2021 – August part 1

August started with some hotter temperatures – because of this, we got a little pool (that would normally be used for dogs), and instead, we all crammed inside for a cool down. We went to a Mike Bennett event where we got a couple of free “slow down” signs. We like that he is a local artist who is doing good for the community. We support him whenever we can.

While at Home Depot recently we purchased a pressure washer – why? Our neighbors across the street from us offered to clean our driveway for 300 dollars. After checking around for places that do that type of work we realized it wasn’t a bad deal. Instead, we purchased a pressure washer and cleaned our driveway ourselves for about 100 something and we get to keep the equipment for future use.

We also went on a trip to Mt. St. Helens. Elijah seems to like all things volcanos, so let’s encourage that type of curiosity. Even stopped at a buried house that was filled with mudflows after the eruption. We also took a trip to the Bonneville Dam (because I work for BPA) and why not? We also visited Hermon the Sturgeon (see feet photo above). Before you knew it, I was at work for a hub meeting and we were sticking around town finding random art sculptures around town.

As Mt. St. Helens was such a win for both the kids, we made another trip on the weekend to visit. This time we explained this history a bit more to them and even planned to hike down to Spirit Lake, and do other fun things like seeing the car that remains and the petrified trees. If you look at the photo with the mountain (above) and then my photo, you can see the devastation that still endures some 41 years later with a pretty close lineup of viewpoints. I have to admit – doing this type of stuff is pretty fun. Especially when we have the chance to look up the history and appreciate what happened.

[End quote: “Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!” – David Johnson] Those were the last words heard on Sunday, May 18, 1980, at 8:32am from David Johnston’s radio transmission before he perished in a lateral blast of rock, steam, and gases.

just Pray