WHAT'S IT TAHUYA?

10 on 10 January 2012

2012-01-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas Time with Grandsons - now, that's Christmas!

2011-12-21T08:07:00.000-08:00

10 on 10 December 2011

2011-12-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

2011-11-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

Our grandson Wesley turned 3 yesterday. He was so happy with the Lego set he received from us. He kept looking at his Lego House and saying "It's so beautiful!".

Our grandson Maxton was 2 months old on Saturday. Here he is getting a dose of Vitamin D drops:

10 on 10 October 2011

2011-10-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Two Clowns

2011-09-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of two clowns 28 years apart in age. The first photo is of our daughter and the 2nd one is of her son - both were taken when each was around 3 years old - on the same bed and in the same bedroom.

10 on 10 September 2011

2011-09-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

Spending day with Grandson:

10 on 10 August 2011

2011-08-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

This year's plantings: Can you guess each one? Photos #1 and #6 may be the most challenging.

He loves his Dad too!

2011-08-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

This boy loves his Momma!

2011-08-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun

2011-07-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

Even though the sunshine has been lacking this summer, click here and here to see our 4th of July fun and a Gough cousin playdate at our house on July 21st.

July 10 on 10, a day on Hood Canal and a ferry ride home

2011-07-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

June 2011 10 on 10

2011-06-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Life is Good.....

10 on 10 May 10, 2011

2011-05-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

10 on 10 April 2011

2011-04-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Starting tomato and basil plants from seed.

My 4 year old Amaryllis is preparing for Easter.

Tracking Cyril's delayed flight back home

Patricia says Quack.

Fragrant Hyacinth

Forsythia

The neighbor's flowering tree

I just have to post 3 pictures from sunny Seaside, Oregon taken 3 days ago:

Joe

Our guest from France, Cyril, leaning on the Haystack @ Cannon Beach.

Seaside sunset.

Flat Tire

2011-03-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we were on our way to Ballard to return Wesley to his parents, when our Lexus' left rear tire blew on I-405 North. Luckily we have Triple A and we were right next to the exit for Bellevue's Lexus dealership. Our entire car with Cyril (guest visitor from France), Wesley, and I was lefted up onto the bed of AAA's flatbed tow truck and off we went.... Wesley enjoyed the ride from "up high" and liked it when the car was lowered back into Lexus' parking lot. Since it was Sunday, the Service Dept. was closed, but we went into the sales area and enjoyed looking at their aquarium of fish, the Children's play area, and the Lexus Cafe. Wesley wanted a cookie with a jam type heart in the center. When the employee went to lift it up with prongs it broke so he gave it to Wes for free. After a few minutes into eating his cookie, Wes yells out across the Café to the employee "You broke my heart!". It was so funny. They even have a huge outdoor roof patio with 4 raised bed putting greens, complete with balls and putters for customers. Joe and Cyril really enjoyed this. In the bottom photo you see that Wes got his foot stuck in one of the holes. I always like it when something bad (flat tire) turns into something good (fun time at Lexus waiting for Jenny to pick us up).

10 on 10 March 2011

2011-03-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

Today we have our guest Cyril visiting from France enjoying strawberries, doughnuts, and Nutella! Poor Jenny is sick with the stomache flu today, but Wes is fully recovered from his bout with the bug last week.

Meal Planning #1

2011-03-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

I find that I've been planning meals around recipes that I've found on others blogs - see my sidebar of blogs. I thought I'd share some of the meals that we've enjoyed beginning with this first Meal Planning Blog.

1st photo above is of Pork Tenderloin. I purchased a preseasoned and marinated pork tenderloin at Costco and prepared it according to this recipe. It was so tender and so delicious!
2nd photo is of Pea and Almond Couscous.
3rd photo is my Asparagus Vinaigrette, which I serve cold.

and Almond Cake for dessert. You'll want to make the cake and the asparagus earlier in the day, but the tenderloin and couscous can be made just prior to serving.

