Shouting out What?

Last Saturday night our family attended the Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach Camp near Stanwood, WA. The "Lights" are just spectacular and the evening is filled with the sights and sounds of Christmas. A majestic nativity scene is the highlight for me and I also love the Victorian Carolers, "Bruce the Spruce" the talking Christmas tree, hot donuts, apple cider, amazingly gifted musicians, holiday theater, and on and on.

A funny thing happened as we arrived there by car. The parking attendants were waving their flashlights directing traffic and we got headed towards the wrong parking area. I realized it pretty quickly and shared with one of the traffic directors that we were staying overnight at Deer Mountain Lodge. He had me turned around and that is when the fun started.

When we got turned around, he shouted to the next traffic director, at the top of his lungs, "Deer Mountain Lodge", "Deer Mountain Lodge", who then passed it on to the next traffic person at the top of his lungs he shouted, "Deer Mountain Lodge" and then the next person, and on and on it went from person to person. We all cracked up. It was so funny! We were being announced to all the people within earshot, that we were headed for "Deer Mountain Lodge".

We now have another Merry Christmas memory for 2009.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas time news

One of the many blessing of our fall season leading into Christmas was our involvement with 5th/6th grade basketball here in Friday Harbor. Daughter Carly, #11 in the picture, is in 6th grade and part of this team of girls, the Friday Harbor Tigers. Monique and I, along with two other fathers, coached these girls. Due to limited gym time available to us, we practiced at 6 a.m. in the morning on Tues. and Thurs. for 7 weeks. Wow! It was tough enough for the adults to rally up at that hour for a basketball practice, but the girls persevered, showed up regularly and really grew as friends and basketball players. We traveled each Saturday on the ferry to play games in the SWISH league, which was located in Mt. Vernon, WA

The reward, a SWISH league and tournament championship. As you can see, the girls have big smiles on their faces with trophy in hand.

Now the high school basketball season is in full swing. Daughter Ellie, in 8th grade, is practicing with the J.V. which Vic is coaching. Monique helps out with the varsity two days a week. Our passion for basketball was rekindled in the Dominican Republic with our mission trip. More hoop news will be coming soon.