Wildlights

We finally took time to visit the Living Desert for the Wildlights. “More than 350,000 twinkling lights illuminate the park after dark, turning the desert into a holiday winter wonderland. North American and African plants and animals as well as traditional holiday scenes are depicted in giant lighted displays.”

We joined our friends Barbara and Dave for pizza at their place then went on the Living Desert to see the lights. It had been a windy day and with the temperature drop you always get in the desert when the sun goes down we had a number of layers to protect from the cold. Luckily the wind in the park was not bad and we did not get cold. We started with an animal show with rats, Serval, Owl, Hedgehogs and Porcupine making an appearance.

We then took a leisurely stroll through the light displays. With a number of moving displays and the mixture of lights it was enjoyable but difficult to get all the photos I would like. The golfing Santa and red Teddy Bear were some of the favorites but their were many other displays were outstanding.

To add to the enjoyment there wood-burning fireplaces, hot apple cider, hot chocolate, s’mores, barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers available at two different locations as you wondered around the display.

Christmas at RCB

Well what is like to have Christmas in Indio, California? Well I have spent many cold winters in the snow in Montana and Wyoming and rainy cold winters in Oregon. Now it is the desert of Indio, California. Well we did go out to the mall on Saturday. Not that we had a lot of shopping to do but did enjoy the crowd and the festive decorations. Even got to see Santa. It was in the 70’s and sunshine. Yes I will admit I enjoy not driving in snow or ice and facing the cold weather.
Well for Christmas Eve we were off to the RCB Chapel. For the Christmas Eve service I sang A Midnight Noel for special music. I enjoy having a chance to share this talent I have with the people at RCB and they continue to tell me how much they enjoy it so it makes it easy to continue.
We started our Christmas by playing tennis first thing in the morning. Marilyn was in charge of our table for Christmas dinner so she met we some of the other ladies to decorate the table and do all of those things that are important to her and not to me, to make the dinner perfect. We gathered at about 3:30 PM for drinks and sococializing before dinner. There were 11 tables of 12 people each. The dinner was catered but we supplied dessert and appetizers and our drinks. Again I took the chance to lead some group singing. After dinner and setting the tables back to normal setting, we went back home. All in the sun and warm 70 degree temperature. Of course once the sun goes down it is headed toward 40 degrees for the night but we enjoy the warm days.
More pictures of the dinner and shopping are on my Flickr photos.

Getting Out

Well last night was our first real chance to go out. There are so many activities here at RCB that we seem to akways be off to a potluck, playing tennis, or working on a project and we seldom leave the park except to get food or other things we need.
One of the projects I have been helping on is digging out a hole to pour concrete base for recycle bins. Most of the garbage areas only have room for one bin so we are in the process of adding a second bin. One of the big things in this park is that you save money by having people volunteer to help doing a project. Well four additional pads have been created except for laying the block walls around the pad. I know nothing about laying blocks so should not be asked to help with that project.
Well back to getting out. I met the Artistic Director for the La Quinta Playhouse this last week and will be working with her to bring one of their shows to the park. (More on that latter.) They were doing A Tuna Christmas as their show right now, and I thought it would be a fun show to see. Two guys playing 28 parts both male and female of the Christmas Eve activities of Tuna, TX. After all today is the ninth anniversary of our engagement. So we when out to dinner at the Elephant Bar and then on to the show.
It is a new theatre that has yet to build a building so they perform in a tent. It will hold about 80 people and has a small stage. Maybe that is the reason they would like to use our clubhouse even though I feel it has a small stage. But with only two people in the show it worked. It was a funny show and a nice chance to get out.

Christmas Caroling

Well tonight was the RCB Christmas Caroling. People decorate their golf carts and drive around the 800 spaces in the park to places where the people are not able to get out very much. In an over 55 park like ours that means a number of places. I am sure we missed some and some people were not home but we made a number of stops.

The number of people that turned out for the parade and singing was great. I did not get a count but there must have been at least 30 carts and several people on each cart. Four people were on ours.

After the singing we all gathered at Clubhouse 2 for chili and Christmas goodies. Many people helped in preparing and serving the chili but I do have a picture of the two people that cooked the chili. After the drive around the park in the cool weather the people were glad to return to the warm building for an evening of eating, drinking, and fellowship.