Dina's Visit

2011-01-21T13:18:00.000-08:00

On Monday, MLK Day, Jenny's friend since kindegarten came to visit. She's a 1st grade teacher now and expecting her first son in April. We had a great time together and I can hardly wait until she's enjoying motherhood. Here's Dina & Jenny:

Jenny made homemade pasta:

10 on 10 January 2011

2011-01-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

8:00 AM - time to make an anniversary card for my husband of 35 years. See it here

10:00 excercising via the Wii:

11:00 playing with Louie:

12:00 a trip to JoAnn Fabrics for yarn:

1:00 There's snow on them there hills:

3:00 Time for Louie's dinner:

4:00 Making a scarf out of the yarn I bought, while watching shows on abc.com:

6:00 - celebrating our anniversary with Cristal champagne:

7:00 a gift of some new $1 coins featuring our Presidents:

8:00 Enough said:

2011-01-10T07:56:00.001-08:00

Happy Anniversary.. <--click to play

Seahawk win Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011

2011-01-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with friends Rick & Karla - seeing Grease at the Paramount (a birthday gift to Joe from R & K) and then heading to a parking lot to listen to the exciting final 4 minutes of the Seahawk game - we were only about a mile from the Stadium, and I felt like we were in the stadium. Our son Chris, actually was at the game. We then went to Belle Pastry's 2nd location at 77 Spring Street in Seattle (1st location is on Main Street in Bellevue). It was their annual, by invitation only, Gallete des Rois party. Not only is owner Jean Claude Ferré a great pastry chef, he knows how to cook for a crowd. There were lots of cheeses, breads, cream stuffed lox, ham encrusted in a pastry shell, mashed potatoes & gravy, and Gallete des Rois for dessert. A great day....

Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - ...

2011-01-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

Mosaic Maker

2010-12-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a cool site to make a mosaic of your photos, like this one I made from a photo album in FB.

10 on 10 December 2010

2010-12-10T19:29:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

A wonderful Thanksgiving was had by all @ Steve & Paula Gough's. Here's just a tiny glimpse of our grateful day:

Wesley's 2nd Birthday

2010-11-14T17:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Wesley, 11/15/2010. Below is a montage of your 2nd year and below that is your 1st year's post again. You bring so much joy to those around you. You had your very 1st haircut yesterday and you are now officially a toddler, no longer a baby. We love you so....

2010-11-14T17:30:00.001-08:00

2010-11-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

Here's Wesley's 1st year again.

November 2010 Ten on Ten

2010-11-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

Chantrelle Mushrooms

2010-10-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

October has been a fantastic month for mushroom hunting. We've found lots of varieties of mushrooms, but we only keep and eat the chantrelles. Hood Canal and just off Hiway 18 have an abundant amount of chantrelles this year. This year our son-in-law, daughter, and grandson, my brother, and a friend, even joined in the hunt. What fun!

10 on 10: 10.10.10

2010-10-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today we prepared to celebrate the 30th birthday of our daughter Jenny by preparing our kids favorite meal (Chris (34) & Jenny's) - home cooked whole chickens and noodles. We had fresh chantrelles that we'd picked yesterday and homemade cupcakes for dessert. Here's a birthday post from 2008.

Happy 6th birthday to our great nephew Christian too.

10 on 10 September

2010-09-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

morning walk with Louie

mid-morning wild blackberry snack

a good day for reading...

pantry donation sorting

harvesting cucumbers from our garden

a little one on one "Skype" time with Christine in France

chocolates from Switzerland

dinner @ Billy Baroo's @ Foster's Golf Course in Tukwila - me & owner Yelina

Jean Claude, our friend visiting from England

lamb dinner - Yummy

Join in the fun and post 10 photos from your day every 10th of the month by going here to post your photos.

2010-09-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

Play time chez Mémé et Pépé - our sweet little Elmo character and what a character he is!

Sampling Uncle Leonard's Bounty

2010-09-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

Wesley and I paid an impromptu visit to Uncle Leonard's yesterday, so that Wes' mom (my Jenny) could clean their house. Wes really enjoyed picking his very own raspberries and plopping them into his mouth (even the green ones), and the handoffs of raspberries from his Great Great Uncle Leonard were much appreciated.

