Seeking Solace in EWA's Spring Desert...

There were still lots of white-crowned sparrows, though I think most of them will continue Northward soon.

The magpie would come feed also, but was too skittish to get a close-up picture.

Such a lot of birds! And the lilacs are gorgeous! How do you keep the lawn mowed so nicely when you aren't there all the time? It looks like a wonderful place!

Driving around the countryside, we occasionally spot a ring-necked pheasant.

What town is your place in? Having driven my son over to WSU recently, I'm a little more familiar with some of that area.

But we have to go to specific locations to see our burrowing owls.

Good hard work is theraputic as well. Our big project for the weekend was to top a maple that had exceeded the height restrictions. What a job, but we got it all done and cleaned up!

Here's Julie manning the loppers.

Her husband, Don, was up in the tree with the sawsall.

Gwen, we have a "lawn boy" do the grass every week as we also have a watering system running in the summer. Sure wish he looked like a prototype "pool boy", but no such luck. He is in his sixties and quite overweight!

The house is on the Potholes Reservoir between Othello and Moses Lake. You pass within about 13 miles of it if you go to WSU on highway 26. Be sure to keep us posted if you pass that way again. We are over there every two or three weeks in the summertime.

I will close this epic with a view of one of many wonderful sunsets that we enjoy over there.

Wow... wonderful pics! Everything is so beautiful.

I could just lie down ands spend days doing nothing but breathing in the midst of all those lilacs. They're one of my favorite scents in the world.

Just stunning! LOL on the lawn boy. Yes, that would be nice!

That is a whole lotta limbs you guys cut down. Wow.

I know where Othello is because we spent the night there on the way over. We left on the 8:30 pm ferry and I knew I wasn't going to make it the whole way that night!

I will definitely let you know. Jesse is going over for registration the week of July 8 but I believe he's riding with a friend and the friend's dad. I'll have Jim drive Jesse over in late August when school starts, if I can. I let Jim take the boys off to college - it's too sad for me! (I like being the one to go an pick them up!)

But I hope to get over there a bit. I want to explore that area more. I loved Moscow and want to see what Lewiston is like. I also want to go and see the Mary Jane Farm place, which I believe is somewhere nearby.

I figure I have four years to explore. And to get sick of Cougar Gold. The latter which Jim hopes is soon. I brought a tin back. He said, "I almost fainted when I saw the price." LOL It seemed like such a bargain at $21. It's over $30 here on the island. Someone told me it was $19 at Costco. Figures. I bought it for a dinner party we were having. Then I forgot to serve it. So typical! It makes fabulous grilled cheese sandwiches.

Back to your tree topping - I'm surprised you have height restrictions out in that neck of the woods.

Pony, we normally do a lot of that laying around there. Soaking up the sun and enjoying smells like the lilacs and the sage. (And pigging out on the fresh fruits and vegetables in season. This is where we grow our tomatoes.)

Gwen, the whole community is on a hillside overlooking the Reservoir, so they do want to keep the views for everyone.

Well, time to move on to other projects. Next have to put together a memorial brochure for Mom while Julie is working on her memorial website.

Nice pictures! Love the sunset. Thanks for sharing your piece of heaven on earth.
My sons are off to college too. One to WSU and the younger to WWU. I will be so sad.

Do you have twins? We should introduce our sons!

P.S. Welcome to the world of double tuition payments.

NO twins. One is 20 and a trasfer from Everett CC to WSU and the other is 18 and going to WWU from high school. Not sure what I will do without them. My home will be a ghost home.

Springcolor, I'm with you. My son will likely start at WWU in the fall. It's killing me. He's trying to decide if he wants to do a year off to travel, etc. but either way, he'll be going somewhere. It's a very hard time.

Julie and Sharon, those photos were just what the doctor ordered! The wildflowers were not yet blooming during our Utah trip in April. I sure did miss seeing them. Makes me want to take a trip over the mountains to walk around.

I loved the owl photos! I want to say especially the baby owl, but I also loved the burrowing owl. We used to have those down in Texas in the desert. I didn't know they lived this far north. That owlet was so adorable! He looks like a toy stuffed animal but I'm thinking he is fiercer than he looks.

This message was edited May 14, 2010 11:04 PM

It is so nice to see the sights of my youth. Thank you from a tired Vet in AK. Soon to go home, but 4 more days of work out on the ocean.

Yes you will miss your kids when they go off to college - but each time they come home for a visit you will see changes, and you will be excited about what wonderful people they are becoming. And they learn just what a great mother you are and they will miss your cooking and your emotional support, and they will appreciate you even more than before. They may come home with dirty laundry, a strange hairdo, a long-haired maiden, or a new-found love for Kafka. But their brains will be developing and their minds expanding and that is exciting to see!

Well put, Portland! I absolutely love becoming 'friends' with my adult children. So nice to let go of the shaping and training and just sit back and enjoy the end result. It's also quite fun to exchange stories of things they did we didn't know about, and things they thought they got away with that we did know about. And the lively discussions at family dinners - such varied opinions on all the hot topics, done in a 'safe' environment - wouldn't miss that for anything. After beating each other up during the main course, it's back to fun and laughter over ice cream, with a friendly game of hoops after. What could be better?

Oh yes Bonehead - the things they thought they got away with but we knew all along! So true! And the dinner discussions! We once had 3 kids in college at the same time and it sure was lively when they all came home! They younger kids would just stare at them and wonder what happened to their big brother or sister.

Mine would always ask about what is was like to go to college in the crazy 60s, and I didn't tell them the whole truth...

Glad I have something to look forward to. I have to get through this part first.

As yet another parent of a high school senior, I totally agree that this is a time of awfully hard changes, especially for us moms. I admit I am an emotional wreck about it. This will be my first and only leaving home to make his way in the world.

