Michael's Coming!

The day we picked up Michael we had one more spot to visit.  We had hoped Michael would arrive early enough in the day but that was not to be.  Shane was determined to take the boys down to the shipyard to see the destroyer, Turner Joy.  Since we had one little one recovering from illness (poor Brendan) and Zaira and Madison were a little small to climb up and down ladders, the mommas stayed back.  We actually went to a naval museum while we waited.

The boys loved the tour of the destroyer.  They even "joined" a tour group whose leader actually worked the ship many years ago.  They followed the group right into an area of the ship that was off limits to the public.  Then asked if they could try out the hoses.  The tour guide told them they were not even supposed to be there so what difference did it make.  LOL...I guess they got a little bonus experience.

Christina and I enjoyed the museum and the air conditioning.  There were many early era tools of the trade on display and many hands on activities.  I wish I had not been so concerned about Brendan spreading germs or we could have had a lot more fun.

The boys spent so long on their tour that we had to race to get to the airport in time to pick up Michael.  But we were determined...we would all be back together after three months.





What better way to make that happen than bringing a military family back together than the Fourth of July!  It reminded me of another time our family was reunited after a long absence about six years ago!

We made it just in time to pick Michael up...even waiting a few minutes for him to make it through the terminal.  Then we made our way back to introduce "grampa" to little Madison.  A very joyous occasion.  We only had two days before going back to California.  Michael would need to squeeze in as many baby hours as possible!  But first he would have to detach himself from Zaira...Daddy's girl.

That evening we had a special ceremony...one of Shane's friends (Travis) was going to show us how to retire a flag.  It was also a way to get some of the guys together to share a cigar in honor of the new bundle of joy!  An interesting combination but with limited time it was the best option.

Do you know the process to retire a flag?  It is quite inspiring...yet sad...

First the pieces of the flag must be cut into individual pieces.  For some this means even separating each star...however most just cut out the field intact but each stripe is separate.  The strip with the grommets is also removed separately.

The flag is saluted and paid tribute.  We also sang the Star Spangled Banner.  I love this song and so thankful that my children understand the importance of what it means.


Then the parts are placed on an open fire to be burned in a respectful way.  In a formal public ceremony a special guest is invited to tell a story of service.  It the flag has a special story it is told at this time.  Our flag was found in our house purchased several years ago.  We did not know the story, so Travis told the children about flag etiquette instead.

As the flag was burning, we played patriotic songs but it was otherwise quiet.  Hard to imagine with our group, I know.  But it was just that type of experience.

The strip with the grommets is traditionally burned separately.  The idea is that the flag should it ever fall into the wrong hands would not have any way to be flown again.  After the flag is burned to ash, the ashes are buried and the grommets are buried in a separate location as well.

We performed this ceremony the night before the Fourth of July.  It seemed fitting to start out our weekend in this way.  The next day would be about family and friends with a BBQ and fireworks...lots of fun but this night was about the solemnness of the occasion.  Should we ever forget what our country stands for...as represented in this flag, our country as we know it will not last.

Thomas Jefferson once said, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.  If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."

It is easy to see that this might give reason for quiet thought.  

Island Hopping

Our time in Washington was coming to a close (for now...we will be back) and we had one more big trip planned before we left.  We were on a mission to see whales.  We had heard that a good place to look was also the location of two more national parks.  It would be a long day but I thought we could try before heading back to California.

I knew it was too early to take a newborn on a big trip, so the best option was to leave early in the day after making sure Christina did not need us.  She was doing well...a great momma...but Shane had also gone back to work after baby leave the day before.  She insisted that she would be fine and it would be good to have a day alone to rest without interruption.

SO...we were off!

June 30

We left before seven in the morning to catch our first of three ferries.  We had found out the night before that it is better to make reservations during the busy summer months but we decided to take a chance and go on stand by instead.  We arrived early and were one of the first in line.  We had no problem making it on.  The children loved the ride...the temperatures were cooler and once the ferry was under way it was actually quite cold.  We stayed out on the deck as long as we could stand.  We thought it funny that during a group picture Edward decided to open his mouth wide as if singing and that is when the fog horn blew...we could not have planned if we had tried!

