Family Reunion - Washington

I recently took a road trip with my parents up to Canada for my niece's baby blessing. On the way up we stopped in Washington for a family reunion. The drive up was stunning. Idaho, Montana and Washington are all such beautiful States with some of the most gorgeous scenery. We camped for two nights and spent the time with my aunts and uncles and great aunt and uncles, you get the idea. The area we were camping in was just out of Spokane and it was beautiful. I really enjoyed meeting relatives I hadn't had the chance to meet before. I even got to spend some time with my Grandmother's sister Orva. My Grandmother died a few days after I was born, so I never knew her. Her husband and my Grandfather died when I was eight, but by then I had been in California for most of my life and we hardly ever saw him. I really only remember meeting him once, just before he passed away. With both of them gone and all of my extended family pretty much being in Canada, I don't have a lot of connections to that family. It was such a treat to talk with her and ask her what kind of sister my grandmother was. I loved getting to know someone who knew her growing up and so intimately. I also got to spend time with her older brother Uncle Tom. He was hilarious! Such a jokester and you could tell by the way he liked teasing me what kind of brother he was like. I have a few of those :) It was fun to just unplug for a few days and hang out talking about family, memories, and sharing stories.

The night before we got to the campsite there was a huge thunderstorm. Lightening had hit this tree and split it. This was just a few feet from our campground.

Here is my Dad displaying his latest invention. This guy never ceases to amaze me! I will share more details about this once he gets it up and going!

A letter from my Grandmother to her sister from 1940. So fun to see her handwriting.

Best part of camping! :)