The Return Trip & Almost Halloween

On a bright, warm day last Spring Mike & I spent the day in my back yard listening to and watching V after V of geese flying North for the season. It was a never-ceasing flight and we felt awed and delighted to be able to observe this migration. Today I was rewarded with the return trip! I awoke hearing the honking of the geese, and it never ceased all day. In fact, it continues now at nearly midnight. I feel as if I have been invited into the lives of these geese. I wonder if, today, I saw some of the same birds we saw last Spring. I tried, several times, to take photos of the flocks, but they are flying very high in this first part of their journey. I could hear them clearly, but when I looked up, they were just tiny, tiny dots in the sky. Last Spring, by the time they had flown this far, they were much lower. I imagine, when they are closer to their winter home in the South, they will be lower again. What a miracle of nature this is. Because I live so very close to the Columbia River I am able to observe this phenomena. The photo that I include here is inadequate, but, if you double click and enlarge it, you can see the "dots" of the birds.

You may recall that I wrote of planting a rose that was Mike's mother's. I call it Kate's Rose and I have placed it near my back fence. A picture here reveals that
it appears to be repeating history in climbing my fence. It has even grown through the crack in my fence and has insinuated itself into my neighbor's yard. I hope this invasion is well received. From what I can see of that yard, they may appreciate some blooms as they don't appear to pay great attention their yard. I hope it brings them pleasure.

My little town seems to celebrate holidays with great enthusiasm. Most folks have Halloween decorations in their yards and some are quite amusing. I stopped and snapped photos of some inflatable decorations on my own 4th street this evening. This are puffed up and lively all day and into the evening. However, when I drive to work early in the AM, they are deflated and rather sad. Tonight they were full and lively and I have included mt pictures of them here. From this, I am deducing that I will have "Trick-or-Treaters" and have laid in a supply of candy.

On my patio I have a "baby" of Mike's large Maple tree. It is showing me Fall Colors now. The leaves have turned red and, I'm sure, will soon drop. But right now it is very pretty and a miniature of our entire area. I love the seasons here and the changes in the weather.

Today I picked some almost-ripe tomatos, pulled up my hot chilis to hang in my shop and pulled some radishes. I still have cuccumbers and carrots that are growing and some lettuce as well. But the night temperatures are close to freezing now and it wont be long before the veggies are done for the year.

My roses are still blooming and I purchased some 'mums to supplement the fading Asters in the front yard. I chose to mow the lawns today, while there was no rain, but tomorrow I need to plant those 'mums, finish my yard work and plant the bulbs to bloom in the Spring.
Have a Happy Holloween and a good Autumn.

Beautiful Falls and Fall

When we returned from Kahneeta after Labor Day and it rained for two weeks, we congratulated ourselves on beating the odds and having good weather for our annual vacation in the heat. Then we had an Indian Summer with warm (even hot!) days in the sun. But, being Oregon, the rain returned and we said, "Oh, see, the weather has turned, it is Fall." The beautiful red and orange leaves bore us out and we prepared for the "wet" season. But Saturday and Sunday at the coast we were rewarded with two more gorgeous days once again. What beautiful weather we had!! We ate breakfast on the porch and shed our jackets in the sun. I ran with my running buddy, Riley, and he headed straight for the waterfall to drink as soon as we hit the yard. Mike suggested, on Saturday, that we should try to find the remote and beautiful waterfall he and Jeremy had re-found (after 15 years) in August. We drove out to Highway 53 and through the gates opened for hunting season. After many "left-turn" detours without success, we decided we needed more direction from Jeremy. We tried again on Sunday (no left turns necessary) and were successful. Peter and Kathleen followed us, but bailed out barely short of the goal. Something about a gas gauge! Right!!! The reward was great, even though I thought once (and maybe twice) before I followed Mike down the hidden rope and then a slippery slope with Vine Maple hand holds, to where we could see, hear and feel the falls. I have included photos here of the waterfall as well as of some of the beautiful fall foliage we enjoyed. This lovely waterfall is in a sort of slot canyon on the Grassy Lake Creek that flows from the coast range down towards Hwy 53 and Nehalem. There is a hidden rope in the trees off the side road leading to an old quarry. I would have never seen the rope but for Mike's sharp eyes. The first part is steep but entirely possible with the rope. The rest is less steep, but one can easily grab the Vine Maples and the Deer Fern to steady the descent. Unfortunately, at this time of year, the large boulders surrounding the falls are slick with wet moss and cannot be negotiated to reach the rocky beach below. But the falls were large and vigorous due to the recent rains and very, very beautiful!
On the way back we discovered springs trickeling from banks and some lovely fall foliage. All in all, it was a fine day and we hope to return to the falls when the rocks are not so slippery and we can explore more of the little, narrow canyon. We'd also like to see if Peter can go the route and actually see this beautiful, hidden treasure.

