The Oregon Coast

The biggest thing Inger and the twins were looking forward to on their trip to America was to pick up sand dollars on the beach. I had given her one in Norway and she’d never seen such a thing. When I told her they were just lying in the sand, free for the taking, she got all excited. The twins also share her love of collecting things at the beach, so today was their big day. Unfortunately, the sand dollars have to be collected a low tide, and even more unfortunately, low tide came early today. Just when they would have liked to sleep in a little and have a relaxing morning, we had to hop out of bed by 7:30 to get down to the beach to look for sand dollars.




Kory, Tobias and Kaleb were not the least bit motivated to rise from the comfort of their warm blankets, so it was just the five of us, trekking off down the dunes onto the beach below to find our treasure. Fortunately, and unfortunately, the fog was thick this morning. It wasn’t good for little boys who got cold very quickly and wanted to go back, but it was good for Inger and I, as no one else ventured out onto the beach, so we got every sand dollar there was to get in a two mile stretch. Normally though, we are here on the Oregon Coast in April or September. I haven’t experienced just how many tourists can show up around here all at one time, so we did not get nearly as many sand dollars as I expected, as the beach has been picked clean each and every day this summer, I’m sure. We picked up 32 perfectly whole ones without a dent or crack, and another 28 slightly imperfect ones that will work almost as well. Inger wants to use them for place names for Tobias’ confirmation party next year, and the imperfect ones can be used for decorations. It’s a cool idea, and she’s very creative, so I know it will be nice. But still, when I’ve come here in the past, I’ve collected up to 300 at a time, and there are always more than I can carry, so today was slim pickins, but there is always tomorrow’s low tide. I just hope the sun comes out so it’s more pleasant for everyone (and the pictures will be far more colorful, too.)



Inger wanted to buy some Crocs, and there is a store in Seaside, so on our way down there, we stopped off at Fort Clatsop to give them all a little American History lesson and show them the replica of the fort built by Lewis and Clark on their westward expedition in 1804. There were some hands-on demonstrations going on for kids, like stringing beads, weaving, and trying to start a fire with flint and steel. It was good for all the kids to have something to do that was geared for them, so that stop was worthwhile.



After a stop at Costco for lunch and a little more shopping, and a trip to Seaside for the Crocs, we headed back out to the beach at Fort Stevens State Park near the wreck of the Peter Iredale (see photo) and let the kids play in the sand. They rolled down a hill of sand, they jumped off a cliff of sand, they covered themselves in sand and put sand in their pockets. We were there for hours, and it was perfect in every way except the sun was still hiding behind a thick layer of coastal fog (we could see the sun was shining just a few miles inland, so it was all the more unfair to us.) I kept telling Bjorn the sun will come out, but he’s dismissed me as an eternal optimist and won’t believe a thing I say. Turns out, he was right, we never saw sunshine all day, and it never got above 60 degrees. It was fine for me, as long as there was no rain, but everyone else was craving sunshine. Oops.



The only thing that got the kids motivated to leave the beach, was the promise of going swimming in the Astoria Aquatic Center, complete with waterslide and sometimes, a river current (if it’s running). They all gladly hopped in the car and off we went. We thought it was a good place to get all the sand out of their ears, so Bjorn went swimming with the boys and Kory observed. Inger and I went shopping.



It was tough to find a restaurant for dinner as my favorite place had a long wait, and the place next door only had pasta on the kids menu and they didn’t want that, so we ended up at a Mexican restaurant, which worked fine for everyone but me. I love to eat seafood when I’m down in this neck of the woods, but as I told Kaleb several times today, “It’s not about you.” It was fine though and the kids were happy.



We made a fire in the fire pit tonight. Tobias wanted to start it with a flint and steel he got today at the park, but all he managed to do is rough up his knuckles. He got plenty of spark, but we didn’t have good kindling to get it going, so we cheated and used matches. I think he was disappointed, but I’m sure he’ll try again back in Norway. I suggested he do a report on Lewis and Clark for school, and bring the flint and steel in as a prop. I’m pretty sure he won’t be burning down the school house with it, after watching it in action tonight.

They're Back!

My friend, Gail, manages a coffee shop on the Oregon Coast, so she provided the necessary stimulation to get us going early this morning. She made up a latte called a “sticky bun” and I’m not sure what’s in it, but it’s like drinking candy with a caffeine kick. Kory sticks to his usual non-fat mocha, but I like to experiment a little to keep life exciting.




After a brief visit with Gail (it’s hard to chat when she’s taking orders and making espresso), we headed south along the Oregon Coast. The fog was pretty thick when we started out, but by the time we reached our destination of Lincoln City, the sun was shining and the sky was as blue as it gets.



There is a great outlet mall in Lincoln City that didn’t have a single empty store space, like so many others I’ve been to recently. We bought Kaleb a few pair of jeans and looked around a lot, while waiting for Bjorn and Inger to arrive. They drove up from Coos Bay and had three kids in tow instead of one, and a bit more mileage to cover. By the time they arrived, we were all ready for lunch so we went to Mo’s, right on the beach. No one ordered a big bowl of chowder, the thing that made that restaurant famous along the Oregon Coast, but Bjorn and I had a cup of it and he thought it was pretty good. I always hate getting that errant grain of sand between my teeth, but the flavor was good.



The tide was changing and we were right next to a bay, so we watched dozens of seals playing in the water, obviously enjoying even fresher seafood than we were eating. When we finished, I offered to take the twins and Kaleb down to the beach so Inger, Bjorn and Tobias could do some school clothes shopping at the mall. It worked very well, since the minute the boys hit the beach they just started digging in the sand, and they didn’t stop for over three hours. The twins built a castle that was decorated with all kinds of rocks, shells and feathers. Kaleb dug a hole and then buried himself in it (see photo of the early stages). I’m not sure what psychological difference there are in those two activities, but it was interesting to observe. Kory and I alternated being horizontal on a log and taking naps in the sun. It was a great afternoon.



The fog rolled back in as we headed back north along to coast to our campsite. We stopped in Seaside to have dinner at Norma’s, another famous place for chowder along the Oregon Coast. My friend, Randy, bought the restaurant after Norma died, and he changed the chowder recipe. According to Bjorn, Randy’s chowder is much better than Mo’s. I think many people agree with that one, as he’s written up in all the big time food magazines. We always eat there when we are in the area because he’s my friend, so it’s just a bonus that the food tastes so darn good, too.



We didn’t get back to the campsite until after dark, so everyone soon settled in for the night. The Norwegians are just glad they don’t have to be driving anywhere for the next few days, and I’m just glad they made it back. They were none worse for the wear, but Bjorn did agree, “That trip to San Francisco was no trip for kids.”

Another Roadtrip

We packed up this morning and hit the road again – this time south to the Oregon Coast. As we drove through Seattle, we stopped at the hospital again to pray for our friend JaRon. We’ll keep pestering God about her health until we see miraculous results because the Bible says we “have not because we ask not,” so we’ll keep asking.




It was 88 degrees when we left Seattle and by the time we got to the coast, it was only 62. The sun was shining, but man, what a climate change. We started out on I-5 but it was so crowded and so unpleasant, we decided to hop over to Highway 101 at Olympia after we stopped there for lunch. That drive was much more pleasant and not nearly as much traffic. I just love the coast. I drove the last stretch and Kory got a kick out of me taking photos while I was driving. Usually I just roll down the passenger side window and point and shoot while Kory is behind the wheel but but today I was driving so I held the camera out the sunroof to take photos. Nothing stops me from trying to capture a gorgeous moment on “film.” I call them “drive by shootings.” (See photo of Kory giving it a try.)



Our friends, Jan and Larry, are loaning us their travel trailer this week. They live just a few miles from Fort Stevens State Park, so Kory and Larry got everything hooked up and settled in before dinnertime. We set up the tent behind the camper and now we are calling this place home for the next several days.



Tobias called us tonight to let us know they made it to Coos Bay on schedule. He said they were all pretty cold as they had nothing but fog coming up the California coast. They did get to stop in the Redwoods and drive the van through the tree there, so that was a worthwhile novelty. We are meeting up with them tomorrow in Lincoln City so I hope the fog clears and they have a gorgeous drive up the coast.



