Given that it’s 2007, Mona and I have decided to embrace the latest internet fad and post our first blog entry (with a little help from Stuart).

We have had a grand time on a West Coast tour, starting with a visit to young Mona in Seattle for a week.  After a few days in town and visiting Mona’s office at Chateau Ste. Michelle, we drove up the Olympic Highway through the mountains to the East side of the Olympics for some gorgeous views.  We had a lovely overnight visit to a town called Mazama and stayed in cozy little cabin at the Freestone Inn.  Here’s a picture from our Chateau visit:

Next we headed down to the Bay Area for six days with Stu, Katherine and their little girl Claire.  We’ve spent most of our time watching Claire eat, sleep, play, cry (not much), and generally amuse us all.  We’ve also enjoyed many picnics in the backyard and had a fun dinner out Saturday at the local P.F. Chang’s.  Claire seems to change every day and we’re anxiously awaiting the latest weight statistics to see just how much she gained during our visit (it seems like a lot!).

One interesting thing we learned was a set of handy tips for soothing a baby called the “Five S’s” from a book called The Happiest Baby on the Block: Swaddling, Side, Shhh, Swinging, and Sucking. I didn’t believe it at first but a friend of Katherine’s and Stu’s lent them a copy of video that shows how to do it, and both on the video and with Claire these really work! If you have small children, definitely give them a try.

We’re heading back home this afternoon, but wanted to share our trip with you.  We’ve got lots more pictures — click here or on the picture below for a slideshow.