FamilyJul 6, 2010
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Beautiful Roses in Daryl and Sams yard
Bill and Daryl pointing the way at the Dam
Impressive locks and dam on the Snake River
| It’s all about family… That has to be the greatest part of our travels. We are scattered all over the USA and having our own house to tow along makes us a welcome guest at our families… We find a spot to park our home, visit during the day with our family and return to our house when it is time for bed… My Brother and his wife live in Kennewick, Washington which is part of the Tri Cities of Kennewick, Pasco and Richmond, a section in the South East part of Washington that is considered the desert area… This time of the year it is usually very hot and dry… That is great climate for all the wheat that is grown here as well as the many vineyards in the area… We are just a few miles from Oregon that grows so many of the berries and we are here at just the right time… Cherry picking has just finished and we have stuffed ourselves with this yummy fruit but one day we also went to the farmers market and filled up with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and today we even added huckleberries to our freezer thanks to a fellow that picked them on the Northern Idaho-Montana border…. Wow talk about being in berry heaven. Also in season is asparagus, peas and green beans… I am sure that there is a lot more but this is the stuff that I can’t get enough of… Soon we will be where they grow the peaches, pears and apples but for now we are relishing the berries. We arrived at our campground in Pasco on Thursday and as soon as we got set up we went to my brothers house that is about eight miles from here… We haven’t seen Daryl and his wife Sam (real name is Sonja) for five years… It was a great reunion… The last time we were here Daryl was still in the work force but now he is retired both from the Army and Hanford where he worked after 20+ years serving our country in Korea and Viet Nam…. While in Korea he met Sam and they were married overseas… They returned to the USA with one Son named Scott and Sam gave birth to two more boys in the USA named Daniel and Dale… We have seen each other several times during the years but so few and far in between that I can hardly wait to see the changes in the kids when we come here… Sam is the worlds greatest cook of both American and Korean foods and she knows how much I love specialties that she makes…. The first night we were there she cooked steak, fried potatoes, salad and some super sweet corn on the cob.. Oh boy, here we go again… Eat, eat, eat…. Well you would too if you tasted her cooking… We finally went home for the night just in time to crawl in bed and returned the next morning in time for a yummy breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast…. As soon as everything was cleared up Daryl took us to the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam. This Dam is located on the Snake River at the upstream end of Lake Wallula.. It is an impressive dam that in 2822 feet long and 100 ft high… We went into the Visitors Center and watched 3 movies of the area…. It is on the lower Snake River approximately 10 miles from its confluence with the Columbia River which just happens to be my very favorite river in the US. What an interesting day we had there.. We were fascinated to see what they have done to aid the fish in their return to the place they were born… We watch several different kinds of Salmon returning to their homeland to spawn and die… We are a little late for the spring season but there are still many fish traveling through this place and every one is counted and recorded.. After returning to Daryl and Sam’s we had a wonderful dinner of egg rolls to die for along with fried rice and salad… It just doesn’t get any better than Sam’s Egg Rolls and fried rice…. The best part is that she makes extra so I can take some with me and cook on the road,,,, Yummy… Saturday morning had us back at their house early so we could go to the farmers market in Pasco…. It was not a very big market but they had just what I was looking for; raspberries, blueberries and blackberries…. We all carried our fruit to the car and made our way to the airport to pick up my Sister Jan…..That proved to be not as easy as we had planned since there was a big 3rd of July parade in the works and every street we drove down had a barricade at the end… Wow, we were afraid that we would miss the plane… Not to worry though, we found an opening and got there in plenty of time to bring our Sister back to their house… The rest of the day was spent trying to get a word in edgewise…. I am known as a real talker but my Sister and Brother outdo me and Sam likes to get in on the conversation also… Poor Bill is the quiet one but he is learning that he just has to yell louder and we all shut up and listen to him….LOL All of us except Bill love going to the casino so on the 4th of July we went to Pendleton, Oregon while Bill begged off…. He had a ton of things he wanted to get done on the RV so we left him behind… He was happy as a lark but I really missed having him with me… He put up some shelves for me while we were gone and had a great time without me… I came home ahead of the game so I was happy too but really glad to get home… The Indian Tribe that owns the casino had a Pow Wow that day and let me tell you, their dress was some of the best we have ever seen…. Beautiful… While they were putting on their show many venders were selling food and gift items…. When we returned home it was still early and we thought about going to see the fireworks that are shot off along the Columbia River but I just couldn’t stay awake for it.. Boy am I getting old or what? Well, we were up at 6 am and didn’t get a nap and the fireworks didn’t start til 10:30 so you be the judge…. Today was a great day… We all had breakfast that Sam made and then went to a vineyard before going to a fantastic shop that sells all kinds of foods; canned, bottled, fresh and processed and well as some of the best candy you can buy… And buy we did…When we got back to Daryl’s it was my turn to cook…. Jan made appetizers’ and I cooked dinner for us and one of Daryl’s families… Scott, the oldest son came over with his darling family… His wife Wanda is a little bit of a gal that is just a sweetheart and their two children Mariah and David are the best… We haven’t seen these kids in 14 years.. Mariah was just a baby and David wasn’t even thought of at that time since he is only 10 years old now but I had such a warm feeling for them that I was in seventh heaven….. What a wonderful family… This was my best day yet… Bill goes along with it all and loves to listen to all the family history and of course they all love him…. What’s not to love? We only have a couple more days in the Tri Cities but I will share them with you next time….. Later |
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