He absolutely loved Uncle's homemade dill pickles and couldn't seem to get enough of them, even though they made his facial expressions quite amusing. He also ate an entire plum right from the tree. Uncle treated me to a delicious turkey sandwich with avocado and tomatoes. We even had a bowl of ice cream.

Leonard picked a bouquet of dahlias from his prize garden so that Wes could bring them home to his Mom. As you can see, at first Wes thought that he was supposed to eat the flower since he'd been eating everything else right from the garden.

We had a lovely visit. Thank you Uncle Leonard. We love you!

Tahuya Neighborhood Potluck

2010-08-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

Beach House

Heron and Joe @ low tide

Homemade salsa

Salmon

Our Tahuya Neighbors

Jalapeno Poppers

Shirley and Ernie's 60th wedding anniversary

Barb, alias Cissy Spacek

Vacation in France

2010-08-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

July 23, we arrive in Paris and are picked up by our friend Jacques - Jacques and Florence welcome us into their home the next few days. Jacques runs a fever the entire time, but that does not deter him from showing us a really good time. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive from the airport to their home in Nogent Le Rotrou.

Nogent Le Rotrou:

Max tends to the BBQ while Joe visits with neighbors:

July 24, Melanie makes homemade Nutella Chocolate Macarons: She gave us a jar of homemade Nutella to take home. Joe in their newly remodeled kitchen:

We visit with Joe & Jacque's friend Andre in Chartres:

Chartres Cathedral:

Macarons for sale:

An old Butcher's shop in Chartres - notice the much worn cutting board behind the butcher:

The outside of the historic butchery:

July 25, Jacques, Florence, daughter Melanie, Joe & I go on a road trip to Omaha Beach. It took our breath away. 10,000 lives were lost between 6/6/44 and 6/8/44. 9400 soldiers are buried here:

There are large holes made in the ground from the artillery:

July 26, our last day with Jacques & Florence:

Pierre (policeman neighbor) with Joe:Train station - we went from here to Paris Gare de Nord via TER train and took a bus to Gare de Lyon in Paris to catch the faster TGV train to Grenoble:

Jet lag:

July 27 - We stop by Eddy (nephew) & Valerie's - here's their eldest son Joey (6) - named after Joe? Their youngest - Matys (3):
Eddy:

We also stop by Karl & Valentina's and meet their Lisa (2) for the 1st time:

Off to niece Karine's for dinner:

Michael & Jeremy:

Charles (far right) with his kids and grandkids:

The grandkids- twins Jeremy & Michael (8), Joey (6) far right,and we got to meet for the 1st time Lisa (2), and Matys (3):

Karine & Jean David treat us to a BBQ featuring a large rum steak:

July 28, golf in Uriage. Prior to prepping for this evening's Family Reunion Celebration, we get in 9 holes of golf with Charles and his son-in-law Jean David. We have a lovely lunch at the golf course too. Golf courses usually have pretty good food.

July 28, We prepare for a big outdoor Family Reunion in Charles' backyard:

Note the kitchen knife Charles is using to make kindling:

Ta Ta Arlette (Joe's Mom's sister), Joe, and Arlette's daughter Nathalie:

Cousins Nathalie & Marie Antoinelle, Arlette:

Cousin Gilles' son Julien & Family:

Gilles' daughter Sabrina & newlywed husband:

Cousin Marcel, Carol, and daughter Margo: Family:

Offspring:

Valerie (nephew Eddy's wife), Jean David (niece Karine's husband}, & nephew Eddy (Charles son): (Whew!)

Couisn Lionel (Arlette's son) & Sylvie:

July 29:
Charles pretending to cook: Eddy & Valerie bring lunch:The day before, in preparation for the party, we had bought large bottles of bottled water. The first glass I drank yesterday tasted funny and my sister in law pointed out to me that the water was meant to be drank by those on diets, as it contains lots of magnesium. Joe ended up drinking an entire bottle during the night and consequently was running to the bathroom all night long. This afternoon it hit me, and I missed a great Spa appointment in Uriage with Valerie. Luckily, we hadn't served any of this water to our guests.