We arrived on Whidbey Island and were off to the first national park of the day.  We were to find out that the entire island was part of the park however there was still a working town.  This was a special effort by the park services to maintain protection for the land without disturbing those who lived there.  In fact, the visitor center for the park was right beside the town's cemetery which has many historical graves.  We could return our booklets at several locations around the town.  We knew we would not have a lot of time to complete the books so we began work as we continued to the main street of town.  One of the activities was to determine the original purpose of the buildings that were in use on the main street.

As we began the task to find the answers, I happened to ask someone how far it was to the ferry.  Let's just say...we were in the van in record time to race across the island...it would take an hour to get there but the ferry left in 45 minutes.  I had hoped the locals were exaggerating the time...they were not and we missed the ferry!

We would now need to wait 2 hours for the next one...but we were in line!  So...the next best thing to do when waiting...geocaching!  And there happened to be several in the area.  We found two of the closer ones as we could not all leave the van at the same time.  We were close enough to the water that we found enough interesting things to do while we waited.

Unfortunately, this delay would give us a short amount of time on the San Juan Islands.  We had an interesting talk with a regular visitor to the islands.  She told us that it was a little early for whale watching but there were a lot of other things to see.  We also had time to review the island map.  We had a plan to see as much as possible in our limited time.

We would travel along the outer road circling the island to watch for sea life.  We had two locations on opposite sides of the island associated with the national park.  You see this island was once fought for by Americans and British...if you have never heard of the Pig War...I encourage you look up the story...the only casualty of the war was the pig who was tempted to enter the wrong garden.

We went to the American camp first...we were the only ones in the parking lot and the park ranger seemed eager to meet us...practically coming to our door.  He asked if we had really traveled all the way from Texas...yep...over 3000 miles!  Well he had something that was worth the drive!  He had a telescope set up to view the eagle's nest above the visitor center.  What  a great mascot for the camp!

We enjoyed the view and then found out that we had an hour to travel to the British camp before it closed!  YIKES!!!!  Time flies when you are having fun!  We watched a short film to explain the story of the island and then we were on our way.  The ocean view along the road was wonderful!  And the woman was right...not a siting of whales the entire time!  We will just have to find whales in a different location.  I have been told their whales all along the coast even in Monterey.  It will happen some how...I just know it!

We got to the British camp in time to view the buildings.  However, the big attraction there was the telescope set up to view the osprey nest!  WOW!  Two different magnificent birds in one park...awesome!  And the funny thing...bald eagles are associated with American...ospreys are associated with Canada!  Do you think the birds knew this when they were choosing their nesting spots?




The British camp also had a beautiful garden that we were able to walk through...the floral scent was abundant...almost over powering!

Now...all day...I had promised the children we would have ice cream.  I was determined to follow through with this plan.  However, we had to be back in line for the ferry to the main land.  Well, I had finally figured out the system...as long as our vehicle was parked in the ferry line...we could go to the ice cream shop not far away.

I took Sean and Edward with me....Henry stayed with the van as Zaira was sleeping by this time.  The ice cream was set up to enter one door and exit the other side.  We picked our flavors and as we waited I was to pay...that is when I found out that this shop only took cash!  NO!!!!  I only had change...and little of that...but I knew Henry had money in his wallet.  The woman at the counter allowed Sean and Edward to leave (with the cones) to bring back the wallet.  She was very patient with me...especially since Henry was still short $2 to pay the bill.  I jokingly offered her a book of stamps...I really had nothing to give!  She finally gave in and let me leave...I guess we got a discount...thankful yet humbly embarrassed  we left quickly!  SO...if you are ever on San Juan Islands go to the ice cream shop by the ferry...they will have my business if I ever go again!  I did actually have a very good ice cream...Lavender Honey....yummy!

