Benziger babes

Theo and Marit's Summer Vacation at Camp Weber  By Auntie Anne Weber We knew for quite some time that Katie was (FINALLY!) going to graduate from her Cardiology Fellowship from the University of Washington. She wanted us all to be there and we were a proud bunch hearing her accolades and seeing her smiles reflecting on her strenuous journey thus far into cardiac medicine. So t he Weber family seized the opportunity to visit the Pacific Northwest, visiting Weber relatives in Port Townsend, then exploring Vancouver Island and Orcas Island before attending Katie's graduation.  Grandma JoJo and Papa John arrived in Seattle a few days early to enjoy the city and spend some time with Katie and Seth. While we all would have liked to spend more time with Katie and Seth, the wedding of Rob Pletscher and Paige Griffiths was in Minnesota the night after Katie's graduation, and Uncle Dan was the best man, so a prompt return to Minnesota was planned. JoJo and Papa had fun ta...

We had a great few weeks with Grandma and Grandpa Benziger! Roasting marshmallows at Lake Quinault Lodge Have you hugged a tree lately? We started our loop of Olympic National Park with a visit to my friends Grayson and Lincoln's new home in Olympia. After a quick trip to the local ice cream shop and a dip in their kiddie pool, we headed to Lake Quinault Lodge. Built in 1926, this historic lodge is in the "Valley of the Giants" and the temperate rainforest. I bought a rainbow trout "stuffie" that I named, Mr. Rainbow Quinault. We roasted s'mores by the campfire next to the lake.  Historic Lake Quinault Lodge The lobby of Lake Quinault Lodge Kisses for Grandpa by Lake Quinault The next day we drove around the lake and stopped at a few waterfalls and to do a few rainforest hikes. We saw nurse logs that had fallen many years ago and had new trees growing from them, as well as old giants that are still standing. We then heade...