We had dinner with our friends here in Oregon, then did a little tax free shopping at the local Costco and Home Depot before settling in for the night at the campsite. We have it good.

Spectacular Sixties

After church today Kory and I attended a 60th birthday party for Laurie, an “old” friend of his from his childhood church in Ballard. We went to her 40th birthday party, too, which seems like it was just a few years ago. I don’t know where those 20 years have gone. She looks the same however, and hasn’t aged a bit in all that time (see photo). Other friends at the party haven’t fared as well, but at their age, they should just feel lucky to be alive. Kory and his first wife were god parents to Laurie’s two boys. I’m pretty sure that deal ended with his divorce, but I’m glad Laurie and her husband never died so I didn’t have to find out. Her boys are all grown up now and no longer in need of back up parents, thank goodness.




It was a beautiful day for a garden party and Laurie had her house and yard in tip-top shape. It was eye candy all the way around as she’s a stickler for details. The M&Ms even had her name printed on them. That woman knows how to throw a party, and it was nice to be on the pampered side of the things, where I didn’t even have to clear my own plate from the table. I just sat out in her beautiful garden and got waited on, drank cold beverages and talked to Kory’s old friends. It was all quite lovely and the party went on all afternoon and into the evening. It was good to sit down.



Laurie gave a little speech as she was opening her gifts, and she mentioned how near and dear Kory was to her, since she was sitting right next to him in church on her 23rd birthday, when Ron, her now husband of 34 years, asked her on their first date. I thought that was funny.



We got a call from Bjørn while we were at the party, saying they had left San Francisco and were driving a few hours north before night fall. He was worried about the nine hour drive to get to Coos Bay tomorrow, and they wanted a jump start on the mileage so they had time to sight see along the way. They were pretty much done with San Francisco, as they took a double decker bus tour, walked up and down Lombard Street and got the feel of the city. They never got tickets out to Alcatraz Island and the line was too long to ride on the cable cars, so they missed out on seeing the two big things they went for, but it sounded like he was glad they went just the same. He didn’t like how cold it was down there and complained he even had to buy a jacket to stay warm. Wait til he hits the Oregon Coast. Yikes.



Kaleb finally got some time with friends as he spent the day with his buddy, Charles. We all stopped by to see JaRon in the hospital, on the way to the party, to pray with her again and see how her recovery is going from the surgery she had on Friday. She looked pretty good, so that was rather miraculous considering all she’s been through. We stopped to visit her mom, Grammy J, on the way home tonight from Seattle, and she’s holding up pretty well, too. It takes a lot of faith to keep hope alive at such a time as this. JaRon has bone cancer, but if there were ever people of faith, it would be those two. God is good, all the time.

Piddling the Day Away

I slept in today then drank coffee out on the deck while reading the Bible. I listened to the birds singing, the sound of the waterfall in our pond, and felt the warmth of the sun on my body. I managed to relax, even if for just a few minutes, before I decided it was time to get things done around here that have been neglected far too long. I mowed, I watered, I weeded, I pruned, and I watered some more. I looked for anything that would keep me outside, not only to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, but to keep from facing the chores that awaited me inside, like cleaning out the frig, folding laundry and washing dishes. Those chores waited until the mosquitoes came out. I did venture into LaConner briefly to get Kaleb’s haircut, and run a few errands, but otherwise, we were all home alone. Normally I wouldn’t like that scenario, but today, it was actually quite pleasant. I’m still trying to get used to Kaleb’s new look, however. It’s been five years since he’s had a buzz cut, and I forgot just how big his ears are. Good thing his hair will grow back. What was I thinking?



It was a lovely day, just puttering around our house with nothing special to do or any place to go. Kory took two loads to the dump - one of them containing his old BBQ I bought for his first Father’s Day, 11 years ago. It desperately needed replacing, so the new one was unpacked today and because it holds much more on the grill, Kory is quite pleased with it.



Kaleb was aching for a playdate with a friend, but I couldn’t bear the thought of driving him anywhere, so I didn’t even try to line up anything. He spent the day reading library books and playing with a new remote control helicopter he bought with his own money. Life’s little pleasures.



We enjoyed a late dinner of veggie burgers cooked up on the new grill and root beer floats to make it seem all the more like summer. We ate out on our deck as the long shadows started appearing across the valley floor (see photo). The evening ended with some friends knocking on our door, wanting a place to spend the night. I told them if they were in the area, to drop by, so they did. Kory had just popped popcorn and we were about to begin another family movie night, but we opted for a little social time with friends instead. It couldn’t have been better, as now we aren’t home alone anymore. I so love having friends in our home. Sleep tight.

Unexpected Pleasures

I loaned the traveling Norskies my cell phone for their road trip to San Francisco, so I called them tonight just before six o’clock to see where they were, and they were already in the city and had just gotten their first glimpse of Alcatraz. I talked with Tobias and he sounded pretty excited, as they were pulling up to their hotel on Fisherman’s Wharf. I’m so thankful they made it safe and sound. My job is done.



Kory had to run down to Seattle this morning to drop off a “specimen” for testing the level of mercury in his body, so I decided to go along with him. I found out last night that a friend of mine (Grammy J’s daughter, JaRon) was having hip replacement surgery today. She just found out about it herself yesterday, so we were all taken by surprise. I wanted to go pray for her before the operation, so Kory dropped me off at the hospital and went on over to Lunde to do a few things there. We had a nice little chat and the surgery went well, thank God.



While I was at the hospital, I got a call from my old high school chum, Paula, who now lives in Colorado. She had just landed at Sea-Tac with her husband, Paul, as they are in town this weekend for our 35th high school reunion (which I won’t be attending). She wanted to know if she could meet us for lunch, so it was all too coincidental and convenient that we were already in Seattle, and happened to have the time available. They took us out to Ray’s Boathouse and we were lucky enough to sit out on the deck (see photo). It was absolutely perfect weather for such a thing; not too hot, not too cold and just enough sun to make one feel lucky to be alive and able to enjoy the day. It was nice to have a few relaxing minutes to catch up on what’s going on in their lives, as their youngest daughter just got engaged and the wedding is in September.



The weather made us all want to linger a bit longer in the sunshine, so as we drove past the Ballard Locks we decided to get out and go for a stroll. The fish were jumping and the seals were at the ready, eating them up. We walked through the fish ladder and saw the biggest salmon I’ve ever seen, and even though I’d just eaten lunch, it made me hungry for some grilled fish. Yum. After a lovely walk through the gardens there, they dropped us off at Lunde and headed on out to Issaquah for the first of many reunion festivities this weekend.



Kory got stopped by one of our tenants who reported that he had a leaky pipe under his bathroom sink. One thing led to another, and four hours later he replaced the pipes, the sink and the faucet. All the while I’m unexpectedly spending my afternoon in Seattle with not much to do. I had my laptop along so Kory took me down to the library and I surfed the web until they closed up for the night. Fortunately, Kory showed up soon afterwards.



We left Kaleb home alone for the day, thinking we’d be gone just a few hours, but as it turned out, he was home alone much longer than that. He liked it. I told him after he did his chores, he needed to write me a proposal letter on how his schooling should go this fall. He decided he wants to “own school” so he can be in charge of himself. We had an interesting discussion around that concept, but the jury is still out on whether we put him in school this fall or not. I’m completely torn on the matter. He spent his day playing a new Nintendo game that Tobias bought for him, so he couldn’t have been more pleased to be home alone, in charge of himself for so many hours. I’m sure he didn’t see the light of day.



We had a family movie night tonight and watched “Ice Age 3.” Kory fell right to sleep, even though Kaleb was sitting on his lap, making sure we all knew when the funny parts were coming up (he’s seen the movie before.) I have a zillion other things I needed to be doing besides watching a kid’s movie, but there probably won’t be that many more Friday nights in our future when Kaleb wants to be home doing something with his parents, so I’m cashing in on them while I can.

And They're Off!

Everyone was up late last night and too early this morning, so Inger renamed her family “The Family of Chaos,” as everyone was pretty crabby trying to get out the door on their way to San Francisco. It was a bit chaotic, and I have to say I added to their troubles. They were delayed at least a half an hour looking for a new Nintendo game that suddenly disappeared that they bought one of the twins for the road trip. Unbeknownst to me, it was sitting on the back seat when I flopped the seat forward and tucked it down in the handy storage compartment in the back of the van. Once I realized everyone said the last place it was seen was in the backseat, I knew right away where it might be. They hit the road shortly after I recovered it, on their long adventure down Interstate 5, heading to California in our sweet Honda “touring” van complete with built in navigational system and DVD player for the kids.




