Sun Valley and More

Many thanks to my wonderful mom and sister who flew up to Seattle to watch Susanna while Scott and I rode our bikes to Portland. My poor mom had to head straight home but Sarah stayed to play and then helped us drive to Sun Valley. She did an excellent job describing our time together on her blog, here's an excerpt:

"After the ride, Amy and I had plenty of fun in the city. Pike Place was yet again, a highlight. New discoveries at the market this year?? Chocolate linguine, Raspberry Red Pepper Jam, and Gouda that seemed to have been aged for centuries. We spent an afternoon at the Woodland Zoo and were able to catch an intimate glimpse of a Gorilla and her sweet baby. Scott joined us for a visit to the Locks and the fish ladder. Watching the salmon struggle to get back to the ocean was both exciting and inspiring. That evening was spent at the Puget Sound where Scott did his best in teaching me to skip rocks and as we walked away, Susanna waved goodbye to the beach and the sun set behind us. aaaah. The beauties of Seattle. Just when we were running out of Jane Austen films to watch, the time came for us to pack up the diapers and crayons and head out on our 10 hour drive to Sun Valley to meet the rest of the family. The drive was fun; we listened to Harry Potter and a few of Susanna's favorites....baby beluga and joshua giraffe. I enjoyed chatting with Susanna, topics ranged from kitty to the Congo."

Sun Valley was warm and dry and poor Susanna felt like she was on another planet. Every time we went outside she'd cover her yes with her hands yelling "sun!" as if she'd never seen it before (maybe she hadn't...). Every activity was accompanied with ice cream, though, and I think that more than compensated, as did the huge attention from grandparents, uncles, and aunts. Scott hasn't been fishing much lately, so I think it was heavenly for him to get to go at least twice a day. And everyone benefited from his expertise and patience: almost all of his outings were teaching ones. Thanks to the Andersons for a great trip; we had a wonderful time!