Kristina out in front of our new home with our realtor Randy V. We called it The River House. I took this picture with a LG smartfone camera at the time, Tuesday the 16th of October 2007, down in Mule Tail Flats outside Plain, Washington, in the Greater Stevens Pass – Leavenworth – Wenatchee Corridor.

The River House, Monday 18 August 2008.

Our back yard ends here at the river. The Wenatchee River flows thru the Cascade Mountains from Lake Wenatchee down thru several canyons before merging into the huge Columbia River. Wednesday 26 December 2007.

Blended family dynamics, y’all! Trying to get ourselves togerther for a family portrait by our comic genius Emily, one of my oldest daughter’s closest friends. I’m on my knees in the snow. Behind stand L2R: Talia, Kate, Morgan (now Dylan), & Kristina. Wednesday 16 January 2008.

Kids were at the right age for goofy pranks, too. Here my oldest, Morgan/Dylan discovers, well, this shower stall doesn’t quite work like one of Dr. Who’s TARDIS booths. This one here just sucks people screaming down the drain merrily, merrily, merrily into oblivion. OK, well, I don’t know exactly what she’s up to here, LOL! But Emily does! Mid-January of 2008.

Talia & Kate wrecked & laughing at the Sledding Hill over in Lake Wenatchee State Park close to the River House. A big day for Talia as she got back into snow sports after breaking her leg in a sledding accident on the same run two years earlier. Taken on Monday 15 February 2010.

The back side of the River House, the side facing the Wenatchee River. Yeah, I cleared and cleaned up what was an overgrown, debris-strewn yard. “Parked it out,” as the locals say. Took many long days and weeks. Had to for wildfire insurance, too. Hot tub on the deck picture right, and an onion swing, a fun gift for the kids from family friends up in Edmonton, Alberta just left of center. Aye, we love this place. Took us a long time to get over its loss. Was a house we’d expected to leave to our kids and their kids and have family & friends from around the world visit us here. Monday 18 August 2008.

The front of the River House at Christmastime, 26 December 2007.

Kate & Jo. Kate had recently turned 9 years old. Jo’s the family dog Kristina had before we met. Christmastime 2007.

Talia looking apprehensively at, oh gosh, sledders careening out of control? Kate about to throw a snowball? Morgan cackle-laughing? Too much time has gone by to remember everything. Wednesday 16 January 2008.

Morgan on the back deck of the River House, selfie shot from Wednesday 13 February 2008.

Kristina and I first began to seriously search for a home in the Great Outdoors in early 2007. Here we scope out properties in the frozen dreamscapes of Lake Wenatchee’s North Shore communities. We made multiple road trips to the Lake Wenatchee area during January, February, & March 2007. During those months we heavily scouted the lakeshore neighborhoods and met with local realtors. Once we stayed at the Osprey Nest chalet for a romantic getaway that February. We explored the area then, among other things, and even attempted a winter hike up Dirty Face Peak. Our blended family loved the area for its concentration and variety of outdoor adventure and scenic beauty. For many, many years, Gwen, Kristina, & I traveled into the Cascades to bike, camp, hike, swim, paddle, and ski in the corridor from Stevens Pass to Lake Wenatchee to the Glacier Peak & Alpine Lakes Wildernesses to Coles Corner to Leavenworth to the small city of Wenatchee. While we did scope out properties elsewhere including up on Whidbey Island and over in the Olympics, we kept returning to the Greater Leavenworth area. What we looked for, however, either wasn’t available as in not for sale or was way out of our budget. We fell in love with a beautiful home on the lakeshore with gorgeous views we could also afford, but learned the basement and garage flooded every time the lake rose with the annual spring melt. So we began looking further back down the river. And by happenstance discovered a realtor’s sign by an attractive house for sale out on the Icicle Creek Road past Leavenworth, called the number, and met Randy, a real estate broker who became our agent.

Kate & Talia often helped us grownups explore possibilities in the area, too. March 2007. Here Kate’s 8 years old and Talia’s 4, soon to be 5 in a couple of months.

In March 2007 we found this cute little ramshackle cabin back in the woods atop a knoll with large, parked-out acreage on the Wenatchee River. Twas called John’s Joint.

We thus discovered the Mule Tail Flats neighborhood way down off River Road and across the river from the Ponderosa village outside Plain, WA.

