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.

A little more timely this time.

I found a treasure in the Hollywood District in an antique/junk/what-not store. Actually, it was on the sidewalk in front of the store. I've been wanting some sort of small table and chairs to put on my deck for eating. But, since I have plants, trees, barbecue and a fire pit, I don't have a lot of room. This little wrought iron set is just perfect. I had one similar to this many years ago. Somewhere along my travels I lost it or left it behind. I actually like this one better because the pattern is roses. Anyway, the price was right and I adopted it. I originally thought I would spray it white or red but, as I look at it, I think I will leave it the verdigris that it is.

Sunday was the Ringo Starr concert at Edgefield. We met John & Bonnie there and Linda & Bob Pinkston joined us inside. We sat in the line from 3:25 to 5:00 (people watching and drinking beer) when they "compressed" the line and then let us in. No camera are allowed but John slipped mine into his cargo pocket and in we went. The concert was great and I did manage one photo before it was dark enough to require a flash.

I am totally spoiled by the outdoor concerts here in Portland. It's much more fun than being confined to a chair and darkened room. Tuesday night (tomorrow) we go to the Zoo to see Emmie Lou Harris. That should be fun too.

Finally (OK Patrick?)

Admittedly I have been remiss (again) in posting to this BLOG. I don't usually have anyone actually "nagging" at me but this time I guess I deserve the nag. Patrick dutifully sent me his photos while I procrastinated with this. But anyway, here I am.

The 5th & 6th of July was family weekend at Capper Mountain. Mike & I watched fireworks in St. Helens...........a lukewarm affair this year................then came home on Saturday morning to find Stephanie and Molly had already arrived. They managed to slip into the house through the basement door while Riley guarded the front. Before the afternoon was over Patrick, Anna, Jeremy and Rachel had also arrived. A totally unplanned gathering of all the kids at dad's!! We duly recorded the event with photos. We walked on the beach, Molly and Patrick caught salamanders in the pond, the dogs chased each other until Luca, Patrick's and Anna's puppy was exhausted and a beach party was planned for the evening to celebrate Rachel's 30th birthday. I vaguely remember that age.

A great weekend, and great to see everyone. Scott and Rita came from Missoula to join the beach party at Arcadia Beach. Jeremy scored some fireworks that totally outshone the St. Helens show the night before and made lots of noise as well. Good job Jeremy!

That's all for now. I'll have some new photos after this weekend. We're going to some concerts, one with John & Bonnie at Edgefield and one at the Zoo.

A Few Days Off??!!

I took three days off from work (read: BMC Clinic) and worked my backside off at home!

My little house had peeling paint on the front porch and I couldn't stand to look at it much longer. I had actually wanted to paint it last summer but never got to it. By this year the remaining paint needed to come off. After some excellent advice from Mike as to what kind of paint/stain to apply I mapped out my plan. Day one (Wednesday) was spent pressure washing, wire brushing and sanding paint. Also, time was spent removing the "lovely" roofing shingles my predecessor had nailed, glued and stapled to the front steps as a non-slip device. As I waited for the wood to dry I visited ACE Hardware, collected stain in white & red, paint pads, etc, etc, and left behind $100 plus. Ouch!! But thank heavens for tax refunds.

Day two was "white" day. Everything that needed white paint was scheduled for Thursday. After flinging the paint pad off of the pole extension into my flowers for the 4th or 5th time (hear many *&##@**! words) I brought out my tall ladder to reach under the overhang and angles so I didn't hit the release levers for the pad. What a frustrating but efficient device! I did actually manage to get all the white done in one day. It was a 10 hour day with no lunch break, but it was done! I slept really well that night.

Day three (Friday) was red day. Piece of cake actually, since I only had to paint the surface of the porch deck and the stairs. I was able to apply two coats and even touch up some of the white I had missed the day before. I even painted (stained) the front side of my gate into the back yard. I couldn't paint both sides at once since that was the only way into the house and I needed to be able to open & close it. Back side next. Instead of the shingles on my steps for non-skid, the sales person at ACE recommended a sand-like substance called Tred-Tex to mix with my paint and apply to the stairs. It's just great!! I think I will use it with a clear stain on my back deck stairs as well. It looks a whole lot better than shingles and wont peel up like the non-skid tread strips that you can buy.

