Family Time in Yakima, Washington

     Rick and I take off Friday afternoon at 3pm bound for Yakima, Washington to meet up for the weekend with my Mom and sister Liz and husband Dave.  They were on the tail end of a week long vacation at a time share in Chelan.  Both my grandfather and my father had pastorates in the Yakima Valley and our plan was to spend some quality time in reminiscing!  

First Presby Yakima

   The weather is beautiful - sunny and clear fall day, warm during the day but with a bite at night.  The tamarack trees are beginning to turn yellow and we find the sumac turning red once we get up into the valley.  

    We arrive in Yakima a little past 6:30 ready for dinner!  The plan was to go to Olive Garden, just 8 blocks away.  We find it really crowded on this Friday night! So we walk a block away and have a very good meal at the Subway!  Not real busy, so we sit and visit for over an hour after we finished eating.  I think the ONE worker wanted to clean up and be ready to leave!  

    Rick and I are in Rm 114 on one side of the lobby and the others in 125 at the far end.  At least closer than originally scheduled.  Liz made both reservations together - you'd think they would have put us a little closer!  All in all, not our most positive experience at the Cedar Suites this time.  We had key problems and then this morning Rick and I found our fire alarm beeping beginning at 5 am!  Ouch!  Rick finally pulled it off the ceiling (it was electronically wired) and handed it to the desk lady!  

    Saturday Dave and Rick stayed at the motel in the morning, while Liz, Mom, and I went "memory driving"!  Our first stop was the First Presby Church of Yakima - 1400 members in a HUGE old style brick building.  The morning was the bi annual clothing swap, so the parking lot was bursting and the gym on the ground floor was a beehive of people and piles of clothing being tossed around.  We did manage to wander a few hallways to look around and found a hall with former pastor pictures, so were able to see Grandpa's picture.  He served Yakima from 1943 to 1950.  It was while he was there they began vacationing at Lake Chelan and hence purchased the cabin up at Stehekin.  (Mom, Liz, and Dave took the Lady of the Lake up to Stehekin and visited for the day last week!)  

    Right across from the church is the Yakima Regional Hospital where Bob Mac and I were born!  And then on a bit of a goose chase to try and locate Grandma and Grandpa's house on Chestnut Street.  Mom didn't have an address, just a memory of which corner it was on and a little bit on the style of the house.  We eventually spotted one we think might have been it, but made that decision after we had passed it by, so I didn't get a picture!  

Parker Heights manse

    From Yakima we drove down the valley toward Wapato and to the area around the Parker Heights Church.  Dad served this church as a summer intern in 1943 while he was in seminary, and then became the called pastor in late 1949, serving until we moved to Sacramento in 1955.  Liz, of course, had many more memories of living in the manse and playing in the orchards.  She attended the first grade at the elementary school across the street from the church (it is now a government migrant labor education center).  The Parker Heights pastor was getting married later Saturday afternoon, so we won't have a chance to meet him on Sunday - he'll be on his honeymoon!  But we drove up and down some of the lanes, spotting houses Mom remembered and the grocery store where Mac started a fire in the car!  

Heading out of Olive Garden

    Back up to the hotel where we find Rick grading writing papers and Dave getting hungry!  We waited a little and then tried again for the Olive Garden at lunch time!  It is still busy, but not as long a wait!  We enjoyed a nice meal and perhaps talked just a little too long, because eventually Dave missed out on his train museum in Toppenish because we arrived after 4 pm!!  Oops!  

    We headed back down the old highway 97 toward Wapato, stopped at a fruit stand where Rick and I picked up 20 lbs of golden delicious apples for drying - just in case I never get any from the Shaws.  We also stopped at Campbell Farm where Rick and I have worked on two mission trips.  No wonder Dave didn't get to Toppenish on time!  We wandered around the little town some, Rick and I checking to see if the Folklore Soda Factory was still open.  It is, but only Monday through Friday.  :(  

     We drive back up the Valley Road, past the church again, to Yakima and a little "nap time"!  Rick watches football and I get some of the doodles drawn.  Grandma is itching for ice cream, so around 7 we head over to Dairy Queen!  That makes her happy!  Back to the hotel and Mom, Liz, and I go into the lobby for a table and four rounds of Spite and Malice!  I got spanked!  

    Sunday morning dawns early for Rick and I due to the alarm!  He went back to sleep eventually, but I got up and dressed to attend church at First Pres Yakima with Mom and Liz.  They have an 8am contemporary service.  We were a little late because we ran into a lady and her daughter in the coffee room who had driven up from Texas to attend the PH pastor's wedding!  

Mom, Liz, and I in front of Dad's picture at PHPC

    The senior pastor at FPY is quite young to serve this big a church!  Awesome guitar music, three screens, etc!  But the sanctuary is almost a Gothic huge vault feel with the big rose window at the front.  Brick and wood interior.  Modern touches on an ancient base.  The choir loft had 60 seats!  

