July ... summer in full swing and life was busy! Lots of good food, family, and fun! Grayson's phone fell, and looked like a lightsaber was poking up (he got a new phone, and Keaton got some Star Wars soap). The recliners in our couches are not holding up, so we did a little couch shopping this month (didn't pick anything yet ... the boys have figured out a little "wiggle" to get the recliners up when latch won't work). My hibiscus has bloomed, and the garden is growing (although it is much smaller this year). Our in-house electrician added a plug-in for a Tesla ... as that is next on Grayson's wish list. Other items from July include ...
Pickleball, Ping Pong and Pokemon and other fun stuff ... We've still been having pickleball sessions at least weekly. We may not get every one every time, but we take who we can get. Coop and I went out to Daybreak to check out the courts closer to Landon and Sol's house. Cooper and I play ping pong pretty much every day, and there were some other games too (Mom and Landon, Mom and Keaton, Cooper and Callahan ... Begedas were on the line). Coop got back into PokemonGo while on the Seattle Vacation, and has continued with it here at home. He spent several hours at the park one weekend. Cooper, Colton and I hit Top Golf to practice our swing.
Basketball ... The NBA finals wrapped up this month. Coop has been meeting up with buddies weekly for some backyard basketball. Cal is playing in a men's league on Wednesday nights. I've gone to watch a couple of times. Colton went to Las Vegas with his Wolves team. Unfortunately, he hurt his shoulder in the first game and wasn't really able to play. Happily it was short lived, and he was fine for a local tournament at the end of the month. Then there was the tragic news about his West Jordan Coach's family, and so there were several gatherings and the funeral.
Vaccinations ... I finally got around to getting the boys scheduled for their vaccinations. Keaton, Coop and Colton all have their first round done (all on different days, that's just how the scheduling worked out). A girl I went to high school with passed away from Covid this month.
Getaways ... Gray had a couple jaunts to Wendover, and a quick Moab trip. He did some local RZR riding as well. Colton's Vegas trip, and of course, the family Seattle Vacation.
Skydiving ... Keaton has continued to jump out of planes on a regular basis! After just two tandem jumps (one last year, one earlier this year) he moved to jumping out with an instructor at the same time. By the end of the month, he jumped completely solo! He took a "packing" class where he learned to pack his own parachute.
Food and Family ... We had a pizza night, then ribs, then marinated chicken, steak, salmon. Crepes, pretzel bites, cookies, chocolate malt and lots of sourdough bread. The married kids make it over a few times during the month, and we had Grandma and Grandpa Westra out one weekend too. There are always games when we get a group.
Movies ... the theaters are opening back up. Landon spearheads the movies and will try to get the other boys to come. They saw "Black Widow" and "Space Jam" and "Old".
Rain ... We got some much needed rain, a couple of big storms. We were getting enough water going into one of the window wells that Grayson went out and positioned some tables to direct the rain away. He got soaked! There is a retaining basin in the park by the pickleball courts we go to, and "Lake Constitution" was very full a couple of times with all the rain run-off.
Anniversary ... 29 years! Grayson and I went out to Tepanyaki for dinner.
I've still been doing my Zumba four days a week. Not really Zumba related, but my knee has been acting up, getting super stiff and a little painful (more when I'm NOT moving than when I'm working out). I'm getting old!
Seattle 2021 ... normally, I have quite a few photos, as Grayson is really good at keeping me updated on family vacations. I'm usually at home. I'm not a traveler. But this time, I shocked everyone by saying that I'd go. So I don't have to depend on Hubs or the kids for a written recap, I can write it up myself.
We left mid-day, Wednesday, July 7th, 2021. We had neighbors to come care for the kitties and bring in mail/packages. Our household drove to the airport in Grayson's truck. He dropped us off then went to park. Cal and Kate had family drop them off and they were a little ahead of us. We checked bags (free with Grayson's card, nice not to have to drag them around (Cal& Kate carried on). Landon and Sol were catching a later flight. Ours was at 4:30. We had arrived around 2:30, and made it through security without any issues (Gray has TSA pre-check, but as the rest of us didn't, he stuck with us through regular security ... like peasants).
