MT Transplant

Christmas at Rockaway Beach, Oregon

2010-12-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

The girls and I went to the beach ahead of everyone else and spent a day doing crafts and cooking. The girls made cards and we baked cookies and party mix. When evening came, we discovered that we didn't have much heat in the house so found blankets and curled up and watched a movie. We were happy to see papa the next day so he could build us a fire.

When Mike, Marsha and Cherylynn got there, we dragged out some games and had fun. We played Left-Right-Center and Mike couldn't figure out how he could still win when he was out of chips. It's a fun game for a group and if you play for money, it can be profitable, too.

We spent as much time as we could on the beach. It was pretty overcast and "drippy" but the tides were amazing and we did lots of walking, shell hunting and being silly. There's no such thing as a bad day at the beach.

Papa and the girls found perfect walking sticks and used them to check out unknown beach deposits and help them climb the giant trees on the beach. We watched the high tide move those giant logs and trees and it gave us all a new appreciation for the power of the ocean waves.

We did make a fast departure on Sunday when we watched the news and saw that they were predicting snow in the passes in the coast range. We loaded up in record time and had the house cleaned and locked up. We did run into lots of slush in the coast range and lots and lots of rain so it made it a slow trip home but we were glad to be back.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that Christmas 2010 was a good one and that the beach was a great place to spend the time.

New flooring at the Partridge house

2010-10-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is the new cork floor that Rick and I laid in my craft room. I love it! It's so warm and soft and made the room look so great I had to then paint. I still have two walls to finish but had to get ready for my company so will get to it later.

We had new carpet laid in the living room and our bedroom. It's so soft and a great color. It's called Glazed Donut. The carpet is called Smart Strand from Mohawk. It has a great stain guarantee and comes in so many colors. We sprung for really good pad and it just makes it so nice to come home to.

Since we had to move all the furniture out of four rooms, we had to pile it here and there. We were so glad to be able to move everything back where it belonged. I'm not good at living with dust and bare wood floors and all that commotion. I'm more into organized, clean and neat. As you can see if you look closely at the desk, I made sure I had my computer handy at all times. Don't know what I'd do without email and facebook.

This is the carpet in the family room. It is called pin dot and is a short nap with a loop design that looks like little boxes. It has the same great pad under it and the same warranty. I had already painted in this room so only did some touch up to make it look all clean and neat. Rick and I took up the old carpet and pad and then had to take out all the staples and such to make it nice and smooth. Was a lot of work, but well worth it.

This is my accent wall in the family room. I love suns and have had fun finding new and different ones. I love the clock - it fits right in.

Come over and see what we've done. I have a basket of socks and slippers by the front door so that when you take off your shoes - and you will take off your shoes - you can still be comfy.

My sister's visit and our trip to Newport

2010-08-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

My sister, Karen, came out to visit from North Dakota and we decided that we should spend time at the beach. Then the weather decided to get unseasonably hot in the valley so we made the right decision. We stayed in Newport and explored all it had to offer in four days. Here we are at Yaquina Head on the cobble beach. It's a really unique place with all the lava rocks being very rounded and black. When the water recedes over the rocks, it makes an unusual sound - sorta like clapping. The cobbles look like any ordinary beach rock except they are very black, very round and hard to walk on. As you can see it was a beautiful day to go exploring.

Karen went up up to the top of the lighthouse. I had done it once and didn't like the climb down so I just sucked up sun outside. This is a view of the stairs that go to the top.

We also went to Seal Rock to explore during a low tide. It was a great day to see tide pools. There was a little fog when we arrived but it quickly burned off and then returned later. This is a picture of pelicans at a nesting rock out in the surf. Couldn't get any closer but I think you can see how large they are. There were also nesting Murres and seagulls. Lots of noise and bird poop. The nesting season in nearly over so didn't see as many as there had been there, but it was still pretty impressive. A guide at the lighthouse told us that Murre mothers hatch the babies and then kick them off the cliffs to their fathers below who take them to sea for the year. Sounds like a good plan to me!

The tide was low enough that there were lots and lots of starfish to see and touch. We really enjoyed looking at all the creatures that are generally underwater. If you ever get the chance to go to Seal Rock during a low tide, it is a great area for tide pools because of all the rocks there. Not much beach area usually but during low tide it's an amazing area.

Because it was such a low tide, there were mounds and mounds of mussels and barnacles uncovered. We saw sand crabs, anemone, little fish that got caught in the pool, snails, and so many different types of seaweed - from the usual frond type to pink lacy and fronds that looked like swiss cheese, right down to the color. It was a great chance for Karen to see what the ocean is like here. We had a great morning exploring the tide pools.


After the tide started to come back in, we looked behind us and our rock area was covering up already. We had a good time laughing about a sneaker wave and where we'd run to if one came - funny but serious, too.


We had someone take our picture at Seal Rock. As you can see, we are wearing jackets in almost all the pictures. While Portland was suffering in the 90 degree heat, we were enjoying 70's.

The seals and sea lions on the board walks in Newport attract a lot of attention. They're very big, very many and very loud. Karen took some pictures and this one is very representative of the whole lot of them. Newport has some neat shops and eateries on their Historic bay area. We had wonderful fish tacos, fish and chips, bought glass and Newport candles.


We also spent time in Depoe Bay although it was windy and cool there, so we mostly shopped. We ate at the Sea Hag. Great fish and chips! One thing we did was eat well. We also found a great little wine shop at Nye Beach and bought some new wines and drank them on the beach. Liked both bottles - either it was good wine or the beach made them so much better - we're not really sure.