    Check out of the hotel and then both cars enroute to Parker Heights.  We will leave from there after the service and part ways at Toppenish!  Mom runs into some people who remember the family and can update her on names and people!  A most gracious welcome to all of us.  Funny to find a picture of the whole family (well, Liz and Marg) in front of the manse up by the picture of Dad!  

     We head for home around 12:15!  Smooth drive!  Home at 4.  

     One other note - it is such a small world!  Not only did we run into some people attending the wedding at the hotel, but Mom visited on the Lady of the Lake last week with Julie and Jerry Rodgers, parents of Luke's roommate Chris  his senior year at Linfield!  They had a great chat!  Mom can find people to talk with EVERYWHERE!  

View all pictures from weekend. 

Sisters of the Traveling Gospel Retreat - Wallowa Lake

Group picture in the giant chair - cabin on left.

October 9-10, 2010
     Just one Rembold is on the road this weekend, although I think Rick did take off for a hike on Sunday!  Thirteen women from the Presby Church took off for a night at Wallowa Lake and a stay in the Langrell Grizzly Bear cabin.
     We left Baker at 9am, with Jean, Betty Kimbell, and Trisha driving.  For once, I didn't have to drive, which was kinda nice.  I was prepared to and had the van there, but was told it wasn't needed. Rode with Trish both up to the lake and home again on Sunday.  Probably the most sustained time we have had to visit and talk in years.  It was good.
     Met in Joseph at the "blue lady" and ate lunch at Mountain Aire restaurant.  I was trying to be good on my diet, so ordered the chicken soup instead of clam chowder.  It turns out to be chicken torilla soup, which is very spicy and quite thick - with masa harina probably.  I ate about 3/4 of the bowl and decided that was enough!  Also had a side salad.
     We took about a hour to poke around some of the shops after lunch; well, two carloads did.  The other two cars went straight on up to the cabin.  Dorothy's mother was with us and it was nap time!
     The Langrell cabin is awesome.  Six bedrooms, five of them with double beds, and the sixth with two bunk beds (sleep four)  Four bathrooms!  A huge kitchen with a table that will seat 13 or 14.  Big posh couches and a gas fire place.  Decorated with taxidermy everywhere, included a giant standing grizzling bear!  We couldn't go into the tree house, much to Liz Romvedt and my dispare!
     First activity was to make our "memory books" using the leftover materials I had from school and our Orihon Japanese book project.  Everyone thought they were pretty cool and enjoyed the project.  Then we were to have our devotional time, but I suggested a short break outside in the sun, since we couldn't guarantee it was going to shine for long!  We took a group picture on the chair.  I was so impressed when Louise Trapp said, "Pull me up!"  She is game for anything at age 85! The seat of the chair must sit about 6 feet off the ground!
     Then a short walk, which evolved into a 25 minute loop down along the river and six of us arriving back at the cabin after Dorothy had already started her "lesson".  Ooops!  Discussion of 1 John, chapter 4, "We love because he first loved us."  Music - I had brought the green books and the old guitar along.  I hadn't played it in years, but we sang for about 45 minutes and had a great time with a blend of old and new, contemporary and sacred.

     Spaghetti for dinner, with bread, and a huge tossed salad.  Even some meatballs!  Louise brought brownies for dessert.  And of course, a couple bottles of wine to round things out!
     After dinner one car headed back to Baker with 4 passengers - all women who for whatever reason couldn't easily stay the night.  The rest of us were all in our PJ's (lounging wear!) by 7:30 and settled into two rounds of Quiddler which lasted until after 10!  Amber and I slept up in the bunk bed room.  I don't think I have slept that hard for some time.  Hardly moved, woke up just once.  Not a dream in my head!
     Up at 6:30 to head downstairs and exercise before too many people get up.  By the time I got to my devotional time, it was getting pretty hard to concentrate!  Trisha and I left around 7:30 to walk up to the Boy Scout Camp.  Had a great little "hike", and watched the sun rise on the peaks behind the camp.  Trish was amazed to see the flood damage and wasted new log hall just sitting there.  So sad.  
     Back for breakfast, clean-up, and then a rousing game of "Chicken Foot" Dominoes!  I had never played that before and thought it was pretty fun!  Very different from Mexican Train.  

     We leave at 10:15 to drive to Lostine for worship.  It is a beautiful sunny morning.  Don't know where the rain clouds have gone, but like the change in forecast! 
     At Lostine Presby, we find the pastor is gone and the children are leading the worship.  It is a wonderful service and I fill my bulletin plus an envelope Amber handed to me with doodles and pictures!  I will add one to this blog when I finish getting it "painted" on the computer.  
     We drive to LaGrande where we stop at the Quiznos for a bite to eat and then on in to Baker.  The weekend has been delightful and a sure success.  The Sisterhood will have to get together again next year!