WA in December -- Grandkids galore! -- 12/7-17/07

I had some frequent flyer miles to burn on American Airlines, so we decided to go to WA to see friends and family. The timing was based on the wedding of our niece, Tony (see the pictures at the end), as well as on the last day we could use the miles (12/17). We flew through Dallas because that provided the best arrival and departure times. The flights were crowded but uneventful.

Everett -- Ramona, Jason and Aidan

We started off in Everett by visiting Ramona, her husband Jason and their daughter, Aidan. The last time I saw Aidan was the summer of 2006 when she was a tiny baby. Now she's about 17 months old and a real firecracker. She's one of those kids with a highly malleable face and demeanor. In fact, from these pictures you might not think she was the same kid. She is a Leo, so who knows? Maybe she'll grow up to be an actor. By the way, she's GK #8.

Trout read to her when we arrived.

I gotta say this is my favorite picture of her from this trip. She just woke up from a nap all smiles and giggles and goofiness.

Here she is with Ramona.

We took them out to lunch. This is what she wore. People laughed and pointed when we came in. Trout told them we were with the movie star.

She decided to try a lemon.

Orcas Island -- Dory, Phill, Kaya, Phaedra and Gavin

The next stop was Orcas Island where I got to see how the girls had grown and finally meet their sweet little brother, Gavin. He was born in mid-March and is GK #9.

Here the girls are all piled up on our motel bed with Trout.

This was the view from our room on Sunday morning. No, it's not shot in black and white.

Can you tell these kids are all in the same family?

Since I usually take the pictures, I'm rarely in them. However, Trout got a good shot of Gavin and me.

Dory seems to be questioning what Trout's saying here. Good job, Dory!

And here are the happy grandparents.

Dory set it up for Trout to see a blacksmith working at his forge while we were there. This guy also is Phill's boss and taught Phill how to be an electrician. He had some really cool tools.

Ellensburg -- Katie, Jim, Jimmy and Audrey

The next stop was over the mountains to Ellensburg. Fortunately, the weather held off for us and it was an easy drive over Snoqualmie Pass. We find it amusing that the winter weather in that pass is usually atrocious, yet its elevation is lower than the land where we're building our house.

I got to meet Audrey, GK #10 born August 31st, for the first time and visit with the family. Our son-in-law, Jim, is working at a developing resort in the Cascade Mountains called Suncadia. He's helping set up the computer systems for the entire complex. We went there for lunch one day and got all these pictures.

This is Jim and Audrey.

And here's Katie and Audrey.

Wonder of wonders, here I am in another picture with the three of them.

I caught a picture of Jimmy when he wasn't aware of it. He's always been camera wary. You can see it from some of his earliest pictures right up to now. But I got him here.

And Jim said something here to get him to cooperate for this group shot, carrot or stick, I'm not sure.

We never have done much exploration of Ellensburg, but Katie recommended this place for breakfast. Way cool. And yes, that is snow on the ground. One morning there it was 17 degrees.

Steilacoom -- the Wedding

Those of you who have known me for a long time may remember that I once lived in Steilacoom. It is the oldest incorporated town in WA. That's where our niece, Tony, got married on December 15th.

Here she is with her new husband, Pat.

Here is Trout with his siblings, Sue and Dan. Sue is the bride's mother.

And the last picture is of my disgustingly photogenic husband in his retro tie.

So...can you see any of him in any of the 6 grandkids pictured in this post? They all carry 1/4 of his DNA. Only time will tell, I guess.