Jackson Graduates from Stanwood High

 What a whirlwind of activity these last few months have been. And it will continue into the summer. At the end of April while we were at Katie's graduation, these 4 boys decided to cross from Iverson Beach to the other side of Livingston Bay. It was tougher than they thought. They decided to walk up to the church building to use the phone. Their cellphones, shoes, and car keys were back on the other side.

Imagine the church at the 532 sign. They crawled through an open window and began calling friends who might be available to pick them up. They ran out of people and decided to swim back across. Jackson refused to leave. He kept calling and he finally got in touch with Sister Turner, his seminary teacher. She dropped everything and came to get him. 

As they entered Iverson Beach they could see the three young men struggling. One was being carried by the others. They yelled out to Jackson to call 911, which he did. When they finally came out of the water, the smallest was unconscious. The ambulance was ready to whisk him away to the hospital and he recovered well.

The funny part was that no one told us. We returned home to find an article in the newspaper. And everyone in the ward knew. 

We were happy to have Grandma and Grandpa join us.

Frazier Returns Home

 Frazier returned from his mission to Orlando! We asked him where he would like to eat on his return and he requested Dick's Drive-In. Done!

We stopped by the location by the UW and then walked to an empty lot for these professional pictures.

I love having returned missionaries in my home. They have incredibly strong testimonies and great work ethic. Plus, they don't like being alone, which I appreciate.

Frazier and Caleb

 It took Frazier nearly his whole mission to find Caleb in Orlando. But during the last month, he attended a conference and they spotted each other. They grew up together on Camano Island, but were separated after the 2008 crash took out the boat industry. Caleb's family were able to continue in Florida, just like Frazier is continuing there.

Payson Temple Open House

After graduation we had planned a trip to see the Payson Temple Open House. We had reserved 4 tickets for 7pm so we had some time for dinner. On the way, we stopped in Spanish Fork at Cafe Rio's and ran into President Flake's parents. His dad is so tall that he's hard to miss. He will be a sealer in the temple when it is dedicated. 

I loved the sealing rooms and celestial room, but what made the biggest impression on me was the waiting room for sealings. The Seattle Temple is limited by their small waiting room. This one was massive with seating areas filling the huge room. I loved the high ceilings as well. Beautiful!

Katie and Tyler Graduate from BYU

 We drove down to Provo to see Katie and Tyler graduate from college. Katie is 20-weeks pregnant and on the day of graduation had an ultrasound. So when the two of them arrived at the Marriott Center, Katie announced that the baby was a boy. We let out a big "Whoop!" Let the party begin!

Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed the celebration with us. That nice necklace around her neck is for graduating with honors. Nice.

Tyler's program had participated in digital rendering on Kung Fu Panda years ago so there's this great statue in his computer science building.

Hillside Houses

 I started the Hillside Houses quilt with the collected solids. It is a simple quilt if you can follow a recipe. I didn't alter anything from the pattern since the shadows are so important.

The backing is just the leftovers.

Up close, it's difficult to see lights and darks. I had to stand back quite often to see the correct perspective.

Trip to Fort Casey

 We took a quick trip to Whidbey Island to play at Fort Casey. The old battlements are a favorite location for us and we love to take friends there. This time we had Pam with us so we could show her the beach and lighthouse.

From our home, we drive north to Mount Vernon and go west on Hwy 20 as shown on the blue line. We cross over the water many times on incredible bridges. The best of these is Deception Pass Bridge. 

For the return home, we take the gray route so we can ride on a ferry. The ferry from Clinton (Whidbey Island) to Mukilteo is only about 30 minutes and is very comfortable. Ocassionally they put out puzzles on the tables so you can put a few pieces together before you disembark.

We bought cheap kites at Wal-Mart and brought them with us. The wind is always blowing right off the water. Fort Casey was constructed by the U.S. Army in the late 1800s; it was equipped for defense and used as a training facility up to the mid-1940s. At its inception, the fortification on Whidbey Island was part of a new national defense system, to protect U.S. coasts and waterways. 

Soldiers were stationed at Fort Casey from 1899 to 1945. The fort’s 10-inch disappearing guns and other modern weapons were the height of technology in the early 20th century, as were the fort’s plotting rooms, observation stations and communications systems.

Improvements in warships and the rise of the airplane soon rendered these forts obsolete, however. By the 1920s, their effectiveness had waned and, though Fort Casey stayed open for training through World War II, it was decommissioned soon after the end of the war.

The triangle of protection formed by Fort Casey, Fort Worden, and Fort Flagler protected the Puget Sound from enemy ships. Eventually all would be converted into State Parks. We have traveled to each and enjoy them every time.