(Is it safe to just post a warning for all future posts...WARNING, PICTURE OVERLOAD!!!)
A quick glance at the fun from Wenatchee....
We spent Sunday and Monday in good old Wenatchee, WA. I have been coming here since I was a baby. So many memories! It's always good to see my grandma Lillian and my aunts, uncles, and cousins. The Reisenauer clan is a fun bunch to be around. We drove down to the Columbian River dam, excited to see the bunnies and the salmon ladders....BUT...We were two weeks early. It was still too cold for the bunnies and the salmon spawning hadn't begun. We literally didn't see one fish. BOO!! Clay and Jack had a fun time pretending to be fish though. The next day Ginger had broken into Grandma's house through her screen door and the boys spent the whole day fixing it. They decided that I would have more fun with my aunt Karen instead. Karen and I spent the day shopping, and talking. Then later that night we all met up and had another epic dinner. Meal times are always the best part of our family events. We have some seriously amazing cooks in this family. Grandma Griffin made a simple turkey sandwich with mayo and it was the best thing I've ever eaten. She has magic hands! haha! After dinner, we played a game called Buzz Word. Even with an English teacher on my team, we lost (but only because Uncle Dan cheated). All-in-all, Wenatchee was fun. Grandma Griffin always makes the trips memorable and saying goodbye is never easy. She always grabs my arms, looks me in the eyes and tells me how much she loves me. I realized something on this trip that I'd never noticed before. The history of my grandma's house is incredible. As I walked around her house, looking at the pictures and HER memories on the walls, I was in awe! My favorite find...A hand written letter from Mother Teresa, written to her and my grandpa. My grandma was friends with Mother Teresa!?!?! WHAT!?! My grandma's house hasn't changed at all in the 40 something years that she's lived there, and I
wouldn't have it any other way.
Wednesday was probably my favorite day so far. We had a bunch of stuff planned for the day, but decided to just take it slow. We started at the Seattle aquarium. Three hours of huge fish, touching star fish, and watching sea otters was a great start to the day. At one point I think Clay even said "I'd jump into the ocean right now, for $50!" and I think he meant it until we went down into a room that looked out at the actual creatures of the bay. Who knew there were so many sharks?!?
Looking at all of the fish had made us a bit hungry....for fish...and chips! We were on our way into a restaurant when I had the suspicion to turn around. There was very large homeless man, less then a inch away from me, and I immediately knew something wasn't right. He was trying to rob me! I always walk with my purse tucked under my shoulder, and he was trying to slip his hand around it. Man, that would have really ruined my day. Luckily, when I turned around and caught him, he left pretty quickly. Clay and Jack both said they would have chased him down if he had done anything, AND I'm not so sure this guy would have liked seeing me angry. I'm like the HULK. haha!
After lunch, we made a quick side tour to visit the little island that my dad almost moved to. The view was incredible and I think my dad kicks himself everyday for not taking advantage.
Next on the list of sites was the Space Needle. I really couldn't understand what my dad was doing when he forced his way to the back of a full elevator and stared at the wall. Only when the elevator started going up did I realize why he was acting so weird. My dad is DEATHLY afraid of heights and will literally get paralyzed when taken to heights above ladder height. The Space Needle elevator is like Willy Wonka's magic flying elevator; clear on all sides, as to be able to see the amazing views as you rise hundreds of feet in the air. Dad wouldn't even walk over to the windows, or outside onto the deck for a peek. We stayed there for about an hour, watching planes take off, spying on the little ants below, and watching Jack throw gummy bears off the top. It was a really cool experience, but if you've ever been to the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, you've already had this experience.
This is the video of us making fun of my dad on the way down. Everyone in the elevator thought it was funny!
Is he crying?
Below the Space Needle there are lots of fun things to do. We only had one in mind though...the Science fiction/Rock museum. Clay was SO excited to see the Jimi Hendrix memorial, but after seeing that outrageous entrance fee, we decided to pay our respects from the sidewalk. That didn't bring us down! Clay and Jack decided to be typical Clay and Jack and engage in some serious shenanigans. To make you understand how crazy they were being, there were tourists surrounding us, taking pictures of them. haha! At one point, Jack swung from a tree like a monkey while a tourist bus passed by. They all really enjoyed the show.
This picture needs to be put in the CLAY AND JACK HALL OF FAME! Best picture ever taken!!
Our last event of the day was a dinner with the rest of the family that we weren't able to see while down in Wenatchee. Two cousins; Brian and Erin. We met up at a little pizza joint and just sat and laughed for a couple of hours.
Today, we planned on being spontaneous! We knew we wanted to drive around the Western coast, but what we would do when we got there was undecided. We started at a little town called Port Townsend. It was GORGEOUS! We found a little army base beach and my dad was even surprised to see that one of his favorite movies was shot there. (I forgot the name) We got out and just walked around on the beach for awhile....We were even able to let Ginger out. She loved it! She's never been to the beach before and this was quite the experience. There was a cute little lighthouse too! Next was a town called Port Angeles. Any reader of Twilight knows that this is the town where Bella and her friends go when they want to get out of Forks. By now it had started to rain, so we couldn't really do much but drive. Clay was disappointed that we hadn't seen any wild life, so we have a running bet for the first person that can spot an animal. The rules are: it has to be alive, and it has to be cool! I saw an eagle, but apparently that wasn't cool enough. Next was the best part!!!! FORKS! We only briefly stayed and despite all efforts at getting pictures, I lost. The boys all think I'm a little too obsessed with Twilight and everything to do with Twilight, so they wouldn't let me stop for pictures. BOO! Sometimes I wish I had a sister or two. haha! (oh, and I kept my eyes out for vampires and werewolves, but the closest thing to either was Ginger in the back of the car)
I posted this picture to vent a little. My dad SUCKS at taking pictures. Unfortunately, if I want a picture of the three of us kids, then I have to put my camera in the hands of the world's worst photographer. Look at this picture! He holds up the camera, doesn't count down or give any indication that he's taking it, and then clicks and goes "okay, done!" He has been doing this to me the whole trip and have dozens of pictures of us just standing, NOT ready for the picture. My dad needs some serious lessons in taking pictures.
Wow, this post has been long! Sorry! I hope you stayed until the end though. This trip just keeps getting better and better. I feel like I've seen everything, but no matter how much I see, there's still more to be seen. That's my favorite part about this place. There's so much to do! Who knows, I may end up here some day.
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