PNW Tour Day 4

Good morning PUYALLUP!!!!!! (yes that's a real name of a real city..quite a growing city at that!)

After a quick breakfast and check out we head so Sumner, which is very close to Puyallup. It's a cool high fog sort of typical WA day but promises to be beautiful! We have been to the Cemetery in Sumner where my Dad and his family are buried a gazllion times and know exactly how to get there! BUT they are having some sort of "Sumner Celebration Day" LOL of course they are, we always run in to that.
But after a couple of turn arounds and an inquiry as to where the bridge that we want is (it's closed for the "Day") we find the beautiful old Sumner Cemetery.

In 1955 when I was only 14 years old I stood there in the cold and drizzle at the first funeral I had ever attended.

Where I grew up children just didn't go to funerals and there were no "visitations" except at people's homes perhaps.

Anyway, we visited my Dad's stone after purchasing some fresh flowers. My husband always cleans it up for me. His stone is very easy to find and it's rarely visited, except by my cousin, uncle and niece on Memorial Day I think. Unlike my Mom, who is buried here in TN and there are constant flowers and statues sitting there. Doesn't really make any difference to them I know but makes us feel better.
Didn't take the time to look for the other family stones. They are not people I was close to and we were wanting to move our day along!
So off to took to Gig Harbor Washington.
To get to Gig Harbor you must go over the Narrows Bridge and if your really interested in earthquakes and amazing sites you should "Google" it.. I love Narrows!
Gig Harbor is A beautiful place on a bay on Puget sound.

We met when we were in the 4th grade and have been the best of friends for all those years. She lived with my Mom for a while when she graduated from High School and was working in Tacoma. She considered my grandma, her grandma. Her mother and I shared a birthday and my tea set came from her.
Every birthday or Christmas she would give me a piece and I would add to it when I found a matching piece. Of course all our parents and grandparents are gone now but we are still as close as ever!
So to make a long story short I HAD to see my very best friend AND I had a birthday present for her. We grew up as genuine "country" girls. I'm sure we were not together constantly, but I can hardly have a memory of my "Lacamas" years without her being part of it. I had a photo of she and I that I loved.

It was so typical of us, we were always outside, always playing in the barn or with animals and especially ALWAYS playing with puppies! So I had this photo made in to a scetch for her and I had to get it to her.

So with a little help from our GPS we found their lovely little house with the most beautiful flowers right there in beautiful Gig Harbor.


We had a most lovely visit with her sweet husband Joel

and Kay and I was able to present her with her sketch! It almost brought us both to tears. It really is beautiful and special because it's us frozen in a time in our lives when everything was good, no hurt, no pain, no worry, just loving our friends and having fun riding the little Lacamas School Bus :)

BTW Kay was my maid of Honor at my wedding but because of my pregnancy with Suzanne (Kay) who was born 2 days later I could not be her maid of honor and that had always been our plan :(


So after we have a most pleasant hour or so with my darling Kay we take off to see another dear old friend. Back across the Narrows!


This friend is Shirley.

Now Shirley, Kay, Gena and I were like 3 peas in a pod in grade school and I've remained friends with all three but mostly Kay. It had been years since I'd seen Shirley and I was anxious to see her again.



She lives in Stielacoom Washington in the same house she's lived in her entire married life. A very pretty home but the steps would get to me and I think they get to Shirley and her very arthritic hips and knees. We had the best visit we could have.. Or we tried. She has a husband who makes everything about him so we sort of gave up and took a couple pictures and left. It was good to see Shirley again though, we have many fond memories. Shirley was also in my wedding 50 years ago.


So now were on the way to Marysville! Our goal today is to get to Nikki's house north of Seattle for dinner!

Seeing Tacoma and Seattle for the first time in many years was very special to me. My only regret was not going to the Church where we were married or to go to down town Tacoma. Tacoma is my home and where I grew up. It was the "City" to us as we grew up, Seattle was a place I really didn't know till I was thru school.

We were concerned that Seattle's traffic was going to be terrible because it was a Friday and rush hour and it was "SeaFair" weekend. As it turned out Tacoma was TERRIBLE and Seattle was wonderful and we zipped right up to Nikki's house in time for dinner!

It was so good to see all of them. I love this family so much, and new that I'd get some rest and be able to catch our breath a few days!

PNW Tour Day 3

Good Morning Shelton Washington! Woke up to another beautiful Day! The Motel was very nice and got a good rest. I immediately called my cousin Joy so we could meet for breakfast. She and Phil came a runnin(or Cadillac drivin :) )
and were off for our morning.

