Sunday, July 27, 2008

Family Reunion







The Bates clan gathered in Boise for the first time in many years...the kids played, the adults gabbed, and a good time was had by all!

By the Sea, By the Sea...





We loved our time in Seaside...total relaxation and fun...Reed's favorite clam chowder at Rockaway Beach...sand dollars galore...walking the "Prom"

The "Bates" Motel





OH BOY! Reed and I drove to Hillsboro, Oregon to sell our b8sball bamboo bats, and then motor on to the coast for a couple of days. Unfortunately, there wasn't a motel room to be had by the time we were done with business. We drove around for 2 hours stopping at every possible motel...no rooms! We knew there was nothing from there to the coast...so we started back toward Portland. AHA! THE LAMPLIGHTER! VACANCY! HURRAY! We won't have to spend the night in the car! Hmmmm. Our first hint was that it shared a parking lot with the Sunset Strip Club...( I think it might have been a "by the hour" type of motel) but we decided to take a chance. I think the photos tell the story...EEUUWW! BUT, we didn't see the mattress until the next morning...we ripped down the rest of the mattress pad and the entire mattress was covered with bloodstains!!!!!!!!! Notice the bullet hole in the bathroom door...and, well, we lived to tell about it!!!!!!!!!

The "BLUE"


My sister, Karen, "road-tripped" from Kansas City to Coeur d'Alene with her daughter, Kelly, son-in-law, Sheridan, and their kiddos, Macy and Cooper. They went to watch Karen's daughter-in-law, Laura, participate in the Ironman Triathlon! So, as long as they were in Idaho, they drove on down to Boise! We did a little "tour" starting at Bronco Stadium...Sheridan wanted to see the blue turf...as luck would have it, that was the day they finished tearing out the old turf! Not ones to miss an opportunity, Kelly and Christa marched out onto the track and asked for a "scrap" or two...Sheridan said he was going to go home and make coasters out of them and send them to his friends in OKLAHOMA! HA! They did get their picture taken on a little bit of the blue!