The "Family" in Chronicles

Nathan has to work one Saturday a month and when he does, I usually find plenty of reason to go into work myself and get prepared for the upcoming week.  Once we both got home, around 1 PM, we were quick to pack a basic overnight bag and some extra layers before heading out for the Zac Brown Band concert at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA.

For the first time in weeks Western Washington was getting some rain.  The clouds followed us over the Cascade Mountains but the rain diminished about an hour and a half into our 2-hour ride.  We arrived at 4:30 PM and stood in line until the gates opened for General Admission at 5:30 PM.

I can't say that I've been to a lot of outdoor amphitheaters in my life, but I have heard that the Gorge is one of the best natural outdoor amphitheaters there is.  It is situated at the top of the Columbia River gorge and has commanding views of the river below.  Unfortunately the cloudy skies kept us from capturing much in the way of sunset but the views were worth every bit of the drive time.

The Columbia River Gorge

All seats are general admission.  It is a crazy rush to claim your lawn seats.

Concert-going neighbors offered to take a picture.

A wind energy field atop the ridge across the Gorge.

As we started layering.  I ended up with a beanie as well; it got chilly!

The concert was good but not the best we've seen of their performances.  This was the fourth time we've seen Zac Brown Band in person.  The first time we had general admission seats at an outdoor amphitheater in Charlotte (2009) and we sat in the pouring rain on life preservers - seriously - and had a great time!

Standing in line, showing off our last-minute purchase: buoyant lawn seats.

Donning our Walmart rain ponchos in the Charlotte rain (Aug 2009).

Back to present day: following the concert we were able to get out of the lot and back to my parent's house by 2 AM, quietly slipping in and crashing for what was left of the morning.

It had been a couple of weeks since we'd seen my folks so it was nice to sleep in and then visit with them and enjoy a wonderful Sunday afternoon meal of scalloped potatoes, bbq brisket and fresh corn (cut off the cob).

Once we left my parent's house around 3:30 we headed south to Tacoma to pick up our newest family member, 8-week old Dixie, a mellow Boxer girl.

Big yawns on the drive home.

How cute!

Resting after some exciting play with her new toys and new family!

I took the day off from work today to take her for her first vet visit and vaccination.  She is extremely well-behaved and very cuddly.  She took lots of little naps today, played with the leaves and the dandelions outside and learned how to master the wood-floor stairs.  We are excited to round out the "Family" in our Chronicles.