Mike's 40th BD in Tacoma

We managed to pull off a major surprise for Mike. Mom, Dad, Bob, Katie, and I arrived last Friday night in Tacoma. For Bob and Katie it was the end of their first big vacation, a week cruise in the Caribbean! Friday night they told lots of stories: food galore, sight seeing at every port. Biggest event was a personal swim with the dolphins in Jamaica. They tell of a magnificent adventure with 500 pound beasts gently rolling in front of them to be petted and played with.

Saturday was a leisurely breakfast at the Denny's next door to our Motel8. Then we took over a table at a waterfront restaurant in Gig Harbor. When Mike walked in and saw us there his jaw dropped. He was truly stunned. The best response he could manage was to look at ... and say, "Does this mean we're not going away for the weekend?" The rest of the time we meandered around GH and spent the afternoon at their new house. Set atop a 30 foot cliff, the wide front room windows look South West to Fox island across the sound. It is an incredibly peaceful and relaxing setting. The remodeling will be done in August, then we all have to go back up for an extended stay in their guest room-with-a-view.

The cake was great, but the candles caused an all out fire.	Too bad, Ernie got pretty burned up!