I've missed Joy and she had some serious medical issues so was really anxious to hug her and know she was OK.We were close to her at Christmas time but the weather was terrible and we both had health stuff going on so I needed to make it up!



After breakfast we did the tour of Shelton :) saw their friends Rock store, we visited their beautiful new little home they are fixing up.



or shall I say Phil is fixing up and Joy is supervising. She's working hard on her yard sale items. She knows how to give them and make them sellable and attractive


After we did the in town headed up on a drive around Hood Canal.

I never tire of seeing the beauty of the state I call home.
It was a beautiful day so we were able to get out and walk, take some pictures and watch the fishermen.


We had a lovely morning and hated to say good bye. It was relaxing and most pleasurable but we needed to get to Puyallup to see my Uncle George.

Our drive from Shelton to Puyallup was mostly on interstate and VERY busy in Tacoma. Although we didn't have any trouble getting there. AND I saw "my" Mountain!

Now this is the mountain I grew up with. I just don't know much about the others, I just remember waking up in the morning and seeing the mountain out of our breakfast nook window. This, of course, is Mt. Rainier.

We also drove past were my first daughter Suzanne was born at Ft. Lewis. Didn't have the time or I would have got in to get a picture for her.


My Uncle George is my father's baby brother and he's a pistol. Close to 94 years old and still drives his little red pick up to his lake house to get wood each week.





We really did have a good visit and he talked about my dad to me, that's always special, because he has been gone for many many years. My Uncle George was at the hospital with me when my Dad died.

Was sorry that Eloise left and we didn't get to see her. Wanted to see her pretty yard.

We had such a good visit with him and like it is with Uncle Lyle it's always hard to say goodbye to Uncle George.

We found a lovely hotel up on the hill in Puyallup and it had a lovely restaurant with it. And we could see a Denny's for breakfast!

Starting to get a little too tired. Have to see and deliver a friend a gift in the morning, so were in bed and slept good.

PNW Tour Day 2

Good Morning PORTLAND OREGON!!!!!!!!!! Woke up refreshed and ready to plow in to our adventure for the next 9 days:) It's foggy and damp and not very pretty or warm but the weather man says it's going to warm up.

First we are off to see my Uncle Lyle who lives in Tigard Oregon, which is really just a suburb of Portland. With our handy little GPS and our cell phone we located their apartment with no problem!

Uncle Lyle looked good and it was so good to see him again. He, Carol Brownie and I had a nice visit.
He has a nice apartment in a nice neighborhood. While we were there visiting the sun started burning thru the "low clouds or high fog" and it was turning in to a lovely day! We talked about old times and new times and then we have to say goodbye. It's always hard to say goodbye to my Uncles, I miss them very much.

So then it was off to see sweet cousin Teri just about 10 minutes away. Quick stop at Sonic for some lemonade and were off.

Teri looks great.
She's a busy lady, writing, working and mothering :) The sun was out and we were able to sit outside and have a nice conversation and look around her back yard at the beautiful flowers.



Then we moved to the front yard to see some more lovely flowers! And to see her lovely new stone worked patio that is in the process of being constructed. Teri has a lovely place, just as lovely as she is.



So we said our sad good byes and went to get a bite to eat for lunch then off to the bridge between Oregon and Washington! I love the interstate that runs up from Portland to Olympia.

It's so scenic and beautiful. I wanted to be able to see Mt. St. Helens but the low clouds blocked it.


That's what it would have looked like IF we could have seen it !

We had the map to what we thought was the cemetery where my great grandparents are buried but it sent us to Tumwater rather then Elma.. (about a 2 hour mistake) I phoned my cousin Neil and he got us in the right direction!

By the time we got to Elma, where the Oddfellows Cemetery is located it was getting pretty late in the day. So we've already lost several hours that we planned on visiting people, but when you take this sort of trip that's what happens!

So after we arrive at the cemetery I phone my cousin Mary Ann and she directs us easily to the stones. I had so badly wanted my own pictures of these stones. I have a story written down somewhere about how my g. grandfather was shot in the Civil War and the bullet moved his heart over so he survived :) He really sounded like a character!



So now were off to Shelton. It's too late in the day to meet with cousin Joy as we had planned but we found a lovely motel and had the best meal at a Mexican Restaurant that we had the entire trip!


Long day, fun day, busy day, emotional day... Tired and headed for the bed!