Who drives 780 miles (round trip) for a burger?

Sounds crazy, right but we did it.  There's a chain of burger joints that started in southern California called In-N-Out. They've expanded to all of California, plus Arizona, Nevada and there's 3 in Texas. Recently they moved into southern Oregon.  

 beautiful fall foliage along I-5.

 

When heading south or north we always stop at the beautiful 7 Feather's Casino to grab a bite and stretch our legs. 

We've been up and down this highway probably 100 times.  We have never taken the exit to see this delightful covered bridge. 






On past trips to California we've fallen in love with their sparkly clean restaurants, the fresh cut fries, and fresh (never frozen) hamburgers. So we were excited when the two in Medford and Grants Pass, Oregon opened up. The closest one to us being Grants Pass (about 68 miles north of the California/Oregon border. 

It was a beautiful day when we left home. And the weather stayed lovely the whole time.  With some current health issues it's difficult for me to ride in a vehicle for a long time to we decided to make the trip in 3 days. The first day we went as far as Eugene, OR (255 miles from home). We spent the first night there and the next morning, after breakfast at Denny's we drove the additional 140 miles to Grants Pass.  Arriving just in time for a mid day lunch at our favorite hamburger place.  After eating we headed back to Eugene where we spent the second night.  

There it is!

              





Beautiful Oregon Sky







The next morning after another breakfast at 
Denny's we headed north and home.  

Portland, Oregon

Even though we don't live in Seattle, we know when we see this sign..

we're on the right track.

YES!  But still about 2½ hours of driving.

Thankfully they are building another In-N-Out in Keizer, Oregon which is only 189 miles south of here. It will be open after the first of the year. 

HOME SWEET HOME

Did I ever mention that from age 10 I grew up on a farm?  After I completed the 4th grade my folks moved from the city to a rural area outside of Tacoma, Washington. They bought 10 acres (ok it was a mini~farm) and my dad's dream of becoming a farmer began.  Now my mom was raised on a farm in eastern Washington, so I imagine she wasn't as excited as my dad was that summer of 1952.  After he was sure all the fences were in order, the first thing dad bought was a Holstein milk cow from some friends of theirs at our church. When Daisy came to us she was pregnant, so before long we had two Holsteins. I don't know who decided but someone in the family thought since the first cow's name was Daisy, we'd stick with the flower theme.  

 When Daisy's calf was born (dad took a home movie of that event of course) it was a female and we named her Lily.  We all loved them and my dad got the bright idea of raising Holstein's, so he started buying 2 or 3 day old Holstein heifers at the auction.  At first we used Daisy's milk in a bucket with a large nipple on it. But eventually, they needed to drink like big cows and that job fell to me.  I would put the milk or water in a regular bucket, put my hand in their mouths and then pull their face down into the bucket. They would suck on my fingers thus sucking up either the milk or water.  Eventually they would get the hang of it and they could drink from the trough provided.  I also had to learn how to milk Daisy. My dad worked swing shift on the railroad and so he milked at noon and midnight because of his working hours. Often in the summer, if he had an opportunity to go fishing I would be called on to do the noon milking.  I remember the first time, I was so nervous that my legs were shaking so bad I could barely stay seated on the milking stool. Daisy kept looking back at me, giving me her gentle moooo (it's ok Linda you can do this.) 

All together we had 12 of the little darlings. All named after flowers. I remember Pansy, Dahlia, Petunia, Marigold, Aster, Gladiolus, Primrose, Rose, etc.   When they were old enough, dad would have they Vet come and do the artificial insemination thing. So when they were for sure pregnant, they could be sold as a two for one deal just like we got Daisy.  We loved them all dearly and believe me they were pampered pets. We fed them, loved them and treated them like rock stars.  We wanted their new people to end up with a tame and gentle cow.  

My dad with Dahlia. And below, my brother with Lily.

I might add that we always had a beef steer,  chickens and pigs plus a giant summer garden. All summer mom was busy canning and freezing. Plus taking care of the daily milk which had to be run thru the separator.  She also made our own butter.  My paternal grandmother and her dad, my great grandfather  also lived on the property..so we all benefited from the farm. 