We fell in love with this place and almost bought it. For the land. We envisioned enjoying the too-tiny-but-it’ll-do perfectly little cabin for 2-3 years before replacing it with our dream house. March 2007. At the time we both worked high-paying jobs and had significant investments. They were all embezzled, stolen, and lost in the IFFL Ponzi crash and the Great Recession.

Kristina dreaming as she checks out the woods & snowy meadows of John’s Joint on the way down to the river.

The Wenatchee River from John’s Joint. We were in love with the views and valued the cabin was perched above flood lines on a small hill. See, buying property is a process. Takes time & expense. Requires juggling pros & cons, risks & rewards, and ferreting out the truth behind the marketing. We discovered buying the property would trigger a clause with the county that would legally require us as new owners to pay to pave the long, unmaintained county road down into Mule Tail Flats. It would cost nearly as much as buying the lot & cabin with the outbuildings and probably more with cost overruns. The neighbors were not required to pitch in financially either. Damn! And, hell no! Who thinks up such bait-trap-exploit schemes? These pictures were cell phone pics from an old Android smartfone.

Kristina walking across the snow to the river, exploring and dreaming.

The melting snow of late spring and early summer revealed more and more of the expansive property we wanted to buy before the purchase fell thru over the county road paving issue.

As the snows melted the river rose.

The kids loved it out there, too. See Kate & Talia over there on the riverbank? Rolling around in the sand?

Two little humans playing at river’s edge. Talia on picture left and Katie on the right. Late Spring 2007. Grubby old cell fone pics.

Talia & Kate keep digging & building in the sand along the Wenatchee River. Made me & Kristina want to get our family out of the city even more.

We chose to say goodbye to John’s Joint and move on. And just a short drive further down into Mule Tail Flats or a walk away was another property for sale, the big cabin with a great hall we came to call the River House. The property had less acreage, but the dream house was already built and ready to become ours. Here’s the overgrown entrance to the property. Tuesday 16 October 2007.

Looking back up at the road in… October 2007.

The driveway becomes one with the yard. Love those tall trees, too! October 2007.

YAY! And, Whew! At long last we found our dream house. Such an emotional rollercoaster, too! Ecstasy & bliss, worry & concern, big dreams for the future…we bought it. I signed the deal with our amazing realtor, Randy V, who moved out to the PNW from Louisiana long ago and works out of Leavenworth, WA. He was direct, knowledgeable, generous, and went above & beyond to help folks like us navigate the complexities of buying & selling real estate. We felt we lucked out, and for any cynics out there, no, we did not ever feel taken advantage of. Indeed we were happy to help bring him our business.

We loved the wraparound porch. Kids would run up & down it. Our plan was to extend the porch all the way around to the other side where the hot tub was. Didn’t get to do it, tho. And that’s OK.

The back side, or the river front side. Hot tub in the background. Kristina with our realtor. Love those trees!

The Wenatchee runs low this time of year. Mid-Autumn 2007.

Whitewater river rafters afloat directly across from our new River House home. Back in the forest on the other side there was the village community of Ponderosa.

Randy sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with Kristina and me. October 2007. Another teeny tiny Android smartfone pic.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving, Solstice/Xmas, and Kate’s 9th Birthday. L2R: David (Syd’s then-husband), Syd (Kate’s Godmother), Talia, & Kate. Foto by Gwen Hughes, Kate’s Mom. Saturday 24 November 2007.

Morgan acting silly. Some Virginia Bass family artifacts: the cow figurine in the window came from my father’s collection after he died. The chairs and dining table came from my parents. 24 November 2007.

Daddy William (that’s me!) tending the fire. Loved that stone fireplace! And the wooden stool in front was carved from a single log of wood by my Aunt Helen Bass Whitehead of Richmond, VA. She was an artist. We debated if it was a bear or a pig. On the belly was carved a long, literary paragraph. Sadly, this artwork was burned up in the May 2010 Edmonds House Fire. Foto by Gwen Hughes (my then-2nd ex-wife). Saturday 24 November 2007.

Kate opening gifts, Saturday 1 December 2007, the day after her actual birthday. L2R: Kate, Talia, Morgan, Kate’s friend Brittany. In the alcove is another wooden statue sculpted by my Aunt Helen of Richmond, VA. We called it the Wooden Goddess. Pic by Gwen Hughes. We’re back in Seattle here. During this period we drove back and forth between the River House and Yellow Dragonfly House all the time. Was common for an event to start in one house and end up in the other. Both were treasured homes.

