Oregon Living 2023 – Blog #31 – Fun Time With Family, an Anniversary, and More Trip Planning!

 

Wednesday, July 19^th., 2023……  Today, Cathye had an adventure with her girls. They were going over to Harrisburg to get peaches and lunch. But first up for me was getting up and going. I needed to go back to Emily’s massage studio to pick up my prescription sunglasses that I had left there yesterday. She wasn’t in today so she hung the glasses on her doorknob so I wanted to get there before the bldg. got busy. Cathye walked the girls so I stopped at Starbucks on the way home to get her a chai latte from Starbucks!  She left before 11:00am and left me to work on my blog. They stopped at Dietrich Farms to get fresh peaches. But they weren’t quite ready yet so they ended up with a few other items, including some really delicious nectarines. She also brought me a mini blueberry pie. I would eat that later after dinner!  They stopped at the Junkyard Extreme Burgers and Dogs for lunch. Guy Fieri put this place on the map several years ago.

But I still haven’t been!  They got back and Cathye showed me all of her purchases. We pretty much settled in for the rest of the day. Early dinner (blueberry pie) and tv until spa time. While we were relaxing, watching tv, we got a text message from Randy saying they had made it to Klamath Falls and had a little ride. Now he was in the ER with Steve, who has some kind of bite or something. He was swollen but feeling ok. He would text me later in the evening to say they didn’t think it was a spider bite (good news!). They gave him an antibiotic and they were on their way. Long day but good news for all!  

Thursday, July 20^th., 2023…… I had acupuncture this morning so I was up and out of the house, leaving Cathye to walk and feed the dogs (again). The rest of the day I was pretty much home. Cat left to go take Jamie out for a haircut and lunch. He is doing well lately at his home. She says he has told her he is getting out of his room more now and is socializing with other residents, which is good to hear. After that, we hung around the house for most of the day. I filled up Rylee’s pool the other day for her and the kids, but now it’s pretty green. I also have discovered a leak in the outdoor water spigot by the pool. It’s probably coming from a leaky pipe but I won’t know until I dig it up.  Next week.    

Friday, July 21^st., 2023…… Today is mowing day. Penny would be coming over at 10:00am but we had work to do before that!  We were up early and had the pups out for their walk. We fed them breakfast and then we started in on housecleaning. Cathye dusts the house and also cleans the bathrooms, while I do the vacuuming. We had cleaned it before Bill and Treasa were here but not since, so it was pretty dusty. I finished up the rugs and floors and helped do a little dusting around the offices and the living room.  By the time we finished, it was close to 10:00am, so I went outside just as Sis got here. I had to get out all of the mowers and gas them up so we were a little late in getting started. Of course Cat got the first run on her new Cub Cadet!

Penny mowed the field (without the bagger) and we started in on the yard (with the baggers). I had just started in when I lost drive to my zero turn!  Penny and Cat stopped and we tried to figure it out. We pushed the mower forward after crawling down and looking under it. I noticed a large spring in the grass and we set out to find out what it was and where it came from. Either way – it was broke!  I took it up to Cascade Outdoor and they said it was a tensioner for a pulley on the cutting belt. He showed me where it came from, but most important was that he had one in stock!  I was back in about 20 minutes and we got it installed and I got going again. Cathye had kept going and had most of the yard done. Penny finished the field and I took over the yard where Cat had worked and they rested while I finished up. It was a hot day and I’m glad we got it done early, before it got really hot! Thanks, Sis.  We can always count on you for help!  Later, we heard from Randy that they got home ok and were doing well.      

Saturday, July 22^nd., 2023…… HAPPY ANNIVERSARY RANDY & MARYANNE!  We were hoping for an early start today. We were going to the Farmer’s Market in Corvallis. We thought they opened at 10:00am so we loaded up the dogs and left with time to stop by McDonald’s for breakfast.  We got there and tried to find a parking place. Turns out they open at 9:00am! But we found one and walked through it all with the pups. It was super crowded but we weren’t looking for too much so we didn’t need to stop at every booth. Cat was looking for zucchini for bread, and we always look for bread and fresh fruit and veggies! We found everything we needed and got out of the crowd and back to the car and headed back home.

While we were at the market, we did a Marco Polo for the kids anniversary. We heard back later from Maryanne.

Sunday, July 23^rd., 2023…… We had plans today!  So, we were up early and walked and fed the dogs and ate breakfast. We left around 9:15 and took my truck to the car wash. I wanted it clean (since the boys had put a lot of trail miles on it last week!).  After that, we headed up to Portland. Josh has moved out of his apartment and into a room in a house in Beaverton. He will be sharing it with two other guys. Good news is that it’s way cheaper than his apartment and he also will have his own bathroom. We picked him up and headed over the river to the Hawthorne district (east Portland) known for eclectic shops and small bistro type restaurants. He took us to Tea & Tea Boba Shop, where he knows the two owners. We all had bubble teas of some type. Tait Ubered over to meet up with us for tea and then a walk down to the local Italian place for a nice lunch. Thanks Josh!  

 

We got back to his place and loaded up a few things he wasn’t going to need and headed back home. The drive was long and it took a while because we hit that usual congested spot on the I-5 in Wilsonville where the traffic really backs up.  But we made it a 5 ½ hour day and were home in time to let the dogs out and then relax for the rest of the day.

Monday, July 24^th., 2023…… Corey and Vikki were coming over at 9:00am this morning to do some yard work in payback for some insurance funding. So, we needed to walk and feed the dogs, go to the gym, eat breakfast and be back by then. No problem – we were done with time to spare! Turns out the kids would be delayed and would come this afternoon. No worries.  But meanwhile, Cathye helped me with my new plan – I wanted to move out all of our trailers and carts and put them in the field, since it’s been recently cut back. The areas around the trailers and carts were overgrown with weeds and needed to be worked. 

Trust me - there is a boat trailer in the grapevines in that picture above! That was the task I wanted C&V to work on today. I also decided to go out and dig around the water pipe to try to find the leak. The plan was to leave the water on so I could see where it was leaking. But as I dug, the water kept filling up the hole!  So, I shut off the irrigation system and will need to wait a few days until the ground dries out a bit before continuing. Did I mention I hate yardwork!  Later, Cathye made her zucchini bread and I got a hot slice! Yummy! I worked on my checkbook and matched up the charges from the cruise and stuff I have ordered on Amazon. We also spent some time booking our next adventures. This Wednesday, Cat and Judy and Linn are going over to the coast for an overnighter but that’s already booked. She talked to daughter Terisa and set up our next Boston/New Hampshire trip. We are going the first week in October. They also made plans for an overnighter for us while there for an additional side trip to the Mount Washington Cog Train in the northern part of the state.  Plus I want to schedule the Kennedy Presidential Library and a Fenway Park tour while we are in the Boston area.  Fun stuff and we got rooms and a car and airline tickets all completed and confirmed today. While she was working on that, I also booked us a trip closer to home. I got a reservation for a motel close to Crater Lake. We are doing that 3-day adventure the third week in August. We plan to take our ebikes and ride around the lake.  Of course we had to reserve our time with Penny, who will come over to watch the house and take care of the dogs for both trips.