Trip to the High Desert

It has been such a strange – wet and cool spring that when we saw a weather forecast predicting 85 degrees on June 12th we packed up and headed out for a "fishing trip".
Since it has been raining all along the rivers are still high and when we reached the favorite Santiam River there were no fish.

That’s when we decided to be spontaneous and just keep driving EAST. We camped for two nights in the Ochoco Canyon alongside the Crooked River near Prineville OR. It was really warm – in the 90's and beautiful.




I did a lot of reading and meditating and Ron did a lot of fishing and cooking. Not many fish because the River there was high too – but the Sunrise and Sunset on the Crooked River are spectacular! It was a wonderful time.


The first night our bed in the back of the truck broke and we both slid together in the middle! Not so bad for a while but soon I was announcing "I'm getting out of here!". Ron said – where are you going? I said "I'm getting out of here!" I found if I put my head by his feet the bed was a little flatter. I found a way to hang on all night but it was the longest nights I have ever experienced! The benefit was seeing the sky FULL of stars as I have had the pleasure to witness. The next night with the help of the car jack under our bed – we had a lovely nights sleep!

Mute Swans are not native - but make beautiful attraction at roadside park near Prineville

It was Flagg Day - June 14th as we came home through Redmond.
We had beautiful views of the Three Sisters, Mt. Batchelor, Mt Jefferson, Mt Washington, and Three Fingered Jack as we traveled through the Eastern Valley on the way home.

Just before we reached Whitewater Road on the way down from the pass a deer jumped out in front of us as we were traveling about 55 MPH. Ron jammed on the brakes, the deer slid past, Ron jumped on the accelerator and increased our speed to about 10 MPH and turned the right corner of the truck toward the oncoming truck with locked up brakes and smoking tires. Ron was present enough to hold himself stiffly back from the steering wheel so that he wouldn't be thrown against his defib implant. Thanks to his quick thinking no one was seriously hurt, except the poor old truck. It is in the repair shop now.


I am starting about 8 weeks of therapy for whip-lash and am pretty stiff and uncomfortable right now. Rest, therapeutic massage, and hopefully I will be back to my stud-ly self!!

We welcome all the new babies in our life. James & Cami had a baby boy – Ian Alexander! Maria had a little girl on June 21st – Lilly. What beautiful children they are!
Ian Alexander


Lilly
Today Marilyn's parents celebrate 50 years of Marriage at a backyard celebration. That is a wonderful gift as well. Congratulations Wayne and Pat!

Greeting and love to all of you – busy people. We love you!

Summer Flowers and Babies

Our last attempt to rent our studio failed. It was a good experience to try to help someone but was a miss-fit for our energy and lifestyle. So we are advertising again. Good fortune will come.


In the meantime – the Rhododendrons have been beautiful this year. Lots and LOTS of rain. Willamette River just crested at 29+ feet and it usually flows at about 22 feet. Same story all across the Northwest. I don't mind. Everything is green and I don't need the AC!



On May 26th Jack & Deb brought home the baby Shelties! They are busy parents now with lots of training to do and a lot of sleepless nights too. Babies require a lot of attention as these two are learning – but they love it.



Grandma got some hugs and kisses too. And I don't have to potty train them!




Our tenants Cami & James had their 9lb 8 oz baby boy this morning – Ian Alexander born on June 8th 2010. Welcome to the World Ian! May you be blessed with LOVE and live happily ever-after! Congratulations to the Parents!

Maria is scheduled for a C section on May 21st and we anxiously await her news. Love to all the new parents and babies!

Visiting the Oregon Gardens

On Earth Day Ron & I spent a few hours walking through the Oregon Gardens located in Silverton Oregon. It is a "dog friendly" place and so much has developed there since it was established years ago.






It is especially fun for children with all kinds of structures and experiments for them to participate in.






The new "Hotel Resort" has helped the Gardens to survive and is now becoming a place on the map!




We watched people dancing to the fun little band that played. The music provided polkas, two step, the waltz and the quadrille which was danced by our grandparents in the day when neighbors gathered over the weekend to have a dance. My parents told me that you were either playing an instrument, dancing or eating from the abundant pot-luck that the women brought for the weekend. Some of the people at the Gardens knew these old dances. It was fun to watch.

Grand-Pets

We have bragged about our kids, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren and we are so proud of them all. We have not focused on the very special Grand-Pets that we enjoy along with their proud "parents" who from time to time ask us to Pet-sit for them! It is time to show you the special ones who also bring great joy.

