01-31JUL24 - Sultan, WA (canadian visitors & sad passing 😔)

Monday (first day of July) weather improving.  AC/Heat service technician shows up at 9AM; Corrie works outside; Dan attacks more invasive blackberries; then mows.  Tuesday AM take Bella to vet for check-up; home and Corrie off to run errands (including passport renewal); Dan finishes mowing.

Wednesday Corrie’s Canadian niece, Nickki and husband, Roger, show up on Harley’s.  After unpacking and resting; BBQ burgers and brats, and talking til midnight.

Fourth of July AM nothing done in AM, just sit on the deck with coffee and talk.  Then into Munroe for fish and chips lunch (turns out most of sultan restaurants closed for 4th).  Back to house and no sightseeing wanted by our guests; so just talk until Roger prepares excellent ribs on our BBQ; then more talk.  Go to bed with illegal fireworks continuing to shoot-off hours past midnight☹

Friday, 05JUL, light breakfast, pack their saddle bags and then they are off on two or three day ride to their house in Saskatchewan.

That afternoon sad event with interment of Patti Harris (Dan’s cousin Rob’s wife).

Saturday first 90 degree day this year in Seattle; followed by more 90s Sunday & Monday.  Dan advertises complete pool system free, just pick it up.  Reason is rats chewed holes in pool bottom and not worth the time to repair properly!

Tuesday hotter than yesterday☹  Early AM off to Providence Hospital for repeat of 19JUN test that was stopped; this time test completed.  Then home to change cars and Dan off to Rebecca’s to help/babysit.  After leaving ferry DEF alarm on truck sounds.   Alarm says – KEEP DRIVING (not very reassuring?), twenty minutes later alarm clears.  Then shuttling grandboys back and for soccer practice before calling it a day.

Wednesday, 10JUL, wake up to find out Mason was sick all night (nausea and upset stomach, no temp).  Wednesday is Rebecca’s work at the office day.  So Dan is nurse/maid all day.  Once Rebecca gets home Dan picks up Jaxson at soccer goalie practice.  Today was mid 80’s not low 90’s.

Thursday Mason much improved but still blah.  Dan takes Jaxson to REI to get flat bike tire fixed.  Then to Navy Base Pool where Jax meets-up with friend for two hours of pool time.  Then early evening Dan heads to Bainbridge Insight Climbing for “top rope” training class.  Once certified Dan can then be safety rope person if grandkids want to challenge more difficult climbing routes.

Indoor rock climbing gym | Insight Climbing & Movement | Bainbridge Island

Friday cooler day, Mason still not 100%.  Dan fixes Rebecca’s garden shed door.  Tries to take Raymond’s Toyota FJ to car wash; dead battery.  Spends next hour getting battery out of car and buying new one.  Saturday AM Dan loads up truck and heads home; does some mowing before and after dinner.  Dan discovers he left laptop charger at Rebeccas, so he uses one of our spare ones.

Sunday, 14JUL, AM picking blueberries and marionberries.  Computer battery completely dead, apparently other chargers not compatible with Dell laptop?  So Dan heads to Edmond ferry, walks on and gets Dell computer charger from Rebecca; and drives home.  Dan makes some repairs to deck benches and discovers rid’em mower won’t start☹; laptop now works.

Monday on more 80 plus degree day; pick more marionberries and blueberries; Dan gets battery for mower and mows.

From 04 to 16JUL we have had 11 days of 80 plus temps, with three 90 degree days 07/08/09 and a record 97 on 09JUL.

Tuesday AM, 16JUL, after her medical & errands Corrie heads to Rebecca’s to help with grandboys, Dan picks marionberries and blueberries.  Then runs errands in afternoon and mows last of front 2 acre yard; another mid-80 day.

Thursday AM, 18JUL, primary care appointment for Dan about various aches and pains.  After lunch off to Chevy dealer for routine maintenance on truck.  So being at chevy dealer you would assume they would have fuel pump for your vehicle - NOT!.  Ends up 90 minute delay, while they get part from another dealer.  Meanwhile Corrie gets back home.

