Went to see Grandma for her 98th birthday.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Cookie Making
I picked up my niece in Tacoma and brought her over to my mom's house on Vashon for some Christmas cookie making. We did it last year at my house and she had a lot of fun so I didn't want her to miss out. She was a pretty good cookie maker. She cut out all the cookies. My mom and I put them on the cookie sheets. Then she played around with the extra dough for a while, which she loved. I frosted all the cookies, and she put on all the sprinkles. She was very particular about the sprinkles. If they were not to her exact specifications she would not let us take the plate of cookies away. She also made an extra special Santa Cookie to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve. Too cute.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Day in Seattle
Eric and I spent the day in downtown Seattle. We went to the Seattle Art Museum and saw the Picaso exhibit. It was very interesting. Then we walked around the Pike Place Market and looked at the shops. And then we walked down by the Christmas lights and then went to dinner. It was a fun day on the town.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Our Pets
Our pets are all getting along. The cats are best friends. And Bella and the cats are coexisting together. I wouldn't say that they are friends yet. But the bushy tails and hissing have stopped. They still keep a distance from each other, but I am no longer worried about them.
And Bella is starting to listen more. She has gotten less jumpy and she is getting into a routine. We are still working on walking on a leash. She pulls a lot. But I have been teaching her to play Frisbee. She is getting the hang of it.
And Bella is starting to listen more. She has gotten less jumpy and she is getting into a routine. We are still working on walking on a leash. She pulls a lot. But I have been teaching her to play Frisbee. She is getting the hang of it.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Puppy Pals
Went to Jim & Lynn's house in Leavenworth for Thanksgiving.
We brought Bella. Kitt and April brought their dog Kelin.
They were best buddies.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Lena's 3rd Birthday
Lena's 3rd birthday. I gave her the certificate from the Mariners Game in a frame.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iH9wytfBb2a1cwPMA
We'll Miss you Dave!
Eric and I went to the Dave Neihaus Memorial today. It is not going to be the same without him. But we will have lots of wonderful memories that will live on through the stories he has told. Thanks Dave for making Mariners baseball great.
I am glad that Eric and I went. They had pictures of Dave on the big screen. There was a picture of Wes and I from his Hall of Fame night with a sign that said "My Oh My". You can't really see it that good in this picture, but Wes is in green and I am sitting next to him.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Halloween Tournament
We played in the Halloween Tournament in Arlington again this year.
It was lots of fun and pretty crazy.
Most of us drove up together Friday night. We stopped at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I was able to convince Carl to once again eat one of the hottest peppers that Eric and I grow. The Bulgarian Carrot. Last time Carl tried it he ate the whole thing in one shot...And then puked. So I wasn't sure if he was going to try it again. But it is Carl. He'll eat anything. So it ate pretty much the whole pepper again. There was certainly some crying and sweating, but no puking this time.
It was lots of fun and pretty crazy.
Most of us drove up together Friday night. We stopped at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I was able to convince Carl to once again eat one of the hottest peppers that Eric and I grow. The Bulgarian Carrot. Last time Carl tried it he ate the whole thing in one shot...And then puked. So I wasn't sure if he was going to try it again. But it is Carl. He'll eat anything. So it ate pretty much the whole pepper again. There was certainly some crying and sweating, but no puking this time.
We stay in the lovely Arlington Motel, and worked on getting our costumes ready for the next day. This year we were going as Braveheart. So we made some kilts, fake pleather armor, gauntlets and scabbards. It was lots of fun. The next morning we got up and started putting everything on. There were lots of layers so it took a while. Also, all the guys wore wigs and the girls ratted out there hair. We put in braids and tied stuff in our hair. And then we also had some face paint. Finally we were ready to play softball.
So the way this tournament works is that on the first day you dress up. The second day you wear your uniforms. Also guys hit left handed, and every other inning you run the opposite way around the bases. And in addition to that, on day one our team draws cards for positions. All pretty crazy. By far we had the best costumes. And as the day went on we started spraying fake blood everywhere. We also had a fake head that our coach took up to the coin flip. We call heads all day. We didn't play the greatest the first day, but it was lots of fun.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Happy Birthday John Lennon!
