Street Fair in Port Townsend

This summer day in Port Townsend is buzzing and vibrant. The local farmers' market sells produce, and other vendors staff booths stuffed with candles, soaps, clothing, sweets. A long roll of paper next to the sidewalk beckons both kids and adults to exercise their fancy in watercolor.

Jed and Milo painting (Photos by Narca)

Hollin & Milo at street fair

Victoria's Gardens

Our day with Hollin and Milo in Victoria was highlighted by visits to the justly famous Butchart Gardens and the Victoria Butterfly Gardens, featuring tropical butterflies and moths from Asia, Australia, and the Americas.

For Milo the highlight was a reunion with his friend Anya, met while on a camping trip. Anya, her grandmother Anne, and Anya's friend Kirsten caught up with us at the butterfly garden, accompanied us through Butchart Gardens, and later played on the "Old" MacDonald play structure, before Milo, Hollin, Alan and I headed for Port Townsend and home on the ferry.

Here are a few photos that caught the spirit of the day! First, the butterfly garden.

Learning about the life cycle of the Atlas Moth

(Photos by Narca)

Atlas Moth caterpillars and adult

And on to Butchart Gardens! Anne tells us that this place is spectacular on Saturday summer nights when there are fireworks displays.

Kirsten, Milo and Anya ride the carousel at Butchart

The best use for a huge, grassy hill––by the time we left, kids of several nationalities had joined the fun!

A howling good time

One of many wonderful bronze statues at Butchart

Shoeless in Canada

What's a guy to do when he's bundled off to Canada at the crack of dawn, but his mom leaves his shoes at home? Get on that ferry to Victoria anyway! Shoes, it appears, aren't a requirement for entering Canada.

Hollin & Milo on ferry to Victoria, Canada

(Photos by Narca)

Next step, after clearing Customs: find a pedicab to the nearest shoe store!

Pedicab to shoe store

Pretty cool shoes, huh? Milo solicited the opinion of every Victorian he encountered, and all agreed. Pretty cool.

Light effects in a dark WWII bunker, Port Townsend

And Alan wandered around Victoria in this cap!

Yellowstone?

Hi Bert, you're an author now! How about some photos posted from your Yellowstone trip?

Here are a few from our jam session in January 09, featuring Leona on violin, Dede on guitar, and... drumroll... Milo on bones, with an appreciative audience in attendance.

(Photos by Alan & Narca)

Photos from Engineer & Cinnamon Passes

Here are a few family photos from the Colorado trip that I didn't put on my other blog:

Torin & Cinco at Cinnamon Pass

Kenzie & Torin at American Basin

Kenzie & Cinco at Cinnamon Pass

Silver Fox at Engineer

And this morning Noel sent this photo of our family watching the foxes that Torin spotted!

Colorado Adventures

Hi All! Alan and I (with our friend Noel, whom many of you know) just returned from our trip to Lake City, where we enjoyed sharing the high mountains once again with Brandon, Aimee, Kenzie, Torin, and Lisa. (Missed Kelly by only a day--she's there now, celebrating her 50th birthday!)

At Brandon's house in Lake City

I've started posting details with photos on my other blog, so please check there to see, for instance, pictures of the two wonderful foxes (a Silver Fox and a Cross Fox) which Torin spotted at Engineer Pass. Also you'll soon be able to see photos of the Grail Butterfly––the Lustrous Copper, for which we've searched for years! Now that called for ice cream.

Cinco at American Flats

Please post what you've been doing too. For one thing, Milo lost his first tooth, and Hollin needs to tell us all about the tooth fairy's visit in these modern times!

Welcome!!!

This is going to be fun! We can really keep up with each other's interesting doings, if you will each accept an invitation to be an author on the family blog. (It may require signing up for a gmail account, but first let's try the email address you most would like to use.)

To start with what Alan and I are up to, we leave early tomorrow morning for Lake City, with our good friend Noel. We'll be visiting Brandon, Kenzie, Torin, and later Lisa, and roaming those San Juan Mountains that have been so much a part of our early lives for several of us. Butterflies will be a big focus. The high Rockies have exquisite species.

Mine above Carson Ghost Town, Colorado

Kenzie, Torin & Brandon at Carson

Ridge between Carson and Lost Trail Creek

Carson Ghost Town, San Juan Mountains

(Photos by Narca)