Soon after they left, I called several of the Best Buy stores again to see if anyone had gotten any shipments today of the iPad mini-computer from Apple. I found a store near Eugene, Oregon, that had just received 12 of them and they had nine left, so I was on the phone right away to Bjørn, telling him where to stop to buy that darn thing for Tobias. I thought they would have been in Oregon by the time I called them, but they got sidetracked in Centralia at the outlet mall there. I got nervous and called back the store to see if they would hold one for him, since they were on their way down (but several hours from actually getting there), and they wouldn’t do it. So I’m sure Tobias was feeling a bit stressful today, wondering if there would be any left by the time he got there, as there were only four left by the time I called the second time. I prayed a lot on his behalf, as I knew how much it meant to him.



I stayed off my feet as much as possible today, (at least now the throbbing pain is gone) paying bills and catching up on a few things (like posting old blogs), but I did have to go into town to close out an account at the bank. Just as I sat down with the bank person, Bjørn called me on the cell phone to inform me that they made it to Best Buy in time and Tobias finally got his long awaited iPad. I shouted “Hallelujah,” right in the bank, then had to explain myself to the woman helping me.



Kory was down in Seattle today at the naturopath doctor getting his (hopefully) last mercury detox treatment, then working over at our apartment building, preparing the way for a new roof next week. Kaleb had his pal, Timothy, here all day so they were off doing what boys do on a summer day, and the hours just slipped by for all of us. I didn’t get the house clean, laundry folded, or all the calls returned I needed to, but it was nice to have a day to just let it all go. I didn’t even make dinner.



Bjørn called exactly twelve hours after he left our house this morning, saying they were checked into their hotel in Grants Pass, Oregon, and they made it safe and sound. It’s about an eight hour drive so they took their time, which was good. They are all ready for another late night shopping spree at the Wal-Mart next to their hotel, and they will hit the road again tomorrow morning with Fisherman’s Wharf as their final destination. I do hope they are able to get tickets to go out and see Alcatraz, as when I checked on-line last night, they were all sold out for the weekend. It’s all Tobias was looking forward to seeing, but now that he has his new iPad, I’ll bet he won’t even know they are in San Francisco tomorrow – unless that gadget speaks up somehow and tells him so.

(An Almost) Day of Rest

We had absolutely NOTHING planned today, which was a good thing. We all needed a little free time to take care of the necessities of life, like cleaning, washing clothes and shopping. Bjørn and Inger left the boys at our house and went to the mall to buy them school clothes. It was a hot enough day we had no problem keeping them busy. They all helped clean out and wash the motorhome, and when that was done, Kory set up the slip-n-slide. Kaleb and the twins had a blast squirting themselves with dish soap and sliding down the wet tarps. Tobias just sat on the sidelines and watched with the rest of us (a friend stopped by with her kids for a while.) It was good the boys had a chance to run around and play and relax and be out of the car, since tomorrow they will be in for a long, long drive, heading to San Francisco. My battery was dead on my camera today so I didn’t take any photos. It might be a record day, as I’m not sure I have ever gone a day without taking photos. I was desperate enough to capture the slip-n-slide moment, so I set up the web camera on my laptop and got a few video clips, but unfortunately, could NOT get them to load on the blog. (Today’s photo instead is the view from our camp site of the orange and yellow fungi growing on the rock face at Steamboat Rock, and all the debris that has built up over the years of those rocks eroding away. Somehow the look of it, felt like today.)




I stayed off my broken toes by spending a good part of today on the phone, calling every Best Buy store from the Canadian border down to central California, looking for an iPad for Tobias. It’s the latest in techno-gadgets and he just HAS to have one. They cost about three times the price in Norway, so he was sure he could get one here to take home and be the envy of his social circle, but the problem is, they are all sold out. I called store after store and no one has them in stock. They said that Apple can’t make them fast enough and as soon as they get a shipment in, they are gone within hours. Tobias’s face sank at the thought of going home empty handed. Finally, by day’s end, I just told him he needs to pray, because when things seem hopeless, there is always hope. God has a way of delivering, every time. I trust He won’t let him down.



Kory took the RV in town to empty the holding tanks and fill the gas and propane tanks. After Bjørn and Inger returned, we all met up with him and drove the motorhome back to its generous owners then went out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Inger said Bjørn has talked about that restaurant ever since she’s known him. He used to live in Texas, where he was first introduced to their “Bloomin’ Onion” and baby back ribs. He licked his lips just thinking about eating there, so tonight was his night – he ordered both. Kory then took all the boys back home to get them to bed, while Inger and Bjørn and I did a little late night shopping at Wal-Mart, buying things to keep the kids busy in the car tomorrow. I can see the concern on Bjørn’s face as the reality of 13 hours in the car starts to sink in. Welcome to America, where life is just one long road trip after another.

Happy Anniversary!

Nine years ago today, Bjørn and Inger met, and according to Bjørn, it was love at first sight. So today, they celebrated their anniversary. It couldn’t have started out in a better place, that’s for sure. The day was warm right from the get-go and it took no time at all before all the Norskies were in the lake, splashing around to cool off. Bjørn and Tobias even washed their hair and took a bath in nature, with all of us looking on (they kept their clothes on, however.) We lingered a bit this morning as it was hard to pack up and leave the campsite. Kory and Bjørn enjoyed their morning cup of coffee in the shade of a tree (see photo), and we all enjoyed watching the activity in the campground. One guy drove around in a motorized vehicle that was made up of two coolers – he sat on one and had a spare in the back. Too funny. There were many dogs for Kaleb to pet and a lot of park to explore, but we had a lot of driving ahead of us, so we had to depart. The drive was so scenic, however, that the time went by rather quickly (see other photo).



In all my years living in Washington State, I have never been to Dry Falls. I’ve heard of it and know people who have gone there, but today was the first day for me. It was spectacular. I don’t think Kory had ever been there before either, and it was quite the sight to see. At the end of the last ice age, it was the world’s largest water fall, but when all the ice melted, it just dried up, so now it’s a big hole in the ground in a very hot and desolate place (see photo). I love seeing new places. We also stopped at Soap Lake, but it seems the “soap” has all dried up, too. Years ago I was there and the bubbles were everywhere, but today – nothing.



The kids did well in the motor home again today. It’s so much more comfortable than riding in our van. We never once had to make a “potty stop,” as the on-board bathroom was used by every kid we had, all the while we were cruising on down the road. Legally, I suppose, they should have had their seatbelts on at all times, but the toilet didn’t come with a seatbelt attachment, so I guess we broke the law. No one got hurt except me. I went into the bathroom to wash my hands and lost my balance as we went around a corner. My foot jammed into the base of the toilet and I’m sure I broke two toes, as they swelled up and turned black soon afterwards. The throbbing pain put a damper on the rest of my day, but otherwise, all went well.



Bjørn and Inger own a condo in Turkey, so they are more than familiar with “Turkish delight,” a special candy made from fruit and some kind of gelatin, so we had to stop in Cashmere to take the tour of the Aplets and Cotlets factory. I’ve stopped there many times and never made it in time for a tour, but today was our lucky day. The factory was open so I finally got to go into the kitchen and see how they make that yummy stuff (see photo). It was the sweetest stop we made all day.





Our only real goal today though was to stop off in the little “Swiss village” of Leavenworth (see photo) to ride the bumper boats, but I guess the economic crisis has taken its toll on little tourist towns in our nation. We were all sad to discover the boat place had shut down. It was a hot day and we were all looking forward to a water fight, but we had ice cream instead and shopped around a little before heading out of town. They had some fun metal signs in one of the stores and I bought one that says, “I understand the concept of cooking and cleaning, but not as it applies to me.” Bjørn bought one that says, “Of course I love you. Now bring me a beer.” I think it was Bjørn’s anniversary present to himself. He bought it only after buying Inger an angel, as she surely is one.