Going South

Well we finished the first day of travel with rain about half of the time. It wasn’t too bad. We did make good time so we made it to Lodi before 6 PM. Part of the reason was that it was Sunday and we didn’t have any bad traffic that slowed us down.
As we pasted Mt Shasta we stopped and Weed and I took a picture. I must say it looks like they are having the same problem as many other ski resorts. There appeared to be much less snow that other times we have driven down.
Of course we did get to drive through the Sate of Jefferson. It is always fun to see the barn and the metal sculpture along the road. I didn’t get a picture; they are both on the other side of the interstate. Maybe another day.
Yes we have been at Indio for 3 days and I have yet to post the Drive down. I have been busy with all the things you need to do to get things up and running. I still have to get the golf cart going. I have a call into the man that sold it to us and knows something about them but he was out of town for a few days.
The second day was a good drive. We had a lot of heavy fog for the first 100 miles but then got better. Now we are cleaning, unpacking, buying what we need and even getting some tennis in. Marilyn played Wed. and I play tomorrow.
I assume that Mt. Shasta and others in the northwest now have more snow. I am glad we are not in Corvallis during this storm. I read that 19,000 customers in Corvallis were without electricity and 91,000 in the area and many houses were hit by falling trees. It is nice to not have tall pine trees next to our house. Also flood warnings are out but we live on the hill. But then we are here now it is just thinking about what it would be to be there.

Christmas Party

Ok, so this isn’t all about me. Marilyn’s exercise group had a dinner to celebrate Christmas and at the last minute she talked me into singing for the ladies. Ok I didn’t put up too much of a fight but I really didn’t have my Christmas Show ready yet.
Well I got my iPod ready and took along my speakers. Then got out the Santa hat, red shirt, and white tie. Since I didn’t have all the songs memorized, I had to print out the words. Then after a few practice runs at less than full volume to save my voice I was ready.
Marilyn said to show up at 7:15. They were to start eating at 6:15 so that should mean they would be about done. Well they were just in the middle of eating and drinking when I arrived so I waited until about 7:40. I hoped they would have most of their talking over by that time. There was 23 of the ladies in a private home so it was crowded (the picture shows half of the ladies). Well it is a fine line with people drinking wine between them having enough to relax and enjoy your presentation, with mistakes, and having too much so they make your singing harder.
I started out with White Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. Of course many wanted to join in on the singing and the Grandma song almost required it. That was fine but with recorded music it doesn’t wait for you or speedup when you do. So I had to try to hear the music and not listen to the singers.
I finished on a more serious note, with Midnight Noel (It Came Upon the Midnight Clear and The First Noel) and O Holy Night. Both arranged by Mark Hayes. I enjoy singing his arrangements but the piano part is difficult. For this performance I had the CD of Mark Hayes playing. I plan to sing O Holy Night for chapel on the 17 and then I will have my friend Ruth playing for me.
I think the ladies enjoyed the singing and it was nice to get a practice completed. I will be ready by next week.

Early Christmas

Since we will be driving south soon, we need to get our Christmas done in Oregon before we leave. That means we must drive through Pastega’s Pepsi Bottling Plant display at least once before we leave. I guess the Grinch was out this year as someone stole one of the display figures. It is such a shame that people can’t just leave it all for everyone to enjoy. I will admit we made the circle twice, but then we were only following the example of the pickup in front of us.

Also Grandma Marilyn wanted to be with the kids when they opened their presents so we went to Portland on Sunday to share gifts with her son’s and the two granddaughters. I think the girls were happy so that was what was important. It was a good day and ended by Brooke taking us out to dinner. Things are going well on the new job answering phone for Adobe - money to spend.

Now Marilyn just has all the other Christmas lunches and dinners with her friends this week before we leave.

California Here I Come

Well I would say it is official now, I am ready to head South. The last two nights have provided a good dusting of snow, this morning temperature is 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and schools are on two-hour delay. This is the time when living on top of the hill and now having snow tires can be frustrating. Not that the roads are really that bad but they do freeze up and night and driving first thing in the morning for my 7 AM tennis is not something I enjoy. So I passed on tennis the last two mornings. Even the paper was late today because the man that normally drives around delivering the paper had to walk. After growing up in Wyoming and living in Montana for many years I have enjoyed being in the California desert when the snow comes. The many cold mornings of feeding the cows or driving to work on icy roads have made me appreciate the warm winter sun.