Kate’s 9th Birthday, now back in Seattle at the Yellow Dragonfly House. Pic by Gwen. Saturday evening of the 1st of December 2007. L2R: Talia, Kate, Morgan, & Kate’s buddy Brittany.

And the party keeps going. That’s me checking out the action at Kate’s birthday party. Sitting in one of parents’ chair from their living room back in rural Virginia. Saturday 1 December 2007. Foto by Gwen Hughes. The drive between our two homes could be as short as 1.5 hrs but usually took 2.5 to 3 hours one way with bathroom breaks with heavy traffic chugging along winding mountain roads and thru river valley speed trap towns.

Christmas Day at the River House! This was one of my favorite and most memorable Christmases ever, and I’ve had many wonderful Yules over the decades. Down in Mule Tail Flats outside of the village of Plain, WA. Tuesday 25 December 2007.

Opening presents! L2R: Morgan, Kate, and Jean, Kristina’s Mother & Talia’s Grandmother.

William & Kristina. Foto by Gwen. Christmas Day 2007. What’s being said between these two? Gosh, I don’t remember as that wonderful day was 15 years ago as I write these words.

Talia gets in on the action, too. Uh Oh, doesn’t work to try to control chaos. Makes for scowls, LOL!

And ya gotta let it go & roll with the fun! Yay for goofy Pagan Christmas chaos!

Oh, what fun! And what’s in the box?

Kristina’s sprawled back into William’s side and shooting crazy Yuletide videos!

The three sisters and a granny lined up in Christmas chaos! At the River House, December 2007.

The youngest two can’t sit still or stay in any one place, LOL! Morgan (now Dylan) and Jean.

Kate & Talia pile in atop William & Kristina to get in on the action and the mystery.

WOW! Lookit! Galloping Wild West horses! On a toasty warm blanket! That’s Kate’s head in the back, tho.

Whew, a short break in the chaos. William, Kate, Talia, & Kristina. Foto by Gwen.

Mother & Oldest Daughter goofing around with a 5th of Jack. Morgan’s only 13, so…

Still at it …
Because they’re Pagans & it’s Christmas!

Gwen posing with a bit of pranksterish mischief.

Giddy, Goofy, and Brainy! That’s Gwen at Christmas! Since late 2023, however, Gwen switched their name to Vie, French for “Life.”

Back to the couch! And Kate the Great wants to know what’s in the Big Box there? Talia observes everything so much we sometimes called her Little Sitting Buddha Girl. Foto by Gwen.

What…? What is this?

WOW! Another fuzzy warm blanket! With grizzly bears pawing at fish in a river!

Here we go! Lookit!

See? Toasty time!

Morgan, who now goes by Dylan, reads a card from Jean. Back then she & her sisters were obsessed with the Harry Potter books & movies and also High School Musical and Riverdance. Morgan was a big driver of family interest in these shows & books.

Loved being in the stillness and serenity of a cold, snowy winter scene.

The days are short and the nights long in the wintertime. The house sits dark, but inside teems a wild, blended polyfamily.

Our home for a while. And I shoveled lots of paths, eventually building a network of trails out both doors. Kids loved it, so did Jo Dog, & was good exercise for me.

We all loved driving up to this house raised up above flood levels with the great hall looming over the welcoming door. People would marvel at those giant icicles, too.

Kate & Jo

Lookit Kate checking out Jo’s bobbing bobtail butt!

Nine years old & so poised a squatting in the snow. Then she lunges up & forward into action!

Our front yard at the River House on a snowy December day as twilight approaches. Christmas 2007.

Intrigued by the stand of white birch trees clustered on the other side of our driveway in the snow. Are the trees really one large organism? Or separate life forms? Aren’t we all part of a larger organism, the Gaian biosphere of our planet?

Blue skies & whispy clouds the day after. Jo’s in the road as we look down the lower Mule Tail Flats road straitaway. We liked to ski down this road as well as snowshoe and ski crosscountry thru the woods.

Standing on the edge of River Road looking down Mule Tail Flats Road. We’re outside the village of Plain, WA in rural Chelan County. The River House had a Leavenworth postal address, tho.

Night trip into Leavenworth to see the lights. Childhood besties Natalie & Morgan, or, as they called themselves back then, Nat & Mo. December 2007.

