family

August Weather is Mocking my Brother

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My brother flew into PDX today (required picture of PDX carpet).  He had it all worked out.  Since Kansas is soooo very hot and humid in the summer, he planned to escape the weather and spend some time with his Pacific NW family.

Mother nature had other plans.  Kansas is having temperatures in the high 70’s while the valley is experiences a heat wave….mid 90’s.

As he left the airport he laughed out loud.  “This feels familiar,” he stated as we were hit by the humid heat.

Worse, the traffic coming home was at a crawl.  We finally pulled off in Wilsonville and ate dinner at a lovely Chinese restaurant.  Weather would not dampen our spirits.

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Tomorrow he heads to the coast where the weather is to be mid-60’s !  Yes, finally he will experience the cool weather of Oregon.

Be kind to my brother, Oregon Coast.  No more surprises.

 

A Summer Drive

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Hubs and I took off Sunday on a mini-road trip.  We stopped by a food cart and had a picnic lunch of lavender lemonade and grilled cheese sandwiches.  After enjoying our meal, we kept going…weaving through little towns that we had not visited in years.  It was amazing to me how housing developments appeared to have cropped up overnight.

We visited a small town called “Falls City” which to our observation had neither a fall or city.  As tiny of a town as it is….. it is the home of an incredible bakery and there was quite an event going on. The last Sunday of each month in the summer, they have a community pizza party.  We talked to some there and people come from miles just to buy these pizzas.  It was standing room only (inside and out) so we were on our way.

We explored a couple of other towns before coming home.  Sunshine and the open road…a summer treat.

 

Tomato Sandwich — vanbytheriver

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I agree with everything except the toasting.  Oh summer…oh tomatoes.

Enjoy this vanbytheriver guest post:

It’s the perfect summer sandwich, with the simplest of ingredients. Garden-fresh tomatoes, mayo, store-bought white bread. I had the first of many this week. You might be tempted to modify it, toast the bread, add ingredients like cheese, bacon, avocado, onion, etc. But please do not. It is a culinary sacrilege. Salt and pepper are […]

via Tomato Sandwich — vanbytheriver

July Ocean

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Blue skies, few clouds….is this really Oregon?  Why yes it is.  As sunny as it looks, it was chilly outside.  This does not make it any less wonderful.

This month was different in that family came to visit during our stay.

Sister Patti came by to chat, walk the beach, and do some business on the coast.

Niece Carrie made her yearly trip to hug on family and enjoy the joys of Oregon.  This gal had been very busy this summer.  She and her sister, Renee, took a whirl-wind trip through Ireland and added on a trip to London.  Carrie sold her house and bought another, then flew from Kansas to Oregon to see us.  She was to return home, move into her new house, unpack, then begin teaching.  Busy, busy.

While in London, Carrie had a run-in: knee vs. cobblestone.  The cobblestone won. Carrie really didn’t have time to slow down so just kept moving.  Once she slowed down, her knee made itself heard.

Let’s just say that the Lincoln City Emergency Room is getting to know us on a first name basis.  The knee doubled in size and the pain got too much to ignore.  In we went in for x-rays.

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Her smile is fake.  The pain is real and the doctor was not playing.  Carrie got a lesson on walking with crutches and her Oregon trip slowed WAY down.  Still, she was at the ocean and enjoyed every minute looking out the window at the beautiful view.

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Even with the change of plans, we told stories, shared, and laughed as we watched a most glorious sunset.

NOTE:  I hurt my knee trying to get into a truck that was higher than I thought it would be, so we were both limping.  Major props go to my wonderful husband who, without one complaint, packed the car, unloaded everything, loaded it all again at the end of the stay, and drove everywhere.  Carrie and I voted him Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the trip.  Thank you, sweetie.  The trip would not have happened without you.

NOTE: Carrie, I miss you already.

Enjoy the moments…

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silly

This is just silly.  Yes.  I embrace silly.  I need as much silly in my life as possible.

Monday I learned that the ashes of a twitter friend were being spread by her family.  You may think…”twitter friend?” How do you bond with someone you have never met? I can’t explain it, but as one shares daily…it just happens and the loss is felt.

The very same Monday I attended a ‘Celebration of Life’ service for a co-worker of mine who died suddenly at 42.  Full of life and adventure one day and then just gone the next.

So, I’m okay with silly.  I want to enjoy adventures NOW and not put them off.  I want to show my appreciation to those around me (face to face and online).  I want to savor the quiet spaces and notice the beauty around me every day.

Enjoy the moments…

 

Happy 4th

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Oregon – yup

Caught sight of this uniquely colored flag as we were zipping around town getting ready for the big party on the 4th.

