Hosting Isabella {Day 4: Puget Sound Ferry Passage}

Isabella with our boys' home schooled cousins Violet, Weston, Sawyer, Aunt Bethany and Uncle Craig

Continued from Day 3: Pike Place to the Narrows Bridge

Navigating our way home to Bellingham with Isabella after Dad's retirement party involved a sleep-over at Tim's brother's house after a spontaneous Friday night dinner at Aileen's place.  With only a short time to visit on Saturday morning before our planned adventure aboard a Washington State Ferry, Isabella became a fast friend of the young cousins over cereal and coloring.

Isabella the artist with Violet and Sawyer

Isabella teaches geography, highlighting Australia

Sawyer takes a closer look.

Arriving at the ferry terminal we were directed to the "maybe" lane, and as it became quite obvious that we wouldn't be aboard the loading vessel, we hatched a quick ejection plan.  Isabella, Joseph and I grabbed our rain coats and boarded the ferry as walk-ons, leaving Tim to wait in the van for the next sailing.  As the Edmonds Saturday Market would be in full swing, we decided to kill time over yonder. 

Isabella, Joseph and I board the Spokane for the Kingston to Edmonds crossing.

White caps on Puget Sound with driving rain and wind made the ferry experience a rather *indoor* experience, at least for Isabella and me.  Joseph preferred to tough it out on the prow, and spent almost the entire trip facing the storm head-on, in shorts.  To each his own!

Isabella aboard the Spokane

By the time we reached Edmonds, our only glimpse of the Saturday Market was of the few remaining vendors hastily loading up their wares and heading out.  The rain and wind claimed the victory, and we opted to pass the lunch hour at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Tim's old home town.

Not much of a view due to the weather, but we caught a glimpse of a passing ferry.

Reunited with Tim after his ferry landed, we made it home to Bellingham in time to collect the twins (Luke and Leia) and bring them along to the 5PM Mass after spending a bit of time watching Luke race through the house on Joseph's plasma car at break-neck speed. 

Joseph on the prow

We wrapped up our Saturday adventures with a take out Teriyaki supper and an evening trip to Walmart in search of a cheap suitcase to help Isabella avoid overweight baggage fees on her flight home to Australia.  We also enjoyed a bit of Facetime with her Aunt Michele, our dear friend, who will be visiting with her family in January, seeking winter adventures in the Great Northwest. 

An early Sunday morning trip to SeaTac concluded our 'hosting Isabella' days, which brought us great joy and helped us reconnect with our wonderful Australian friends.  Maybe someday Isabella's sisters will venture our way, or perhaps even her parents?  Or maybe we will finally cross the big pond again to visit all of them in their native land.  Only time will tell!

Hosting Isabella {Day 3: Pike Place to the Narrows Bridge}

Seattle street performers with their disturbing doll

Continued from Day 2: Snowy Peaks

Had the sky cleared, Isabella's 1 day visit to Seattle would have been longer, and higher.  But due to low and plenteous clouds, we nixed the Space Needle and spent a lunch hour together with Sean at the Pike Place Market.  Delicious grilled salmon sandwiches on fresh baguettes were worth a heck of a wait, and the boys found gooey treats to wrap things up before we wandered back to our car.

Joseph, Tim, Isabella and Sean overlooking Seattle waterfront scene and sports stadiums.

From above the Viaduct, a glimpse of the Seattle sky line and the Puget Sound beyond gave Isabella incentive to plan another (longer) trip to the Emerald City someday.

Bridget and Isabella (girls only this time)

Sean bought fresh donuts to take home to the family... Yay!

A new item on my kitchen wish list!

Caught filming for ESPN's 'Game Day' at Pike Place Market

Our adventure to points South continued, through some unfriendly traffic in Fife and on through I5 Tacoma to Highway 16 and over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  On this special day, the very last day of my dad's self employment as a GYN doctor, we headed to his office to be present as he locked up the practice and retreated victoriously into retirement.  What a great way for Isabella to be a part of our family history, and to represent her family on my dad's big day!

Crossing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge

One old Narrows Bridge, one new Narrows Bridge

The Stork's Retirement and Day 4 follows.

Hosting Isabella {Day 2: Snowy Peaks}

Joseph carefully improves his rock monument at Table Mountain

Continued from Day 1: Windy Waterfront

Trusting a favorable weather forecast, we loaned Isabella a pair of hiking boots and ascended the Mount Baker Highway to its spectacular dead end at Artist Point, swarming with day visitors and the occasional renegade off leash hound.  Our day hike to the peak of Table Mountain just barely qualified as a 'hike' given that the round trip total totaled 1.6 miles.  But climbing the 420 feet to summit along the sheer cliffs at Joseph's pace did elevate our heart rates. 