On Friday afternoon, after reassembling my now-dry porch, I left for a weekend with Mike in Cannon Beach and a great Zoo Concert on Sunday. More about that later.

My Yard (again), How boring is that?!!

A little sunshine, some warmth and I'm outside! I love gardening and have missed being able to comfortably do much in my yard. So, this weekend was the perfect opportunity.

Saturday morning started with a Hood to Coast team meeting at the clinic, then a trip to the Hollywood District Saturday Farmer's Market. What a great Farmer's Market that is!!! It makes me wish I were closer to that on weekends. I purchased three yummy looking home-grown tomatoes and a loaf of garlic Ciabiatta bread that made my mouth water all the way home.

When I bought my little home I had a vision for the back yard. It was a square of sod, save for one small side and an old tree rose. In my mind's eye I created a plan and I have been working towards that ever since. This is my 3rd Spring in working in my little yard and I decided to create another piece of the "master plan" this weekend. I attacked the sod next to the south fence to create a planting area. I already have two hydrangeas and an azalea growing there but they were surrounded by grass. I removed sod and edged with used brick. However I neglected to stand back and observe.....until the end of the day when I thought I was "done." When I observed my work......a nice straight line of bricks........I realized that a straight line was totally not what should be there. So, Sunday morning brought out the pick again. I removed all the brick, drew a more graceful and eye-pleasing set of curves, removed more sod and re-did my planter. It looks far better. Especially after I filled some areas with plants that I have been growing in my little greenhouse.

My other area of pleasure this weekend have been my bird feeders. I have two feeders with wild bird seeds in the back yard as well as two hummingbird feeders. The hummingbirds visit often for the nectar and also to many of my flowers. They are fearless little creatures and I love seeing them.

On my front porch I have hung a "finch-sock" with thistle seed. The Goldfinches just love this sock and I love them. They are the prettiest and most colorful little birds ever. If I am very, very still I can sit with my camera on the far end of my front porch and take pictures of them. If I move all but one fly away. There is one little finch, perhaps a baby, that stays no matter what. I spent quite a bit of time reading out there with my camera in my lap this evening.

I am off work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week for the purpose of painting my front porch. I will paint the railings and roof white and the floor red. I will also paint the trim around the windows red and, hopefully, my front door as well. It really needs the paint and I am looking foreword to the project. I'll post photos when I'm done so I can bore you some more.

OHSU Tram Run/Walk

Today was the 2nd Annual OHSU Tram Run. It is a measured 5K that is mostly downhill. That is, of course, my kind of run! Rachel and I did it last year and it was a blast. This year Karina and Lynette joined us along with Lexie in her "jogger."

Rachel and I met, as usual, at
Sunset Transit Center to ride the MAX into town and then to the Streetcar. We were to meet up with the other two at the Tram.
However, while we waited for the Streetcar, Lynette & Karina walked up with their usual Starbucks coffee in hand. We all boarded the streetcar and made for the waterfront.
After a brief "potty stop" we walked the 1/2 mile down to pick up our race numbers and prepared to board the dreaded TRAM! Lynette was very apprehensive, to say the least, about riding the Tram. She has a severe fear of falling from heights. We stowed her in the middle of the tram near the operator and arose. She was laughing all the way up and actually had a great time. It was lightly raining for almost all the run. It wasn't bad and certainly was better than 80-90 degrees. I only drank 1/2 of my bottle of water on the course. I decided to put it in my pocket but eventually realized that the bottle was causing my pants to almost fall off. Thank heavens no one was too close to me. I carried the water in my hands the reast of the race. I finished before the others since I ran and they walked. I visited all the booths and talked to the folks displaying their wares. As I have been able to do, I predicted the walker's finish within 2 minutes and met them all as they came through the finish line. I had been checking the posted times and was in 1st place in my age category for a long time. As it ended up, someone beat me by 39 seconds. Darn!! I could have easily made up that time.




Lexie wanted her face painted and we did that. She became a Doggie all the way home. She is very cute and fun to have on these events. She collected her second medal in two weeks. Next thing we know, she'll be beating us all.

