More Yard Work

We had several trees and a bunch of bushes removed. Next we need to get some stumps and stubs removed, and have some mulch put down.

Catherine's new bike

Catherine has been such a help during and after the move that she earned a new bike! Its got 21 gears, soft seat, and a front shock absorber. When we left Virginia, Catherine still fit her pink bike, and she was still kind of wobbly on it. She is now a confident rider. Now when she and Morgan ride around the neighborhood, Catherine will be able to keep up. Caroline does not care any thing about bike riding right now - but she got a jean jacket as a special treet so she would not feel left out. After I took this picture my camera battery's played so its the only one.

Boat Show

Catherine and I went to the Union Lake boat show. It was a perfect day to be out on the water. There were several hundred boats docked, and we must have went on 20 or 30. Catherine is on the flying bridge of a 100 foot super yacht- it was amazing. I left my check book at home just to avoid any impulse buys!

Trimming Trees and Bushes

Catherine and I did allot of trimming this weekend; the pictures show the before and after. We started in the front yard taming the rhododendrons in front of the house from about 6 feet tall to 3 feet with some shape. Then we tackled the back yard. The left side of the backyard has a nice stand of trees, which just needed some branches trimmed back. When I started it was so thick I couldn’t get into take a picture, now it clear and I put a bench in the trees for the girls to sit on. Then I got after the bushes on the right side of the patio. I took 4 rhododendrons down to a stub, and gave the other 6 a buzz cut. Then I started doing a little trimming on the cherry trees in the back. Now I’ll either have someone haul off all my cuttings, or get a chipper and do it my self. I’m still going to have someone come out and remove some shrubs in the front, improve some flower beds, and do some extra trimming in the back. Weather was perfect; I never got hot. I did most of the trimming with a clipper and a pruning saw – now I’m sore! Thankfully Catherine did a lot of clipping, and hauling too.

First Day of School

The girls had a great first day! The bus showed up early so I only got a couple of pictures. They both looked so cute, and were excited to be riding a bus. Both of them were very comfortable in their new surroundings. Catherine loves the cafeteria – and both love having three recesses.

Neighborhood Labor Day Party

Our neighborhood had a big Labor Day party; it was a good way to meet our new neighbors. The kids played, and the parents visited. There must have been about 200 people out. Caroline chased around with the kids her age, and Catherine visited with her two new friends. Catherine's biking skills have improved tremendously on the flat roads in our neighborhood. It’s fun to see her and a friend riding to one another’s houses. School starts tomorrow; both girls have met their teachers and are looking forward to class. Its been a good summer with the first half in Virginia and the second half in Seattle.

Mt. Rainer

Mt. Rainer (which is an active volcano) is about 90 miles south of Redmond. Due to the geography its easily visible all the way from Redmond. It looms over the horizon from 90 miles away, and is bigger close up. We drove to Sunrise visitor center which is on a ridge across form the volcano. Its at about 6000 feet. We hiked around the medow, and walked along sunrise ridge for a while. Its a shear drop down to a beautiful lake about 2000 feet below. It was 65 degrees and windy up on the ridge. We all enjoyed the outing. We were there in the middle of the day, so all of the pictures are in very harsh light. Next time, I'm going to time it so the lighting is better for photography.