Califoregon Living

Leaving Banff, we stopped back for one night at my in laws house…

Grandpa Randy taught the boys again how to make a bonfire the old fashioned way…

…then on to Portland for one night, staying at McMenamin’s Edgefield, a long time favorite… we stayed in the Homer Townsend room. He was responsible for cutting and serving the Sunday apple pie at the Multnomah County Poor Farm.

David had an executive conference in Banff, Canada. With it being only five hours north from his mom, we coordinated our trip to make this happen for all of us!

The border crossing could not have been easier. Totally a difference experience from the busy Vancouver and Victoria crossings.

As a fun treat for the boys, I set up a Canadian food scavenger hunt, and made a checklist of food items only available in Canada. An item on the list…Canadian candy

This area is insanely gorgeous. Photos do not do it justice. AT. ALL.

We stayed at the magnificent Banff Springs Hotel. A bucket list place for sure. The beauty, the decor, the food, the service. All impeccable.

Our pups were little celebrities everywhere we went in Banff. It took us twice as long to go anywhere because we would be stopped and people would cuddle and take photos. Banff is a true international hot spot and we visited with people from all over the world. This lovely front desk agent fell in love with Allie.

This is a photo of the flooring throughout the property. It is from a nearby quarry and you can see fossils everywhere.

A property this old has its fair share of ghost stories. There is the story of a bride who caught her dress on fire on channel situate on the stairwell. She fell down the stairs and died. They have the ghost story printed at the bottom of the staircase. By the way, the staff is not allowed to talk about any of the ghost stories, and there are many mentioned via the internet.

This is an ooky story. Along this hallway, there is a space where a door would be to one of the rooms. Many years ago, a family checked in. The husband killed his wife and daughter, then killed himself in the room. The room was completely cleaned and redecorated, but guests staying in the room would complain of weird occurrences. So, the hotel paved over the door and removed the room from their roster. The room numbers skip over this room number. The boys were listening where the door used to be.

This waterfall is located just below the hotel. A view of the hotel from the falls.

It was sprinkling a little and Allie started shivering, so into David’s jacket she went! The trail connecting the hotel to the falls.

Another Canadian food item…the Kinder Surprise. This treat is actually illegal in the USA because it contains a little toy inside that can be a chocking hazard.
Another Canadian treat. Hickory Sticks. They are shoestring BBQ potatoes.
Nothing extraordinary about this photo…except that it was taken at 10:30PM without a flash!

Canadian treat… Maple Candy. Pretty much that’s what it is. Solidified maple syrup.
Amazing harpist who played in the lobby everyday we were there…

We were told we had to go to Tim Hortons. So, we did. the boys liked it, but we were not impressed. I discovered later it is their coffee that is famous. OK, next time…  Elk were all over. Gorgeous!

Canadian treat… Ruffles ‘All Dressed’ chips. Heavily seasoned that tasted kind of like the cheddar/sour cream chips we have here.

Date night for my dearest and I. We went to a Bavarian style restaurant at the hotel. Fondue as our first course. While we were eating, the waitress mentioned there were some elk on the field. We walked on to the patio and saw this…

These final three treat items, we had to go into town for. The first is ‘poutine’….french fries and cheese curds with gravy. Delicious! I can see why this is so popular with the late night drinking/hungover crowd. The restaurant we went to had this with elk on it. ‘A’ wanted to taste the poutine in it’s purest form, so we had the elk served on the side. After a few bites without the elk, we added it, and it was so good.

The beavertail. Our favorite treat of them all. A made to order hot baked kind of like a doughnut, with nutella, bananas, and powdered sugar on top. I am glad there was a line, because if there wasn’t, I would have gone back for another one. Next time, we are not sharing one!

The boys went into a clothing store (named Rude Boys) to ask directions. The clerk enjoyed talking to them and gave them these stickers for free. 

And last but not least of the Canadian treats…the Nanaimo bar. A little too sweet for my taste, but we completed our list!

Time for some quiet country living! A visit with Grandma Margaret and Grandpa Randy in Sagle.
Always nice to see the cows down the road, even though I never see them the next year. (Beef). The owner buys two cows a year and has them graze for a period of time, then they become many dinners.

