Reese Turns the Big T-W-O

Reese celebrated her 2nd birthday today. And it was not uneventful:

It started with all the gals doing tea . . .

followed by an afternoon snack . . .

followed by a trip to the outlet mall, where dad picked up a cool pair of yellow shorts for $15 . . .

followed by an evening barbecue at the Cheuk's, where Sofia fed Finn like a prince . . .

Reese received great presents from her wonderful friends and family . . .

and the camera recorded the birthday girl's every move.

Now THIS Quote Sums It Up Well

I heard this Thomas Jefferson quote on Glenn Beck yesterday and I thought worthy of the family blog:

When the people fear government you have tyranny.
When the government fears the people you have liberty.

Care to guess which of these conditions I think Washingtonians are living in? (For a clue, check out the fifth image in this entry.)

It’s Official . . .

Aside from maybe my back yard, Discovery Park is my favorite place in Seattle.

Reese and I hiked it again today. The day was beautiful, the weather warm if a bit windy, the tide well out.

A few pics:

Strutting

The tide came in mighty quick after this.

Get well soon, Alicia. I need a haircut wicked bad.

I think her feet started to hurt on the way out.

Yours Truly Celebrates the Big Four Oh

Today I turned 40. I have everything I could ever want . . .

except maybe a razor.

Civil War Reenacting at Historic Fort Steilacoom

This weekend I participated in my first major Civil War reenactment. This was the 160th anniversary of historic Fort Steilacoom.

It wasn’t easy.

Yours truly among the men of the 4th U.S.

Five battles in twenty-seven hours and two twelve hour days. Good fun, although I can do without the breaking down camp part of it. Can’t say I’ve been that exhausted in a good long while.

The event received a fair bit of local press. (See what The Olympian had to say.) We actually made King-5 News.

Justice in the Donut World — Or Not?

I see The Stranger has Mighty-O Donuts listed among the best donuts in Seattle. About that I have no doubt. Mighty-O is run by my friend and tenant Ryan Kellner, as nice a guy as you’ll meet who also happens to make a mean, mean donut.

What I do doubt, however, is how it is that the Big O is currently running second behind Top Pot in The Stranger’s online poll:

I’ve had ‘em both. And while Top Pots aren’t bad, it isn’t a close contest.

Mighty-O’s are the best donut in Seattle, bar none. They should be the best donut in the country — but I’ll leave that one for another day.

Reese and Finn Fly Their First Kite

Uncle Cole, Reese, Finn and I flew kites today at Magnuson Park. It was the little ones’ first venture into the glamorous world of kite flying. Fun was had by all.

'Up there, just under Obama's soaring deficits, is our kite . . . '

Click here to view the rest of the day’s photos.

The Jenkins Clan Hits the Tulip Festival

The Jenkins clan hit the Tulip Festival today. Good times and pics had by all. It’s pretty funny to see how Reese has changed between Tulip Fest ‘08 . . .

and Tulip Fest ‘09 . . .

(Note the biggest change in the background.)

Check out the rest of our Tulip Fest pics on Snapfish.