Plans?

Look what GAB found in Hardin, Montana.

The Essence of GAB

Where to go?

Life at the Castle

We moved from the Chateau to the Castle.

Beautiful snow, so lucky to visit in the winter.

Since we were not invited to any of the many Christmas parties taking place, we spent part of the evening practicing Nanie's sport of lobby people watching. (cut my teeth with her at the Waldorf in New York City)

We agreed that castle living was not for us; take us back to the Chateau, please.

In the thirties, the hotel was the height of sophistication and respectability with the creme of high society.  Even the Royal family, King George VI and the late Queen Mother visited with her daughter, Princess Margaret who returned a few decades later.

Missed the 3P.M. castle tour, but there was a small museum with many historical pictures.

 Fashionable tea time. Notice the snow in the background. This was a time when people would arrive at the hotel with letters of credit worth and stay for months.

 The blonde bombshell swinger spent some time on the Fairways.

Braver we were at the "haunted" castle than our opting out at the Bates Motel.

The Banff Springs Hotel is also an alleged paranormal site. An anonymous young bride who died of a broken neck on her wedding day in 1932, has reportedly been seen by hotel patrons. Dressed in her wedding gown, she was descending a staircase, tripped on her gown and fell down the stairs. Her ghost can reportedly be seen dancing alone in the dining room, only to burst into flames. 

Another apparitional resident is reportedly a former employee of the hotel. A bellhop who died after announcing his retirement in 1976, Sam Macauley, has been seen by guests and hotel staff members who claim to have seen the man in full uniform, helping out guests just as if he had never left. 

There have also been sightings of a bartender's ghost telling customers that they have had enough to drink and need to go to bed. The bartenders last night at the Chateau should have taken a lesson from this man, right GAB? The great big pool man from Edmonton sitting next to me at the bar actually passed out on his bar stool.

On the Way to the Airport

 The Coeur d' Alene motel (for real) we opted to pass on.

As GAB was driving me to the Seatac airport for a 3:15 flight back home, she asked, "would you like me to drive you home?" It sounded like a great way to decompress after a rather trying few weeks, so I said: "yes."

GAB  turned the car around and drove back up to the Queen Anne Casa de Griggs to tell Betsy of our Change of Plans. It was priceless watching Betsy's face as she opened the door and did a double take, followed by her feigning a floor dropping faint. As her usual gracious self, Betsy invited us to spend the night with her and have one last girl's night.  Master O begged me to stay and babysit so he could watch a movie while his Mom and Dad have another date night.

Finally Master O told us we were running out of daylight and should start our travels. (Earlier that afternoon at Nature Kids, folks were calling him Mini-Kyle.)

So, off we went and ended up in Coeur d' Alene where all restaurants close at 9PM.

Deciding to pass on spending the night at the Bates Motel was a no brainer as we both needed to take showers.  FYI, if showers were not necessary, that motel is a haunted one and would have been a challenging stop in another sense. It has been reported ghostly activity happens in rooms 1 and 3.  Many guests continue to get creepy feelings in rooms 1 and 3, which include being watched, sudden cold sensations, strange noises and the like. They have also reported lights flickering on and off by themselves; ashtrays falling off the table and items changing positions by themselves without anybody touching them.

 

Bye, bye Nature Kids. I miss you all so much!

Happy Birthday GAB

Celebrate way up high in the sky at the Seattle Westin.

"GAB likes wine."

Tim added the party balloons.

Oliver brought his own food to the pre-party. Bedtime called him away before dark.

Way up high.

Jetting Off with Annie

Annie Always Looks Her Best inn First Class.

Top of the Mountain Mr. Kyle

Support squad for Mr. Kyle.

 

Baby Katherine is off on her bike, sort of like a duck to water.

Go, go Oliver.

Top of the mountain Mr. Kyle.

RLA Takes Jet Not Her Broom

Annie leaves her broom and jets off to Seattle Halloween festivities.

Mooning at Walleye World

TH has spent the last few evenings capturing the Harvest Moon.  Tonight's moon casts a necktie on the lake I say.

Last night's moon looks like a small amount was harvested off of the right side.

F.Y.I. - The “Harvest Moon” is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox which was yesterday.

Happy Birthday Annie

Happy Birthday Annie. Nice party GAB.

Make a wish!

