Ben & Donna Barker (20884)
Washing State Directors
Well, we hope everyone will enjoy a wonderful holiday season with family and friends this season. It is certain to be a change from last holiday season, now that we’re able to actually gather together, what a blessing.
We promised a review of the Washington State Rally that was held in September. So here goes…. We were pleasantly surprised when our neighbors came over and completely washed our motor home on Labor Day so we could travel in style to the rally. What wonderful neighbors.
We had twelve coaches in attendance at Horn Rapids RV Park in Richland, Washington. In addition to Washington members, we had two coaches from Oregon and one from Arizona join us. The weather was perfect, no smoke from wildfires. We were able to spend one day at the Reach Museum, which is a natural history museum with the lower Columbia River as its focus. The museum also includes a large section on the construction of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation that was built during WWII for the development of the A Bomb, also known as the Manhattan Project.
On Saturday, we enjoyed a brunch cruise on the Columbia River that cruised up the part of the river known as the Hanford Reach. Along the way, we enjoyed the beautiful vistas along the river including the White Bluff Banks. Did we mention how wonderful the food on board the ship was? It was a picture-perfect way to spend the day.
On a personal note, the most exciting part of the rally for us was the birth of our first great-grandchild on September 9th, which occurred while we were at the rally. We awoke to a text message that morning that our granddaughter Hailey was in labor, and all of us in attendance held our breath all day and into the evening waiting for the birth. We went to bed that night with still no baby. We awoke on the next morning to a text message that Colt Allen VanderYacht was born at 10 pm. He was born on great-grandpa Ben’s birthday after all. The best birthday present ever!
We are home for the winter now and making plans for the Washington State Rally in 2022. We are working on a plan that will complement the International Rally in Rock Springs. If we can make it work out, it should be a fun time that you won’t want to miss. More to follow as the plan develops, and we hope that you will be able to join us.
We can be reached at email: newmarwastatedirector@gmail.com. Blessings.