Nat & Mo in Downtown Leavenworth, Washington.

Gwen Hughes, my 2nd ex-wife, out to the River House with the kids in late December 2007. Here she’s snowshoeing in Lake Wenatchee State Park with her partner & eventual 2nd husband, Carol.

Here’s Carol! The Wolfman’s quite a character in his own right, too. Foto by Gwen.

Lake Wenatchee from snowshoe trails in the park. Late December 2007. Pic by Gwen.

Another view across the lake from a pair of snowshoes.

Carol’s bushed afterwards, tho.

But not the kids! Nat, Kato, & Mo in the back of Gwen & Carol’s car. Late December 2007.

Talia at the River House, over & after MLK weekend, on Wednesday 16 January 2008. The temperature was 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Morgan & her bud Emily Emo goofing around in the Master Bathroom at the River House. Wednesday 16 January 2008.

Two teenage comedians putting on their own goofy show, Mo & Emo!

“Ew! Lookit! A mummified baby Bigfoot!”

In a strange way, as her father I see one of my aunts making a strained face with my daughter’s head. Yes, I’m sober.

Emily

Messin’ ’round in the kitchen now…

Mo & Emo, two American teens at the River House outside of Plain between Lake Wenatchee & Leavenworth, Washington, the stars of their own wild performance on one Wednesday the 16th of January during the first decade of the 21st Century.

Can’t get anyone to all smile together “the right way” at the same time, LOL! Family portrait fotos by Emily in the evening of 16 January 2008.

L2R: Talia, Kate, Morgan (now Dylan), & Kristina with William down in front. We’re in the backyard facing the river.

Many different poses! Talia won’t let go of the snow shovel handle either, LOL!

Morgan & Shovel

Kate, however, wants the whole wide world to look directly up into her NOSE!

Ha Ha! Still can’t get everyone to smile together, LOL! And even tho this is January we’re thinking, hey, wouldn’t this be a great Holiday Card for later in December? Especially with the Wenatchee River flowing thru the woods behind us?

Emily is a patient photographer, however, as she stood so focused and still giggling in the snow. Finally we all smile at the same time…somewhat, LOL! Such blended family JOY!

Kate & Talia hanging in the kitchen with new friends. Early Friday morning of 18 January 2008.

Kate hamming it up at the kitchen counter.

Snowy fun in the Hot Tub on a lazy winter morning. And Talia wants an icicle! Mid-January 2008.

Kristina with childhood friends Rebecca & Suzy and the kids. Foto by William on Friday 18 January 2008.

Hmn…LOL

Talia & Friend. Early Saturday morning on the 19th of January 2008.

Katie & Friend waking up early Saturday morning.

Wheee! Look at me! Talia sledding at Lake Wenatchee State Park near the River House, Sunday 20 January 2008.

Zooming by in a blur of joy…

Here comes Kate! Sled Hill at Lake Wenatchee State Park, Sunday 20 January 2008.

Kathryn smiles with power, confidence, & poise.

ZOOOM! Kate & Talia cruise along. At this point in time on the 20th of January 2008, Kate’s a coupla months into her 10th year and Talia’s still 5, less than 4 months away from turning 6 years old.

Talia napping at the River House. She broke her leg during our family’s Mid-Winter Break from school across President’s Day Week. A young boy lost control of his sled on Lake Wenatchee’s Sled Hill. He careened across the slope and crashed into Talia. Her leg was broken in several places. They were clean breaks. The injury was vastly complicated, however, by Talia having an uncommon bleeding disorder. So we rushed her to the ER in the small hospital downriver in Leavenworth. Took a while to drive there on curvy, steep roads in winter conditions. Talia’s a tough kid, tho. Didn’t complain much at all. The boy and his family seemed oblivious and in denial over the incident. Embarrassment is one thing, however, but they didn’t show any empathy. We didn’t have time for that kind of … behavior. For us was another blow during the Great Recession as Kristina, Gwen, & I struggled to shield our children from the worst of our “Hard Times” period. We had little time left in both of our homes. February 2008.

Talia’s school was extremely supportive in helping us out. Even had a special schoolbus swing by for her and her wheelchair. It was a challenge to place her upon a toilet, for example, and, y’know, we made it work. Eventually her leg healed and the cast came off in time for summer. Here she’s at the Yellow House, aka Dragonfly House, our home in the Upper Fremont/South Phinney Ridge neighborhood some called SouZoo. We were near Woodland Park Zoo and could hear the animals in the summertime. Clematis grew along the fence there.

