Living Dining Area NE

41 Years

Still Laughing after 41 years

Baby Ducks 2010

The first Baby  Ducks arrived today Monday April 20th. Right on schedule. Every year starting around the middle of April I keep my eyes open and camera ready for the first baby duck sighting. Today mama duck showed with 11 little ones flanked by two proud papas. Hopefully we will have a warm spring and the ever present Eagles are fat dumb and happy. Normally the attrition rate of the first babies of  the season is high. So let’s keep our fingers crossed and give a warm welcome to the lake’s new residents.

Spokane Visit to Open the lake cabin April

Day I: Just arrived in Spokane Great drive over. Stopped along the way to take advantage of Tax Day deals. Starbucks would fill your travler with coffee for free and with a web coupon Taco DelMar provided you with a FREE taco:) Well you now know what we ate and drank on the road. We spotted some great wild flowers between Rye Grass and Vantage as you can checkout in the above slide show.

Day II: (Fri) Looks like a killer day. The temp prediction for the day is 78 yes 78 A perfect day to head out to Diamond lake and get Chez Mini Frey up and running for the summer. We made it up to the lake and the cabin is now people ready. Water and power are on. The ramp is back on the dock. The place still needs a little cleanup,But surprisingly there was no sign of winter damage. Every things works.

Day III: (Sat) Today Anita, Isabel and I went to the Bowel and Picture on the Spokane River and did some hiking and checking things out. We spotted a couple of osprey’s nesting in the top of a tree along the river bank. Also enjoyed some kayakers and rafters coming down the river. Looks like tomorrow morning we will heading back west to prepare for our next adventure to visit Jim and Karen Zimmer in SMF (Sacramento)  Oh yes  once again today was just great weather wise.

Day IV:(Sunday) Back Home

Easter 2010

Easter at Anita and Tommy’s
Jane and Larry arrived yesterday afternoon. After a great sturgeon dinner Adam arrived from Bellingham. This morning we had Easter breakfast. Now we are waiting for Bill, Robin, Everett and Barbara to start the festivities.

Spot oh Spot!! Where Are You??

It's once again spring. But wait! Someone's missing. Spot the man of the house. The bird house that is. This is the first year in about four years that Spot has not appeared to stake his claim outside our window. There seems to be a new master of Spot Arms. Maybe one of his many offspring. Anyway the new residence family of spot Arms are now busy at work feathering their new home.
Also this year we have a deranged towhee that has been trying to hook up with our mirrored window. He has been banging "no pun intended" for the last week or so. Anita tried covering the window but he worked his way inside the covering in order to continue his spring quest. The good news is he starts his ritual as it get light out and is an reliable alarm clock.
Well I better go find a good mirror.

Update: After reading up on towhees I think I will drop my quest for the perfect mirror. Seems all this mirror/window action is due to the fact. He is defending his territory. Not trying to mate with himself. Oh Well. Just thought I would save you all from a personal mirror quest.

Palm Springs

 

Day I:Tue. Off to an early start. Getting a ride to the airport with Ann D. We are traveling on Alaska Airlines. Arrived a few min early and had good flight down. After a stop at Costco we headed to our digs for a couple of days at Steve and Liz’s home in Ironwood. Very impressive! Today we just veged out. They have a tangerine, tangelo, orange, and a lemon tree in the yard. Check out the size of the lemons!! All the trees are full of ready to eat sweet jucy fruit. Now I see why people hang out in this part of the country. Especially in winter.

Day II:

    This has got to be the proper way to start your day. With fresh picked fruit out of the yard on a well manicured golf course. It could almost me want to take up golf. NOT! Just kidding “golf is a good game”. The plans for the day looks like some hiking is in store.
Did the hike thing to the top of one of the local hills. The weather was perfect for the hike and other than being in no shape at all it was a good hike that took about an hr and a half. This evening we met up with a couple of friends whom I went to high school. The have a mega motor home and spend the winter here in Palm Springs. Now it’s off to the sack to dream about what adventures tomorrow will bring.