July 29, cousins Laurence & Bruno (siblings) and families come to Charles to visit: Laurence's spouse Wally & our niece Karine:

Bruno's 4 children & Karine's twin boys:

July 30th:

Uriage, the small town where Joe's brother and niece and nephews live near. Nephew Karl manages the Casino, which was robbed at gun point last month and the source of the ensuing riots in Grenoble. Uriage is known for it's Grand Hotel and thermal water and luxurious Spa.:

We drive up to the Chamrousse Ski Resort, where our sister in law, Marie Christine lives. Chamrousse was home to the 1968 Winter Ski Olympics at which Jean Claude Killy won 3 gold medals.

Grenoble in the background:

Charles & Marie Christine:
Their 2 year old granddaughter Lisa (Karl & Valentina's) and Papy:
Chin Chin Mamy!

Valentina & Joe:

Marie Christine prepared a lovely lunch of veal in a Roquefort sauce that was delish!
Pat, Joe, Cousin Georges & Marietta -dinner @ Charles:

July 31, Joe's cousins planned a huge Paella Party at cousin Marie Antoinette and husband Gilbert's in La Mure at their large estate. They had invited many of Joe's childhood friends. It was really special as they hosted this huge party and were leaving at 5 am the following morning on vacation! Gilbert:

Marie Antoinette:

Their home:

Joe's brother Charles and friend JC:

The paella pan caught on fire:

Sylvie & Cousin Marcel:

Marie, Cousin Lionnel & M.Antoinette:

Cousin Lionnel & his wife Sylvie and 2 of M.Antoinette & Gilbert's granddaughters:

Retired Gilbert's hobby is restoring cars and motorcycles; here is one of his restored Citroens:

Charles is a kid at heart:

JC:

Louche:

Patos:

Cousin Marcel's son's girlfriend, son Mikael, and daughter Mylene:

JC & daughter Jennifer with Joe: The Little Marcel design was all the rage in France, from shirts, luggage, flip flops, etc.

Cousins Marcel, Lionel, Charles, Cousin Gilles, and Joe:

August 1, we celebrate Karine's 39th birthday: Karine, Pat, Valentina, Marie Christine, Lisa, Valerie, & Justine (M. Christine's mom):

Valerie, Pat, & Marie Christine chez Jean David & Karine:

Karine prepared red peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini a la farcie:

I taught Lisa the "spoon" game:

3 year old Matys with his Dad, Eddy (34)

August 2, off to Perpignan via TGV train: Our luggage:

Sunflower fields were abundant:

We had a great time with our dear friends Pascal & Christine, who we hadn't seen for 2 years, but it felt like only yesterday since we'd been together.

Chrstine & son-in-law Seb, a paratrooper in the french army, recently returned from Afghanistan:

Pascal & Joe enjoying Christine's cuisine:

Seb, grandson Noa, and their daughter Marjorie:

August 3, go the Beach Market and buy sausages and olives:

Christine is holding her American born Yorkie Charly in her arms:

Joe, Georges (Christine's Dad) and Pascal: Babette, Pascal (Christine's brother), and Marine:

(Me, Christine, & Babette):

Family - Christine, Pascal, Corrine, and their Dad:

Sunset photo from their house - most evenings you could see and hear an owl on that chimney - it made me think of Wesley (our grandson) and how he loves owls.

August 4th: a neighbor walking his dog (horse?): Christine & I spend the afternoon in Carnet:

Their 5 year old grandson Noa takes a jump into the water - it appears that he walks on water:

Dinner out this evening @ La Sorciere Restaurant for moules/frites (mussels & fries):

Evening spent at the beach Disco in Ste. Marie:

August 5th, morning walk on the beach before the "Beach Markets" open. On Tuesdays and Thursdays in Ste. Marie there are markets where there are stands of fresh fruit, sausages, olives, clothes, tablecloths, etc.Afternoon "apero" chez Pascal & Christine:

A trip to Carnet for bait for fishing if the wind dies down:

August 6, Christine's brother Pascal & wife Babette treat us to a luncheon feast chez George (Christine's Dad):

15 friends & relatives attend the Perpignon/Paris rugby match - Paris won by 1; we all go to a Beach Disco that night, which is owned by one of the rugby players.

