The Blanding Bugle

Volume 21 Issue 8

August 2012

Ragnar

Doreen needed something to push her to train this spring and she really didn't feel like a marathon so instead she hooked up with a running friend and join her team for the Northwest Passage Ragnar Relay. Doreen decided to drag Steve along as their mascot and van driver. 

Ragnar is a 200 mile relay race with 12 of your friends. You break up into two vans and take turns running anywhere from 3-11 mile legs. Doreen was in Van 1 and ran leg 5. She did about 16 miles over the 36 hours her team was on the course.  The course started at the Canada/USA boarder and wound its way through towns and country sides and ended up at Langley on Whidbey Island.  Someone (not Doreen) got to run over Deception Pass!

It was a typical NorthWET race and rained the first day, but cleared up the second day and was absolutely beautiful.

Steve was the designated driver and admits that he did have a good time. "Who wouldn't in a van full of six women!" he admitted.

At the end of the race, Doreen asked Steve if he would do it again, "Sure," he replied, "I did have a blast, but I'm bring a tent next time."

Doreen before the race (she's in orange).

Doreen
She never takes a good picture.

Steve at the finish line waiting for the second van to finish or catching up on missed sleep.

Doreen after the race (she is front far right).

Camping at Fort Ebey

Doreen wanted to do a bit more camping (cheap vacation) so she dragged the kids up to Fort Ebey on Whidbey Island after her Ragnar Relay and camped at the very place she had just run her third leg of the relay. It was pretty cool!

Steve was unable to get the whole week off so he just spent Monday and part of Tuesday with the family. Jason had to work as well. 

The kids and Doreen had a great time riding bikes, hiking and playing in the Fort and just doing nothing!

Alex being shot out of a cannon.

Chris

Chris eating a Dutch Over triple chocolate cake.
Doreen experimented with some Dutch Oven cooking and it got "lick the plate clean" approval.

Chris and Jessie

Matt with Alex and Roxy.
Matt's telling a campfire story and added facial expressions for emphasis.

Deception Pass

Roxy

Steve

A Miracle

On the second day of Christopher's Eagle project the heavens were open in more ways that one. He had schedules work sessions in the late evening and all day the heavens were dumping rain.

In the Northwest we usually can handle rain, but this was hard rain and the sky wasn't just gray it was filled from side to side with black clouds.

Doreen was in tears. "No one will come," she said to Steve. But Chris had said that work would go one rain or shine so they headed to Sixty Acres and hoped for the best.

After unloading the tools, Doreen gathered her children under the rain fly and said a very specific prayer. I said four things:

1. We wanted the rain to stop when the first worker arrived.
2. We only asked that it stop for our little section of Redmond.
3. The rain could come back as soon as we were done.
4. We thanked him for the opportunity our family had to repay LWYSA with this Eagle Project.

Heavenly Father listens!

At 5:30 our first worker showed up and the rain stopped.  There was a little patch of blue sky over 60 acres. The rest of the sky was a black as before. Not one drop of rain fell on us as we worked.

When we left at 7:30 I had to turn the wipers on in the van to see.

Cub Camp

Doreen spent many years walking around with her boys at cub camp. After Chris moved up to Boy Scouts Doreen volunteered to be an adult helper.  Her arm was twisted and she became the BB Gun Ranger Master. She has loved every minute of it. This year she had Jessie and Kray join her.  Jessie helped at many of the craft stations and Kray was a fantastic leader in the Obstacle Course and Games.  The Director, Patty Spear, wants Kray to come back next year and she will let Doreen come because no one quite has the ability to get a young boy to hit the bull's-eye like Doreen--even if she is blind as a bat and can't even hit paper!

Jessie on the archery range.

Doreen on the BB Gun Range.

Kray and Doreen

Kray

Scout Camp

Matt and Chris went to scout camp and had a BLAST!

Chris was working on the very last few merit badges needed for his Eagle and Matt just wanted to have fun. Steve joined them at the end of the week.

Matt & Chris
The smiles say it all!

Chris's Trail

Chris picked a very ambitious project for his Eagle project. He wanted to pay back LWSYA (the local soccer association) for the many years it helped the Blanding by providing a superior soccer program.

He went before the board and pitched the idea of building a path along a fence line in the south sides giving the player, fans and coaches a safe place to walk. They loved it and Chris worked hard to get it approved. 

Work was planned for the Fourth of July holiday week and there were so many people there that he accomplished the task. He was a great leader and Doreen's FIFTH project is OVER!

Before construction. Path will go along the fence.

Chris and friends removing sod.
The path will be 300 feet by 5 feet long.

Chris and Doreen removing sod.

The family discussing how to build the wall.  

Kray removing dirt for the wall.

The wall: DONE! 

The pile of bark.

Bark on the path! 

Chris on his finished path.
We call it Christopher's Path

The finished path.