4th of July in Neah Bay

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Our family lived in Neah Bay for 25 years and 4th of July fireworks display there has always been better than anything else around. So, in keeping with tradition, we packed up yesterday and made the drive out to roast hot dogs on the beach and then watch the fireworks.

I took 173 photos and am putting some of them here and the remainder of those that were worth keeping on my smugmug page.

Wikipedia info on Neah Bay.

Enjoy!




The road to Neah Bay - looking forward, looking back.


The view from the first "sick stop."
Frantic whimpering from back seat - "mommy, I'm going to be sick!"


View from the second sick stop.


Second sick-top, view of the water.


On more view of the water. This is looking at out the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Just gorgeous. That is BC across the water...


Looking east, up the Strait.


Finally arriving and finding a parking spot in Neah Bay.


There were already quite a few people there - the beach was littered with multiple days worth of setting off fireworks.


The smoke is from all the different groups of people lighting their fireworks - others wait for the show to start.


Kids were running in to catch the parachute that is released after the firework explodes in the air.


Our son and sister #6 setting off roman candles. Wada Island is in the distance.


Andrew focuses on toasting the *perfect* marshmallow.


The smoke kept building at the day/evening wore on. A few hours later, it was like a light fog.


Lots of action down the beach.


Megan enjoying a deliciously roasted hot dog!


A stray dog observes all the action - he spent most of his time running around trying to catch the fireworks and swimming out in the bay. Nikole is busy drawing designs in the sand.


Families heading down the beach to light firecrackers.


This family was fun to watch. The kids were having a blast.


Andrew after fishing something out of the water.


Megan taking it easy.


The stray dog, still observing the action.


Looking toward the mouth of the bay. The water was smooth as glass.


And looking the other way. I love the curve of the beach.


A nice big firework from the folks who were just down the beach from us.


As it grows darker, the number of people on the beach grows. The noise is deafening - but it's so much fun!


Something big going off right next to the water.


Roman candle shoots straight up into the air.


The fireworks show - enjoy!

Adventures in the Grocery Store

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I'm sorry, but some retail shops must just think that their customers are dumb as boxes of rocks. Like maybe their customers have all suffered from accidental lobotomies or something.

We were at Safeway last night, Joe and I, and I sent him on his merry way to get some eggs. Now buying eggs has become an exercise in tooth grinding angst. I'm accustomed to purchasing my eggs for $.79/dozen and $1.25/18 or some such price. Not any longer! Safeway likes to jack their prices up so high that you're paying $.25 apiece. That's just ridiculous.

Anyway, he came back with 3 dozen eggs. I asked him why he got that many when I just needed a dozen and he replied that they were buy 2 - get 1 free and this was cheaper than buying 18 at normal price. Only guess what? They weren't normal price!

We were just in there 2 or 3 days ago and the eggs were something like $2.39/dozen. So along comes a buy 2-get 1 free sale so what does Safeway do? They jack up the price! To $3.29/dozen. Like we wouldn't notice that they're now NINTY CENTS more than 48 hours ago. I have to give them credit for using the same numbers and just transposing the first 2. That's sheer genius on their part. I imagine that many shoppers won't even notice and will instead be counting the extra pennies they are saving through purchasing 2 and getting 1 free.

So I'm a bit steamed about that but quite frankly, it's cheaper to just buy them here than it would be to get in the car and drive to the only other grocery store in town, Albertsons. Especially since it now costs us like $.25 per inch to go anywhere in our car...

I grumble and put the eggs in my basket and then head down the soda aisle. We are the designated drink suppliers at all family functions so we like to do a stockpile of sodas and I'd seen that now you could buy 2 - 12 packs and get 3 free. Awesome! These were buy 2 - get 2 free 48 hours ago (and $3.99 per 12) so I figured we'd be saving a good amount.

Except.. what's this? Now the 12 packs are... $5.99. FIVE ninety-nine. That's $2.00 more than 2 days ago. Time to whip out the calculator. 2 days ago I would have paid $7.98 for 4 - 12 packs. That's a pretty kicking deal - $2.00 per case. Now I'll be paying $12.00 for 5. That's $2.40/case. Grrr...

Isn't this illegal? I remember Lamonts (a department store in the late 80's - early 90's) that used to pull stuff like this. They'd have a sale on hats, just to pull something out of my.... hat... hahaha! So anyway, hats would be marked 40% off. The robin hood hat would now be $19.97. But wait a second. 3 days ago that same Robin Hood hat was $19.99. So they would jack up the price and the put it on sale. They're no longer in business - one wonders why.

