A Long Beach Peninsula Vacation
 
May 4th, Sunday
Randy picked me up at 1:30 PM and we headed south to our vacation destination, the WorldMark Surfside Inn on Washington’s Long Beach peninsula. We stopped to grab lunch at the Burger King in Elma and ate as we drove on. We checked into the condo about 6:15 PM. The weather was improving during the first half of the week and this sunset photo shows the view from our top floor balcony.
 
May 5th, Monday
Monday was the first of two study days for me while Randy paid bills. I completed my study of Zechariah chapter one. Next, we took a walk to the beach due west of the condo.  I photographed the mule deer grazing in a field just short of the beach. We’d planned our walk for a 0.87 low tide. That afternoon, we visited Jack’s Country Store in Ocean Park.  Later, we swam in the condo’s pool.  We had the pool to ourselves, but the hot tub was monopolized by a pod of large older women.  That evening, we enjoyed the first DVD in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

We alternated the cooking for lunch and dinner.  Certainly, I ate more salads and vegetables than I would have by doing my own cooking. 
 

May 6th, Tuesday
This was our golf day. To get to the Surfside Golf Course we had to walk all the way across the parking lot that separated the condo from the course, about seventy yards to the clubhouse. I’d never swung a club ‘in anger’ before. Randy was masterful with his 4-wood, 8-iron, and wedge, as he tested his recently healed ribs.  It was the first time he’d returned to his current favorite sport since August.
 
I made a single excellent shot on the driving range with the
8-iron out of the five balls I hit from Randy’s $8 bucket.

We then ordered excellent cheeseburgers with chips at the Great Day Cafe in the clubhouse. With 7-Up for Randy and a 16 oz. Busch beer for me, the meal came to $32, about the same as it would have been at the West Seattle Golf Course clubhouse.  After lunch, we moved to the putting green.  Here my performance nearly matched Randy’s.  He had slightly fewer strokes over the three rounds of the three holes we putted at, but I had the only hole-in-one.

Later we watched The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.  From 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, I Zoomed on my laptop into the weekly Hope Presbyterian Church Bible study. We covered Job 32-37. The young man Elihu has been one of my favorite Old Testament personalities since I first read the book of Job in the early 1980s.

May 7th, Wednesday
We took a drive through the town of Oysterville, the next town north of Surfside.  I took pictures of the old schoolhouse and the circa 1870 Oysterville church.

While Randy’s laundry was in the dryer, we went for gas.  I used my Chevron card to gas up his car in Ocean Park.

That afternoon we drove north to Leadbetter Point State Park and hiked one of the trails through the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge.  Most of the trees were Pacific Ponderosa pines.

Returning, we enjoyed The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and at bedtime the first Wonder Woman movie with Gal Gadot.  Every so often, we’d check the score of the Seattle Mariners vs. the Athletics. The Mariners came back from an 0-5 deficit to win 6-5, clinching their ninth straight series victory.

May 8th, Thursday
By 9:00 AM we were in the pool, and this time we had the whole place to ourselves.  Randy just beat me by a stroke as we both raced the length of the pool in a single breath. We then enjoyed fifteen minutes in the jetted hot tub.

Mid-morning, we took a break to watch the announcement of the new pope, the American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost who took the name Leo XIV.

Thursday was a second study day for me. I read about forgiveness, chapter 8 in Christ, the Perfect Pattern for a Christian, the book the Hope Presbyterian men would be discussing at their monthly Saturday breakfast on the 10th.

ASIDE: In the small but complete kitchen, I was surprised daily by my own quirky and longstanding bad habit. I saw again that with each meal I prepared, I left multiple cupboard doors and drawers and even the microwave door open. It seems the only door I close consistently is the refrigerator.

I noted that since we had the unit on the north end of the building, our unit was significantly larger than
all the others which lost floor space due to hallways and stairways. 

After lunch, Randy had an online meeting with the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) committee of the local Presbytery of his PCA denomination while I took a brief nap.

Later, Randy introduced me to the Ocean Park Eagles #3602 where we found a room full of seniors playing Bingo.  We split an order of onion rings.  Before we returned to the condo, we hiked to the beach through Pacific Pines State Park.

In the evening, we watched one last DVD, Damn the Defiant! (1962) with Alec Guinness.
 

May 9th, Friday  
We managed to check out by 8:45 AM and arrived at home in Bellevue just before 1:00 PM.  Old men need occasional pit stops. Our first was at the McDonald's in Raymond (where we had 'Second Breakfasts' of Sausage McMuffins with Egg), and the second was the rest stop just east of Elma.

When I got home, I took Valerie and Irene on a stroller ride to QFC for cat food and much requested marshmallows.

