Home From Phoenix

Rhonda just returned from Phoenix after a week-plus there visiting her family. As I noted earlier, the occasion wasn’t a happy one: her dad was recently diagnosed with cancer. We spent lots of time with everyone and visited Tombstone in southeast Arizona. I got three rounds of golf in and knocked an item off my bucket list.

A few pics (the rest are posted here except the Tombstone ones, which are posted here):

Mom and son at the ASU IHop.

Daughter and dad, ditto.

After playing the Karsten course at ASU.

With the kids outside the outlet mall in Anthem, one of three we visited in and around Phoenix.

I played Tom Sneva's 500 Club with one of Rhonda's grade school classmates.

Rhonda, Finn, Reese, Uncle Cole and Grandpa Bruce.

Uncle Dan with his nephew and niece in Tempe.

Outside the Ping factory in Phoenix.

Cole with his sons Matthew and Michael at the miniature golf course.

Finn and his grandpa.

The kids with Cole's ex Karen.

Reese and grandma Fay.

Finn trying his hand at Fay's ribs.

Rhonda with Bruce and Fay.

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Tombstone

Today the Jenkins fam, joined in a separate care by Cole and his sons Michael and Matthew, drove three hours from Phoenix to Tombstone, Arizona for a day out on the town. In case either of you two don’t know, Tombstone is the Old West town famous for the shootout at OK Corral, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holloday, etc. Today — and more relevantly for us – it is known as one of the most haunted places in the country, so much so that both Jason and Grant of Ghosthunters and Zach and friends from Ghost Adventures have taped shows there. Jason and Grant saw a full-body apparition at the Bird Cage Theater (unfortunately, one not caught on film).

We went for the ghosts and, unfortunately, didn’t see any. My guess is that ghosts aren’t keen on coming out on Sunday afternoons full of hundreds of tourists. We did snap quite a few photos, most of which are posted here. A few of the better ones:

Les didn't fare so well.

On the phone with Benezra: how many Jews could there have been in Tombstone?

No sign of ghosts -- or Jason and Grant, for that matter.

Mom and daughter at lunch in Tombstone.

Apparently the camera will rob Matthew of his spirit.

In front of the Tombstone courthouse. I wonder if its judges were any better than modern-day Washingtons?

Cole with his boys -- and mine.

Still can't get Finn to look at the camera.

An early dinner in Tuscon.

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Summer’s Here — Finally!

Today is July 7.

The sun finally decided to shine — thanks Mother Nature — and we celebrated yesterday by taking an urban hike up to University Avenue. A few pics:

Q: Hey, sis, who you talkin' to? A: Dora.

Finn finally looks in the general direction of a camera.

Walking through the quad on UW campus.

In Red Square.

Since we can't get everyone to look at the camera ...

we'll just do a U2 pose.

Father and daughter at Drumheller fountain.

With Uncle/nephew Jon.

Reese with mango juice at our favorite falafel restaurant on the Ave.

Eating the best falafel in town.

I picked up a new lid from Goorin Bros on the Ave ...

and premiered it today at the Glendale Member-Guest.

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A Couple of Firsts at Evans Pool

Yesterday the Jenkins family marked a couple of firsts over at the Green Lake pool. The first first was that Reese took her first swimming lesson without me in the water. The instructor handled her. She got an earful from Reese, no doubt, but all things considered Reese did quite well.

The second first was that Finn took his first swimming lesson. The powers that be at Evans let Jonathan swim around with Reese, so both kids were in the pool at the same time. Finn took it mellow, as he does most other things.

A few pics:

Not the same as the bath tub at home ...

Reese and Cousin Jon.

Good ol' American fun.

Not bad for his first time in the water.

Reese understood the concept of kicking this time.

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Mariners 3, Angels 0

This afternoon Steven and I joined Roy, Katie and Claire Price for an afternoon out at Safeco Field. The M’s beat Mike Scioscia’s California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels 3-0. (More.) Felix Hernandez pitched eight innings of shutout ball to beat Scott Kazmir, who made his debut with the Angels after a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Regrettably the Prices had to leave after the fourth inning — Roy had a poorly-timed meeting — but we snapped a few pics beforehand:

A view from our seats.

Roy, Katie and Claire Price

Steven and I waiting for foul balls.

Steven with the foul ball he caught off the bat of Mike Saunders.

Group photo with too much light in the background.

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The Fam Hits Forks for Surfing and the Twilight Tour

Yesterday Ronnie, Jon, Danielle, Sara, Reese, Finn and I headed northwest to Forks to do the Twilight tour. We left the house at 5:02 am, caught the 5:40 ferry to Kingston, then drove three hours to the far west of the United States. We snapped a few pics along the way:

Reese and me on the Kingston ferry, 5:40 am.

