July 2017

 July began in Astoria for a work project for the Mister.

We rented beach bikes in Cannon Beach.

 Warrenton's 4th of July parade was small town fun.

 They always love this chess set at the Fort Stevens KOA.

  Then it was back to Cal-Poly for EPIC.

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A family member paid for one student and the college offered an out of state scholarship for another student. We stayed in tiny and quiet Santa Margarita which was perfect for us and reasonably priced.

He had a blast! She had a good time, and took the time to learn about college. We came away very impressed by Cal-Poly's "Learn by Doing" motto. This focus is lived out all over campus as students have access to labs and projects 24/7. Every college student we met and interacted with was enthusiastic about the education they are receiving; we were specifically asking about the engineering school. That said, the food options are not as great as in Corvallis (if you have dietary needs), and SLO the town, is not quite as laid back as Corvallis, but still a very nice area!!!

 In late July, she turned 14! Wow!

 Then we headed to Boston for work training. 

Here they are on the water taxi to downtown from the airport.

 We raced through the Freedom Trail Walk in 3 hours.

It was interesting, but not as special to us as Philly.

The rushing part probably didn't help.

Boston overall is clean, but very EXPENSIVE. 

Thank goodness for hotel reward nights!

Our favorite food in Boston was found in Little Italy:  

Ernesto's: where each slice of NY style pizza can feed two people, and

Maria's Pastry (though we also tried Mike's which was good!)

 Then while I studied, they adventured all week at:

The Groton Submarine Museum

Mystic Seaport

Yale Peabody Museum

Dinosaur State Park, CT

The Connecticut Science Center

W1AW, Newington, CT

 They took more pictures on my camera of rocks than I care to process.

He fell in love with the Mystic library. Like over the top in love. He's decided he will be an electrical or nuclear engineer, move to Mystic, and volunteer at the library. I think it's quite possible. He cried when we had to leave; it was moving.

On our final weekend, we transitioned to Onset, MA. Onset is a darling town very near the Cape without the mind-blowing prices. A lovely little village on the water, our Onset lodging was 1 block to the beach. The highlight of the weekend was the Shining Sea Bike Trail. We biked from Falmouth to Woods Hole, parked our bikes, and explored the village. It was very reasonable to rent bikes for the day, and they came with locks, storage, and helmets. Super fun!

We finally headed back to Boston to fly home (to 105 degrees). Before doing so, we visited Harvard, with everyone else in the world. It was my turn to take hundreds of photos at the Peabody Museum. We then scooted over to the MIT Museum, which disappointed us a bit, but was still interesting. July was busy!

June: Graduations and Grade Reports

We wrapped up May (full of birthdays) by enjoying spring flowers and rhubarb pie, but with weather that kept some swathed.

With June's arrival, we now have a high schooler in the house, and a middle school mover and shaker.

When school let out, we headed south for Monterey, CA.

 The DMP and the pedal boats were on the desired list.

 We drove the 17 mile Pebble Beach Drive with intermittent stops.

While the Monterey Peninsula can be quite expensive, it doesn't have to be for the budget minded. We skipped the aquarium and counted 21 seals in the bay as well as many otters, explored the sandy spaces, little cove caves, and hung around in Carmel.

We stayed at the Monterey Hostel in a brand new private room with private bath (which sleeps 5 in a queen, twin, and bunk bed) and enjoyed the lovely common rooms and access to a kitchen. The hostel was only two blocks from Cannery Row.

In Carmel, we splurged for lunch at Forge in the Forest and it was good, even if quite warm in the garden. If we ever go back, I think I'd try the Tuck Box.

Then we wandered Point Lobos State Park for a few hours before heading south to Cambria, CA and CalPoly (in San Louis Obispo) for a much anticipated graduation.

We are so proud of him and excited to watch what he's up to at a space propulsion company in CA.

 It was great to experience this campus, and hang out with family in Cambria.

It was a fast five days, but we hung with super cool people!

We also had our first In-N-Out Burger experience. Love how cheaply one can feed a family and the food was tasty!

As June heats up, we are still learning and trying to stay cool. She's participating in a Learn to Row weekend with her father. She's slowly, this spring, been moving from the coxswain's seat to a rower's seat. I spend my time praying about the river, and reminding myself not to let fear dictate decisions and experiences.

Brother and I spent yesterday helping the LBCC Space Exploration Club launch one of their solar eclipse payload balloons, and then we all took in a Timbers U23 game in Salem. The ticket prices are super!

They both have camps this week. He on circuit boards and she on smart cars and robotics. I'm enrolled in an educators drone training class. Here's to keeping up with summer!

Blessings,
Kim

May: When Lilacs Bloom

We're still here. 

Had visitors this month - an unexpected charming handful!

 I am so often easy to please - in the driver's seat. 

Safe Families for Children remind me of my need to trust and let go.

Let go, and let God. 

 That Asher: he's a handful of happiness. 

 Then there's happy, delicious, which Miss C baked, and we ate!

 He's been busy on Grandpa provided projects,

 and many many hours of spring soccer. 

 For someone's 12th birthday we had red-neck sushi.

It's a deep fried tempura battered pork roll with sweet sauce.

 He acquired his ham radio license!

 Yes, that cake was dry; it was.

Can't win em' all. 

The hat - it's a birthday must. 

She spent much of her spring building a Mars Axel. The Axel is the next generation rover to go to Mars. She also wrote a 7 page paper and did an amazing slide show presentation. So proud of her hard work.

It's May and a bit of warmth embraces us. The rains still fall, but the garden is tilled and ready to go. I will plunk plants in ground this weekend. She's intent on summer blooms.

We are working to finish school and STEM work strong and keep engaging with Safe Families. Don't know where my writing has gone, but searching for it this summer. 

Read a few books this winter. Ayn Rand Nation really got my attention. Here's a few more which spoke loud: Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Oceans, Undeniable: How Biology Confirms our Intuition, Leaders Eat Last, There is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know, The Wood for the Trees, and The Zookeeper's Wife. 

We also enjoyed these this winter:McFarland, USA, Hidden Figures, and The Queen of Katwe.

Here's to a summer of learning and loving!

Spring's Arrival

Sitting smart in the Governor's chair.

In March, she was a page in the House of Representatives. 

She's pondering paging in the Senate next.

She learned a lot and had fun.

Me?

I eavesdropped on Senators and Representatives in the cafeteria. 

A few conversations were deep, engaging, and involved.

A few were...hmmm....disappointing. 

Let us get involved...

we the people.

   We got out of dodge for a few days over spring break.

Bunkering at Fort Worden

 Dosewallips State Park

The Olympics rising above Dosewallips.

Fort Worden

   He made a friend in camp, which ironically, was the son of a man who attended the MATE ROV class we attended in January. They had a blast. They both, of course, did not pack enough clothing for the amount of water, sand, and salt they dredged up, and both their mothers were chagrined.

   He too, is having a busy spring. He had a band concert, but I forgot my camera. It's amazing what a few months of band practice can do!