As we were sitting around the dining room table on Sunday, my brother Duncan decided to play around with some pen and paper. He kept looking up in the direction of his beautiful wife, Kaitlyn. I don't think he was meaning to, but this is what he came up with:

He in fact, decided to turn this picture into a boy. Thus, the hair on the chest.









Kaitlyn decided to give it a go. This is her rendering of Duncan:

So while my sister and her family were visiting, I showed them around the Harborside Fountain Park in Bremerton, since they hadn't really seen much of Bremerton.
***I didn't take this particular picture to the left. My camera died before I had the opportunity.


To the left, Bevin randomly flattened out on the damp ground, spread eagle (all limbs) to enjoy the amazing rays.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch there while sitting in the only available and dry area, which was the curb right in front of the Shipyard. This panoramic isn't aligned correctly because the sun was glaring on my screen so I couldn't see where to stitch it. But you get the idea...

On the curb, closest to farthest: Apollo, Talon, Sascha, Sarah, Montana, Takoda , Malachi, Dolly, Bevin and Keenan.

We also visited the Naval Undersea Museum. It's a local museum where you can learn all about

• The Ocean Environment
• Torpedo Technology
• Mine Warfare Technology
• Submarine Technology and
  
• Diving

They even have a room with some "hands-on" experiments which is great for both young and old. When my kiddies were much younger, their favorite thing used to be dressing up in the military gear, but now it's the gift shop. Admission is free, so what are you waiting for?
Bevin, being the Canadian he is, is not afraid to salute the American flag (shown above).
Below... Takoda sportin' some Army gear:























The Vanna's (Montana and Sarah) introducing an underwater suit.











Bevin was able to sneak into the panoramic shot of the suicide torpedo.





The kids are getting everything under control.










Malachi and Apollo checking the radars.














This working telescope actually showed a live view of the parking lot just outside. We were able to spot ours and the McMullins vans. Ours is the dark green one on the front row and theirs is the gray one just to the right.




































This was something you would have on hand when greeting your honey for the first time after he/she had been deployed.








While on patrol, soldiers wore these blue coveralls, called Poopie Suits. Keenan got a kick out of that. So much that his eyes were rolling backward.






These are the squishy sleeping quarters. You'll notice there are three bunks. The bunk pulls up to store your belongings. I think a gas mask would be mandatory if I ever had to be in such close quarters on a submarine. I feel for those guys...

It just so happened to be the 20th Wedding Anniversary of my sister and her hubby while they were in town. We got Apollo tucked in for the night and left the bigger kids in charge while we headed out to help them celebrate.

Anyway, by the time we got out of the house and over to Poulsbo for Thai food, they were closed. So was everything else there. So we headed back to Silverdale to the Silver City Brewery which ended up being a fabulous idea since they have $5 and under appetizer deals after 9pm. The food was amazing! And we ended up gorging ourselves.



FYI: My sisters are twins (Dolly's two youngest are twins too!) and they both got married on the same day. Double wedding! So Happy 20th to you too, Dorie and Eric!!! Sorry, I don't have a recent pic of you two together, so these will have to do.

I have to share this superbly (can you tell I like this word?) delicious dipping oil that I made tonight for part of our dinner to go along with the baguette that I bought yesterday. It reminds me of something they would serve to you in a fancy restaurant. It hits the spot for both the distinguished as well as the plain palette. I can't take credit for this recipe even though it is named...



Di's Dipping Oil

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed or minced

Mix all ingredients together. Enjoy! Can store in refrigerator up to 1 month. Bring to room temp before serving. Mix oil to blend seasonings, and pour into small shallow bowls or rimmed plates. Slice or tear bread into pieces and dip into oil to eat. Mmmmm!

What do "ouchie" and "Sharpie" have in common?

The other day Apollo came into the dining room saying, "I wanna ouchie, I wanna ouchie." He was looking upward as he was saying it (I keep some of my craft supplies up high for good reason). I couldn't figure out for the life of me what he was meaning. So I let him know I didn't know what he meant. No biggie. He found something else to interest him.









The following day, while in Sarah's room Apollo picked up a Sharpie and said, "ouchie," with a big smile on his face.

To Apollo, they're one and the same.

It's great having my sister only a hop, skip and a jump away, when really I mean it's only a crossing the border, driving, ferrying (is that even a word?) and driving some more to get here. She lives right over the border in Surrey, BC. So even though we're not that far away from each other (as the crow flies), it's quite an ordeal to either pay the mundo ferry costs or drive around, which ends up adding another 2 hours to the trip. Yes, yes, we all know about the trials of living on the peninsula and having to pay whichever way you go (by ferry, or by toll bridge). Any way you cut it, I still love living here and all the beauty that comes with. The springs, summers and falls are to die for. If you can brave the winters, it's all worth it.

After dropping their oldest off at SeaTac for his first experience with college and living in the States (he's going to the U of U), my sister, along with her hubby and five other kids drove around the peninsula and stayed a couple of nights with us.



We made some yummy fish tacos for din. Afterwards there were serious RockBand skills going on. **special video coming soon!**













During the intermission we surprised Bevin (sisters hubby) with a key lime cheesecake from Costco. He's now 42 years young.