August 7, awake to a beautiful non-windy day. George takes us out fishing on the Mediterranean. We use sardines as bait to attract mackeral. Unfortunately we didn't land one fish all morning; but it was a wonderful experience.

We were stopped by the marine police on the way back into port - all OK, papers & lfejackets all in order:

Afternoon swim chez Pascal & Christine:

Bike ride to the beach:

Ice cream treat for Noa:

Joe demonstrates his secret way of cutting a watermelon:

August 8 - return to Grenoble via train:

We love the cheese from here: August 8..After getting picked up from the train station in Grenoble, Charles takes us to see Joe's Uncle Richard (between Joe & Charles):

Their view of the surrounding Grenoble mountains:
August 8, our last night in France. We were thrown a surprise dinner party by Joe's childhood friends, Louche & Marie (son Roman in middle}:

This is their view:

August 9, homeward bound via Amsterdam:
All in all it was a great vacation spent with family & friends.

Ten on Ten: August 2010

2010-08-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Eating my way through France
Since we just returned from France and I'm very tired today, I thought I'd share 10 photos of some of the delicious food and drink we sampled over the past 19 days.

canteloupe & prosciutto:paella:
grilled sausage:
monk fish, Coquille St. Jacques, shrimp:

mussels:

assorted cheeses:

champagne:

ice cream cake:

dessert:

coffee:

Renner Girl Cousin Get Together

2010-07-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

A lovely evening was enjoyed by us Renner girl cousins, hosted by the youngest, Sharon. She really has the Renner gardening and strong work ethic genes. Our grandmother Sophie would be so proud.

Kay, Sharon, Marilyn, and Pat

view of Lake Washington from Sharon's deck

2010-07-11T19:35:00.001-07:00

10 on 10 July 10,2010

2010-07-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Kisses

2010-06-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Big Bird

2010-06-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

Big Bird & Wesley in Great Great Uncle Leonard's garden:

2010-06-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Sunny weekend spent on Hood Canal:

Alderbrook across the water:

low minus tides:

Sister-in-laws sunbathing on another sister-in-law's deck:

World Cup Soccer action:

Joe is the 1st family member to take the plunge into the canal this year:

Sunshine:

high tide Saturday evening:

Lowest tide of the year: Sunday, June 13 -3.5 ft:

2010-06-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

10 on 10 June 2010:
A still not so sunny day.... hopefully we'll get to 75 degrees for the 1st time this year this Saturday. The morning was spent walking the dog and cleaning the house - with a little bit of knitting thrown in for fun. Afternoon of errand running; salads for dinner. The last picture isn't legal for today's post, as it was taken on May 31st, but it's so darn cute!

2010-06-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

A weekend with Grandson Wesley (18 1/2 months @ our house):

2010-06-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Wesley was at Swanson's nursery yesterday and received an impromptu kiss from the girl on the right. I think the boy on the left was envious.

2010-06-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

2010-06-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

http://vimeo.com/12204390">Bubbles! from Pat Penaranda on Vimeo.

2010-05-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

We got to visit with our niece and nephew-in-law, and grand/great nephews today - what a treat!

This was a cotton candy cosmo (above)

It appears that a tiny Kingston was in the drink (above)

2010-05-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

10 on 10 May 2010:
(Today's weather wasn't so great, so I'm posting these for the 1st part of May)

1st weekend of May was spent in Eastern Washington- here's a view of The Gorge from Cave B:

Hedges:
beautiful wisteria @ Terra Blanca:

view from Terra Blanca:

Dunham Cellars, with "Orson" from Desperate Housewives:

Leonetti Cellars courtyard:

Leonetti Cellars:

robin in tree @ Leonetti:

Hot tub time:

2010-04-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

We had brunch at Salty's on Alki Sunday and this seagull ate an entire bagel at once (you can see it in his throat): Wesley's 1st time in the hot tub; he had fun splashing Pépé:

Who knew Wes is a master at Beep Bop?