We had added three new pieces of luggage ... and hoped we would recognize them on the other end. Baggage claim was quick and easy. We took the shuttle to the rent-a-car location, picked up our ride (a black Toyota Tacoma) that fit five, and the older kids (Cal, K8 and Keaton) ubered to the hotel. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Bellview. Gray and I on the first floor, the three boys in a room on the second floor, Cal & K8 next to them, and Landon and Sol on floor three. I was disappointed there was no outlet anywhere near the right side of the bed, for my fan and phone. The shower was also very low ... and we're not even that tall! I slept better than I expected though. The swimming pool was under renovation. I'm not sure if it would have been used, but it would have been nice to have the option.
That first night (and the other nights) we went over to Kolby and Jami's house to hang out, eat, drink, laugh and chat. Jami was kind enough to loan us her car so that we didn't have to rent a second one.
Thursday morning, Grayson checked out the hotel breakfast and wasn't impressed, so we went out. One of the old favorites, "Serious Pie and Biscuit" didn't survive Covid-19. Looking up other options, we ended up the "Family Pancake House". We were able to get right in and the food was yummy. Landon and Sol sat this one out. After eating, Gray wanted me to see Lake Sammamish, which was only about five minutes away. The lake had featured prominently in previous vacations (Seattle2014).
So we went and walked to the lake. It was still early (around 10:30) and quite cool, so not a ton of people around (we wondered how packed it had been during last week's heat wave, which happily had passed ... we enjoyed the cooler temperatures!) Grayson checked out the ducks. The water was lovely. There was a cool tree branch and we suggested Cal&K8 get a picture on it ... getting up and down was a little more challenging than anticipated, but was fun to watch!
Then, the Blackham Bunch headed to Seattle. We had tickets to the Space Needle, but had arrived a little early. So, we checked out the tube sculptures nearby ... and remembered the pictures taken there seven years ago! See the comparison shots below ~
Then it was time for the Space Needle.
Group shot at the bottom - and group shot at the top!
... the elevator takes you up, up, up. There's the observation deck, and then a "glass floor" that revolves around. Our tickets would have allowed us to come back in the evening, to see the city at night, but we didn't make it back. There was a group shot of us taken before we went up ... but we never saw how to find it (the photographer didn't scan the ticket first to create a connection).
It was time for some lunch ... and Lunchbox Laboratory was close by. Well, a mile away. It would have been more work to drive and park, so we walked it. Classic "dogsticks" with tater tots, and vegetarian options for Cal, K8 and Sol. We were, um "serenaded" by a man on the street during most of our lunch. A mix of yelling, preaching, rapping. It made it memorable! The usual "guess the check" at the end (this one was $$) and then the walk back. Keaton jumped on one of the "rental" scooters that are all around.
We went back by the Space Needle to check out the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit. Kate was especially excited for this! It was cool. All sorts of interesting and beautiful glass sculptures.
Grayson got a little distracted by a big pizza oven ... we've been making pizzas at home, and he bought TWO different ovens. An attachment for his Komodo Joe, and a smaller, portable Ooni. We'd noticed that Jami had an Ooni pizza oven when we were hanging out in their backyard. On the other side of the courtyard, there was another oven ... this one for the glass demonstration. Whereas the pizza oven was at about 800° (most kitchen ovens top out at 500°) ... the oven for glass was over 1500°!
I snapped this picture of Grayson inside the exhibit, with the Space Needle visible outside. He thought it was a good way to capture both activities. It wasn't until a bit later that I really looked at the artwork in our hotel room, and saw that it was a surprisingly similar shot!
Next up was Din Tai Fung, a world-renowned Chinese restaurant originating in Taiwan that specializes in soup dumplings and noodles. It's one that Gray and the boys always want to hit when they are in Washington (as it isn't in Utah). The original plan had been to beat the dinner rush, eating around 5:00 or so, but everyone was still pretty full from LunchBox Laboratory. We had a little down time at the hotel, and then headed out, and hit the dinner rush. There was an hour and a half wait ... but there was an arcade a few doors down.
