Last day

The youngest member of our Aussie family has been with us the past month, along with her boyfriend. It's the first month of a 9-month American vacation, and we've loved having them with us. Natalie and Anton have been busy. Dave and I helped them shop for an RV (they ended up buying a used truck and camper), get repair work done, and shop the thrift stores (and Ikea) for the necessities like bedding and kitchen wares. Natalie took over the sewing room and made new curtains and cushion slipcovers for the camper. And we all loaned the extra things we had, everything from dishes and pillows to a spare set of tools from Bob, for "just in case."

Anton, Natalie, and Dave at Snoqualmie Falls

It's all come together, and they're ready to hit the road. This morning we went to breakfast at one of our favorite places, the Fall City Roadhouse, then drove up the river to check out Snoqualmie Falls. They'd seen the falls a few days ago, on the way to visit friends in Carnation. But today it looked like a different waterfall, with the water roaring over the top, and the spray and mist rising from the river almost as high as the falls. I'm glad they got to see it this way, in full force.

Between the spray and the brilliant morning sun, it was nearly impossible to get a good photograph. But I like it anyway... it's just what we saw this morning, and it will be a good reminder.

Tomorrow morning they head out on the next step of their journey. For the next couple of months, it will be all about skiing. First stop is Spokane, where they'll ski 49 Degrees North and Mt. Spokane. Then they head east to Bozeman, Montana for (maybe) a couple of weeks' skiing at Bridger Bowl and Big Sky. From there, they'll chase the best snow. Maybe Salt Lake, maybe Jackson, Wyoming.

After that, who knows? They'll have all the roads of the West to explore, and months of time to do it. How cool is that??