Monday, March 26, 2007
MARCH...IN LIKE A LION; OUT LIKE A LAMB
(WE HOPE)
Well, March has been a busy month. We're still working on the pool conversion. Roger has help now (thank you Kirt) so it's progressing a bit faster. I'm not sure it will be done before I start teaching in April so I may need to postpone classes until May.
Kirt is also our gardener. He is a lot of help to us (me especially). He has hauled a lot more bark than I have and has done it more efficiently too. I also don't think we would be as far on the pool room construction without his assistance.
They just had to pose for this photo...
So I caught them when they weren't looking.
We participated in the Moscow Home and Garden show at the Kibbie Dome on March 16th and 17th. I was trolling for students and Roger is working on building his mail box business. I think it's a great idea and I hope it happens for him. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how that works out.
I did paint a couple of paintings while at the show. I didn't complete anything to a point that I would have considered finished though.
As you can see, these are small paintings; about 5" x 5".
We left home on March 24th to attend Addi's baby shower in Seattle. It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun visiting with family and friends. We just returned home this afternoon. I'll post photos when I get them...possibly tomorrow.
(WE HOPE)
Well, March has been a busy month. We're still working on the pool conversion. Roger has help now (thank you Kirt) so it's progressing a bit faster. I'm not sure it will be done before I start teaching in April so I may need to postpone classes until May.
Kirt is also our gardener. He is a lot of help to us (me especially). He has hauled a lot more bark than I have and has done it more efficiently too. I also don't think we would be as far on the pool room construction without his assistance.
They just had to pose for this photo... 
So I caught them when they weren't looking. We participated in the Moscow Home and Garden show at the Kibbie Dome on March 16th and 17th. I was trolling for students and Roger is working on building his mail box business. I think it's a great idea and I hope it happens for him. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how that works out.
I did paint a couple of paintings while at the show. I didn't complete anything to a point that I would have considered finished though.
As you can see, these are small paintings; about 5" x 5".
We left home on March 24th to attend Addi's baby shower in Seattle. It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun visiting with family and friends. We just returned home this afternoon. I'll post photos when I get them...possibly tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
PROJECT: STUDIO/LIBRARY/EXERCISE ROOM
I did fail to mention that we are renovating one of the rooms in our home. You might remember the pool room as it appeared when you last saw it. Roger and I rarely use the pool (the Jacuzzi is more our style).
I did fail to mention that we are renovating one of the rooms in our home. You might remember the pool room as it appeared when you last saw it. Roger and I rarely use the pool (the Jacuzzi is more our style).
We vacillated back and forth for awhile because the grandchildren like to use the pool. But, like my studio in town, we can no longer justify the expense of upkeep.
I think the decision to convert the pool room became 'etched in stone' when the trusses and the rim joists arrived.
First Roger drained the pool and removed the liner.
Then he removed the coping and braced in the joists. 
The WSU Rowing Team helped Roger put the rim joists in place. I don't know how we would have done it otherwise. Thank you gentlemen.
Today the sub flooring arrived. Once we determine the placement of the joists the sub floor will go in. The joists will eventually be held in place with concrete bolts. I don't think the two-by-fours Roger has supporting them would last very long. Those joists are heavy. Let's see... today is the 14th and the room has to be ready by April 1st.
BTW: My lease is up on March 31st and we need to move all the furniture in the studio to the new office/exercise room/studio before then. I think we have our work cut out for us.
BTW: My lease is up on March 31st and we need to move all the furniture in the studio to the new office/exercise room/studio before then. I think we have our work cut out for us.
On top of all that, we have 12 new trees to plant. I think we need more help...
Spring Cleaning Continues...
Not to be outdone or ignored, the second team showed up at 1:00 PM the next day. They continued the work the first crew had started. They even took time to help Roger with his project.
What do you do with hungry young men? Feed them of course.
Thanks guys. You were all great (both days).