Jo was Talia’s ever faithful buddy dog. Joline was an Irish Springer Spaniel. Sometimes called an Irish Water Spaniel, they were originally bred for waterfowl hunting in swampy or marshy conditions. They are known to be gentle and loyal dogs great for families with children. And Jo certainly was. She really helped Talia get thru this tough time.

Morgan (now Dylan) back at the River House on Spring Break, early April 2008.

Morgan & her buddy Natalie, aka “Nat.” They’ve been friends since forever. In first grade at John Stanford International they both got in trouble for pulling the fire alarm. Later, as early teens Morgan would declare Nat was her “first wife.” Yes, humans are a complex species., & we enjoyed bringing our little humans along on family trips.

Apparently the bathroom is a popular place to put on selfie shows.

Morgan contemplates the comedy of adolescents figuring out life because adulthood seems scarier and even more absurd despite all “the grownup freedoms.” Foto by Natalie.

Morgan photographs Natalie perched upon the bathtub we all miss.

Sometimes the floor is the best place to be!

Natalie takes a picture of Morgan about to get her shoes wet.

Teenage solidarity. In the river.

Teenage angst. Foto by another teen. Family trip from the River House to explore Peshatin Pinnacles State Park, a popular rock climbing area in the Lower Wenatchee River Valley, April 2008.

Morgan scrambles up into the Pinnacles.

Dad coaching Morgan on basic climbing at Peshatin Pinnacles, early April 2008. Kate sits up top & half of Talia’s head sticks up behind William. Did Nat take this picture? Or Kristina?

What is it with teenage Millennials & Zoomers sticking out their tongues so much in public? At least they’re not posing all stiff & scary like people did back in the 1800s! Morgan must’ve shot this pic. April 2008.

Easier than climbing rocks!

Two close friends out and about in Peshatin Pinnacles doing the Big City Thang.

Kurt Treftz, one of my closest friends and Best Man at my wedding to Kristina, here on our dayhike in the North Cascades on a sunny October day in 2009. He was a huge help back in 2008 when he came out and bought the backup generator from me stored in a shed at the River House. It was so incredibly heavy, and old gasoline had dried and turned gummy inside the tubes and hoses. We finally got it into the back of his truck. He placed it at his own cabin outside Marblemount on the edge of North Cascades National Park.

Kate in the front yard of the River House during our Summer Solstice trip out there across the weekend of Friday thru Sunday of 20-22 June 2008. Ferocious thunderstorms with loud, crackling thunder and lightning blasted thru the mountains when we were out there a coupla weeks earlier across the Memorial Day weekend. The kids were running around in torrential downpours laughing and squealing until the first loud crack of blazing plasma lit up the woods, and then they screamed and dashed inside. Now the riverine vegetation has sprouted lush and green. 

Kate at a scenic pullover off Rt. 2 overlooking the ferocious, continuous rapids of the Wenatchee’s Tumwater Canyon. She stands unperturbed next to the rapids known as The Wall, a long, churning, boat-swallowing stretch of Class IV-V whitewater.

Morgan & Kathryn at the upper end of Lake Wenatchee at Glacier View, a USFS campground area where one can spy the Glacier Peak volcano poking up from the horizon. Sometimes we would hike up the steep, short trail to nearby Hidden Lake. June 2008. Foto by Kristina.

Kate & Dad on the north edge of Lake Wenatchee across from Dirtyface Peak(6,243 ft or 1,903 m high). By Kristina.

Two of three Sisters, one with tongue out again. One can barely make out the faintness of Glacier Peak way back in the V between mountains. Summer Solstice 2008.

Morgan (now Dylan) in her room at the River House over the Summer Solstice in June 2008.

Alpine views from the top of Dirtyface Peak on Saturday 26 July 2008. Kristina & I had gone to the River House for some rare time alone and attempted our second hike up Dirtyface. We made it up to the spot of the former firetower but decided not to go all the way to the true summit. Jo Dog accompanied us.

Kristina atop Dirtyface at the old lookout. She’s 40 years along in this picture. Saturday the 26th of July 2008. Foto by William Bass.

Looking down at the upper end of Lake Wenatchee and the Squaw Lake swamps in the delta formed by the White and Little Wenatchee Rivers as they flow into the lake. For the sharp eyes, one may see the beach me and the kids stood on earlier at Glacier View Campground. It’s on the far side of the lake left of center.

