Riggs' Digs: From Coast to Coast

My sister Lynley and her family live in Washington State in a picturesque town outside of Seattle. Her youngest son, Eli, is Max's "best friend" and partner in crime. The two of them have been side kicks since they were old enough to walk, but not old enough to talk. They have a pattern of mischief when they are together and few things get Max more animated or excited then being with his favorite pal. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), living a continent apart the two renegades don't get to see each other but more than twice a year. Usually at Christmas and then Lyn and I alternate traveling coast to coast once a year. This past fall it was our turn to fly out west.

I love to visit Lyn and her family in Washington. It is an amazingly beautiful place and I can always count on good food, good times and good conversation. Since it is rather expensive to fly our whole family (we reserve that for special holidays like Christmas) the last time I visited Washington I took only Max along. Lincoln was too young to remember being left behind. This time, however, he was old enough to notice, but purchasing three tickets was out of the budget and I just couldn't bring myself to travel with three kids all by my lonesome. I had planned to leave both Lincoln and Eden in Virginia, but Eden developed a cold and a temperature a couple of days before I left so she came along to Seattle with Max and I.

As it turned out, Lincoln did wonderfully well with lots of play dates and one on one time with dad. Each time I talked with Lincoln, I could tell he thought we were still at the airport where he and Herb had dropped us off. It wasn't until the day before we came back that Lincoln showed signs of missing his mom and siblings. Next time, he will come along for the journey.

Washington was cascaded in fall flora when we arrived. Beautiful scenery everywhere. Unfortunately, as it does in Washington state, it rained most of the time we were there which put put a damper on our plans for the pumpkin patch and corn maze but we still had plenty of fun with my four nieces and nephews. Just being able to take walks around the neigborhood together or down a tree-lined lane to the river felt refreshing. I also love the smells in my sister's home town. Fresh pine mixed with the smoke from burning leaves and campfires. I try to breathe in deeply while I'm there.

Lynley and her husband run a tight ship and the day starts early with chores to be done, instrument practices and getting ready for school. More practice after school, boy and girl scout activities, soccer and basketball practice, piano lessons, homework etc. Their home is full of energy and movement, sort of an organized chaos. It's a good place to be, a welcoming place where Max, Eden and I felt right at home. My nieces and nephews are creative, adventurous, friendly, imaginitive and outgoing. We had plenty of fun playing games, eating good food and just hanging out. Both Eden and Max enjoyed the attention they received from their cousins and I enjoyed watching them all interact. Thank you Hogan family for another great visit and great memories. We wish it could happen much more often!

You can never be too careful when you're out on a walk. Thank goodness for the protection of our two warriors, lightsabers and all. By the look on their faces they take their jobs very seriously.

It was spawning season for the salmon and Lyn took us to a fish hatchery in a neighboring town. It was cool to see the older, torn apart salmon fighting their way up stream to fulfill their destinies. I'm sure there is a metaphor in there somewhere if I think long and hard enough.

We took the boys and Eden to a bounce house on one of the rainy mornings we were there. Max and Eli had a blast sliding, jumping and tearing through obstacle courses. It was a great way to burn some energy and watch them have so much fun.

There are some charming small towns and shops surrounding the area where Lyn and her family live. In this particular antique store I happened upon a real treasure. I found a book of beautifully illustrated fairytales that my siblings and I grew up with. The books are out of print, costly and hard to find. I just so happened to find one on the used book shelf for a mere $4.00!! I was VERY happy about it and couldn't wait to start reliving the memories with my own kids.

Max and Eli really got into playing Battleship and Chess. It was pretty entertaining to watch them play and listen to their comments as they had little understanding of how either game is played. They would argue back and forth about the rules and who was winning. Jackson was a good sport with trying to teach them how to play chess, but in the end, Max and Eli were happiest playing with their own set of rules.

Kaite and Addy participated in crazy hair day at school. Unfortuantely, Eden didn't have enough hair join in the fun.

Eden was studying up on her music as her cousin Jack entertained her with his jazz playing trumpet skills. The boy has got talent!

All four of Lynley and Todd's kids are incredible athletes. They are each very active in sports and we got to see Kaite race up and down the soccer field before they called the game due to rain and lightening.