September 25, 2004 - Birch Bay, WA
Whew! Don't ever let anybody tell you retirement is a lazy time of life! We just got here after three days with my MUCH older brother, Ken, and his wife Nancy. Talk about busy people! I couldn't begin to list all the things those two have going on. A few of the items on their list includes working the Blood Bank every month, taking care of the community hall (making sure the lights are working, etc.), and doing "projects" around the community. Ken is an accomplished welder and woodworker, and in demand even in his advanced years and stays way too busy for me. Since we're only a few years apart in age, we constantly rag on each other for getting "old" whatever that means. While we were there he was welding up a beautiful staircase railing, and was helping a neighbor put up a roof over their sidewalk.
We got another picture of our new grandson! Huck lives with his two older sisters and folks in St. Louis. We're sure looking forward to seeing the little guy this spring. Son Doug has a hot-rod shop there in St. Louis. Robin (15) on the left is a classical pianist and Holly (13) is a violinist. The girls have been home-schooled and since both parents have degrees in music, it's no surprise the girls are into it in a big way. We've posted pictures of them in the past, but this is the first time we've been able to post the whole (new) family together (Huck was born in April). While driving through Mt. Rainier National Park, we followed this guy pulling his elk, along with some furniture. He was well aware of his height restrictions, and would dodge all overhanging trees. Pretty nice piece of woodcarving as far as we could tell. Really looked weird though.
Black Diamond, WA, the closest town to the Lake Sawyer RV park where we spend most our time while in WA had quite a celebration for Labor Day. When the little flyer of this small town said they were going to have a hot-rod show along with the pancake breakfast, parade, and kids games, we expected to see a half-dozen or so. What a surprise to see well over 100 cars on display. License plates from Oregon and California among them.. And there's brother Ken walking under the posts/beams/rafters he welded up for Mike to cover the sidewalk.
I'm trying hard to keep that post from leaning too far over (my kind of work, don't you know) Ken in the middle, and the homeowner Mike. Ken was an engineer on all kinds of projects before he retired, and it shows in the sturdy way he built these beams. Looks pretty as well as being strong and practical.
Ever heard the adage "measure twice; cut once"? Well, Ken hasn't. He just keeps on measuring. Not sure what all the concentration here was all about, but you can bet it's a conversation that will be repeated. Wonder what Ken would look like with a beard. Or even a moustache. Our oldest 1/2 brother always had a moustache and our younger brother always had a beard, and our dad usually had a moustache. Ken is the only bare-faced one of the bunch.
And it wasn't all work and no play. We ARE retired after all. So off we went to check out where Ken takes Dean Kennedy fishing. A bit too busy for us to go fishing, and the weather wasn't quite right, and lets see if I can think of other excuses..... And can anybody tell me what kind of bug this is? Hornet with a white spotted butt? Noisy rascal, too.
The lakes were formed by beavers and although they've moved on, their houses are still there. Good thing we didn't have the fishing boat or I'd have tried to stand on one of the lodges, just to see if they really are as strong as I've read about.
Lunch time. And we're all bundled up! The day after we left, the temperature went back into the 80's. Oh well. And then Ken's "pet rock." He's in the process of putting a roof over their mobile home and skirting under the porch, and ran right into this small boulder so we're going to haul it out of there. Yeah, sure, you betcha.
But in the meantime, Meg needs her tummy rubbed. And you'll notice that I kept my gloves on!
Meg's showing off her claws, that she keeps very sharp on her scratching post on the porch. And the poles that will hold the trusses for the roof are all lined up, cut off level, and ready for the next step. I wonder if we can get out of town soon enough. Just joking. There's something special about doing projects with family. We're looking forward to doing some puttering with son Rick when we get down to Sacramento probably in early November.
Well, after a great deal of fussing around, much discussion and a failed attempt, the rock came out and is heading to its final (we hope) resting place. I'm keeping it from rolling out of its chain harness as it slides along.
There might have been an easier way to get the rock in its place, but we weren't smart enough to think of it. Both us old duffers were puffing by the time it got into it place.
This is the Arden Community Hall that Ken and Nan have responsibility for. And the lights are out. They'd been called out of bed because of it the night before, so here we are. Ended up wiring around all the fancy-smanchcy photo cells and motion detectors that may or may not be working, and just left the lights on 24/7. Probably cheaper than replacing both photocell and motion detector, too. The grins are because Barb told us to. Not sure exactly what we were sitting down for when there's so much to do! Another little project we did while here was putting our new metal detector to work. In addition to finding a .30-.30 rifle case, some aluminum cans, a big nail and some wire, we found one of the boundary stakes that had been buried. Plans to expand the parking lot for the hall are in the works.
And last, but not least, is the "real" reason we went to visit Ken & Nancy. Our VCR had eaten a tape, and since the coach was still under warrantee, after calling the company (always the first thing to do) we agreed to pay the difference between the price of a replacement VCR and a VCR/DVD player. Only problem was that the VCR/DVD player was a couple three inches wider than the VCR it was replacing, and I not only don't have the tools, I don't have the skill required to build another bracket to hold it in place and then cut the wood around the unit as well. But Ken did. And rather than build a whole new bracket, we just cut the old one and spliced in an additional piece. DUH! And then I'd measured wrong, twice, but fortunately I'd measured it short, so we could cut the panel a second time. Thanks, Ken, for the help. Sure looks nice. Couldn't have done it without you.