October 8, 1939

On a sunny, fall day ~ October 8, 1939 ~ my mom and dad (Edythe and Bill) got married in a simple ceremony at the home of my mom's parents John and Clara Stern in Sunnyside, Washington. 

At the time my dad was a telegraph operator for the Milwaukee Railroad. He was stationed at the remote location of Hyak, WA (now a busy ski area with Highway I-90 running thru). Mom told me stories of sending money and a grocery list to the nearest town on a passing train..and the next train coming back their way brought the groceries & supplies to her. Dad was eventually promoted and they moved to Tacoma, WA. He continued as a train dispatcher and mom went to work as a R.N. in the new born nursery at Tacoma General Hospital. She continued to work there until the middle of 1941 when she had to quit because I was on the way.  

I was born on January 4, 19942 (almost a month after Pearl Harbor). In July of 1942 my dad joined the US Army and served in North Africa, Italy, France and Sicily in a railroad battalion where he continued to work as a train dispatcher.  Mom took me and moved back to eastern Washington with her parents until after my first birthday.  It was then that she moved us into a local family's basement apartment and went to work at Yakima's St Elizabeth Hospital where she had received her training.  The lady of the house took care of me during the day while mom worked. 

When dad was discharged the fall of 1945, they came back to Tacoma, mom became a stay at home mom and dad went back to the Milwaukee Railroad until his retirement in 1978.  

My brother and I always say we were blessed to have a mom and dad who really loved each other.  And we both agree, we never witnessed any battles between them.  They both worked hard and created a warm, loving and safe environment for us to grow up in. 

                           Happy 77th anniversary mom and dad ~ we miss you both.

It's Been A Long Time~But Here Goes

Curiosity caused me to take a look and I was shocked to see the last entry I posted was August 2014. Where has the time gone? 

I recently celebrated a birthday...it was another big one. Funny how they keep getting bigger. One of the people who sent me a 'happy birthday' wish on Facebook commented, "Next year you'll be a diamond Linda.'  So there you have it. Yes, I was 74.  74!!!! It's hard to believe. It seems like only yesterday I was a kid, going to school, helping out on our mini farm each day. Maybe I've lost track of all those years because I still live in the same town I was born in (in fact I retired from the same hospital where my mom was a R.N. before she had me there), where I grew up and where many of my friends still reside.   The first house my folks bought after my dad returned from WWII is exactly 2.4 miles from where I live now. After I finished 4th grade they bought 10 acres with an old house on it.  There they built a new house and that's where I played and left for school each day until I graduated from high school. The 'farm' is exactly 4.5 miles from where I live now. So you can see, I haven't gotten very far in my 74 years. (So to speak)

I've loved living in the same area..I always run into people I know ~ from school, places I've worked, people I've know from the couple different churches I've attended and I feel sorry for those who grew up here but circumstances have taken them off to another town, another state, even another country. Many of them wish they could come home...home to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. 

One of the sad things about living in you home town is all the changes over the years. I remember when I was in high school, a BIG adventure was going 'downtown.' Now living in the country it wasn't always easy. There was a bus but it went into town twice a day and came back twice a day. And if you missed it coming home , well it wasn't good. But usually one of us had a mom or dad who would take us 3 miles to one of Tacoma's main streets where we could catch a city bus. Then off to town we'd go. Downtown Tacoma was magical back in the late 1950's. There were the usual big department stores (Sears and J.C.Penneys) and we also had a great store called People's Store and then Rhodes Brothers Store. I remember being able to get a pair of really neat shoes at Leeds for $5 and then of course there was Woolworth's, Payless and S.H. Kress. I remember one time several of us were in the Kress store and I opened a bottle of Blue Waltz perfume and it spilled and the whole store reeked of that sickening, sweet smell.  We laughed all the way to the lunch counter at Woolworth's where we had our BLT's and Cherry Sodas. 

Now there's no more downtown, no more Woolworth's, no more S.H. Kress, no more Peoples store and no more Rhodes Bros.  I'm so grateful I grew up when I did, I was born January 4, 1942 and I graduated from high school in June 1960.   Those were truly magical years. My hometown has changed so much. I feel sorry for the kids growing up the last 40 years...they have missed some great adventures.  

