Apparently, this week's Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day are going to be ones I actually remember, due to the fact these photo memories are from a memorable week in August, back in 2017.
It was Saturday, August 12, 2017, when the Tacoma Trio of David, Theo & Ruby, their parental units, mama's Kristin and sister Michele, and little brother Jake, were staying in a large condo type place located near the middle of Birch Bay.
Birch Bay is a super popular touristy location located a few miles south of the border with Canada.
Growing up in Washington, with many relatives located in Whatcom County, where Birch Bay is located, going to The Bay was a frequent occurrence.
Often camping at the state park located at the south end of Birch Bay.
Birch Bay is shallow. When the tide goes low a large expanse of sand is exposed. That sand heats up, then when the tide rolls in the water gets heated, making Birch Bay, when the conditions are right, almost a tropical-like swimming venue.
As kids we would spend hours playing on the Birch Bay beach. At the state park part of the beach there was a big chunk of driftwood which we would climb on, over and over again.
That Saturday, back in 2017, we were scheduled to be in Lynden, at the Monumenta Cemetery, that afternoon. Brother Jake was my ride to Lynden that day. We decided to leave Birch Bay early so as to try and see some of the locations which were such a big part of our lives as kids.
Starting with me asking brother Jake if he thought that big driftwood still existed at the state park part of the beach.
There is one way to find out, said my little brother.
And so, we drove to the south end of Birch Bay to find ourselves pleased to see that all these years later that chunk of driftwood was still there.
But, somehow, all those years later, it looked way smaller than it seemed when we were little kids.
That is the driftwood you see photo documented above, in the photo I took that day.
After leaving the driftwood we continued on to find a location we simply called the Van's. A farm we frequented frequently, with the Van's being our cousins. We often camped and vacationed together with the Van's. I remember the Van relatives relatively fondly.
Continuing on we made it to Lynden, to Grandma Vera's house. Grandma Vera was my mom's mom. The house seemed HUGE when we were kids. Did not seem so huge in 2017. And then it was a block to the north, to Grandma Slotemaker's house, the one we most associated with that grandma, though there were several others. It was at Grandma Slotemaker's I first learned of The Beatles and saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Then Jake and I tried to find our way to Slotemaker Road, the location where our ancestors first settled in Washington. We gave up after a while.
Later, will a couple hours later, when Jake and I verbalized our inability to find Slotemaker Road we were told its location, and how easy it is to find, barely out of town.
Eventually Jake and I ended up following David, Theo, Ruby and their parental units to the Slotemaker Road location.
And here we see Ruby Slotemaker, on top of me, almost reaching the top of the Slotemaker Road sign.
Ruby's cousins, Jason and Joey, somehow managed to come into possession of the Slotemaker Road sign, a time, or two.
At my ripe old age, I sometimes wonder if I shall ever see Whatcom County and Slotemaker Road, again.
That and Birch Bay....
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