Sunset, July 2015

It's been a hot summer so far, with multiple days above 90-degrees. Mary Jo and John went for a walk by the lake at sunset on a night in early July.

Wilson and Talkeetna Arrive

On Saturday June 27, all five of us went to the Bellevue Animal Shelter to pick out two new kittens. We had several to choose from, and went in a back room to interact with them to decide which ones to take. It was a difficult decision, but we took home a solid black male and a spotted black female. We named the black one Wilson. No one knows why, other than several people in the family liked the name. The spotted one was named Talkeetna, after the name of a town in Alaska we visited (which also has a cat for its mayor). We call her "Keetna" for short.

Since they've been home, they've had lots of fun running around and playing with each other, as well as the assortment of new cat toys which are appearing around the house daily. Keetna has found a hidden cabinet in the kitchen we didn't know existed, and Wilson has created a hidden cache of toys - he carries some away to behind the bookcase.

We've taken a few pictures...

Waiting in line outside the shelter before they open

"Keetna"

"Wilson" coming upstairs for the first time ever!

Wilson

Keetna

Dad, Joseph, and John Complete the Woodinville Wine Ride

On Sunday June 7, Joseph, Jack and Dad completed the 30-mile Woodinville bike ride, organized by the Cascade Bike Club. The route went from Woodinville Washington around the north part of Lake Washington to Mangusson Park in Seattle, and then back. There were over 600 riders participating. It was relatively flat but still a long ride. It was a hot day, but fortunately much of the ride was in the shade.

Busy Spring Sports Season

2015 is shaping up to be another busy sports season for the Rodgers boys. Joseph is running track for Interlake High School, Jack is playing baseball for the Bellevue Warriors, and Henry is playing baseball in the Thunderbird Little League for the Indians.

Today Joseph has a track meet at Shoreline (in Seattle, about an hour from our house); he's running at 1:40. Jack plays at Magnolia at 3:30 (also in the city, different area about 45 minutes away); and Henry's plays down the road (walkable!) at Tyee Middle School at 2:30. With just two parents (and two cars!) Joseph will drive himself, Dad will drive Jack, and Mom will walk with Henry to his game.

Joseph typically runs the mile, though he's also started running in the relay. His personal best for the mile is 4:39 (and 2:04 for the half-mile). Today he'll be anchoring the four-person relay where the first person runs one lap, the second runs two laps, etc. Here's a photo of him running earlier this season (he's in white leading the pack, across the field behind the soccer net on the left):

Jack continues to pitch and play CF for his team. Here's a recent photo of him playing:

Henry has been playing a lot of catcher, as well as OF. Here's a recent photo of him playing (he's on the left, in CF):

Joseph Comes In First For the 1600 Meter !

At Joseph's first track-and-field meet of the year, he came in first place in the 1600 meter (about one mile) with a time of 4 minutes 43 seconds. There were 16 runners in the race, and this is the first race for which he has come in first.

Congratulations Joseph !

(You can always check his results at www.athletic.net, and enter his name in the search box at the top of the page)