I did put out new food for the birds, turned on the fireplace, and watched the chickadees. It was very different from a month ago when the birds were feeding on the sunflower and other seeds about the garden. But there were still a few seeds in the sunflower and the fresh seeds in the feeder attracted a number of hardy chickadees. It also attracted the neighborÂ’s cat. He thought the gathering of birds looked like lunch. However, in the white snow it was difficult for him to hide so I think he had to go back home for lunch.

Well it is another day so time to make a cup of hot chocolate and watch the birds or maybe in should start packing.

Thanksgiving is Over

Well another Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had the two of us and Marilyn’s two son’s and two granddaughters for dinner. Marilyn has been cooking for days. She made the pecan pie, cranberry salad, green bean casserole, and sweet potatoes all before the day started. They were put in the freezer and this almost caused a problem when the green beans didn’t thaw out in time. Thanks for the microwave; it comes in handy in a time like that.

O course Marilyn had set the table on Monday. She always has the table ready for days anytime we are having guests. It has to be just right you know.

Well the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy were mine so I started early this morning. I had 4 onions that needed to be diced. One for the gravy, two for the dressing and one for the mushroom soup I always make with the stock and meat from the turkey carcass. For the soup I sautéed them with mushrooms and set aside for tomorrow when I make the soup. The two for the dressing were sautéed with some sausage, and the last one was sautéed with the giblets to make a stock for the gravy,

With that done I could take some time off. The family wasn’t going to eat until 3:30 PM and I have been using the plastic bag to cook the turkey so even for a 17 pound stuffed turkey it is about three hours. So about 11 AM I put together the snuffing and put the turkey in the oven. It was time for another break. The stock for the gravy was cooking and just needed time.

Of course the hardest time is that last rush. Cook the potatoes, mash the potatoes, make the gravy, and get everything on the table. It was a great meal and everyone ate more than they should. Now after playing some games with the girls and doing dishes it is time to relax with just the two of us. Time to think about the things we are thankful for: good health, family that is making it on their own, my 7 AM tennis friends, and the RCB Cabaret Singers especially Pauline and Ruth that make my singing possible again after many years of not singing.

Maui Aquarium

While in Maui we spent a half-day visiting the Maui Ocean Center http://www.mauioceancenter.com/ . We had not visited the aquarium since soon after it opened in 1998. I am not sure if they have added more or I had just forgotten how great it was. We could have spent more time looking at all the exhibits and it was great to see so many of the fish we see snorkeling as well as many other we would not see in the ocean. Since we had scheduled a boat trip to snorkel that afternoon we had to cut the visit short.

One of the things we got were the handheld sticks that have recorded information about many of the exhibits. With the granddaughters this was great. While they may not take the time to read or look at many of the exhibits, they found it a great game to look for the numbers to enter and then listen to what was said about the display. Why is it they will pay attention to a recorded message and not written information or something you are trying to tell them?

I am not sure what I enjoyed the most. It was interesting to see the diver in the tank bringing two heads of romaine lettuce to put in the coral for the fish to eat. We spent most of the time in the area with all the tanks of the fish that you can find in the waters around Hawaii. They had small seahorses and large rays and sharks as well as all the beautiful fish you can find in the coral reefs. It was a great opportunity to get up close and personal with so many of the fish. We even had a chance to listen to a couple of naturalists at different locations telling us about the exhibit and answering questions.

I would have to say that a visit to the Maui Ocean Center is well worth the time and money, if you are on the island.

Water Spout

One of the special events we had a chance to observe was a water spout . I have never had a chance to see one before and was able to get a picture. We were not that close but still something I will remember. There were several that tried to form but only one of them reached the ocean level.
We were on the beach across from the condominium where we were staying. The granddaughters were playing the ocean and a storm was threatening but they were having a great time in the warm water. We watched for several minutes as several other formations would start in the clouds but fail to reach the water.

Keiki Hula

Each time we visit Maui we enjoy driving up to Lahaina to visit the Cannery on Sunday afternoon to see the Keiki Hula. Sometimes it is truly children doing the hula other time there will be the full range in age from 3 years to late teens The number of participants will also vary. It always if fun to watch the young dancers and you leave with a special feeling about the kids up on stage doing their best while their Moms and Dads watch and join the tourist taking pictures.