A New Workbench!

One of the things I liked most about my little house the very first time I saw it, just a year ago last week, was that it had a little shop with a rudimentary work bench. I have never actually had my own "shop" and I was very much looking forward to setting it up. However, when I moved I had to use that area, along with my carport, to store things I hadn't had time to go through. At last, at the end of this summer I was able to sort through most of my stored boxes. I was also able to apply some snowroof (thick, white goo) to my shop roof and stop the leak that was so persistant everytime it rained. After getting rid of and rearranging a lot of "stuff", (read junk) I was able to address the actual bench. It was AWFUL! There were three parts to it, none of which matched, were the same level or were anywhere near even remotely clean. I measured, planned, talked to Mike about what to get and went looking for counter tops........ without success. So, we settled on 3/4" AC plywood ripped to 25" X 97". I did manage to purchase a 4X8 sheet of white pegboard. I should have gotten two sheets. Now I will need to wait for a time that it isn't raining to bring home the other one in my truck.

After cajoling Patrick and Anna to spend the night with Riley, Mike came here this weekend to help-like I really did much! We found the appropriate plywood, finish nails and moulding right here in St. Helens. The sun shone most of the afternoon while we set up sawhorses in my driveway to cut plywood and the pegboard. I actaully got to try out my jigsaw for the first time to cut the hole in the pegboard for the electric outlet. It's a good thing for that experience because I'll need to do it myself for the end wall where I want more pegboard.

I think the whole project just turned out beautifully!!! I just love it and can hardly wait to get more hooks and put my little hand tools up where I can use them. I already have my yard tools on the opposite wall where the window is. I'll probably need a heater to be out there this winter, but it will still be fun. I have a whole new list of "I wants" to deal with, but it's so much fun just anticipating and collecting those things. Mike left me some polyurethane to put on the bench after I sand it......that means I'll get to use my new sander too! But then, perhaps I need a shop-vac to clean up from sanding. Hmmmmm!! Or shall I say $$$$$$$?

The weather has changed. It is truly Fall now. My yard still looks good but I imagine it will "go to sleep" for the season soon. I still have fall flowers and roses and my tomatos are struggling to ripen, but I suspect that, before long, I will need to bring them indoors to hang for the last ones to ripen. I have lettuce, several more cucumbers and many chilis. The cucumbers I share with the folks at work and the chilis will last by drying them in my shop, as I am my remaining Walla Walla onions. The lettuce will be salad, as it was last night for our dinner. I have fed my lawns the "fall weed and feed" thing and mowed again this weekend. But at 4:30 this afternoon it was 47 degrees so I don't imagine I will mow too many more times this year. As the days grow shorter I am planning a which room I will paint next and other inside, winter projects. Seasons are such a good thing. They allow us to vary our lives according to the calendar and always look forward to the next one. As Mike is fond of quoting, "If winter comes can spring be far behind?"

October is Here

A lot has happened since the Race For the Cure!

Cheri has opened her Tavern that has replaced the Cannon Beach Cookie Company. So now it is "Eat More Cookies and Drink More Beer." The wood work in the tavern is outstanding, thanks to Mike & Jeremy Capper and Peter. The tables, the bar and the other wood is just beautiful! This will be THE local hang-out for sure. There is a photo to document this.
I have a new running buddy. His name is Riley. He has reddish hair and is always up for a run. He is part Chow and part Shephard and part ???. But he is a love (insatiable really) and a great running partner. I have included photos of him as well.
Last Sunday Debbie came down to the coast. It seems as if we only walk on the beach when Debbie (and family) arrive, but this time we had Debbie to ourselves and it was very cool. We marched up a long way on the beach, talking all the time. Eventually, we turned around and walked back...with a tail wind... and BBQ'd our dinner on Capper Mountain.