5 years ago Eric and I went to New York. One of the things I really wanted to see was The Dakota (the building were John and Yoko lived), and Stawberry Fields (the monument across the street in Central Park). So we rode the Red Line tour bus up there to go see it. The bus driver told us that we should come back the next day because it was John Lennon's birthday and every year there was a celebration at Strawbery Fields. So I made Eric come back with me the next day. I am so glad that we did. It was the coolest thing. There was a group of people with guitars and everyone was signing Lennon songs. It is something I will never forget.
Thank you John for your inspiring music that means so much to so many people.
Thank you John for your inspiring music that means so much to so many people.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Dockton Celebration
A new historical park has been opened in Dockton on Vashon. My grandmother grew up in Dockton. Knowing much of the history as she lived through it, the planning committee used some of her quotes on the plaques that mark the historical trail. She also spoke at the opening celebration.
If you can't hear the audio on the video here is a copy of the speech:
"If I had known ninety plus years ago when I was growing up in Dockton that I was going to be talking about its history to a group of people in 2010, I would have kept better notes!
My family moved to Dockton in 1919 when I was six years old. My mother and father, Mate and Mande Bogunovich, first came here from Tacoma to visit a Croatian family that we knew. The family had two acres of land on the beach with a cow, pig, chickens, and a huge garden. They could go down to the beach and dig clams or go out in the sound and fish. My father thought it was like paradise after working in the mines in Montana.
My dad couldn’t afford beach property, but he did buy five acres of uncleared land with a primitive shack on it. He worked for years clearing the trees and brush with only hand tools and dynamite. We didn't have running water, indoor plumbing, or electricity in this shack. We used a wood stove for both cooking and heating and we had to carry water from the water main on the outskirts of our property until we could afford the pipe necessary to bring the water to the house.
After a few years, the shack burned down and we lived in a shed on the property until my dad was able to build a better house In the new house, we did have electricity and water, but not an indoor toilet for a while. This house, with a new addition, still stands just a quarter mile away as the crow flies from where we are standing today. Once the land was cleared, we planted berries with the hope of making a living off the land. We also had a cow, pigs, and chickens as well as a garden and fruit trees to feed our family.
As was typical, the Croatian immigrants stuck together in our community. The Kranjcevichs and the Roncevich's eventually lived across the street from us and there were a number of Croatians that lived on what we called “Piano Row." The "unofficial" leader of the Croatian community of about 15 families was Mr. Theodore Berry. He owned the general store and was instrumental in the building of St. Patrick’s, the first Catholic Church on the Island.
When we first moved to Dockton, it was isolated from the rest of the Island. No one had cars and the present road did not exist. I remember when they built the road in the early 20's. They used horses and after a hard day's work, the men would take the horses down here to give them a bath.
The Park wasn't officially a Park until the 30's, but we used it for picnics before that. On the 4th of July, we would have a community picnic with food, races and games. My mother thought she was a fast runner, but she was always left in the dust by a couple of long legged Norwegian ladies.
During the summer, when our pasture dried up, my mother made me take our cow down here to graze because there were natural springs that kept the grass green and growing.
The building just up the road that is now used by the Water Department was originally my school. The two rooms were heated by a wood stove that was fed by the teachers and the older boys.
There were two hotels in Dockton in its heyday. The first one burned down a short time after we moved here, and when the Martinolich Hotel went out of business, it was converted to a school. It was a luxury for us kids because it was heated by a furnace, had indoor toilets and even had electricity. The bell we are dedicating today was used at this school. I was told that the bell was originally used to call the men in the community to work at the dry dock that operated here. The dry dock business left town before we moved to Dockton and I guess the bell was donated to the school.
The original school later became the Community Hall where we had community meetings, religious education classes, dances, bazaars, and wedding receptions. I had my wedding reception there as did my sister Jennie and two of my daughters. In the 30's, we had dances every two weeks and they were a huge success.
Transportation in the early days was mainly by boat. The "Vashonia" made three round trips a day to Tacoma. It brought the mail, freight, and passengers. Later, the "Concordia" was put into service. The last boat to provide this service was the "Yankee Boy", but by that time, more and more cars were on the road and the ferries were available to Seattle and Tacoma.