The day was long, but good. We got back after dark. Tobias was happy we stopped to have Mexican food for dinner before driving home. The twins didn’t fight once today, until we got to our place. They are too cute, those boys, even when they are fighting. The Norwegian word for “yes” is “ja,” but they always say, “Yeps.” Hearing it come from their tiny little voices makes me smile every time. It’s a good word. I think I’ll use it.

The Cascade Loop

To say we’ve been “on the go” today would be an understatement. We left early this morning (Monday) to do the tour of the Cascade Loop in a borrowed motor home (see photo), which turns out to be an incredibly delightful way to travel with four kids in tow (well, not literally). Even though we stopped a lot along the way, it still felt like we were driving all day. Fortunately, every kid had a Nintendo to occupy their time, and with the comfort of being able to change seats and locations often, everyone did very well. The RV had huge side windows, so Inger and I sat on the couch and enjoyed much of the scenery, while the kids sat at the dining table and played their games and Kory and Bjørn sat in the front, trading off the driving duties and talking all the while.




Before we even left Skagit County, we stopped at Krispy Kreme donuts. The whole family was giddy with joy that they actually got to taste an American donut, “Just like the policeman eat in the movies.” It was an unexpected pleasure, so Bjørn bought two dozen for the road. We stopped up at Diablo Dam for our first taste of them, while sipping coffee and juice and looking at the surrounding mountains . We also took a photo stop at the top of the pass (see other photo), so they could all say just how much the mountains here look like Norway, except Norway doesn’t have trees. Our goal was to eat lunch in Winthrop (a cute little cowboy town – see photo) but we got side-tracked with the “Old Time Photo” shop where they all got dressed up as cowboys and had fantastic family photo taken. Kaleb wanted one also with the, “Wanted – Dead or Alive” frame around it so everyone else grabbed a quick lunch while he had his photo shoot. His picture was pretty cute, too.



The scenery changed so dramatically as we drove east across the state today, from the moss draped trees as we headed up over the mountains, to the brown, rocky basalt outcroppings dotting the landscape of our final destination. We detoured off the Cascade Loop in order to go to Grand Coulee Dam (see photo of Kory and the boys) to see the largest dam in America and the laser light show they put on there every night in the summer.



I was lucky to find a campsite nearby at Steamboat Rock State Park, even though I reserved it months ago, because that camp ground is so spectacular, it fills up the minute they open for reservations nine months in advance. Our spot couldn’t have been any better, located right next to the lake and under the shade of a huge tree. The 90 degree weather didn’t affect us too much as we sat up our tent for and got all the bedding ready for a good night’s sleep. The Norskies all slept in the motor home, and our little family slept in our new two room tent that easily holds eight. As I relaxed on the comfort of a self-inflating air mattress, and stared up into the heavens, I felt particularly smug that none of those pesky mosquitoes circling overhead could get to me. Our new tent features a “room within a room” so they had little chance of taking on my blood as their last meal before being swatted to death.



We had to backtrack a few miles to find dinner in Coulee City before attending the laser light show, so the RV didn’t get comfortable for too long in it’s cute little spot under the tree. The laser show didn’t start until ten and then went on much longer than I remembered, so we left before it was over as the twins were falling asleep on the benches. It was still something special to see, even if we missed the grand finale.



After all the kids were asleep tonight, all us grown-ups sat at the picnic table drinking “cold beverages” under a blanket of stars as deep as I have ever seen. I even spotted a shooting star race across the sky. The air was warm; the campground peaceful. We all thought we’d landed on the sweetest spot in America and Bjørn and Inger were sure Norway couldn’t possibly have as nice of a camping place as where we had just landed. We all agreed we could stay a week, but even if it is just for the night, we are happy to have experienced such a place.

Canada, Eh?

It’s hard to live just one hour from the Canadian border and NOT take a trip to another country when we have visitors, so today was the day for that. We faced the dilemma of taking two vehicles or leaving one person at home, since our van technically only holds seven passengers. Since I had plenty of housework, laundry and shopping to do, I opted out of crossing over to the other side. Kaleb decided to stay home too, since there wasn’t anything up in Canada that interested him in the least, so Kory was the chauffer and took the Norwegians north for the day while Kaleb and I bought groceries, cleaned the house and watered the garden. I think it was a good choice for everyone. Kaleb kind of liked being home alone as he was outside in the sunshine all day just entertaining himself and helping me when I needed it.




It was a little bit exciting for our company to get a “two for one,” visiting two different countries on one vacation, especially since none of them had ever been to Canada before. It was only a few minute wait to cross the border, then they were off to Vancouver, BC to see what that city looked like. They walked around the main shopping street, went to an underground shopping center, had lunch at an American restaurant and headed out to Stanley Park, the jewel of the city. It was a perfect day for walking along the trail that encases the park (see photo). They took a few photos, checked out the prices of things and were glad for the experience.



Inger is a very gifted artist that makes cards and scrapbook pages like no other. She has found her little piece of heaven here at the Michael’s store, the crafter’s supermarket for all things creative. She has been to Michaels nearly every day she’s been here in America, using up coupons and taking advantage of sales. Lucky for her there are several locations and each has something different to offer. On the way back from Canada, Kory stopped off at a Michaels so Inger could buy some type of special cutting system because she had a 40% off coupon and they had a special sale today for an extra 15% off. It was the highlight of her day to buy this thing for about one third the cost of it in Norway. While the boys were all waiting out in the car for her to finish shopping, Kory asked the twins, “What do you find at Mickey’s house?” They answered, “Mickey.” Then he asked, “What do you find at Michaels?” and they answered, “Mama.” They all had a good laugh over that one.



I had dinner waiting for them when they got home and it was still warm enough even at 8:30 to eat outside on the deck. Kory and I left afterwards to go over to the Smith’s house to retrieve their motor home, which we will use tomorrow on a little road trip around Washington state. (They are very generous people and we are lucky to know them.) We also enjoyed a glorious tour of their new house and my only regret was that Inger and Bjørn weren’t with us because seeing inside of that house was like walking into a magazine photo. It would be nice if something they saw here in America fit their expectations, as the reality of our world is so different from what is portrayed in the movies – except for maybe that house.

The Seattle Day

We loaded everyone up in our van early this morning and headed to Seattle to do as many touristy things as we could in one fell swoop. The fog was still pretty heavy as we walked along the waterfront. We all dressed for a warm day so we popped in and out of shops just to take the chill out of our bones. There was plenty of body heat in Ye Ole Curiosity Shop as it was nearly impossible to move around in there, let alone see all the merchandise and weird display items. A few docks down, we found an arcade that put a smile on the twins’ face as they rode around and around on the carousel. The hill climb up all the steps to Pike’s Place Market was a bit easier in the cool of the morning, however.




Pike’s Place Market was jammed packed with tourists and once caught up in the stream of moving bodies, I questioned the purpose in even being there. The flow of people kept anyone from stopping to look or buy a thing. It was crazy busy. We passed by some t-shirts that were pretty cute though – one for adults said, “You can’t scare me, I have twins.” The t-shirt for kids said, “I can’t remember… am I the good twin or the evil twin?” We did catch a glimpse of a fish being thrown back and forth over the famous fish counter, however. I don’t think anyone actually bought any fish, but there were so many tourists standing around waiting to take a picture of the “flying fish” that is so heavily advertised, the employees just tossed a few to get the crowd to move on, thank goodness.



Billed as Seattle’s “grossest” tourist attraction, the “gum wall” down in Post Alley, lies underneath The Market and is a “must see” in my book. Kaleb won a package of gum at the arcade so he was quite anxious to chew it and stick his hunk of used gum on the now famous wall. Bjørn couldn’t have been more grossed out. He kept his distance while others walked by and tossed their wads as high as they could, as every conceivable spot within reach was taken. Too funny. The only souvenirs we bought all day were prints of the Space Needle (Inger and I liked the same one) from Kim Drew, a now fairly famous artist I went to high school with, who has a booth outside The Market. Kory and I own eight of his original paintings and the guy at the booth told us Kim’s original paintings start at about two thousand dollars now and go up from there, so I guess our investment in his art work early in his career was a good one. Of course, we won’t be selling them, so it’s a moot point, but still, it’s kind of cool to know he’s nearly famous now.



