More August Events - August 2015

After returning from Utah, we finished the month with some more memorable events which included:

Tri-Cities Triathlon

 

 Kent and Natalie had told us about the Triathlon that Ethan and Ella were participating in Tri-Cities.  We had just returned from Utah a couple of days before and had sort of forgotten about it, but were so glad when Kent texted us that if we wanted to come, we needed to hurry over to the park in Tri-Cities where it was being held. 

When we got there, the kids in Ethan's age group were already in the water.  Ethan has the aqua blue shirt near the left of the screen.

The kids have to swim a half mile in this cold Columbia River water.

And they're off!

Upon reaching the half-mile mark, they take off for their bicycles.

Now they're off on a 3-mile bicycle loop.

Ella's group started about 10 minutes after Ethan's group and I didn't get her in the water.  But here she is on the bicycle part.

The final phase is the mile and a half run.

Since Ethan's group went out 10 minutes later than the older group, the time in the clock for him would be 10 minutes less.  He actually got fifth place overall!

We were so proud of his hard work and great effort he put into this!  He was dynamite!

Now we watched Ella come in.  She did fantastic, too, in her first-ever Triathlon!

Ethan and Ella with their proud parents.

Proud Grandparents!

So glad we were able to attend this event.  It was so much fun!  Way to go, Ethan and Ella!

Ethan and Ella with some of their friends who, also, participated.

Trip to Coeur d'Alene and Spokane

We were thrilled when Larry and Beverly invited George and me for a week-end get-away to Northern Idaho for the weekend.  Larry had business in Coeur d'Alene and asked if we would like to drive the three-hour drive to join them.  They were bringing my dad, who is 92 years old, with them.  

We were thrilled to see both my dad and Larry and Beverly.  Plus, what's there not to love about Coeur d'Alene?


Beverly shot this beautiful picture of the marina as we were walking around it.

 This was the party cruise boat we thought we were eating dinner on that night, and when it pulled out, we were so worried that we had missed it!  But fortunately, our boat was just behind it on the other side of the boat--and yes, we made it in time for our reservations for the dinner cruise.

Our boat was much quieter and we were able to sit on the top and eat while watching the beautiful scenery as we sailed by.

 We saw many beautiful homes along the river.

 I believe this gigantic home is owned by the owner of the huge lodge there in Coeur d'Alene.  It was really something to see!  

These are actually over 6,000 square foot individually owned condos within one building. 

They certainly have quite the view!

 After the dinner and cruising of the river, we came back into the dock by the lodge.  A beautiful full moon was shining over everything!  Beautiful evening with such wonderful company!

 The next day, Larry treated us to a tour of the beautiful Federal Courthouse there in Cour d'Alene.  Since he is a Federal Judge, he had the magic key card to get us in most all of the places there.

 It is built in the middle of a forest and up quite high.  You feel like you are in a tree house looking out at the beautiful nature all around.  Larry said that usually three deer are there, but they were mowing the lawn today, so it must have scared them away for today.

Larry shared with us a little about what goes on here and a little of the history of this fantastic building.  This is one of the offices he uses in the building.

Next we went into the courtroom.

  We totally enjoyed this "field trip" to learn more about the federal judicial system and Judge Boyle's part in it.  Thanks so much for the tour, Larry!  We loved it!

We next took a trip out to Farragut, Idaho.  I don't think I had ever heard about my dad's experience working here, so it was fascinating to learn about those six months of his life, as well as see the place he was talking about.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese made a surprise air attack on the U.S. Naval Base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where the Americans lost more than 2,400 lives, 21 ships that were either sunk or damaged, and more than 188 U.S. aircraft destroyed, with the U.S. declaring war on Japan the following day--officially bringing the U.S. into World War II. 
As you can see from the sign, this is a steel roof truss that was salvaged from the Ford Island Naval Air Station in Hawaii.  It is one of only a few Pearl Harbor artifacts on display outside of Hawaii Hangar Six, which was nearly destroyed during the bombing. 

It is said that Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was flying to Seattle when she noticed Lake Pend Oreille.  She knew her husband, the President, wanted a location for a naval training center that was secure and inland (this area is 300 miles away from the Western Coastline!) so that their ships couldn't be bombed again where their men were training.  President Roosevelt made a secret tour of the area, and in March 1942 ground was broken on what would be known as "Farragut" Naval Station, named after the first Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, David Farragut, the leading naval officer during the Civil War Period.  He was the one credited with the famous command, "Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead." 

