The weekend

As has been the tradition in the past, our family tries to get away 'one last time' before our newest baby comes. This time we decided to head east, thinking that there would be less rain, and G wanted to check out a few places along the way. Our destination was Pendleton, childhood home of my Grandma K. We left Friday after work, drove all eve (about 4 hours) and arrived there at bedtime (after supper and stops). L had been waiting to go to a motel all week, but did not make it there awake. He had declared that he wasn't going to sleep, but the lull of the car and the darkness apparently overrode that. We had a good nights rest, and in the morning headed out to find the church Grandma went to as a girl. It was a few miles out of town, but I have a very vague map to find it (the roads have different names now, so there was some discrepancy that didn't add up). But, being the bald prairie that it is, we were able to see the church from miles away, once we got near. The church is now deserted and fenced off, kept up by the Historical Society, so we didn't get to see inside. We then hoped to find the cemetary, where some of her relatives are buried, but had no idea how to find that. So we just started driving a few miles in each direction, and on the second try came across it. That was neat to see the old headstones, and the farmland surrounding is just beautiful. We then tried to find out more information in the nearby town, but the library was closed. So, back to town we went and visited the museum, which was a wealth of information on different topics, one of them the church, so that was great. There was an old caboose, which was a big hit with the boys, as well as a replica of the old train station. We then went for lunch at Hamley's (a very old cowboy restaurant and site of where G's favorite singer Ian Tyson has sung in the past). We then proceeded to check out the Pendleton Woolen Mills, and then back to the motel for a much needed nap, went for a drive, got some pizza and then had a relaxing evening. In the morning we headed west on the WA side, stopping at the Stonehendge (very windy) and then the Maryhill Museum (which I haven't been to since I was a kid, so that was enjoyable too, although it was coming on nap time so we had to rush a bit as the boys were getting antsy). They had peacocks at the museum gardens which were the highlights for the boys. We got back in the car and headed home, stopping at Trader Joe's in Vancouver for some more dark chocolate, as my stash has been running low. The boys were pretty happy to be out of their car seats, and ran around all evening long, although L was pretty disappointed that we weren't staying at the motel forever. All in all it was a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. G and I just love driving and visiting, so we got plenty of time to do that, and we also love exploring new country, which we got a chance for as well. G loves to visit with the locals, so we did get a chance to meet a few people that he got a chance to learn from. (no pictures, as they are all on our 35mm)