After lunch, I took the boys shopping at Pacific Place, a building Kory worked on for over two years, while Inger and Bjørn shopped a little at Nordstrom. Kory spent a good part of the day at our apartment building in North Seattle, meeting with a roofer to get a bid, so he didn’t join us until later in the afternoon. Once we were all together again, Kory drove us over to REI so they could see if there was anything there they wanted to buy, but we all just ended up watching Kaleb scale the 65 foot rock wall in record time. He climbed that thing (with safety gear of course) like he was Spiderman, but then got scared on the descent and didn’t want to lean back and just let the rope take him down. Letting go was hard for him. I understood perfectly.



We had dinner reservations at the Space Needle and it took us over a half an hour to get from REI to the Seattle Center (less than a mile) because the Bite of Seattle was going on at the Center and the traffic was as jammed as The Market had been earlier. We made it on time, though, and had a wonderful meal watching the world spin around us a few times before we were done (see photo of Inger and Bjørn). It’s a “must do” when in Seattle, I’m certain. It was Kaleb’s first time in the restaurant so he was bummed he didn’t get the window seat, but I assured him we would be back and he could have that seat next time.



The Fun Forest was open at the base of the Needle so the twins went on bumper cars and Kaleb took a spin on the “Tornado” before we walked through the booths set up for the Bite of Seattle. I haven’t been downtown for that event in several years. To say it has changed would be an understatement. It could also just have been the time of day, since it was near sunset, but it was totally overrun with young people, most of them looking like trouble. There were groups of two to four police officers about every hundred feet. I’ve never seen so many cops in all my life at one event. They were on bikes, horses and on foot. I didn’t even know the Seattle Police Department HAD so many cops. I guess I wouldn’t have wanted to be there if they weren’t standing around, as the crowd was pretty unruly and not a place to be walking with children in tow, so we got out of there as soon as we could. We drove up to Kerry Park on Queen Anne to take some family photos with the gorgeous Seattle skyline at sunset as a background (see other photo).



Except for the fact we were gone for over 14 hours (so it was a bit too long of a day), it was a day well spent, enjoying the most beautiful city that America has to offer (in my opinion anyway, and everyone is entitled to THAT.)

The sun was shining brightly for our last hoorah at the beach this morning. Tobias and Kaleb stayed back at the cabin, but the rest of us went for a long walk, collecting beach treasures as we went. I had to ask what the Norwegian word for “treasure” was and was pretty shocked to find out it’s the exact same word they use for “tax.” It’s not too hard to figure out where that association came from.




I managed to find more rocks and some cool driftwood to take home - like I need more things at home. Kory also picked up some wood and told me he had something in mind to build for me. I hope I like it. It’s a real hit and miss sometimes with his creativity landing on something I think is cute, but at least he tries. Inger and Bjørn were impressed with the amount, size and shapes of the driftwood on the beach. Huge trees that were bleached from the sun and smoothed by the sand were lying like toothpicks in a box – just stacked up one after another all along the beach. The root systems were the most impressive and they were wishing there was a way to take one home to put in Inger’s parent’s garden (which is quite impressive, by the way.) The twins found the piles of driftwood more entertaining than their Nintendo as they walked along the trunks, balancing ever so carefully; jumping off the ends, playing hide and seek in the nooks and crannies. We could have spent all day just playing in the driftwood (see photo) as it was better than any play equipment I’ve ever seen. The possibilities were endless.



After lunch, everyone helped pack up the vehicles and clean up the cabin. I stayed behind for a few hours to do the final cleaning. Kory took the whole gang back home where Inger and Bjørn got to see our place for the first time and experience life in the woods, now that they’ve had a taste of life at the beach. They were all sitting on the deck, drinking “cold beverages” and enjoying the view by the time I rolled in with sweat still dripping off my forehead from all the work I’d done back at the cabin. Hmmm. 

I appreciated that it was significantly cooler at our house than at the beach. Inside our house was even colder than outside. We ate dinner outside, overlooking our beautiful Skagit Valley and the ever changing farm lands. Watching the farmers plant the seed and harvest the crops is kind of like watching the tide go in and out, only much slower - like at about the same rate as grass grows. But our life in the country these days, is anything but boring. Hallelujah.

Dog Mama

The one thing that Bjørn (Kory’s second cousin) wanted to see more than anything else while here in the Northwest, was where Boeing makes airplanes. He is a pilot, so his whole life revolves around flying. Lucky for him, Boeing gives tours at the Everett plant, which is the largest building in the world. It’s an impressive sight even if one doesn’t have an affinity for airplanes. So Kory loaded up the van this morning with Bjørn, Inger, Tobias and Kaleb, and they headed south. The six year old twins, Jonas and Markus, were not tall enough to go on the tour, so I offered to watch them for the day. Inger insisted she should stay home with them, so as not to burden me with the responsibility (they are a bit feisty at times), but I assured her that I’ve been able to raise Kaleb so far to date without serious injury to either one of us, so I should be able to handle the twins. I could see the concern on her face, but I knew she would also enjoy the Boeing tour, so I insisted. Besides, Everett has one of the best Children’s Museums around (thanks in part to huge donations by Boeing), and I figured there isn’t a kid in the world that wouldn’t enjoy that place.




We all left the chill of the beach house this morning under a thick layer of fog, and drove to Everett. My role as “dag mama” (pronounced “dog mama,” what Norwegians call baby-sitters) had officially begun. I had heard stories about the twins, but never spent any time with them before. Kaleb had renamed them when we lived in Norway from being “tvillingene” (“those twins”) – to “tullingene” – a word he made up from the base root “tulle” which basically means “mischievous.” It was a clever description because it’s appropriate and it sounds a lot like the word for twins. They do have a reputation, but it didn’t scare me.



The twins loved the Children’s Museum, just as I thought they would (see photo of them – Markus is milking the cow, Jonas is giving the cow milk). I brought along a book, expecting to have a few minutes to myself like I did with Kaleb, while he played, possibly for hours on end in one exhibit. That was my expectation anyway, but the reality of it was quite different. Where Kaleb would play in one area non-stop, the twins were good for about five minutes. They zipped from room to room faster than I could find a place to sit down, so I couldn’t take my eyes off them. And with two of them, they didn’t always stick together, so I had my work cut out for me. Fortunately, there was no way for them to escape the museum, so I never panicked, but they did keep me on my feet. They had a great time though, as I’m sure they have never experienced anything like it.



I thought we might be at the museum the bulk of the day, but they were done in an hour. I still had a little time to kill before we met up with the rest of the gang for lunch, so I stopped at a discount store and let the boys go shopping. They told me their grandparents had given them money to spend in America, and they wanted to spend it, but they didn’t have it with them. I explained to them the concept of a loan, so they were happy to use my money in the meantime. It was so funny to watch them shop. They grabbed a Ben-10 toy off the shelf with, “I’ll take one of these, and I want one of those.” Their arms were bulging with items and things kept falling to the floor and they’d bend over to pick one up, and another thing would fall. Finally, I offered to carry things for them, but it kind of took the fun out of the process of watching them. And they were very concerned, not about how much money they were spending, but that one of them had picked out one more item than the other so they had to get the same number of items. I couldn’t tell who was who, but one picked something he didn’t even want that much, just to be sure the other one didn’t have more things than him. It was all pretty cute, and it made the car ride afterwards very quiet as they each removed all their toys from the packaging and began to play with them.



Since things were going so well with the twins, at lunch I suggested Inger , Bjørn and Tobias stay at the mall with Kory and go shopping, while I take Kaleb and the boys back to the cabin. I could tell the boys were anxious to have time to play with their toys, so everyone agreed it was a good idea, except Kaleb. All he wanted to do was sit in a library all day and read, so I dropped him off at the Stanwood Library on the way back to the beach, and he was happy. Kory picked him up several hours later when they returned.



I stopped at the dollar store on the way home just to let the boys buy a few more things to play with at the cabin. The sun was out by the time we got back so they headed down to the beach (see other photo of them and the low tide). One of them just sat for hours piling mud up on a stump, happy as a lark. The other played for a while, then cleaned himself off and sat quietly inside, putting together one of his lego toys. My friend, Gail, came by for a visit and we sat on the deck, drinking lemonade and talking for hours non-stop without a single interruption. It was so relaxing and calm. No one else was around, and I felt kind of guilty for how easy it was, since all the expectations were that I was going to be exhausted by the end of the day, taking care of the twins. They were perfect angels. Lucky me.



