle with gusto.

 We passed the cards around the table and there were many sweet sentiments. Mom read aloud a dear letter from their cousin, Brian.

 It garnered many laughs and called to mind shared memories.

 The Pobst Five

 This family has thrived, with thanks to their devoted parents.

We enjoyed the celebration - and always love having time together! Happy birthday, Grampa! I hope you know how much you're loved. Your life has been a gift to us all.

Hall of Fame Banquet

Bryan has been working hard for some time to develop an athletic hall of fame for Ephrata in an effort to recognize past success, celebrate tradition, and encourage current Tigers to strive for excellence. He has been part of creating a Booster Club and organizing donations. It has been hours of work. Days. Months of planning. And on Saturday evening, it went off beautifully!

I played a small role - helping to write bios and serving hors d'oeuvres. It was fun to hear people enjoying what I think of as Bryan's event.

 Bryan introduced the inductees. There were 12 individuals and one team recognized, spanning the years from 1959 to 1991. Some were his idols as a child, many were our teachers and coaches. 

  One was his dad.

 He did a nice job not being overcome with emotion - and Dave owned the stage as only Dave can do!

Of course Dianne was here to help celebrate her brother. 

The evening was a resounding success. Will there be changes next time? Some. Overall, people were touched to be remembered, pleased by the classy event, and helpful in putting it all together. Proud to be a part of our community!

Silverwood

The kids earned tickets to Silverwood by doing some reading this spring. In years past, we have not gone, but this time there was much pleading so we made the trip. Happily the cousins joined us and we made a day of it!

In spite of the cooler temps, the cousins thought water rides were a fun idea. These blue-eyed kiddos were so happy!

 The first ride of the day (extended to two due to some questionable parenting...) was a big hit!

 They rode Thunder Rapids several times and were delighted - and drenched!

The Scrambler was a hit as well.

 Panic Plunge was a bit much, but we did it several times. Here, Kim, Jack and I did the initial drop. Mitch loved the rollercoasters and Shan rode one at the end and was happy about it.

 The "junior" cones were a BIG hit.

 In spite of evidence to the contrary, this was an order for one scoop. 

The train ride through the park was fun and we had a nice visit with the LaVines. This was truly the cap to a full and fun summer. Enter, Autumn!

Labor Day in Salem

We spent Labor Day with Russ and Julie in Salem, enjoying their new property and time together.

And enjoying the chickens! Mitch loved catching the poor birds. RD isn't a hard catch and Mitch was super gentle.

S&P was a trickier bird to capture, but Mitch persisted.

Meanwhile, Shannon soaked up dog love. Lumen is 8 now and Booth is 10. Hard to believe they're both getting so old - our children have grown up knowing and loving these pups!

The Huskies played EWU on Saturday so we "needed" a location to watch the game. Happily, the pizza place (could it be Pizza Planet?!) had an arcade to entertain the less-enthusiastic football watchers.

These two were good sports, spending much of a sunny Saturday afternoon indoors.

Uncle Russ also prepared a project, at Julie's request. Over the course of our visit these three built and painted bat boxes. 

One will hang in Salem and the other has a home in our backyard. We're hoping the ready supply of mosquitoes and a cozy home will lure some of the winged critters our way.

Sunday we enjoyed a hike to Silver Falls. The weather was beautiful!

These two were good hikers.

Behind the Upper Falls we enjoyed a cool break.

The kids loved the nooks and crannies cut into the rock along the route. 

There is evidently much more water during spring and winter, but this was quite lovely. Obviously I had to recite some Last of the Mohicans...

Lower Falls was lovely, too.

Shan at Lower Falls

We enjoyed spending time at the new property. They have done so much work already and have plans for lots more. The space is lovely and we sat outside in the evenings, enjoying a campfire. Mitch was quite taken with Uncle Russ's abundant axes...

S'mores, of course.

Fewer mosquito bites at their place with 2 ponds than we get at our own. Grr! On Sunday night the kids slept in a tent outside. Happily, they were not visited by the resident skunk.

Monday's return trip was tiring, but we enjoyed our last summer hurrah! Thanks for hosting, Allstots!