Sugar Shack Shindig 2013

 

 Here Comes the Bride or... Nicole, Say Yes to the Dress

Sugar Shack Shindig 2013

Over There

 No, over there!

 Just Joshn'

Rainy Day Fun

Seattle kids teach Bubbie what to do in the rain....play!

Walleye World Worker

Boy and Dog Walking to Shop

Helping DD

Biker Boy

Found the Big One

And Steve thought the BIG one got away.

Rest stop for Oliver.  Left the airport around 1:30 A.M. and pulled into Walleye World just in time for sunrise.  Whose tired now?

Mismatched Summer

Betsy, I hope that we have this book for Katherine.

Buddah and Bunny

A Little Foggy

Earlier you could not even see the edge of the deck.

Purple Dawn

Good Morning Lake Betty.

Off to a beautiful day.

Bedroom Intruder

Help, there's an intruder in my bedroom! So glad that I was not staying at the Sugar Shack all by myself; the uninvited was just inches away from my Uncle Tom weapon. Not that a canoe paddle would be the appropriate choice of weapon in this particular situation.  While rushing out the door to an emergency dentist, seeking relief for TH's excruciating pain, we stopped knowing that there was a small creature also suffering.  Somehow, Harvey found his way inside the house and flew upstairs. He had to be in disoriented bird distress. We couldn't leave him alone while we were out, now could we?  Cranking open all of the windows for air flow, then removing one screen might do the trick.  After his many unsuccessful attempts at the big round stationary window, he finally found the suggested escape route.

Unfortunately,  TH is still in big human agony.

Cosmos and Hors D'oeuvres

Today's project, while the sun shines, is to prepare a new strawberry bed, plus get all of the peas planted. After that is all accomplished... it's cosmos time. The last two summers Oliver has climbed into the pea gardens, and enjoyed picking pea hors d'oeuvres then sampling strawberries for desert. This year we will invite Katherine to our party.  I fear though, it may be a very late start for getting peas growing in time for a late July garden party.

 Ready

 set, plant strawberries.

 Berries Galore, certainly hope so!

 Sugar Daddy, come to the party!

Cosmos, but not in a long stemmed blue Martini glass.

Then off to ER with TH. Crazy.

Tina Returns

Even in the rain, Tina stopped in midair, buzzed at the window where I was sitting, winked and tipped her wings for an annual I'm back again "hello".

If you look closely you will see Harvey at the feeder.  No sooner did Tina arrive, and her entire neighborhood began enjoying the sugary summer Hummer food.  She is surely good at getting the word out as there has been a steady stream of Hummers.

Larry greeted us yesterday, but no Linda?  The Canaries must have taken the slow route north this year.  No skunks, deer or Eagers so far.

New Canoe

Higgins "wanted" to go for a canoe ride as soon as we arrived at Walleye World, so TH could not get his new canoe off the top of the Jeep and into the water fast enough.  It functioned properly and was deemed fit for the Boundary Waters canoe trip with Heather and boys.

Au Revoir Paris

Saluting you from the Eiffel Tower. Or, was it just a windy day in Paris?

Henri de Miller's, L’Écoute, generally resides at ground level, famous for photo ops, but today it is on a pedestal most likely for safe keeping by the looks of the surroundings.  I believe that L’Écoute means listen or pay attention.  French speakers, enlighten me s'il vous plait.

 You can smell the history here.  Built in 1532,
 The Church of St Eustace, a crown jewel of late Gothic architecture is over 100 feet to the top of the arch that soars above the nave.  The picture did not turn out as the iPhone could not capture that height.

The organ in the sanctuary is the largest pipe organ in France, boasting some 8,000 pipes; some of them four, eight, sixteen and even thirty-two feet in length.  Paintings by Rubens.  Molière was married here and Mozart held his mother’s funeral, July 4, 1778   The Church of St Eustace was used as a barn during the Revolution.

A tomb designed by Charles Le Brun holds the body of Jean Baptiste Colbert, French minister of Finance in the 16th century.

 The biggest dump truck that I have ever seen.  Oliver would have liked this mongo construction project next to St. Eustache.

 The Château de Vincennes
GAB walked right over the draw bridge entering the castle without an invitation. (or ticket)

 We found a store with a famous name.

 Some folks pay to go up on top.  GAB's tour circumnavigates the Arc de Triomphe three times.  Her way of finding the Eiffel Tower quite possibly.