Tripolitan

Readers of this blog......who's tried Tripolitan ice cream? Mango, sweet corn and yam flavor. The purple one is the yam flavor.

So I bought this thinking, "oh, this is something we can't find in the States. We should try it." Being the more adventurous foodie of the family, it didn't occur to me the ribbing I might get when I brought this home.

When I said, "who wants ice cream?" The kids were in a roar and hovering while I scooped. Rob said, "I just want the mango." A few minutes later Parrish gave me back her half eaten bowl and said, "can we put this in the fridge? I don't want the rest." Sabrina just simply said, "I don't like it" as she set her bowl down in front of me. Rob finished his despite scooping him an equal amount of all three flavors, but grimacing at me the whole time saying, "what made you think of buying this?" I said, "well, you finished yours!" See what I have to put up with. *grin*

A kiss for you....

We have returned to Singapore from a wonderful trip back to the US this summer. We had a great time catching up with friends and family, got to spend time with our black lab "Lucy", visited our favorite hot spots for eating and shopping, we welcomed a new niece/cousin to the family, Heidi went to her 20 year high school reunion, Rob had guys weekend in Seattle for a Mariner game......and we also dealt with the not so fun stuff with our rental properties. All of this sent me back to Singapore with a mix of feelings about where I prefer to be.

Oregon Part 1

Early in our trip we met up with friends at one of our favorite pubs. There just wasn't enough time to visit with everyone as much as we would have like to, but nonetheless, it was nice to say hi and get a hug. Thank you to everyone who came out to see us this night!

Having Papa Bill and Grandma Sue at the beach house with us 4th of July weekend was a special treat.

Hanging with friends that were incredible hosts during our stay, THANK YOU!
I not sure what I'm impressed with more, Parrish's 60's look or getting a ride from a 2 year old in a Cadillac.

Some time in Denver

Ahhhhhh.........laying in soft grass on a summer's day with sun warming the skin. I think this is one of my favorite things to do during summer. Caught Parrish doing this just outside my mom's swim club. I have a new appreciation for grass that has no sign of ants or dampness. Something we contend with all the time here in Singapore.

The neighborhood pool at my mom's house in Parker was fun to visit almost every day. They don't heat the pool so it was really cold! Now why doesn't this bother young kids with barely any body fat?

Cousin Raeanne shows Parrish the horses she gets to work with this summer as a camp wrangler for the Girl Scouts.

Sabrina walking with a mission as we hike around the grounds at the Scout camp. It was so nice to be in Colorado for the summer for me. It brought back memories of how nice it is to grow up and live in the Denver area. I was enchanted with the beauty of the Rockies and company of family.

The town of Parker has an old historic section that we could get to on a pathway from my mom's house. This made a wonderful leisure afternoon with just me and the girls. Rob headed back to Portland for a few days and then had to return to Singapore for work.

Below: visiting Tiny Town USA. A village of over 100 buildings at 1/6 scale size. Open to the public since the 1920's and at one point was the State of Colorado's most popular attraction . This is not far from where I grew up, but I had never heard of it until now. The train is tiny too, but big enough for adults. The kids loved it. The afternoon shower and thunderstorm didn't spoil the picnic. How fondly I remember these from summers of my youth!

Cory getting a nudge for a smile from my sister.

Oregon Part 2 - meeting new cousin

A long goodbye

Getting some time to spend with Lucy this summer was so fun. She is turning 12 this August and we sure do miss her. Rob's sister Suzy and brother-in-law Tim have welcomed Lucy into their home and made her part of their family. She lives with two yellow lab cousins that keep her company and kindly encourage her to eat all her dinner as they are held back while Lucy is served first. I know it's an odd thing for a lab to be finicky about food, but for some indescribable reason, that's the way she is.

We had a lot of great beach time. There is no shortage of unique places to eat drink on the Oregon coast. This Tiki bar (below) was the place for coffee and a chat with the owner's parrot named "Gypsy".

Things I love about Oregon.......

Can you tell where Parrish is?