Meanwhile, we'd been making plans with Daddy's parents to go on a camping trip with them at the beginning of July. Reservations were purchased, the time off from our various works had been granted, and everything was set. The Munch was asking me daily (seriously) when we would be going camping with Grandma and Grandpa, she was that excited. Then we learned of these other family plans. We couldn't just throw our own out, but obviously we all HAD to get some time with his aunt and uncle too. At first, Grandma planned to take a bus up by herself so she could see them, since the uncle is her brother, and all the driving from both this trip AND the soon-to-come camping trip would likely be too taxing on Grandpa...but soon that changed and before we knew it, we were making room to host both parents while their dog stayed with Daddy's sister (who also has a dog), out in the burbs (and where the aunt and uncle were staying as well). Then came the matter of when we and they could actually get together with said aunt and uncle, because of course, having lived most of their lives in this area, they had many, many other people to see as well!
It all was a bit of a whirlwind for a few days while the last plans were tacked into place, thrown out of place, and tacked back in again, but we finally settled on the Saturday after they came in, and we spent a good portion of our time with them that day down in Chinatown...Which is a little ironic considering that the last time we did anything with them in the city, several years back now, it was also in Chinatown. Guess it's our favorite go-to spot, even if it's a rather long train ride! :)
Grandma and Grandpa, aka Daddy's parents. :)
Our lovely Aunt L and Uncle G.
Meanwhile, Daddy was covering his head muttering about how we all 'looked like tourists' with our cameras out. Well...THEY all are!
I have a friend who lives in Chinatown and knows (and has taken me to) some of the really good spots, so I led our little troupe--myself, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, and Munch--to the closest one. And as 'luck' would have it, their small, crowded restaurant had precisely one table open, and that table was *just* the right size for the 7 of us! YAY! The food was perfect for everyone as well; Grandma in particular was worried about the grease content...stuff's cooked in oils so much of the time, after all...but she was very, very happy with what was served to them. I have my friend to thank for that little success, because I wouldn't have remembered the place without her!
Afterward, we walked a couple of blocks up to a park where what had been billed as a very kid-friendly neighborhood festival was going on. Dragon Boat races. Sounds exciting and fun, and it was being held right on the river at a very nice park with an excellent little playground to boot...But the park lies on the opposite side of freight train tracks, and before we could actually go in to see the races, we had to wait for an extremely long train (it had an engine in the MIDDLE, it was so long!) to pass by. It was a tad annoying, since we were arriving close to the time that the races were scheduled to be finishing, and we didn't know what, if anything, the train was causing us to miss, but our uncle was quite pleased. He's worked with model trains for years, so being right up next to the real ones is always a treat for him.
When the last car finally passed, we hurried in, only to discover that the races were actually really, really boring...there were only a few left, they each took at least 20 minutes per race to set up, and the sun (when it wasn't raining--we were getting intermittent, sudden downpours, one of which came when there was no cloud above us at all!) was extremely hot and direct. It probably would have been more exciting earlier in the day when there were more contestants still in the competition then (including a team from Daddy's company, which intrigued him very much), but by the time we got there, they were in the semi-finals, and everything was going so slowly...maybe they were giving the crews time to rest between races?
At least we got to see one race! :)
The Munch enjoyed the play area for a bit, we took in the water and the music (they played some swing, so of course Daddy and I lindy-bombed!), and hung around chatting for a bit, then we headed back home, where a grill (for dinner) and some more sit-down-and-chat time awaited us. But all too soon it was time to say goodbye. We didn't get another chance to see them while they were here, for various reasons, so I guess Seattle is where we'll meet again!
But until then, there is one little girl who was VERY happy to have her peoples with her for a day. :)
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