itinerary- Pacific NW: Seattle, Columbia River, San Juan Is., Victoria, and Vancouver

On Thursday, July 20th, I will be leaving this hell hole of a heat wave. I am going with my sister, bro-in-law, sis-in-law, and her husband. Just us "kids". We arrive in Seattle one day prior to the actual tour beginning so that we can have some fun time to ourselves & do whatever the hell we want to do! And, we stay one day after the tour ends- again to relax & do our own thing.

July 20- we arrive around 10:30am in Seattle. MJ & Rog arrive around 12:30pm. Fun to be had- TBD...

July 21- Tour begins: The Fairmont Olympic Hotel. The entire tour group meets at 6:30pm for a reception dinner at the hotel, a Seattle landmark since 1924. If it's at the Fairmont, you know it has to be good!

July 22- we explore the city on a sightseeing excursion to the site of the 1962 World's Fair, & the Space Needle. Also on the agenda- visiting Pike Place Market, the soul of the city. Then, we are off on our own once again after doing all that.

July 23- Here is where we are staying today & tomorrow- Sun Mountain Lodge. "The city quickly turns to wilderness as you journey along the Skykomish River into the Cascade Mts via Steven Pass. Descend the eastern slopes of the Cascades to the Bavarian alpine village of Leavenworth; the surrounding peaks may remind you of the European Alps (I guess for those of you who have seen them, or been there). Travel to Washington's sunbelt, where apple and peach orchards blanket the rolling countryside. Here in coulee country, a network of dams along the Columbia River provides one of the largest hydroelectric power sources in the world; follow the Columbia past Lake Chelan into cowboy, cattle and horse country. Arrive at the Sun Mountain Lodge, a rustic hilltop ranch-style hotel overlooking the North Cascades, for a two-night stay."

July 24- Ahhh, Sun Mountain Lodge
Meet the famed Smokejumpers this morning, considered the most highly-skilled wildland firefighters in the U.S.
I believe this to be the day we will go horseback riding since it is almost entirely a free day!

July 25- We stay at The Fairmont Empress which is Victoria's landmark harborside hotel, restored to it's turn-of-the-century glory. Prior to that, we view some of the highest peaks in the Cascades en route to British Columbia. This unheralded part of America rivals the world's most spectacular wilderness areas. Traverse the North Cascades and see Skagit- a power project including 3 lakes, 3 dams, and 3 power plants that ignite the city of Seattle. Next, we visit La Conner, a 19th-century Victorian fishing village featuring arts, crafts, and other unique shops prior to taking a ferry through the San Juan Islands, refuge to many wildlife species, including the bald eagle.

July 26- We will be hitting Butchart Gardens as they celebrate their 100th anniversary. Exploring the city of Victoria upon returning home this afternoon- visiting the Parliament Buildings, the Royal British Columbia Museum, or the picturesque waterfront.

July 27- We travel by boatplane over the scenic Gulf Islands (Hello Dramamine!) set beneath the peaks of the Coast Mts; sightsee the city's landmark attractions before crossing the 49th Parallel- the border betwix Canada & USA, to Washington. We spend the night at Semiahmoo Resort, an elegant waterfront hotel & spa! We have our farewell dinner tonight.

July 28- Free day! The tour is gone & we are on our own until we leave! I guess that is really about it. We get back in town @ DFW at around 11pm tonight. I will miss everyone, but I certainly will not miss this ridiculous heat!
BTW- we do get the following included- 7 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 5 dinners- yummy!!!

so bizzare, you have to love it

I can't make this a link for some odd reason... so you will have to copy & paste.
http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/

i would love this...

I have had the strongest desire for quite a few years to do a talk show where people call in and we discuss realistic solutions to their problems, whatever they may be. Dang, I would love to do this!

woo-hoo!

Got home from my 2nd doctor visit today. I went yesterday to have blood work done, and, unbeknownst to me until I was about to leave- a surprise pee-pee test.
The tests revealed only two things wrong- I need to take B12 and folic acid. Everything else is great! I am also going to do what I should have been doing about 14 years ago- take 1 pill of sulfasalazine every day.

Oh, and I have also gained another 5 pounds! I am now up to 145!!! Believe it or not, that is what I weighed in high school in '89. I am now back to my high school weight. I am so happy I am putting on weight from working out! Things are turning up Milhouse!

browsing the personals today

Not a member to any of them, just seeing what is out there since nothing is happening on my end. I found this one that was titled her boyfriend was out of the country & she was looking to hook up with guys while he is away, but one of the words she used to describe herself was loyal. Irony at its finest. There was no mention why he was out of the country, but the fact is (if it is real) she is so wrong for doing this. And you want to know why so many relationships fail? Sad.

google earth

1280 x 1024 is the resolution I have my settings at, so unless you have the same you might not be able to view this correctly.

so nice

First, I am feeling so much better. I'd say I am somewhere in the neighborhood of 90% recovered.

Second, my sister sent me some good news about our trip coming up. The Sun Mountain Lodge that we stay at in Washington is set on 3,000 acres and has a 5,000 bottle wine cellar and one night we go to a "wine" dinner.

We also have the opportunity to do a 1.5hr horseback ride for only $30- yes!
Here is their site- Sun Mountain Lodge. It is amazing! And, that's just part of our trip, just scratching the surface.

Finally- how 'bout that little storm last night? It was so nice to see lightning, hear/feel thunder, feel the temp drop a bit, and smell the rain as it poured down hard. It did not last near long enough, but I was sure thankful for it.

Church was great this morning. I did not get to make it yesterday at 5:30, but I was there this morning for 7:45 Mass and Fr. Tom was there. I really like him and have been lucky to go to the services he has performed.