Day III:Today was spent mostly hanging around the compound enjoying the sun and a few walks. Then in the evening there was a little gathering at Chez Zim

Day IV: Today should be interesting. We are starting out by going to visit our friends and check out their home on wheels. Then off to a tour of the area with Steve and Jeff Foot. This afternoon it’s off to a art fair then we will be meeting up with more of clan zim at our niece’s Jackie Guy.
  We made it to Rittervill USA (our friends Dave & Kathy) It was greate seeing them and what life is all about in the mobile home world. We made it to the art fair. Very impressive. It was real art with lots of good and cleaver art. After the fair it was of to Guy’s for dinner with the Guy family. All in all it was another Great day here in the land of sun and old people.

Day V: As normal our day starts around 0600. Today we will be moving to Virginia Browns for the duration of our Desert Adventure. Made it Virginias around noon. From there we just cursed the street of downtown Palm Springs. As always it was very interesting. Sort of an older version of cruising of yesteryear. An eclectic mix of motorcycles generally ridden by old guys, A few classic cars and small mix of today's exotic cars. Then there is the sidewalk cruisers “the three of us included” Every thing from the old old would be movie stars to kids adorned with tats and pricings.
We ended up the evening by dinner at one of the local hang outs.

Day VI: It’s Sunday morning and we are lazing around doing coffee and making plans for today’s adventures.
Today we decided to head up to Joshua Tree Park. As always it was breathtaking and as on our last visit it was cold and windy Mega Windy! It’s really wired to look out of the car and see nothing but cactus, rocks and desert that looks like it must be 120 out there. And then have to grab your coat. All in all it was a great trip and well worth it. When we got home we went to the St Pat’s Day celebration in Virginia’s complex.

Day VII: After a good nights sleep and a good breakfast al’a Anita we were off for yet another hike. This hike was actually up behind Chez Zim. It was a good hike with lots of blooming cactus and not too damn steep trails. After the hike we stopped by to see Liz and pick up something Anita forgot.  On the way home I spotted a Smart car that I had been eyeing  and decided to call the number in the window. I met up with the owner and took it for a little spin. But I think I will pass. Although it was absolutely like new and the price seemed right and It would not fit under the seat on Alaska airlines. “Jury is still out”

Day VIII: Preparing for our ride home. Actually we made it out for one last hike up behind Palm Springs. We ran out of time so were unable to do the complete loop. Came home for a shower and packed up for our 1:00 Alaska airline flight home. The loads really looked scary, But somehow we made it on and scored on some good seats together. We are now home unpacking and resupplying our suitcases for our next adventure.

Spokane Visit

Off to Spokane to deliver Mary’s new computer.Woke up to snow this morning. First spotting of snow this winter for us. Scored on my new drivers license this morning.

Quick visit to Grandma’s in Portland

Had a quick trip to Portland to visit Steve and Grandma. All went well and the weather was great.

First Dinner in the New Kitchen

Had Bill and Family up from Gig Harbor and Stephanie and Tony over for our first dinner with guests. Everything worked out great starting with Anita’s suggestions for the menu to the mix of the guests. I was really happy and my thanks go out to Billy after arriving home from Sydney the night before proceeded by being away from home since a week before Christmas. Good show bro. You da man.

 

Let the Adventures Begin 2010

We are looking forward to a NEW Year. That will be Filled with many great adventures with Friends and Family.
Wishing you all joyous and great year
Anita and tommy

PS. We will be seeing you

2009 in Review

2009 was another GREAT year. Starting off with a trip to Cabo San Lucus Thanks to Anita’s brother Steve. We spent a week there at one of his super time shares. Then in May the Long awaited event came off without a hitch. Our niece Brooke (Bills oldest) got married in Boise. Then came summer here on Lake Sammamish. It was a hotter than normal summer, filled with water activity. “I sure hope I never outgrow playing in and on the water” But I do find my mornings filled with having coffee on the deck watching the sunrise ,wildlife and the first skiers to hit the lake. I use to be that guy, but hey I can wait for everyone to get their first run in and head off to work then when the air temp warms up a little and the lake gets calm once again it’s my turn.
As usual we made numerous trips to Spokane to visit Anita’s sister Mary. Anita catches up on the ongoing Frey activities while I do honey do’s for Mary.
  In Sept we did a road trip to Glacier National Park. Returning thru Canada. It was great. Lots of little hikes and fantastic scenery.
  Nov was the month of the long awaited kitchen remodel. It went off with nary a hitch and we are very happy with the results.
  My birthday and our 40th anniversary were spent in Spokane. Thanksgiving at Brother Bills. The whole DeLeo family showed other than sister Jane. For Christmas we did our annual Portland trek.
All in all it was another great year spent with friends and family. Everyone in the family from Anita’s 94year old mother to under a year Piper DaGata  (Patty Zimmer’s new baby) are healthy and happy.
Looking Forward to the Adventures of 2010!

