Seattle Patriot

The rest of the pictures from our family vacation - since I didn’t take most of these, I’m actually in some of them! Photo credit to my Mom.

A delightful group of guests?

Or a murder waiting to happen?

It was a dark and stormy night, when a group of apparent strangers gathered together for an undisclosed reason. It all seemed innocent enough…but all was not as it seemed. Several guests never lived to make the party. Those who did barely escaped with their lives. Survivors included Colonel Mustard, M. Brunette, Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, and Miss Peach. Each guest appeared innocent enough, but appearances can be deceptive. Guests were secretly captured on film throughout the evening, and a mysterious stranger has provided me with them for the public to solve the crimes committed that night. It is my duty to share them.

Who killed Mr. Boddy? Who killed the other guests? Could the crimes be solved in time to halt the bloodshed? And just what was in those cupcakes Mrs. White served? Each guest proved innocent one moment, and most guilty the next. Who is the murderer - or who ARE the murderERS? We’ll never tell… Can you?

Upon learning that our long-anticipated trip to Holden was going to be thwarted due to forest fire requiring evacuation of the Village just the day before we were to leave, we decided that we would have to make other arrangements, and quickly set to work on the planning. Unable to decide the details for a 5 day trip in fewer than 24 hours, we decided just to get a head start, and figure out the rest along the way - quite the undertaking for a family of advance planners. We packed up and headed to Victoria, Canada for our first stop.

We visited all the major attractions, saw Butchart Gardens our first day (pictures pending from Mom’s camera) and decided there was no way we could fit Victoria into 20 hours, so decided to stay another day, in which we got in some light hiking, played games, took in the sights and sounds of the beautiful city.

Next, we moved on to Winthrop, Washington. I’d never been to Winthrop before, and couldn’t imagine what a town with a population of about 350 people could offer, but off on the adventure we went. It was GREAT! Similar to Leavenworth’s Bavarian theme, Winthrop has adopted a western theme, and it was just like visiting the old west without the scary old west things (e.g. bandits, random shootings, etc.). We took a walk at night and could see all the stars. It would be a great place to come back for a honeymoon, and Ciara tells me it has great cross-country skiing in the winter. I’m sure I’ll be back! On our way out of town, we also went horseback riding in the hill country and it was fantastic. Second only to our ride in Ireland, the horses were very responsive and we got a great amount of trotting and even some cantering up the hills (go Ben!).

Our last stop was Grand Coulee, to see the Grand Coulee Dam, which none of us had ever seen before. It is truly an amazing feat of engineering, and really puts almost all the other dams of the world to shame (and is happy to tell you how much better it is). We saw a “slaser” show - where they let water spill over the falls and played a giant laser show (music and designs circa 1981). It was hilarious and informative all at once. Hope you all enjoy the photos! (And video likely to follow!)

John,

We have something that belongs to you. You’ll go along if you know what’s good for you. We want $314,159 in small, unmarked bills. In exchange, your beloved glasses will be returned unharmed.

This is what happens when you miss Culinary Club. You have been warned.