Farewell Visit with Kristen and Matt in Bellingham

Dear All, Vonnie and I had a wonderful visit with Kristen and Matt on Thursday and part of Friday of this past week. Since Vonnie was studying for a test, the rest of us went out to lunch at Old Town, a favorite restaurant which is natural foods and artsy-fartsy, has a play area for kids, and where Matt created his own with the high chairs behind our booth. Then we went to the Children's area of the Art Museum (which I had only heard about), which had regular trains set up for the kids to watch and to control in speed and stopping, and a larger train car that they could ride and push. Matt seemed to like pushing best, and would wait until other kids were on the train, then push it up and down the 10 foot long track. The museum was a walk-in array of large and outfitted play stations, an igloo, a tree house, a prarie dog town, Victorian doll houses, a ping pong ball that went through ceiling clear pipes on air bursts from a kid controlled machine, castles, a Japanese tea house, as well as the trains, which , of course, were the hit of the day. Then Kristen and I and Matt went to see the movie about the huskies in Antartica called EIGHT BELOW, which was very fine. A sidelight is that those dogs live most of the time here in Bellingham, and Vonnie and I have met them and petted them at the grocery parking lot, more than once. Linda, that's at Haggens. Kristen took us out to eat at the Japanese Steak House with the entertainment of knives and fire volcanoes at the table with an excellent showman cook; the show and the food were fantastic, steak and shrimp and chicken and all the trimmings. Like in Oklahoma with Brandi and James David at the barbeque restaurant, we had lots of leftovers for later. Matt enjoyed it all and even was picking up green peas with his chopsticks! That night we watched SURVIVOR (Vonnie and I are fans, fairly addicted ones) and the Olympics (women's long skate). Friday, Vonnie was with us and suggested going out to Lynden, a Dutch town with windmills and the Dutch Monther's Restaurant for special treats. We also went antique shopping: Kirsten found a viewmaster with its original box, and Vonnie found a sturdy, cute cradle for her new kitten Kim to sleep in. Matt found a barber pole that twirled in white and red light and was fascinated with it. We saw it going and coming up and down the sidewalk. Back in Bellingham, we went to Tube Time, a Matt favorite, which is like a giant and expanded and more challenging MacDonald's play area with slides (ask Kristen what that is like), and ball pit, and rope ladders and all sorts of challenging and fun tunnels and paths for kids. We always figure that it could be good for 2-4 hours. Invariably, the adults wear out before the kids do. It was a very nice, wonderful last time in Bellingham for a while, with family. We will surely miss Kristen, Steve, and Matt, but will be the bon voyage wavers as all of you head out for your cruise in the summer. Love, Aunties Llew and Vonnie