Our favorite beach - Arcadia Beach

2010-08-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

A picture of Arcadia Beach from the trail at the top. We have always loved this beach. It's not one of the easiest to get to but it's long and you can almost always find shells. We both commented on how clean it was this time. This is the one of the lowest tides we've seen in our years of going to the beach here. This is the beach that we were at when a sneaker wave tried to take us all out to sea. It was a really tramatic experience for Marli. It happened just shortly after they had moved out here and Rick's mom and sister were visiting. It sure gave us all a quick lesson is how dangerous those sneaker waves can be.

This is just one of the large rock formations that low tide uncovered to the base so we could walk around and look at all the sealife that lives on these rocks.

There were so many mussels and barnacles on the rocks that hardly ever see the sun. And the anemones below the water were so green. We walked around quite awhile and then collected some drift wood for my home project.

It was a very low tide the day we walked the beach and the starfish were piled up waiting for the tide to come back in. There are lots of beautiful colors but it's hard to tell with the pile.

Our trip to Wheeler, Oregon

2010-08-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

It was a little cloudy while we were in Wheeler but the view from our bedroom of the Nehalem Bay was very nice. We had a great dinner at the Seafood Shack and walked around checking out all the shops. I bought wood book marks that are really beautiful.

This is our bed. We got a room with our private bathroom down the hall - European style. The room was very nice and the view was great - a nice way to wake up.

This lovely secretary is in the hallway on the way to the music room equipped with an old phonograph and a piano that guests are encouraged to play.

I love these chairs. So unique and you can use them all.

Every place you look you see lovely antiques - furniture and all the accessories, too.

There's a microwave and refrigerator for your use and they offer coffee, tea and such any time. The silverware is antique as are the serving pieces. I love all the lovely old tables and chairs. And the view from this room was very nice.


Breakfast room furniture. This is the only furniture that was not antique. This is a beautiful room and was very comfortable with lovely views of Nehalem Bay. We had a great time in Wheeler and would recommend the Old Wheeler Hotel if you're looking for a nice hotel with lots of charm and great customer service.

What we did during our summer vacation.

2010-07-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

This is the back yard construction zone. We didn't have much access to the backyard during the process but did manage to get the garden watered everyday. We got lots of raspberries and have even dug potatoes already. The tomatoes are starting to set and it looks like we'll have plenty. We used our potatoes on kabobs with chicken and keilbasa. They were great!

This is the beginning of the project. We replaced all the skirting with Hardi Plank. As all good projects go, this led to replacing window trim, facia and gutters. We decided to stop looking or we'll never get done. Lightened the color to "not quite white" but left the trim color dark green.

This is the back of the house with all the work and painting completed. The open area to the shed will be getting a new fence as part of the project. We're also replacing a skylight that leaks and looking for a roofing contractor for next summer. Looks like we'll replace the gutters ourselves - why not, there's some summer left.

Friend and neighbor, John Bailey, helping out. We sure were glad to have his help and we think he learned a lot, too. He'll be doing some of the same work at his house but he's smarter than we are - he's hiring most of it out. Marli and Jaelyn helped out a lot, too. Marli stayed with us for the three weeks that she went to school and she was a great help after school. Jaelyn stayed with us off and on during the construction project and found that she didn't mind painting but much preferred helping out with cooking in the house.

We also rebuilt the front deck to include nice wide, low steps for the old folks. Rick's knees are not what they used to be so we decided to make our front entry knee friendly. I love the steps. We'll put a roof over the mail deck area with a metal roof before winter sets in. The oiling of the new cedar will be my job and I have until school starts to get it done. I think sometime this next week would be a good idea although it's supposed to be a little "toasty" so we'll see. I also have the shed to paint and a garden to tend. So come out and visit and try out our new front entry.

We are going to have a little summer fun. We'll be going to Wheeler, Oregon next weekend so will post pictures from our trip out there. Should be fun and relaxing - something we don't do enough of.

Here is the painting crew. They were a great help during the construction phase. Of course, when you're nearly 11 and nearly 12 and it's summer vacation - the mind does tend to wander.

Great recipe for Blueberry Pie

2010-07-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sour Cream Blueberry Pie
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
2 Tbsp flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 pint fresh blueberries (can use frozen but be sure they are thawed, rinsed and dried)
3 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp broken pecans or chopped almonds
3 Tbsp butter
1 pie shell (I use ready-made rolled crusts)

Rinse and pull off stems of blueberries. Let blueberries drain in a colander. Mix first five (5) ingredients on medium speed of an electric mixer for exactly 5 minutes (Use a timer) Prepare pie shell according to the directions on the box for one crust pie. Do not prick the crust. Do not pre-bake the crust. Gently stir the blueberries into the custard mixture. Pour into pie shell and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. While pie is baking, combine second flour, butter and pecans in a small bowl. Should resemble pie crust when combined. Drop small amounts on top of baked pie. Return the pie to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Cool, refrigerate and serve cold with ice cream or whipped cream.

We bought a new car!

2010-02-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

This is our new 2010 Hyundai Sonata. The color is slate blue with gray interior. We sold the camper, traded in the Ford Explorer and went to find a car that was smaller, more economical and still nice to drive. We're very thrilled so far. We have to get through the first 1200 miles - slower speeds and all - and then we'll be hitting the road to visit Clarity and her parents in Port Townsend. It has Bluetooth, Ipod hookup, a huge trunk and lay-down seats (which will come in handy when I'm on a shopping spree at the Rebuilding Center). Think it will be perfect for us and the money we'll save on gas will come in handy for projects on the house.