When we first moved to Dockton, the main grocery store was located near the dry dock. Mr. Berry later built a new store up the hill where the building still stands. Mail was delivered twice a day and we looked forward to going to the store to pick it up. Our social life revolved around the store.
The store sold gas, animal feed, nails, sewing material as well as groceries. Most families had an "account" at the store which was paid up when we could. My dad, as well as many others in the community, went fishing in the summer, so if they had a good year, the bill was paid up.
When we moved to Dockton, there were no churches. Mr. Berry was unofficially in charge of the Catholics here and arranged for periodic services which were held in his home. He thought we needed to have a church building so he got the Catholic men in the community to volunteer their labor to build the first church. The women did their part by fund raising. They had many spaghetti dinners, each preceded by a bazaar of home-made goods. Each family donated a chicken and a gallon of homemade wine for the dinners that were well attended by the Islanders. The cost to build the church was twenty-five hundred dollars. The first mass was said in the new church in June, 1923. The First Communion ceremony was held at the same time and I was one of the children receiving First Communion. I think I might be the oldest living charter member of the Church. If you go behind St. Patrick's, you will see a cypress tree grown from seeds I brought back from the church yard of St. Luke's in the village of Bacina in Croatia where I was born and baptized. I have one in my yard and I gave many seedlings to my family and Croatian friends. At the same time that St. Patrick's was built, the Norwegians were building their own church which was called the "Community Church."
I graduated from Vashon High School in 1930, the year after the stock market crashed followed by the big Depression. After high school, I commuted to business college in Tacoma on the boat. After I graduated, I was eager to go to work, but there was no work to be had.
By then, the boat building and dry dock businesses were no longer in Dockton. The once bustling town grew quiet with fishing and berry farming being the way most people earned their living. My dad died in 1933 at the age of 52 and my mother, sisters and I were left to try to make a living on the farm.
I have spent most of my life on the Island and I cherish the memories I have of growing up here in Dockton. I hope that others will continue to love this wonderful little piece of Island and will keep its history alive."
Helen Bogunovich Puz
September 25, 2010
Dockton Park, Dockton, WA
I have not gotten a chance to see the trail yet, but I did see the bell and the monument at the trail head which is located at Dockton Park.My great grandfather and grandmothers names, Matte & Mande Bogunovich, are included on the monument.
If you can't hear the audio on the video here is a copy of the speech:
"If I had known ninety plus years ago when I was growing up in Dockton that I was going to be talking about its history to a group of people in 2010, I would have kept better notes!
My family moved to Dockton in 1919 when I was six years old. My mother and father, Mate and Mande Bogunovich, first came here from Tacoma to visit a Croatian family that we knew. The family had two acres of land on the beach with a cow, pig, chickens, and a huge garden. They could go down to the beach and dig clams or go out in the sound and fish. My father thought it was like paradise after working in the mines in Montana.
My dad couldn’t afford beach property, but he did buy five acres of uncleared land with a primitive shack on it. He worked for years clearing the trees and brush with only hand tools and dynamite. We didn't have running water, indoor plumbing, or electricity in this shack. We used a wood stove for both cooking and heating and we had to carry water from the water main on the outskirts of our property until we could afford the pipe necessary to bring the water to the house.
After a few years, the shack burned down and we lived in a shed on the property until my dad was able to build a better house In the new house, we did have electricity and water, but not an indoor toilet for a while. This house, with a new addition, still stands just a quarter mile away as the crow flies from where we are standing today. Once the land was cleared, we planted berries with the hope of making a living off the land. We also had a cow, pigs, and chickens as well as a garden and fruit trees to feed our family.
As was typical, the Croatian immigrants stuck together in our community. The Kranjcevichs and the Roncevich's eventually lived across the street from us and there were a number of Croatians that lived on what we called “Piano Row." The "unofficial" leader of the Croatian community of about 15 families was Mr. Theodore Berry. He owned the general store and was instrumental in the building of St. Patrick’s, the first Catholic Church on the Island.
When we first moved to Dockton, it was isolated from the rest of the Island. No one had cars and the present road did not exist. I remember when they built the road in the early 20's. They used horses and after a hard day's work, the men would take the horses down here to give them a bath.
