Memorial Day Weekend 2011

What a wonderful weekend.  Larry and I went to North Hollywood to stay with Erin and Karl for a few days.  We haven't seen the kids since they came up to Idaho for Thanksgiving.  That is way too long to go without seeing your kids!  Erin and I did some shopping and we took time to visit friends and family.

We went to visit my friend, Anne Bertolino, who I haven't seen since we moved out of California.  It was so wonderful to see her.  Anne lives right on the beach in Newport Beach.  She has the most spectacular view of the ocean ... very peaceful ... what a great place to retire.  We also went to see my sister, Nancy.  She made a fabulous low fat key lime pie.  Yum.  I am still waiting for her to email me the recipe.

We went to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack with our friends, Linda and Bill Guyett.  It was so much fun.  The balloon guy made Erin a Buzz Lightyear backpack that was really fantastic.  I will have to download the picture and post it.

Although we drove instead of flying, it was still a great trip.  Hopefully I will be able to spend some more time with Erin at the end of July or beginning of August.  This time I will fly!

Mammoth Hot Springs

Finally we had weather that was decent enough to get out of the house.  Yes, the yard needs tending but there is always time for that.  Larry and I decided to pack a few things and head out camping.  We decided on our favorite location ... Yellowstone National Park.  We have never camped at Mammoth Hot Springs so we thought we would give it a chance. 

We took a leisurely drive to Mammoth Hot Springs and got to the campground.  The camp host was so very nice and gave us a great location.  We set up our camp, pulled out our chairs and decided to relax for a while.  Around dinner time we took off and headed for Gardiner, MT.  It is only a few miles from the North Entrance to the park. 

This is also the entrance that has the beautiful archway that you always see in pictures.  We walked around the town and finally decided on Rosie's for dinner.  The prices were really high but the food was fantastic.  We shared a plate (grilled shrimp mixed with linguine, bacon, and tomatoes) and had spinach artichoke dip and salad.  It was just the right amount.  If we had our own meal, we would've had to bring half of it back to the camp. 

After dinner we walked some more and I picked up another magnet for my collection.  When we got back to camp, we relaxed some more and then called it a day.  The camp was so quiet and peaceful. 

In the morning, Larry said there were elk grazing in the camp.  I decided to be lazy and sleep in for once.  After our breakfast of oatmeal, we packed up our tent and started heading north towards Livingston, MT.  It is a cute little town along Hwy. 90.  We stopped in Bozeman, MT before heading back to West Yellowstone and home. 

Since I love to photograph old barns and buildings, we stopped along the way to grab some more pictures.

We got home in plenty of time to do some things around the house.  It felt like a really long weekend and it was so nice to get away.

Scrapbooking

When I lived in Southern California, a friend at work taught me how to scrapbook.  My very first scrapbooking experience was a book of a trip to Walt Disney World that Erin and I took when she was a senior in high school.  The book was not seen by anyone (except my friend at work).  I gave the book to Erin at Christmas the first Christmas she had up in San Francisco when she went to college.  I was very proud of what I had done since I am definitely NOT crafty or talented.  Erin loved it.  I think she was surprised that I could do it.

When we moved to Idaho, all my scrapbooking seemed to just stop.  I don't know if I was just lazy or the fact that I no longer had a scrapbooking friend here to help me with ideas.  This past winter I decided that it was once again time to get busy and scrapbook. 

So far, I have completed a trip to Hawaii that Larry and I took with Eric and Erin and I have completed pages for Breakfast with Mickey and Minnie.  Right now I am busy working on a trip we took up north in California to Hearst Castle, Winchester Mystery House, Great America Amusement Park, and San Francisco. 

I think I need more embellishments for my pages ... they are looking a little sparse!  Time to go to Michaels shopping.

I hope Eric and Erin like what I have done.  It will be great memories for both of them.

A Visit With Adam, Joanna and Family

In February, Larry and I took a trip down to Salt Lake City to go to the RV show and while we were there, we got together with Adam, Joanna and the girls, Lauren and Meagan (I'm sure I misspelled their names).  We went to dinner at Spaghetti Mama's which is near the South Point Exposition Center.  It was a great time.

We were exhausted after looking at all the RV's.  After we had been in and out of about 100 RV's, we decided that we didn't need to go into all of them.  We just looked in the doors, decided NO THIS ISN'T THE ONE and we moved on.  I could not believe how tired I was!  So glad the hotel wasn't very far from the show!  We still haven't purchased an RV, but one day we will.

A SUNDAY DRIVE ... IDAHO STYLE

Today Larry and I decided to take a drive ... to Wyoming.  We loaded my camera and tripod and off we went.  I love photographing old buildings, wildlife, and pretty much anything outdoors.  I'm not Ansel Adams but I like to think that some of my pictures are worthy of a WOW every now and then.

We ran across a whole bunch of wild turkeys.  They seemed to just follow each other and were stumped on how to get through the barb wire fence.  Finally one of the turkeys ducked and went through, so they all followed along.

As we drove along Palisades Reservoir, we came across some ice fishermen.  It looked so cool seeing the red fishing hut on the white ice.  Of course, we had to stop.  There were so many opportunities to pull over and look at the reservoir.  It is still frozen but it looked like clouds with the real clouds casting shadows.  It was beautiful.

While we were driving along the reservoir, we made note of several campgrounds.  We will be going back to those campgrounds so Larry can do some fishing at the reservoir.  Since we both have Fridays off, it is perfect.