 
 Farragut Naval Base rose almost overnight on fields and hills that had only been a stop for early Indian and pioneer migrations.  
For the next nine months, more than 22,000 men worked 10-hour shifts for 13 of every 14 days for a construction company that built mess halls, libraries, movie theaters, living quarterschapels, and other buildings.  
So, here's where my dad comes into the story.  He was one of those 22,000 men who helped build Farragut by carrying the wood and supplies to where the carpenters were building!  He was quite the novelty today and even the guide wanted a picture taken with him, which we did with his camera, as well as our own.

    He kept saying he worked out here because the pay was so good.  We found out that they actually paid "1.60 an hour!" Even those writing about it said no one had ever heard of such wages!  My dad worked here for six months while he was attending school at the University of Idaho and before he enlisted in the Air Force.

 By September of 1942, the base had a population of 55,000, making it the largest city in Idaho.  At the time, Farragut was the second-largest training center in the world behind the Naval Station Great Lakes.  Almost 300,000 naval recruits were trained here at Farragut before it was decommissioned in 1946.

So what is left of Farragut today?  This concrete block structure known as the "brig" is the only actual building left of the original 776 buildings that made up Farragut.  No prisoners of war were inside here.  It was a confinement facility for unruly naval recruits with its barred windows and gates, jail cells, ad support facilities.  The museum of Farragut is inside this building. 
So, where did all those other 775 buildings go which those 22,000 young men, including my dad, worked so hard and quickly to build?  As is shown above, when the war was over, the federal government ordered the removal of the remains of the Farragut Naval Training Station in total.  You could actually buy one of these buildings in a surplus sell for as little as 50 cents.  However, the catch was, you had to move it!  After all the buildings were removed, the area was reseeded with grass, making it a great place for wildlife.  All that is left is the concrete brick we were in for the museum, and a water tower.

 My dad has always talked a lot about World War II and his time in the Air Force.  He always talks with tears in his eyes of the many sacrifices so many families made.  One of the harshest was the five Sullivan brothers who were all sailors serving together on the USS Juneau and all killed in action when it sank after being bombed and torpedoed by the Japanese around November 13, 1942.

Not everything was sad in the museum.  Beverly wanted us to re-create the picture of the navy man and the nurse.  She kept telling us how to do it, and George and I kept getting the giggles.

So here is the final product, or at least as close as we could get it!

The museum was absolutely fascinating in showing so many of the skills that the new recruits had to learn.  Here they learned how to march, row, swim, (in the lake nearby), and use firearms before heading off to the Mediterranean Sea or the South Pacific.  Others received additional training as signalman's gunner's mates, the hospital corps, or radiomen.

 WAVES (women naval officers), served as nurses at the base hospital, as well as worked in factories while so many of the men were gone.

 Upon going outside, we went to the Memorial Plaza which has a large bronze bust of a U.S. sailor.  It is positioned on a base that resembles a "whale" boat.  These were rowboats made of steel and could hold up to 16 recruits.  They were trained to row the boats in unison, learning a valuable lesson in teamwork.  Surrounding the whale boat and facing the flags are 29 sets of footprints at attention, commemorating the numbers (in tens of thousands) of men who trained at Farragut.

As we left Farragut, it was so fitting that we saw a deer.  Instead of a place for training for war, it is now a fantastic state park.  We loved going there and learning more about history--which our father has definitely given us all a love for--and learning something about our father's life that we had never heard before.

 We next took a trip into Spokane to let my dad see how much it has grown and take him to one of the beautiful parks there--Riverfront Park.  We boarded a gondola there . . .

My dad has been involved with water projects his entire life, so he was fascinated as we went over the falls in the gondola.

The thing that is so great about this electrical power plant is that no damn had to be constructed.  This is the natural water way that is being used.

We didn't have any kids with us to ride the huge carousel that is in this park, but we had fun walking in the area.  It is always so beautiful!

Beverly and I had a great time talking to these little Native American children.  They were performing in the Cultural Activities in the Event Center near here tonight.  We were so sad that we wouldn't be able to attend.  By the way, after talking to them for quite some time, we found out the little one in the yellow outfit who we kept referring to as a cute little girl is actually a boy!

Last site we visited that day was the Davenport Hotel, rated #1 hotel in Spokane.  It is beautifully restored and absolutely elegant!

After our fantastic day of touring, we ate a late dinner at Red Lobster, which was Larry's request, and what a great idea it was!  The food was fantastic!

The next day, we were all on the road again--Larry, Beverly, and my dad back to Boise, George and I back to Prosser.  We certainly had the shorter journey.

Thanks so much to Larry and Beverly for including us in this fantastic weekend they planned.  It was sort of spur of the moment idea, but like Beverly said, had it been planned for six months, it couldn't have been more perfect!!! We certainly agree!