Monthly Archives: July 2018

Jul30

Christmas in July

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Christmas in July

My friends here chide me constantly because I head south to Mexico at the first hint of snow in the fall. Stay for the tree lighting. Stay for Christmas. Well……I did experience Christmas here in Leavenworth. The setting was the Upper Valley Museum on Wednesday night. I even have some photos to prove it!

The tree lighting? I prefer to watch that online where I don’t have to brave the frigid temperatures or contend with the traffic jams caused by all the tourists who invade this quaint Bavarian village.

Last night I enjoyed a spectacular performance of My Fair Lady out at The Fish Hatchery. I am amazed by the local talent found in Leavenworth Summer Theater. And what a setting in the background! The occasional drone of a helicopter as well as the smokey haze are constant reminders of the wildfires at this time of year.

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This afternoon we went to Wenatchee to see Momma Mia Here We Go Again. Excellent music and a great cast. Cher hasn’t changed a bit over the years and we should all be like her at that age.

I did find time to visit my tree in Cashmere the other day. Even though it’s still completely green it is still absolutely gorgeous.

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This will be my last post for a while as I’m off to the San Juan islands for a few days. Come August I will have more photos and anecdotes to share.

Jul22

Happy

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Happy

It’s been a while since my last blog post. I’ve had a lot going on in my life lately with little time to sit down and reflect on paper what’s been going on. This post will be kind of a hodgepodge and will definitely be all over the place.

I’ll begin with a question I received from someone in my past. The question……….He asked “Are you staying happy?”  Interestingly enough, when this person was a part of my life, we were both struggling with similar issues although we were unaware of it at the time. It’s amazing how drugs can mask your true feelings. His question has haunted me and it has raised quite a stir with some of my friends here in Leavenworth, so much so that several of us are still pondering this very question. And I wonder how many of my followers will be thinking about this.

This past week has been one of the most fabulous weeks of my life. It’s hard to find words to describe it. Vacation Bible School (VBS) was held at Leavenworth Church of the Nazarene. 216 children were registered and I was blessed with the opportunity to be a rotation leader in the preschool imagination station. While the children were delighted with the activities in our craft and play area, their facial expressions and gleeful comments spoke so much more. Their excitement was contagious. For many, VBS is a regular summer adventure and church life is a constant. But then there are those who have never set foot in a church before and have never held a bible in their hands. This week was definitely an incredible experience for all the adult volunteers as well as all the children. VBS is definitely the highlight of the time I spend in Leavenworth during the summer.

The writing course I have been taking is drawing to a close….only two classes left. I have decided that the memoirs I am writing will be dedicated to my granddaughter Maddie. As the memories surface, they become more important than ever to be written down for posterity. There are so many things about my own parents that I wish I knew about. Unfortunately they are no longer here and neither are all the others who could provide me with some insight. I told my daughter that there will be stories included that she has never heard about before. Too often we wait too long in life to ask certain questions, By then it is too late to find the answers.

Last night I was at the senior center with some friends. Gary and Trish travel over an hour and a half to come to Leavenworth. Other local talent join them and it varies from time to time. Country music is the theme except for the first Saturday of the month when it’s Gospel. In another lifetime I used to go to Forbidden Flavors or Happy Mike’s back in Winnipeg for music on Saturday nights.

I’m still hyped from VBS. The songs are are still running through my head. I’ll end this post with some of the pics I took during the week.

 

Jul8

What I’ve Been Up To

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What I’ve Been Up To

These blog posts seem to be getting farther and farther apart. There is just so much happening here in Washington that I find myself out and about constantly and haven’t spent much time at home. This means I’ve been taking lots of photos and having interesting adventures but there has been no time for writing. We went to church this morning in Cashmere and then out for brunch to 59er Diner. I told my friend that I was determined to stay at home this afternoon and organize photos and do some writing.

Organizing photos has become quite the challenge as my phone and my laptop do not appear to be on speaking terms lately. This means I need to email photos and then download them and finally put them into albums. This is a very tedious process and today’s task is going through an entire month’s worth of photos.

Now down to what has kept me busy. Where to begin…………

I enjoy walking and I live in a delightful neighborhood close to the downtown area. Here are some of the sights I see along the way to the Senior Center:

In addition to my usual activities at the senior center as well as teaching fitness classes, I enrolled in a memoir writing class and joined the Bavarian Book Club at the Leavenworth Library. VBS (Vacation Bible School) at the Nazarene Church is only a week away. My friend Linda and I are rotation leaders for the craft and play in the preschool division. We’ve been decorating our classroom and perfecting crafts for the kids.

Other festivals and events make this a busy time of year. The Farmers Markets have begun. Founders Day in Cashmere and the Accordion Festival in Leavenworth were followed by July 4th. Although fireworks have been banned here due to the dry conditions and the high risk of forest fires, there was lots happening in Leavenworth.

The day began with a pancake breakfast at Lions Club Park served up by the 4H kids. Kinderfest followed with a bike parade and numerous activities for children of all ages.

I’ve enjoyed a variety of music this past week. Yesterday at the gazebo a talented accordionist and yodeler entertained us. Earlier in the week I attended a dress rehearsal for Sound of Music up at the amphitheater. Last night was Gospel night at the Senior Center.

On Friday we were in Wenatchee picking up our instructor t-shirts at Wellness Place and decided to go to a movie. Won’t You Be My Neighbor was our choice and it was a great tribute to Mr. Rogers. A word of caution…….remember to bring your tissues. It is a little tearful.

I somehow found some time to return to the Nutcracker Museum. Last summer I spent about three hours there but I was pressed for time and only had an hour this time.

Tomorrow is Monday and the roller-coaster starts up again.. The morning will be spent preparing for VBS. Then lunch at the Senior Center. Then writing group. Then book club. A day in the life………….