Two days in Tacoma

After the Balloon Rally we continued heading west. We stopped for breakfast at the Green Olive Cafe in Sunnyside and then went on to Tacoma. We had lunch at the Metropolitan Market where the big kids were able to participate in a cheese tasting. We visited the gardens at Point Defiance. The dahlias are amazing. All of the women and Henry.After we were done walking around we took in the scenery on Five Mile Drive. We saw four raccoons by the side of the road! We stopped by the Museum of Glass before dinner. The best part was watching glass blowing in the hot shop. We walked across the bridge of glass to Indochine to eat. We ate a few entrees family style and everything was delicious. We rode the Max Light Rail part of the way back to our hotel.
The next day we toured Anja and Liisa's house. We went to the conservatory and saw the Wicked Plants exhibit. They have the most impressive pitcher plant there. There was a stop to shop at Trader Joe's and lunch at the Adriatic Grill. We did a little shopping at the Southcenter Mall before heading home. It was a longer drive than usual due to some road construction.

Hot Air Balloons

It's already the end of September and time to visit Prosser. Several people, including Nora, observed that it seemed like we were just there. This time we brought the Finns! The weather was noticeably warmer this year and the crowds were bigger. It's hard to know which direction to look.Penelope tried out her new skills on the rough terrain. We ran in to some friends near the end. Everyone was excited to visit a little. Another successful rally.

At the orchard

We took Anja, Eila, and Raija to our local orchard to pick some fall fruits. The Finns enjoyed their first trip to a pick-your-own orchard. We had perfect weather for our outing. We picked peaches, nectarines, and apples. With three eager workers our family came home with a lot of fruit!

Pendleton

On our way home from the Wallowas we stopped in Pendleton. We had lunch at the Mainstreet Diner. We walked up and down Main Street after lunch and checked out saddles, Western wear, another thrift store, and posed with oversize boots. Then we drove to the Pendleton Woolen Mills for a tour. The dyed wool is transferred from the long spools here by the green machine in the background to the shorter, wider ones used by the looms. The fat spools contain wool from about two sheep. The loom room was very loud. Each length of fabric is inspected and any mistakes found are repaired if possible. If it can not be fixed it is sold as a "second."

Lake Wallowa Day 4

We went to Enterprise to get the flat tire on Anja's car fixed. While she waited for the repair the rest of us found a bakery, bought huge doughnuts, and ate them in the pavilion next to the courthouse. We bought coffee and walked around town a bit, but it was very quiet. Anja and I stayed to do a little thrift shopping at the Soroptimist store and everyone else headed back. We found some delicious BBQ chicken and pulled pork for lunch. After lunch the kids went on the Tram to the top of Mt. Howard with Mimmu, Mark, Anja, and Liisa. The hiked around the top some. When they came back we returned to the state park, played in the water for a little while, made another marshmallow roasting fire, and played some mölkky.

Lake Wallowa Day 3

We took a walk and stopped by the giant chair. We drove to Joseph and walked around the town in the morning. There was a huge cat at the Nez Perce photo exhibit. The kids persuaded some grown-ups to ride the go-carts. Helena waved the whole time.We built a fire and roasted marshmallows in the state park. Some of us did a little walking along the lakeshore.Henry and Helena preferred to eat theirs uncooked. We made dinner at the house.