Christmas and 40th Anniversary 2009

2010-01-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve. We had dinner at our house and then opened gifts. Mike, Joann, Marli and Jaelyn as well as Joann's brother Dan, his girlfriend Kristina and her parents and an uncle were with us as well as a neighbor, Marsha. Dinner was really good and then we opened gifts. Jaelyn loves Pandas as well as all things "girl". The girls shopped before Christmas and then they opened their gifts when all were there. They seemed to get all the things they wanted.
Marli is really "into" peace signs and we had a lot of fun trying to tell her about when they were popular in the 60's. You know how it is - the old songs are new and kids are always surprised when the "old folks" know the words. Those girls are growing up way too fast and getting older even though I'm not aging at all.
Mike's family planned to go skiing Christmas Day but their plans didn't work out but they did spend the day with friends. They did get to go up skiing and snowboarding during the New Years weekend. Both girls are doing well in learning their respective sports and everyone had a good time.

Rick and I left for Lincoln City and the beach on Christmas Day. We rented a great house and spent lots of time watching the surfers on the waves. They were out there all day. They were towed around with jet skis and they looked they were having fun. It seemed kinda cold to us but they were well dressed. We talked about how much Steve and Mike would enjoy that sort of thing.

We had a few days of high - high tides and very low low tides so we got to see the tide pools and the critters who are left waiting for the ocean to come back up. The biggest creature we saw was this starfish. He was trying not to be seen. We also caught site of barnacles, mussels, anemones, seabirds and snails.

The weather was great. The first day it was a little cold but by Sunday, we were on the beach in jackets with no hats or gloves. Any day at the beach is a good day.

We managed to bring home quite a few shells and rocks that we picked up during low tide. Rick ended up with his pockets full before we moved them to the backpack that I wore.

It was also our 40th wedding anniversary on December 27th so we celebrated with mimosas and eggs benedict for breakfast and ate dinner at a seafood restaurant called Kyllos. It is on the beach and the food was very good. The house we rented had windows all along the beach side so we could watch all the goings on from our living room or deck - or bed. It was a great anniversary and we agreed that the beach is the place we love most.

It's hard to see how big the waves are with nothing out there to compare them too, but they were big enough for the surfers and it was fun to watch them. Walks on the beach, good food and lots of relaxing made this a great Christmas and anniversary. We'll see what we can do to top it next year.

Come by and see us if you get the chance - the beach is great all year.

Trip to the zoo

2009-06-30T22:19:00.001-07:00

Our weather has been so great lately. Steve and Clarity came in from Hood River and Papa and I took them and Marli and Jaelyn to the zoo for the morning. Clarity loves to go see the animals and practice her animal sounds and the older girls love being her guide. As you can see, Clarity gets to have the best seat.

After looking at the monkeys, elephants and various other animals, it was time for a snack before we ended the morning in the Africa exhibits. Clarity, Daddy and even Mommy got summer haircuts. Clarity loves her hair short since she hates getting it washed. Daddy cut it and he did a pretty darned good job.

Here's Clarity telling Papa where to go - nothing unusual there - and Jaelyn is waiting to get to talk to Papa. We sure do enjoy spending time with all our "girls" and watching them grow up.

The Softball Tourney

2009-05-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend watching Marli and Jaelyn play softball. The picture of the lobster is how we look after hours of sitting out in the sun. I put on lots of sunscreen and even took the beach umbrella today, but still am red.

They did a good job and took third in the tourney. The last team they played was so awesome that it was a quick game but they really played well both days.

The Oregon Trail as told by 4th graders.

2009-05-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

Marli was in a school presentation about the Oregon Trail. She asked Gran to make her a pioneer costume and this is what we came up with. She didn't wear the bonnet the night Papa and I went to the performance - said she forgot- but I noticed that few of her friends were wearing theirs either. It was a really cute presentation with dancing, singing and story telling.

As you can see, we're not too proud of her. She's growing up way too fast but is becoming a very nice young lady.

Camping at the beach in May - brrrrrrr

2009-05-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Here we are deciding on what to do next. That's Steve and Michelle and Clarity by the camper. That's our rig - we love it. The one covering her face is Marli. We plan on trying to get out a lot this summer. We're planning at week at the Rogue River - I'll post from there. We've heard it's amazingly beautiful.

Marli and Gran keeping an eye on the fire. The sun was shining every day but the wind was pretty bad two of the three days. As you can see, we're wearing coats in all the pictures. Cape Kiwanda campground does have an indoor pool so the girls got to swim even though the weather wasn't right for beach swimming.

Jaelyn and Clarity had a good time together camping at the beach. Clarity kept trying to lift the biggest rocks and Jaelyn encouraged her. It's amazing how quickly those little minds pick up the right sounds for rock lifting. Jaelyn was a great "big sister" to Clarity while we were there.

We spent a weekend at Cape Kiwanda and had a good time. The weather wasn't the greatest, but at the beach it's all good. Steve, Michelle and Clarity had already had to go back since Clarity was really sick (but she's much better now) so they didn't get to go down the beach on the only day it wasn't windy.

Daddy and his girl

2009-04-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

Isn't this a great picture of Steve and Clarity? She's just gotten a new haircut and it makes her look so grown up. EEEEEEK, I'm not ready to have another "old" granddaughter. She sure is fun and can she talk, talk, talk.

