Grandma & Grandpa Camp, 2015

At the end of July, for the second year in a row, we had our Grandkids, Anna and Brandon stay with us for a fun filled, activity packed week. 

The week started out on Sunday with a train trip to Seattle for a Mariners baseball game.  We met Marlene's sister Maxine, and our Niece, Ann at the ballpark.  Here's Marlene and the kids waiting at the train station in Vancouver for the early morning train.

We sat in a  section of SAFECO stadium reserved for Eastern Washington University Alumni and their families.  Everyone got a free Eastern hat which you can see Marlene proudly wearing, next to Maxine, who is sporting her Mariners cap.

After the game we had a nice relaxing train trip back home.  Here you see Brandon and Anna sporting their new Seahawks shirts...which for some reason they preferred to Mariners duds.

We even got a picture of us together with Brandon as the able photographer.

On the day after the trip to Seattle, we took a great hike up Beacon Rock.  Some nice person took a picture of all four of us recuperating at the top.

Later in the week we took off to the Oregon Coast near Newport to spend 3 days in a rented house right on the beach. The dogs loved walking on the beach as usual, but with Sailors weak rear-end, they didn't run quite as wild as in the past.

The house even came with a great hot tub, that the kids loved.

This shot was taken late at night from the deck of the house we were in, of the rare "blue moon" casting it's light over the ocean.

A very early mist rolling in from the sea at the beginning of what proved to be an unusually hot day for the the Oregon Coast.

If smiles tell a story, then it must have been a successful trip.

A Visit to GAM and GUM's

Today, my sister brought my great niece for her first visit to our house. She calls us GAM for Great Aunt Marlene and GUM for Great Uncle Martin. This is Ann's first two night stay at grandma's and she has had a busy day, visiting a friend of my sister's as well as dropping by our house. She quickly found toys to play with and while she was here she helped me put together my Halloween Village. She enjoyed the lights, but was not at all impressed with the scary noise that the haunted windmill makes. Luckily there is a switch that controls just the sound, so she was able to enjoy the village with just the lights. The pictures show her modeling the necklaces she found and viewing the haunted Halloween village.
The rest of the morning we have been doing chores and our usual weekend errands. Hard to believe that it is fall and next week October begins. I am still finding all my fall decorations and having a hard time believing that summer is over!