Spring Cleaning
Thank you WSU Men's Rowing Team and, thank you, to whomever it was that canceled their appointment to have the team help them this last weekend. The team showed up at our house on Saturday about 2:00 PM to help weed the flower beds, trim the junipers, haul bark and lumber. Their work was really appreciated and, has given me a wonderful ‘head start’ on this summer’s landscape maintenance.
The young men took their tasks seriously and worked very hard to complete their assigned tasks. There is still more work to do but the task does not seem insurmountable now.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Day Seven of the Road Trip.
These steps are adjacent to the grounds around the fort. What purpose do you suppose these serve? We just had to find out. It is a pretty view from the top.
It's not real comforting to know that our trailer was parked on one of these ‘land fills’ and that the RV Park was nearly wiped out last year when large storms hit the coast.
That afternoon we drove into the town of Long Beach so we could get Internet Service. We’ve spent most of this trip out of touch with the world, no phones, no Internet, a little television but only the local channels. Gosh, it was so nice… No telemarketers trying to sell us insurance for our credit card debt, better cell phone service, or cable television.
While in Long Beach Roger found a new boat.
We left Kalaloch about noon on February 22nd and headed for Long Beach. Roger had a ‘general’ idea of where we were headed but, as the day got shorter we started to wonder where this RV Park was located.
The GPS indicated we had arrived long before we reached the park. All we could see was salt water marshes and steep banks on either side of the narrow road. It definitely was not a place to spend the night.
About 6:30 PM we finally stopped at a park where the ranger was just closing the gates. The ranger told us that this was the place we were looking for. Evidently the name of the RV Park had been changed to Cape Disappointment and was no longer referred to by the original name listed in the RV Guide. Our confusion was not unique. Without the help of the ranger we may have wound up in San Diego.
We found a spot in the park and settled in for the evening. It was raining so Roger did a quick hook up to the utilities and left the truck attached to the trailer.
The GPS indicated we had arrived long before we reached the park. All we could see was salt water marshes and steep banks on either side of the narrow road. It definitely was not a place to spend the night.
About 6:30 PM we finally stopped at a park where the ranger was just closing the gates. The ranger told us that this was the place we were looking for. Evidently the name of the RV Park had been changed to Cape Disappointment and was no longer referred to by the original name listed in the RV Guide. Our confusion was not unique. Without the help of the ranger we may have wound up in San Diego.
We found a spot in the park and settled in for the evening. It was raining so Roger did a quick hook up to the utilities and left the truck attached to the trailer.
It stopped raining… the next morning it was clear, cold and very windy. Roger unhooked the trailer and we took a walk on the beach.
Later, we paid our fees in the office and went to see the Lewis & Clark Exhibit at Fort Canby. There is a great deal more to that story than they teach you in school. The experience tends to give you a real appreciate for paved roads, warm trailers and propane stoves. Fort Canby was used during WWI and WWII to protect our coastal waters from invasion.
These steps are adjacent to the grounds around the fort. What purpose do you suppose these serve? We just had to find out. It is a pretty view from the top.
We also discovered why they call it Cape Disappointment. It seems that the current from the Columbia River emptying into the ocean causes such an erratic current that many ships have been lost in this area. Two light houses still working today serve as sentinels to warn passing ships. A north jetty and a south jetty help to protect the harbor today and make the current a little less treacherous. Over time new land has built up around the jetties apparently from the wave action. New land continues to be built as time passes.
It's not real comforting to know that our trailer was parked on one of these ‘land fills’ and that the RV Park was nearly wiped out last year when large storms hit the coast.
How do you suppose this boat happened to be up on top of the logs just feet away from where our trailer is hooked up?
On our way down the hill from Fort Canby we saw these little ones grazing by the side of the road. They didn’t seem bothered by our presence but then these photos were shot through the open window of the truck.
On our way down the hill from Fort Canby we saw these little ones grazing by the side of the road. They didn’t seem bothered by our presence but then these photos were shot through the open window of the truck.
That afternoon we drove into the town of Long Beach so we could get Internet Service. We’ve spent most of this trip out of touch with the world, no phones, no Internet, a little television but only the local channels. Gosh, it was so nice… No telemarketers trying to sell us insurance for our credit card debt, better cell phone service, or cable television.
