May is Bike to School month. We got a start today and put Étienne on the big red bike. Finally he can shift to a climbing gear for the hill! Notice how happy he is.

About two years ago Carl started wearing a watch. My only stipulation was that he wear an analog style. I think the first one lasted about a year and got lost. Last Christmas, grandma Nancy gave him a new one.

After five months it gave up the ghost. The crystal fogged after two months and last week it fractured. I am so proud of him wearing the watch regularly and knowing the accurate time, we replaced it today.

This time we selected one without a plastic crystal. New on this one is a stylish band. It is much more difficult to get on and off but comfortable. I wish it was about half an inch shorter. Once on and using the shortest clasp hole it does fit great. Carl, you are being vary responsible, enjoy the watch. Dad.

This Easter I rode the bike down to Golden Gardens for an informal sunrise service. I spent the Saturday before riding through the rain on a Ramrod Training Ride in Maple Valley.

Here is my proof that I actually made the short trek down to the beach. You can see the flame from our fire in the lower right hand corner. I rode a classic Bianchi with down-tube friction shifters and sew-up tires. Sweet ride.

Enough about my bike ride, this was an informal gathering about a firepit starting our Easter day.

Ten gathered reading the two traditional ELCA passages and sharing our thoughts. Of the ten, three participants were walk-ons that learned about our gathering just yesterday. Matt joined us for pancakes at BFL later in the day. What a great start to a beautiful day.

Today was the Easter Egg Hunt at Loyal Heights Community Center. We attended last year and had a great time! The hunt is for up to 10-year-olds, but because Carl has a February birthday he is already 11. His friend Dylan spent the night, and Steve did a 55-mile training ride with Dylan's parents this morning, so I took Étienne to the hunt while Veronica stayed home with Dylan and Carl (playing Minecraft), and everyone was happy.

Étienne lined up at the start...

The view of the field...

Grabbing Easter eggs!!

The rain held off until after we had walked home. It rained all morning and early afternoon (Steve had a very wet training ride), but now at 5:30 it's dry and windy while we are off to kindle the Easter fire at the Easter Vigil at Ballard First Lutheran at 7!

I really did settle in for a tall glass of beer to savor and reflect on Wednesday's outing so far. I enjoy these day trips with the family, especially taking a ferry to get out. With my National Park pass I am already planning to drive up Rainier. When will Veronica start driving so I can ride the bike up and meet them?

The beer selections at Village Pizza tended to pilsner and IPAs. The Possession Porter caught my eye as something to enjoy while taking in the views from our window table. The dark brown American Porter was full of flavor and left a mild nutty aftertaste. I think I will hit Chuck's Hop Shop and get a few bottles.

This is a separate entry because it took two days of research to find the beer. There are pictures of the restaurant menu but not the back side with the beer selections. Note to self, when I find something I really enjoy, take a picture and write it down.

Our second road trip over Spring Break takes us to Whidbey Island for a visit with Laura Schmidt.

Here is a quick pic of the kids at the front of the M/V Kittitas ferry. She lives in the town of Langley and recommended a great pizza place for lunch.

We hit the beach for a stroll before the restaurant opened. That must have worn the kids out because they ate a whole 16" pineapple & ham pizza! I enjoyed a pint keeping my fingers clear of the feeding frenzy.

The highlight of the day was the ducks! They shied away from the kids. Étienne loves how fast they can run. Laura put out lettuce scraps and the girls really wolfed it down. Laura has nine ducks now and another batch arriving soon. We look forward to visiting to see the young ducklings. They get shipped, just hours old, through the mail in a small cardboard box. That keeps them warm for the trip.

Monday April 14 marks the first day of Spring Break for the kids. Judy took the day off and we headed out to the Olympic Peninsula. Our plan was to hunt waterfalls. I printed several pages off the Olympic Waterfall Trail web site. We packed a lunch for the trip.

The kids are looking forward to the trip while we wait to board the Edmonds ferry. It is a bit tight on the ferry but we all fit and enjoy the short ride to the peninsula. This is a popular ferry for bicyclists as they complete an eighty mile loop on the peninsula. I hope to do that myself someday.

Our first stop was Ludlow Falls. This was a short walk from the parking lot along a freshly laid cedar path. Veronica brought her video camera and did a great job getting up close to the water. This fall is a popular spawning spot of the wild salmon. I look forward to returning for the spawn.

Our second stop at Madison Creek Falls was a little too exciting. A short walk ended when we turned a corner and right there in front of us was the beautiful falling water. The kids jumped and screamed with glee. Again, Veronica got up close with wet feet and camera running. We set up our picnic lunch with Mount Olympus in the background. Our original plan was to hunt more waterfalls but with the blue skies and mild temperatures we elected to enter the park and enjoy the vistas along Hurricane Ridge.

We stopped along the way to enjoy another vista. Here we have Mount Hood in the background. We also saw our Ballard neighborhood. We are standing on the mountains that we see walking to school!

I am jealous of another bicyclist making the 5,200 foot climb.

This first picture from atop Hurricane Ridge is looking South. Don’t slip Étienne, it is a long slide down! The snow pack was very deep but we could climb the snow ridge to view the surrounding parkland. Veronica figured out that she lost feeling in her feet. I think the icy water and walk in snow finally proved too much for her Keens. Although we were the only ones in shorts on that mountain, with no breeze it was quite warm standing in the sunshine. Olympic National Park is beautiful and we look forward to returning, perhaps for a camp out!

On the ferry ride home, we see downtown Seattle with Mount Rainier in the background. Great trip.