Bellingham and Canada August 12-27th

Now we start a stretch of a couple weeks to spend time in Bellingham and Canada. Golf at Bellingham Golf and Country Club a few times, cards and dinners with friends Karla and Ros, hanging out with new friends at the Cedars RV Resort Rick and Linda are a few of the highlights. The Keyes Classic golf tournament with 14 couples was another raving success. Perfect day for golf after a midnight storm that blew thru the area with plenty of thunder and lightning. Glenna and her partner Dave took the first place prize money at 10 under par. Of yeah, this is her second win in a row for this summer tournament, not sure they want to invite her back next year…..

We had a great time golfing at Skagit Country Club with Sandy and Mike. Followed by a great dinner at the Longhorn Saloon. After dinner we spent the night at Mike and Sandy’s waterfront cabin, pulling crab pots, playing cards, drinking wine and catching up. The sunset over the water was fantastic.

The famous ROMDOG party at Gary and Liz’s place on the water in Sandy Point proved again that good traditions should continue. Great hotdogs cooked on the green egg and plenty of bottles of Rombauer made for a perfect evening visiting with friends and taking in the views of Mount Baker and the bay surrounding the local mountains. A few trip across the border took us to the Richmand Golf Club to play a round with Glenna’s cousin Geoff and his wife Ruth. Drinks and appy’s on the patio with more time to catch up. On Tuesday August 20th we drove across again to have lunch with Glenna’s family: Harold and Karen, Geoff and Ruth, Tommy and our host Rick and Jane. Pulled pork sandwiches, chicken salad and lots of stories filled the afternoon. Back across on Friday for a light lunch with Carol and Sandy in White Rock then dinner later with friends Gerry and Ruby in downtown Vancouver. Always great to see this waterfront area from the 37th floor of the Shaw tower where Gerry and Ruby live. Panoramic views of the harbor watching the seaplanes taking off and landing in the water below, super yachts cruizing the blue calm waterways and seeing the mountains around Vancouver. But, nothing better than sitting down with great friends sharing a meal and memories with plenty of laughter.

A few more days in Bellingham spending time with friends, our resort neighbors and just hanging out before our next roadtrip over to Leavenworth, Washington.

Leavenworth, Washington August 27-30

Tuesday morning we pulled out of the Cedars Resort in Ferndale and headed south on interstate 5 towards Everett. I noticed on my pre drive routine that my front tires were getting a bit thin so on the drive, Glenna did some research on tire places and we ended up in Monroe, Washington and had the two front tires replaced. Only a short delay then back on the road to Leavenworth. Arrived at the KOA campground, checked in and got set up in our tight spot amongst the pine trees and the flowing Wanatchee River nearby. Dinner at the RV and a pleasant surprise when we heard music coming from the outdoor patio near the main office. A country western entertainer named Chris Ward was singing his songs to the delight of many folks on the patio and surrounding areas. We were amazed at the quailty of his voice and guitar playing. Turns out that Chris had a number one hit on the country charts in Nashville and played a lot of cover songs that we all enjoyed. He played his number one hit called Ring My Bell for us as well. Chris and the KOA were raising money for kids with cancer and appreciated all the donations made by the visitors. Wednesday was a golf day so we drove over to the Leavenworth Golf Club and played a round in this spectacular mountain setting. We were joined by a local young man named Duke who is a firefighter for the Lake Chelan fire department nearby. Beautiful scenery in this pine tree filled narrow course. After golf we went into the small town of Leavenworth to enjoy some German hospitality and shopping. Sausages, beers and pretzels were a big hit while we sat out on the patio enjoyning this perfect weather day in the mountains of Washington. One more day of relaxing around the Campland seeing the river and taking a long walk.

Davenport, Washington August 30-September 5, 2024

Beautiful drive From Leavenworth to Davenport over the passes seeing the green forest and flowing fresh water rivers along the windy highways. One quick stop at Smallwoods Harvest to pick up some fresh friut and vegetables to share with our friends in Davenport. Peaches, heirloom tomato’s and watermelon along with some homemade jams were the highlights. Traveled thru apple country and into wheat country, who knew that this part of Eastern Washington is one of the top wheat producers in the world. This is “dry wheat” farming meaning not much water is needed to produce thousands of acres of wheat. On to Deer Meadows which is a small community about 20 miles outside of Davenport on the Western side. Well, we really found out why they call it Deer Meadows. WOW, Deer everywhere you look. Pulled onto George and Coy’s property overlooking Lake Roosevelt and got set up for the week parking the RV next to the garage (or George’s man cave) as we call it and started enjoying the views and hospitality. Friday was the start of Labor Day weekend so the Lake was full of passing Houseboats, pleasure boats and plenty of fishing boats. We fished on Saturday morning along the shoreline below George’s house and managed to catch a few small mouth bass but overall the fishing was pretty slow. We made up for that a couple times going down to the marina for some nighttime dock fishing, Glenna outfished the boys the first night catching 2 trout and 2 Walleye however, Pat did catch the big trout to take home and filet for the freezer. Fun times with George exposing us to new adventures on the docks of the Seven Bays Marina with his friends fishing along side of us. We taught George and Coy how to play a card game called 3 / 13. They caught on quickly so it was fun playing a few times before the rest of the group arrived.