Tim & Marilyn recently traveled to Costa Rica for an 8 day stay. While they were gone Ron & I shared duty with Marilyn's mom to look after Charlie and Charity!




Charlie celebrated with us when his parents came home safe and sound from so far away!
Eli & Rebeccah and her daughter Rachel asked us to watch Peanut over the weekend while they went to the beach!


While I took a little nap, Peanut rounded up all the stuffed animals in the house!

When I woke up and asked him what he was doing with all my stuffed animals - he showed me!!

Opps! There's and ear missing!

Jack & Deb have shared generations of grand-pets with us. Right now they have Clara
who has been with them about 7 years and Sweet Pea (who was a feral cat – very shy).
They are soon going to add two little Sheltie Pups to our grand-pets. We have already seen the babies who will come home to them at the end of this month. You will see much more of them as they grow.


Until Mike & Cynthia left we had Sitka to play with and help us by throwing her ball in the hole Ron was trying to dig!

We have pet birds!

Pet Squirrels - we feed 50 pounds of nuts every 60 days!

We have a Friendly Oak who greets all the walkers passing by!

Last of all – we honor the memory of our sweet Beau who was our very best friend for over 13 years. And there have been many more of these sweet loving little beings who ask for nothing more than our love, and food, and shelter, and medical care and attention 24-7 and for that they return gifts too grand to compare!

On the human side of things – Maria – our Swedish Daughter will soon be welcoming a new baby – in June – we expect. Our wonderful tenants look forward to welcoming a Son the end of May or first of June. We are so blessed! We love Grand –All of You!

Friends celebrate with a baby shower for our tenant friends!
Joy and Love to all . . .
AND WELCOME to the new Babies!

Life Changes

As I look out my beautiful bedroom corner window I see the giant maple leaves filling in the background of the grey sky – bigger every day – they seem so wrap us in a living cocoon of nature at its best. Ron & I watch each year until the sky disappears and our world is a tight knit web of positive present energy in which we thrive. We enjoy watching the birds and squirrels that visit our feeder, and are grateful for the frequent fly over of osprey, hawks, falcons and the occasional eagle. We live in gratitude for this heavenly place that we have helped to create – and appreciation of the deep understanding that this is ours to enjoy now, now, and now. Change is always afoot and when it comes as it inevitably will we intend to be flexible and joyful in the appreciation of the bigger picture of which every soul is a part.




We love and enjoy the special people who grace us with their presence and participation in our lives – and have been blessed beyond measure to have Mike, Cynthia and Sitka share our home for a year and 5 months. We felt the heart break when they announced they were moving "home" to Seattle. It has taken a few days to smile again – but we appreciate that in the big picture – they are very courageous and are pursuing their life's passion as every being needs to do.




We will miss the picnics – the game nights – the laughter and music drifting up from our daylight studio. But we will treasure the ongoing friendship and memories that are forever. Cynthia taught me how to blog! Thanks Cynthia! Mike fixed my computer! Thanks Mike. You two had better keep bloging so we can stay real close!

Next month we will be welcoming two new friends and tenants, Charlotte and Richard. While it seems prudent not to allow ourselves to get so close and care about them too much so we won't be hurt when change again comes, we know the love and caring is worth the hurt.

We have been through it so many times – Maria, our love is in Sweden. Jesse and Laura and their family are in Moses Lake. Ernie and Diana are in Moses Lake. Vicki is far away. Eric who lived with us in the '80's is in a mental hospital. Rich who shared our home for a year in the late 1980's is dead from alcohol abuse. The many "run-away" kids that came for only days at a time while we provided the Polk County Safe House have come, stolen our hearts and moved on for better or worse. But I gave my heart to each and every one in the now, now that they were here. We got to keep Eli our wonderful youngest son!

Our sons Ernie and Eli help Ron celebrate his birthday.
The Love that comes back makes Life Real and Deep and Important.

My Cup Overflows with Love and Joy. Tim & Marilyn, Deb & Jack, Jesse & Laura, Eli, Maria, Ernie & Diana, Thank You for the daily calls and e-mails, the loving concerns and for sharing our love. And Thank You to all the friends and relatives who love us from afar and are always there in a time of crisis. Even though we don't see you often – I can feel your love whenever I think of you.

Ron and his Sister, Pet

Life is good. Another Chapter for us begins.