Weekend in the Desert...

  Happy Sunday all.  We've just returned from a wonderful weekend in Yakima ... Kevin's home town.  The state of Washington is so phenomenal.  On one side you have a rain forest, the other a desert.  Yakima is a valley in the middle of a desert.  You'll see this in the pictures.  Desert below, sky above.  

  We spent Friday night with Kevin's mama and step father and brother.  We had a great Friday night catching up.  Saturday was spent brunching with his Grandpa Gentry and his aunt and uncle and cousin.  Grammie and Grandad made so much amazing food.  I, again, ate way to much of it.  Oh, and I found Kevin's mama a 5-leaf clover in their yard ... lucky clover are my forte.  After brunch, we flew.  This is not meant to be figurative.  Kevin's stepfather has a gorgeous plane.  An RV6 to be precise.  He bought it some months ago.  I was keen on going up into the Heavens in his new purchase.  Gailon was a pilot in the Airforce.  The man could fly a paper bag if need be.  So, we spent the afternoon hovering over Yakima in this wonderful 2-seater.  It was fantastic!  I mean, you're in this small-ish plane with a clear bulb over your head.  You've got nothing to obstruct your view and no bitchy flight attendant ramming your leg with her overpriced drink cart.  You feel like you're just floating in a bubble, as it's so small compared to a commercial plane.  The wind in the valley made flying a bit bumpy.  So, I loved it.  You'd lose your stomach at points.  

  We flew over the Yakima Valley.  Gailon flew us over their house.  You see it in the pictures.  He, then, took Kevin up for the same wonderful ride.  We, simply, had a beautiful time.  Next, we went shopping.  Kevin's birthday is tomorrow.  So, his mama and stepfather took him on a shopping spree to get fancy clothes for work.  They bought him the most gorgeous and handsome duds.  Thanks Grammie and Grandad!

  Later on Saturday, we headed over to Kevin's father and stepmother's house.  After settling in and Silas' terrorizing Bambi, their little chihuahua, we all headed to his sister and brother-in-law's house.   Burgers/veggie-burgers abounded.  The food was awesome.  I found 1 four-leaf and 2 5-leaf clovers for Kevin's stepmother.  Again, lucky clover are my forte.  Don't know why they haven't worked for yours truly!  Silas, of course, ran around naked.  There' no question who his mother is.  He peed in their yard, chased the dog, and hit his head about 30 times on many hard objects.  Again, takes after mama.  We all drank to much wine and stayed up too late.  It was great!

  Spent today over at Kevin's grandparent's house. His dad's folks.  They had a big family get-together.  It was great to see all of their family together.  Kevin hasn't been in contact with most of them regularly.  So, it was good to meet new peeps and eat some more food.  Silas played with cousins he'd never met and got a wicked tan.

  We're home now.  We've settled in.  

  Just a note:  Karen, the lady in the van, was asked to leave by the police.  Apparently, someone in our building called them and said she was a nuisance.  I find that funny, as she was never OUTSIDE of her van.  She NEVER begged anyone for ANYTHING.  Kevin ran into her at the grocery store the other day.  She insisted on paying for $15.00 of his groceries.  He, in turn, gave her $30.00 for gas.   Um, I think they could have been more efficient with the math.  When she asked how to get it back to him, he told her to pay it forward.   We are hoping she makes it.

  Nighty, night

xoxo

Anna