It's All Changed!

Blogger that is! I ignore my poor blog for a while and, when I come back, it's all changed...... I'm pretty sure I'll figure it out but my dashboard looks different!

And on to more of the Streeter summer! Did I ever write that we have 2 chickens? Tigger and Rose live in a coop next to our house. They are the funniest creatures I've ever owned! We let them out a bit everyday to roam around the yard and to "help with weeding" as you see below...... OK, so they basically destroy my pots and flower beds but they are so darn funny, I don't care!



In this picture, Tigger and Rose are bathing in the potting soil. They literally bathe! The first time I saw them roll around in the soil, I thought maybe they'd been poisoned and were seizing - now I just think it's funny!  

I wish you could see their feet flapping in the air when they do this!

 Stampede 2011

Yvette came to town! Woo hoo! This year, Yvette happened to be taking some vacation time at the same time as the Stampede. Instead of taking I-5 south, she came into the states on the smaller highway 97. It just so happens that 97 runs right through my little town! So Yvette, Steve and I took in all the sites of the Saturday rodeo. I'm always a bit worried that visitors won't want to come back once they've been to the Omak Stampede but Yvette is talking like she might be back next year. Thank you, Yvette!

 Sooo....several years ago Steve sold his treasured motorcycle because he wasn't able to use it as often as he wanted. The poor guy has been drooling over his friends' bikes, wishing for his own (though he could always borrow Mike's from next door!) for many years. This little baby caught Steve's eye as it sat on the side of the road with a bold for sale sign......and now it's in our driveway.....he's happy and the kids love it so I guess I like it too.

 Middle School?

 Does anyone else have trouble believing that my sweet baby boy, who loved shopping with me and working in the yard with his dad....is in....MIDDLE SCHOOL! There is no more shopping! Sixth graders in Okanogan go to the middle school. They still have a homeroom teacher who they are with most of the day, but they have their supplies in lockers and they travel to the other classrooms for different subjects. Today we went to the middle school so Dylan could show me how he opens his locker. He was so proud of his achievement!

So that's it in a tiny nutshell.....so much more to catch up on but it will have to wait until I'm not so sleepy!

Snippets of a Streeter Summer!

So much to see! So much to do! So little time to share it all! With 3 weeks left of our summer break, I thought I should probably get back into 'blog mode'. I love my blog but I sure have been neglectful! After I finished my thesis, I had a hard time doing any writing on my computer. I think I'm better now!

One of my first requirements in my Master's program was to write myself a letter telling myself what I hoped to accomplish in the next 2 years. I was to congratulate myself for committing to the program and to explain my concerns. No one but me was going to see the letter (remember, I was in an arts based program - somewhat touchy feely!). In this letter I told my self that I would be going to Disneyland when I graduated. I also told the kids and Steve we would be going to Disneyland because they were making huge sacrifices for me to go back to school. So - to Disneyland we went!

What a fun trip! We took the train from Spokane to Anaheim, with a full day's delay in Portland (that story is worth it's own blog post!); spent 3 exhaustingly fabulous days at Disneyland (weather and crowds were pretty close to perfect!); took the train to San Diego to play with dolphins and Shamu at Seaworld and to visit the animals in the zoo; spent part of a day in Old Town, San Diego; took the train to Los Angeles; got lost in Chinatown trying to find our hotel while lugging all our luggage at 9 pm; walked through LA's Farmer's Market, into the American Girl Store, down Hollywood Blvd. looking for stars, and watched the sunset from Venice Beach (that was all in one day!); had my coffee taken from the table the kids were sitting at, waiting for me (Yep, a homeless man decided he needed my coffee more than I did. The kids didn't argue!); took the train back to Portland where we got on a bus to Spokane. Whew! It was a great adventure and we all have so many stories to tell!

Here we are on our first day at Disney! Bright eyed and bushy tailed....

Steve spent a couple of nights backpacking in the North Cascades with some of his work buddies. He was physically worn out and his legs looked like a cat climbed them, but he had a great time and will do it again next year.

While Steve was gone, the kids and I, along with Dylan's friend, Max, went to Seattle to take Robyn and Kim to the Sounders vs Manchester United soccer game. I was pretty proud of my driving on this adventure! The game was one sided (7-0 MU) but the crowd watching was so fun! I missed most of the game because of all the people I was gawking at! And the kids (Robyn and Kim included!) watched fewer people than I did and actually enjoyed the game itself!

This is Robyn, Dylan, Max, Kim, and Lyndsi at the stadium. The evening was so pretty!

The following weekend we drove over the mountains again to help friend, Tess, celebrate her 40th birthday. It was a bit like a college reunion! Fun seeing old friends again.

Lyndsi and Rose

Yes, Lyndsi is holding a chicken! We are the pleasantly, surprisingly happy owners of 2 white chickens. I say white because we don't know their breed. Also, I suspect we own one rooster and one poulet. See how much I've learned! Our furry feathered friends started out as eggs in an incubator in my classroom, then became chicks in a bin in my classroom, and finally chickens in a coop in our backyard! A very generous student donated the eggs and then graciously gave me the chicks when school was out. Yes, I wanted them, though I wasn't real sure what to do with them. Thank God for the internet! So - I am predicting you will be hearing a whole lot more about Tigger and Rose, our newest pets!

Max and Dylan at Omak Lake

We are so fortunate to live where we do, we sometimes forget to take advantage of all the beauty around us! The above picture was taken at Omak Lake. We spent a day there with our friends, helping their daughters celebrate their birthdays. Omak Lake is beautiful and the day was perfect!

Last Sunday our neighbors asked us to take a boat ride up the Okanogan River. Another perfect day! Okanogan River is also a beautiful body of water that seems to be somewhat unknown. We put the boat in the river at a town named Riverside, drove north to Tonasket (about 20 miles), then cruised back. We spent a lot of time at the beach in the picture below. You can't see this stretch of the river from the highway but it's gorgeous! By this time of year, the water is usually too low for boats and people use tubes to float down.

Steve and the kids along the Okanogan River

In addition to all our adventures we are also experiencing one of the wettest summers I've ever lived through here in Okanogan. Everything is still green and lush, not dry and brown as is the usual for August. However, we have been working on staining our deck most of the summer - It never seemed to completely dry out before the next storm would come through! We're getting there!

So there you have it - a snippet of a Streeter summer....and that was all in July!