Friday AM errands, early evening Mason has soccer tournament game outside Redmond; high heat.  Then we head home and Rebecca and boys go to hotel for soccer team bonding activities.

Surf Cup NW

Crossfire Premier Soccer Club (crossfiresoccer.org)

Saturday hotter than yesterday; not much done until Mason’s second tournament soccer game early evening, then home.

Sunday 21JUL, finally cooler and not profusely sweating during Mason’s third and last tournament soccer game.  Return home stopping by Taco Time for dinner.  Now 17 straight days of 80 degrees or higher!  Everyone spends the night both nights.

Monday very cool, comfortable day.  Rebecca takes boys to one week Real Madrid soccer camp at Crossfire in Tukwila.  Then comes to house to get Roux.  Dan gives pool and ALL accessories away.  Would keep, but several holes chewed in bottom by rats (not worth time and trouble to be repair).  After Dan lunch, heads to soccer camp to get boys and return to our house where they will stay for the camp.  Thanks to HOV pass we get home in 1-1/2 hour vs two to three hours.

Camp is run by Real Madrid Soccer (the top soccer team in La Liga) from Spain.  Real Madrid is in top te soccer complex n of European soccer clubs and runs these camps throughout USA.  Staff are connected/employed by Real Madrid in Spain.  Dan thinks training received by boys/girls is good (and money collected by Real is very good for them – just saying😊)

 ► Official Real Madrid Summer Soccer Camps in the USA (rmfclinicsusa.com)

Tuesday AM back to soccer camp.  Then Dan comes back solo via Seattle and old floating bridge.  Better than “normal” 405 freeway route; because on the I-405 Dan cannot use HOV pass/lanes without two passengers.  Dan returns to Monroe and takes care of few errands.  That afternoon Dan picks up boys at camp and has stop-and-go most of the way until electronic HOV lanes.

Wednesday, two more trips to soccer camp.  Mowing during lunch, ride-em mower dies again.

Thursday AM, 25JUL, Dan heads to Real soccer practice.  But stays in Tukwila because he has a Coast Guard Academy Class 74 luncheon at Olive Garden (last one was 30MAY).  Then back to soccer field to take boys back to our house.

Friday AM Dan takes boys to last day of soccer clinic.  The drives back home to load up their cloths, video tablets, toiletries, etc.  Back to soccer fields for “closing ceremony”.  For supposed world class soccer club of Real Madrid, the ceremony poor, too long, and no shade provided for all parents and grandparents attending☹
Then gather-up grandboys and head to their home in Silverdale, WA.  Friday afternoon traffic driving time doubled to three hours.  Saturday early Dan packs up truck and heads to Kingston ferry and drive home to Corrie and dogs.  Still can’t get ride’em mower to run, starts mowing with walk behind mower.

Monday wake up to rain.  Roof cleaning by contractor arrives.  Heavy rain until after lunch.  Continue prep’ing RV for Thursday departure with grandboys for Mason's soccer tournament in Portland, OR.

Tuesday gray and dismal.  Tech arrives to service property well system; another tech arrives to fix main gate (no charge).  Corrie at medical most of early day; still getting RV ready.

Last day of July, Wednesday, spent getting ready for tomorrow’s trip to Mason’ soccer tournament in Oregon.  Lots of errands and last minute details to take care of.  Dan picks up grandboys in Kingston after their soccer practices; back to Sultan, finally in bed after 10PM.

01-30JUN24 - Sultan, WA

Saturday AM (01Jun) Dan loads truck and heads to Rebecca and grandboys for more yard work; cutting up big stuff with chain saw; lopping smaller stuff and stacking; move firewood rack to another location in yard, etc.  Sunday AM Dan replaces all the plugs in dining room to go from light tan color to white; original tan ones were starting to show their age.  Then Dan jumped in truck and decide to drive thru Tacoma rather then take ferry out of Kingston; even with rain and few accidents, still made it home in good time.