Another Clarity visit

2009-02-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

Clarity came to visit again and we had a blast with her. She's talking a lot now and loves to try to confuse us with her requests. She loves to laugh and Papa got her laughing by spinning her on the computer chair.
She loves to color, but does prefer coloring on things other than a coloring book. Her favorites are the Elmo coloring books but she loves to color wherever, then Gran has to step in and put things away.
She finally does slow down and likes to sit and watch a little Elmo or Curious George so either Papa or I get in lots of extra snuggles.

Marli and Jaelyn are busy with school, all their pets and Marli's softball practices. As they get older, it's harder and harder to get onto their social calendar. We try to have dinner on Wednesdays and they like to shop so they're always ready for that. I'll try to get more pics of them the next time they're here.

Clarity and her Papa

2009-01-21T09:43:00.000-08:00

Clarity loves her Papa. She came to visit the other day and she couldn't wait to play, hug and relax with her Papa. And of course, Papa hated it! Yeah, right. They have lots of fun together and she's always teaching him new things. She's 18 months old and just going all the time. She and Papa love to read together. We sure do love to have her close enough so that we can be part of her life.

Clarity and the Kitty at Grans

2009-01-15T19:09:00.000-08:00

Clarity came to visit Gran on Wednesday morning while Daddy and Uncle Mike did some running around. She knows how to make "brownie points" with her Gran - Daddy said she was bucking in her car seat when they pulled into our drive.
Clarity helped me with the laundry and then took over the basket for her own plans. She put her babies in there and then climbed in herself. She was involved with Elmo in this picture.

After perusing Gran's drawer, she found a bandana and wore it on various parts of her body and then we settled on the head. She likes hats but don't try to put any pig tails or anything in her hair, although, she nearly goes to sleep when you brush her hair - sounds a lot like her Gran.

She loves cats. She's always trying to get one of my cats to be her friend. This is Clarity at the window looking out at Tiger in his Kitty castle. She pokes her head out the cat door and tries unsuccessfully to get him to come close so she can touch him. This project keeps her busy for at least 15 minutes. This trip she tried some of the dry kitty treats and decided that she really liked the crunch.

Tiger usually hisses at her but he's gotten so he'll just stay out of reach but he does sniff her hand. I think it's his way of teasing her. She calls and calls but no kitties come. It's cute. She's learning so many new words. She really keeps us busy trying to guess what she's trying to tell us. Daddy found out that those four letter words are really easy for 18 month old girls to pick up - everyone has to watch what they say now! And she may look like she's put on some weight - finally - but the pants hide the truth. She's still totally buttless and can't keep her pants up. She weighs just under 22 lbs although she eats A LOT! I guess she'll just be one of the lucky ones - thin with no "junk in the trunk". Lucky girl!!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-06T22:24:00.000-08:00

In spite of the snow, Mike, Joann, Marli and Jaelyn came to our house for Christmas Eve. We had our big dinner, opened gifts and had a good time. The girls seemed to be pleased with their gifts. It was fun to watch them open the presents. Then they have a Santa morning at home. We spent Christmas day with friends as did Mike and Joann. We had neighbors in who couldn't get out to be with family. We had a pot luck dinner and there was enough food to feed the whole neighborhood. We got to know some of our newest neighbors and it was a good time. There were all sorts of desserts and candy so no one left empty handed.

Then on Saturday, we drove to Hood River to spend the weekend with Clarity, Steve and Michelle. She loves getting presents and she sure showed us how to play. She's just as attached to her Papa as Marli and Jaelyn are. Marli says it's because she knows that her Papa will never tell her No. I think she's too young to realize that but there's something about Papa that they love. When he's around, no one else matters.

We loved waking up to a lot less snow on Sunday, after it rained all night. The weather here is so strange. We went from 2 feet of snow and ice to nearly nothing overnight with slightly warmer temps and the rain. We were relieved that our days of shoveling snow appear to be over at this time.

At the beach - January 09

2009-01-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

Rick and I decided that although we couldn't get out on our actual anniversary, we would go to Cannon Beach on the weekend after New Years for rest and relaxation. We had a great weekend and got lots of lounging in. We also spent an afternoon at our favorite beach - Arcadia, which is south of Cannon Beach. That's where these pictures were taken. It was a great weekend!

We walked through the galleries and stores, shopped a bit in Seaside, ate out for dinner and read, watched movies and slept a lot. For a 39th anniversary, it was pretty darned good. The roads going out to the coast on Friday were very snow packed and icy so we took a different route home. We heard on TV that a storm with high winds was on the way in on Sunday, so we left a little earlier than planned and were glad about it on Monday. The town we had lunch in, Clatskanie, closed their schools on Monday due to ice and snow. We must have been right ahead of the storm.

Wish you could have been there - it was a good time.

The blizzard of 2008

2008-12-24T08:04:00.001-08:00

We've been snowed into our cul de sac since Sunday. Portland is breaking records all over the place. Most snow for December, most snow on Christmas and some others. We've been dealing with the weather since last week Monday - closing schools and such because of the ice. Now it's two to three feet of snow and then the wind blowing it into drifts of at least 5 feet. Gresham, the city we live in, has called in the National Guard to help get to people on the side streets who can't get emergency help. My neighbor fell and broke her arm very badly and we had to call in someone with a 4 wheel drive and chains to take her to the hospital cuz the fire department couldn't get in and they said that if we had to go by ambulance, they would have to carry her out to the street. She was in too much pain for that so we had to improvise.