When everyone came home, all the boys had another mud fight, which spiced things up a bit, but no one got hurt, so that was good. We had a wonderful BBQ salmon dinner out on the deck, while watching the tide come in and the changing colors in the evening sky. I love how the pale blue turns to a soft pink as the sun begins to set. It’s a little sad our time at the beach is coming to an end, but we still have many new adventures that lie ahead.

Welcome to America!

I think the most anyone slept last night was about five hours. Jet lag is not for sissies. Even the twins were up at five, ready to see what America has to offer. I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast, which is a typical dinner meal in Norway. I wanted to be sure our guests all knew they weren’t in Norway anymore. We ate out on the deck with the sun shining brightly (see photo). The sourdough pancakes were a hit even though they taste nothing like Norwegian pancakes. Tobias thought the American pancakes he had in a restaurant were terrible. He said they just tasted like gobs of flour with no flavor. I think he’s right. It’s amazing how our taste buds get developed so much by just what we are used to eating. I guess that’s why some people can eat monkey brains, and I have no desire to ever try them. I’m glad they all tried my pancakes.



Tobias’ whole family left us today for several hours as they went shopping down at the outlet mall in Marysville, and every store in between. It was too nice of a day for shopping if you ask me, but they came with empty suitcases and needed clothes, shoes, coats and everything else in between. Inger, Tobias’ mom, was completely overwhelmed with how many options there were for every little thing she wanted to buy, so she didn’t buy much. The twins were quite the distraction and jet lag probably played a part of that too, but they didn’t come home with a car full of merchandise, like I thought they would. They just bought a few things today but I’m sure by the time they leave, America’s economic indicators will have turned just based on their purchases. They came here to shop.



Kory and Kaleb took a long walk out on the mud flats, as the tide was super low and the beach was calling. I stayed back at the cabin because my friend, Rhonda, came out for several hours today to paint. She’s an artist and loves new venues, so we set her up on the deck and let her creativity fly. It’s amazing what beauty can be captured in just a short span of time. Afterwards we went for a long walk on the beach and caught up on all that’s happened these last few months we’ve been gone. It’s good to have friends.



Without anyone to play with, Kaleb was bored to tears by late afternoon. I took him up to the Stanwood library while I got on the internet and checked my email and sent his final science report in to his teacher. If he doesn’t read at least one book a day, he’ll go insane. He can read a 200 page book in about an hour, so he had to stay until it was done, and then he stopped whining.



Tobias’ family came back from shopping by late afternoon. We all took a walk out on the beach, waiting for the tide to come in. The slippery mud on the beach was just too tempting for the four boys, so a mud fight ensued (see other photo). The incoming water took care of most of the clean-up, as the water was warm and Tobias and Kaleb played around in it while waiting for dinner to be ready. We had an all-out American BBQ with steaks on the grill, baked potatoes and corn on the cob. We ate out on the deck, overlooking the water. The temperature was perfect and ambiance was about as nice as America has to offer.



After dinner we all went out on the water; Tobias’ family in the row boat, our family in our rubber raft. We were trying to keep the twins from falling asleep too early, and our plan worked. We just paddled along the shore, checking out all the houses along the beach. Fish were jumping, eagles were flying overhead, kids and dogs were playing in the water along the shore, people were out in front of their houses sitting in lawn chairs drinking beer. It was a slice of America even we don’t get to enjoy all that often, so we are thrilled to be sharing it with our guests. Life is good.

They Made It!

Kory was up and out the door long before the rest of us got up as he had his retired men’s Bible study to attend this morning, and he wasn’t about to miss that. He had the oil changed on our Honda afterwards in preparation for all the miles it’s soon going to rack up. We are loaning it to Tobias’ parents to drive to San Francisco next week, plus we’ll be driving it around a lot ourselves, taking them here and there.




As soon as Kory made it back to the cabin, I took off for home. I had some final cleaning to do, also in preparation for our company coming from Norway. I needed to change sheets on the beds and wash the floors and bathrooms. It’s impossible to have a clean house with boys and dogs and company, but at least I can make a good first impression, so if it’s just clean for the first two minutes, I’ve done my job. I didn’t expect to be gone all afternoon, but I was, as I had some watering to do as well. Fortunately, we haven’t had any rain lately and it looks like it will be that way for a while.



Kory was at the beach with the boys all afternoon, overseeing their second attempt at building a raft that would hold a bon fire. At least they have a goal and something to focus on. When they finished, they had to wait for the tide to come in, so they all played another round of Monopoly. I won last night’s round so this was the loser’s version, and Tobias won. Kaleb handled losing pretty well. Sometimes he flips out about it, but with Monopoly, it’s easy to see the end is near. At least they played it out on the deck and didn’t sit inside on such a beautiful day.  Finallly, when the tide returned, they were able to roast their long awaited marshmallows from the canoe - quite the novelty, I'm sure (see photo).



Kory only had one disciplinary issue today with Kaleb, so that’s an improvement. I had to deal with some disrespect issues tonight with him, but I have to have hope things will get better. I can’t wait for the teenage years. Kaleb did impress me tonight doing his final report for his Life Sciences class with Johns Hopkins, so at least that went smoothly and he completed the class. He was notified today he got 96% on his final exam, so we are pretty proud of that. How his brain can contain so much scientific knowledge, yet lack so much common sense, is beyond me.



Kory and Tobias headed out tonight to go pick up Tobias’ family at Sea Tac. They made it back here after midnight, looking rather weary and a bit hungry. After a bowl of soup, they all fell asleep pretty quickly. We love having company, so we are thankful they are here. We have many adventures and memories to make in the next few weeks so we can’t wait to show them around our neck of the woods. Norway is far more beautiful, but America isn’t all bad.

A Little Break

My friend, Dani, and her husband, Chris, left us today. I tried talking them into staying a few extra days at our house so they could explore the Northwest a bit more, but they were anxious to keep movin’ on down the road. They picked up their dogs from the kennel, and they were off. I hate goodbyes. But we were leaving too, so it was understandable.




We rented a beach cottage for this week, on Camano Island, not far from where we live. Actually, we won it at an auction at our church, as it belongs to members of our congregation. They donate one week a year to raise money for whatever event needs it, and we were the lucky ones to win the bid. It’s a wonderfully safe place for kids to hang out because the water isn’t too deep when the tide is in, and it’s possible to walk for miles from shore when the tide is out. This is the third time we’ve stayed here so it feels a little like home away from home. Lucky us.



It took a few hours to get packed up and say our good-byes to Dani and Chris, so that took up the morning. We were at the beach by lunch and the boys immediately started building a raft. We brought hammer and nails. Last time we were here, Kaleb built a bonfire on top of a raft someone had already made. When the tide came in, it set the raft afloat and he and Kory went chasing after it in the canoe and roasted marshmallows from the boat. It was pretty funny. The boys wanted to do something similar, but it proved more challenging than they thought. They had a hard time keeping the fire away from the boat, so one of them had to hold the raft at a distance, while the other tried to work the paddles and roast the marshmallow. At least they worked as a team, and I’m pretty sure, had a little fun in the process.



Our friends, the Annemas, came out to have dinner with us later in the afternoon. This place is too nice to keep to ourselves. Kaleb is good friends with their son, Carter, and they haven’t seen each other much in months. We all took a leisurely walk on the beach, picking up beach treasures as we went. There is so much driftwood here, I’m hoping Kory makes something cool with some of it. He’s very visual and artistically gifted, so the possibilities are endless.



The three boys took the row boat out for a spin(see photo), but only Tobias knew how to row. It was a bit of a comedy routine, watching Kaleb and Carter try to coordinate the paddles. They finally gave up and let Tobias do all the work.



It looks like we are in for some good weather this week, so I’m looking forward to some family time where we aren’t all involved in our own projects and only see each other at dinnertime. Our life is so weird.



Tonight we watched “Jurassic Park,” a movie neither Kaleb nor Tobias had seen. Kaleb was not at all interested in watching it, but once the action got going, he was bouncing in his seat, and yelling at the people in the movie on what they should do next to escape the attack of the dinosaurs. He was so wound up afterwards, we had to play Monopoly just to get him to settle down and to take his mind off the action. It worked. He fell right to sleep, but since it was nearly midnight, I’m sure he would have slept no matter what.

