Yesterday we and Sarah, Jake and Monica (Sarah’s long time friend from Alaska) had brunch at Cafe’ Nola (http://www.cafenola.com/) in Winslow, Bainbridge Island followed by a tour of Bloedel Reserve. The reserve (http://www.bloedelreserve.org/) was a wealthy family’s “weekend cottage” that has become a beautiful garden with a slice of Pacific Northwest wilderness.
Even though Cafe’ Nola is an upscale yuppie dive, they had some of the best chicken fried steak I’ve ever had; below Bonnie’s of course. The swan was sleeping on the path next to a pond and was totally unconcerned with the noisy humans tramping by.
We attended the Thompson Family Reunion in Hazelhurst, Georgia on October 6, 2007. 136 descendents of James Alfred and Laura Varnedore Thompson, my Great Grandparents were in attendance. The descendents of my grandfather and grandmother; James Allen and Alma Moore Thompson were 33 of those in attendance.
I met with cousins I haven’t seen in 40 years. It was a great time. The James Allen and Alma branch of the family are in the picture below. There is one living aunt, Joyce Linda, my sister Skeeter (Lorraine), cousins and spouses and assorted children.
Dune fans get it.
We just spent 4 very pleasant days with Doug and August, our oldest son and his wife. The are currently in transition from almost 30 years in Alaska to a new position in Charleston, West Virginia. Doug is an Air Traffic Control Supervisor with the FAA. Yesterday he finagled 2 hours for us in the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-700 full motion simulator in Seattle. It was a blast and a jaw dropper at the absolute sensory reality it places you in. It is no wonder the FAA allows flight training in one of those toys to count the same as the airplane.
Doug and August left yesterday to visit their daughter in Spokane with continued travel to Texas and other places before settling in Charleston.
I finally had to break down and read the manual for WordPress; the Blogging software I use. It actually makes linking a thumbnail picture to the full size very easy. Of course, manly men consider having to actually read the instructions as a professional failure.
We did make it back from Seatac and a trip to IKEA. We got out of IKEA with leaving only $175 on the counter. Given some of our recent trips there, this was cheap!
