A Trip to Ellensburg and Jeff's HS Graduation, Conifer CO.

I have been sitting at the computer most of the morning, playing catch up more or less since the trip out here isn't exactly going as planned.

Where do I begin? We had a great flight, great weather in Seattle the first day. Then the next morning, poor Piper got sick driving over to Ellensburg. We thought it was food poisoning but the only thing she ate that we didn't was blueberries at the girlies house. Anyhow we spent a few nice days, but with rain, (where the heck is the sun out here???) in Ellensburg before we drove back to Seattle and flew to Denver, Colorado to meet up with Brad.

Weather in Conifer was great, and we enjoyed Jeff's high school graduation in a beautiful sunny day. So proud of him and all he accomplished in high school and now he is off to Cornell University to study engineering!



So, fabulous trip, all going well, until I get some crazy 24 hour worst case of flu ever!!! UGH! I lost 10 pounds in 2 days, but I don't recommend doing this. We had to push our flight back to Seattle a day, and Brad left on Monday as planned to fly home to DC. I was so lucky to have an awesome mother in law to take care of me (she got up at 3 AM and brought me more ice chips!) and Piper had both Grandma Donna and Uncle Jeff to play with and entertain. Here is the Lincoln log house Piper and Uncle Jeff built:

Now we are back in Ellensburg, known for it's wind, but got to tell you, all it's done is rain this week. I hear it is beautiful, hot, humid and sunny in DC. I am still recovering, so I have not worked out in over a week, still down 10 pounds, mostly from dehydration but thinking I better get it together soon so I can get back to my usual life. Although laying in bed until 9 AM isn't too bad, and look what Piper gets every morning from her grandparents:
We did make it to the ranch to see the cats and look into a smelly sewer pipe, always something going on there. That will require a whole additional blog post, there is a lot of of history with the McManamy Ranch and homestead buildings.

So far the trip is good, not exactly what was planned, not making it to The Gym and seeing everyone in town like I wanted but I did manage to get a great pair of sunglasses made by my girlfriend, Lynn Sullivan. Check out her website: www.cowgirldivaz.com. I think this weekend will be more active so stand by.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't say this: a few years ago, on an August Saturday morning I was driving with Brad and Piper over to Lake Washington to watch my eternal buddy, K.sue, and her sister, Laurie compete in the Danskin Triathlon. As exciting as it was, what I remember most is the news that came across the radio, Jamie Moyer had been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. I was shocked, he was an icon in Seattle, he had the Jamie Moyer Foundation, with his wife, doing all sorts of good for kids in the area, he was an upstanding guy and a great face for the Seattle Mariners. Who cared that he was in his early 40's? (Looking back now, who did care, he has been an asset on my fantasy baseball team every year he has been with the Phillies and I have enjoyed watching him play against the Nationals for 3 years). So, it was with great sadness that I watched King 5 news yesterday and learned along with everyone else that 'The Kid' Ken Griffey Jr. was retiring after 22 years of professional baseball, most of them in Seattle. I came to Seattle as a freshman at the UW in the fall of 1987, he had just been drafted and was making his accent to the pros at breakneck speed. By the time I was a senior in college and interning at KIRO TV Channel 7 he was the face of the Mariners, along with his dad, Edgar Martinez, The Big Unit- Randy Johnson and Jay Buhner. I watched all the games from the press box, logging them for KIRO. I was in the locker room when he had a bad game and his dad couldn't decide to be his dad or another fellow player. I watched he and his dad play the outfield together, hit the iconic home runs back to back. I watched and celebrated when he helped secure the first AL championship win over the Yankees, he has been my favorite player, he is the one I grew up watching, and now he has retired.

People tend to remember where they were when President Kennedy was shot, where they were then the Challenger exploded, or 9/11. I remember those events that I was alive for too, but I also remember when my players retire, and this I won't forget. He is what 'The Franchise' Floyd Little is to the Denver Broncos. He is the reason baseball is still in Seattle and he is the reason SAFECO Field was built. He is a first ballot Hall of Famer and I can't wait to cheer when he is inducted. Thank you Ken Griffey Jr for all the joy you brought to baseball and the Seattle Mariner fans.