How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

We celebrated Mom's 81st birthday with a trip to see our daughter Julie and husband Tom a couple of weeks ago.  Here are a few highlights in pictures (some of which I actually took)

We took good old Southwest Airlines on Thursday, July 15.   I get through the security system pretty easily but Mom's artificial hip gives the whole system a nervous breakdown.  She gets practically strip searched.

Approaching Portland we got a good view of
Mt. Rainier. 

                                                                              

And Mt. Baker
Alas, Mt. Hood was on the other side of the plane.

Julie bought birthday balloons.
That's Tom in their kitchen.

The Birthday Girl with her hubby, daughter Julie,
and a cake with one candle.

On Friday we drove over the many bridges in Portland.
Getting more homesick for the Northwest all the time.

Shopped at Portland's Lloyd Center.
Mom & Julie shopped; I walked and watched the
skaters at the ice rink.
Brought back fond memories of many visits
when our girls were growing up.

Friday night we ate at my favorite
Cantonese restaurant in Vancouver.
All you can eat of the best Cantonese food
I have ever tasted. I confess to having over indulged.

Saturday morning Tom made each of us our
choice of omlettes.  Believe me, Tom
knows how to specialize your order
and flips them like a pro.
(His were better than this googled picture.)

En route to Mount St. Helens we crossed several
bridges that have been constructed since the
eruption of 1980.  This is the longest one.
You know all these people, don't you?

We got a close up look at Mount St. Helens
from the Johnson Point look out.
The Forest Ranger gave a very good account of the events
of thirty years ago and how the area around the mountain
is slowly but surely coming back to life.
The wide-screen movie at the Visitors' Center
was spectacular.  Put you right in the
middle of the eruption.

On the way back from St. Helens we
stopped by one of the many lakes
that have been formed since the eruption.

Tom at one of the lakes

We had dinner at this place on the way back.
"Mile 19 Restaurant"
Julie and I had elkburgers.  Quite good. 

Throughout our visit we got to see many views of
the iconic symbol of Oregon, Mount Hood.
It will take us another four years to get re-acclimated to
living in the high desert country of Utah.

Went to church with Julie & Tom on Sunday.
Had a nice visit with our mutual friend, Margie S.
and on Monday flew back to our humble abode.

Four unforgettable days, which rejuvinated us for weeks to come.
Thank you, Julie and Tom. You really went all out!

Abject apologies to Julie.  I have yet to learn how to
move pictures around in a blog,so this one got
way out of sequence. 
It doesn't begin to do justice to the great baked salmon dinner
you served us Thursday evening, complete with
tossed salad, fruit, rice, etc., etc., etc.
Thanks again for our great summer vacation.