THE STEEP AND WINDING ROAD TO SEATTLE

Thursday sunset (Clarkston)

Our drive took us from the rural southeast corner of the state of Washington to the urban northwest corner. It was Friday, March 23, and at 6:23 a.m., Mike, Bess, and I were off to the big city – Seattle – in our little VW GTI, arrangements having been made to board Nellie. Mike had an appointment for an amendment to the GTI at 1:00 in Seattle.

Thursday sunset (Clarkston)

We wended our way over curvy country roads in agricultural / ranching country. We were halfway to Seattle before we came to the divided highway that blends the traffic from northern and southern localities into one, and then once again we traveled a two-way highway across the vast interior of central Washington State. On we went until we came to the freeway that carried us over Snoqualmie Pass, where it was snowing, and on into the city. 

Little Tudor

Finally, just before noon, we arrived at the little brick Tudor where Hallie and Nick live. Mike went off to the GTI appointment while I settled in to wait with Bess and Primo, our grand-dog, until everyone would begin to come home. Hallie and Nick both had to work. 

Bess in the fireplace

Bess and Primo had to get acquainted, of course, scuffling in the process. At length they settled down. Bess managed to pull a dog pillow into the fireplace for a cozy nap.

It turned cold on Thursday, and I thought I should probably take my winter coat – just in case. “Nah,” I decided, “it’s not going to be so cold that I need my coat. After all, it’s spring now, and the car is so little, and I can do without it.” So, there I was in Seattle without my coat – and it WAS cold. Well, I had my old fleece jacket and my raincoat, and I had taken a pair of gloves and my warm undershirt, so I made out all right. The weather on Saturday was warmer, convincing me that I’d made the right decision after all.

We spent Saturday doing things with Hallie and Nick – and I’ll talk a little about that tomorrow. Sunday came all too quickly – time to go home. We headed out about 10:00 a.m., doing our route in reverse – out of the city and back to our quiet country roads.

Campground at Lyon's Ferry

Near Lyon's Ferry

We arrived at the town house at 3:30, just after a shower. We quickly unpacked and then settled down to wait until time to pick up Nellie at the boarding facility at 5:00. Mike went to get her, and she was so happy to be home! – dancing and prancing all about the house. We then went for our customary late afternoon walk, and Nellie ran the whole way – so relieved to be back home and see the familiar places. (At 14, Nellie usually saunters along. Running more than a short distance is unusual for her.)

Mike said that Nellie earned a good report from the boarding facility. They said she was a sweet girl. KW

THE LITTLEST SOCCER PLAYERS

Today was the first practice for Emmy's soccer team. Yes, all the players -- five of them -- are three-years-old. Here Emerson poses in her new soccer duds, complete with shoes and shin guards. She'll still wear this uniform when she's five.

 Big sister Annie was a helper on the soccer field.

Emerson is a right-footed kicker.

Here's a picture of the team and coaching staff. And practice with these young 'uns was just as interesting as you might think. "Like herding cats" was the observation of the coach. One little guy left off dribbling his ball and cried. He was quickly consoled by his parents and re-joined the play. When it came time to play "shark," they just couldn't find a "shark" mean enough to steal the ball. KW

KIDS AND DOGS

Mike and I are enjoying a visit in the Denver area with the Mile High Warnocks (son Yancey and family).

Mike said he wanted to take a picture of Emmy wearing the smock apron made especially for her by Gramma Kathy, so Emmy posed. The fabric has ghosts and pumpkins on it.

We drove fairly hard from Gooding to Denver on Thursday in the hope that we could catch at least part of Annie's softball game. We made it for the last inning. Annie is the catcher.

 Jack and little sister Emmy -- doing what? Geocaching, of course. In the background Grandpa Mike hunts in vain for a cache that seems to be gone.

"She's gonna drink all my water!" Nellie and baby Blanche also eat each others' food, which sent dog owners to chow packages to determine nutritional content.

 Kelly, Emmy and Jack creating with Play-Doh.

I think Nellie enjoys the comfort of a pillow on a pillow. Maybe we'll try that at home.

I was impressed that Emmy and Grandpa shared a rather long reading session. Besides Play-Doh and reading, Emmy loves puzzles, magnetic cardboard dolls, singing, swimming, and games. KW

MID-CENTURY VACATIONS

You know, back in the day, there weren’t overnight accommodations such as we have today. Hotels were expensive. Motels were few and far between and meant only as a place to sleep. My mother never trusted that such motels were clean. (At a motel, I was not to touch my feet to the floor unless I had my slippers on, a rule so ingrained in me that I still abide by it.) So, when you traveled, you planned to stay with friends as a means of cutting expenses. And if a friend or relative asked to stay with you, you were glad to help them out. It was just the way the system worked. And you believed this system the very best way all around, not just because of the expense but because hotels/motels weren’t comfortable. And besides, you were glad for the opportunity to visit your relatives or friends, and you believed they were glad to see you. 

Until recent decades, the destination vacation was out of the question for most people unless they could stay with friends. Travel was for the affluent and was exceptional if it happened for the common man – worthy of mention in the home town newspaper. 

I remember my dad sitting in the kitchen at the farmhouse after harvest in 1959. The harvest had been a good one and he was happy – joyous even – and he felt like celebrating. “I tell you what I’d like to do,” he said. “I’d like to go to San Francisco.” And so we made a late summer road trip to San Francisco in our ’55 Ford Fairlane. Daddy had friends there and so did Mother. Both couples had lovely homes. We spent several days with one and several days with the other. On the way home, our route was planned so that we stayed in the home of another friend. We could not have afforded the trip without the hospitality of these friends.

But the destination vacation didn’t happen often in our family. Seven years later, when I graduated from high school, we went to Disneyland. Again, we stayed with a friend of mother’s who had invited us to come. She had visited in our home several times.

Often the impetus for travel was to visit a friend or relative. The sights you saw were relative to where you were going. For instance, my Uncle Earle, my dad’s brother, lived in Idaho Falls, so he took us to Yellowstone while we were there. And Mike and I drove with our family to Arkansas three times – and flew once – so that we could visit Mike’s mother and other family members. Those visits included a stay at the family cabin on the Ouachita River. As we drove across the country we stopped at various points of interest. We wouldn’t have dreamed of any other sort of vacation. I’ll never regret that Mike was able to show the children where he grew up and how he spent his summers as a child.

Today, though, it’s different. People are more affluent – or less conservative – and willing to spend for travel. It’s not just a matter of more money but also of vacation allotment. 

All of this is glittering generality, of course. After marrying in the ‘30s, Mike’s mother and dad delayed their family for seven years so that they could make some road trips. But here again, I know some of those trips were to visit family.

[I try to match my posts to my pictures, but this one fails miserably. Nevertheless, I wanted to show the lovely wild roses out on Curfman Road with the snow-capped hills in the distance.] KW