Now before those of you who live in the frozen North start giving me grief, take some of these facts into account. Our usual snow here in the valley is one or two days of snow that melt right away - that's winter. The paper had an interesting comparison

Gresham
Population: 101,000
Street Miles: 319
Snowplows: 4 (and they aren't really plows, they are dump trucks with blades)

Wilwaukee, WI
Population: 602,000
Street miles: 1400
Snowplows: 360, plus contractors standing by

Interstate I-84 was closed from Saturday until yesterday morning from here to Hood River. That stranded many cars and about 300 semis at the truck stops. Needless to say, we're all having a hard time. I haven't moved this much snow since I left Montana. We live in a 55 and older community and Rick and I are the youngest people living here so we spend lots of time looking after our neighbors - especially the single women. They call us Mr and Mrs Roper but we don't mind- someone has to keep track of them all. I tease Rick about all his "wives".

AND it's snowing again. Now they're predicting rain/snow mix for today and tomorrow - more ice!. Now add to that - it's been below freezing since last Wednesday. Mike and family are still planning on getting here for Christmas Eve and we've invited neighbors who can't get to family to bring pot luck to our house on Christmas Day. Should be fun. I know that we're eating pot roast, escalloped potatoes and ham, various desserts and who knows what else. I'm excited about it.

Enough complaining from me. Hope that you are snug and warm and looking forward to sharing your Holidays with friends and family.

Winter in Portland

2008-12-17T23:10:00.000-08:00

Our weather isn't great and I know that's a problem in lots of areas. Winter in Oregon can be quite difficult. We don't get much snow and it doesn't very often freeze more than once or twice, but this year - it has been below freezing for 4 days with another 5-7 promised. It snowed the other day and everything shut down. Now it's above 32 and it's raining! That means tomorrow that everything will be covered with a sheet of ice and then it will snow on top of that and then probably rain again. What a crummy start to winter. But at least I don't have to get out in it. Our Winter vacation officially starts Thursday although we only went to school one day this week. So now I'm off until January 5th.

Marli and two friends are coming over to bake cookies this weekend and then Jaelyn and friends are coming over on Monday to dip pretzels. They're also painting ornaments, crocheting and knitting so we manage to keep plenty busy. I have a project or two of my own to get done and then I'm sure the time will be gone. We'll be at our house for Christmas Eve with Mike's family and then have everyone here on Saturday when Steve's family comes to town. It should be a lot of fun and we'll eat well - we always do. Have a great Holiday Season with your friends and family.

Clarity's Sleep Over

2008-12-17T22:59:00.000-08:00

Marli and Jaelyn came over to visit with their cousin and we got this great pic of the three granddaughters. It's fun to see them together and we know that they'll grow up to be fast friends. They're all growing up way too fast.

Steve and Michelle trusted us to babysit Clarity - all alone, overnight. They had reservations at a local hotel with a spa and good food and they had a great time. But we had a better time! We had so much fun playing with Clarity. Gran got to sleep with her - she's not the best little sleeper but we did great. Of course, she thinks her Papa is the best - just like the other granddaughters. We were very tired when we finally waved to her on her way home to Hood River, but it was all worth it. Everytime we had Marli and Jaelyn for a sleep-over, we learned so many valuable things from them and now we're learning new things from Clarity, too. Such brilliant granddaugters - they keep us on our toes.

Cutting the Christmas Tree

2008-12-17T22:52:00.000-08:00

Here's we are out cutting our Christmas tree. Rick and I, Mike, Joann, Marli, Jaelyn and relatives of Joann's went to a local U cut and picked out our tree. Papa cut ours and Marli gave it a real try but had to turn over the saw to Daddy who then relinguised the saw to Ray. We finally got both trees to the check out and then home. It's nice to have a real tree - nothing smells better - and cutting it fresh makes it last so much longer. We've talked about buying one that you plant after Christmas - maybe next year. Hope you're enjoying your Holidays.

left to right: Rick, Marli's back, Mike and Jaelyn.

2008-12-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

We were invited to spend Thanksgiving with Steve's family in Hood River. The only thing we were required to bring was pie. Since I was out of school on Wednesday and Marli and Jaelyn were home, too, we decided to spend the day together doing things. So they came over and we made pies for Thanksgiving. Here they are getting the lattice cut for the cherry pie. In all we made three pies - pecan, cherry and pumpkin and the girls did most of the work. They love to cook and we have a good time doing it. They also helped make dinner that night for Papa.

Once we got to Hood River, Clarity decided that it was her job to get things organized and she did a good job from the counter top in the kitchen. She also took her mom and Gran for a walk to the park and took us all out after dinner. Michelle and Steve cooked the turkey on the grill and it was wonderful. We also had a new stuffing with artichokes and mushrooms and it was so good I'm trying to find a reason to make it again, soon. We also ate homemade rolls, mashed potatoes and great gravy, sweet potatoes and green beans. The left overs were well received the next day but we're out now, so guess I'll have to cook a turkey here.

We hope your Thanksgiving was amazing, too and that you were with friends and family.

2008-12-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty remiss about posting so thought I'd do a little catching up. The summer is over and now we're enjoying our fall weather. Clarity and her parents came to Portland and she and her family, her cousins Marli and Jaelyn, her Uncle Mike and Gran went to the zoo. It was a frosty morning but we all had a good time. This is the girls resting up for the trip and watching a movie. Clarity is sitting on her new couch - it's now in her new bedroom at home.
We loved seeing all the animals at the zoo and the girls love the tanks where they can get up close to the animals. As you can see, Michelle and Clarity are ready for the cold.