2010-04-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

10 on 10 April 2010: A beautiful Saturday:

2010-04-04T09:32:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter! Easter Egg Hunt in the Andrew's Garden in Edmonds yesterday:

2010-03-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Yo Gabba Gabba Balloon Fun...

2010-03-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

10 on 10 March 2010 - in Ballard:

^a sneak peak of a landscaping transformation chez Wesley^

his Mom made him a little Wrestling Buddy - his name is Norbert -

ice cream is so good when you have new teeth coming in...

2010-03-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

Happy 83rd Birthday Uncle Leonard

(no, he didn't actually drink any wine)

sorry that I missed getting pictures of everyone....

2010-03-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

I met Wes & Jenny at Bellevue Square on Tuesday late afternoon. Bellevue Square has this new play area on the top floor and you can tell that the kids and parents love it. Afterwards we had dinner at Red Robin and Wes had his 1st kids meal - a grilled cheese sandwich and he really enjoyed sharing our shared milkshake. He even said "milkshake". He takes after his dad's side of the family - he loves cookies and milkshakes!

Wes really enjoyed the small boat later in the week with his good friend Will, check THIS out.

2010-02-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

Cruise to the Panama Canal

I was fortunate to go on a 10 day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to the Panama Canal with a long time good college friend, Colleen. Here's a glimpse of the past 12 days:

Day 1, 1/28 at Sea-Tac airport:

Day 2, 1/29 leaving Ft. Lauderdale on the Island Princess:
Day 3, 1/30 - first formal evening:

Day 4, 1/31 Sea Day:

Day 5, 2/1 Aruba (Aruba is only 74 square miles):

Day 6, 2/2 Cartagena, Columbia:

There's a fortress and protective wall around the city:

View from the fort:

Day 7, 2/3 Panama Canal:

We went through the Gatun Locks to Gatun Lake, and re-exited through the same locks several hours later - a set of 3 trains on each side of the ship pulled our cruise ship through the locks, with only a foot to spare on each side of the ship. An additional lock is under construction to accommodate much larger ships - it's set to be ready by 2014. We saw lots of excavation in preparation for the new locks.

Exiting into the Caribbean Sea:

Day 8, 2/4 Costa Rica.. Note the sloth hanging in the middle; he was green with algae:

We rode an aerial tram for 2 miles through the jungle:

Day 9, 2/5 another day at sea:

Day 10, 2/6 Ocho Rios, Jamaica:

View of our ship from Jamaica's shore:

I wish I'd had this shirt when I first went shopping in Jamaica:

Day 11, 2/7, our final day at sea - our wonderful waiters Donn (Me) & Kitti:

Day 12, 2/8 - we spent the day in Ft. Lauderdale and expored the sites of the luxury yachts and homes from an intercoastal water taxi:

Colleen:

We had lunch at the Café La Bonne Crepe, where Joe & I dined two days in a row several years ago. It was just as good now as it was then.

We met some great people on our cruise: Bob & Joyce (Colleen) and Irene and Mike from New York:

(Colleen) Ken & Barbie (Me) from Palm Beach:

2010-01-15T18:35:00.000-08:00

Wes turns 14 months & is getting to be quite independent and adventuresome

He is quite a adept at making his diapers fly - note the flying diapers on the right?

video of leaving Wes alone for 1 minute: (I was in the kitchen around the corner)

Uh, Louie, would you like my ball?

These eyes are just so mesmerizing..

and those eyelashes....

His friend Louie came to visit him and protect him..

I love my grandson, as I'm sure you've noticed...

2010-01-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

10 on 10 January 2010:

It was a great day - we were treated to Avatar at the Seattle Center's IMAX Boeing theater and dinner at Buca di Beppo's (which means Joe's basement) by Rick & Karla for Joe's birthday, and we also celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary today.