This year we were very lucky to have one of the largest, most talented, and most diverse groups we have seen. Maybe it was because the next weekend was the hula contest at one of the local hotels or maybe it was just the luck of the draw. There were fifteen dancers and three of them were boys, or should I say young men. That is the most male dancers I think I have seen at these shows. It was announced that many of the dancers would be competing the next weekend and I wish them the best. I will not know how well they did but I enjoyed there dancing.

The dancing included the full range of hula from all the islands and required many costume changes and the use of a great variety of props. It is always a great show but I think this time was one of the best and it is a FREE, what a deal. Of course they do have their basket out and the Mothers were selling Hawaiian Sweet Bread to raise money for the group. I was more than happy to participate in both. The bread was delicious and it is not a small task to collect all the costumes, props, and other material needed for a show. They even had very good live music to accompany them in their dancing.

In the Kitchen with Leon

As I looked at all my tomatoes, I didn’t want to waste any of them but am never sure just what to do with them. One thing is certain you won’t use them all, right now. So I was off finding my options for the tomatoes sitting on the sunroom floor.

First there was roasted tomato sauce. Tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil with a little olive oil, salt and pepper drizzled over the top and into the oven for about an hour until all the tomatoes are wrinkled and the basil and onion blacken. Then it was into the blender for a smooth sauce good for a number of uses. I have found it good with spaghetti or other pasta. Adding a little ground beef or sausage made a great dinner. But then all of that can’t be use NOW. I did six baking dishes of them after all. So two cups of sauce are put into freezer bags and into the freezer. Oh yes, don’t forget to leave some in a container in the refrigerator for use this week.

Next there was salsa. Tomatoes, red onion, garlic, cilantro, and hot pepper all finely chopped. That was the biggest job. No food processor can do the job just the way you want it done. I would have to say this has been a hit with visitors that have stopped by. A few chips and the people were very happy.

But there were still more tomatoes and I had five bags of sauce in the freezer. Then it was drying tomatoes in the oven. Well that was simple cut in half, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and into the warm oven for ten hours. They are not completely dry but look great. I am looking forward to trying them with some pasta, mushrooms, olive oil, and ???

With all the cooking, I decided it was time to share with neighbors some of my work. So we had three of the couples in the neighborhood over for our Italian dinner. After all there I can make the stuffed tomatoes, and put diced tomatoes in both the soup and beef dish. Oh yes, a little slice of tomato is a great topper on the crostini covered with some of the fresh pesto and Parmesan cheese.

Well that had taken care of most of the tomatoes and I was getting tired of the tomatoes. It was off to my new cookbook of American Classics where I found a great recipe for Chicken and Dumplings. Starting with a whole chicken and using the back and wings to make the chicken broth and topping with the light dumplings, it was a wonderful trip through the kitchen. Well, with all the food you had to have company so a last minute call to Norm and Mary Lee provided some assistance in eating the fresh salsa and Chicken and Dumplings.

Visit to the Zoo

It was Stevie’s ninth birthday so a trip to the Oregon Zoo and Chuck E Cheese was required. The weather forecast said it was to be sunny and warm but it was cloudy and raining off and on. But it wasn’t that cold and cool weather that meant that the animals were more active. Some were inside but then we could go inside and stay out of the rain.

What was the favorite animal to visit? For the granddaughters it was the penguins. I think it was prompted by the ability to play with the penguins. The penguins liked their pink jackets and would follow their arms as they moved them next to the glass. As for me it was hard to select a favorite. The Anaconda was huge with only its nose above the water so it could breath to the wolf wondering about its space.

It must have been feeding time. Many of the animals were eating that made taking photographs difficult in many cases. The grizzly bear would never raise his head while the chimpanzee was fun to watch as he took the ears of corn from the others to eat. The elephants didn’t seem to want to be out in the rain so didn’t see much of them except for the younger one that seemed to be chased away from the entrances. Maybe there was food in there and they didn’t want to share.

After about three hours wondering around the zoo, the girls wanted to leave. Since the zoo was about to close, we called their Father and headed for Chuck E Cheese. For the girls this is tokens that they seem to spend quickly to get a few prize tickets that they can exchange for cheap prizes. Oh yes, there is also pizza and soda but they have little time for that until the tokens are gone. But it makes them happy and Grandma always gets a picture of them with Chuck E Cheese.

