Home on the Range

When we tell people we're from Washington, they usually say, "Oh, it rains all the time there, huh?" or "Oh, it is so beautiful and green there, huh?" The part of Washington they are thinking of, the west side, where we live now, is green and is beautiful and does have a lot of precipitation (at least, relatively to our past experiences--hard to tell since we have only been here for the summer); however, the part of Washington we are from, on the east side, is completely different.


It looks something like this . . .


and this . . .



and this . . .




and this . . .




To me, at least, it's beautiful in its own right, though it is not evergreen, it is sometimes windy, and it is the only place where anyone can find out for certain if they have allergies or not. (We, fortunately, do not, but my brother and Michael's sister do.) But I love the sagebrush green that covers the undeveloped hills and the patchwork of alfalfa, corn, asparagus, apple orchards, cherry trees, wheat, grapes, and other crops that you see on the top of any hill. I've heard it said that it is like the Garden of Eden; almost everything grows. I love the black labs or sheep dogs in seemingly everyone's yards, the cattle and sheep in the pasture, the daffodils and tulips in spring and the roses in summer. Each thing seems to have its own special memory, meaning, or life lesson. How lucky was I to grow up in the middle of all this beauty! I think I could have had roots anywhere--even Seattle. :) But I think it's the fact that I do have roots here that makes our little piece of eastern Washington so special. To an outsider, it is the middle of nowhere or the "boondocks." I think for me, it's "home."


My parents' calves


Cute, cute nephew! Got to see him at home for the 3rd of July. :)



My parents' garden is enormous! They have a little of everything. Someday I will convince Michael that we need a garden . . . maybe not quite as big, but just you wait. :)

Backyard Fireworks--what a blast!

Guess they're not for everyone. :) Poor guy was holding on for dear life.

* * *

For the 4th of July, we celebrated all weekend with family at home, and then came back to Toe Jam's for a BBQ and fireworks. They even humored me and watched "A Capitol Fourth" on PBS with me! (Thanks!) Their neighborhood is apparently the only place in the Pacific Northwest where backyard fireworks are legal because EVERYONE seemed to be setting them off! You could look in any direction and see an entire show, just like you would if you went to the park to watch one the city puts on. It was pretty incredible, really.

On our drive back to our apartment, we got to see the grand finale of the fireworks behind the Space Needle, which was pretty cool, too. We are proud to be American and grateful to live in this nation.