Our trip part 3

Thursday Stephanie texted and wondered if I wanted to take a walk.  Yes!  She had been busy when I had walked earlier with Jill.  Braeden said he wanted to come too.  I asked why and he said, "I like to be out among the people."

And he does.  Stephanie's daughter Chloe and Chloe's two cute kids joined us too so we had quite the caravan.  Stephanie took me on the new walk they take which is 4 miles.  Four miles of lovely chatter with my friend.  I'll take it.

For lunch we took Mark (and everyone else too) to The Blazing Onion which he had been missing for 4 years.  I told him it may not live up to his memory, but apparently it did.  While we were there, Enoch called with the happy news that Jennifer had given birth to Boston Enoch Dahl.

And which is cuter, that baby or the proud papa?

In the afternoon we went to Cascade Park.  It's always felt like a bit of an enchanting place to me.  I love this view of my kids swimming the river.  Pictured below are Leif, Braeden, Mark, Jackson and Raelyn.

Stephanie and Gavin came too and I enjoyed chatting with Stephanie (she grew up in New Mexico--she's not about to go swimming when it is in the low 70s either).  Geri sat with us for a little while but then she went and put on her swimsuit.  Couldn't resist.

Stephanie had to leave for a meeting but we kept Gavin awhile longer.  We always want Gavin for as long as possible.

Gavin, Raelyn, Taryn (Raelyn's half-sister), Braeden, Jackson, Emma and Mark

Like always, Geri had fun new toys for the kids to play with.

 The next day we headed out.  Geri sent us with a cooler full of food and lots of treats besides.  She treats us better than we deserve.  It is always delightful to stay with her.  At one point Braeden told me that he felt like he was seven again.  He said, "This place is magical."

And that, I think, is what a grandma's place should be.

The kids wanted to stop by the cemetery on our way home and see the spot where Linn is buried.  We miss him.  We found his headstone and the kids decided it was the best one (I think it's their way of saying their grandpa is the best one).  As we were driving away, we saw this:

It's hard to see but there's a parrot in a cage on the back of the bicycle.  Adam rolled down the window because, like he said, "You can't not say something to someone giving a parrot a bike ride."  (I could have not said something, but I don't talk to people so there's that.)

The man said, "He really enjoys it!"

And then I wondered, how does a parrot manifest his enjoyment when being ridden around a cemetery on a bicycle?  I guess you need to know the parrot.