Celebrations

The first week of May we were blessed with three out of town visitors 
- a cousin and two of our sons

Lots of reasons to celebrate 

Birthdays - many birthdays in April & May

Mother's Day

The rainbow cake sang "Happy Birthday." The toothpick marks the spot to cut. Our family tradition is to put a music box in the cake. When the cake is cut, "Happy Birthday" plays.

Read about adventures with our cousin here

We had fun going through Joe's high school scrapbooks 

& hearing stories, many stories

Picnic at Denny Park on Lake Washington

It was a bit windy & chilly - but it was beautiful

That's Mount Rainier in the distance

As beautiful as the lake is, this part of the park is gorgeous too

Click  here  to see our whale watching adventure

Happy Times

So many reasons to celebrate

Recognizing Teachers

Our mother loved learning and wanted others to be excited about learning too. She was a great advocate of teachers and felt teachers didn't get enough recognition and support. 

When Mom died, the four of us and Dad donated money to the London Schools Foundation. The interest from the money enables us to give a monetary gift to a high school teacher each year. 

Each Spring high school students nominate teachers who inspire them to develop a love of learning. The teacher with the most nominations receives the gift. According to the principal, school board members, and friends, truly deserving teachers have been recipients through the years. 

This is the 11th year for the Mary F. Holton Inspirational Teacher Gift. My brother presents the gift to Michelle Sambas. In addition to the check, the teacher receives an inscribed memento. 

some of the past recipients

 Stacy Hallowes (2011), Michelle Sambas (2015), Todd Boyd (2012), 

Amy Hiles (2013), Hana Wiegel (2010), Tim Coudret (2006), Stephen Clines (2008)

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Click here for a blog post in 2014
Click here for presentation in 2013

Thanks Mom!

Not long ago I sat on the floor to do some pinning and measuring for Joe's slacks. 

I thought about all the times Mom did the same thing as she sewed and mended for us. 

Thanks Mom for insisting that we learn these skills. 

Her example and teaching not only gave me skills 

but also gave me confidence that I could (and should) do these kinds of tasks. 

Thanks Mom!

photo  1955 - Jan & Mom

Whales

While our son was here we went whale watching - a first for all three of us. We drove an hour and a half north to Anacortes where  Outer Island Expeditions picked us up. The boat stopped at Orcas Island to get more passengers. There were about 30 people in our group – from California, Bellevue, Redmond, Miami, New York, and France. Three staff were on board – Captain Matt, Captain in training Josh and naturalist Katie. All three were very knowledgeable and clearly loved and respected these animals. 

Patrick as we're leaving Orcas Island

Captain Matt posted the following on the company’s Facebook page about our adventure – “On Monday we took out our brand new vessel Blackfish III on its first whale watch expedition and boy were we in for a treat! Started off with a humpback whale near the Canadian border, then when word of a group of transient orca came in we just had to go the extra mile to see the T101 group. From there it was a long ride home but in the end it was very worth it as we got surprised by a very large group of transient orca just minutes from our dock in Anacortes. After reviewing my pictures I identified the large group at the T36A's, T36B's, T37, T49C (the big male) and T124's. …. ~Capt. Matt”

the humpback whale - it was really something to hear the 

sound of the blow when it breathed

much of the time it looked like a HUGE log

Click here for an article and video of a humpback whale

This rock was full of harbor seals. Some people saw porpoise. 

They were quick; we didn't see them. 

Members of the Pacific Whale Watch Association exchange information about what's been sighted and where. After watching the humpback whale for a while, we got word of orcas in Canadian waters - and away we went. 

We knew we were getting close when we saw lots of other boats

You're probably wondering about noise and crowding the whales

There are MANY rules about the kind of boats you can have, how much noise they can make, how close you can get to the animals, and so forth. From what we were told, there's a lot of self policing by the tour operators. If you violate the rules, not only are you apt to get a hefty fine, you are also cut out of the Pacific Whale Watch Association and lose access to real time information about what's been sighted where. 

None of the whales "mugged" our boat - that's the term used when the whales come so close that you can't move your boat. You have to stay still in the water until the whales decide to move on. The mammals were close enough for us to see them pretty well even without binoculars. 

beautiful - even without whales in sight

Naturalist Katie gets off the boat when we return to Orcas Island. 

We changed boats and continued to Anacortes. 

Just before we reached the Anacortes dock we spotted more orcas. 

Captain Matt followed them and we watched for quite a while. 

Quite an experience.

Check out the website for the Pacific Whale Watch Association. There's much interesting information about the whales who live in the waters around the San Juan Islands year round and those that pass through. The map is also very interesting.

This was a grand adventure!

Flashback - Katie

Recently I visited a friend and was surprised when a big dog rushed out her apartment door when she opened it. I immediately corralled the dog and felt the years slip away. Before I even got a close look at the dog, I stated rather than asked, "This is a border collie, isn't it?" Somehow I knew. My friend just got 5 year old Morgan from a rescue shelter. As Morgan sat by me, it was very strange how strong the connection was - it was the feel of the dog, his behavior and who knows what else that took me back to my childhood.

