Back in “TADA” we are headed for Miles City, Montana and onward to perhaps Minot, ND. Can you believe there is another Stave church hiding out there? What is it with these Norwegians, they are everywhere and once again that pesky gene of Shap’s has sniffed out another Stave church. To top it off, while staying with the kids we visited the “Norwegian” town of Poulsbo, WA. The grocery store in the center of town has to be the best in the U.S. for cheese and crackers etc. from Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and Holland. However, they also have one of the best supplies of licorice and the only place I know of getting “Mokka Bonner” chocolate candy. You can’t even get it in Bergen, Norway, except certain days and even then, it is scarce.

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Arriving at Coulter’s I took a COVID test to make sure I was negative, what a relief to find out it was, as I suspected, a good old fashion cold. To think two years ago I would have complained about a cold, now I am relieved.

There is nothing better than stepping through the doorstep of family after a long trip. Just seeing your kids, and grandkids welcoming you (whether they want to or not) makes you feel relaxed, feeling all is well with the world. With Olea and Ellery wanting to show you everything new, wanting to see the van, wanting to just be with you, it fills you with a love that is hard to contain.

I did not have that experience with my grandparents. On my mother’s side the relationship was very formal, as long as I followed the rules of behavior I would be tolerated. I never remember any affection, a hug or even sitting close to them or being read to. On my Dad’s side we were never there much. They were country folk and we mostly went there for Sunday dinner where I remember three kinds of meat, vegetables, pies, etc. all being served. The rest of the week would be leftovers heated up. There might have been a chance of having a softer kind of relationship with them, if I had been able to spend the night or time alone. I remember Grandpa Smith would love to have me sit on his lap. The only problem was he had a huge stomach and it was hard to find a place to sit.

My great grandmother, Grandma Hostettler, lived with us. She is the one that I have the closest memories of. She took my brother’s clothes, mine, and other bits of material and made quilts out of them. To this day, I have those quilts and share the story of the different bits of cloth with my grandchildren. She also made little doll quilts for my dolls. She made her last quilt at 95 with her glasses and two magnifiers.

My goal, since I have had grandchildren is to be the most assessable, fun, loving, energetic grandmother I can be. I hug, kiss, tickle, and give them as much affection as possible. I also want to give them as many opportunities to expand their horizons. As I tell them all the time, it is my job to spoil them, and they take full advantage of it. Of course who can resist any or them even when they are 19 years old. First two pictures are a dance fashion show.

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Bainbridge Island is a charming commuters community just off the coast of Seattle. The ferry goes back and forth all day long. It can be reached by a bridge which heads South to Tacoma. It has the feeling of being in a small country town untouched by the hustle and bustle of Seattle. Huge Cedars, Spruce, and Douglas fir forests offer excellent hiking throughout the island and stone beaches are easily accessible. If not for the specific West Coast trees, you would feel as if you were in Maine. Mt. Rainer sometimes shows itself from the living room window of Coulter and Amy’s house, and just across the street you can watch ducks and seal swim in the harbor. It is an ideal place to grow up no matter what age you are when you come to live there.

We left Monday morning after taking the kids to school, a tearful good-bye, as we do not see enough of them, then got in line for the ferry. A beautiful morning with the sunlight illuminating the boats in the harbor, and the gentle rocking of the ferry relaxing you into a sleepy lull before you begin the next leg of your journey. Whatever your journey happens to be.

I love watching the people on the ferry trying on different personalities for them, jobs they may be off to accomplish, shopping trips for the day, art openings to attend. The occasional dog goes by, but I suspect more of them are in the cars. Before you can even think about settling into a book you are at your destination.

Within minutes of unloading we were on Route 90 and off to our destination 12 hours later at Three Forks, Montana. We pulled into a KOA campground,( I will give this one 5 stars for environment and cleanliness,) at 9:30 only to find there was no reservation for us. We were able to find the manager, got a lovely spot (not that we could see it) and went to sleep.

The moon rose last night bringing a beautiful orange glow touching the mountain tops. The sun left us with a candy colored rainbow glow along the same mountain range. We drove onward thinking to ourselves, could there be anything more beautiful than what nature offers us each day? The question was answered this morning as dawn awakened us to a glorious sunrise. And so, we continue our journey eastward, just as we journey throughout our lives, with the sun rising and setting and the moon following her cycle. In this cycle we can allow ourselves to choose the beauty before us, also allowing us to see that same beauty in others. The cycle reminds us that even the days where we cannot see the sunrise and sunset, it is still there within our reach. It is our choice to decide how we approach each day. I chose happiness and beauty. This is the lesson I hope to leave for my grandchildren.

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