Tiptoeing around the tulips

Because it's against the rules to go through the tulips at Tulip Town.

Fun fact: Washington State is the world's third leading producer of tulips. I bet you didn't know that. I didn't either until I just now made it up. But there is a big tulip growing area north of Seattle that we went to check out last weekend.

On the way up we stopped at an overlook to take some pictures of the valley so all of you not from around here could get an idea of what it looks like here. This is actually the Yakima area but Tri-Cities looks a lot like this from a distance and until I make it up Badger Mountain to get a good shot of our area, or you fly out here yourself, this is as close as you'll get.




So after about 5 and a half hours in the car, long enough for Ally to tell us that she didn't want to be on vacation anymore, we checked in to the KOA. No tent camping for us this time, too cold, we stayed in a cabin. Or as Ally called it, our tiny little house.


















It took Ally a few minutes to get used to our new surroundings.














But once she saw the playhouse at the playground she was happy.


















The next morning we went off in search of tulips. Fortunately, they like to keep a bunch of them at a place called Tulip Town for all of us tourist types to visit.
You aren't supposed to walk in the rows of flowers there but it seemed like we were the only ones following that rule. We managed to get some nice pictures anyway.

After we had had our fill of tulips (looking, not eating) we moved on to a quick drive over to Anacortes to see if there was anything to see there.

Anacortes is a small town on an island that looks out over the Puget Sound. We saw a few large boats getting worked on and several small ports. You can catch a ferry there to other islands out in the sound but we didn't have time. Maybe next time.


They also have these figures on the buildings downtown. We didn't really know what they were all about but thought they were odd so we took a few pictures.

We also took a quick trip up Chuckanut Drive. And no, that's not a euphemism for anything, it's a scenic drive along the coast. Although it was a little too overcast for nice pictures.

Stay tuned for our next exciting travelogue from the Pacific Northwest. Our next installment might be about the Oregon coast. Or not. You'll have to wait to find out.

Chris' Guide to Home Improvement: How to Change a Sprinkler Head

Hi and welcome to the first installment of Chris' Guide to Home Improvement. Today we are going to talk about sprinkler head replacement. We've got a nice sprinkler system in our yard and I turned it on the other day for the first time this year. Out of 20 or so sprinkler heads only one was gushing like old faithful, the other 95% were working just fine, not bad. So I had to trouble shoot and replace the head. If you ever need to do the same, just follow these simple steps.

Step one (one..one), we can have lots of fun. Step two (two...two)..there's so much we can do... oh wait, I lost focus there. Let's start again.

Step 1. The problem might be fixable by tightening the screw on the top of the head. Try this first. It's best to do this while the sprinklers are running, for maximum soakage. This also saves you from having to take that pesky morning shower that day.

Step 2. That probably didn't work. I knew it wouldn't but thought you might like to get wet like I did. Wasn't that fun? So, now look at the ring on the top of the head. It has the sprinkler head model number and will let you know which one to get at the store.

Step 3. What? The ring is the part that's missing, the part that's causing the problem? OK, simple fix. Just look for another sprinkler head in your yard that looks the same and write down that number. Ours was 15-O, the # is the psi for the head and the letter is for the spray pattern. The spray pattern isn't all that important but the psi rating probably is.

Step 4. Go to three different hardware stores until you finally find the right replacement head, sort of. You see, the number you wrote down from the other head probably wont' match up with any of the heads in the store. So find one similar. Instead of 15-O I bought 15-F.

Step 5. Make sure you buy the correct length of sprinkler head. I had my choice between 2.5 in and 4 in. Which did I need? I had no idea so I bought both, they're pretty cheap.

Step 6. TURN OFF THE SPRINKLERS. I didn't need to learn this the hard way, I've got some common sense.

Step 7. Dig out the grass around the sprinkler head. I made a circle about 6 inches in diameter around the head. Set the grass aside for later.

Step 8. Carefully dig out the dirt around the head. Make sure that your sprinkler head is as close to a big tree as possible. This will ensure that you will have the joy of stopping every 20 seconds or so to clip a big root. How far down do you dig? Well, that depends on your sprinkler head. I was fortunate and only had to dig down 2.5 in. By the way, I'd suggest doing this step before buying your sprinkler head. Then you can take it to the store and already know what size you need.

Step 9. Unscrew the broken head, replace with the new one. Refill the hole and replace the grass. Notice that there wasn't enough dirt to refill the hole? I guess all those roots and rocks you took out were actually taking up space. No problem, you can get some free fill dirt from your neighbors front yard. You might even find some good looking grass there to add around the head too. I'd suggest doing this at night, very quietly and without a flashlight. Or you could just get some from your garden, your call.

Step 10. Turn the sprinklers back on and watch in amazement as your newly repaired sprinkler system actually works! Collect 10 man points. Hope that over the next week as your sprinklers run your front yard doesn't develop a sink hole around the sprinkler head from a leak or something.

Step 11. Quickly lose your man points by writing a blog about what you've done.

In total, except for the running around to three hardware stores, this took me about 45 minutes, most of which was spent digging through roots.

Hopefully you've learned something here. The next time there's something wrong with your sprinklers, just give me a call. After all, I changed out one simple sprinkler head, I am now an expert on all thing sprinkler related.

So until next time, this is Chris' Guide to Home Improvement saying, stay classy internets.

It's Official: The Terrible, Bossy Twos

Dearest gift-givers,

Ally will be writing and sending you a personalized thank-you card-- eventually. Following our recent track record with untimeliness, Ally may literally be "writing" them. For now, enjoy these videos and know that your contributions to her happiness do not go unnoticed.

So, let the spoiling begin. First up, what's hiding in all those polka dots?


Ally unwraps another new friend.


The book Ally is holding before fetching another surprise is-- by far-- the most appropriate gift she received. Way to know your granddaughter! Little Miss Bossy, indeed!


"Oh, Wow! Oh my, that's cute!" The princess obviously loved the new clothes. We took Cinderella to Walmart on Tuesday to buy a new camera. Good thing she already knows how to sweep floors to pay off her debt!


Ally loads and unloads her people all day long into her big yellow bus. She even knows which one is the driver and if she's missing a passenger or two. "I lost a person! I can't find it!"


Two years old, and already too cute (and too bossy) for her own good. We love you anyway Ally, and we always will. . .

A Prelude to the Twos

Last Friday we commenced Ally's grand celebration by inviting some little friends over for a play date. They all made party hats (Ally was the only one who'd agree to wear the creation) and then helped themselves to cake, brownies, and ice cream. Then we ran around the backyard for awhile, chasing balls and frisbees, and warming ourselves in the sun.

After everyone went home and Ally finished whining about not being able to disappear with her friends, we took a walk around the block. (And that gave Chris a chance to clean things up. Thanks, honey!) Ally decided that she should be in charge of the camera on our expedition, so here's a picture of me and some of Ally's other favorite things in the neighborhood.




Stay tuned for pictures of Ally's actual birthday and video of her favorite part-- the opening of presents. Thank you to all who were kind enough to spoil our munchkin queen on her big day!