Not in Kansas

Well, we are not in Brisbane either. Erik and I came to Seattle about two weeks ago and are enjoying some time at my parents' house at the beach. We've been sailing, swimming at the community pool, building toy boats, playing with cousins and hiking. Mark's parents came to see Erik, so Arlyn, Wade and I took advantage of the good weather (and the baby sitting) to go for a hike up Tyler Peak in the Olympics.

It's been nice to be back in the Northwest for a while. Erik has spent most of the time with one or two of his many cousins. He especially had fun getting to know Evan, who he hadn't really spent much time with before, and Laurel, who seems to share a similar sense of humor and active imagination. Hopefully, they will still get along when they are older.

Mountains are one thing I miss when we are in Australia, so hiking was one thing that I had wanted to do. Here's a partial view from Tyler Peak with Discovery Bay and Protection Island in the foreground and Mt Baker in the distance.


I've also enjoyed being by the water every day. Brisbane is about 30 miles inland on a river. This is the view I've been waking up to every morning. Mount Rainer is just to the left of the tree and my mom's garden adds some color to the scene.
















Below are all the cousins. Of course, the picture where they were all trying to look serious is the only one that Erik (toothless in yellow fleece) had a nice smile in.