Unfortunately, we don't have much choice in this town when it comes to grocery stores. You have your 2 Safeways, 1 Albertsons, and a local shop that specializes in outdated canned goods and other assorted botulism experiences. You've got your moldy veggie and fruit section and your bag of freezer burn... something in the frozen section. So boycotting a store just isn't really possible. Especially when Albertsons isn't that great.

And so, like the other masses of lemmings in this town, we march one after the other into the few shops available and pay their highway robbery prices and jacked up "normal" price - because we have no other choice.

Now pass me that $.25 egg, please.

Happy Shopping
Check out this photo - it's a mother, her mom (I guess) and 2 kids. Isn't this lovely... they're all so happy to be grocery shopping together. What planet are they from? Because let me tell you - I've never seen that family in my grocery store before. Obviously these aliens watched one too many episodes of Leave it to Beaver before donning their human bodies and heading to earth...

The first order of business upon entering the grocery store is finding a cart that works. Between the wonky wheels, the garbage left in the basket, and the goop smeared on the handle (I do NOT want to know what I just put my finger on...) just finding a grocery cart has become a battle unto itself. A brief struggle ensues as I attempt to disentangle several carts that have melded into one unmovable object, but finally, a worthy vehicle is located and I take a deep breath and set forth into the cavernous expanse of the store.

I have a plan so I quickly move from section to section, grabbing my items. Oh gross, the meat is bloody and has once again bled through the wrapper and is now all over my hands. You'd think that the butcher section would get a clue one day and pack them better. After cleaning up the slaughter it's off to the eggs - this is always fun. Inevitably, someone has broken all the eggs in the front so my backside is out for the world to see as I reach into the very back and attempt to locate a carton that hasn't been smashed or trodden on. Several tense minutes later, I have my eggs and I move on.

And here's where it gets fun. I don't get to see that happy little family out shopping - instead I see the family that is spread out over 3 aisles. Mom is pushing the cart as quickly as she can down each row, grabbing at random products in an effort to get her cart filled so she can check out. There is a screaming baby hanging off the side and knocking down displays as they race by. At the end of the aisle is an older child running up and down and back and forth. Oh, excuse me, are my cart and feet in the way of your play time? Don't mind me. I'll just climb up the shelves and get out of your way...

Then there is the toddler who has escaped completely and is headed for the front door of the store, bag of candy in hand. Mom's eyes are bugging out of her head and her hair is standing on end as she hollers for the toddler to get back and for Jimmy to get back here "RIGHT NOW OR I'LL MEAN BUSINESS THIS TIME BUDDY!" So, the last 50 times you bellered that... you didn't mean it??

And of course, these people always end up line behind me. I can sense everyone else scampering for other parts of the store as the din of screaming children and their weeping mother come up behind me. I know they've arrived when the cart slams into the back of my legs and I'm suddenly tripping over a small child as he crawls between my legs and through the bottom of my cart in his latest attempt to escape. I can feel my eye begin to twitch but you just don't turn around in line to talk to the crazed lunatic behind you - that's not how things are done. Instead I start focusing all my energy on the cashier in the hopes that she'll feel me urging her to move a bit more quickly with the person in front of me so I can get out of here.

As I stand there, staring with laser vision at the cashier, I cannot help but listen to what's happening behind me. The frantic mother has now abandoned her cart and is running down the main aisle of the store to catch the toddler before he escapes out of the store. The baby is screaming and has somehow managed to climb into the basket and is kicking my back. This ceases when he discovers that mom isn't there to stop him and there is a blessed moment of silence as the little wheels in his head turn madly before he begins to pick items from the cart and fling them quite forcefully into the other shoppers standing in line.

Mom finally comes back, dragging Jr by the arm and looking frantically for the older child. He's not been seen nor heard from since he was told that THIS WAS IT, BUDDY. I wonder idly if his name is actually Buddy...

Mom is apologizing to those around her as she takes stock of what she's looking at. Baby angrily hollers as mom finally clues in to the food items flying about and removes the bag of flour before it goes sailing. My stare is growing more intense but the cashier is oblivious. She's been here too long to be affected by the death stares of the desperate.

Just when I think I cannot take another moment, it's finally my turn and I leap to the front and begin bagging my own groceries. I cannot pay quickly enough and I'm gone. Whew. Another trip to the grocery store is done. I can go home and relax and begin planning my next foray into the wilds of the local supermarket.

Joey, the Amazing Couch Potato

Monday, June 30, 2008

Joey is a world class couch potato. He has it down to a science... or an art form. He will lie for hours w/out moving, just lying there snoring softly as he sleeps his life away.

This is one of his favorite positions. He has no shame. Cover yourself up, boy!