The Writers' Workshop

Once again, our trip paired us with another great group of people at The Writers' Workshop, a cool business in town that works with local writers to develop their work.  The boys were lucky enough to spend several sessions with poet and short fiction writer, Phil Montenegro, who happens to be a New Hampshire native.  It was a great way to separate myself from the boy's creative writing stories (which, I have learned, is a bit too personal to be critiqued by me).  The best part of the workshop was that two out of my three kids were crazy about it and the third wasn't entirely put out, which I consider a huge success.   Great find...

Colorful Foursome

The Foursome

Joe sporting his awesome shorts

Hank focused from the rough

Jack holding the pose

Just after draining a 25' putt

Happy Gilmore

Double checking the card after the round

Beware of these golfers, you don't want them in front or behind your group. Their colors are fantastic though: purple, red, shocking melon (nice Joe), pink, green and yellow.

Haunted...Fort Worden

spooked in the bunkers

hiking up to the bunkers

young buck guarding the bunkers

dare you to go through alone...

1st attempt...

5th attempt

final attempt to journey through the dark, haunted maze

spooked and screaming

but triumphant

they've made it ALIVE

heated baseball game at Ft. Worden State Park

We spent the day at Fort Worden, home to WWII bunkers and ghosts of military past. The coastal defense fort was built to protect Puget Sound from invasion by sea and was an active Naval base for 50 years. There have been multiple ghosts sightings and we decided to check it out! The boys grabbed their flashlights and headlamps to brave the pitch dark caverns, we can't confirm or deny the colorful orbs were ghosts or not. We did hear a spirit whisper that "YOUK!" was traded to the White Sox, but of course that would never happen......

Hoh and Joe!

Joe arriving fresh off a coast to coast flight

Lake Crescent

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park

Teaching moment...the only one that still listens

Our cabin on the beach

We were joined by our family friend, Joe, this week and decided to make a trip to into the Olympic National Forest. We packed up the truck and drove a couple of hours to explore the absolute corner of Pacific Northwest. Our first stop was Lake Crescent, a crystal blue, 1000 ft deep, glacial-cut beauty. We were in awe of how clear the water was as we watched schools of fish swim by.  We learned that the lack of nitrogen in the water inhibits the growth of algae and provides a viewing experience that is remarkable. We then spent the afternoon in the Hoh Rainforest hiking through moss covered trails, lined with trees towering 200 ft above us. Hoh receives an average of 120 inches of rain each year, but we hit it on a dry day which provided an awesome experience of vivid color. We finished our travels in the tiny town of La Push and stayed in a equally tiny cabin just off the beach.  The mile long beach was so entertaining, lined with rows and rows of giant, petrified trees that had washed ashore; they were sculptural, as though someone artfully placed them there for our enjoyment.  At dusk, dozens of campers, tucked within the sandy openings of the beached trees, lit their small, private campfires. It was a really beautiful sight and turned out to be really fun as we sat by a late night fire and visited with folks who invited us to share in their festivities of smores and fireworks.  Awesome trip, great to have Joe with us! 

6 months & 6 kitchens (only 2 blenders)

One of the greatest gifts that our travel experience has provided us, has been TIME. We miss the nights spent chasing down the boys at the fields and on the courts, but to have a "time grab" like we have experienced has been remarkable. The simple task of: smashing fresh garlic, chopping locally grown cilantro and squeezing lime juice has been pure magic! We have covered a lot of territory and have cooked in 6 kitchens over the past 6 months. We have had a blast trying new recipes and would love to share them. The one constant theme to all of the cooking is that beer, wine and music are a perfect addition! A few of our favorites.....just type in the name of the recipe in "search" section of each site or use the killer app Paprika. (thanks Deb!)

1) Spicy Shrimp Tacos~ awesome cilantro sour cream dressing (divinebite.com)

2) Buttermilk Panko-Crusted Oven Fried Chicken~ never leftovers (food.com)

3) Beet and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad~caramelized roasted beets are crazy good (foodnetwork.com)

4) Chicken and Roasted Corn Chowder w/ Smoked Chipotle Sauce (bobbyflay.com)

5) Cajun Jambalaya~Emeril Lagasse classic (foodnetwork.com)

6) Spicy Buffalo Chili~ January in Montana! (epicurious.com)

7) Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream~ Pacific NorthWest Rockfish (handletheheat.com)

8) Spicy Thai Egg Rolls (freshideamama.com)

9) Topopo Salad~ recipe from MSU El Azteco!! (tastebook.com)

10) Grilled: Steaks, Chicken, Burgers, Salmon, Tilapia, Corn, Bison, Shrimp, Ribs............

Jay

Father's Day (Weekend?) Golf

a little break as we wave some folks through

Happy Dad!

We kicked off "Father's Weekend" with a quick (four hour) nine holes at the local course.   Port Townsend Golf Club is a small public course that overlooks the Puget Sound, as well as the Olympic Mountain Range.  They also have a great deal for the kids...a $30 all-you-can-golf package for the rest of our visit.  I'm sure after Jack's stellar chip shots, Hank's remarkable comeback, and Grant's 200+ yard Happy Gilmore drive, we'll be there a few more times. 

Mariners/Seattle/Washington U

arriving in Seattle on the ferry

Hometown Mainer, Charlie Furbush, pitching in Seattle 

University of Washington

Mt. Rainier behind Seattle

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Public Market

Over the weekend our family traveled across the water to Seattle. To get across the sound we had to take a ferry, the trip took about 30 minuets to get to Seattle. When the ship was docked, the building that first stood out was the giant Space Needle. Right as we got off the boat, my mom went into the city and the four boys (including my dad) headed to the Seattle Mariners game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. We wanted to get there early so we could try and get some autographs. As usually, the away team was the only one that signed. When we ran down to the wall, Clayton Kershaw was there, Jack stretched out his arm and he signed our baseball! Clayton Kershaw won the Cy Young award in 2011. A few minuets later Matt Kemp came out to stretch but unfortunately didn't sign.
The four of us headed to our seats for the beginning of the game.  In the top of the 2nd, after a short rally from the Dodgers, their 3rd hitter, Andre Ethier, hit a grand slam that let out a roar from the crowd. This roar didn't make to much sense to me since a Dodgers hitter hit a grand slam and we were at the Mariners stadium. As it turned out there seemed to be twice as many Dodgers fans. In the 5th inning a pitcher for the Mariners came in who was from Portland, Maine! Charlie Furbish turned out to be the only Mariner pitcher to not let up a run if fact he didn't let up a hit until he was taken out after pitching 3 innings. We left the stadium after the dodgers had won 6-1.

The four of us met up with my mom to check out the city and have dinner. Afterward, all of us headed to our hotel for the night. Following breakfast, we hopped on a bus that took us to University of Washington. It was a great day to check out the campus... it looked outstanding with perfect green grass and a bunch of trees over-hanging the walkways. After walking around the campus for a bit, we walked to the bookstore and loaded up on Huskie gear and then headed across the city for lunch. We then walked around downtown Seattle for a little bit longer and hopped back on the ferry.
Can't wait to go back to the Mariners stadium, Safeco Field, to see the Mariners play the Redsox!

Grant