There were plenty of red, white and blue flags in the wind, I just thought this was clever. To be honest, I’d rather have neighbors smoking than drinking while setting off fireworks near our house!

Be safe out there.

 

Piles

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photo: pixabay.com

I fool myself into thinking I’ve cleaned the house when everything looks good, but the drawers are filled with stacks.  Lately I have been trying to live a more organized life, going through papers and deciding where they belong:  Keep, recycle, shred, burn.

Last night I carried a bundle of paper to my husband with the question, “What is this and why do we have it?”  (We had no idea.)

Why are piles so appealing to me.  I once read that when you bring the mail in, touch everything once.  Decide to recycle, toss, or keep for later bill paying or answering.  That sounded like heaven, but I never seemed to get there.  When papers pile up, I tend to move them around and begin a new pile.

Sometimes while going through a pile you find a treasure.  I found a handwritten note from my mom taped to a special prayer my dad had written.  Actually, I found two.  With that mix of sadness and delight, I slipped the messages into a plastic protector.  Keep.

My journey continues….going through stacks.

Are you a stacker, a tosser, or organized?  What are your best tips for my project?  Would love to hear from you.

June Ocean

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A little warmer, a little busier….our June stay at the coast was lovely.  We didn’t get out as much, having such an incredible view from our hotel room.  I tell Robert that we have the biggest flat-screen anyone could hope for.

There is something about being away.  Although I procrastinate…when at home I always have this mental to-do list that vexes me.  It taps my shoulder as if to say this or that should be attended to.  But in a hotel room, there is no to-do list.

We each had interesting books to read and I split my time between the view and reading.  What a delight!

Even when one is not facing the ocean, the sounds tempt you to take a mid-day nap.

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The waves seemed rather far out even at high tide.  I awoke early on Thursday morning to see what low tide really looked like.  It looked as if the ocean had been peeled back in the night. Birds circled to see what was uncovered.  Folks were out with buckets and bags scanning the rocks for treasures.

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Our seal did not show, but on the first day I saw a whale spout.  I watched the journey south to north as I saw one spout after another.  I never saw a back or tail, but I’m sure it was a whale.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

The 26 mph wind challenged some of the walkers.  We watched a couple with trick kites almost lift off the sand.  Equally entertaining were the two kite surfers who took advantage of the wind to propel them on the water.

At one point I looked up from my book and was rewarded with two beautiful horses galloping up the beach.  One rider took care of her horse and steered the other with such grace.  They moved together to avoid waves and runners.  They took my breath away. Most entertaining were the dogs  and little ones who were beyond excited about being on the beach.  Dogs pulled at leashes yearning to all out run.  Little ones played tag with the waves.

This year-long vacation has been so satisfying.  Three more months and we will have reached our goal of staying at the coast once a month for a full year.

 

Neighbors Near and Far

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A few days back, I heard a very loud and scary crash outside our home… somewhere down the block.  I yelled for hubs and we both went out to see if someone needed assistance.  Doors flew open and neighbors noisily poured out of their houses.

I heard what sounded like a gunshot and hubs saw a car speeding around the corner on three tires.  “What’s going on?”  “Everyone okay?” “Call 911!”   Someone near the corner rang out “I got the plate number!!” and we all cheered.

A car had just plowed into two cars parked on the street in front of our neighbor’s house. One car was pushed so hard that it almost landed on the sidewalk as it damaged the second car.

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While we are standing there, a car speeds down our block, does a U-turn and flies back down the street.  Curious.

We all had our smart phones out and were comparing stories…..”What did you hear?” “Who’s car?”   It appears our neighbor a few doors down had two guests over and their cars were now destroyed.  They just stood there and we tried to make encouraging comments.  They were thanking everyone for mobilizing so quickly.

But the story is not over.  I don’t know how many noticed the car that made the U-turn, but when the car returned I recognized it.

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A kind young man, Robert, stepped out and shared his story.  He was not from the neighborhood, but when he turned down our street he was face to face with a car on three wheels driving like a bat out of hell.  He knew someone was up to no good.  Once he made the U-turn he followed the vehicle for a cat and mouse chase around the back roads, alleys, etc.  The hit and run driver even tried the old “turn off the lights and drive very slowly” trick, but Robert was determined not to let this guy get away.

Robert stayed in communication with the police until they joined him and stopped the hit and run perpetrator.  Knowing we were a curious bunch….he came back to tell us that the guy was in police custody.  We all cheered!

Clearly, you don’t have to live in a neighborhood to be a good neighbor.  An officer arrived and we all said our goodbyes and let the officer talk with the two car owners.

Thank you, Robert (no idea his last name), for being our neighbor.