Gary's Birthday Dinner

The boys wanted to plan a special birthday dinner for Gary and it took us till the end of the month to find a weekend that worked. Brandon & Greta hosted the bbq at their house. Thankfully the weather cooled just enough for us to be able to be comfortable.

It is always fun hanging out and eating together!

Britt had purchased a very special gift from all of us and Gary was blindfolded and led out by all the kids to get it.

This is an amazing new grill that can be easily transported when camping. For years we have had to drag our mega-patio bbq to events like Sun Lakes. Not any more!

...and Nermal wanted to be a part of everything with us!

Wednesday Misery

We are in the middle of a heatwave, and Mom was wondering how to make dinner for everyone comfortably on Wednesday nite. I suggested we do dinner on our patio and told everyone to plan on running in the sprinklers too. The kids all took a dip in our pool too.

Auntie Karin got right into the spirit of thinks and soundly doused all the kids which they loved.

Siulun took his Mom out which was very special. It was so nice to visit a bit with her. Visiting was about all we had strength to do it was so hot. Mom brought a wonderful chocolate cake for our anniversary which was yesterday. How did she know that chocolate is EXACTLY what one needs on a hot summer nite!

Pretty Flowers

Gary & I hosted a little dinner party on our patio with John & Kay and Steve and Carla. While I didn't take any pictures I did snap one of these beautiful sunflowers I used for my centerpiece. I just loved them!

Creation Fest

Taryn was able to take a few days off and go to Creation Fest with the Kopes. This was a dream come true for her and something she so didn't think she was going to be able to do this summer.

Ya gotta love friends who are willing to take your daughter with their family to sit in 100-plus temps to listen to rock bands and speakers for three days. THANKS CHRIS & LISA - YOU ROCK! ...and I owe you big time.

For these two it was all about these five.

First, find water. Second, buy sunglasses.

Hawk Nelson

Family Force Five! ...who really dressed up for this special occasion.

BBQ On The Border

We were excited to catch the last day of a brand new event - the first annual BBQ on the Border Barbecue Cook-Off championship sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association.

The Market at Birch Bay hosted this first official bbq cook-off ever in Whatcom County where teams were competing for over $10,000 in prize money.

The plan was to buy "tasting tickets" which allowed you a bite from the different competitors, but we arrived a bit late and there was not enough food for the number of tickets sold. We did get to buy some BBQ and of course enjoyed viewing all the different teams, equipment and strategies.

John & Kay met us there and we enjoyed a cool beverage afterwards at the very fun Woods located there.

Raspberry Festival

The kids had a wonderful day making Poffertjes at Lynden's Raspberry Festival. The weather was amazing and town was full of three-on-three basketball stars and ravenous Poffertjes and raspberry eaters!

Electing Bill

This election cycle Gary & I are working hard for some very good candidates - four for County Council, and one for Lynden City Mayor.

Bill is a good friend of ours and running for a seat on the county council. Last nite was his kick off event and I helped serve refreshments to over one hundred guests and supporters.

Jess is Bill's campaign manager and did a great job getting this event together and encouraging people to get involved with this important campaign.

Three Years Ago Today...

Happy Anniversary Britt & Shana!

Some Fun in the Sun!

Hey - we're at Sun Lakes so come join the fun on our travel blog "On the Road"!

Taryn's Summer Job

July is all about raspberries and the opportunity to fund your life...if you are a Honcoop kid. All of our kids are seasoned veterans of berry harvest, and this year the mantle fell on Taryn as she got her first official position on Ran & Leslie's crew.

It was a great season and the berries were amazing.

A harvester going over a row of raspberries

When berries are ready you work - all day every day - rain or shine for the most part.

Taryn did great. She did get off to a bit of a shaky start when her recently broken leg reacted to heat and dehydration by swelling up ridiculously. The doctor assured us she couldn't damage it by working, but perhaps this wasn't the year for such a job.

Ran & Les accommodated her by splitting her time on the picker with another worker which actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She actually got to make a few summer events she thot she would miss.

**Thanks Les, for all the pictures in this post**

Fourth Fun

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a busy, wonderful 4th! Gary took the guys out to kneeboard on Lake Samish, Taryn went to work on the berry picker, and I went to the Tea Party protest in Bellingham and gathered signatures for Referendum 71 which was quite successful!

After the Tea Party Luanne and I went to the hospital to check in on Charlie and Anne. We caught a glimpse of Charlie resting in ICU - one day after quadruple by-pass surgery - and I pondered whether to pin my Tea Party button on his hospital gown while he was sleeping...but resisted.

My next stop was the reservation to secure some "fun" for the evening. I'll admit I am not a very good "fun" negotiator, and next year I will enlist help.

The evening barbecue party was at Ryan & Traci's on the new patio they have been working so hard to have ready for this event. It looks amazing! There was a great combination of family and friends there and we had such a great time.

Taryn came after work with a grossly swollen ankle - the one she severely broke in November. Not sure what exactly is going on with it, but will call the doctor on Monday for sure! We gave her some ibuprofen and made her elevate it till the "fun" began.

Uncle Genius came with his rockets to begin the show.

This one is the "mother of all rockets" and the kids were amazed at how big it was and how high it flies. There was and incredible dash of kids and adults trying to catch it before it landed. Such fun and great memories!

This was the box of "fun" I paid way too much for at the reservation.

Ryan had been there for a box of "fun" too. If I had known I would have tagged along with him. Next year!

I must say we did end up putting on a pretty sweet show! And from Ryan's house we had a clear view of and the "fun" happening around Lynden. This is definitely the 4th of July party house!

Harvest....Finally!

After 20 years we had the very first harvest off our cherry tree...

and it was a serious harvest too - nearly three ice cream buckets!

Sunsets on Eagle Ridge West

So twice this week Gary made us all get in the car and drive to Eagle Ridge West - our 22 acres we hope to build on some day - to watch the sunset.

He stands by this sign and takes pictures watching how the sun is moving from one side of the tree to the other as the days get shorter.

It is a most amazing location. The ridge sweeps around from the North to the West giving an amazing three sided view of Lynden and the valley.

Obviously pictures just can't capture how beautiful the sunset really is. Or maybe we just need a different camera. Hmmmm