Family & Friends in the Pacific Northwest

End of June to July - Spent some time with Paula's brother, Bill, and his lovely wife, Terry.  Shared some good laughs and meals together.

Bill, The Master Meat Burner, hasn't met any meat or veggie that he can't grill!









Went to Sequim for the 4th of July.  Had a great walk on Hurricane Ridge.  Lots of wild flowers, animals and the glorious Olympic mountains!  It was one of those spectacular days.  Remember the opening scenes of "The Sound of Music," where the green rolling hills and mountains and blue sky and the music just overwhelmed you?  That's what kept playing in Paula's head all day!  Kept looking for Julie Andrews but she was a no-show.  Oh well.

Avalanche Lily

This is my trail!

            Above the clouds!!                                                                     Hey, Wait for me!

We wandered over to Port Townsend for a wonderful walk at Fort Worden State Park.

Adding just one more

Lots of visitors!

                                                Ahhh....the sound of surf!

Went to the Sharick family picnic in Enumclaw, WA.  Had a wonderful time catching up with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins!

Paula sharing!!

Most of the Sharick family








Rick's 50th High School Reunion in Idaho Falls, ID was the end of July to August 2nd.  We were able to attend since the event was inbetween all the appointments for Paula's father.  We had a wonderful meander down memory lane with Rick's classmates.

Hey, that's my class!

Rick & Paula with
Roger & Carol (Rick's best friend from the 6th grade)
Who invited all the OLD people?? Cuz, we're not OLD!!

We did a river walk every morning and enjoyed seeing all the different benches along the walkway. Some were blended with the surrounding nature, while others were whimsical.

The day before we left Idaho, we drove out to EBR-1.  This is a plutonium reactor that successfully generated electricity in 1951 then was de-commissioned in 1964.  It is now a National Historic Landmark.

Names in chalk of the men who worked on this project.

This is the surviving light bulb, which was returned from President LBJ's library.








For most of the summer, we've been helping Paula's parents as Paula's father underwent colon surgery due to cancer.  We certainly appreciate all the support and well wishes from family and friends.  Life has a way of waking us up at times; to ensure that we live each day with deep appreciation and respect for each other.