Celebration Weekend

 

Most of my blog and Facebook family know that Tom and his twin sister Jan celebrated their 80th birthday in early October. But our family has another newly minted octogenarian, their cousin Dean, whose birthday is in mid November. Dean wanted a big family celebration. 

Dean and Jan got their heads together to make a plan. Because of the times we are in, some options were off the table. They selected a few, and then commissioned a couple of our capable kids to coordinate to make it happen. Jill and Scott did the necessary research and selected Fort Worden, located on a point of land where the Straight of Juan de Fuca joins Puget Sound. We seen to be a salt water loving family. 

On Saturday two generations of Fosters and Reeders converged on Port Townsend and the fort. Some came by ferry boat, some by cars and bridges. 

Tom and I made a day of it, stopping for Starbucks in Gig Harbor, shopping and lunch in Poulsbo, and then over the Hood Canal floating bridge to the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula. 

Poulsbo and lunch

The Hood Canal Floating Bridge

Puget Sound from right by our lodgings at Fort Worden.

We were surprisingly upgraded to the Commanders Housing!

As family members were arriving we took advantage of a bit of time to have a short walkabout. 

The Parade Ground.

This sign explains reason for the fort and its companion forts. We are just across  the sound from our cabin on Whidbey Island. The Fosters and the Reeders share our family compound there. 

The dock and light house in the distance.

As everyone arrived we gathered in the living room of the Commander's House. 

Tom had some information to share. From his archives he produced this photo of his dad, Bud Reeder,  as a 17 year old in 1927, sitting on a bunker above the lighthouse spit. He had joined the Coast Artillery Division of the WA National Guard and was stationed for a short time at Fort Worden. None us us knew that. 

We all selected rooms in one of three houses, with rooms to spare. This was ours.

We eventually corralled everyone and went to dinner at a Thai restaurant in Port Townsend.

Jill did a great job of being party hostess. 

I managed to squeeze Dean in this photo, front right. As the actual host of the whole weekend, he is a VIP.

Tom, Jan, and younger brother Dave.

Of course there was cake! Returning to our lodgings, the party continued.  There were speeches and shared gratitude for the bonds that continue to hold these families together. 

Talking and sharing went on well into the evening

The next morning we had breakfast together at the fort commons.

The weather was cold and blustery, with rain squalls passing through all weekend, but we managed to do some exploring and not get wet, just windblown. We drove down to the lighthouse and checked out a beach, thinking we might just have to come back here on a summer day. 

There was one more group photo for those who were still available as we all began to go our separate ways again. 

The warm feelings of family love linger, and our octogenarians were well celebrated. 

This Week, So Far

 It's Wednesday afternoon, and I have already forgotten what I did on Monday and Tuesday. :-/

Well, Monday is housecleaning day, and I did a bit of that. I also spent a long time managing photos for my blog post about the cider bee. Blogger does make it trickier to post photos now. It's also laundry day but I had to wait for the new washer to be delivered. It arrived and was installed by 11:30. Out with the old, in with the new, and we put it right to work. 

It works great, but it is nosier than the old one, so I am closing the laundry room door when it is running. 

It rained Monday but it stopped in time to go to the last Sounders home match at the stadium.

The result was a disappointing tie, so now we have one more match before our place in the playoff is determined. 

Tuesday I don't remember doing much. I know I was tired. It was election day but we had already voted by mail weeks ago.

I did get outside to take a few more photos of the yard.

The Japanese Maple in the back yard is now it the height of its redness. Soon the leaves will fall and all that glorious color will be gone. 

The other maple is ahead in its leaf shedding and the dogwood is still holding on. The leaves make a pretty runner on the path to the secret garden. 

In the front yard, the Fern Leaf Full Moon Maple making its last Hurrah! in its orange stage as the inner layer of leaves begin to fall. I am always sad to see the leaves fall, but at least now I can see the Chickadees as they wait their turn to come to the bird feeder. 

 Looking at my photos I now remember Tuesday. We slept in. I got my hour and a quarter of physical therapy done. It wasn't raining yet so we got outside to take down the golden hop vine on the gate and the tomato plants by the greenhouse. 

Almost all of the tender plants are now tucked away under cover or in the greenhouse. That pink glow is Tom's cutting table, where the latest cuttings are taking root. On the right bench, the geranium cuttings are looking good. 

This little bonsai is only a couple of yeas old. Tom thinks he want to try reshaping the trunk. It will get put away after the leaves fall. 

And then in the afternoon I used some overripe bananas and a half of a pear to make muffins. I added some walnuts on the top. Most went into the freezer but we did sample one. They are delish!

Today, Wednesday, we slept in even longer. Then Tom went to an appointment and I went outside to clean up another bed. Tom helped me finish up when he got home. 

After more than two hours of crawling and bending and twisting, I was tired and I'm more than happy to be sitting here at the computer this afternoon. The rain has still held off, but that's enough work for today. 

There are still pretty leaves outside my window. My recliner is calling me and it's time to sit and read for a while, that is, if I can keep from falling asleep.

Once I am resigned to having summer over, I really do like Fall. 

The 2021 Norquist Family Cider Bee

 My brother Hank moved to Idaho, and his kids live on the east coast, but he and Cindy still drive his pick up truck to Yakama and bring the apples to the family apple squeezing party.

Hank's two sisters supplied the rest of the tribe this year, gathering at my nephew Ben's house near Winlock, WA. 

First we have coffee and doughnuts and visiting. I forgot to take a picture of the doughnuts. I was busy eating and talking. 

Then we get to work.

Get the apples out of the bin. Where are those kids we used to get to do the job? I guess they have minds of their own now. 

Wash the apples and quarter them. Ready for the grinding and pressing in the cider press. 

Ah, there's some of those kids. They got tall. Andy and his sons, Lars and Oliver.

There's Hank at the crank. 

Father and son: Jake and Tom on a perpetual coffee break. Time for conversation catch up.

Cousins: Katie and Jill

Siblings: Laurie and Hank

Cousins: Irene and Heidi. Heidi was in charge of straining and bottling the cider. 

Father and son, Troy and Hans, and center, Ben, our host. 

Apples go into the hopper to be crushed.

Crank down the press to squeeze the juice out of the crushed apples. 

Larson just enjoyed cutting, intricately. 

The last apple! But still more squeezing to do. 

Mother and son having serious conversation - about geology. 

The Chief Inspector. Heidi passed quality control. 

Of course we ate - well. And of course I did not take photos of the food or the eating. I was busy, eating and talking, again.

As we were finishing up in the afternoon Katie organized group generational photos. 

The kids: All but one of Laurie's grands and one of mine.

Heidi, Hannah, Irene, Hans, Nathan, Oliver, and Lars. Mia and Isaac are away at college.  

The kids with grandmas. 

The old folks; Cindy. Hank, Laurie, Linda, Tom

The middles: Coral, Troy, Jake, Katie, Jill, Ericka, Ben, and in the back, Andy.

In loving memory of our mother Violet, who is pictured here at her last Cider Bee in 2011, our sister Ilene, who we lost this year, and Arnie, gone now close to two years, who was husband to Laurie and father and grandpa to most of this gang. We miss them as we carry on our traditions.