Fun at the Doherty's Farm

Visiting Gramma's Grave

While in Walla Walla, we went to visit Gramma's grave. Ollie and Elliot wanted to bring flowers for Gramma, and we made sure that all the grass was cleaned off Gramma's headstone.

Ollie made sure that he gave Gramma lots of cuddles and then told her all about getting 3rd in cross-country. It was a bit cute.

Learning about the Oregon Trail at the Whitman Mission

As part of the terms of us taking the kids out of school for a term, Paul and I've got to make sure that the boys keep up with their reading and maths and find enrichment activities along the way.

Given that Grumpy lives so close to the Oregon Trail and the route that Lewis and Clark took, it made sense to teach the boys about the pioneers who first came to the Northwest. And there's no better place to go to learn about that than the Whitman Mission which was set up to save the souls of the local Cayuse Indians and ended up being a favourite stop off for thousands of pioneers who needed a blacksmith or a doctor on their journey to the Pacific.

One of the things that I didn't remember from when I visited the Mission as a kid, was that Narcissa Whitman was the first non-Native American woman in the Oregon territory. She must have been one tough lady.

Aside from learning all about the Oregon Trail, Elliot and Oliver earned their first junior ranger badges.

So worth the flight

Splash playgrounds, rides in Grumpy's convertible, and lounging in the pool with friends sure help to get over the jet lag. 

Cool Desert Nights

The Cool Desert Nights classic car show is one of my favourite events from back home, and the boys and I were so excited that we'd get to check it out this year.

We had DQ dilly bars and watched all the classic cars cruise by.

The next morning we gobbled down pancakes at the Show and Shine.

So many pretty cars in my crazy nuclear hometown.

Are we there yet?

We survived four long flights with two very long layovers, but we finally made it to Grumpy's house safe and sound (ie. nobody killed each other, although it was a close call when Elliot refused to sleep and kept me awake while flying across the Pacific). 

Let the adventures begin!

After years of dreaming about it and months of planning it, Team Thomas's North American Adventure is preparing for take-off.

Here's a rough plan of what we have in store:

End of June: Catching up with my hometown homeys and oogling the classic cars at Richland's Cool Summer Nights.

First half of July: Family reunion camp out in Northern Idaho, roller coastering at Silverwood, exploring the geothermal wonders of Yellowstone with Grumpy, Ryan, Jen and the kids, and then hiking, horse riding and celebrating my birthday at Wallowa Lake .

Second half of July: More hometown down time, then rafting the Deschutes with Ryan, Jen and the kids, hanging in Portland, adventures with Cara and family at Medford and Crater Lake, and spelunking at the Oregon Caves.

First half of August: Marvelling at the magical giant redwoods, speed boating up the Rogue River, family fun at the Oregon Coast, train ride to Seattle and a visit to the Space Needle, ferry to Alaska to check out Orcas and glaciers and grizzlies and stuff in Ketchikan and Juneau.

Second half of August: Checking out the paddle steam wheelers on the Mississippi, Beale Street and Graceland in Memphis, catching up with old friends and learning about the Civil Rights Movement in Chattanooga and Greensboro, getting some colonial history and more roller coaster action with Karen and family in Williamsburg, and finally visiting Donald Trump's house and the amazing Smithsonian museums in Washington DC.

First half of September: Wandering the streets of Havana admiring the crumbling buildings and classic cars, exploring the countryside of Cuba, sampling Cuban cocktails and boogying the night away. (I'm not sure what we'll do with the kids while we're doing this, but I'm sure we'll work it out!)

Second half of September: Exploring the ancient Mayan ruins, swimming in cenotes, gorging on Mexican food, and kicking back for a little relax time on the beaches of the Yucatan peninsula.

And with any luck, we'll all still like each other when we're done.