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009. Another GREAT Zimmer Christmas. Had a good drive to PDX. Not much traffic, A little foggy but that did not disrupt the trip at all. Thur Night: (Christmas Eve) The whole Dresser family showed up for hot soup and good cheer.
Christmas morning everyone was slow to rise. After everyone attending church we enjoyed brunch followed by time to open gifts. Now everyone has settled in. The normal Zimmer game time, Tommy computer time and grandma and Boomer watching TV.

Spokane December Visit

Day I: (Thur) Headed out to GEG early this morning. Killing two birds with one stone. While enjoying a long overdue visit to the inland empire and Christmas season Frey style we are having our hardwood floors re finished and we are required to be out of the house for 24hrs after the finish goes down. Had a interesting drive over. As we rounded the last bend before the pass everything basically disappeared we were in the clouds or fog or whatever. During the rest of the journey we were in and out of low visibility situations with a few signs of ice on the leading edge of the aerial. Not much snow along the way and some traces of snow at Chez Frey.

Day II: Spent today doing honey do’s for Mary. Now everything is up and running until our next visit. Which will be in 2010. Oh yes almost forgot we met for breakfast with Fran and Barbara Burkhart.
Twas a good day, Still NO snow:(

Day III: Big wheels heading west. Headed out around 11:00. After an uneventful foggy ride home we arrived home around 3pm to our freshly re surfaced smelly hardwood floors.

Kitchen Remodle Week III

Day VIII: (Monday) Granite Day :) Things are on track now. Leif spent the day installing cabinet doors and drawer fronts. The boys from Fine Line arrived with the counter tops.  4hrs later we now have beautiful counter tops. Tomorrow the tile guy is coming to do the back splashes. We should finished on schedule, FINISHED this Friday

Day IX: BAD day!! Lot’s of little and not so little details to be taken care of. Thought I would go nuts for a few moments. Anyway we made it thru the day and hoping the resolves we came up with will do the trick. We will see tomorrow.

Day X: GOOD day the details were resolved to our satisfaction. Today the tile was all set and ready for grouting and calking. Dishwasher and disposal installed along with the faucet and most of the door and drawer pulls. Tomorrow the refrigerator , Stove and new doors are scheduled for instlation. Sounds like a big day!!!!

Day XI: Big day Things really started cooking today. In fact we can cook on the new gas range, put stuff down the disposal and keep something cold in the refrigerator. Even though none of the above have been done. They are ready! Waiting for a hose for the dish washer.  The tile is done! Tomorrow (Fri) there will be a couple small trim projects, The pantry door and install our new deadbolt. One of the larger mistakes by Kitchen Plus. Was the put a hole for a dead bolt in the kitchen door. So I took advantage of the mistake to negotiate and share the price of a deadbolt with a key pad.

Day XII: The Final Day! Leif arrived this morning and started putting the finishing touches on the kitchen. It was a full day,But he got her done!! Tomorrow morning the cleaning crew is coming in and then we can start stocking the new cupboards ect. Also next week Leif will be bringing in a couple of door facings that need some mods.

Old	NEW!!