Iris and Pansies Blooming

At long last, a day with at least some sunshine that was not a work day!!

The morning was spent finally using my new power washer to remove the winter moss from the North side of my house, mowing both lawns, weeding and edging, spraying Round Up on weeds in the drive and helping Barbara Jenkins (next door's owner) weed. Everything looked much better by afternoon and I actually transplanted some flowers and did some grooming. I even planted a lovely new rose I bought at Ace. It's a Pink Peace and was so handsome and healthy that I couldn't resist it.

Towards evening, as I enjoyed a beer on my back deck, the sun emerged from the clouds and shone on my flower beds. The yellow and white Iris blooming are very unusual to me. I can't recall where I got them, though I'm thinking maybe from Lynette. They begged a picture and I obliged. As the sun moved lower it caught the Pansies blooming in my little mound of rock garden. They looked so bright in the sun that I thought they deserved a photo as well. The picture here is now my wallpaper on my desktop computer!

Last week a trip to Pro Photo Supply (always financially dangerous for me!) included the purchase of a photo printing paper I had never tried. It's by a company called Hahnemuhle, a German company that claims to have been manufacturing paper since 1584! I printed the photos included here on that paper and was totally astonished as the first one emerged from my printer. I have never seen such fine paper before! I've never used cheap paper.....I value my work too much and archival ink is too expensive for that. But, WOW!!! This stuff is amazing. I think I'm hooked and, of course, it isn't cheap. So, I guess I'll need to make another trip to Pro Photo. Yikes!!!

Rose and Iris Tie

On this evening of watching election race results (the Oregon Primaries were today) I thought I would report on a winning race in my garden.

When I bought my house there was, besides the sodded lawn, only one plant in my back yard..........a very old and stately red tree rose. She always has the very first bloom of any of my roses in the Spring.
The first Spring I lived here I brought several Iris plants from Mike's yard in Cannon Beach. Iris tend to clump and emerge above the ground as the age and multiply. I brought those "clumps" here and planted them. They have thrived but never bloomed. This year I was so very pleased to see that they were forming flowers. Today they, and Rose, bloomed together. So, in the contest for this evening in my yard, there were no losers, only winners. They are both beautiful and Rose now has a group of pals beneath her to produce blooms all summer.

Many other flowers are already blooming and growing profusely. I have had to install a little bamboo "fence" around my Coral Bells, Bleeding Hearts and Forget-Me-Nots so I can even mow the lawn. They are quite a riot of flowers but I love them. Rather like an English Garden, don't you think? The Maple tree has grown at least another 8" since I re-potted her. I guess she was in need of space.

I have a great deal of pleasure from my yard and love to walk around it or just look at it. Of course, my new back door has a window!! So now I can stand in my kitchen and see my flowers. Last evening I watched thru the back door window as a pair of very tiny hummingbirds drank from my feeder. That's a first as well. I hope they bring all their friends. I love to watch them.

A Red Door Day

You've heard of a Red Letter Day? Well, this was a Red Door Weekend.

Sometime in February Mike ordered and received a new back door for my house. The one present when I bought my house was very ugly. Remember the green bathroom painted red last year??? Well, the kitchen door matched that awful green in my bathroom. Undoubtedly inspired by either a Model-T Ford or a John Deere Tractor. But I wanted my back door to be red.
For the past 6 weeks or so Mike and I have taken turns putting coats of red paint on my door. For some reason the paint didn't dry well or quickly. But finally, on Saturday evening the door arrived in St. Helens. Mike set about installing it almost immediately lest there be a problem. Since my house is not level and has no straight walls or door ways, a problem was not out of the question. But the only thing that had to be done was to plane off a portion of the jamb. And, behold, a new (RED!!) door with a window (The old door had no window) that lets in so much wonderful light for the kitchen.

When we got up this morning there was so much light that it was as if the door was open. I just love it!!!! Plus, it's not green or metal. Perhaps, I will be inspired to paint the rest of my kitchen and woodwork. Now I just have to figure out how to make my front door not green. I don't think I am up to using the red paint again. But maybe a dark adobe like my livingroom wall.