Oregon
Time for our annual summer trip to Oregon---boy do I miss those! Those really were the good old days!!! We always felt so welcome there at Mom and Dad's house. Since their deaths (2000 and 2008), the house has taken a toll! David bought it with his inheritance, but only lived in it a short while. Then rented it out. Got nightmare renters who chopped wood on the fireplace hearth and wood floors leaving gashes on both; tore up the door jams by apparently putting key locks on the bedroom doors to rent out each room like a boarding house; forewent any maintenance so there was floor and appliance damage; had a fire in the kitchen---assumed to be from drug making!; destroyed the yard; and caused David all kinds of problems getting them evicted! The law is on the side of the renters! But then, it's a Democratic state so I'm not surprised. Then David rented the house out to his Grandson who didn't take care of it much better! Now, in 2019, he's trying to sell it.
Anyway-----back to the good old days!
I always loved this house---this is where I lived when I was in K-3rd grade (with about 6 months off to New York while Dad was in some AirForce training school). I have lots of fond memories from living here! And from visiting Mom and Dad here once they moved back there in 1975. They had renters for many years, too. But they had a rental manager so didn't have to personally take care of many of the problems the renters caused.
another bar b q in the back yard.
Shannon was with us again on this trip. Even though the kids didn't go to the same school anymore, they're still good friends. Angie even worked with Shannon at her family's bar for a couple years. That's where I attribute her "sailor" vocabulary from---that and her paternal Grandmother. This was taken from our condo room on the coast when we took our 2 night mini vacation within our vacation.
Angie sporting her new haircut. Love those curls!!!!
The girls literally chillin' on the coast.
My brother and his family would usually come to the coast for the day while we were there. We would all go to Mo's for dinner. Here are the girls with Danny.
back to the Lincoln City beach----Loved all the kites they use to fly back then! I would sit on our lanai and watch them for hours. There was a big kite shop across 101 and they use to come out and set up kites every morning. Haven't seen them in many years now---but then we don't go to Oregon often now that Mom and Dad are gone.
We had an indoor pool at this condo. Outdoor ones are too cold in Oregon!
A lot has changed for these 2! Shannon now has 5 kids (triplets and 2 others). Angie has one, but has moved 4 or 5 times and in the process of moving again (in 2019)
The girls posing pretty---easy for them to do
Sunset on the Oregon coast
We even went on a whale watching cruise this trip. The captain was crazy! I think he just wanted to see how many people he could make sick. Shannon was one of them!
adorable Angie, again
one of the paths along the Ocean.
The girls posing on a tree along a coastal trail.
Even the chipmunks are use to tourists.
The girls even built this sand turtle.
I assume this is some sort of jelly fish? First time we've seen these on the Oregon coast.
Later in our Oregon vacation, Carolyn, Tom, Ken and I went on the Mt. Hood Railway tourist train. On our way there we stopped at Multnomah Falls. Definitely an impressive falls!
Tom looking so happy with his ice cream cone.
Finally to Hood River and the train.
This was a special train ride---we were robbed!
We were given fake money when we boarded so we could pay the robbers.
I love train rides!
views from the train!
It stopped somewhere in the mountains and we were fed a bar b q picnic
Ken marveling at the old truck up by our picnic.
On our way home from the train ride, we went by Mt. Hood. It was a particularly snowy year and there was still a lot of snow at the lodge. No other time have I been there when it was plowed around the lodge.
ken and Tom in front of the snow---both are over 6', so there's a lot of snow there.
Las Vegas
Now that the kids are old enough to stay on their own, Ken and I have started taking couple's trips. This one was our first trip to Las Vegas. We actually went free for going to a timeshare presentation. We were put in The Stratosphere and upgraded to a suite. It was a fun trip.
We even rented a car and drove around a bit---like to this garden.
And to tour Hoover Dam---back then you could tour inside the dam and it was pretty impressive.
Lake mead.
Driving back to Vegas.
We also walked the strip. Ken didn't mind the walk back then!
I loved all the shows the casinos put on. Especially here in old town Vegas where the Freemont Experience takes place.