Joline, or Jo Dog as we often called her, or as the kids liked to say, JoJo. Altho a water dog, she hiked up all the way with us. July 2008. Foto by William.

Gazing down the valley from the Dirtyface lookout. Fish Lake is on foto left and Lake Wenatchee on the right. The Wenatchee River flows out of the big lake. The state park curls around the lower end of the lake. The River House is hidden out of sight here on the other side of Natapoc Mountain, the low ridge in right of center in the picture.

The author, William Bass, atop Dirtyface Peak. Gosh, I’m 49 years old in this foto taken by Kristina. Saturday the 26th of July, 2008. This foto, by the way, also happens to the first picture of me Faithlyn saw in June 2020 when she found me online while researching the history of my great-uncle-&-aunt Aumon & Mary Bass, legends at VSDB, the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. Faithlyn was a teacher there. Eventually, over a decade after Kristina & I divorced, Faithlyn moved to Seattle in 2021 and became my wife in July 2023. Life is full of the unexpected.

Our family minivan parked below our porch. The front yard spread out towards tall camas grass and trees. We had to keep the yard “parked out” for wildfire insurance protocols. Monday 18 August 2008. Pic by William for the insurance company.

We all loved driving up to this place, our home away from home. August 2008.

Another cell fone foto for the insurance company. Looking out towards the river from the back deck, August 2008.

The old sitting bench. We would often sit there watching the water flow downstream and the leaves fall. Was also a good spot for cell fone connectivity. Early to mid-October 2008.

Talia a grumping’ and a fussin’, or, rather, pretending to, after she hurt her finger  “a tiny little bit.” Our family backpacking and camping trip up into Spider Meadows in the nearby Glacier Peak Wilderness beyond Lake Wenatchee got delayed as we had accidentally left our backpacks behind at the River House. Kristina & I were going to make the best of it by doing a short, steep dayhike up Beaver Hill Mountain on the edge of Plain, and Talia didn’t want to go. She’s only 7 years old in this picture. Saturday 25 July 2009.

We banter & bicker as I cajole her from the back deck to come join her Mom & me on a short day hike to get some exercise and see some bugs! She is NOT impressed! SHE’s getting plenty of exercise stomping around the back yard, LOL!

Talia’s already a master of nonviolent civil disobedience as she collapses protesting & giggling halfway up Beaver Hill.

YAY, we made it! Kristina & Talia atop Beaver Hill and looking out towards Plain, Bonanza, & Mule Tail Flats. The true summit stands 2,860 feet or 826 meters tall. Foto by the Author on Saturday the 25th of July 2009.

Part of the Village of Plain, WA sprawls below. The Wenatchee River runs thru the forest along the edge of town beneath Natapoc Ridge. The boundaries of private properties and the Wenatchee National Forest weave in and out of local mountains, valleys, and ranches. The River House is on the other side of the river and further downstream beyond the edge of the picture.

Talia & I. She’s 7, & I’m 50 years old here atop Beaver Hill. Technically she’s my stepdaughter, but she calls me DaDa since I helped deliver her in a home birth and helped raise her as my own. The River House was a major anchor for our complex family & community relationships during these precious years. Foto by Kristina.

We do make it up to Spider Meadows for a few days, tho. Here Talia opens up the sky atop a boulder alongside Phelps Creek out in the main meadow. Foto by “DaDa” on Monday 27 July 2009.

Mother & daughter share a moment of tenderness & awe during our night camping in Spider Meadows, up in the Glacier Peak Wilderness past Wenatchee and Fish Lakes. One of the fun trips based out of the River House. 26 July 2009.

Gazing out across Lake Wenatchee from the state park. Dirtyface Peak’s on picture right and part of Nason Ridge on the left. I was out overnight at the River House for a solo getaway but primarily to check on the property while we struggled thru a lengthy short-sale process to avoid foreclosure. While there I winterized the house including turning off the water and the power. Was the last time any of us in the greater Dragonfly Community spent the night there at the River House. Still love this region, tho. Love this whole area from Stevens Pass down here to the lake and all the way out to Leavenworth and the small city of Wenatchee. Miss it, too, and life goes on for the living. Moving on thru the losses of the Great Recession was a process, and we all made it even with multiple, heavy losses. Life is precious. Yes. Tuesday 20 October 2009.