Tuesday, the rest of the company showed up with a couple surprise guest that George had planned for us. We had 5 other couples from our High School days join us for a few days of story telling, sharing life experiences and plenty of laughs along the way. George and Coy were great hosts serving plenty of meals and George’s favorite Strawberry Margaritas.

Attendees: George and Coy Chandler, Pat and Glenna Huth, Robert and Susie Weigand, Kirk and Nancy Shearer, Bruce and Shelly Adams and Rick and Jody Tolocko. We all went to High School with representation from classes in 1971, 1972 and 1973 and have remained friends all these years. On highlight was on Wednesday September 4th, we rented a pontoon boat and spent 4 1/2 hours touring around Lake Rooselvelt. Calm, clear water and beautiful shorelines made for a terrific time with great friends. Of course, snacks, cocktails were in order for this afternoon delight cruising thru small coves with 600 foot sheer cliffs providing shade of this 92 degee day. A herd of Rams (counted about 31) along the shoreline drinking the cool water was a great way to see Mother Nature at it’s finest. These majestic animals strutted their stuff as they climbed some rocks and hills along the shore. Found a nice beach to hang on for a bit while some took a dip in the water to cool off and others collected small rocks for souvenirs. Back to the dock and a short ride home for George’s Dungeness Crab Fettuchini, wine and more good times. Pat, Glenna, Robert and Susie sat out on their VRBO property next store at night to see the stars and view the Starlink satellites two night in a row passing right past us low on the horizon dark sky. Thursday was moving day for Pat and Glenna, Robert and Susie while the others stayed for another night catching up and having a blast.

Next stop for us is Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho and then on to Montana………..

Glenna hand feeding the deer at George and Coy’s house

Deer Meadows is the community where George and Coy live.

These deer love George

Great place to park while visiting

The boys from Clairemont High. Pat, George, Robert, Bruce, Kirk and Rick.

Robert and Susie

George making strawberry daiquiris for the group

We rented a pontoon boat to explore Roosevelt Lake

Lots of big horn sheep along the shoreline

Pat, Robert, Susie and Coy

George, Shelley, Bruce, Rick, Pat and Jody

Best looking grass I have ever seen.

Glenna with the catch of the day, rainbow trout

George, Glenna and Pat fishing on Roosevelt Lake

Bear paw print right where we are fishing, keep your eyes open.

Did I mention deer everywhere

Glenna with Coys prize possessions

Great farmers market outside of Davenport

We stayed a few nights in Leavenworth

Fun day of golf in Leavenworth

Chris Ward did an outdoor concert at the KOA, he was incredible.

Beautiful scenery along the river in Leavenworth.

Glenna, Kristi and Karla on the patio at Jim and Kristi’s lakefront rental while their house is being renovated.

Lake Whatcom

Our neighbors at Cedars RV, who knew we all liked wine.

Glenna, Sandy and Carel having lunch in White Rock.

Lissa, Glenna and Jeanne have lunch in Vancouver.

Pat, Karla, Ros and Glenna golfing at BHCC.

Party after the Keyes Classic

Keyes Classic at Bellingham Golf and CC.

Of course, Glenna and Dave won!!!!

All the girls at the Grahn’s for the Rom Dog party.

Dave ask Pat to do the BBQing at their house after the Keyes Classic

All the golfing girls

spectacular sunset at Mike and Sandy’s house on the water on Samish Island.

Pulling up crab pots did not disappoint, lots of crab to go around.

Sandy tried a new recipe for individual beef Wellington.

Very patriotic neighborhood

Out of the water, in the pot and on the table in 30 minutes, doesn’t get any fresher than that.

We had to try out the Big Stick BBQ in Bellingham that our new friends Rick and Linda own.
Glenna, Ros and Karla.

Great views of the Vancouver Harbor from Gerry and Ruby’s place on the 37th floor.

Dinner at the Longhorn Saloon in Edison, the best seafood chowder ever.