


East coast Invasion
End of June through the 1st week of July found us on the “other” coast. It was an important trip on two counts.
Julia has had a great year and qualified for the Nationals in NYC. She took her two solos, a duet and six group numbers. Amazing!! Her group tap number “I Mean It” took 1st overall!!
When not watching dance we had a chance to see some of Manhattan. It was a wild few days.
Click on the image and scroll down through the slide show…
We flew into Baltimore to start the trip with Dustin, Christina and Tucker. We caught an Orioles’ game, enjoyed an afternoon trip to St. Michaels, MD and watched 4th of July fireworks from their balcony. Lots of good old, wine and laughs!

Mt. Shasta and Castle Lake
Originally, we planned to stop in Mt. Shasta for one night. But, who’s says you have to stick to the plan? We took an extra day to head up the mountain.
A volcano in the Cascades, Mt. Shasta is the highest peak in the Cascades and 5th highest in California. Although it’s in some dispute, it is said Mt. Shasta last erupted in 1786.
The California drought has impacted the mountain. Although there seems to be plenty of snow, the snow pack is way below normal. Regardless, it was a beautiful drive.
We went as far as Bunny Flat…
Tucker was impressed…
In the afternoon we headed over to Castle Lake; a beautiful alpine lake near Shata.
Next stop Whidbey Island and the San juans

North By Northwest
Airstream is loaded, all fueled up and we’re off.
The plan is take up to 30 days to conquer the Northwest. With only 30 days and tons of options, the goal for this trip is to hit the highlights. Those would include a Portland stop, Puget Sound/Anacortes area, Olympic Nationals Park, the rugged Washinton and Oregon Pacific coast and a few of the places we haven’t hit on the California coast.
Lot of photo opportunities. Lots of great camping. Lots of wine and cheese opportunities. Lots to see and do.
Tucker, our Granddog, will be our backup co-pilot.
So, stay tuned as we take on the Northwest.

Our First Day in Monterey
This is Julia! Me and Tucker are getting our morning walk in before heading up to Monterey.
My favorite combination… Watermelon and Cantaloupe!
Who knew bananas came in miniature sizes! They are so cute!
The biggest apple I have ever seen!
Mommy must be jealous… we found the best Hass Avocados today!
These birds are crazy! They have been circling around each other for at least 5 minutes.
This patch of grapes has gone on for at least 10 miles!