Florida
Since we took a senior trip with Tim, we had to do one for Angie! Sounded like a good excuse to me! She wanted it to be a surprise---which it was up until about a week before we left and my sister wished her a good time in the Bahamas! At least she didn't know we were going to Disney World first. We had only been there once before when the kids were in grade school. Thought they might get a kick out of it again. Faith went with us this time.
hamming it up in a gift shop
hamming it up on the street
Tim getting in on the action.
hamming it up everywhere!
This was probably my favorite ride. A shooting target ride! I think they had more fun shooting at us.
Still in love!
posing with Aladdin
awwwww
it was a fun time!
one more character photo
After 3 nights in Orlando, we spent a night or 2 in West Palm Beach.
Grand Bahamas
Then we flew (in a 19 passenger plane that the kids still talk about) over to Grand Bahama for 4 nights and stayed at Paradise Cove. It's a small resort which only had 2 cottages and 2 condos at the time. Now there are a couple little houses, but the cottages were destroyed by a hurricane.
It wasn't fancy, but it was clean and we enjoyed it. Even had games and videos to watch. The kids always said they wanted to go back.
We happened to be the only ones staying there. It's an excursion place for cruise ship passengers who want to hang out at a beach for the day, but doesn't get many over nighters---which was perfect for us!
checking out our beach.
such pretty white sands!
and beautifully clear water.
and shallow for quite a ways out.
Hanging out by our free loungers
burning on our free loungers
that's the reef way out there. Pretty shallow to the reef, then it drops off and freaked us out.
heading in
shallow---and lots of conch. Actually there were quite a few fish, but I didn't have a good underwater camera back then. The water was so warm and inviting that we all overdid the sun! We all got burnt so badly that we couldn't get back in the water the rest of the trip. I got so burnt that I when I got out of the water I actually got the shakes and hurt so bad that I to take a bunch of ibuprofen and lay down in the cottage. After we all napped for awhile, I made us pancakes for dinner!---something easy and fast.
Cruise day--had to share our beach today.
Angie and I did finally make it back there in 2013 when she and I were on a cruise. I wondered if we'd still like it as much as we did this time---we did!
Around Florissant
Angie's Senior year!
our annual frigid Jan-March!
hers and Kevin's last prom
Angie was on the swim team the last couple years. She actually qualified in butterfly. Too bad she got really sick a couple weeks into the season. She was improving her times and had a set back while she was recovering. She was on swim teams when she was younger, so swimming wasn't new to her---she just didn't join a school team until this year..
Graduation day!
congrats!
Proud Dad
Great Grandma at Angie's graduation party
even brother seemed happy for her.
tim and Great Grandma Cecelia LaBeaume
Angie was bound and determined to go to K-state. Never even applied anywhere else. She did well on her ACT, too, and was awarded full tuition and was accepted into K-state's architecture program. I was surprised when she came up with architecture for a major since she never talked about that before. She was even able to go the first 2 years at UMKC. Here she is at UMKC
at her desk at UMKC
Where the architecture classes were held---a historic old building---Epperson House.
Her room mate---whom she really didn't get along with. She had to stay in the dorm the first year, but after that, we rented a house or apartment for her (that she split with some friends for roommates). She did very well and never changed her major. Only downside was 2nd or 3rd quarter her English teacher gave her a D in his class for not turning in her work---which she had. She had kept all her work, but wasn't able to prove it until the next Fall because the teacher wasn't responding to his messages. Because of that, she lost her scholarship! Fortunately state school tuition isn't all that much.
Ken and his mom
Playing with my medium format Bronica---another great source for pictures. I kept having to drive all over the place to borrow a Prestige Bronica for work, so I ended up buying my own. Now, in this digital age, it's obsolete.
I believe Tim was working for a builder at this time---TR Hughes. He seemed to really like it and learned alot. He had gotten his associates degree in IT networking. Started out at NW mo. state. Then transferred to UMSL. Didn't care for his teachers there, transferred to St. Louis Community College and did very well there. And his associates degree has done him well! Now he's an IT guy for the Federal Government in Knoxville.
Angie home for her birthday.
one of her models---I can see now why she enjoyed architecture school. A lot of it was like art class.
This was probably around Tim's birthday.
They have both taken after me and are teetotalers.
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