Each day God gives me is a blessing.  Another day to be in contact with family and friends. And another day to see the additional changes my hometown is making.  

Looking Back

My son, Jim will be turning 43 on August 12th.....I find myself reflecting back over the years as my two kids approach their birthdays each year.  This is about a special friend who came to the Shook house in August 1974;

Around the time of my son's 3rd birthday (August 12, 1974), my former husband was working out of town with the railroad. He kept calling me telling me about this cute puppy in the window of a pet shop and he thought that Jimmy should have him. I have to admit I wasn't real excited about having a puppy...we already had two cats and I felt that was enough. Well, the dad won out and when he came home at the end of the week he brought this sweet little beagle/terrier mix puppy. We named him Frisky~because he was. Frisky and Jimmy were inseparable for the 11 years that we had Frisky. The last couple years of his life he developed congestive heart failure and finally we had to let him go. He was a great pal to my son....we will always remember the fun times we had with him.

MOTHER'S DAY

Tuesday May 6, 2014 was the 9th anniversary of my Blog.  When I first started writing it was in the days of AOL Journals.  That went by the wayside and most of us switched to Blogger.  Since most of us have moved to Facebook, I'm not very faithful about posting in my Blog.  But I also won't give it up entirely because life changes and who knows...maybe one day I'll be faithful to my Blog again. 

Now as we near Mother's Day weekend....I'm posting about the two grand mother's that I was blessed with.

My two grandma's were completely different. My mom's mother was a farmer's wife living in eastern Washington. She always wore an apron and I can remember the smell of baking at their house....cookies, breads, pies, etc. My mom & I would ride the train from Tacoma to Sunnyside and after a few days mom would come back home but I would stay on with my grandparents for another couple weeks. Grandma would bring me back home on the train & I remember the conductor coming down the aisle of the train with a basket of Cracker Jack's and grandma would open her purse, find a nickle and hand it to me so I could buy one. My dad's mother lived here in Tacoma. From a young woman she worked...she was a telegraph operator for the Milwaukee RR. She worked the night shift and often during the summer she would take me to work with her. It was exciting to be in this little shack between two sets of train tracks in the middle of the night with grandma. She would have packed a lunch for us & I can remember the two thermos bottles she'd have. One with coffee and one with milk. Several times each night she would get her lantern and we would walk down the tracks to turn a switch. She smoked cigarettes and mostly wore slacks..unlike my other grandma. And she wasn't much of a baker...she always had store bought cookies, usually Fig Newtons and she loved 7-Up. I can remember being at her house and for lunch she'd make sandwiches and we'd drink 7-up out of the bottle with a green straw. And she made the best peanut butter fudge in the world. I've never been able to find any that compared with hers. There was a bedroom upstairs at her house where I slept when I spent the night with her. She let me play with her doll, Mary. The one she was given as a little girl. It was made in Germany in the late 1890's, has a kidskin body, porcelain face and hands and is stuffed with sawdust. When I look at that beautiful doll, I can't imagine how she could ever let a young girl play with it. But Mary survived and I still have her. I'm blessed to have such wonderful memories of my two, very different grandmothers and I miss them. And absolutely I miss my dear mom as Mother's Day approaches.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, step moms, foster moms and dads who had to be both dad and mom. 

November 22, 1963

In November of 1963 I was a single mom, with a daughter about to turn 2 years old (Dec 4th) and working grave yard shift at the phone company as a long distance operator. The babysitter ( Karen) was a young gal, married to a fellow in the Air Force. She lived with me for her room and board to watch Julie since I was working that crazy shift. Any I came home the morning of November 22nd and got a bite to eat, got Julie up, dressed her, fed her breakfast and played with her for awhile...then went to bed. I woke up a few hours later to the sound of uncontrollable sobbing. I remember thinking oh my, what's happened...has Julie been hurt or perhaps the little son of Karen's. I staggered out of bed to find the TV on and Karen sitting on the floor absolutely inconsolable....Julie and Karen's little boy were both crying too because Karen was so upset. I dropped down to the floor and kept asking Karen "what's wrong, what's wrong?" All she could do is point to the TV. I looked over and watched for a couple minutes and realized that a horrible event had taken place that day. I later tried to go back to bed and get some more sleep...I probably didn't sleep more that day but I do remember going to work again that night. It was horrible, everyone was crying. It was so difficult to do what we had to do that night. The supervisor called extra people in so we could get through the night. I remember I could take a few calls, check a few tickets and then I'd break down and have to leave my position. All of us were in the same boat. Everywhere you looked in that huge telephone building, here in Tacoma on South 9th and Fawcett......you would see people crying. It was a time in our history that I will never forget. 
             

