Miscellaneous

Forrest and the neighbor (who also works for the county) had a late night July 3rd.  They worked traffic control at a fireworks show put on as a fundraiser for a local volunteer fire brigade.  They got home about 2:00 AM on the 4th.  They've pulled the same shift the past couple of years so we've fallen into a tradition of celebrating the fourth with our neighbor and his family.  Forrest cooked up a mixed grill of salmon, ribs, and hot dogs.  I made Emeril's potato salad with ranch dressing and bacon, Missy, the neighbor brought berries and watermelon, and Alyssa and the neighbor girls provided ice cream treats that they concocted. I snapped a photo of Alyssa and Rachael after they finished decorating the backyard.  Dennis had to show off what a complete job he did stripping a rib bone clean.  Noah inhaled his last dinner at home for two weeks.  We drove him to the airport to travel to Kauai with his friend's family Saturday afternoon.  I almost got a photo of our lab, Boo, licking the tablecloth clean, but she jumped down just as I took the picture.

After we left the airport Forrest and I stopped at the Northlake Tavern in the U district for the best pizza.  We rarely get to go there because minors aren't allowed, and we usually have at least one child with us when we venture into Seattle.  A stop at Barnes and Nobles was in order as we continued our way home as I had a gift card to spend (a end of the year thank you gift from a student).  I ended up spending twice as much as the card was worth because Forrest wanted a book, and Alyssa had also put in a request.  She wanted a copy of Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees.  I read that great book several years ago for a book group discussion.  How weird is it that my daughter is now reading books I've read within the past few years?  

We've spoken with Noah twice since he left yesterday.  He called when they landed in Lihue. Wonder of all wonders, his plane left 8 minutes early and landed 45 minutes early.  How come that never happens when I fly?  He left Seattle at 4:02 our time and landed in Kauai at 6:50 Hawaii time.  He still had time for a swim before bedtime.  Today he called for permission to take surfing lessons later this week.  He of course got a " Yes".  I easily said yes to Noah traveling with this family because the mom is even more safety conscious than I am.  It was like sending him traveling with a grandparent.  I'll post more about his adventures when he calls with some details.