Good Times Gone By

We sold our Polaris ATV this past week. It was a good thing. We have used it infrequently for the past three years and it was just one more hobby collecting dust and getting old with disuse.

Still, a part of me is sad. I miss the good times we had with it. The sudden expanse of the space in the garage is wonderful, yet bittersweet. It feels like there’s a hole in our lives. Odd that, when we haven’t hardly used it lately. But it’s like a fragrance that can suddenly call back a memory from long ago and it can feel as present as the first time you experienced it; so too, the moment you sit on the quad and go riding, all those good times come flooding back and don’t seem so long ago.

Well, we don’t have that luxury anymore. LOL We do have many wonderful photographs that also bring back a swell of memories.

Reiters Pitt - Gold Bar, WA area (now closed to ATV riding) - Sept 2005

What a view in that second picture above!

Sand Camp - Somewhere in Oregon the boys went - August 2006

Miles and miles of sand…

Rock Candy Mountain - McCleary/Olympia, WA area - April 2007

We even got the parents out with us! Look at ‘em go!
Despite the exposure issues, the picture on the right has always been one of my favorites of us.

Walker Valley - Mt Vernon, WA area - April 2007

Lots of fun in the mud on this trip.

Reiters Pitt - July 2007

Reiters Pitt - July 2007 (sensing a favorite location here...)

A few moments of needing a winch are always a good thing.

Reiters Pitt - Sept 2007

There’s that winch again…

Reiters Pitt - Nov 2007

Why do the boys love water and mud so much?

Winchester Bay, OR Sand Dunes - Feb 2008

Love those dunes!

Winchester Bay, OR Sand Dunes - Feb 2008

Little Sahara - Central Utah - May 2008

Massive dunes in Central Utah! Who knew?
We came across this awesome place as we drove cross-country to move to Pensacola, Florida.

Boggs and Boulders - Andalusia, AL - Sept 2009

I feel blessed to have had these good times and to have these memories to cherish. Now, we move forward to another season with new priorities, other activities to explore and adventures to be had. There is an endless abundance of activities and hobbies to experience in life and I look forward to enjoying as many as we can.

We do not remember days; we remember moments.
~ Cesare Pavese, The Burning Brand

A Visit To Washington

Some readers may have already seen these other ways but I thought it would still be fun to post a few pictures of our trip. We had such a great time. The weather was perfect – I hear from just about everyone that it’s turned grey and chilly already since we left. So glad we were able to enjoy some time outside with friends and family while we visited.

A day at the beach in Ocean Shores

A day in the mountains on Mt. Pilchuck

Another day in the mountains to explore Garland Springs

Good times with friends and family

We look forward to visiting again soon!

Each moment is a place you’ve never been.
~ Mark Strand

Good Friends. Good Food. Good Times.

One of the best things about friends (and family) is being able to get together, and no matter how long since you’ve seen each other, you have an amazing time. I always get nervous that after being apart for long periods of time that things will be awkward the next time you get together, but I’m happy to say I’m usually always wrong.

This weekend we spent the weekend with friends that we met while living in Pensacola, Florida, who have recently relocated to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We had a ball.

I was treated to my first ever crawfish boil!

Just look at all that crawfish – 65 lbs!!!

We also had burgers, hot dogs, pork chops, sausage, and chicken. Don reached “meat nirvana” sometime around 8 pm I think.

Then we worked long into the evening, peeling all the remaining crawfish so they could freeze the meat.

Of course I’m not in the picture but I was pulling my weight, trust me.

It was a wonderful weekend full of good friends, good food, and good times to be remembered. Thank you Tanya for inviting us and sharing your family’s special events with us!