The sunsets were beautiful this weekend. When we returned from our Kahneeta vacation we thought summer was done. But we have been rewarded with two more weeks of Indian Summer and it is great! I am sure that Fall will prevail and the rains will come, but, for now, I still have tomatos and cucumbers ripening in my garden and lettuce ready to eat. My radishes are almost ready an the carrots are looking good.

We (Eric and I) are deciding whether to run the Hood to Coast or the Rainier to the Pacific Relay next year. Eric has volunteered to be the "bad guy" if I will be the "figure-head" captain. That works for me and we will most likely run the HTC again. We'll see. Hopefully, most of my core team will join us again in Four Decades Running.

Race for the Cure 2006

I promised you something from the Race For The Cure and here it is. I, for some reason, signed up with a Team this year. Usually I run this race by myself and for myself and just go home There is a new radio station in Portland, KIJZ-Smooth Jazz 105.9. I very much enjoy smooth jazz and was delighted to discover this station. Janine Wolf, the DJ from 9:00am to 2:00pm, is a breast cancer survivor, as is her sister Kathy. She formed a team, Janine's Team, sponsered by KIJZ. I joined. There were 38 of us, but only partly "survivors" and the rest were supporters. I got up really early (5:15am) and ran the Co-ed 5K and then joined my team to do the 5K Walk at 9:00am. Since there were almost 46,000 walkers, it took until 9:45 for us to even approach the start line. It is very inspirational to see so very many pink hats and pink shirts in one place. Every "pink" person represents a survivor. One of the members of our team, very recently diagnosed and treated, had never met anyone who had cancer and survived. It was a real boost to her to meet those of us who were survivors from 5 to over 25 years and were very much alive and very active. This is why we do this. We want to share that there is life after a cancer diagnosis. It can be lived with, in spite of and after. Sharing our experiences is sharing life and hope. I know that is why all of us continue to do this. For most of the year our history of cancer is just that....history, and we don't really dwell on it. But this is an opportunity to give hope and encouragment to those people, men and women, who are recently facing this challange. It is also a message to not ignore regular checkups or symptoms. It does not need to be fatal. There is hope and life to be lived.

I hope you all enjoy these photos. Some were taken by my new friends on Janine's Team and some are mine. If you want to view a gallery of our photos, go to kijz.com and enter the keyword "team" and you'll be able to see all of them.

Hood to Coast

I know I haven't been here for a while. The Hood to Coast Relay Race ate up all my time and energy for a long time this year. While I love the event and the relay, being Captain wasn't as easy and rewarding as last year. The last three weeks before the race I believe I went through 6 or 7 alternates to try to maintain a complete team. I have a "core" of totally awesome folks from last year who stood by me and I love them dearly. If we are to do this thing again next year, there will be some changes in procedure and recruiting. I think Eric may Co-Captain with me as well. The amount of hours devoted to getting this all together was significant. However, all that said, we eventually put together a really great group of folks. We drew a runner from LaCamas Sport's matching service-Lynn Phillips- and she fit like a glove into Van #1. We'd all like to have her back for another year. Great sport, wonderful person and a real trooper on three very difficult legs.
We had more family on the team this year. Eric & Cathy ran again, but, in addition, we had Cathy's cousin Hettie running. Her "SO", Adam, would have run but for that fact that he broke his leg and had the pins removed the day before the race. Cathy's neice, Kristin, took digital videos of us. I'm really not sure I want to see all those. I think I probably looked like an overdone tomato at the end of my first leg. The heat really got me...in addition to not being as well trained as I was last year. Next year it will be lots more training in the heat, no neoprene knee sleeves, no baseball cap and a singlet rahter than a T-shirt. Live & learn, even at 62!

We met up with Van #2 at the end of the race in Seaside and actually were able to all run through the finish line together this year. Unfortunately Jeremy Meyers and Lynn Phillips missed that as they had immediate committments in the city. We took a photo of them before they left. I have included that here with the "finish" photo.

So, that is the story of this year's race. We all want to do it again...perhaps we're all just nuts. But last year a fellow employee volunteered for our team. Rachel was so enthused that she put together a Portland to Coast Walk team for this year. Much of the team work at BMC. Everyone did very, very well and many of them are so inspired that they continue to participate in more walks and want to do this again next year as well. It is rewarding to see other folks, that do not ordinarily get involved in sporting events, become interested and gain considerable fitness in the process. Rachel alone has lost nearly 40 lbs doing this and others have lost weight and become more fit as well. I hope everyone continues to be inspired and energized by this.