FALL

I love fall, all the beautiful colors and the crispness in the air (at least we have that here in the Pacific Northwest).  However, I don't like what comes after fall......WINTER.  I wish we could just skip winter and go right into spring, summer and then fall again.  I have to confess there is one part of fall I don't care for and that's the 20 ga-zillion leaves that fall from the very large oak trees across the street from my house.  My house faces the south and there a 'T' intersection right in front of the house and for some reason all of that causes all those leaves to end up in my carport.  I do have a leaf blower but they still have to be picked up and deposited into the yard waste bin. I spend many hours each fall on 'Leaf Duty.'   I came out of my local Target this last Sunday afternoon and the fall colors and the blue sky stopped me in my tracks.  Such beauty~

Then I was out in the front and noticed the fall colors right here in my neighborhood.

This bright orange/red Japanese Maple is in the yard next door to me.  I have a couple of them in my yard but they are a different variety and have already shed their leaves. 

This tree is in the yard across from me....so pretty but a totally different color.  As winter approaches all the trees (except our Douglas Fir trees) will be bare.  They'll go dormant and settle down for their long winter's nap and then wake again in the spring.   I have two small lilac trees that haven't bloomed yet.  I hope as spring approaches I'll begin to see at least a few buds of flowers on each one of them.  

I hope where ever you are...you're able to see a little change in the season.  It's truly an amazing sight!   And don't forget to; 

REMEMBERING 9-11-2001

Mary Teresa Caulfield......

.............a wife, mother, daughter, sister and an aunt was among those who lost their lives in the North Tower of the World Trade Center that sunny and clear morning, September 11, 2001. She was an executive assistant working in her

office at Marsh & Mc Lennan, an insurance company.

On September 11, 2002 one of my co-workers went by the 'Y' before she came into the office. As she entered the 'Y' there was a table that held business size cards of tributes to the victims of 09-11-01. Julia gathered up enough of them for those of us already at work and when she came in , she stopped at each desk to let us choose a card. I chose Mary Teresa Caulfield because she was very close to my age.




Mary Teresa you would be 70 years old now, you would be retired and no doubt would have taken that dream vacation with your husband, James. Maybe even grandchildren have been born, that will never know you. But all those dreams were cut short in an instant by a senseless act of a few. A senseless act of hatred, that most of the people in this world still can't understand.



I still have that little green card with your name and the fact that you were confirmed dead in the World Trade Center that day~that horrible day, September 11, 2001.



To the family and friends of Mary Teresa...please know that as long was I live, I will keep this card with me. I pray that God continues to comfort you and bring you peace as the years go by.



May we never forget those who left us that day and may we never forget those few who brought about this horrible event.

                                           

It's been awhile.....

.........since I last posted an entry.  The Christmas decorations have been put away, we've all experienced the start of a New Year, I've had another birthday and now here we are at the beginning of February 2013.

Christmas Day I woke up sick and that continued on into January with a really bad case of bronchitis and on top of that a doozey of a common cold.  I was very miserable for several weeks, even with two different anti-biotics and a couple weeks of a prednisone taper.  I'm feeling much, much better but still have a nasty cough.  I am soooooo glad I was never a smoker, I can't imagine how bad the cough would be if I had been.  

 During the time I was so sick, the mobile park where I live experienced a 36 hour power outage from a blown transformer.  It was miserable at times but thankfully Bob was here and kept the woodstove burning.  I felt bad that I couldn't help out with making comfortable the residents that had no other source of heat but I sure didn't want to expose them to my 'bugs.'   The power company brought in a big generator and plugged in the Clubhouse where they had meals prepared and people could camp out until the power was restored.