2009-12-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas with the Boldrin Bunch on Dec. 20th, click here:

Christmas Eve at our house with immediate family:
The chefs are cooking up a delicious meal:

our little taste tester:

Cooked pasta prior to homemade sauce topping..

"Wow, a fish holder for my goldfish"

"I want to grab that necklace, please let me do it"

new camera lens makes great bokeh

Louie:

Christmas Day was spent with our son Chris and his girlfriend Lenzi and her family. It was so great of them to graciously host us all (22 in all): There was one large 17 pound prime rib roasting on 2 rotisseries and also some was baked in the oven - delicious!

Lenzi: I now know where the spelling of her name originated - her grandparents last name is Enz.

Amanda, one of the many cousins:

Elizabeth, another cousin:

Uncle Keith:

Keith's mother Jean:

Grandma Lois, Grandpa Ernie (who worked at AG too), and Joe:

Grandma Lois:

Lenzi's mom Darci - now we also know where Lenzi got her beautiful blue eyes, from both grandma & mom

Sorry that I didn't capture everyone, I guess I'll have to capture them next year...

This really was a puzzle created by Chris for Lenzi's Uncle Scott - 4 layers with 488 screws that had to be removed to arrive at his present. They may have thought it looked like this as they were working on unsrewing it....

2009-12-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

A snippet of Christmas Eve..

2009-12-23T17:18:00.000-08:00

So looking forward to tomorrow.... Merry Christmas everyone!

Like father, like son? Father in Kona, HI in April, son in Cancun in December...

2009-12-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

10 on 10 December 12, 2009 - We are watching Wesley this weekend, now I have some photos to share. :)

2009-12-10T19:36:00.001-08:00

10 on 10 December - not....

I didn't have a photo op day today - the day started off early with a 6 month teeth cleaning, then off to the bank, Staples, Target, a 1:00 meeting at work with a health insurance broker, QFC, Bartell's, back home for a lengthy phone conversation with another broker, invoicing work, and it's now 7:30 pm and I just finished eating pizza while watching an online episode of Glee... Geesh!

But I do want to share this photo. Does anyone know what kind of bird it is? On Wednesday I heard several thumps at our front door which caused our dog Louie to run down the hall to his hiding place in our bedroom closet.... When I opened the door, this bird was on our front deck. I quickly ran to grab my camera. He tried to fly into our living room windows, but finally flew off into a tree. I'm guessing that it looked awfully bright & warm in our house, or that he was hungry.

2009-12-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

A surprise birthday party last weekend was a success for this gal. At this point, she doesn't know that she's having a party at her place. A very calm Hood Canal:

Here are the guys getting ready to cook and make a gigantic delicious salad

Keith, Chuck, Joe, and Rick: The girls - Karla, Cat (birthday girl), Janet, and Pat:

Oh, the food and the wine:

View of Alderbrook Resort all lit up on the other side of Hood Canal:

2009-12-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming...

2009-11-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving - Joe & our neighbor Richard were each deep frying turkeys for their families. Once two birds were ready we headed to our daughter's brother & sister in law's for a feast of good food, good company, and plenty of entertainment. We missed our son & his girlfriend who celebrated Thanksgiving in Mexico (a tradition we used to do when the kids were younger).
Here's Wesley with his 1st turkey drumstick and his first Lime Fluff made by his Great Aunt Rhoda:

Wesley's 1st year 11/15/2009

2009-11-15T07:21:00.001-08:00

Wesley's 1st Year

2009-11-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st birthday Wesley. We love you so much. Above is a montage of your 1st year.

2009-11-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

I'm watching grandson Wesley on the eve of his 1st birthday - I encouraged him to play with his food - isn't that what grandparents are for?

2009-11-10T23:56:00.000-08:00

10 on 10 November
We have 2 french businessmen staying with us as they attend this week's Aerospace Convention at the Seattle Convention Center. This is Dominique. It's his very 1st visit to the United States.
This is our friend Jacques, and his 3rd visit to our place. We're hoping to attend his big 50th birthday party in France next spring.