Mother's Day and May Birthdays on May 11th

Like Easter, the clan gathered at Susan's house on Mother's Day. 

Bob and Kim Disher had arrived at our house on the 9th.  They were here to again give their talk about Whales to the Kindergarteners at Seattle Christian School on the 12th.  After their presentation, they headed back south to Oregon.

Thomas and Kim stayed home with Charis who was not feeling well, and Joel also stayed home.  Helen Eby is off in Argentina until July.

Laughs accompanied the blowing out of the candles because Annie had sprinkled powdered sugar on top of the cake!

The grandkids always seem to love getting together.  We had seven active ones on this Mother's Day.

Again this Sunday, I attended Hope Presbyterian after the University Presbyterian service.

"Grandparenting,
at its best, is a sacred calling."

The following is an excerpt from an article on FOXnews.com by Mark Gerson, May 17, 2025, The secrets of a meaningful and lifelong grandparent-grandchild bond.

"Why do humans live so long after raising their own children?  In 1998, Professor Kristen Hawkes of the University of Utah discovered the answer: the grandmother hypothesis.  Active grandparents free up the middle generation to do more, especially to have additional children. Grandparents extend the human story. And everyone benefits. Grandparents who stay involved – but aren’t full-time caregivers – live longer, think more clearly, and are happier.

The Berlin Aging Study, which began in 1990 and tracked aging participants for over three decades, found that grandparents who provided noncustodial care for their grandchildren had a 37% lower risk of dying over 20 years compared to those who were less involved.  Grandchildren who are close to grandparents are more secure, perform better in school, are less impulsive and are less anxious.

What’s the secret to a meaningful grandparent-grandchild bond?  A 2020 study from Hong Kong University found it: future consequence appreciation. Not nostalgia, but investment in what’s coming next.  A grandparent who always talks about how things were better "back in the day" might be tolerated. But a grandparent who’s excited about his or her grandchild’s dreams and who helps with assignments, celebrates milestones and passes on wisdom is loved, remembered and emulated.

That’s why Israel, not Jacob, gives the blessing. And that’s why it’s the one we (Jewish families) repeat every week.  God was right.  Grandparenthood, lived with love and future orientation, is one of the most powerful gifts – for all three generations."

I never wrestled with any of my grandparents.  But all my grandkids feel free to tussle with me, alone or in groups!  (I'm sure Jadzia, who first crawled on the 21st, will join her cousins.)  Reuben missed this fun while he was off at a speech therapy session. 

The Auburn Sleights and Berrydale Sittes live close enough for Cynthia to drop her boys off with Jean, about ten miles.  But watching three or four boys while caring for Jadzia benefits by having grandpa on duty.

When I was pretending to take a nap on the sofa, Galen and Isaac decided it would be fun to bury me in books.  OK then, I'll just take the opportunity to have a real nap.  They let grandpa sleep.

Grand Kyiv Ballet's Swan Lake

I've never spent $300 on a date night for two before.  Nancy had been looking forward to the Grand Kyiv Ballet's Seattle visit for some time.  So, when it came to McCall Hall on May 21st, she asked me to order two tickets.  The next day, Susan wanted two more tickets.  Susan drove us and her friend Marlene.  Just minutes into the performance, I deemed the money well spent. The story, dance, and of course, the Tchaikovsky score were wonderful.

Nancy had danced multiple parts of this same ballet at Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri when she was a freshman there in 1973-74.  She took 2nd place in a community talent show there, dancing the Black Swan's part.

Before Annie was born, we had season tickets to the Pacific Northwest Ballet for a few years.  To save money, our seats were in the top balcony.  Our seats this time were excellent, toward the back on the isle in the center section of the main floor, X14 and X15.

At this performance, the ballet was presented with a happy ending.  In the more common ending of Swan Lake, Siegfried, heartbroken by the curse, drowns himself in the lake to break the spell. Odette, also heartbroken, follows, and their combined acts of love break the spell, freeing their spirits and reuniting them eternally. Von Rothbart, the evil enchanter, also dies as a result. 

The ending performed this evening had Siegfried and Odette living happily ever after.  As in the 1877 original, Siegfried rips off Von Rothbart's owl wig, breaking the curse and allowing them to marry.

But my biggest take away from this special night out was my thought, "Oh, to be slim again!"

  In the May Garden

I had a few extra bags of steer manure/compost so I mixed one with dirt and managed to fill thirteen 3-gallon pots on May 1st. 