My doctor gave me the 'all clear' to leave town so Bob & I are tentatively planning to leave here on Thursday February 7th for the sunny southland.  Our first stop will be Yuma, Arizona where we'll camp out while we go back and forth across the border to Los Algodones, Mexico for dental work.  We have information on a female dentist from several couples who have been going to her for many years.   I need two very old crowns replaced and he needs at least one.  Here, with dental insurance (at $33 a month) a crown costs me over $600 each.  Down there a crown is $150.00 ~ a big difference.   I also plan on getting my eyes checked and new glasses if I need them.  Medicare does not pay for glasses.

After we're through in the Yuma area we'll travel over to San Diego where I hope to visit a friend of mine from grade school & high school and also Bob's cousin and her husband.  Then we'll go north to La Crescenta, CA where his #3 daughter and her family now live for a couple weeks visit.  After that we'll head to the coast, visiting his 94 year old aunt in Atascadero, CA.  And then slowly back the coast and home.

There's lot's of projects on the books for this Spring & Summer and I absolutley want to be home when my daffodils and tulips bloom. 

Are you glad January is over?  I am...it always seems like it's the longest month of the whole year.  Maybe it's because the days are so short. 

I leave you with a picture of past daffodils....Remember Spring is just around the corner and the long gloomy days of winter will then be over. 

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

IRONING

"Ironing~~~it's an art, and I think it's dying out.  It takes half a brain to do it, and the other half is free to roam."   Butler Christopher Ely, who has worked for Brooke Astor and Buckingham Palace.

Back in the 1950's when I was growing up, my mom felt it was very important for me to learn to iron.  My task was to iron the handkerchiefs, pillow cases and the tops of all the sheets. (She liked the sheets folded a certain way and the tops to be smooth).  Basically I started out ironing anything that was flat. 

After these items were washed and dried, the clothes, etc. were then sprinkled with the water filled sprinkle bottle and then rolled up and placed in the 'ironing' basket.  If left like this too long, they would be covered with mildew and had to be washed again and I was usually in trouble.

As I got older, I moved on to more complicated ironing tasks, like my blouses, mom's house dresses, aprons, dad's shirts and slacks.  By the time I got into high school I was the ironing queen of the house. Mom pretty much left it all to me.  

Now one would think, that after having to iron as a kid I would hate ironing today.  But I don't....I don't iron sheets or pillowcases and of course hankies have gone by the wayside.  But I do still press my blouses and slacks.  I like creases in the sleeves and flat fronts on my blouses. And I usually time my ironing for when a good movie is on TV. Then I set up 'shop' in front of the TV and iron away.

I've also discovered that my trusty ironing board has other uses. It can become a sideboard if you have a bunch of people over for dinner and there's nothing else that works better as a work table for wrapping presents, than the ironing board.

Remember~The ironing board is portable, it can be set up almost anywhere and is just the right height. 

So go ahead, call me crazy but I love to iron !



My first attempt at ironing in December 1943 just weeks before my 2nd birthday.



If Things Don't Seem Quite Right Today......

.........maybe you forgot~

MUSH

I grew up in the days before Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Apple Jacks.

During my growing up days MUSH was the staple for breakfast almost 365 days of the year.

If it wasn't Quaker Oatmeal, it was Cream of Wheat, Ralston Purina, Wheatena or Malt~O~Meal.

My mom would make a big pot of MUSH every morning, especially during the winter months.  Since we had Daisy, we had our own cream to put on the MUSH and she would put out either granulated sugar, brown sugar, molasses or honey to also put on the MUSH.

I checked with my brother (he's 8½ years younger than me) and he remembers a lot of MUSH also. But while we were discussing this subject we each remembered  an occasional bowl of Cheerios, Rice Krispies or Wheaties....but only during the summer months.  

Also on the weekends mom would make pancakes, french toast and eggs, bacon and toast.  But for the most part it was MUSH almost every morning.

The funny thing is, I can't remember if I did the same thing to my kids and quite frankly...I'm afraid to ask them. 

I do know that as an adult I do not eat MUSH.  I put Quaker oatmeal in cookies and in my meatloaf.....but I don't eat it for breakfast!