Here's Norbert, he's french American, and runs the show. He's our good friend:

In the evening we all attended a reception at TheRed Barn of the Museum of Flight:

Me and the frenchies:

This was really interesting to me as it's the opening payroll and general ledger entries of the Boeing Company in 1916 (the year my father was born). The opening capital of the company was $100,000.00, which was a lot of money back then. William Boeing owned 98% of the shares.

During the day I made of a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough to bake tomorrow for our 2 guests to take bake to their families. They have croissants and tarts, etc. in France, but they don't have chocolate chip cookies (not even chocolate chips)!

2009-10-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

Grandson Wesley and Dad reunite after Jeff's 18 day tour - The Republic. We're so happy that Jeff's home and that they had a wonderful time and safe trip.

2009-10-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

10 on 10 October 2009

2009-09-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

What? Tiger alert in Renton, WA?

Nope, it's just grandson Wesley.... We have the honor of babysitting him all weekend! He's such a happy fellow - he charmed all of the wait staff at Fin N Bone last night and ate like a trooper.

He makes one heck of a cute tiger, don't you agree?

2009-09-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

10 on 10 September 2009:
Wesley and I spent the day together at his house. The 1st 4 photos were taken during his 1st nap. After his nap, he was ready to explore an empty top shelf of their bookcase; then he was ready for food... He's always ready to eat and pose for the camera. Wes will be 10 months on the 15th.

2009-08-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

How one American baby scares twin French boys....

Wesley playing with his 2nd cousins (?) from France - Jenny's cousin Karine's boys, Michael & Jeremy. We had a wonderful week together in Sunriver, Oregon.

Wesley even learned how to crawl on our watch - Jeff & Jenny and friend Jane had gone out to dinner and we had Wesley overnight. He was an angel for us, of course!

2009-08-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last month's 10 on 10 post is becoming this: (Days from being completed)

Even Bob, our cat, was curious as to what's in the trailer - sand for the BBQ pit - or does he think it's cat litter?

2009-08-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Uncle Leonard, Aunt Helen and Aunt Jeri make pickles! (and visit w/Wesley, Jenny, & Pat)

2009-07-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

Play Date at Our House!

Yesterday was a lovely day for Jeff, Jenny & Wes, Paula & Steve, Kristen, Evan & Miles to join us for a play date. The boys are cousins. Next time we'll have to include the other 2 boy cousins too. We really enjoyed the day. Jenny, Wes, Paula, Miles, & Kristen:

Ninja Wes: Wes & Miles:
Kristen, Evan, Jenny, & Jeff playing badminton:
Miles napping outdoors: Paula: Evan: Wes with his 1st popsicle:
Our neighbor Henri, Wes, Chris' dog Bugsy, and Louie: We had Crab Louis salads for lunch (dungeness crab is on sale at QFC for $4.99/lb.) and apple tarts for dessert.

2009-07-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

The kids are off for a night out on the town while we babysit their precious 8 month old Wes: Mommy & Daddy got Wes his very own luggage for some upcoming August vacations:

He wanted to explore the bag really well:

Just pack me; forget the rest of the stuff; Oh, maybe I should bring a book along...

Wes taught Pépé how to use the X-Box conroller:
and I swear this photo wasn't staged.... but who is imitating who?:

2009-07-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from last weekend at Hood Canal:

2009-07-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

10 on 10 July: Hard work will equate to something new and nice!

2009-07-05T21:12:00.001-07:00

Siblings playing badminton:

Pépé and Wes watching the lively game:

Wes thinks he could beat both of them...

2009-07-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

There's a photo program at picnik.com that's fun and easy to use. On all of these sets of photos, the 1st photo was normal and the 2nd photo was saved after playing around at picnik.com. I used the free options, but for $24.95 a year there are a lot more options to choose from. These were some of the shots Joe & I captured today at a 4th of July celebration afternoon on Lake Washington.

2009-06-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Some Grand time....

2009-06-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Wes loves his feet...