Monumental collapse

"I was trying to creep her out!" Joseph admitted, confirming my suspicions as to what had inspired him to blurt, "I sure hope the volcano doesn't explode today!" as we paused on one of the switchbacks.  In fact, Isabella had not realized we were hiking on a volcano, but since Joseph so delicately brought it to her attention, we were able to share a bit of local geography knowledge with our Australian guest.

A final force

The actual explosions we witnessed were not volcanic, but rather the result of an attempted 'tall-as-me' tower construction project on the peak by Joseph.  Tempted by piles of rocks on Table Mountain, Joseph set to work balancing stacks and nearly reached his height.  But a slight builder's tremor caused the creation to come tumbling down with a forceful detonation, thoroughly impressing a group of 5th grade boys from Ferndale whose school group had just reached the peak. Several of them immediately set to work building their own towers amidst the rocky landing.

Joseph, Bridget, Isabella and a summit cloud concealing Mount Baker's peak

Our quick trek back down to the parking area offered a few final peeks at the almost visible tip of Mount Baker, but the pesky summit clouds kept the full stature of the mountain veiled.  We could hardly complain, though, as the clouds only added to the dramatic backdrop of our midday mountain adventure. 

Day 3 follows.

Joseph at 5,520 feet, Mount Shuksan beyond

Bridget and Joseph on Table Mountain

Joseph's first trip up Table Mountain (age 5 mos) ~ a sleepy passenger on Tim's back

me and the mountains plus clouds

Hosting Isabella {the Backstory from Down Under}

Back in 1990, I earned my Diploma in Education at the University of Queensland while studying abroad in Brisbane, Australia, as a Rotary Foundation Scholar.  Although I lived on campus at International House, I found a home away from home and a surrogate family through my Rotarian host, Mr. Blanch (Bob).  Bob's initial invitation for me to come have supper one Sunday afternoon with his family in Redcliffe has blossomed into a plethora of friendships spanning nearly 25 years, three generations, and crossing several continents.

Isabella's parents, before they were parents: Jim and Mickey, with puppy Doogie, Queensland, Australia, 1990

Australians are known for their hospitality, and Bob's family excelled at the art of hosting and entertaining.  When my parents and grandparents travelled to Australia to visit me during a university holiday, the Blanch family showed us the sights, fed us and helped us feel right at home down under. 

Dad, Jim, Granddad O'D(+), me, Mom, Grandma O'D, Gloria, Michele, and Michelle at a Queensland Wildlife Refuge

When Tim visited me, and indeed on the very night he proposed to me on the shores of the Brisbane River during a fireworks display, Michele Blanch was there, and it was she who took the first photo of us as a newly engaged couple.

As newlyweds Tim and I hosted Michele and a group of her friends in our little apartment on their visit to the US.  Very shortly thereafter, three of our groomsmen set off to visit Michele and company in Australia, and thus began the forming of a wide web of cross Pacific friendships.  Several trips ensued, and our connections remain intact through the decades, following our many combined moves, marriages, births, employments, and life changes.

Grandma O'D, Mom, me, Dad, and Granddad O'D(+) in Sydney, Australia, 1990

We have been blessed to host the Aussies on several occasions; our dear Aussie friends do travel and come to see us and pay us visits with some regularity.  Unlike we, who as yet have not returned to their beautiful land for a second time.  (Key word being YET.)

Michele with her parents (Isabella's grandparents) Gloria and Bob (or Ma and Pa as they are affectionately known) on their arrival at SeaTac in 1997.

Renee, Sean and their kids, with Isabella, Eric and Kristy and their son

With a long history of friendships and many shared memories of travels and visits, we were delighted to host Isabella, the next generation of Bob's clan to hit our little corner of the globe.  A recent university graduate and current seeker of employment as a Dietitian, Isabella spent three months as a camp counselor on the Atlantic, followed by series of stops in North America seeing the sights and visiting new friends, including us.

We offered Isabella a hearty must-do, must-see, and must-meet itinerary during her short stay in the Pacific Northwest.  The fun started with a stop at Sean and Renee's newly acquired and fantastically remodeled Edmonds house en route home to Bellingham from the SeaTac Airport.  Renee served up supper and Isabella had the chance to meet a gang of her Aunt Michele's friends and their growing families on a brief stop-over that allowed us to re-fuel and avoid a bit of I5's rush hour madness.

Day 1 follows.