We love having the girls all living so close. We get to do such fun things with them all. And with Clarity in Hood River, it's just a 45 mile trip over and it's beautiful there. Steve and I went on the "Fruit Loop" and stopped at a farm that was selling 54 varities of apples, 15 varities of pears and assorted other things. I bought lots of Asian pears and apples and came home and canned applesauce. I've done it twice more since then. It's a hit!

Camping on the Molalla River in September

2008-09-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

The weather was perfect - the sun was shining and Steve and Michelle had a rock skipping competition going. Meanwhile, the rest of us were resting. We were at Feyrer Park on the Molalla River southeast of Portland - a small campground right on the river. Mike and Marli joined us and we had a great time.

Marli was crazy enough to get into the water - it was cold and then she and Aunt Michelle had a bet going that each would swim to the other side and back and then Marli would get $2.00 from her Papa and $1.00 from Michelle. Of course, for money, she did it and forced Michelle to get into the water, too. The rest of us decided that it was way too cold for us. Mike fell in and assured us that the rocks were hard and the water was cold.

Even Clarity didn't get too excited about getting all wet. She was content to walk at the edge with her daddy and play in the sand. She loves to get good and dirty!

Papa is a good refuge when a girl needs milk. Clarity spent time with Papa and then napped at the beach which gave us all more time to soak up the sun and complain about how cold the water was. Marli was in and out most of the afternoon.

We had a good time, good food and played a lot. We tried out new Ladderball game and all enjoyed it although Clarity found the balls a little soft and easy to bite a chunk out of so she lost her turn to play. There is a playground there, too, so sliding, swinging and running around were in order.

A Keller get together in Billings

2008-09-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Joann, Marli, Jaelyn and I drove to Montana in August to visit family. Joann and the girls spent time with their Grandma Johnson and Joann's brother, Daniel, and they had a wonderful time at the Fair, swimming and visiting with friends.

My family got together (the first time in 11 years that all five kids were together) in Billings at my Dad's house and it was great to see them all. Karen (the middle sister) planned a girls night where we drank, talked and laughed - and laughed and laughed. Then we got together for a family BBQ with all the available brothers, sisters, in-laws, out-laws and assorted kids. As you can see, the "kids" posed for a picture in order of age. We used to have this picture taken for Christmas cards but it looked a lot different then. I was always the tallest and the rest of the kids stood in order of height and age - which worked out perfectly. Now the brothers have grown taller and thrown off the line, but we're all there. It was nice to see everyone and remember some of our favorite memories from the past. Dad and Donna were great hosts to put with us all and open their house and yard for us.

Playing with Papa in Hood River

2008-09-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Having Steve, Michelle and Clarity living in Hood River is great! We get to spend time with Clarity. These pictures show how she's teaching her Papa that she is fearless on the slide so you'd better hussle or she'll get there ahead of you. She loves the park - in fact she just loves to be outside. She's growing up way too fast so we're glad that we get to be part of it right now.

Meeting the Greats at Seaside in March

2008-03-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

March at the Coast. My dad and his wife, Donna, were vacationing at Seaside and they had never had the chance to meet Michelle and now Clarity, so we went out to Seaside, rented a cabin and spent two days together and had a really good time. Clarity was a hit and Michelle held her own with dad. We had good food and enjoyed being together. Dad and Donna were in a time-share on the 7th floor so the view was great. March is rainy as they found out but since we were mainly at Seaside to visit it worked out well. Steve and Michelle found out where they could get oyster shooters at Seaside but they ate them alone. No one else was brave enough to try them.

Marli is sewing

2008-02-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

This is the hoodie-robe that Marli helped me make for Jaelyn. Jae isn't quite ready to jump into sewing. She's too busy doing other things but she really likes her new robe.

Marli wanted to sew so she practiced and this is her first project that she did. I did help with the hood and the front pocket but she did all the rest. It's a hoodie robe and I think she did a great job. I took a video of her sewing away but couldn't get it to load - may try again later. Anyway, she and Jaelyn also crossed stitched their names onto their skating towels and they also turned out great. We had a very busy Sunday. I'll take a picture of Jaelyn's hoodie robe when it's done. She didn't want to sew so Marli helped me sew Jaelyn's too. She's getting very good. Next we'll try to cut out the pattern.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

Marli all dressed up for her Christmas picture. She's now 9 and loves to get dolled up.
Jaelyn and her dress up outfit. They also love high heels although I tell them they'd hate to have to wear them all the time.
I sewed Build-a-bear clothes this year. I had lots of fun making party clothes and tank tops for the animals the girls had built for their birthdays.

This is a good picture of the girls and their new slippers. I got knitting hoops and make lots of slippers, and hats. The girls made a hat for themselves and for Mike and Joann.

Rick asked for westerns for Christmas and he got lots of them. He's watched most of them already but always goes back and watches them again and again.

We had a nice Christmas but we all missed our beach Christmas. We hope to get back to that in 2009 when they Holidays fall on the weekends again. We hope you all had a great Holiday season and that 2008 is starting out to be a good year for you all.

