Concerts and Almost Hood to Coast

Another concert last Sunday at the Zoo. It was Boz Scaggs and it was WONDERFUL!! What a great evening of music. I'd have to say it ranks up there as one the best we've been to. The weather was a little "iffy." It rained on the way in, cleared for much of the concert and then rained a little towards the end. At that point the music was so good that I doubt if anyone really cared. We certainly didn't. The clouds and sun did make a beautiful scene above the turrets of the building adjacent to the amphitheatre. The above shot is one I grabbed during the music.

Today (Wednesday) I spent at home preparing for the H2C that begins Friday morning. I had thought I would trim the lawns and mow again, but it rained all day so I cleaned my house instead. About 4:30 the sun came out briefly and I was able to rearrange my front porch a little. The lovely bench is the one I bought at the estate sale a few weeks ago. After I replaced the rotted slats with the ones Mike cut, I painted the bench. It looks quite nice on my porch I think. It kind of matches. I'd love to make a cushion for the seat one day. It would need to be waterproof but I could manage that.

Eric, Cathy and Hettie have landed and are shopping at REI. They will be here later tonight. Then, it's full on to the Hood to Coast. And, of course, another concert on Sunday evening. This time it's Shawn Mullins.

All Green Gone!!!!

So, now all the green paint really is gone! I finished with all the trim around noon. I did the trim in the bedroom and then just kept going to all the door jambs that face the living/dining room. It sure looks better.

The door took only two coats-even though the paint "guaranteed" one coat coverage. I don't think they had my green paint in mind when they made that statement. But I was thrilled with just two coats. The paint dried fast enough that I was able to get the trim paint out again and paint the white multi pane parts. Both sides too! Although it is now 7:00pm and I still have doors and windows open, I will actually be able to close the door tonight. Gotta love that new paint!

So much for my weekend. All that remains is dinner, a shower and some ironing.

Gone, Gone Green

Almost all the green is gone. It was banished from the bathroom last winter, Mike replaced my back door this spring and today I painted my bedroom. It no longer looks like Henry Ford had a bad dream of St. Patty's day. The bottom of the walls took three coats of paint to cover the green. But now it actually looks like part of my home. Since the bedroom is visually a part of the living room, I chose paint that matches. The top of the walls are the same color as the north wall of the living room and the bottom matches the west living room wall.

Tomorrow I will paint the wood trim and install the new mini blinds I bought to replace the (yes) green ones! I love dark, shiny green on grass, leaves of a tree and on Mike's Jag but not on the walls and doors of my house.

Speaking of doors, the only green left is my front door. It's a metal door-not my favorite-but it has a nice arch-shaped multi pane window. If it doesn't take forever to paint the trim tomorrow and the weather is warm, I may take a shot at painting the door. I have some very nice satin outdoor paint in a kind of brick/tomato red. It would be wonderful to have that done as well.

So, we'll see what tomorrow brings. Right now I am waaaaay tired and am going to bed!

Progress

Another day "off" on Friday used for purely personal stuff. What a wonderful luxury. I arranged for kayaks to use on the Tuesday after the Hood to Coast. Eric & family want to do that and so do I. Scappoose Bay Kayaking is closed on Monday & Tuesday, but for a "local" they will arrange to meet there and provide the equipment. We get a tandem and two singles with all appropriate gear. I offered a deposit and was told "Oh, we'll settle up after you come back. After all,it's not like you wont return." What a joy to live in a small and trusting town!!

Up the road a bit from the Kayak shop was an Estate sale! Wow, one of my favorite homes on Old Portland Road-the one with all the beautiful Rhodies-is empty and for sale (6 acres and a lovely home) Of course, I found treasures to buy; old tools, files, copper plant markers and a wonderful old double garden beach. Picture included here. The bench had three rotten slats. Mike to the rescue.........in less than 15 minutes Saturday he had cut me three new ones to match the crumbling sample I brought!

The rest of my day was spent painting the rest of my bathroom. You remember, the top half of the "red project" from last year. It looks great!! I think I'll try to paint some more before the HTC group arrives. I'd just love to rid myself of the Henry Ford green in my bedroom.

Saturday brought me to the coast after an HTC meeting. It's been so long since we've been able to do anything but clean up after the past two winters of storms. Saturday we did firewood. I carried logs to the road and Mike split the huge rounds that were too big to even get onto the truck. He has the most interesting pile of logs to split up on the upper level. Instead of a traditional wood pile formation he has created something that brings to mind a large, solid tepee of wood. It's round and very tall. He just keeps adding rings around the outside. The is just an amazing amount of wood to be split. While we worked Riley stayed with us but made a nest behind the old woodpile. I don't know if he was hot and sought out shade or if he's just weird. We took pictures and he posed. He's quite a ham.

Sunday, at last, I felt like I was able to make something "pretty" again. The lower, west flower garden was covered in January with huge fallen trees, broken limbs, smashed magnolia, maple and plums trees. Not to mention the azaleas, roses and other flowers that were buried under the rubble. We both felt that it would never recover, never be the same and never be pretty again. We underestimated nature. The smashed trees are growing back (a little different shape), the plum tree is recovering, the azaleas and roses are intact and (drum roll here please) I was able to reveal the stone border along the bed that I put in 3-4 years ago.

That felt so good, just to see it looking nice again!! I snapped a couple of photos just before dark and you can see the border. It's not the same as before, but it's there, things are blooming and growing and it actually looks nice.