News from Camp

According to the camp blog, the kids hiked to the Deception Pass Beach today in between classes. I have to laugh because Sam, on the far left, is the only one wearing a jacket. Guess she's been in Memphis WAAAAAY too long.

Also, when she texted me last night, she said she won a coupl of spinning competitions, so it looks like she's doing well. Sounds like she's having a lot of fun, too.

A Couple More Good Shots of the Bridge

Beautiful Deception Pass

Shots of Whidbey Island near the colorguard camp. Wish I could live there!

Off to Colorguard Camp!

Today Wayne and I drove Sam and a friend named Courtney to Camp Rhapsody at Deception Pass on Whidbey Island. Camp Rhapsody is a colorguard camp run by the national winterguard champions, an independent group of college-aged kids called Rhapsody. The lead choreographer for the group is actually the colorguard director at Kamiak High School, so Sam's sure to learn a lot.

In addition to spinning flags, she'll try her hand at rifles and sabres. I'm kinda glad I won't be there to watch her spin sharp objects (laughs).

The camp, which lasts until Thursday when Courtney's mom brings the girls home, is headquartered out of Deception Pass State Park's environmental learning center. Above, you'll see pictures of the girls outside their cabin, Sam reacting to a bonk on the head from a rafter, and the clearing by Puget Sound where they'll do the majority of their workouts.

Sam was excited about the opportunity, but sad to be away from home for so long. I'll post pictures of the surrounding area later, but it's breathtakingly beautiful out there, and only an hour away from home!

Sam's Flashy Room

When we moved out here, Sam decided it was time for some cheerful color in her life. This bright bedroom is the result. It's interesting to see how much she's grown. She's gone from Barbies and dollhouse pieces strewn all over the floor to a room with a loveseat from Wayne's Redmond apartment, a nice jewelry box from Grandma 'Rie, plenty of pictures, Houston Band memorabilia to remind her of the fun and friends in Tennessee, and a bookcase loaded with books, many of which have been read over and over again.

As you can tell, the rooms in this apartment are nice sized. She has a double bed, night stand, chest of drawers, bookshelf and a loveseat in her room. Oh, and the deoberant on the chest probably shouldn't be there (laughs)...

Free at Last!

Okay, it's not the picture that's so remarkable here, but rather what it represents. After some training with an orientation and mobility specialist with the Community Services for the Blind and Partially Sighted, I now have my freedom! Above is a picture I took at the Mukilteo Beach. No big deal, right? Not so fast!

I left our apartment and walked less than a block to the bus stop. I boarded bus 113 to Lighthouse Park, site of Mukilteo's weekly farmer's market. Once there, I listened to a guitarist, watched hoards of people and their dogs shop for fresh produce, and took in the scents of hot dogs from a cart, freshly-popped kettle corn, and ripe Skagit County strawberries.

I grabbed a couple tomatoes for salads, a pint of strawberries which I had the opportunity to sample, and a small bag of kettle corn right from the kettle. With my bag of loot and my white cane at the ready, I made my way to the beach. My favorite bench was empty and waiting for me. Granted sitting on the driftwood would have been a more authentic experience, but after Chris got pinched in the butt by crabs last time, I wasn't taking any chances! I enjoyed a snack of popcorn and strawberries as I listened to the tide role in, the ferry horn, and nagging birds wanting a snack. Man I love this place...

After 45 minutes of lazing in the sun-mist-drizzle-sun, I headed for my bus stop for the trip home.

Was it a big deal? Maybe not to most, but for me it represented a freedom I haven't had in over a decade. Sure I used paratransit buses in Memphis to get to work, but you have to reserve those a day ahead of time. Here, I can go out on a whim just like anybody else. And get this: it only costs me 50 cents for two hours of ride time PLUS I get a free personal care attendant. At only fifty cents to and from the beach, I may become a beach bum yet!

Father's Day Poses

Don't ask why the picture of Wayne and I is sideways. I tried to upload it to Blogger three times and got the same result. Ugh. I guess you'll just have to turn your monitor on its side if you wanna see it (laughs)!

Playing Around at the Museum of Flight

The kids landed space ships, ahem, one more successfully than the other, and we all posed as astronauts. Unfortunately Sam's was the only one that didn't have telltale signs of sun to give away the fact that it was only a cutout.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! After breakfast out, we took Wayne to the Museum of Flight just south of Seattle. Wayne had been there for a Microsoft dinner a few years ago but didn't really get to look around. We got there nice and early so the place wasn't too crowded. It was a really neat museum. We took a ton of pictures, which I'll post in small batches.

In this set, you see Wayne trying out the cockpit of an SR-71. It was so cute because he joined a line of "kids" eager to play pilot.

Anyway, we got to walk through the Concorde as well as an Air Force One used by Nixon and his staff. It had a doggy door between his room and the larger area used by the staff and press corp! It wasn't quite as luxurious as I had envisioned, but it was waaaaaaay more roomy than the Concorde. A couple guys in line ahead of us had flown on the Concorde and were sharing storied with us. Took them less than three hours to go between Washington, DC (Dulles) and London. A neat experience I'm sure, but I'm not certain I'd've survived the low ceilings and narrow aisle that long.

Making the Grade

Summer is finally here. Hard to believe when it's still jacket weather. But the arrival of summer also means the end of the school year. And of course that means grade time.

Despite being moved to a different state and school three quarters of the way through the year, the kids flourished. Chris got the highest Biology grade in his class with a 96.1. We're awaiting results for the rest of his classes, but he did move in to Wind Ensemble, the highest of three concert bands at Kamiak.

Then there's Sam, who texted me every class with a report. Straight A's!!! She was so excited, especially with the honors classes she's slated to take next year. She's proven beyond a doubt that she's honors material. And if she really wants to be a pediatrician, she'll need to keep putting forth that kind of effort. Her summer plans include volunteering at the Y, attending a colorguard camp on Puget Sound, and attending Kamiak Showband Camp in August.

Chris has got big plans, too, including a two week video game programming class at a college in Redmond as well as Kamiak Showband Camp.

We're so proud of both of them. I know moving in high school is tough, but to move and do that well in school...nice job, guys!

Concert Time!

Last night Chris performed his first concert as a trombone player with the Kamiak High School Symphonic Band. The kids sounded great. It's so bizarre seeing a high school with their own performing arts center/building. Afterwards, they had a reception in the lobby with baked goods, fruit, and drinks. It's hard to see Chris since he's i the third row, but you can see a smidge of him in the awful closeup we took. SHould have taken the Nikon instead of the baby Canon. Oh well...at least the Canon fits in my purse which also had the camcorder stuffed in it.

Beach Bums

Maybe not the most flattering pictures you'll ever see of us, but they definitely illustrate the fact that we were having a great time enjoying the scenery.