Marli and Jaelyn ice skating

2007-12-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

Marli and Jaelyn are taking ice skating lessons and loving it. They take the lessons on the ice inside the Lloyd Center Mall in dowtown Portland. The first picture shows them listening closely to their instructor. She was surprised that they had never skated before.
Jaelyn going through her paces. They take lessons for 1/2 hour once a week and then try to get in at least 4 hours of skating every week. They can't wait to see if they get white ice skates for Christmas.
Marli practices and practices. She wants to do spins and jumps and wants to do them right now. They're sure cute to watch. They had to start in the beginner class with kids of all ages. Some of them are so small and some of the more advanced skaters are also just tiny
Here's Marli showing us her latest trick. It's fun to watch them and they never seem to get tired. They do say that the ice is cold and hard when you fall down so they try really hard not to do that.

Our Trip to Arizona

2007-08-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it's taken me this long to finally post about our trip to Arizona. The main reason we went was to meet our new granddaughter, Clarity Blue, and see her mom, Michelle, and dad, Steve. We had a wonderful visit even though she decided not to arrive on time. She is now a month old and we try to get pictures everyday out of her mom and dad.
We did leave Clarity to do a little site seeing. We went to the Grand Canyon and it was truly amazing. We spent a lot of time there walking round seeing everything. I had a hard time looking over the edge so Rick took lots of pictures while I stayed on top on firmer ground. It got very hot there eventually so we went home but it was well worth the trip.

One of the things that Rick did every morning in Flagstaff was take pictures of humming birds. Steve and Michelle have a really nice area that attracts lots of birds and he got some really great pictures of the hummers. I knew that I'd find him out there with his cup of coffee when I got up. It was a great way to start the day!

We also went up the mountain and I was almost ready to take the chair lift to the top and see all the scenery from there. Once I saw the lift, I was pretty sure I couldn't do it - too high - and then the weather helped me out and they closed it since it was lightening and they won't let you hang out and there and be a lightening rod. In fact, there was a group that were stuck at the top waiting for the weather to clear. Glad I wasn't amongst that group as Steve told us that he's pretty sure there's not much at the top - maybe drinks but no food.

This is one of the pictures that we're getting "daily" from Mom and Dad. I love this one and Momma Michelle looks so great, too. We had a really good time and can't wait to see them all again. It may be around Christmas - hope I can wait that long.

Our weekend in Tillamook 6-30-07

2007-07-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

We took the girls to Tillamook for a long weekend and had a blast. There were horses there so they spent lots of time feeding them. We even had to make a trip to the store to get long carrots so they wouldn't scare Jaelyn so much when they ate. She was sure they were going to bite off her hand. Marli was a little more daring. Here's papa showing them it's safe and that the horses are gentle.

We also spent time being "tourists" and went to see a waterfall in an old growth area where we all forded a stream to get to the salmon berries. The girls say

they were good - I was too chicken to try them - afraid that something like Montezuma's revenge would befall me in the night!

The girls spent an entire day in the ocean and on the beach. We did lots of walking and enjoyed the sun when it finally came out. They were really brave jumping in the waves but when they laid down in the surf they discovered that there were vary large sand crabs in the water and they claim that they were biting them. Either way, it ended their laying down in the water.

Papa and I weren't as impressed with the campground as the
girls were - no privacy, the "spots" were small and very close.
But we were close to the playground and managed to eat well,
play hard and have fun. We invited one of our neighbors who was
alone to come over and have s'mores with us and she brought

some monster marshmallows that she'd gotten in Mexico. The girls were thrilled - and she had a dog that liked them so it was all good.

Papa and I are off to Arizona for a few days to see our newest granddaughter if she ever decides to arrive. She's being a little bull-headed so we may have to go down and coax her to come out and play with us.

Hope your summer is going well. We'll keep posting pictures.

Family gathering at Pacific City

2007-06-12T19:49:00.001-07:00

Here we all are at Pacific City at a Thousand Trails campground. Mom and Bill were traveling through on their summer trip and we all got together out there. Mike and Joann came out the join Rick and I and the girls . Saturday was rainy, Sunday was overcast and Monday was beautiful and sunny.

Mom and Bill have developed really thin blood. This is Mom's idea of a day at the beach in Oregon. Bill was in the truck!

This is what Marli and Jaelyn did at the beach. They thought it was a fantastic day!

We had a nice visit and got lots of time for talk and playing games. We're getting the hang of this camping thing and wish we could do it every weekend but there are still things we need to do at home once in awhile. It won't be long before we fly to Arizona to see our newest granddaughter. I'll be sure to post pictures when we get back from there in July.

Beautiful Things in Oregon Nature

2007-05-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Aren't these beautiful. I don't know if they're naturally growing but they sure add so much to the scenery. We found them growing lots of places in Milo McIver park when we went camping last weekend. We saw lots of flowers, bugs, snails, a mole, ducks, fish, geese, horse poop, horses and trees. It was a really nice place to hike.

Rick is taking these pictures and he's getting pretty darned good at it. Here is his picture of the mushroom the girls found growing in an "old growth forest" area.

First Camping Trip at McIver 5-11-07

2007-05-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

This is the girls' bunk area before we got going. See how clean and neat it is? That lasted about 30 seconds. They had a blast though and they did help clean up once in awhile.

Papa helping Marli (L) and Jaelyn (R) with their s'mores. We had to have them both nights we were gone. They love roasting the marshmallows. And of course, they love the fire.

This is a morning fire. It was pretty darned cold on Sunday morning and we needed to have a fire to get going. We took enough wood for two night fire and a morning fire and could have stayed another day but it was nice to have it there.

Papa resting after breakfast. He cooked the bacon out on the pan on the grill. He even cooked the eggs out there the first morning but Sunday we cooked the pancakes and eggs in the house.