When we got to Alpine, Wyoming, we just kept on going on Hwy. 89 heading towards Star Valley, Wyoming.  Along the way there were some great barns and old buildings.  Once again, we stopped and stopped and stopped .... you get the picture.  We looked like typical tourists.  Driving slow and all of a sudden just pulling over.  I'm sure the crazy drivers on Hwy. 89 did not like us at all.

We came across an Elk Farm (we think it is part of the Fish and Game).  The funny thing was, the gate was open but the Elk did not want to leave.  Larry said as long as they are being provided their food, why would they?  It seemed to be the popular stopping point for several cars.

Once we left the Star Valley area, we went back to Alpine, Wyoming and headed East towards Jackson Hole.  We stopped along the way and enjoyed the scenery along the Snake River.  We started to get hungry so we decided to turn around and head back for some lunch.

The sky was so beautiful and it was so peaceful.  Next time, we will continue onto Hoback Junction.

On our way to Ririe (where there was a Subway), we saw another barn that I really liked.  We also saw a great barn in Swan Valley.  All in all it was a relaxing, peaceful, wonderful way to spend a Sunday Drive in Idaho!

SPRING SNOW!!!

What a beautiful morning!!  We woke up to 4 inches of snow.  It is the fluffy snow so it will be melting quickly.  It is so warm up here that the streets, driveways, and sidewalks are just wet ... no snow.  I went out into the backyard and also on our deck and took some pictures.  I went out to the front porch and took a picture of Larry's cherry tree (he hates having the cherries on it because they leave such a mess).  

I miss the warm weather ... I would love to wear tank tops and shorts but I think my white legs and arms would be a fright!!! 

Washington Fun

What a great time Larry and I had in Washington.  We spent Friday driving and enjoying the music of Queen, then we stopped in Missoula, Montana, to do a little shopping at REI.  We got our tiny di  vidend so, of course, we had to use it!  Originally we were going to look at buying a tent, but opted to stick with the one we have.  It is still in great shape so no need to buy another one.  We ended up buying a pair of shorts for me and a tank top and a pair of socks.  Just as we were about to leave, I remembered what I really wanted to buy ... a dog bowl for Zelda (Erin and Karl's new addition to their family).  We got a cute collapsible bowl with pink trim.  After that, we continued onto Spokane Valley.  When we arrived in Spokane Valley, we went straight to Five Guys to see Eric.  There he was, standing in the middle of the store with Ron (his boss).  The store was packed.  Standing room only.  It was awesome!  We got the key to Eric's condo and took off to unload the car. 

Larry did a little handyman work at Eric's while we were there.  He fixed the deadbolt on his door, fixed the loose faucet in the bathroom, and changed a light in the living room that burned out. 

We went to dinner on Friday night at Five Guys.  When we arrived, the line was to the door and when we left, it was still to the door.  The people just kept coming.  It was amazing how many people wanted Five Guys burgers and fries.  After dinner, Larry and I went to the mall and walked off our dinner.  I went into the puzzle store and bought Calvin a puzzle ... Goodnight Moon.  We also stopped in Macy's and picked up a pair of jeans that they had on sale for $9.99.  Couldn't pass up on that.

Saturday, I made waffles for Eric and then just before noon we took off for Ryan and Tanya's house.  They live in Liberty Lake which is just east of Spokane Valley.  We all went to Azteca for mexican food.  Calvin wanted to sit with Eric but decided that sitting next to mom and grandpa was okay.  Larry got to see Calvin, who is 3, and Clara, who is almost 8 weeks old, for the first time.  It was great.  Ryan and Tanya are so much fun.  We had a great time.  Eric left for work from the restaurant and we took the leftovers back to Eric's place.  

Then we went for our drive around Lake Coeur d'Alene.  We had been looking forward to that for a while.  It was so much fun.  We went through little towns and saw some beautiful scenery.  We also saw mule deer, elk and a lonely moose eating on a side road.  Very cool!!  

 

Of course, we went back to Five Guys for dinner.  The line was still to the door and was to the door when we left.  Again, the people just kept coming.

Sunday we loaded up the car, gave Eric a kiss goodbye and took off.  Eric was so tired (he was getting home from work at 2:30 AM everyday) so we let him sleep.  On the way home, we had one snow storm after another.  It was wild. 

We did a lot in such a short period of time but it was so much fun.  Later this summer we will head back up to Spokane.  Hopefully Eric will be able to take a day off while we are there.

Erin Works for Warner Bros.

Well, since I was posting about Eric's new store, I thought I would also post about Erin's work.  She is currently employed with Warner Bros. Studios.  It was her dream to work for Warner Bros.  She has had an exciting time and I love hearing about all the celebrities that she meets.  She has worked on the Conan show and the Ellen show.  She has met many producers, directors, and stars and recently was in a shot on the Ellen show with Heidi Klum.  

Erin said you have to start at the bottom and work your way up in this industry.  I know that she will get her break and a production assistant position will open up for her.  In time, she will have her opportunity to be a producer.  It takes time.  Congratulations Erin!  We are very proud of you.

FIVE GUYS IS OPEN!!!

I am so excited for Eric.  He is the manager of the new Five Guys located in Spokane Valley.  This is the second Five Guys located in Eastern Washington.  He opened the first Five Guys location and now is the manager of this location.  I am very excited to see this new style of Five Guys to compare with the others I have been in.  

Larry and I are taking a trip to Washington this coming weekend for Eric's first weekend opening.  It should be very exciting.  I know we will not be able to spend much time with Eric since he will be at the store the majority of the time, but it will still be exciting.

Way to go Eric!!!  We are very proud of you.