We stayed in a largish cabin that looks better here than on the inside. And don't get me going about the 'kitchen' - I think the utensils are unappealing so that guests will go to the restaurant.
The scenery is stunning.
And light over the lake changes constantly.
We hiked short trails on the south and the north side of Lake Quinault.
The first day it rained all day, but on the second day it was sunny. W walked with me through the rain and, by the end, we both were quite wet. On the 2nd day E and I walked with a pleasant older couple.
On the north side of Lake Quinault is an abandoned (Kestner) homestead, founded in 1889. The deer is munching leaves on the homestead grounds.
The range of light on the sunny day was too extreme for my light-weight photo correction software, so I apologize for the washed out areas.
We drove into Mt. Rainier National Park, stopping at the White River Campground to hike part of the Glacier Basin Trail. Alas, heavy rain in 2006 washed out large sections. We walked as far as we - as a family - could, which wasn't far. We did see plenty of moraine (lots 'o rocks dumped by melting ice).
Next we drove up to the Sunrise rest stop, and wandered about. The snow covered mountain is Mt. Rainier.
W took our 'tourist picture,' with Mt. Rainier in the background.
Of the trails near our resort, this was the easiest to find. Near Mt. Rainier all trails go up and down, and most cross or follow one or more creeks. W wasn't into hiking, but liked the scenery.
The hike to Goat Head Falls takes 2 - 3 miles. E and I nearly made it but, toward the end, E decided he'd had enough and we turned around. It didn't help that, on one stretch, we wandered off in a wrong direction. 
Later G and I drove closer to the falls, then hiked to the end.
The large rock on the far right forms the 'goat's head,' but we weren't convinced. Perhaps in the Spring, when there is considerably more water rushing by, it looks more like a goat's head.
These were taking while hiking, either close to Mt. Rainier or in Washington's rain forest.
This year, as catcher, E has run down and tagged runners coming from 3rd base, caught popped up fouls, and made outs at home after catching long throws from the outfield.
Ball for game MVP.  |
He played catcher, and sometimes right outfield.  |
A base hit.  |
At the end of the week we took family portraits. T and I traded picture taking and cameras, so every camera owner would have pictures.
Unfortunately when we were at the beach, seawater splashed my camera and now, under certain lighting, my camera blacks out part of the picture.
Above, from back-left, is my husband, me, my younger and older sons, W's niece S, niece C, W's sister, mother, and father, and niece C's daughter, who is holding Sailor.
Below is the same grouping, except I'm taking the picture and T stands between his daughters.
Niece C bought land and put a big house on it, to sell. Then the market turned. Someday it will be a hot property.
Our fishing expedition.
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You can't see them, but there were wasps. They turned out to be mellow, so we ignored them.
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Besides fish, there were turtles. They ate one or two of the worms.
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The first catch went back into the water.
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E's is bigger. It went back too.
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Almost big enough, it went back as well.
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Some of us just watched.
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Or helped with the messy stuff.
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It was a quiet afternoon.
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We arrived in Tampa late on Sunday, went to W's sister's condo, stayed up later, then slept till 8 am California time, which we kept explaining was early. As it was nearly noon in Tampa, nobody was buying.
Looking from J's patio.
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Grandpa and Grandma stayed in the recliners. The mini-pup is Sailor, perched on a favorite spot. The TV is on.
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Sitting on the patio.
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From the left-rear, niece S, G, niece C, E, and Sailor.
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We hiked along a section of trail, about 3 miles.
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Every so often along the trail are coolers of icy water. A pet bowl on the ground captures drips.
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Saw palmetto is a formidable weed. Controlled burns keep it down.
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Taking a rest.
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The trail is paved and shared.
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Unlike many California bicyclists, Floridians heed their non-wheeled travelers, slowing and maneuvering around them. Maybe the heat contributes to a sense of leisure.
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Vines.
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School vacations lined up, so we visited W's family in Florida. It was vacation in the best sense - relaxing. Most of E's cousins are older so it was great that he stayed with a cousin closer in age.
On Wednesday we hit the beach. The sun was bright, the sand white, the sky blue, the company welcome, and the water, though cool for here, was warmer than in California.
By September he'll be ready for a regular license.
At a drum recital G received "rookie of the year." He rocked.
Last year E played basketball, but this year he decided to try football. He had a good time.
"Which of five liquids cleans dirty pennies the most in one week? We will use very dirty pennies, less dirty pennies, and clean pennies in our experiment. "
"We believe that lime juice will work the best to clean pennies out of five liquids which are water, lime juice, orange juice, carrot juice, and vinegar because it has citric acid and is the most acidic. "
"We did not find what we expected in our hypothesis. We did guess correctly that the water would have no effect on the pennies. We thought that lime juice would clean pennies the best but instead it cleaned the pennies fourth best. It was odd that carrot juice cleaned better then lime juice because it had no acid. It may have been because there were different kinds of dirt on the carrot juice pennies than the lime juice pennies. The pennies in the carrot juice could have had soil on them while the ones in the lime juice could have been greatly tarnished."
G's big Christmas present. That is, he took all of his money from Christmas and bought the set below. His friend R is learning to play lead guitar, and his friend D is learning bass guitar. Now they need a garage and lots of practice.
C was born October 16, 2008.
Below is the only good picture I have of his mother, taken in 2002 at her bakery in Elkhart.
