Of course, it wasn’t just us. We had the whole family involved: Kathleen, Dave, Amber, Joshua, Adrianne, Cody, Corey, Willow, Wesley, Aidan and Jillian (I think that is roughly by age).

The train heads down the tracks a short ways, stops near a small waterfall and then heads back the other way. While the train is stopped the engine is moved from one end of the train to the other. So our car was the first on the way out and the last on the way back in. The perfect combination if you ask me.  The train cars are from the early 1900s and in surprisingly good shape. When we were kids it seems to me that the engine was steam and the cars were more open, but I guess things have changed a little.

Starting at one end Santa comes down the train and sits with each of the kids. He takes their seat and does his usual thing. Wesley was really excited that he got to be the first kid on the train to sit on Santa’s lap. And Jillian didn’t scream at all this year!!

From the opposite end of the train as Santa comes Ben the banjo player. He plays and everyone sings carols.

We had hot chocolate, apple cider and lots of fun.  Look at these faces and tell me they didn’t have a great time.

 

and it’s Wesley’s first day of school!

Hooray! I am a kindergartener now!!

So before school we had a big photo session:

Then we loaded into the car and drove to the school:

In the parking lot heading over to the school.

Waiting to cross the street.

Let's go in!

Waiting for their teacher in the lunch room.

At his cubby.

Unpacking his folder.

Yep...he has the top shelf cubby.

Working on a coloring page while everyone gets settled.

Joshua and Jillian watch from the other side of the room.

Joshua takes a picture with his phone.

Jillian comes over to see what Wesley is working on.

Then it is time to go to the carpet. The teacher asks them to stand up and push in their chairs. Maybe 1/4 of the class is able to follow that direction (way to go Wes).

They sit and listen to "The Night Before Kindergarten" by Natasha Wing.

At the end of the book the kids wave goodbye and give hugs to their families - so Wesley got to do the same.

Jillian was the 1st to get a hug.

Dad...

Then Me.

Joshua, Jillian and I then went home.  It was strange driving away thinking about him in that big school “all alone”.  A tear did come to my eye and it made me think about how fast he has grown up!

We had 2 hours at home before we had to go back and get him.  (He is in school 2 hours and 40 minutes.)

Joshua was awesome with Jillian - making her feel loved and special. Here they are reading - 11 books together (she had 21 more ready in a pile for him to read too). Before that they played games in her room and they even started a game of memory before we had to go.

We arrived early to pick up Wesley – good thing too, because they came out early. 

Waiting for his teacher to call his name to leave.

He was so excited to see us!

There he is - done with his 1st day of kindergarten!!!

Then we went to get lunch to celebrate…

And what would be the best way to finish off such a great day…. ice cream of course. 

And she did not want to miss a drop of that ice cream!

 

They were so cute riding together.

Wesley mostly rode the .32 mile loop.  He rode around at least 6 times.

After a couple of laps around the park they cooled off in the sprinkler.

And blowing bubbles.

Filling her tub so she can get Wesley.

She is throwing her water onto me...

Then they started dumping water onto their heads.

I love how he is holding his nose.

Full dump with no nose holding.

Then I tried to get a picture of them together…this is the best I could get:

Jillian: 4y 0m 24d Wesley: 5y 9m 11d

Then they warmed up in the sun.

A bit of playing on the playground was next.

Monkey Bars!

40 minutes of bike riding rounded out the rest of our visit to the park.

We sure did enjoy our last day of summer vacation!

 

They put up this new sign while we hiked.

Sauk Mountain may be my favorite hike. It is short, with great views the entire way, and with only a little effort you get up above the tree line. I’ve hiked it more times than I can count. Sometimes alone, sometimes not. Last Friday we hiked it all together and it was great.  The weather was perfect and it wasn’t that crowded (sometimes the parking lot gets so full you have to park down the road a long way from the trailhead).

We took it really, really slowly. The GPS says we averaged 1.08 mph for the trip (that includes the descent). When we stopped at switchback number 10 for lunch we’d already been gone longer than it takes me to hike it alone. But, and somewhat to my amazement, both kids hiked all the way to the top without needing to be carried. They needed some encouragement, but they made it. It took two hours and five minutes, but we made it! Hurray!

Excited to be on the summit!

Wesley on the summit.

Jillian on the summit.

Near the summit there was still some snow. This was a huge, exciting thing for the kids. We insisted they not slide around until we were on our way down. Good thing, too. They got so cold they both had a few tears. I think the time in Texas may have softened them up.

Getting really cold hands in the snow.

The area around the lake was also covered with snow. And the lake itself had more ice in it than I can ever remember. Wesley when he got to the top and looked at the lake and mountains said “Wow! This is so beautiful!”. Hopefully he won’t complain so much before the next hike.

