Spokane Cycling Pictures

I did a lot of riding when I was on "vacation". Spokane and the surrounding area is actually a really good place to ride a bike. I included all of my cycling related pictures around Spokane in one post instead of spreading them out across several different entries.

The first big ride I did was up Mt. Spokane on the morning of the 4th of July. I rode this last year by myself on July 3, not knowing that the very next day there is annual ride. This year well over 70 people joined the annual ride. I went with the earlier crowd, which was smaller, and ended up riding with Team ODZ the entire morning. Special thanks to them for letting me join them, even though I more then held my own on the climb. I went up Mt. Spokane 13% faster than last year, but they left me at the end on the flat roads as we were heading back to the parking lot.

I was able to meet up and ride with Scott, pastor and Gonzaga professor. We had discussed doing the STP ride together, but he was doing it in one day and I wanted to cram it into two days. We still got together and rode around for a bit. Everyone I rode with was welcoming and open compared to back home (in my opinion). The other photos are random shots of riding the Centennial Trail or the Valley climbing up to Arbor Crest Vineyards.

Spokane 2019

This summer we once again made it up to Spokane for a few weeks. The kids did really well in the car, even though two full days gets a little old. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the earlier parts of the trip, including in the car, all four siblings together (and in age order), and Liberty Lake where we played on the beach and paddled around in the inflatable kayak the kids got me for Father's Day. The remaining pictures of the Spokane River, Lake Coeur D'Alene, and Baltimore Road were taken while I was on a bike ride.

Jonathan's 9th Birthday Party

This year we had Jonathan's party at Springs Adventure Park. Jonathan and all his buddies from school had a great time running around, jumping on the trampolines, playing dodge ball, and tackling the American Ninja Warrior course. Here are some great pictures of them at the after party!

5th Grade Continuation Ceremony

Julia is finished with elementary school! Crazy how time flies. Tonight was the ceremony, kind of like a graduation, where each student's name was read and they were given a certificate of completion on stage. Each teacher said a few words about the year and their class, and then cake was served afterwards.

Next year Julia will attend Chinook Trail Middle School, which is a brand new school being built right behind the elementary school. She'll be the first 6th grade class (about 300 students), but there will only be about 90 students each for the other grades since it's a new school. I think it'll be a good fit and transition year for her.

Bolder Boulder 2019

Jonathan's Science Expo

Today I visited Jonathan's school to hear all about his science exposition..army ants. Each student in his class picked an insect, researched it, and created a model and report. Parents were encouraged to ask each student to "present" their project. We heard all sorts of fun facts on army ants at home in the weeks leading up to the expo, but it was fun to see Jonathan's creation in person. He was very proud.

Grocery List Mischief

Be careful if your grocery list is laying around and Jonathan is nearby...

Ride to Grandpa & Grandma's House

Today Jonathan and I completed our epic quest. We rode our bikes for an hour and 20 minutes and 12 miles all the way across town to Grandpa and Grandma's house! We had talked about this in the past, but today we were looking for somewhere to go on our bikes.
 
With the recently connected Cottonwood Creek Trail under Academy, we can now get all the way over to the west side of town mostly on the trail network and with only limited time on a sidewalk. 

I promised Jonathan that if he rode the entire way he would be rewarded with an entire can of Pepsi all by himself. That, along with the adventure, was enough motivation to complete our epic quest. I sent my parents a live tracking link as well, so they were there waiting for us with video cameras and cheers. Although Jonathan was fading, as soon as he saw them standing outside he turned to me and said "I'm going to turn on the jets" and sprinted the last hundred yards, finishing the ride in style.

Emailed at Work (Yes, It Was Approved)

 
Benefits

There are many benefits to us (Julia and Sierra) having a sleepover. The first being that we can spend more time together. Due to Sierra’s injuries, it has been a challenge to meet up. This will give us opportunity to accomplish this. Additionally, this will probably be the last time we can play together until next Friday when both of us are available. We both agreed that we cannot remember the last time we had such an experience. We have come to a consensus that we would like to sleep at the Sudduth residence for obvious reasons. 

Information for the Sudduth guardians 

Location - Sudduth Residence 

Julia will clean her room before and after the sleepover We will go to bed at the time instructed. She will treat her beloved brother nicely. 

Information for the Valone guardians 

Location - Sudduth Residence 

Sierra will complete the instructed chores as soon as she returns to her dwelling. She will listen to the parent/guardians of her beloved friend. She will be nice at a moderate level to her dear siblings. 

We ask that you would take our ideas into deep consideration. Thank you. 

Sincerely, Julia Sudduth and Sierra Valone

Julia's Clarinet Solo

Today was Julia's last band concert (or play, or production, or anything like this) in elementary school. She has been going to school a little bit early a couple of times each week for band practice this year. Surprisingly, she volunteered to play a short solo of "Hey, Hey, Goodbye" at her last concert.

Although she played her solo several times for her teachers, we hadn't heard it yet at home. Julia didn't really practice at home (too many other fun things to do). The night before her solo we wanted her to play it through a couple of times for us. She probably tried 50 times and couldn't make it through the 25 or so notes without significantly messing up. We were a little concerned but how it would turn out, but her teachers assured us she would be fine.

When the time came for her solo she walked right up in front of all her classmates and crowd and absolutely nailed it! Stacey was very relieved and we were both very proud of her confidence and that she did so well.