Next weekend is the Susan Komen Race for the Cure. I have signed up to do both the Women's 5K run and the 5K walk with a local team. A patient of ours (whom I now consider a friend) called me today. I was able to guide her into a free Breast Cancer detection program this past year. She has completed her treatment, is healthy and is walking in the Race for the very first time as a survivor. I want very much to walk with her and perhaps get some photos. I will share them with you all next week.

A Free Weekend Looms

This coming weekend may be the only "free" weekend I have all summer. And, wonder of all wonders, the little town where I live is having an Arts & Eats Festival. The "Old Town" area is only a couple of blocks from me-I can actually hear the music from my backyard-and that means whatever is happening down there requires no driving. Mike has invited his brother and I believe we will take in the festivities and music on Saturday. Perhaps, if we are ambitious and fortunate, we could even manage to go kayaking on Sunday......that is if we don't sleep in too long! If I had known of the art festival sooner I would have submitted my photos for the juried art show. Perhaps next year!?

I saw an interesting car this evening at Fred Meyers in Scappoose. I took some photos for Mike, as it was "sort of" a Jag. It was a SS100 - or Sparrow - as Mike says. He says it was a precursor to the Jag. In any event, it was very nice and I was given permission to snap some photos of it. It is apparently a restoration of a 1937 car that was quite limited in production-about 66 vehicles-and this one looks quite nice. The owner was very gratified that I called it "cool" and not cute. I guess people say its cute and he feels that it is "classy" or "cool" rather than cute. I agreed, so I was given some interesting information about it and permission to take photos. I have included some of those here.

The Hood to Coast looms ever closeer. Our start time is 12 Noon on Friday, August 25th. That is a great time. We don't need to be up at the crack of dawn on Friday, but we can still finish by noon or 2:00PM on Saturday. MeMe Sanna has been a great help to me, as she was last year. Unfortunately she wont be able to run again this year due to an injury. But she will be with the team as a driver and the ultimate cheerleader again. I couldn't do this without her. I have several returning members from my last year's team and some really cool new members. Of course, my son and daughter-in-law are coming again and bringing more family with them as well. I love that!! I love that my family is growing and they actually want to be with me!

Enjoy the week. I'll fill you in on the St Helens festival next weeekend. There is Jazz music on the schedule as well as boat rides, so I might have some neat photos to share again.

Well, I thought tonight that it might be a good time to update the photos of my backyard progress. It looks markedly different from the last time I posted photos. I actually have stuff that is more than 12" high now. My plum tree has almost doubled in height. Perhaps next year it might even produce a fruit or two. The little Mountain Ash that Mike plucked from the edge of his pond is doing equally well. My two lovely pink Azaleas however, clearly had transplant shock and are exhibiting the "sleep, creep leap" phenomona that many plants experience the first three years after being transplanted. They are clearly "coming back" and have many new green leaves in place of the alarmingly brown proliferation that I saw 6 weeks ago.

My vegetables are wonderful. I pick tomatos almost every night. Of course, I rarely make it into the house with many of the cherry tomatos. They are like picking candy.....I just eat them! The cucumbers have been "interestingly" huge ( actually, somewhat lewd!). They taste wonderful though, as do the Walla Walla onions and the lettuce. My chili peppers are developing nicely and I'm certain they will make some really tasty salsa very soon.

My flowers are very rewarding. I have planted a variety of species, many that will re-seed thenselves and reappear next year. My goal is to have mostly flowers that come again each year without being re-purchased. Some of these I have brought from the coast-like the bleeding hearts-and some I have purchased here. I know I will usually need to buy the annuals but I really like the perrenials too. Lana has given me Lilacs and Lynette donated ground cover and Iris. Karina gave onions/chives and Mike (however unwittingly) has provided many, many things. One of the plants I most treasure is a climbing rose that was (Kathryn Capper's) his mother's. It became so large it toppeled her neighbor's fence. Mike dug it up and moved it to his property. It needed to be moved again and still grows in both locations. I dug up a portion and now it grows near my back fence as well. Hopefully it will climb my fence and bloom as it does at the coast.

Enjoy the photos of my yard and come visit as well. I know Candace Dennis (my wonderful Real Estate agent who found this home for me) looks at my BLOG. She will appreciate the changes in the premises as she saw this little cottage when I first did. It was an orphan with no landscaping save for a square piece of grass. I invite all of you to come visit and share my joy in this very small, but cute, piece of Oregon.