Monday AM take Bella to new vet, doing great for older dog; not much done, Dan mows; unfortunately western WA has received more rain in three days than we normally get in whole month of June.  Tuesday light rain throughout day; mid-morning Corrie takes off for Silverdale for grandboys school events.

First event is evening band short show with Jaxson on French horn.  Wednesday afternoon song presentation by Mason school.  Also Wednesday Dan has PT in AM (stiff neck:) in morning and then cardio appointment with new Cardio MD.  And luckily, we both get back to house at same time for Taco Time take-out.

Friday, 07JUN, another great day Corrie keeps working on garden; Dan mows and weed kills.  After 7PM Rebecca shows up with the grandboys.  Mason is now on new select soccer team Kitsap Alliance FC – he has two games Saturday and one on Sunday.  Not an official tournament, informal competition called a jamboree. Jaxson also on new select team but no games yet.

Saturday games you can see the improvement of this team as compared to last year’s.  Mason on team primarily as mid-field or forward, and as back-up goalie.  Between games Dan runs home to take care of our two dogs and Rebecca’s.  After two games, then everyone back to our house for great pasta dinner by Oma.

Sunday late AM back to soccer tournament for Mason’s third and final game.  Then we head back to house to take care of the three dogs.  Later Rebecaa arrives with the boys, packs up car & Roux and heads home to Silverdale.

Tuesday yard maintenance; Dan tries to sell grandkids swing on facebook.  Two hours trying to take down and only half way there.  Wednesday. 12JUN, Dan finishes taking apart swing (on nut sheared off, and one bolt lost).

Sunday (16JUN, daddy day) rain in morning clears by noon.  We attack one garden tree damaged by this winter ice storm; tree completely bent ninety degrees and won’t come back.  So we cut off top half of tree hoping it will straighten.  Little after lunch Rebecca and boys show up for daddy day.  Boys ecstatic they finally allowed to go into our “swamp”, something not allowed before.  Eventually the heavy rain drove them out.  Then late lunch before Rebecca and boys head home.

Monday, 17JUN, just meh and heavy evening rain.  Tuesday weather improving; Corrie has medical & Dan cleans up tree debris from Sunday.  Rebecca takes bunch of boys to beach by Silverdale.

Wednesday we are both off to medical appointments.  Corrie’s was routine, Dan’s didn’t go well☹    It was special echocardiogram using drug to speed up heart rate at scheduled intervals. Unfortunately attending PA decided systolic pressure was too high?  You know something is up, when the medical staff is holding “talks” out in the hall😊  So tomorrow is visit with cardio doctor to decide what next.

Thursday AM Dan heads off to cardio doctor and Corrie heads to medical appointments.  Things appear to back on track with cardio clinic.  Plan is to reduce number of meds taken over next few days and see if blood pressure can stabilize and allow test to be conducted.  Then Dan heads to Rebecca and grandboys to assist Fri/Sat/Sun while Rebecca attends special training class paid for my employer.  First assignment for Dan is to take Jaxson to soccer practice while Rebecca takes Mason to his.  Then back to their house for dinner.

Friday, 21JUN, chores around the house/yard during the hot, sunny day. Then off to early evening jiu jitsu practice; followed by dinner at Mickie D’s.

Saturday not much done in AM then around noon off to Navy Base Bangor indoor pool and late lunch at Subway.  Back home for chores and relaxing.

Sunday lunch time take boys to Insight Climbing, in Bainbridge; learn the difference between this Insight and one in Bremerton.  Then off to Mod for lunch (being lazy); Safeway for possible dinner supplies.  At house, mac & cheese, sushi for dinner, then Dan hits the road home.

Monday not much done, just chores or errands; Tuesday good weather returns; Corrie runs errands, Dan mows.  Tuesday, 25JUN, sun and high heat means three hours mowing.  That evening FB marketplace customer comes by to buy the grandboys swing.

Saturday more outside chores & Dan mows & continues his never ending battle with invasive blackberries.  On Saturday Rebecca’s HS friend Beanie and her boy Eathan visited Rebecca and boys.  Sunday (last day of June) not much done.