Ice in Sauk Lake

On the way down Jillian did get to ride. This made the descent a lot faster. And for a mere $1 bribe, Wesley walked all the way down to the car. The best $1 I’ve spent in a long time.

We didn’t see any Pikas this trip. But we did see a chipmunk or two (Redmond was furiously flipping over rocks trying to get at them) and several Marmots. This one just stood up the entire time and looked around. He didn’t scurry off until we were 25 feet away.

Marmot doing a Meerekat impression.

Like I said, it was a nearly perfect trip. The wildflowers were in bloom, the kids were cooperative and in good spirits and even Redmond was well behaved.

Bicolor Lupine

He loves to hike even more than me.

And of course the view was wonderful.

Looking East over the Skagit Valley

We even got to see the Elk east of Lyman on our way to drop the kids off at my mom’s house. It was a great trip and I can’t wait to do it again next summer.

Our hike on Google Maps.

 

At the East entrance to the tunnel

The tunnel is 2.3 miles and almost perfectly straight. It is also nearly pitch black and 55 degrees inside compared to the bright sun and 75 degrees at the entrance.  Armed with sweatshirts and nearly all of the flashlights we owned we had a ton of fun walking in the dark.  The kids managed to walk all the way in one direction and a portion of the way back.

Not ones to let nearly total darkness stop us from taking pictures we did manage a few inside the tunnel (thanks to a very bright flashlight).

About midway down the tunnel.

Without the flashlights it looks like this:

The view most of the way.

At the west end of the tunnel are some picnic tables and probably the nicest compost toilet I have ever had the privilege of using.  The view isn’t bad either.

Looking East over I-90 from West end of tunnel.

At the ends of the tunnel you do get a bit of light and you don’t need your flashlights right away.  It does get dark pretty quick, though.

Heading back to Hyak.

The trail, especially after the recent work, is so wide (you could drive a train on it!) and flat that we played games on the way back. Running and chasing, hiding and general goofiness ensued.  The only major concern is bicyclists. There are lots of them. Bikers outnumber walkers at least ten to one.  Most have lights and most probably wish they had brighter ones. We didn’t have any problems, but we were sure to move over and give them plenty of room.

Isn't she beautiful!

And how do you celebrate a successful hike on the I-90 corridor? In our family that means root beer floats from XXX in Issaquah. Well the kids had root beer floats. I had a root beer shake and we all shared some fries and onion rings.

Tasty onion rings at XXX.

If you want to hike the tunnel it is now open. It had been closed for the last several years for repairs. And don’t forget that for safety reasons it isn’t open in the winter. They gate the tunnel closed November 1st through the end of April.

Just for fun I tracked the hike using the gps on my cell phone. Just curious what it would do. You can see that we started at Hyak, magically popped out at the other end. The big empty section between the blue lines is the tunnel. It is so apparent on the map because they keep the trees cleared for the power lines that run over the top.

Google map of our hike

From the GPS we know it took us exactly 3 hours and 4 seconds to make the 5.6 mile round trip journey.  You can take a look at the interactive map and view the data here. Heck, download it into google earth if you want.

Hike information: Snoqualmie Tunnel – wta.org

 

The Strawberry Hello Kitty Cake

All of our yummy snacks.

All set up for our pin the bow on Hello Kitty game.

Goodie bags for the kids. They included: a Hello Kitty coloring book that I made, bubbles and strawberry milk straws.

We had tattoos.

All of the kids put some on.

In the backyard we played catch

and horseshoes.

Then we played "Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty"

Wesley is ready to go...

Here is where everyone placed their bows.

Next we opened gifts - and boy was Jillian loved!

this one is from Wesley.

Blowing out her candles.

Super yummy cake!

Most the kids who celebrated with Jillian.

Then Jillian opened one last gift... a big kid bike and a new helmet!

With Yaya, Papa and Aidan.

With Grams and Aunt Ashley

Our attempt at a family photo...

Here first ride on her new bike.

Happy Birthday Jillian.  You are one lucky girl.

And thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us.  Jillian has been talking non-stop about her “Special Day” and how much she loved it!

 

L to R: Lori, Jim, Mom & Vivian

Link to all the family pictures on Jim’s boat: http://flickr.com/gp/hunterji/2PG0Rx/

While we were there Mom, Ashley and I enjoyed watching the pelicans flying and diving for fish right in front of us!

Pelican diving for a fish.

A link to all the Pelican pictures: http://flickr.com/gp/hunterji/60kt78/

We truly enjoyed our time in the harbor.

Monday we spent the day in Santa Barbara. We enjoyed Sterns Wharf and found a cute little gifts for the kids.

At the end of the wharf/pier.

Then we walked along the shops on State Street. It was a wonderful way to spend the day.

On Tuesday we went shopping again – but this time just at the local mall.  We had lunch at Chick-Fil-A, which I was very excited about.