Don't look too closely at the bed. The girls are drinking their morning cocoa and Grandma is trying to stay warm. I'm not much for jumping out of a perfectly warm bed just to put on cold clothes. Summer can't come soon enough for me.

This is our bed at the back of the house. We have a really nice awning, and a grill that hooks onto the trailer and hooks to the trailer propane. We had a good chance to use the heater, the hot water tank and all the facilities except the shower. There was a nice one in the campground so we used it. Can't wait to get out again. It was sure nice to be back in nature again.

We walked many miles around the park going to and from the river and checking out all the wildlife - moles, snails, ducks, geese, slugs, fish, birds and bugs. Lots of pretty flowers and great trees, too. It was a great nature weekend.

A Great Time in Florida

2007-03-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

We had a blast in Florida. The weather was perfect, the golf was fun and the company was wonderful. We went shopping, golfing, saw manatees, Cypress Gardens and lots of traffic but it was all good. We ate well, rested and just had a good time. We highly recommend the Morris's as hosts and the weather in March is perfect. We played in a "best ball" golf tourney with Bill and Mom and we ended up even par - which I thought was pretty darned good for us. I'll add more pictures as time goes on so you can see what we saw. It was really beautiful and we hated to come back to rain and work but all good things ..........

The flowers at Cypress Gardens were amazing. They have lots of flower bugs and birds and the bushes are trimmed, too. We went to the water ski show, saw alligators and all sorts of critters and went to some shows - some good and some not so good. It was a great day with lots of sun but not too hot.

World Forestry Center Visit

2007-03-03T19:24:00.000-08:00

Papa, Joann, Marli, Jaelyn and I spent a few hours in the World Forestry Center Museum on Saturday and had a good time. The girls learned lots about forests, parachuting (Marli got within 27 feet of the target), planting trees, forests of other countries and lots of other things. They got to ride to the top of the canopy with Papa and Joann - Grandma doesn't do heights. Jaelyn discovered that she's a little put off by heights, too. The weather was a mix of clouds and heavy fog but it didn't deter our pioneering spirit so we even went out for pictures by the fountain. A good time was had by all. There were amazing photos, things made of wood and lots of little "movies" to watch to get us all educated about the forests in different parts of the world and the great forests right here in the Northwest. It was worth the price of admission. There was a special display of photos by someone famous of places he's been and the fascinating animals that he's seen - mostly in Africa. It was great to see.

The New Bathroom

2007-02-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

We started remodeling the guest bath months ago and it's been a slow process but we're sure pleased with it so far. Rick and I laid a floor that is a new "stuff" from Congoleum. It cleans like linoleum, looks like tile and is easy to install. We like the tile look without the coldness. As you can see, we had to "gut" the room and start again. We put wainscoating on the lower part of the walls and then put black trim up.

This tile started the color scheme plans for this bathroom. I was convinced I wanted a bathroom with Mexican tiles and even started collecting them. But once I got them all together, I found I wasn't all that excited about the project so had to look for another idea. I have two penguin pictures and they provided me with an idea. This tile was one that I got from my sister, Karen, as a gift. We found lots of great ones at an art gallery in Cannon Beach.

Rick and I looked and looked at base cabinets but just couldn't find what we wanted at a price we planned to pay, so he built the base cabinets and we painted them. I think they turned out great! The center of the drawer fronts is the same wainscoating material we used on the walls. The counter top will be black and we'll have a new sink and faucet, too. Rick will build the counter top and we'll laminate it ourselves, too.

I love the look of shadow boxes for diplays so Rick built these two so I could put up
some of the knick knacks that I have. The two black and white cats are a gift from a friend and they look perfect in the room. I plan to add a small vase with bright yellow flowers, too.

I made the shower curtain and tank cover. I found the padded toilet seat online and picked up the other brick a brack at different places over the last few months. All of these things will be on the counter when it is completed. I won't have a towel bar for the hand towel - this thing sits on the counter. It's been fun keeping a watch for the perfect things to go into the new bathroom. I have to stop myself sometimes and remember that it's a small room. I bought a black metal garbage can and picture frame that I haven't put up yet, still waiting for the perfect picture to put into the frame. I'd love to have an above the counter sink, but it probably isn't very practical but we'll see. I keep looking at them and they sure are neat.

This is a look down the length of the room. As you can see, it's a pretty small bathroom but I love the way it's turning out. When I get tired of yellow, I can go with red or blue or orange, or whatever. It's been fun and I'm glad that we've taken the time to do it to our satisfaction. Now we'll buy the counter top and see how that goes. Come out and see it for yourselves. ( I have black material on the top of the base cabinets to get the look of the black counter top)

We're So Excited

2007-01-23T18:10:00.000-08:00

We're having another girl. Well, we're not but one of our brood is. That will make three granddaughters and we couldn't be happier.
Steve and Michelle are having a girl in July. They're now in Arizona so they are definitely closer than when they were in Alaska. We plan on meeting her as soon as she makes her appearance. Look for more info on the blog.

The picture is the happy parents and the happier Grandpa - even though we didn't know yet. The picture is from our trip to Chico in September. The weather was wonderful and we helped the kids pack to move. It was a great time.

At the Hop

2007-01-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

Mars - no more pictures, dad!

This is one of the extras that I made. That's a kitty on this one. Too much work to get the poodle leash on there.

The girls' school had a sock hop and they asked Grandma to make Poodle skirts. I made four. One for each of them and two extra. They were pretty easy and they sure looked cute.