Summer actvities

It seems like every time I post I am apologizing for the last time and how long it has been, well no more. I got a lot of stuff going on, and when I don't, I want to relax. But enough has happened that I thought I should put something down so I don't forget about it.

My sister stayed after my brother and parents left for a few days and that was just long enough to go over to the car show at the hot rod cafe. Brenda and I stopped here on a whim last year and caught the festival so it was a must go this year based on the crazies we saw last year.
James also liked it and wore his skull and crossbones skull cap as well as his "chicks love me" shirt. I love carrying that kid around because everyone thinks he is so cute. He loved the burnouts and the cars.

Here is a jacked up old chevy doing a burnout. About every kind of car you can think of was there trying a burnout. Even ones that should not be. There was a old cop car, 1976 Ford LDT, and of course multiple rednecks in trucks. It was a feast for the eyes.

Not sure if you can see here, but the truck did a burnout until the tires blew up. He is riding on the rims here.

Summer has hit Greenacres and we have a couple thornless raspberry bushes which have provided more berries than we could possibly eat. It has been fun to pick them and then give them to friends. Everyone always appreciates it and they taste amazing

Here is 10min worth of picking.

After my sister left, Jim and Sandy needed another grandchild fix and came up for the weekend.

Yet another James and James picture. James is getting huge now...our James that is. I got a call the day Jim and Sandy showed up from my old boss asking if I could get out to the big oil spill in Montana. They work 7 days a week out there and I was not going to turn down good work so off I went, leaving Brenda with her parents for the weekend. I was out there for a week and while I was gone, Brenda was able to convince other visitors to come as well.

Laura did not have a lot going on and thought....why not go see Brenda. It probably helped that it was Brenda's birthday, but I think she wanted one last getaway before the school year starts.

Brenda said the kids had a great time.

I was able to some home the next weekend. Liberty lake had a car show that weekend and we saw this sweet ride. Someone put a lot of work into a bus...really?

Brenda always poses for picture whenever I ask her.

Yet another pose. They all were not weird cars, but I like to take pictures of the crazies.

Brenda and James then came with me on Monday out to Billings for the week. It was much nicer coming home to the hotel and seeing my wife and boy waiting for me. Working 10-12hr days zapped a lot of energy, but having those two waiting for me gets me energized.

One of my old co-workers from San Jose was there for the job, so we went out to dinner a couple of times and she loved to hold James.

Brenda and I also got to visit some of the sights and sounds of Billings. Here we are at the pictograph caves state park. The rock formations around that area reminded both of us of the thanksgivings we would spend in Utah...great scenery.

Amazing.

James was a great traveler and slept most of the 8hr drive

He is really starting to smile.

Brenda also got a chance to go see one of her old friends Colleen and her baby. I did not go because after a 8hr drive the day before, I was not going to drive 7hrs round trip to visit friends for the day. Plus I was tired and needed to get the bike out on the road...it is summer.

James is getting bigger and bigger and is weighing it at about 15lbs now...you can really feel it when you hold him.

I snapped this pic of him sleeping the other day. It does not get any better than that.

Besides Raspberries, the rest of our garden is growing like mad as well. I planted giant pumpkins and a few are going crazy big and should be quite the sight in a month or two. Potatoes, beans, onions, carrots, and Zucchini are a few of the major things growing like mad. We have a lot of Zucchini...A lot. I think even if I only ate all Zucchini for every meal there is still no way to keep up with the 6 plants we have. We put a bunch out in a box in the front yard with free sign on it and they go like hotcakes.

This pumpkin is growing about 1" in diameter every day. I should be huge by then end.

More amazing cuteness

Summer meals in our backyard are fun and we can sometime see the Spokane hot air balloon giving rides. This only makes Brenda want to go more and more, but I keep reminding her how much it costs and we have better, more practical things to do with our money...like pay for the house, or buy another motorcycle...

Here are a few videos I have uploaded of our fun.




I may convert my mower to do this



As promised last post...this is the funniest dancer I have ever seen. She is oblivious to anyone else and has the rhythm of a tennis shoe in a clothes dryer.



Safety is not the most important thing at an event like this. This car proceeded to do like 20 minutes worth of burnouts and donuts after I stopped the video. Notice the little concrete blocks keeping us safe. Those things did not make me feel any better so I stood behind some fat people to provide cushion if the car crashed into the blocks.

And last but not least is the boy. He is laughing and responding to us now which really makes us laugh and act like those "other" wacko parents who talk in baby talk and make weirdo faces in a feeble attempt to get some reaction from their kids.