Water Wars

I made a double batch of the famous sourdough pancakes this morning for all our houseguests. No one was disappointed. We hustled off to church to catch the second service, leaving Dani and Chris behind. What we didn’t know (because we haven’t been there for a few months), was that they changed the start time of church for the summer, so we were a good 45 minutes late. We just headed home and skipped the embarrassment. I had plenty to do anyway trying to get the yard in good shape before our next wave of company arrives. I got so hot spreading beauty bark and pulling weeds that I offered to be the target for some water gun shooting. That’s when things got out of hand. Tobias didn’t know when it was “enough,” so that started the war. It was them against me, then Kaleb and I against him. Kaleb and I were drenched. Tobias, not so much. He’s a clever guy, that Tobias. But I got him good a few times with a pitcher of water when he least expected it. He retreated to his room upstairs for a good long time. Seems he decided to take a nap. Kaleb and I snuck upstairs and dumped a glass of water on his face, just for revenge. He didn’t even scream or react in any way. He just wiped his face dry then went back to sleep without giving us any sense of satisfaction whatsoever. The water wars ended there, at least for now. I’m locking our bedroom door tonight, though, just in case.



Kaleb was actually on very good behavior today. He cleaned out the inside of our Honda van, vacuuming the inside, washing the floor mats and the inside of the windows. He was nearly a dream child for several hours straight. He didn’t whine, whimper, complain or cause trouble. It was an answer to prayer, as I needed to see some goodness in that boy or I might have had to take some drastic measures soon.



Dani and Chris were here all day, doing laundry and cleaning their travel trailer. I managed to get some yard work today as well. Chris and Kory took our rubber raft out on the Skagit River for a little test run to see how it is to float downstream (see photo). They were gone much longer than expected, but had a good time just the same. It was some kind of male bonding, I’m sure. Kory wanted to take the boys out, but I insisted he do it without them first, just to be sure is was safe. They came home alive, so I guess all went well.



We had a big bonfire tonight, burning up some tree branches and yard waste. It was like summer camp, sitting around the fire, avoiding the smoke. The boys managed to NOT fight much today and they even acted like friends and played together a bit, so I hope we are through the worst of it. Tobias’ parents come in a few days so that will change the dynamic between them quite a bit. I’m looking forward to it.

Boys Behaving Badly

I was about DONE dealing with Kaleb and all his whining, crying, picking fights with Tobias and generally NOT obedient behavior today. I left early this morning to go grocery shopping in town, as I had lost my cool early on and designated this day to be a day Kory got to deal with all the drama. Kory wasn’t “in charge” more than five minutes when he decided to head out the door with just Tobias and leave Kaleb at home alone. He couldn’t deal with him either. When he called to tell me that, I flipped out all the more and told him he better NOT leave Kaleb at home, because I was coming back and I needed him GONE. Kory knew the tone in my voice meant business, so he took Kaleb along. The Highland Games were in town this weekend so he took the boys there and killed about an hour and a half watching various Scottish games and competitions. Kaleb was so thrilled there were many sheepdogs at the event, he nearly forgot to be a jerk.



I didn’t have enough time at home to even unload all the groceries before the three of them came home again. They’d stopped and picked up a friend of Kaleb’s so the boys could run around together. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but Kaleb just couldn’t get over himself and he behaved badly, even to his friend, Isaiah. Kaleb was hell bent on picking a fight with Tobias all day, so he ended up with a few new bruises as a result. I kept telling him to knock it off, but he insisted he would “fight to the death.” Every time he started crying, Tobias would let up. I asked him over and over again why he needed to be such a pain in the butt and why he couldn’t learn to just leave Tobias alone. He said he thought it was fun. I told him Tobias doesn’t like it and it seems he didn’t either, based on all the crying he does. He said it’s just an “act” to get Tobias to stop hitting him. I warned him about the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” and I said I won’t know when he really is hurt, if he cries just to get him to stop. He failed to understand, so I nearly cried by day’s end, having to be around him acting so poorly. He finally admitted he was jealous of Tobias because he’s getting such special favors and so much attention, but I assured him it’s just a temporary thing because his time in America is so short. He’s never had to deal with any kind of sibling issues, so I guess it’s good he’s dealing with it now. I just wish I were more patient with the process because he had me screaming all day long. Poor Tobias. I can’t imagine what his memories of this summer will be.



The boys were having fun with the water guns because it was hot enough today to be cooled down by a water fight. Kaleb thought he’d be clever and hang from his zip line, just out of reach from the spray, but he misjudged the distance and got soaked something awful. He was dripping wet and they wouldn’t stop shooting him so he was mad as a pistol and couldn’t escape from the harness to get away from the water. He went insane in the process, as he had no way to control anyone. That’s the bottom line in all of this acting out, I’m sure. He’s not able to be in control. I tried to talk to Kaleb and explain he can lose friends over his behavior, but I’m certain that thought didn’t register either, even though Isaiah suggested he just ask for forgiveness, forgive Tobias and get on with the day. What’s a mother to do?



I tried desperately to clean the house today, but I kept getting interrupted with all the drama, in spite of my efforts to have Kory be the focal point. Kory found himself buried in the garage, taking care of his own agenda, as the human drama was just too much.



After dinner I let Tobias take the car for another little drive before Kory took the boys to the speedway to watch some race cars go around and around a track (see photo). I finally got to enjoy some peace and quiet while doing yard work, until my friends Dani and Chris returned from their time up in Canada. That was all the excuse I needed to finally quit and sit down for once. Dani noticed right away the house looked better, so I guess I got something done other than be referee. Life’s little pleasures.

A Beachy Day

It was 72 degrees at 8:30 this morning so I knew we were in for another scorcher. Fortunately for me, we were invited out to some friend’s house on Lopez Island. I couldn’t image a better place to spend such a day. The boys couldn’t have disagreed more. In their perfect world, they would sleep in, then just play video games all day. It was like pulling teeth to get them to come along with me out to the islands. Tobias didn’t understand the attraction, even after I told him people come from all over the United States just to ride the ferry out to the San Juan Islands to hang out at the beaches there. The scenery is beautiful by American standards, but compared to Norway, it’s pretty dull. I could see it from the expression on his face. The beach is not a priority in his or Kaleb’s life, so this is the day they just put up with me and my desires, while all the while they were thinking of their electronic games waiting for them back home.




Our friends, the Wylies, that have a second home on Lopez Island, picked us up from the ferry and took us back to their house for a sourdough pancake breakfast. Tobias is still confused about the whole sourdough “starter” that was used to make them, and I’m not even sure I could explain it properly, but according to Dallas Wylie, the starter he used has been in constant use since 1867. Apparently, it gets better with time, because those were the best darn pancakes I’ve eaten in my life. Tobias was a little uneasy about eating pancakes that were made with 140 year old ingredients, but he agreed they sure did taste good. Dallas gave me some starter to take home so hopefully I can make them now, too. He got the starter from a friend up in Alaska, who must have gotten it from an original “sourdough” (as the old locals used to be called up there.) What a treat. I just have to make pancakes at least once a month now to keep the starter alive, so hopefully I’m a worthy caretaker of such a prize.



Sunshine and rocky beaches were calling my name, so the Wylies took us to their two favorite beaches on the island where Kaleb and I totally entertained ourselves collecting cool colored rocks of all shapes and sizes. Tobias just watched, shaking his head, not able to figure out our obsession. At the first beach the other kids swam out to a huge rock and played in the water, but Kaleb and Tobias thought the water was too cold for such a thing. We did find some totally cool rocks though, so now we just have to figure out what to do with them. The second beach looked a lot like Norway, with steep cliffs abutting the water’s edge. Kaleb found the best rock EVER there (see photo). I love to collect heart shaped rocks, but he found a rock that looked like a “total eclipse of the heart.” It’s now my new prized possession.



Our beach time was limited because we had to catch the 2:45 ferry back to Anacortes in order to make it to a 50th birthday party we were invited to tonight. Dallas got us to the ferry about one minute too late, as it left at 2:35, not 2:45 as we thought. The boy’s hearts sank, as they were so looking forward to getting just a little bit closer to their precious electronic games back home. We then had three hours to kill until the next ferry so the boys were happy to plop themselves in front of the TV with the other kids, while I went for a walk on the beach with Dallas’ daughter. I found three agates and saw 16 vultures and 3 bald eagles eating some dead thing scattered along the beach. Oh, how I love the joys of nature, and the kids missed it all. At least I got my day at the beach, so it was a good day for me. Woo hoo.



