Mukilteo Musings

Today is my Birthday!

I had some things in mind I wanted to write about and put on here today but a couple of things have happened. First of all, hubby was messing with the computer last night and I can't seem to save or access photos or videos. This makes me unhappy and I cannot seem to figure out how to undo whatever it is he did. Secondly, I thought I could write about myself without pictures in a narcissistic way but in my head it all sounded to much like my obituary. With the gloomy cloudiness outside, I started getting the creeps. So here goes.

I was born in Deer Lodge, Montana, January 8, 1953. My Mom was 24 and my Dad was 29. My brother, Jim, was three years old and quite jealous he had to share his little life with a new baby sister. My father had finished college in Missoula but was back in his home town of Deer Lodge with my Mom and their little boy after returning from the Korean War. He had also fought in WW2, had been shot down, and spent nine months as a POW in Nazi Germany. He was working on the railroad at the time I was born and trying to figure out what to do with his life. When I was a one year old, he returned to school to get a Master's degree in Education. My earliest memories are from our campus home at MSU in Bozeman, Montana.

I remember attending my father's college graduation in Bozeman. I also remember moving from Bozeman to Helena where my Dad had been hired to teach 8th grade science. At the time, I was three and the rest of my growing up years were in Helena.

So, this is how my life began and now, Kaley and I are going to meet Dave for lunch in the U district and then go downtown to do a little shopping. We are planning to celebrate my birthday on Thursday night by going out to dinner at Seattle's oldest and most famous restaurant, Canlis. Lucas will be home from Europe tomorrow so this dinner will be an incredibly special occasion. The only other time we have eaten at Canlis was back in about 1980 when we were celebrating our anniversary and before we had children. They have a dress code which means Kaley and I need to buy Lucas something suitable to wear. Hence, today's shopping trip!

Sorry! I found some cool pictures of Deer Lodge--population 4000 and the second oldest town in Montana---but I am blocked from my own files for the time being.

Computers....grrrrrr.

UPDATE: I apologize to my dear hubby who is now doing dishes so I can play on the computer. Somehow the computer fixed itself and it had nothing to do with him. Kaley and I found a great little outfit for Lucas at the downtown Seattle GAP. We love dressing him and love it more that he doesn't mind. We had a nice lunch today at Portage Bay Cafe in the U district. I highly recommend the place. They use organic and local ingredients. They do not serve dinners---only lunch and breakfast. It is so convenient for us because it is immediately across the street from Dave's UW office. Since we had a nice lunch, Kaley made the three of us a light dinner. I bought myself my own birthday present at the grocery store and it was a little jar of black French truffles which Kaley used to make a glorious pasta dish. Yum. Also, I bought myself my own birthday card. I could not resist because it was a picture of an old gray faced Golden Retriever with a basket of flowers in his mouth---sooooo cute that I plan to frame it.

Anyway, here are two pictures of the town where I was born. It is 56 miles from Helena and I do not believe it has changed in 100 years. My 91 year old uncle and 90 year old aunt still live there in the house they built in the 1940's. My English grandparents moved to Deer Lodge from Stevens Pass or Cascade Tunnel, WA in 1918. My Dad was born there and I spent many many weekends of my childhood playing in my Grandma's yard. In many ways, the town is as familiar to me as is Helena.


Main Street Deer Lodge


Mt. Powell

Rock Creek Lake and the three Dolas Lakes are on or in (?) Mt. Powell and in my younger days were both camping and backpacking destinations for Dave and me. Gorgeous back country up there and my Dad and his Dad and brothers knew it like the back of their hands.