King Estate Winery Visit

The warm fall days make for a great outing through the Oregon countryside. We spent last Saturday taking the back roads to visit the King Estate Winery. The winery is located south of Eugene on a hill overlooking the vineyards of grapes used to make the wine. Taking the back roads was slower but allowed more opportunity to see the countryside. A couple of times I had to pull over to let some of the local drivers speed on down the road. They see it every day and don’t find any special enjoyment in the view.

Once there we had to find our way to the tasting bar. A couple of car clubs were just leaving so it was not too crowded. After tasting six generous pours of different local wines from the winery including two sweet after dinner wines, we were ready for lunch. We purchased a couple of bottles of wine and started our wait for a table. They serve a small plate lunch and a larger dinner after 5 PM. Each dish has a suggested wine given but not required. There was a breeze that made dining outside in the shade cool but the view made it worth getting a jacket.


It was one of those days that would be nice to do more often but the distance does make it something you must plan to do.

Birds & Feeding

It is cool in the tautumn sitting on the deck but it can be very relaxing and enjoyable. Maybe a shower will come through and if you are up early in the morning you can see the clouds in the valley below as the sun rises over the trees on the hill across the valley. Maybe a sweater, cup of hot chocolate, and a good book is all you need for a relaxing day.





Birds enjoy the fall because every place they look there are more seeds to eat. It makes for a relaxing day to sit on the deck and watch the birds as they go from the bird feeder, to feeding on the sunflowers to fountain. It is truly thanksgiving for them. I find five birds sitting on the sunflowers and one flying to its next location. Do you find more?

Fall in the Air

Yes, Fall has arrived. As I look out the window the rain has started and the flowers show their last splashes of color before the killing frost. The once bright yellow sunflowers now droop low with spent flowers weighted down by the sunflower seeds and the chickadees and goldfinch that dart from one head to another trying to get the best of the seeds. The dahlias and roses still put forth their beautiful flowers but now it takes tree days for a flower to open as the cool nights slow the growing process.

I made my second batch of tomato sauce and now may have to make tomato soup and salsa to utilize the tomatoes that now set in the sunroom for the last ripening. Everything seems to come at once. You once wished for the fresh vegetables from the garden then the zucchini, basil, tomatoes seen to all arrive at the same time. It seems only last week I picked leaves carefully from the basil to make my pesto. Now the plants are blooming and I need to make and freeze more pesto and tomato sauce.

I made the round taking pictures of the yard and making notes of things I want to change next year. After eight years some of the plants need to be divided or moved. Other plants will move to another place next year to see if they will grow better or at least not be crowded out by the other plants. The three sticks I planted four years ago are now a mass of hydrangea bushes that crowd out anything planted near them.

Off to see the Reindeer

Well the week at Eagle Crest is over and back to the garden. We did stop at Operation Santa Claus to see the reindeer. The younger reindeer were close to the road and the older ones were in the next field. But it is always nice to stop by before they start their trips around the malls in the area before Christmas. I was very impressed with the antlers on one of the reindeer. All of the pictures of the Week are now on the web.

I guess the way to see deer is to suggest they are all gone. After the last posting, I saw two deer on my walk. They didn’t stop for photos but then at 6:30 AM the next morning two deer came by the deck. So I did get to see and photograph the deer. The complete photos of the High Desert Museum are also available.

The nights are getting cool and fall is near.

Eagle Crest Resort

We are spending a week at Eagle Crest Resort in central Oregon. Here we had a condo overlooking the river with a deck surrounded by pine trees. We spent our time reading, playing tennis, and walking. The weather was nice with cool evenings and warm days (80 degrees).
As for the tennis there were no big winners. We did play about every day at 9 AM. The only problem was that the sprinklers for the lawn would hit the court. The watering was done early in the morning but the courts were still wet. Marilyn did most of the reading and I did most of the walking. There is a nice path by the river and then up in the residential area. It makes for about 3-4 miles if you walk the complete route. Usually you can see deer and other wildlife. I didn’t see much for wildlife this year. There was a posting that a cougar had been seen in the area but I didn’t see any. Maybe that is the reason I haven’t seen the deer.
Wednesday we went into Redmond for music in the park. This week was Hawaiian dancing with mostly young boys and girls but also some older dancers. It was a nice warm-up for our upcoming trip to Hawaii. It was a much smaller group of listener than we see at the concerts at the park in Albany but here the performers are local and Albany tries to bring in some known performers. There was food to buy but we took are sandwich and soda and enjoyed the dancing.
On Thursday we made our trip to the High Desert Museum that we make each year. Always enjoy the raptors and their demo. Most of the birds have been injured or raised by humans so they would not survive in the wild. The raven was blind. There were two new cats in the exhibit that had been raised by humans and in the case of the lynx abandoned. The lynx was found in a state park in California. The animal was starving and when the caught it to see what the problem was they found it had been declawed and neutered, obviously raised by a human. I will have pictures out on the web when I return home.

