On the Road and Lovin' It

 To say that yesterday was memory-filled and wonderful would be an understatement.  We hit the road, headed for a cousins' reunion in the Tri-Cities, and that all turned out just great.

The scenes along the way and during our gathering included a tapestry of good hugs, laughs, good food, steps back in time, and some drop-dead, brilliant beauty on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River where the Skelton strand of the family grew up and where Ed and his family have taken their fruit farm to amazing heights. 

A special thanks to Ed and his wife Mary and to cousin Rita for setting up this wonderful gathering of cousins from the Brown clan. 

During our trip yesterday, I kept a close eye on my cell phone waiting for news from Nampa where Laurie ultimately completed her week of great successes, finishing in the Top Five and adding more notches on Mani's record of phenomenal achievements in dressage, Congratulations to Laurie and her gang of family and friends who provided her support during her days at the Nationals.

I can't write too much this morning because we need to get on the road for another exciting event, which turned out to be very significant after the Seattle Mariners pulled off a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels last night to remain in contention for a wild-card extension to their regular season. 

Today's game at Safeco is BIG, and what adds to that is that Felix is pitching.  We'll be there with Annie, and we're looking forward to loving the entire scene and hoping that Seattle pulls it off.  If nothing else, though, we will have witnessed some fabulous Mariner history and enjoyed a firsthand look at a team that's likely to be in the World Series.

What a weekend.  What fun! What memories!  It doesn't get any better, and we're having a great time, thanks to the folks at home watching our place and our beloved critters.  Thanks, Debbie, Laura and Willie.  

On the road again . . . Happy Sunday.

We met these birders who were on a field trip that took them to the birding oasis of  Washtucna, a little town off the beaten path where our neighbors, the Wood family, graze their cows during the winter months.  Both Bill and I are thrilled to have marked Washtucna off our bucket list of places we've always wanted to explore while passing through on I-90.

The side trip was SO worth it with our stroll around the part at Ralston and later, Washtucna.  And when we'd moved on down the road a ways, we truly met pay dirt when we spied the cowboys and their dogs finishing up a job of moving cattle.

While visiting with the very nice young men from Omak, I learned they were good friends with Rowdy Buechner, a former Sandpoint  man, who enjoyed the big lights and some great successes during his rodeo career.  

Yes, dear cousin Lauri, we'll write that novel about Washtucna!