A link to all the pictures of Santa Barbara and of our shirts: http://flickr.com/gp/hunterji/b6Hu42/

We all got matching shirts - so when we get home and we wear it, we can remember our trip together.

Then we went to visit with Moe and JJ.  It was great to see them both again!

All the pictures with Moe & JJ: http://flickr.com/gp/hunterji/6Ki6X0/

Then on Wednesday – our last day – we finally got to do what we flew down for!

Ashley’s graduation from Ventura Community College with her AA.

Way to go Ashley!

With Mom and Gordon

Greg, Ashley, Me and Mom

All of the graduation day pictures: http://flickr.com/gp/hunterji/413B68/

We then went to Darlene’s house after graduation for pizza and to say our final goodbyes.

What a great trip!!!

I had such a fantastic time reconnecting with Mom and Ashley!  I will ever forget it.

 

Jillian saw a commercial for it and saw that Dora would be there.  She was so excited to go and see Dora and Boots.  But she is rather scared of large fuzzy costumes…but she said she would not be scared and that she could not wait.

We got to the fair and it was starting to drizzle on us.  So we did some inside activities before we went to see Dora.

We went to the pig barn first:

He held his nose the whole time.

Next we went to see round one of the Dock Dogs competition.

We got a good spot.

In the round we saw - this dog was 2nd place - he jumped about 18 feet.

Now it was time to go and see Dora!  Hooray… Jillian was so excited.

Until she saw her!

She would not go near the line or even look at Dora.  And she was upset that Boots was not there.  She kept asking me why he was not with her.  She decided that he did not like the rain so he stayed home.

Next we went to the cow barn.  We got a to “milk” a cow.  It was filled with water – but it gave the kids the idea.

He said it was hard work and it made his hands sore.

Jillian got too close to the cow and got scared... poor thing!

Next was the Ag Magic show.

Watching so intently.

The kids were yelling back ” Thank a Farmer” after everything.  Thank a farmer for your toilet paper & for baseballs…  It was a bit strange but the kids enjoyed her.

After the show.

On our way to get some lunch the monster trucks were driving into the arena.

It was SO loud!

The last truck was very stinky...

I think Jillian was a bit shocked by the whole thing.

After lunch of curly fries and cotton candy, we went to the kids play room.  There was a lot to do in here:

A double sided Frigits' board.

Cool magnets to build with - this one looked like a dumbbell.

Free face painting.

It was a cool airbursh kind - it did not wear off.

For his left cheek: a spider and a web.

For her left cheek: a butterfly.

And for their right cheek: W - a lizard & J - a lady bug.

Then we saw all kinds of snakes, spiders, turtles, bugs and a bird.

This chameleon was very cool!

We took pictures in the garden.

Looked at a big spider through a microscope. (I was very proud of her since she is VERY scared of spiders.)

Ground some corn.

Made a bug hat.

And we made potato people. This one is Jillian's.

And this one is Wesley's.

Then it was off to see Dora one last time…maybe Jillian would see her if we tried again – and she wanted to try again.

Dora was on a break when we got there...So Wesley got his picture with just Backpack & Map. Jillian would not eve go for this.

She is waiting for Dora to come back - but up on Dad's shoulders where it is safe.

Wesley was excited to have his picture with Dora - but he did say after that it was a bit scary.

And then we went home.

All in all the Spring Fair was fun.  It was rainy – but it did not matter.  We were not planning on going on any rides anyway. 

 

Our ship was the Spokane.

Captain Tom came down and gave us a short talk about the ferry and then told the kids a fun, but non-ferry-related story. Once we were free Wes, J and I went outside, the rest of the class soon followed. Like it always is on the front of a ferry, it was rather windy. The kids weren’t thrilled with the wind. Even though we had sunny weather it was still chilly. The 18 knot headwind created by the ferry was a bit much for them.

Through a bit more luck we were able to visit the wheelhouse with one of the captains. Each ferry has two wheelhouses and two captains. One captain in one wheelhouse going one way and then the other captain in the other wheelhouse going the other way.  According to “Captain Vic” it is pretty rare that they let the classes come up and visit. It was certainly the first time I’ve ever been inside.  Jillian and I were only invited because I had the camera. Most of the parents and other non-class kiddos had to wait down in the main cabin. On the way up we also got to see their toilet/shower and each of the three cabins.

A few shots of the wheelhouse (click to enlarge):

Since it was the inactive wheelhouse the kids also got to “steer”.

They also demonstrated the landing signal. Normally sounded from the active wheelhouse we got to watch the Captain sound one long and two shorts. Then shortly after one of the kids sounded another short. Apparently that means turn right. Captain Tom, who has 5 kids of his own, knew well enough to ignore it. It was loud and the kids loved it.

If you look carefully you can see Jillian’s reflection in the compass.

Captain Tom waved goodbye to Wes and J. They waved back and yelled thank you.