“Trick or Treat”

Earlier this evening we answered the doorbell and there in his pumpkin costume was grandson “NJ”.

Grandma gave him his (non-edible) treat that quickly dropped into his pumpkin “pail.” The boy was more anxious to find Buddy, our dog, to play with. “NJ” and Buddy are quite good pals now.

Pic above is of grandson, mom and dad (and a pumpkin scarecrow) taken at a Trick or Treat party at Country Village a bit earlier in the evening. Is there anything better than a kid having fun on Halloween?

Still Under Effects of the Flu, Talli Guts Out Qualifying Run For State

We keep observing that our grandchildren are exceptional, and they keep doing things to warrant it.

This afternoon our high school sophomore granddaughter, Talli, qualified to run in the varsity State Cross Country meet a week from Saturday at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.

But the remarkable thing about what she did was the fact that last Sunday she was still running quite a high fever that finally left on Monday and was feeling the staggering effects of the flu (who knows which variety) that continued through the race today.

So, without any training for almost a week, and weakened by the dreaded bugs going around, Talli still ran a 20:06 time for 5K, which was enough to qualify her for State. Her dad told us after the race that she was “disappointed” with her time. Yikes, girl, how much do you expect of yourself? Seriously, Talli almost always feels she “could have done better”. She’s just made that way.

Congratulations, Talli! You are something very special!

Getting the Hang of Texting…

Our grandson loves to play with cell phones. REAL cell phones, not the plastic imitation "play" ones. The other day he played with my phone for the longest time. Grandma snapped these shots as he sat on my lap...


“Gotta get this note to mom & dad just right…”

“Perfect! There it goes.”

He’s a pretty smart boy for 13 months old!

Hayley Gets Clarinet Solo in Future Concert

Our grandchildren continue to make news, and it’s especially nice for this grandpa who gets to write about it. A few posts ago, we mentioned that Hayley, a 7th grade Intermediate Schooler, had made second chair as a clarinetist in Advanced Band.

As if that wasn’t enough in and of itself, last Friday she was named as the clarinet soloist for an upcoming concert performance. She tried out for the spot and won out over all comers.

As we may have mentioned in the previous post, Hayley only began playing the clarinet about 14 months ago, and has taken to it like a duck to water. No telling what this talented young lady will accomplish. Nice work, Hayley!

Outright Win For Talli Is Her First In X-C

Our granddaughter, Talli, won her first varsity Cross-Country event on Wednesday, taking first place in the 5,000-meter run in a dual meet at Tigard. She is just a high school sophomore, but this is her second year already of varsity competition.

Her winning time was 20:07, at that some 35 seconds off of her personal best this year. This course was a bit tougher, however, than the one on which she did her PR. Click here to read about her win in a news story currently running in the Newberg Graphic.

The pic above is from the race in which she set her personal record (Talli is at left), as I’ve so far not been able to get my hands on a photo of her win. If one does become available, I’ll try to post it.

Congratulations, Talli, on your first varsity win!!

"Tis the Season...

Sometimes photos are just too cute for words. Grandson "NJ," above, last weekend enjoyed his first experience in a real pumpkin patch. I'm told he spent quite a bit of time making friends with his favorite halloween gourd.

I think dad and mom had as much fun as "NJ" checking out every corner of pumpkinland in order to make just the right selection to bring home.

Now dad gets to test his skills once again as a jack-o-lantern carver. I hope "NJ" realizes that it's getting close to "trick or treat" time. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it real quickly after visiting a house or two. That should be a "slam-dunk." Btw, the photos were taken by mom & dad, and they sure turned out super.

10 Minutes To Great Fishing

A fish like this Lake Sammamish cutthroat trout would be good anywhere. But it was especially sweet catching it this afternoon just 10 minutes away from our son and daughter-in-law's home.

Because the fish was so bright and "silvery," my son thinks that possibly the fish may have been a sea-run cutt that had made its way back up into Lake Samm via the Ballard Locks, the ship canal, Lake Washington and a stream that connects the two lakes. At any rate it was a really nice fish, measuring 18-1/2” in length and weighing over 2 pounds, maybe even close to 3.

It was a gorgeous but crisp and slightly windy afternoon on the lake today. Photo above is of Doug skippering his new Alaskan boat against the backdrop of the foothills of the Cascades. This is but one of the wonderful benefits of living in the State of Washington.

We only fished for two hours, but it was a memorable trip. We got the skunk off of both my son’s new “back-up” pole rig and off an old man fishing Lake Sammamish for only the second time. As an added bonus, when we got back to their house, he filleted the fish and threw it on the BBQ, doused with their secret fish cooking formula. Just one word to describe it:

Incredible.

Talli Scorches A Full Minute Off Her Previous Personal Record

Our high school sophomore granddaughter, Talli, ran the 5,000 meters in 19:31 yesterday at the Harriers Classic in Albany, Oregon, taking a full minute off of her previous personal best. You can see the strain (and the incredible muscle tone) in the above photo taken by her dad.

The best high school runners in the state were all in this meet, and so the competition was fierce. At least this course was a lot more level than her earlier races so far this year, and a lot of kids set personal records.

Talli’s outstanding time in yesterday’s race, I’m told, places her among the top five all-time 5K bests in Newberg High School history. I’d say that’s pretty good company. Fabulous run, Talli!

Hayley Makes 2nd Chair Clarinet in Advanced Band

As grandparents we learned long ago never to underestimate our grandkids.

Hayley, daughter of Gregg and Elaine, 12 years of age and in 7th grade, has been playing the clarinet for just a little over a year. Yet she has already become among the best clarinet players in her school. Above photo of her was taken earlier this year.

Yesterday Hayley learned that that she has earned the second chair position in her Intermediate School’s Advanced Band.

What’s special about all this is that Advanced Band is usually reserved for 8th graders, but Hayley auditioned at the end of her 6th grade Beginning Band class last May and qualified by test to skip Intermediate Band altogether and go directly to Advanced Band this Fall, though in the 7th grade. Now, she is playing at the higher levels of Advanced Band.

She’s obviously really taken to the newer, higher quality instrument her dad found on eBay near the end of the summer. Having a good clarinet to play can not only be more fun, but the results are also showing by her performance.

Hayley is a remarkable young lady, as are all our grandkids, and we congratulate her on an excellent accomplishment. We’re very proud of her, and already we’re looking forward to her Christmas Band concert.