My Encounter With The Duke

I may have told this story before in a previous Blog post....if you've heard the story before....excuse my absent "mindness."   (Is that a word?) 

It was March 1955, I turned 13 years old in January that year and was so excited that we were going to take a family vacation.  However, I knew riding in the same car as my dad, mom, grandmother and 5 year old brother all the way to southern California and back was going to be a challenge.

This is really the only family vacation I remember, we lived on a small farm....had animals that needed to be cared for, so a day at the park or maybe an over night at the ocean was the most we ever did.

I was in the 7th grade and it was not Spring Break, so my mom talked with my teacher and it was decided that I would be excused from school as long as I wrote a page each day about our activities. Then turn the 'diary' in when we got home for a grade for the time I missed.

My dad's father and step mom, plus his brother and step brother and their families all lived in California.  It was very exciting as we headed out the first week of March...down Highway 99.  I remember at every stop there was the 'changing of the seats' routine between my mom, grandma and myself. Quite frankly I was super annoyed with my brother by the time we passed thru Olympia (30 miles south of our home). 

One day after we arrived at my uncle and aunt's home, my dad's step brother and his family came over and spent the day visiting.   My dad's step brother (Uncle Don) worked for the movie studios as a freelance photographer.  He took those pictures you used to see as you walked up to the ticket booth of a theater, and he took continuity pictures so the actors ended up in the correct spot and in the correct clothes when they came back from a break in shooting their film.

Anyway, during that day of visiting he asked me if I'd like to go to work with him one day while we were there.  I was thrilled and my folks agreed that it would be a fun adventure for me.  But, I didn't really have the appropiate clothes with me, so the next day they took me to the Robert Hall store in Hollywood.  They got me new shoes, new skirt, blouse and a pink  jacket.   I felt like a movie star myself.

The appointed day came and Uncle Don came and picked me up.  When we got to the movie studio he took me in with him and sat me over in the corner to watch the action.  The entire morning they shot the same scene over and over again and I remember that they finally got the scene right just at lunch time.  My uncle came over and said that he had talked to the two movie stars and they had agreed to pose for a picture with me.   I followed him over to another area and there on a high stool sat this beautiful lady named Lauren Bacall.  I had never heard of her before.....

She did sit while my uncle took the picture but then she got up and walked away. She didn't say one word to me. 

 From there, I followed my uncle over to another spot to a group of people standing around talking and laughing. In the middle of that group stood this larger than life man who stepped forward as we approached.  He looked over at my uncle and then at me and extended his hand...my uncle introduced me to John Wayne.  I had heard of John Wayne and needless to say I was dumbstruck.  Here I was, this 13 year old girl who lived on 10 acres and did farm chores meeting the one, the only John Wayne.

We (or should I say 'he') chatted with me and my uncle for awhile and then he asked me if I was hungry. I must have nodded yes, because before I knew it he was leading us to a big round table over in a corner and box lunches appeared for all.  I remember there was an apple in my box lunch but that's all I remember and I don't even remember if I was able to eat much.   I do remember he asked me about my school, where I lived, etc.  He was especially interested in the fact that we lived on a small farm and had animals. He wanted to know who was milking our cow.  His laugh was hearty and it helped me to relax a little. 

Sadly after the lunch break it was time for me to go.  My uncle had arranged for my grandfather to pick me up so I bid farewell and literally floated out of the building.

It was a day I will never forget.  My 8 x 10 glossy, autographed photos hang proudly in my hall, along with family photos.  I have treasured them all these years.

Oh and the movie they were shooting~ it was 'Blood Alley.'   A very good movie and several years ago a friend gave me a DVD of the movie so I can watch it whenever I want.

Remembering~

Mary Teresa Caulfield.......a daughter, sister, wife, mother and aunt was among those who lost their lives in the North Tower of the World Trade Center that sunny and clear morning, September 11, 2001.  She was an executive assistant working in her office at Marsh & McLennan, an insurance company. 

On September 11, 2002 one of my co-workers went by the YMCA before she came into the office.  As she entered the 'Y' there was a table set up, that held business size cards of tributes to the victims of 9-11-01.  Julia gathered up enough of them for those of us already at work and when she came in, she stopped at each desk to let us choose a card.  I chose Mary Teresa Caulfield because she was very close to my age. 