Katie, our border collie - 1954

Katie was Jan's guardian - November 1951

Mom, Dad & Katie with Jan

When I saw posted this picture, I thought, "Boy, they look young." I did the math. Mom is 25 and Dad 28. Dad's looking at Jan and thinking "I'm 28 and have four children - how neat is that!"

Katie was very patient with us - Tom in 1951

This photo is dated November 1950. That's got to be Tom in the playpen 

and either Susan or Julia under Katie.

As I was assembling photos for this post, it occurred to me for the first time ever - did we name Katie after our Union Street neighbor Katie (Kathryn) Murtaugh? 1949 photo shows Julia, Susan & Katie in the raft/swimming pool at Union Street.

I remember Katie's eyes (1954)

Katie shared people, food & space with lots of animals (1954)

Katie helped with the numerous kittens we had at Oak Street

I have wonderful memories of special times in front of the fire with Katie - 1954

Katie had puppies - LOTS of them in April 1953

 Dad with Katie in March 1956 - Puppies April 1953

Katie, Tom, Julia, Jan & Susan

December 1955

More to the story - I have several memories of Katie's last days. We went on a trip and Katie stayed with friends. One day she ran out the door and into the street where she was hit by a car and killed. In my memory Katie died about the same time as my mother's mother, in April 1957. This timing is probably about right. We have pictures of our next dog dating from 1958. What did we name our new dog? Katie II!

Obscured?

Often there's so much going on in our lives 

that we miss something that's right in front of us. 

Early in April we went north to see tulips blooming in glory and great abundance. A few weeks later we were in the same garden, this time with my cousin. Most of the tulips were finished blooming and had been cut. Look at this star planting. On our first trip the pattern and beauty were obscured by everything around it. We didn't notice it. 

Clearing out the noise and clutter of our lives will help us 

feel, hear, and see things of God.

"Sometimes the most precious and sacred things are right in front of us, in plain sight, but we cannot or will not see them... I promise that is we unclutter our lives a little bit and in sincerity and humility seek the pure and gentle Christ with our hearts, we will see Him, we will find Him ..." Dieter Uchtdorf

Book - The Country of the Pointed Firs

THE COUNTRY OF THE POINTED FIRS

 by Sarah Orne Jewett 

First published in 1896, these stories are set in a New England fishing village that has seen better times. A summer visitor shares her observations about the people and place as she comes to know and love them. 

From the book jacket - “Set in a small, coastal town in Maine, this enduring sequence of intimate stories has assumed its rightful place in the pantheon of American classics. First published in 1896, it is as much a series of small, beautifully rendered sketches as a sustained narrative, perfectly evoking the inexorable decline of coastal New England after the Civil War. …….Sarah Orne Jewett’s vision was of a gentle and generous people on a rugged and unforgiving coast, of New England character and characters limned in colors of high summer and blue skies.” 

From book jacket - the people of Dunner’s Landing – “wise herbalist Mrs. Todd, the independent Mrs. Blackett of Green Island, the abandoned and reclusive Joanna. And then the occasional men appear, their conspicuous absence from these tales quietly symbolizing the abandoned coastline, the population depleted by a generation favoring the bustle of nearby cities and inland towns. The small vignettes that fuse so beautifully to comprise the country of the pointed first LINGER LONG AFTER THE BOOK IS CLOSED. The black-and-white pencil drawings by Douglas Alvor are nothing short of spectacular. Closely observed, carefully rendered, and modeled from real ‘Mainers,’ they possess all of the haunting serenity of Jewett’s prose.” … Jewett writes with “compassion and delicacy.” 

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jht's comments - I loved this book and didn't want it to end. If you read it, try to get a copy with illustrations by Douglas Alvord (1991 edition from Godine). His pencil drawings match the serenity of Jewett's writing. The artist captured the peace and strength of the people.

The whole book, writing as well as the illustrations, gave me a feeling of peace. I can't point to specific characters or details that resulted in that feeling, it was something about the whole book. I felt good reading it and I feel good thinking about it after reading it. 

  

from the foreword - xvi – “It is a finely drawn portrait of a time, a place, and a community of mostly elderly men and women whose lives have been shaped by their rural experience. The way they cope with life is not so much exceptional as resolute, and what evolves is a deeply sympathetic portrayal of a culture very much in tune with and influenced by the rugged landscape to which it is so firmly attached. ……… Jewett embodies storytelling in the best sense. We can enjoy the imagery, the gentle humor, the emotions of those rural lives, and yet come away with a sense that we have left their dignity intact – we have not pried so deeply as to offend.” 

jht - I like that approach to story telling - tell stories in a way that leaves people's dignity intact; don't offend by prying too deeply.

I read this book right after Alexandra Fuller’s “Leaving Before the Rains Come.” There couldn’t have been a greater contrast between people and their approaches to life. Serenity is not associated with Fuller or her writing. 

Our Floyd ancestors lived in Maine during this time period and earlier. I wonder if they were like any of the characters in Jewett's stories. Were they at peace with themselves, their lives, and their places?

Jewett's description of the way people dealt with declining industry was in great contrast to the consequences of declining industry of West Virginia towns described in Jeannette Walls' "The Glass Castle" which I recently read.

 reviews on goodreads.com