Leavenworth at Night
The whole story starts below here at the BOTTOM of the previous Leavenworth post, and until I figure this blog thing out, you have to read from the bottom to the top. Sorry.




Superman that he was, Darren still needed an occasional break.




Aubrey is pleased at the opportunity to carry Nate's crutches.




Leavenworth is a Bavarian-style village filled with all kinds of unique little shops. We found a few and diverted ourselves heartily. During the Christmas season, they cover it in Christmas lights which really do look a heck of a lot better than my pathetic night-time picture taking skills show.

Leavenworth

Our condo from the back overlooking the start of the sledding hill.

Jim shed a few years himself. . .

In February, because of the snowstorms and the difficulty of getting through closed mountain passes, we had an unexpected opportunity to rent a very nice condo in Leavenworth for less than the price of a tank of gas. Due to the big heart of the kids' teacher and Jim being able to flex his schedule, we were out the door in hours with a huge cooler of good food and a van filled to the top with snow gear.

Off the back deck of our condo was a hill just meant for sledding. Even Nathan, in his surgical protection boot was down the hill on a sled and crawling back up again.

Darren packed him around Leavenworth on his back when Nathan couldn't handle crutches anymore. It really wasn't fair how much fun we had.

Spring Flute Concert

Marci and Jamie just performed their first terrifying flute solos in a concert this past weekend. They actually did remarkably well in spite of knocking knees, (literally) skipping several measures of music, and queasy stomachs.

Warm At Last!

The Smith's condo had a great pool and hot tub which kept a bunch of cousins from a spot of hypothermia.

The Rain Didn't Stop Anybody

Getting Away from the Rain in Seattle to . . . the Rain in Seaside

Smith's met us at Seaside, Oregon for a fun couple of days. The cold rain and wind didn't stop the kids from building sand castles, playing frisbee, or even swimming.

He Said He Would and He Did

Darren got Scuffy (a skunk) when he was about 7 or 8. He loved Scuffy so much, he constantly told us he was going to take him on his mission with him. We just laughed. . .

We shouldn't have. His backpack or "black purse" as he calls it came to be officially called the "Scuffymobile." It has a little pocket just right for him. He put Scuffy in a little bomber helmet for added protection.