Our Vacation, Thy Creations, and Our Relations- Part 10

Cow Appreciation Day was July 9. As we were driving, I called out, "We appreciate you," a few times to cows we were passing. Tee Hee.

 

Road Trip! 

We decided a couple days before that day that since we were in Washington, we could go to Mount Rainier National Park using Lucky's National Parks Pass. We also found out that now you have to have timed reservations to get into certain areas of the park... between certain hours. All our kids are used to us getting them up early for trips, so we were able to get to the park early enough we got in no problem. 

 

Welcome to Jurassic Park, err... Mt Rainier National Park.

Jeremy's parents came with us and it was nice to share that experience with them. It reminded me of when we went to Yellowstone with them in 2017. I visited Mount Rainier once when I was a child and it was so foggy, we could only see glimpses of the mountain from time to time while we were walking around. This trip the sky was so clear, we could see so much. It was gorgeous.

We took so many pictures (with our phones and our Nikon camera) that it's hard to narrow down which to put on this post so bear with me.

We got some tips from Utah's Adventure Family about places to go and Jeremy did some research so we had a plan. We went up the Paradise Corridor through the Nisqually (Southwest) Entrance to the park. It's a good thing we went in the morning as it got busier and busier throughout the day. We didn't do some of the things we planned to do and that's okay. We had a full day with what we did.

 

Christine Falls

Ricksecker Point

 

Narada Falls

See the fence toward the top left of this picture?

That's where we are standing in this next picture. And you can see the bridge I took that last picture from at the top right of this picture.

It was a short hike for this waterfall. Jeremy, Lucky, and I decided to go down and back up and it was pleasant. The mist felt so good.

We told our other kids when we got back up that we got a picture of the waterfall. This is the picture. Tee Hee.

 

Nisqually Vista Trail

Look at that smile. Jeremy was happy to be there.

We got to see where the Nisqually River comes from the Nisqually Glacier.

It was definitely a hike, including hiking across snow on the trail that had not yet melted.

How Nichole takes a break in the middle of hiking

How Jeremy takes a break in the middle of hiking

 

Lunch Break

We stopped at yet another overlook (we stopped at so many).

Look. It's Narada Falls again but from a very different angle.

 

Reflection Lake

At first we thought the lake was too choppy to see the reflection, then we reached a point where people were going right up to the edge of the lake to take pictures and when I went there, I could see why. There was a still part right at the edge protected from the wind blowing across the rest of the lake. There was the reflection.

Longmire Museum. 

Outside the museum was a cross section/tree slice (aka cookie) showing different historical events during the tree's life. That was cool.

The museum also had a gift shop. My father-in-law likes any excuse to get me slug themed items (slugs are my thing). They are easier to find in the Pacific Northwest. Go figure. He got me a banana slug plushie which Jet immediately claimed. I'm happy to share. The boys named it Timothy. Jet took his hat off (which he also claimed. It's actually Jr.'s hat) and put it on Timothy but when we got back in the van he took the hat off and said, "No, banana slug. That's not your hat," while pointing his finger at Timothy in a scolding manner. Heh Heh.

It was a long but wonderful day.

 

I'll share more of our wonderful vacation later.

Oh Yes, We Did

October 14 was Chocolate Covered Insect Day. Jeremy had been looking and we finally found some in the gift shop at the Butterfly Biosphere at Thanksgiving Point. Last time we celebrated in 2014 we got them at Farm Country and there were only 4 in the package (they weren't at Farm Country this time). This time there were 6 in the package. 1 for each of us. Nobody had to share a bug.

Nichole and Jr. Jr. had white chocolate meal worms. Jr. had a regular chocolate meal worm. Dad and Mom had regular chocolate crickets and Lucky had a white chocolate cricket. That's the one he really wanted.

We just had to celebrate this year. Lucky has been talking about it and talking about it. He really wanted to eat a chocolate covered insect since he didn't get to last time. He wasn't yet a year old at the time so I wouldn't let him have any.
Here are some of the comments heard this time-
Jr. and Jr. Jr.: It's like a chocolate covered pretzel.
Nichole: This makes me really want chocolate covered things.
Jr. Jr.: Ooh, you can see little legs.
Mom: It still tastes like a chocolate covered cracker.
Lucky: It was yummy... and crunchy. It was kind of weird but it tasted like chocolate.

I'm still confused how my pickiest eaters will balk at the meals I prepare them yet have no thought to eating a chocolate covered bug.

 I just love that last picture of me. What do you think? Facebook profile picture?
 
Earlier in the day, I was talking to my mom and told her, "Jeremy and I are going to head out to see if we can find some chocolate covered insects to celebrate the holiday today." Since October 14 was also Columbus Day, she was confused as to why we ate insects on Columbus Day. Jeremy explained it this way, "If Columbus' ship was going really fast and he was standing at the front of it with his mouth open..."
Have I mentioned I love my husband? And his humor?

I don't have any pictures but I can tell you about October 15. That is P.G. Wodehouse's birthday. We also found out it is National Grouch Day.
To celebrate, we watched The Great Muppet Caper. How does that celebrate those days, you ask? Well, at one point in the movie Miss Piggy and Kermit are hiding in a closet of some wealthy person's home since Miss Piggy is pretending to be a wealthy person herself. The door is opened and after a short conversation with a character played by John Cleese, Miss Piggy says, "Thank you, Jeeves," and she and Kermit leave. Now P.G. Wodehouse wrote the "Jeeves" books so you can see that we were excited that came up in the movie.
As for National Grouch Day, Oscar the Grouch has a cameo in this movie alongside Peter Ustinov. That was what made us decide to watch that movie. The Jeeves line was just an added bonus.