Deep in the high lonesome backcountry between Stevens Pass and Lake Wenatchee between Lichtenberg Mountain & Nason Ridge. old dirt forest service roads weave all thru those remote valleys and mountains not far at all from the River House. On my way back to Seattle from winterizing our “cabin” on Wednesday the 21st of October 2009.

A selfie by the author. Yes, lots of emotions churning inside me around Kristina & I losing the River House & a future of dreams for our children including fear, grief, helplessness, even anger. In the moment, however, I’m enjoy exploring these old roads and am grateful for the solitude and serenity found among these foggy mountain forests. Wednesday early afternoon on 21 October 2009.

On the beach. The wintry quiet below heavy clouds provided a tranquil space to contemplate what we had lost and appreciate even more what we still had. Morgan (Dylan) & I are on a father-daughter road trip out to the area to visit old haunts, check in on the River House, and explore the coulee canyons of the Washington Desert. Lake Wenatchee was one of our favorite places for our family to visit since Gwen & I first explored the area in 1987. It’s a Sunday in mid-January 2010.

Winter scene along the south shore of Lake Wenatchee, 17 January 2010. 

Snowman others had built earlier and left guarding the lakeshore with a smile. Morgan was enthralled with this snow person. We were mostly alone out here, and the loneliness felt heavy despite the beauty.

Our greater Seattle/Dragonfly family loved going to Lake Wenatchee State Park. Being there was always a highlight for the kids. Gwen and I first visited the lake in 1987. Gwen, Kristina, & I, often together with friends, would return many times with the children from 1994 thru 2011. Yet today the sense of loss, a slow, gradual erosion of what we had worked so hard for felt lonely and oppressive. We could feel a quickening in the losing nearly everything amidst the winter stillness of January in the Pacific Northwest.

Morgan & I at the River House now. Felt frozen in time & place there. We could hear the roar of silence. Everything’s OK, but we no longer stay there. We would eventually sleep in the minivan tonight out on the edge of Dry Falls deep in the Channeled Scablands. Peaceful coda to a Great Recession tragedy. January 2010.

The cold silence of our front yard & the woods beyond. The days of frequent stays with the visits of many guests with lots of children running around have already come to an end.

My oldest goofing off in front of the camera. We’re in the back yard next to the river.

We both loved the peaceful flow of the river as it flowed past our back yard. Floods, however, turns the Wenatchee into a ferocious terror. A few miles downstream lay Tumwater Canyon churning with class V-VI whitewater rapids.

My oldest child about a month away from their 16th Birthday, February 2010.

Better watch out!

Here.

William out back by the river enjoying being outdoors.

Scenes from the backyard.

Dad by his oldest daughter. Out in the backyard! William’s 50 here, and will turn 51 in a little over 3 months.

Snow art at the River House by Morgan. The last wave, frozen in stillness, Sunday 17 January 2010. This place experienced a lot of love.

Kate & Talia together in the front yard of the River House. It’s our last time visiting our beloved home in the great outdoors as a family. We stayed downriver in Leavenworth in our timeshare hotel for a days on a school break. Would’ve rather stayed here at the River House, but we had all the water turned off and the electricity disconnected. So we hung out a while to check on the property as the short-sell process continued and let the kids run around and play. Monday 15 February 2010.

TaTa Tater Tot!

Tater Tot sneaks up on DaDa William.

Hugs & Laughs.

Woo HOO! At the River House!

“I still have a big snowball, DaDa!”
Uh-oh…

We closed up the River House one last time and head on over to Lake Wenatchee to play & explore the state park.

Kate, age 12, and Talia, 8, on the beach at the lake. Monday, the day after Valentine’s Day 2010.

On the South Shore beaches of the lake looking over at Emerald Island & Dirtyface Peak, Lake Wenatchee State Park & Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Monday the Day after Valentine’s Day 2010. This lake and surrounding forests and rivers with their little resort towns were one of our favorite stomping grounds for our blended family for many years including long before we had the River House. We enjoyed them across all four seasons, and altho it’s different now, still do on occasion.

Talia’s definitely back up on top of her horse, so to speak. Here’s she is heading up the steep sliding hill out of the parking lot to get up to Sled Hill.

And it’s steep!

Sled Hill at Lake Wenatchee State Park, where Talia broke her leg when a boy crashed into her 2 years earlier. In the left center of the picture Talia & her Momma walk along the edge of the lane. 15 February 2010.