Sofer, with all your hair-raising adventures on land and at sea, your mother is probably still beseeching the heavens frequently that you return home in one piece.

Holly, I'm with you in spirit. That makes at least four of us that I can think of without trying. Springcolor, Gwendalou, you and me. We'll all have a good cry together. And the moms who've been through this already and look back fondly will wait while we catch up. I wonder if the owl mom feels anything about her babies flying from the nest?

I found it interesting that after only one year at college, our middle son came home and said he wished he had listened to me more. Boy, was that a rewarding feeling! LOL Now when I give him advice, he actually listens. (Still doesn't take it as often as I'd like but definitely more than he used to.)

Yes, the four of us will have to get together and have a good cry. And then go plant shopping.....you know, a little retail therapy.

I thought at least when Jesse left, that Jeff would be back for at least a brief time after graduating while he collected himself and figured out what to do next. It was rather crushing when I found out he wasn't coming home at all. :( He is the one kid who will actually hang out with me, go to movies. The other two spend all their time in their rooms but Jeff was always the one kid hanging out in the kitchen. And he is my best helper, always cheerfully helping with whatever I need. Yes, it was definitely a crushing blow that he's not coming home.

I have only a little bit of advice for parents sending their kids off to school, and I didn't learn it from sending my own kids off. When I returned to school at age 42 I was among students who were for the most part 19 - 23, and I must tell you that they all have sex. Lots of sex. I have no idea how they have time to study. And they drink. So no matter how difficult it is for parents to accept this, you need to give them the tools to cope with those issues. Have the difficult talks. They will remember what you say.

My oldest son was rather indignant when in his freshman year he found condoms in his Christmas stocking and Easter basket. LOL

I was surprised to find out that the kids don't drink as much as I thought they would. Esp freshman year in the dorms. The dorms are fairly strict now in their rules about that. I had always had the talks about drinking with my kids in high school and told them to wait til they got to college and they were in dorms where there was no driving involved. The two older boys went off to college and were somewhat disappointed I had unknowingly lied about dorm life! I asked around with other kids at different colleges and apparently things are not what they used to be in that department. Altho I'm SURE it still goes on.

Gwen LOL @ the stocking & Easter basket! Pretty funny! My My kids all went to schools that seemed to have a lot of partying - especially Berkeley & Reed. Another thing I worried about was their stress level and if they were feeling overwhelmed with classes, etc. Now that I think about it, I had a lot of sleepless nights!

I think we have totally hijacked this thread. Julie & Sharon, you were in my thoughts yesterday as some of us were celebrating a new life that will soon be arriving. I hope the two of you are finding some solace and peace.

Luckily low stress level is one of the things I love about Pacific University. I don't know what WSU will be like. High stress schools was one of the reasons I wanted to move out of the Calif Bay Area. And we're not even talking about college!

Yes, apologies to Julie & Sharon. I wondered how we got from the beginning of this thread to drugs and sex, so I went back and looked. My bad.

No offense at the hijacked thread... isn't that what we do best in this forum? Besides, it brought back long lost memories of my college days... went to school at UW, but one of my best friends went to WSU so there was many a road trip to the dry side.

All of you with kids going to school at WSU keep in mind that if we are at the EWA house, we would love to provide you with a relaxing rest stop on your drive.

Moms will always worry. My 87 year old mom was all concerned withe being put of cell coverage this week. I think it's silly cause there were only 6 different wolf tracks on the beach I sat on to watch the sunset last night. Oh yes and a big brownie was seen there in the afternoon. But wait till you see the pictures!

What glorious pictures!!! Thank you for sharing your peaceful (and hopefully healing) time.

As far as kids leaving home, I had no trouble until my then 40 year old daughter (some of you met her this weekend) moved to California 7 years ago. That about did me in for awhile. It's still hard every time she leaves - yesterday really bothered me! She always calls me when she gets home - my daughters both turned out to be such caring, thoughtful women . . . I am grateful beyond words!

It was peaceful after a long day working with the lovely people there. It is only stressful becaue I was alone.

Carole, I really enjoyed meeting your daughter and would love to get together with you guys another time when she's up.

All of you with daughters are soooo lucky! I love my sons and I have a lot of fun with them, but adult sons are just not the same as adult daughters when it comes to hanging out, shopping, and stuff.

LOL on the hanging out and shopping with sons. Yeah, it just doesn't happen. I love my DILs. I'll be getting my fourth and last on the 30th of this month down in Texas. I can hardly wait. All our boys and their families will be together. So, picture this - 11 adults and 9 kids together in one house. Good thing they have 3 1/2 batrhrooms and lots of floor space. The son that is driving from NJ will be bringing extra air mattresses.

Jan I understand that big crowd thing! I have 5 sons, 2 daughters, their 5 partners (spouses, fiances, girlfriends, etc) and 7 grandchildren. They will ALL be here in July. It's fun, but eeek!

You are right about the sex and drinking, Portland. I was glad my daughter got through highschool without partying. Now I am glad my son got through highschool without partying. We're pretty open about those things in my house. I worry more about the stress of too many classes, or not waking up in time to go to class, or being too social and paying less attention to studies than to friends. It's not that I don't worry about the drinking and sex, it's just that I remember how I was when I was that age and I figure I turned out okay.
Yes maybe the moms whose youngest, or only, birds are flying from the nest this year can get together in September or early October. I'm hoping I'll be all cried out by then, but I can't promise. When I stop, my husband starts, so we're quite a pair lately.

Gwen, you have a fairytale view of daughters! LOL!

Pixy, I see my friends and relatives with daughters - they do a lot together! Way more than any of the mom/son pairs.

I think you're right, Gwen - my girls do things with me whenever we get the chance. They really are my two best friends.