The Hood Canal Bridge: no connection to Twilight.

Ronnie, Reese and me in front of Lake Crescent. (Finn was sleeping, and he wouldn't have looked at the camera in any case.)

Danielle, Ronnie, Reese and Sara at Lake Crescent.

Sisters.

Once we got there we stopped first at La Push so Jonathan and I could surf for a few hours:

Ronnie and me at First Beach, La Push.

Sister and brother.

Ronnie and Finn at First Beach.

Reese, leaving her shoes behind.

Finn and Sara.

Jon and me -- after the beating.

Very, very hungry.

La Push is where the guys in Twilight allegedly surfed. Then we went to Forks:

Sara and Danielle in front of the one thing that was actually in the movie.

We snapped a few pics in front of the “Bella truck,” but Jon thought it was strange that this was neither the color nor the model of Bella’s actual truck.

Jon in front of a red truck that sorta looks like Bella's.

Ditto.

Come to find out — Twilight wasn’t actually filmed in Forks! It turns out it was filmed in Kalama, Oregon.

Me at Dr. Cullen's alleged parking spot.

Home of the Swans? Not really.

I suppose I should have known this, but I didn’t think to research whether the Twilight tour was a sham.

Why the movie wasn’t filmed in Forks is an interesting question. According to a local we spoke with, the folks at Summit Entertainment bowed out when, two days before filming was scheduled to begin, Governor Chris Gregoire’s office demanded that the production company cough up more fees and taxes. They declined and went to Oregon. The news stories that addressed the question leave that part out. They say the fees were just too high in the first place, that Forks was just too far from anywhere, and the company decided to go to Oregon from the get go. Where the truth lies? I wouldn’t count on the government telling us.

The next Twilight is supposedly being filmed in Vancouver, BC — this after the state legislature passed a bill to attract Twilight to the Evergreen State. That Twilight‘s producers would skip over the story’s actual setting state but film in the areas right around it instead (Oregon, British Columbia) suggests to me that something bad happened between the production company and state government, and that Twilight won’t be coming to Washington anytime soon.

A great family day out, no doubt, but it would have been nice to know that the Twilight tour was a sham before we ferried and drove across the state to see it. I know we’re not the only ones who fell for it — we met a gal in the hardware store who said the same thing. I’m glad I didn’t come all the way from France to see Bella’s (Kristen Stewart’s) truck. Then again, if I came all the way from France to see a one-stoplight town, it would serve me right.

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Jonathan Sees the Elephant

This weekend Jonathan and I did the Civil War reenacting thing up in Ferndale, near the U.S.-Canada border. It was Jonathan’s first reenacting experience. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough gear to go around so I watched the battles from afar. That gave me ample time, however, to snap pics with my iPhone. A few of them:

Over a game of Shut the Box (memo to the WSGC: we didn't play for money).

Chillin'.

The flag of the 4th.

Just about ready for battle.

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Jonathan Gets a New Look

Nephew Jonathan arrived Saturday night with a new look. Compare this to

this.

We aren’t much for scaring the kids and neighbors unnecessarily, so Monday he got himself a haircut. Last night I threw some gel in, and now he looks like

this.

Rhonda and I think it’s quite the improvement. Both Jonathan and his girlfriend, who apparently calls the shots, are thanking their lucky stars that it’ll grow back. Whatever. In the meantime, it looks like

Reese caught the bad hair bug.

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Hawaiian Day, Squared

Today the Jenkins family attended dose Hawaiian-themed parties. The first was Grant “Smith’s” first birthday party up at Jane and Marc’s in Edmonds (pics).

Grant hits the big Numero Uno.

Another shirt that doesn't get a lot of action.

The second was a soiree thrown by Roy and Grace Price down at the beach club. We didn’t take the camera to Grace and Roy’s so we didn’t get pics, but Norman did take this one of yours truly:

That's thirty feet if you're measuring.

It was a fun day for the Jenkins family but one overcome by sadness. Uncle Cole went back to Phoenix.

We’ll miss him, but he knows he’s welcome back any time.

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The Family Hits Port Gamble

This weekend Cole, Rhonda, Reese and Finn joined me for some Civil War re-enacting at Port Gamble on the south end of the Kitsap Peninsula. Never been there (or even heard of it) but it was a pretty cool place I gotta say. I really can’t see any reason why it couldn’t be a destination along the lines of a Friday Harbor. It’s certainly a lot closer to Seattle.

Anyway, we got lots of pics from the re-enactment. Among them:

I followed it up with a Father’s Day round of golf at Washington National on Sunday morning . . .

What a difference eighteen hours makes.

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