While in Long Beach Roger found a new boat.
And, we took a drive on the beach. Take notice of where the GPS has us located.
We then drove out to the jetty. The real size of the rocks is deceiving from the fort. And, it was not real comforting to see this sign after we climbed down from the top of the jetty.
It was a beautiful sunset...
But, it rained all night Friday night. At times it rocked and thumped the trailer so hard Roger got up to see if logs were floating by. Too bad we didn’t hook up the truck Friday night. Roger hooked up the truck Saturday morning in a downpour. It rained on us all the way to Portland.
We drove right to the RV Park in Portland. We weren’t so lucky in finding the Patio and Garden Show. Finding parking was even harder. We were both wide awake Sunday morning before daylight. I think we were anxious to be on our way home. It is great to travel but, it’s also nice to come home again. We can hardly wait for our next adventure.
We drove right to the RV Park in Portland. We weren’t so lucky in finding the Patio and Garden Show. Finding parking was even harder. We were both wide awake Sunday morning before daylight. I think we were anxious to be on our way home. It is great to travel but, it’s also nice to come home again. We can hardly wait for our next adventure.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Kalaloch... Day Four
The view from the second spot.
We made a hike down to Ruby Beach during a lull in the storm and then stopped to see the ‘Big Cedar Tree’. On the way back it started raining again.
I think we just wanted to document our visit in these photos... or we were being silly. I'm not sure.
That's Roger sitting on a much smaller log.
We sat at the lodge one morning sipping coffee while watching the tide come in. It was amazing to watch these 100 – 200 foot logs being tossed about like they were toothpicks. No wonder they have posted this sign.
Also interesting are what I call sand paintings. These were shapes left in the sand from running water when the tide receded. 
I think I like Kalaloch in the winter; even if it did rain every day.
We departed Bryan and Addi’s on Monday the 19th and headed towards Kalaloch.
We rode Edmonds Ferry across the bay and then drove along the coast to our destination. Our route took us past Crescent Lake. It is beautiful; even in the rain. I should have taken photos.
We were told to look out for herds of elk along the way and we did see some grazing on the side of a hill in the rain. Of course the camera was in the back; so much for planning.
We were told to look out for herds of elk along the way and we did see some grazing on the side of a hill in the rain. Of course the camera was in the back; so much for planning.
We arrived at Kalaloch about 5:30 that evening. It was still raining. We set up the trailer in the best space we could find available and spent our first night there. It would have been necessary to stand out in the rain to get a good view of the ocean from our spot. The next morning one of the better spots had been vacated so we moved the trailer so we could see the ocean without getting wet… it was still raining. Only half the park was open but there was still plenty of room.
The first spot.
The view from the second spot.We made a hike down to Ruby Beach during a lull in the storm and then stopped to see the ‘Big Cedar Tree’. On the way back it started raining again.
Ruby Beach
Big Cedar Tree
I think we just wanted to document our visit in these photos... or we were being silly. I'm not sure.
On the 21st we woke to sunny (but still cloudy) skies and walked along the beach below our camp site.
The logs you see on the beach are larger than they appear. You see in the photo what sort of looks like a fisherman or a person sitting on the end of the log (the farthest one in the water) peering out at the sea. The log is really about 180 feet long; the ‘fisherman’ is about half again as tall as I am (FYI: I’m 5’5).
That's Roger sitting on a much smaller log.We decided to bring back a couple of ‘small’ pieces of driftwood. They’re really not very large, but they are heavy.
This tree looks like a large Bone Sigh. I’m wondering how long it will be before it looses its grip on terra firma.
We sat at the lodge one morning sipping coffee while watching the tide come in. It was amazing to watch these 100 – 200 foot logs being tossed about like they were toothpicks. No wonder they have posted this sign.
Also interesting are what I call sand paintings. These were shapes left in the sand from running water when the tide receded.
I know these don't apply but, they're good too.
I think I like Kalaloch in the winter; even if it did rain every day.