The Park wasn't officially a Park until the 30's, but we used it for picnics before that. On the 4th of July, we would have a community picnic with food, races and games. My mother thought she was a fast runner, but she was always left in the dust by a couple of long legged Norwegian ladies.
During the summer, when our pasture dried up, my mother made me take our cow down here to graze because there were natural springs that kept the grass green and growing.
The building just up the road that is now used by the Water Department was originally my school. The two rooms were heated by a wood stove that was fed by the teachers and the older boys.
There were two hotels in Dockton in its heyday. The first one burned down a short time after we moved here, and when the Martinolich Hotel went out of business, it was converted to a school. It was a luxury for us kids because it was heated by a furnace, had indoor toilets and even had electricity. The bell we are dedicating today was used at this school. I was told that the bell was originally used to call the men in the community to work at the dry dock that operated here. The dry dock business left town before we moved to Dockton and I guess the bell was donated to the school.
The original school later became the Community Hall where we had community meetings, religious education classes, dances, bazaars, and wedding receptions. I had my wedding reception there as did my sister Jennie and two of my daughters. In the 30's, we had dances every two weeks and they were a huge success.
Transportation in the early days was mainly by boat. The "Vashonia" made three round trips a day to Tacoma. It brought the mail, freight, and passengers. Later, the "Concordia" was put into service. The last boat to provide this service was the "Yankee Boy", but by that time, more and more cars were on the road and the ferries were available to Seattle and Tacoma.
When we first moved to Dockton, the main grocery store was located near the dry dock. Mr. Berry later built a new store up the hill where the building still stands. Mail was delivered twice a day and we looked forward to going to the store to pick it up. Our social life revolved around the store.
The store sold gas, animal feed, nails, sewing material as well as groceries. Most families had an "account" at the store which was paid up when we could. My dad, as well as many others in the community, went fishing in the summer, so if they had a good year, the bill was paid up.
When we moved to Dockton, there were no churches. Mr. Berry was unofficially in charge of the Catholics here and arranged for periodic services which were held in his home. He thought we needed to have a church building so he got the Catholic men in the community to volunteer their labor to build the first church. The women did their part by fund raising. They had many spaghetti dinners, each preceded by a bazaar of home-made goods. Each family donated a chicken and a gallon of homemade wine for the dinners that were well attended by the Islanders. The cost to build the church was twenty-five hundred dollars. The first mass was said in the new church in June, 1923. The First Communion ceremony was held at the same time and I was one of the children receiving First Communion. I think I might be the oldest living charter member of the Church. If you go behind St. Patrick's, you will see a cypress tree grown from seeds I brought back from the church yard of St. Luke's in the village of Bacina in Croatia where I was born and baptized. I have one in my yard and I gave many seedlings to my family and Croatian friends. At the same time that St. Patrick's was built, the Norwegians were building their own church which was called the "Community Church."
I graduated from Vashon High School in 1930, the year after the stock market crashed followed by the big Depression. After high school, I commuted to business college in Tacoma on the boat. After I graduated, I was eager to go to work, but there was no work to be had.
By then, the boat building and dry dock businesses were no longer in Dockton. The once bustling town grew quiet with fishing and berry farming being the way most people earned their living. My dad died in 1933 at the age of 52 and my mother, sisters and I were left to try to make a living on the farm.
I have spent most of my life on the Island and I cherish the memories I have of growing up here in Dockton. I hope that others will continue to love this wonderful little piece of Island and will keep its history alive."
Helen Bogunovich Puz
September 25, 2010
Dockton Park, Dockton, WA
I have not gotten a chance to see the trail yet, but I did see the bell and the monument at the trail head which is located at Dockton Park.My great grandfather and grandmothers names, Matte & Mande Bogunovich, are included on the monument.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Robert's Bleachers
Eric and I helped put together the bleachers at the Vashon Highschool football field that were put up in honor of Robert. Well, I mostly stayed out of the way while Eric and the other guys did the work.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Lena's First Mariners Game
My Mom, Eric and my brother Tony took my niece Lena to her first Mariners game. She did really well. She loved the moose, the music, and learned a little bit about baseball. It was lots of fun.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Zendershoes
Eric and I had a lot of fun a Zendershoes this year. Chris Zender won the singles tournament. I was playing in a softball tournament so I did not get there until after the doubles tournament already started so I didn't get to play in it. Eric was partnered up with Tucker and they won the doubles tournament. I did get to play in the golden shoe and won in the second round. It was only my second throw of the night, but it was a ringer. It was a lot of fun.
