Bike from Bellevue to the Beach !

John completed a long-standing goal on the last weekend of July when he biked from our house in Bellevue to the Pacific Ocean.

It took two days to go the 120 miles - 80 miles the first day and 40 miles the second day. We got a hotel room in Elma, WA for the overnight and MJ and the boys came out to stay and go to the beach the following day.

The first day involved a ride to Seattle, boarding a ferry to Bremerton, and then another 65 miles through city streets, along the beautiful Hood Canal, and on back roads near logging farms before arriving in Elma.

The second day was a straight shot to the ocean, through a few small towns and on a bike trail before waving to MJ and the boys as they drove by about 5 miles from the end. John ended at Twin Harbors State Park, where he dipped his feet in the water (too cold to swim!) and walked along the beach.

Getting ready to board the ferry in Seattle

Special spot for the bike!

Beautiful Hood Canal!

Turn on Ann Arbor Street!

Rest for weary legs - our hotel in Elma!

Ocean in view! O the joy!

Kayaking on Lake Union

On a sunny summer evening, Mary Jo and John went kayaking on Lake Union in the city. It was a gorgeous night as we paddled around other sailboats and the seaplanes coming in for landings. One of them got a bit close as we were taking video of its landing.

 

Lakeside Season End

Lakeside had a disappointing end to their season when they were bounced out of the District Tournament in Burlington with three losses in four games. Jack pitched against Lynden in the first game and gave up 8 runs in a 14-6 loss. After one win in their next game, Lakeside lost their next three, where a win in either of their final two games would have gotten them to the State Tournament. Regardless, it was a fun (but long!) season.

MJ Turns 50!

For Mary Jo's fiftieth birthday, we did a few special things - including a picnic dinner the night before on the shores of Lake Washington and a nice dinner the night of her birthday at the Salish Lodge, right above Snoqualmie Falls.

Kayaking Through Mercer Slough

In early July, Henry and Dad kayaked through all of Mercer Slough, a favorite kayaking spot. The vegetation was much mroe grown than the last time we'd gone, and we saw lots of ducks, some turtles, and some herons, one of whom swooped down and caught a fish while we were kayaking by!

Another W for Lakeside Behind Jack's Strong Pitching

On July 5, Lakeside returned to the site of their State Tournament from last year when they played at Lynden High School, less tha 10 miles from the Canadian border.

Jack got the start in game 1 and pitched very well. He went 6 innings, struck out 10, and gave up just 2 runs in an exciting 6-2 victory for Lakeside, who scored 4 runs in the last inning to win the game!

Lakeside lost the second game of the doubleheader, 5-4 to fall to 16-19 on the season, with seven games to play before the District Tournament.

From the first base line with the mountains in the background

Warming up at the start of the game

Fourth inning strikeout

Whales !!

On Sunday, July 1 Dad and Henry went whale watching out of Anacortes. It was a beautiful day and the islands were gorgeous. The boat went out for about four hours, going northwest from Anacortes in search of whales, crossing into Canadian waters near Pender Island where there was a school of about five whales. We stayed for about a half hour watching them jump through the water, and took lots of photos. On the way there and on the way back we also saw some seals. The scenery was beautiful!

Busy Saturday for Henry & Dad

On the last Saturday in June, while Jack was at a baseball tournament, Dad and Henry did a pair of fun events.

First, former President Clinton spoke at Amazon (he has a new book out, with James Patterson) and Dad got two tickets for us to go. Clinton spoke for about 45 minutes, and then on his way out, shook hands of about 20 people, including Henry and Dad.

Once that was done, we stopped in the cashier-less Amazon Go store for some snacks, and then headed onto the ferry to Whidbey Island (ironically, the ferry is known for the town it lands in, which is Clinton!). There we did some mountain biking at Fort Ebey State Park - some great trails, though some of them fairly steep!

Yakima & Kenewick Tournaments

Lakeside had weekend tournaments the last two weekends in June, in Yakima and then Kennewick.

Jack pitched the first game in each tournament; the team was roughed up all almost all the games in Yakima, including the one Jack pitched. Jack also got a chance to hit quite a bit and play the field, including a few innings at 2B and even an inning at SS!

Up at bat

Jack at shortstop

In Kennewick, things were a bit brighter. Jack pitched one of his best games ever, a complete game shutout which Lakeside won 4-0. He struck out ten batters and only walked one.