Some air hockey, driving of cars. Keaton got crazy on the piano game! Cal and Colton had a basketball showdown. There was even a "begeda" on the line! New High Score ... went to Callahan. Then we got the text that our table was ready.
There was a LOT of food ... not enough room on the table, or in our tummies!
Here's a couple video clips K8 caught ... before and after!
That wrapped up Thursday - we did go hang out at Kolby's house for a bit afterward.
Friday, breakfast was at "Pomegranate Bistro" which was one of the locations Kolby had introduced Grayson to on a previous trip. Cal&K8 sat this one out, but the rest of the crew headed out (no photos). We didn't have a reservation, and at first were told it would be a wait of an hour and a half ... but then they said if we could be in and out in an hour (no lingering, which we really weren't planning on anyway) that they'd squeeze us onto a reserved table. So that was breakfast, Grayson was just SO sad that the "Savannah Hot Puffs" were only served Sat/Sunday.
Then the Blackham Bunch headed back to Seattle. First stop was GasWorks park. Grayson had taken a classic photo there on the last trip (2017) and we needed to recreate it! What a difference four years makes!
... and a few more photos
Then it was on to Pike Place Market.
It was crazy crowded. We had to stop at the "gum wall" then split up a bit, with groups going their own way. I tried to keep track a bit on Find My Friends, and was a little surprised when we did happen to run into each other again without specifically trying to. There was a little shopping, a stop to eat, then we went over by the big Ferris Wheel and bought tickets to the "Wings Over Washington" ride. Afterward, we got ice cream.
Back to the hotel for a bit, then we were meeing Kolby, Jami, Maddie and Mia for an "electric boat" ride. We'd looked over the water from Gasworks Park, and were now ON the water. Kolby drove, and Jami brought a ton of food. Cal and K8 decided to sit out the boat ride, as K8 had a bad experience on a boat before (motion sickness) ... but it worked out, as there was a limit of 12 people (and with them we were 13). We went all around the lake, saw a lot of other boaters, a small sea plane landing, and the house featured in "Sleepless in Seattle" ...
... Gray went to grab some ice cream at the grocery store after (I was waiting at the hotel) and all the kids piled into Jami's car and went there to hang out again. That wrapped up Friday.
Saturday we were planning on heading out early, so we just stuck with the hotel breakfast. I enjoyed the hot chocolate most mornings (nice that it was cool enough to make hot chocolate desirable). Then we headed out to meet Kolby, Jami and Maddie (Mia had to work) to take the ferry to Friday Harbor. Friday Harbor is the major commercial center of the San Juan Islands archipelago.
The ferry ride was a little over an hour. There was some chatting, some game play, some wandering around on the deck. Then we docked and had a few hours at Friday Harbor before we needed to catch the ferry again and head back to the hotel.
We decided to do lunch - there were yummy fried cheese curds, pretzels and cheese bread for appetizers, then everyone moved on to main dishes. After eating, it was time to wander. There were HUGE hanging baskets of flowers all over. It was so pretty. Tons of little shops. Of course we had to stop and get ice cream again. Callahan really enjoyed a salted caramel ice cream and convinced a bunch of us to go try it as well. Cooper likes to get some commemorative clothing to remember outings, so we snagged a "San Juan Islands" t-shirt for him. The whole vacation he was playing Pokemon Go, as it's much more exciting in new places than it is at home. Maddie found some little crabs ... she's the crab whisperer.
Then it was time to get back on the boat. To say goodbye to Friday Harbor, and goodbye to Seattle. One more sleep at the hotel, one more hotel breakfast. A quick drive to K&J's to say goodbye and return her car. Then to the airport, return the rental, check bags (oops, some confusion and Coop ended up having to carry his on), security, a small wait. Gray took Cooper and Colton to check out the Alaskan Lounge. No empty seats next to Grayson this time. We were all together, Landon and Sol with us too. We arrived back in Salt Lake. Happy to be home ... but it was hot, and smoky, we were already missing the Seattle weather. Until next time!
While this was Jen's first Seattle trip, there had been plenty of previous visits for the family!