We made it on the last ferry off the island and were exhausted...I had no problem keeping children close as they were very tired.  AND hungry!  We needed something a little more substantial than ice cream to make it back to the house.  We found a restaurant on the main land.  Then we were back on the road...praying that I could stay awake to get us back.  We finally arrived after midnight...what an amazing yet tiring day!!!!

More Around Bremerton

We had a lot of fun just staying in town also.

One of the places we took the children was the Bug Museum.  We knew we had to wait for Sean to go to this museum.  We thought he would be upset that it was not called an insect museum but his response when we asked was...there are bugs so it is OK...there were also reptiles so I guess he was right.

It was a small museum but geared for introduction to the little guys that make us squirm.  The moms enjoyed going through the small building once, but the children went several times to each of the insect showcases pointing out different insects each time.

We also had the joy of celebrating Shane's birthday.  Christina wanted it to be geared toward the idea that little Madison was celebrating with her dad for the first time.  It was very special and sweet...with first dance and special cards created by everyone.  It almost turned into the first piece of cake also as Madison decided to lunge into the cake just as we were about to serve...it was cookies and cream and looked fascinating with all the cookies sprinkled on top and candles ready to light!

A couple of days later it was all about the girls.  We started with a nice Italian lunch.  Then we made our way to a local lavender farm.  We thought we would have a little amateur photo session and walk away with a bundle of flowers for each of us.  We were quickly informed we could pay a $150 session fee to take pictures in the flowers...we decided our phone camera (the only cameras allowed) took great pictures!

We did enjoy the gardens.  The little ones carried their baskets and picked individual flowers for almost an hour....barely picking one bunch.  The mommas decided it was time to take action and finish the task.  We were still cutting after thirty minutes.  There were a lot of bees flying around the flowers so it made for a difficult task.  We did manage to create three nice bundles.  When we returned to the display room, the owner asked if she could take a picture of the little ones with their bundles for her website.  It turned out to be the best picture of the day.

The next day, I took the boys and Zaira on an afternoon trip to the town of Poulsbo to see the small local aquarium.  When I say small...I mean small...it took us less than 30 minutes to see everything.  It was still nice and we appreciated it.  We then walked down the main street in hopes to save a Raggedy Ann from a antique shop.  We ended up saving it and a unique chess board as well.

Thankfully, I still had other plans for the afternoon.   We went to the Naval Undersea Museum which is dedicated to those who risk their safety to explore the mysteries of the sea as well as the submarines that are used for exploration and defense.  We spent a lot of time exploring ourselves.

Our next stop was supposed to be a small drive into the gates of the naval base to attend Mass at the chapel.  When we went in the gate, I asked the guard where the chapel was located and he seemed confused and said he did not know.  I thought that was odd but proceeded to drive around the small base.  It was like a ghost town...only a few buildings and we could count the people we saw on one hand.  Very strange but when we started to leave, we noticed the top of the chapel over the trees.  I tried to get to this allusive building multiple times but it always seemed out of reach...again odd.  But the point when we felt we were in a Twilight Zone episode was when a man came jogging toward us in a gas mask!  LOL...I bravely rolled down the window and asked if he could send us in the right direction.  It turns out we were not on the naval base at all...we needed to drive about 5 miles down the road to the correct base...we were at a small base that was not actively being used other than a few historical homes and storage.  We did have the joy of seeing our fist osprey on a nest.

When we did arrive at the chapel, there was a wedding.  All were welcome to be there and Mass went on as normal.  We enjoyed inclusion in their special day but I wish we had not dressed so casual...we were very out of place.

A great place to travel around and central to many other places to enjoy.  I am glad we were able to stay with Christina and Shane.  Of course, the best part was being a part of their lives at such a special moment.  I am so blessed to be considered gramma and snuggle little Madison with love.  Hard to believe the time has gone by so quickly and it was so easy to grow attached to such a little one.