Grandpa Randy teaching the boys how to make fire using flint…

Outdoor play time!!

S’MORES NIGHT!!

David and I took the boys to Silverwood Amusement Park for the day. For some reason, this is the only photo I could get to load from that day. We spent the morning at the waterpark, then the afternoon on the rides. The boys went on the most extreme rides there for the first time. We all had a blast.

Indoor play time…

One of our favorite restaurants in Sandpoint…

Cute sign over a door in Sandpoint…

Another night. Another favorite place…Eichardt’s

Grandma introduced us to her favorite childhood dessert. Mock angel food cake. It’s day old French bread, dipped in evaporated milk and rolled in coconut. Then, cooked over the fire on a stick. Delicious!

Our annual trip to Chelan! Always great connecting with family that we only see once a year. We spent four nights here, eating, laughing, swimming, repeat….

This is a gorgeous sunset I captures before an early 10 mile solo run. I had to get out there before it got too hot!

The boys doing what they love when on the lake. Everyday!!

Two of my moms BFFs were in town and took me to lunch. We had a wonderful, although too short, visit.  They came back to the house and visited with family for a while.

Something new for us. Our nieces brought their boyfriends! Here is Paige, with her boyfriend Luke…

We always make personal cups to use throughout our time there…

Swim time!!!

This year’s theme was Puerto Rico, and American territory! Drink of choice….pina coladas!!

Costume time!!! Here we have two of the three kings, a boxer, and underwater treasure hunters…

Ponch is in the house!!!

Yummy goodness by my Auntie and cousin Katy!

FAMILY PORTRAIT 2016!!

KK and her boyfriend Jesse…

Since we were staying over July 4th, I figured there would be a fun run nearby. Found  a 10K in Wenatchee called the River Run. Ran it and achieved a PR for that distance! 1:11:13!!

Can’t let a good Caesar go to waste!

Cousin time!

We boarded our pups at a Wenatchee vet clinic. They were ready for the next leg on our adventure….Idaho!!

For our last morning in Seattle, we brought breakfast to my grandpa’s house and spent a while with him. It was opening day for crab season, and there were a lot of boats setting their traps.  My cousin Terry came by with his two kids and the cousins got to play for a while. It was too short, but such a nice time with him.

I love the Pacific Science Center’s butterfly exhibit. I have visited many butterfly exhibits in many different locations. This one is my favorite.

These goofballs are recreating the scene above…

This brings a little chuckle to my face…when we all left the Science Center and headed for lunch, I really needed to find a restroom. So, I walked faster and ‘A’ decided to keep up with me. We passed an oyster house, and I spontaneously decided to run in and have a few oysters with him. (We share a love for raw oysters). We told the servers to line them up FAST and they obliged. This photo is of our family passing us, having no idea where we went. We downed our oysters, then hustled out the door. We met up with them at the restaurant just as they had entered the door!
An early dinner at our favorite pizza place,  Pagliacci Pizza, then a few rounds of Sequence at home!

Fremont is one of my favorite Seattle neighborhoods. We used to live nearby and spent a lot of time there. It’s a good blend of trendy/funky/artsy/hip/casual.

Chairs in a tree. It just fits in this neighborhood.

Dino topiary…

Theo Chocolate is a fantastic chocolate factory in Fremont. It is certified organic and fair trade. Located in the old Redhook Brewery brick building, they have a fantastic tour that takes your through the process of turning bean to bar. Plenty of tastings kept us all smiling.

After the tour, we needed a little dinner to balance out all the sweet. We went to ZapVerr, a delicious Thai restaurant. It was early and we had the place practically to ourselves. The modern interior was right up ‘R’s alley. He loved it!
 Fremont has art all over the neighborhood. This is a painting/small mural on a metal conductor box.

As we were walking back to our car, we passed the Portage Bay Goods gift store. David looked in the window and recognized the greeting card/art display as being the artwork of one of his students so many years ago. David tight second year graphic design students how to make/manage/process their work on the computer. ride We have followed Frida Clement’s growth as an artist and have purchased some of her pieces in the past. I went into the store to buy one of her pieces, and when I left the store with my purchase, David was talking to Frida out front! Coincidentally , she was dropping off some items at the store.  It was a sweet re-connect.