Kory spent his day putting a sealer on our deck, and he made it to the 50th birthday party without us. We got there when it was nearly over, but at least we made it.



I tried to make up for all the boredom Tobias experienced today so after we got home, I let him drive the car all the way down our street and back (a total of three miles.) He said driving is a lot easier than he thought it would be. I feel rather accomplished that I have found something he likes to do more than video games. Now if I can just keep us both from getting arrested, we’ll be fine.

What Was I Thinking?

Kory had a doctor’s appointment today down in Kirkland. It was his last “mercury detox” with the naturopath he’s been seeing for several years now. In a few weeks we’ll know if his mercury levels are now “safe.” In my search to find out why his heart arteries are clogged, I ran across some information about mercury toxicity. Much to Kory’s dismay, we had his blood checked and sure enough, he had a big problem with that. The scale that measures how much mercury is in the blood goes from 0-3, with 3 being dangerously high. Kory’s level was 27. The doctor was shocked. Kory had all the metal fillings taken out of his mouth, and then started the process of “washing” his blood to remove the mercury. He needed ten treatments with an IV drip, and today was the tenth one. In two weeks he’ll take another test to see if his mercury level has gone down. Hopefully it’s at zero because I’ve also read that mercury poisoning can affect the brain function, and at this stage, he needs all the help he can get. I’m trusting we aren’t too late.




So, knowing that Kory was heading south today, I thought the boys and I could hitch a ride and go have an adventure of our own in downtown Seattle. It costs so much to park the car all day, I thought I was being “green” by having Kory drop us off at the park and ride in Lynnwood where he veers east to go to the doctor, and we could catch the express bus straight into downtown. As soon as I paid the bus fare, I had to ask myself “What was I thinking?” It cost twice as much for all of us to go on the bus than it would have cost to pay for parking. How is that going to encourage people to take the bus? And taking the bus took up way more time than if we would have just driven down directly. The boys were pretty tired so they could have slept in another hour or two this morning. Kaleb complained bitterly about my wild idea. Tobias didn’t say a word.



The worst part about my plan today was that it was over ninety degrees, and being downtown with all those buildings and concrete sidewalks was just insane! We had to walk several blocks in the heat from the bus stop to the “Ride the Duck” tour that was our destination for the day. The “Duck” is a World War II vehicle that can go on both land and sea, so it makes for a great tourist attraction. Kaleb has been asking to go on it for a long time, so today was the day. I had bought a newspaper to read for the bus ride down, and in today’s news was an article about a “Duck Boat” back east that had some engine problems, got hit by a barge yesterday, and sank. All the people on board ended up in the water, and two are still missing and presumed dead. I made sure the boys didn’t see that article before we took the ninety minute tour around the city on out onto Lake Union (see photo). All went well though and it was the highlight of our day as it was cool and we got to sit down. The rest of the day wasn’t like that at all.



I planned to take the boys on the underground tour of Seattle (something else Kaleb has said he wanted to do), which I thought would also be “cool,” but they decided they didn’t want to do it after all. We rode the monorail and hung out downtown a while (Tobias went shopping but couldn’t find anything he wanted to buy), until the heat was just too much. We hopped on a bus back to our apartment building in North Seattle where Kory was working, and he took us down to a park to dip our toes in the water to cool off. I didn’t want to sit in traffic on the freeway to go home, as it was so hot, so we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant with an outdoor patio. Tobias is working on a world record for the number of days in a row he can eat tacos. Today was day five, and he couldn’t be happier about that. He’s so easy to please. Afterwards we went to the movies in an air conditioned theatre and he had a good laugh watching the latest Adam Sandler movie (which I thought was really stupid, so it was obviously made for the teenage boy market.) Next time we have a ninety degree day, I’m heading to the beach, no matter what.

Driving in America

I suggested many things for the boys to do on this incredibly hot summer day, but they didn’t like any of my options. I thought they might like go to a water park, the beach (my preference), swimming, anything around water to keep cool… but they opted to stay home instead and have a water fight. They ended up being pretty bored as a result.




I couldn’t stand for Tobias to have a “wasted” day at home, so I thought I’d spice it up a bit. I offered to teach him how to drive. That sure put a smile on his face. We headed for the cemetery, since it’s impossible to kill anyone there because they are already dead, anyway. He was a champ. I think he’s driven go-karts or electronic vehicles enough that he totally had the hang of it without much instruction. His first task was to back out of the driveway, and that is no easy thing. He didn’t even hit the fence or a single bush… Kory watched him go, and took note of the condition of the car, sure it wouldn’t come back the same. It did. Tobias was careful, respectful and obedient. He did everything I told him to do and didn’t mess up once. I was so impressed. Somehow I thought he had driven before, but he hadn’t, so this was a big day for him.



After he drove the car home again, he washed it and we went for another little drive down our street a ways. It was a risky move, but I could tell it wouldn’t be a problem as he drove so well. He smiled the whole time. I was happy about that. Kaleb wanted to drive too, but I told him when he’s as respectful and obedient as Tobias, then I’ll teach him. I can see just by the way they both drive the riding lawn mower, Kaleb will be a bit more challenging to teach. He likes to weave back and forth and have FUN in the process, Tobias is all business. He’s a safe bet; Kaleb, not so much.



So after that thrill for the day, we had to deal with the heat. It was hotter today than normal – a whopping ninety degrees in the sun. I tried to get some weeding and watering done, but every time I bent over, my butt provided an irresistible target and it somehow got wet. My underwear never dried out the entire day. The boys had just too much fun squirting me with water guns and/or the hose. I would have preferred getting a little more yard work done, but on such a day as this, a water fight was fine, too. Kory just busied himself yelling at us to keep the water away from his tools as he was working on building a new door for Kaleb’s treehouse (the second story door was too small for adults to fit through). He seemed rather crabby for such a lovely day.



After we all were so wet it just wasn’t fun anymore squirting each other, we changed clothes and headed into town. I had some errands to run so I dropped the boys off at the laser tag/ go-kart track. I paid for them to have unlimited use of the place, but unfortunately, they were about the only ones in there most of the time, so even that place was boring after a while. I stayed and watched them drive go-karts and true to form, Tobias was in total control of his vehicle, going around fast, but never wiping out. Kaleb on the other hand, was never IN control. He went so fast around the corners he spun out and ended up going backwards. He hit the guard rails time and time again and nearly crashed into Tobias (but Tobias managed to avoid him.) It made me all the more concerned for his future days as a driver, so it might be a while before HE gets behind the wheel of a car.



The boys suckered me into staying for one round of laser tag and it would have been more fun if my gun would have been working right. I must have been “killed” a thousand times, which didn’t hurt my body, but my pride took a beating as I saw the big smiles on their faces when they were doing it.



Kaleb was fairly bratty today with Tobias, picking fights and smacking him for no reason. With my blessing, Tobias let him have it. He cried a couple times because he was hurt, but then he tried to manipulate Tobias with his words, since he obviously couldn’t win with sheer body strength. At one point Kaleb told him that I was getting irritated with Tobias and I probably wouldn’t let his family use our white van to drive to San Francisco. What a whopper of a tale that was. He also told Tobias that he hated him. The kid was desperate. He knew he was losing the battle to control Tobias, so he came crying to me that his whole summer has been ruined by having Tobias here. He even told me he was sure that Tobias was so bored he wanted to go back to Norway. It was kind of funny (except that he was lying) to hear what he came up with, trying desperately to be in control. I finally had a little talk with him, made him apologize to Tobias for all the things he said, and then he asked for forgiveness. Immediately they were friends again. I think we are finally breaking through that selfish armor of his and I’m hoping for a “new and improved” Kaleb by the time Tobias leaves (or we might need to keep him here a little longer, perhaps.) I do feel badly for Tobias though, as I’m sure this isn’t what he signed up for when he said he wanted to come to America. But then, learning to drive probably wasn’t on the list either. We gotta take the good with the bad.