Happy Thanksgiving Bill’s

Picked up Jason and Brook around 1:00 from SEATAC and worked our way to Key Center for a Thanksgiving day feast at Bill and Robins. Not only did Brook and Jason fly up from Los Angles. John came home from school at Washington State in Pullman. So ALL of us were togeather except for Jane and Larry who stayed in Selah. So it was Bill, Robin, Brooke, Jason, Adam, John and Tom and Anita. The bird was a winner. In fact other than eating just too much food it was a resounding success. Thanks Billy and Robin. There was even a little time for Billy and Adam to bond as seen in the picture

Kitchen Remodel Week II

Day I: (Monday) Today we got the cabinets above the stove installed, A bunch of skinning and moved and skinned the bar. It was a productive day. I am thinking things are on schedule. Also got a call from Crossroads Appliance and they got our missing refrigerator in. It will be delivered on Wed.

Day II: The Fine Line People showed as promised. We did have one problem NO POWER! Puget power was working on the main lines on the parkway. So we had no volts. The granite guy needed power for his hot glue gun to make the counter templates. He tried using a torch on the glue, but that got a little scary and we definitely did not to see the Big Red Truck coming down our drive. So rather than re-scheduling I grabbed the neighbors generator so we could power the pesky glue gun. It Worked! Thanks to Dave and Pati Page and their trusty generator. The Granite is scheduled for install on Monday. Yeah!!  

Day III: Today was a good day. Received the new refer this morning. Leif  got all the lower cabinets ready for Monday’s granite install. Also a couple more doors were installed. Look's like there is a little catching up in order as Leif is now planning on putting in a couple hrs. on Friday.

Day IV: (Thur.) Thanksgiving

Day V: Thanksgiving Holiday

Kitchen Remodle Week I

DAY I: Monday Leif our worker guy arrived around 0900. We spent the morning going over the details and he made some preparation for the teardown. Also our appliances minus the refrigerator arrived. Now we have officially moved out of the old kitchen for the duration. We have our necessities (coffee maker and microwave) set up in the cove room off the living room.  Life is good and we are anxious for this adventure to start showing some progress.

DAY II: Destruction Leif(the guy) arrived around 0730 and started gutting the old kitchen. The process went fast. The fun part was the discovery of lost treasures. Like price tags on the old cabinets The one I found was $22 for a cabinet base. The best one found on my wiring job was while changing outlets and switches I found one I put in when we remolded in 78 which was a outlet with a 3 for $1 Pay & Pack price tag. The ones I am putting in now are about $3 apiece and not as good. INFLATION! The destruction was complete around noon. Now we are waiting for the new cabinets to arrive tomorrow morning

DAY III: Waiting for the cabinets. Waiting,Waiting , WAITING! I hope this is not a sign of things to come. First the truck with the cabinets were scheduled to arrive around 0730 then 11:00 Now tomorrow morning. Waiting Waiting

DAY IV: Let the Progress begin. The truck with the cabinets and supplies just arrived. Good progress today. We now have the gas plumbing to the kitchen ,The sink plumbing is also ready for the new sink and dishwasher, And a few of the new cabinets are in. A couple of discrepancies in two of the cabinets but there should be no problem in working them out. Twas a good day.

DAY V: Friday Things should get a crackin around here soon. I believe today. will be spent putting in a few more cabinets and the pantry door.
The pantry door will wait to be installed so it does not get marked up hauling out the old and bringing in the new. All the drawers were installed today and some under counter skinning and more cabinet prep. This will all have to be finished up before next Tue when the granite guys come in to measure.
Starting Monday on Week TWO will be in a post above this one

Kitchen Remodel

Our Kitchen remodel is on track. After living with the same kitchen for over 30 years. Anita convinced me we should bite the bullet and redo the kitchen. We have been planning and checking out our options for a couple months now. The adventure is about to start. The people from Kitchen Plus are scheduled to arrive Monday Nov 16th. The new appliances should arrive the same day. Anita and I have been running around gathering electrical supplies as we are doing a little bit of rewiring (outlets, switches, and some lighting). It’s  going ok other than trying to figure out exactly how I wired the house 30 years ago. When I had to add new wiring to the existing original wiring. (No shocks or fires yet)
  I plan to follow this adventure through the process on this blog. Complete with pictures. More to come. Probably starting Nov 16th. 
ENJOY the Mess.

It’s now the eve of distruction. We are READY to rock

Happy Birthday Jane

Happy Birthday Lil Sis!! 
Love tommy and Anita