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Labor Day at the Property
Eric, Bella and I went to the property for Labor Day. It was forecasted to be cold and rainy, so we were pleasantly surprised that the weather was in the 70s. It was great. Tony, Susan and Lena also went. We finally made it down to the river. Earlier in the year the river was raging too fast to go down there. Finally it was slow enough to go hand out. Bella loved it. She was completely tired by the end. I floated down on a tube a couple times. It was great.
The Wheelers are living over there now so we saw them as well. We all went hiking up Silver Falls together. The kids did great. Lena walked up part of it by herself and Hugh made it the entire way without help. Then we had lunch up at the top. Bella did pretty good. I had to let her off leash going down hill because she was pulling me so hard that I almost fell on my face.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Long Beach
Me and the whole family went to Ocean again this year like we do every year. This year we went to Long Beach again and rented the same house. It was a weekend packed full of the usual favorites.
It was the International Kite Festival. The first day we were there it was a little windy so there were a lot of kites up. We saw the guy who flies 3 kites at once again and that was pretty cool.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jU82mgNbbpbrvpXU6
We went on a hike at the Leadbetter State Park. If was flat which was nice, but there were lots of mosquitoes because we went early in the morning, and there weren't that many birds because it was the wrong time of year. We did see some Common Terns in addition to the many Seagulls The path was a little narrow so I ended up carrying Lena on my shoulders for a good portion of the way back. But it was good exercise and nice scenery in places.
It was the International Kite Festival. The first day we were there it was a little windy so there were a lot of kites up. We saw the guy who flies 3 kites at once again and that was pretty cool.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jU82mgNbbpbrvpXU6
We went on a hike at the Leadbetter State Park. If was flat which was nice, but there were lots of mosquitoes because we went early in the morning, and there weren't that many birds because it was the wrong time of year. We did see some Common Terns in addition to the many Seagulls The path was a little narrow so I ended up carrying Lena on my shoulders for a good portion of the way back. But it was good exercise and nice scenery in places.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3MavfKCUL9erwDR57
We went Boogie Boarding. The waves were great. I actually was a little sore the next day from how powerful they were. Some were like riding a roller coaster.
We went Boogie Boarding. The waves were great. I actually was a little sore the next day from how powerful they were. Some were like riding a roller coaster.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8LhhWWqWN8uWNrBy8
We played frisbee, bochie ball and all the other games we could find.
We played frisbee, bochie ball and all the other games we could find.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jA17b3uyRqZQGjyz7
We buried Ryan again. We were going for an Octopus but it turned out more like a starfish. He was a good sport because he got a considerable amount of sand in his face since the kids were helping.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CWuK8guUmBwYX3Qx7
Bella loved the ocean. She tried swimming in the waves. She ran and ran and ran until she was dead tired.
We buried Ryan again. We were going for an Octopus but it turned out more like a starfish. He was a good sport because he got a considerable amount of sand in his face since the kids were helping.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CWuK8guUmBwYX3Qx7
Bella loved the ocean. She tried swimming in the waves. She ran and ran and ran until she was dead tired.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/k4R41UNxJhzjPKoq7
And we spent a lot of time hanging around the BBQ, or the campfire. And we saw lots of beautiful sunsets. You could also really see the stars, and also Venus.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gzvobh556nghqxHR6
We also played some marathon games of risk every night. I can't say that I did too well. Some how Eric seems to try and whisper in every ones ear as to how they should play and it never turns out good for me.
And we spent a lot of time hanging around the BBQ, or the campfire. And we saw lots of beautiful sunsets. You could also really see the stars, and also Venus.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gzvobh556nghqxHR6
We also played some marathon games of risk every night. I can't say that I did too well. Some how Eric seems to try and whisper in every ones ear as to how they should play and it never turns out good for me.
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