Mary Teresa, you would be 69 years old now, you would be retired and no doubt would have taken that dream vacation with your husband, James.  Maybe you would have even welcomed grandchildren by now...grandchildren that will never know you.  All those dreams were cut short in an instant by a senseless act of a few.  A senseless act of hatred, that most of the people in this world still can't understand. 

I carry that little green card with your name and the fact that you were confirmed dead in the World Trade Center that day~that horrible day,  September 11, 2001. I continue to pray for the loved ones and friends you left behind. 

May we never forget those who left us that day and may we never, ever  forget those few who brought about this horrible event. 

I Can't Believe It

I'm having trouble accepting the fact that it's September already....didn't we just celebrate Christmas?  No really I realize that for most of us summer has come and gone.  Although here in the Pacific Northwest, we are still having 75 degree plus days, however the nights absolutely feel like the start of fall.   My garden did pretty good this year and there's still many tomatoes out there that are in various stages of ripening.  I planted Sweet Peas last February and have enjoyed a bouquet on the kitchen window sill all summer. 

The rhododendrons in my side and front yard were amazing again this year.  I love them but they do make a mess after they're finished blooming. 

 I discovered last year that about the end of June both Lowe's and Home Depot have these racks of nearly dead plants at greatly reduced prices.  I've never spent more than $3 for a half dead perennial in a gallon size container.  I bring them home, cut off the dead part, water them, talk to them and I end up with a nice plant for very little money. I'm slowly switching over to perennials because they will come back year after year. Meanwhile, I've been filling in the nooks and crannies in my flower beds.   


 The week of June 25th, we packed up the truck and camper and headed south on I-5.  We went as far as Grants Pass, Oregon and then stopped in Winston at the Wildlife Animal Safari. It was an amazing, slow ride thru over 600 acres of exotic animals....many roaming free and some were not. 

Our ultimate goal on this road trip was to meet up with Pat Manning and her family.  They were visiting from England and were going to be in Smith River, California the end of June.  We left Winston and traveled west on Highway 199 ending up in Crescent City, California which is a little south of Smith River. This was new territory for us and we loved all of the beautiful scenery we traveled thru.  We found some new campgrounds and some new fun places to stop for a break. We found this beauty in Gasquet, CA....

Finally we arrived in Smith River and found a great campground right at sea level.   There was a small bay right in front of us and just past the sand spit that bordered the bay was the Pacific ocean. 

 It was a beautiful spot to camp and we loved every minute of our time there.   Saturday June 30th we meet Pat and her husband Peter.  We visited for a couple hours and made plans to meet up the next morning for the drive north to Gold Beach, Oregon.  We had booked a jet boat trip up the Rogue River.  This was my 3rd trip up the river, Bob's 2nd trip and their 1st.  We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny and warm morning as we boarded the boat and headed up the river.  

This last picture was our stop for dinner at Lucas Lodge along the river.  Served family style they had big platters of fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, veggies, home made rolls & jam and ice cream with Oregon blackberry sauce for dessert.   We got back into Gold Beach about 8pm and reluctantly said good bye to Pat and Peter.     The next day Bob and I began our journey home up Highway 101 along the coast.  No matter how often we take that route we are always blown away by the beautiful sights along the highway.    

 One of Oregon's many unique bridges.

We watched the 4th of July fireworks on the shore of Lincoln City, Oregon

 A stop at the Tillamook Cheese and Ice Cream Factory is a must. 

The bridge in the bottom picture crosses the Columbia River, at this location connecting Rainier, Oregon and Longview, Washington.  We camped here (on the Oregon side) our last night on the road. 

The rest of the summer has been pretty mundane....weeding, watering, harvesting and just enjoying being home.  Although Labor Day weekend we did go out to the coast to Westport, Washington to visit friends.   And I've picked enough blackberries at my brother and sister in law's woodsy place for many pies this winter.   I've re-stained my small wood deck so it's ready for another winter, the gutters are cleaned (a leaf blower works great for this task)....I am ready for whatever Mother Nature hands down in the next few months.