I planted out the first three peppers in large pots on the 1st.  But since my vacation was pending May 4-9, I planted out the rest of my pepper seedlings on May 2nd.  Adding 16 brought the total to 19 in 3 (4), 5 (12), and 7-gallon (3) pots.  The month had been so cool and wet, until the 27th, that the peppers hardly grew.  I may have stunted their growth by planting them out too early.

I taught Charis how to water everything while I was away.  She was excited to water my garden.  I paid her $5 (in coins) for her help in the garden while I was on vacation.

Also before my vacation, I had two pots of Basil, two pots of Oregano, three pots of Parsley (and more coming up indoors), and two pots of Cilantro.  The Parsley and Cilantro are doing especially well.  I've added a few more pots of Zinnias and I've sprinkled many more Marigold seeds in front of the tomato trellis.  The "Candy Cane Mix" Zinnias (left) look like they may be especially pretty. 
I got Nancy flowers for Mother's Day ― more Zinnia seeds!  She actually appreciated the gesture.

On May 2nd, I saw that the first 8 of 11 Russet potatoes had barely broken the surface.  When I got back on the 9th, they were all up.  The soil they are buried in is not the best.  It is glacial till with too much native clay.  I'd augmented it with compost.  By the end of the month they are thriving.

Most of Monday the 12th was spent with Galen and Jadzia in Berrydale.  Galen enjoyed another trip to Wendy's for lunch and then we shopped the garden department at Fred Meyer.  I was happy to find their TurfKing potting soil that was cheaper than the name brands they sold.  However, its consistency proved more like compost than potting soil, which ought to still be very good for planting seeds outdoors.  I added more green onion and cucumber seeds to the order.  As dusk turned to night, I blended some garden dirt with steer manure/compost and this new potting soil and prepared eighteen small pots in which I planted "Tendergreen" cucumber seeds.  The cool weather made that effort futile, so on the 26th I brought the pots indoors and tried again with new seeds. 

The Irises (right) south of the peppers flowered for the first time.  I'd planted their bulbs a few years ago.  They began to bloom just as the Tulips were fading.  And the first Russell Lupine (left) bloomed in the pot where the Stargazer Lilies will bloom later.

On the 14th, I planted Nancy's Zinnia seeds in three pots including one on the driveway where she would see the flowers.

On the 28th, I picked the first few ripe strawberries.  On the 30th, I noticed the garlic scapes.  The cucumbers indoors are coming up in time for planting out in warmer June weather.

On the 27th, nephew Jon picked me up and we drove to Randy's in Lake Stevens.  That was a long drive for Jon since he lives in Puyallup.

Jon had brother Don's desk hutch in his van.  It was the last piece of Don's big workstation to deliver.

It was a problem in geometry and physics getting that big oak piece up Randy's narrow stairs to the second floor of the duplex he rents.  But once up there, Jon took the lead in reassembling the desk.

When we first arrived, Randy showed Jon some of the engineering projects he'd designed or approved in Snohomish County. 

I took photos of Randy's place for an insurance record and retrieved some of the many theology books I'd loaned him.

Afterwards, Randy sprung for foot long Subway sandwiches and drinks for the three of us.

Bits and Pieces

With Helen Eby in Argentina for two months after the death of her mother, I was tasked with adding more "grandpa duty" days with Jonny, Reuben, and Isaac in south Auburn on top of my often twice weekly visits with Galen and Jadzia in the Berrydale neighborhood of Kent/Covington.  This explains the especially full "Grandkids Corner" collection of photos above.

New fencing along 102nd Avenue NE indicates where a condo will soon be demolished as work on the Pinnacle North/Pinnacle South complex of high rises may begin soon.  We learned that the QFC south of NE 10th Street will be replaced by a ground floor store on the block north of NE 10th Street.

This huge complex north of NE 8th Street and west of 102nd Avenue NE will be just a bock and a half southeast of us.

Charis encouraged me to create more alphabet games.  #3 includes the baby pictures of the Sleight, Disher, and Sitte kids when one clicks on their faces.  #4 features different kinds of birds. Here are the four links with their passwords.  #1 (block), #2 (read), #3 (three), #4 (birds).  These games are designed to encourage reading.  The day after we finished #4, Charis decided #5 would be about flowers, many from our own yard.  Here are "B" for Buttercup, "C" for Clematis, and "R" for Rose.  I'm also using these simple web games to introduce Charis to computers.

Charis was named as one of two students in her class to receive the DEPENDABILITY award for the Month of May.  She was very proud of the award.

Once again, here's the latest shot of the new house under construction over our north fence line.  Nancy and I took a Sunday morning clandestine tour of this home of our next neighbor.  I was reminded of Nancy's elegant design of our efficient and open floor plan that did not waste space with the many hallways we saw next door.