Kate’s already wrecked, LOL!

ZOOM! Talia cruises on by! Wearing some of what Kate wore 2 years ago. Parents understand such things. ZOOOM! Other kids zip on by, too.

There’s a lot going on in this picture. Foto by Kate.

Away they go!

Talia pretends to sleep in the sled…

Kristina

William & Talia…Uh-Oh! Looks like DaDa’s a little too top heavy for such a little bitty sled.

Laughs & squeals all around!

A moment of silence.

Talia

Kate & Talia didn’t get far before careening upside down, LOL…
Morgan/Dylan is still in Seattle with Gwen/Vie at this time, but soon travels to Leavenworth by passenger trail. We’re staying there as the River House has had the water & electricity disconnected and all of our furniture & appliances removed. This is our last big family trip to the River House while still in our possession as the short-sale process picks up speed.

Snow crash glee!

Wet Li’l Butterfly is a Tree Hugger, yo!

Hey, let’s have a little fun on the way back to the minivan! William wants the girls to glissade on down. Talia drops on down…

Kate launches the sled all “fast ‘n’ furious.” Note the totally different facial expressions in play, LOL!

Joy in the moment

Again!

Faces impervious to the cold & wet of the Pacific Northwest.

You guys! I don’t know about this.

Uh, I got snow in my pants, you guys!

Here she comes!

Kate & Talia are ready to head on back past the River House and on down beyond Coles Corner & Plain into Leavenworth. We’re lodging there, so goodbye to Lake Wenatchee & the River House. Still the 15th of February 2010.

“WHOA, Dude! William! What are you doing?”
“The Sun is shining!”
Tuesday 16 February 2010.

In Leavenworth on the bridge to Blackbird Island Park. It is unseasonably warm and sunny for a winter day in the Cascades of Washington.

Sunshine Kate glows in the flow.

Snowball fights & chasing Daddy around Leavenworth.

Morgan rolls in from Seattle on the train to Leavenworth that night, and we can’t wait to see her!

The older sister is here! Morgan on Blackbird Island, Leavenworth. Friday the 19th of February 2010.

Images of Leavenworth, 1A – by Morgan.

Images of Leavenworth, 1B – by Morgan

Images of Leavenworth, 1C – by Morgan.

Images of Leavenworth, 1E – by Morgan.

Images of Leavenworth, 2A – by … One of Us! But, um, how many, how many dogs have peed on that fire hydrant?

2B

Looking up the Wenatchee River towards Icicle Creek Canyon.

Love these mountains around Leavenworth that edge the Wenatchee River & Icicle Creek Canyons.

Twilight in Leavenworth. Time to say good night and good bye.

Early the next morning on our January 2010 road trip, Morgan snaps a foto of her Dad looking out across the Sun Lakes of Dry Falls in east-central Washington. These falls were formed during the Great Ice Age Bretz Floods when they swept across the lava floodplains of the Columbia River Basalt Plains in Prehistoric Times. The basalt floods covered parts of 5 Modern American states. In Washington the results of dam-breaks on giant Ice Age lakes led to massive floods that scoured those basalt plains to result in what’s called the Channeled Scablands. The geologic history is complex, tortured, beautiful, and fascinating. Today this place is part of a dual state-national park system, Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park of the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. Monday morning of the 18th of January 2010. The two of spent the cold, windy night camping in the back of the minivan here. The River House was the jumping off place for so many fabulous adventurers … and mishaps, too! We all had many great times in the span of a few short years. For me, I recall this moment looking out across these giant coulees as I gripped a heavy, cold chain, feeling a mix of curiosity, awe, sleepiness, cold, adventure, and hunger, I remember also feeling torn by feelings of loss. Felt the slow vanishing process of losing a dream home we had worked so hard for, one we had dreamed of hosting lots of gatherings at, and eventually passing on to our children. Future plans included elevating the heat pump/AC machinery off the ground onto a high concrete block level with the porch to avoid floodwaters, removing stumps from the yard, and building a lookout tower/turrent/office combo with a spiral staircase atop the house as a second floor. Maybe even add a garage. Well, that’s all behind me now, behind all of us in the Bass-Katayama-Hughes clan as we all looked forward then and continue to look forward even now. The End. A new Beginning begins, indeed, new Beginnings every moment.