NW Art & Air Festival

Friday night in Albany for the NW Art & Air Festival. It was a beautiful evening and there was music to enjoy, people to watch, and the Night Glow.
There had been a shooting on the interstate that blocked traffic for miles on I-5 but luckily I didn’t have to use the interstate to get to the fair grounds. The State Patrol had stopped a man that was suspected of armed robbery at some rest stops along the interstate. The patrolman was shot twice in his bulletproof vest and once in the foot. He was treated and released. The only man died the next day from his wounds
I wandered through the booths of artwork for sale enjoying the great variety of creations from mostly local artists. I didn’t buy any thing but enjoyed seeing it all.
One of the things I noticed as I sat down to enjoy the music was the people. Now I know I am wanting to loose 50 pounds but looking at many of the people there, I felt I was not as overweight as many of the people. I had first noticed that in Branson that most of the people or overweight, even though we read stories every day about how bad it is for our health. My feeling is that Middle America needs to loose most of its middle. Enough on that!
The music was a young woman singing country songs to canned music, a marimba band, and then a fiddle player with a band. Nice but not what I was there to see.
It was the Night Glow I wanted to see. Last January in Indio we had many fancy balloons and the Night Glow was a fascinating experience. Well Albany is not Indio. First there was not the room to have that many balloons and the balloons were of the basic hot-air balloons design and there were only seven balloons. But it was fun and I enjoyed the show.
A follow-up on the Mona Lisa – There were two accidents on Wednesday. In both cases a car was slowing down or stopped to pull over to the side of the road and in one case hit in the rear and in the other the chip truck we say had swerved to miss the car and ended up in the ditch. The No Parking of Shoulder” sign are going to be left up and only time will tell what will happen to the picture.

A Day at Newport

A hot summer day is always a good day to head to Newport and the ocean. It will be at least 20 degrees cooler and we get a chance to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium and have clam chowder at Mo’s. This Wendsday seemed like a good day. Marilyn didn’t have tennis and the athletic club is closed for cleaning so there were not workout classes to attend.

This time there was an added stop. Just before reaching Newport we got to see the Mona Lisa. Well at least a black and white, 60 foot tall copy of the Mona Lisa. A local artist, Samuel Clemens, painted a 40 by 60 foot version of the smiling lady on the hillside. There is only one problem with the painting. It is along the highway and there is not really much of a place to stop. On our return in the evening were delayed about 45 minutes because of an accident on the highway in front of the painting. I could not see what it was but the wrecker seemed to be pulling off a truck you would use to blow the wood chips when removing brush. I assume that some car stopped too fast and was hit. I don’t know that for sure but the accident was at the site of the painting. Another case of a beautiful woman causing an accident as the driver is look at her and not the road. I also noticed that there was “No Parking on the Shoulder of the Highway” along the road as we were returning in the evening that was not there in the morning. I don’t know if they were temporary because of the accident or going to be more permanent. I did get a good picture as we were gong so didn’t have to stop on the way home.

Well the trip to Mo’s was normal for the summer. There was a line out the door waiting to get in. Lucky for us a large family decided to move on and left the line. Of course it is always difficult to get a group of 7 or 8 a table unless they are willing to sit at separate tables. But as luck would have it we even got a table by the window to watch the fishing boat go out for the afternoon charter.

After finishing our bowl of chowder and slice of garlic bread we proceeded to the dock were you can usually find a number of large sea lions fighting over a spot to lie in the sun. The noise of their bark and they push at each other can be heard a block away. We were not disappointed this time as the dock was almost full as was the line of people watching them.

The trip to the Aquarium was normal for a nice summer day, crowded. We had been there earlier this year with the granddaughters but this time we were on our own. This year the special exhibit is CLAWS and exhibit of crab, lobster and other crustaceans. We did see the lobsters on parade and some crabs we had not see before.

On the visit to the bird we got to see a baby Common Murre. This was unusual because they usually collect any eggs laid in the exhibit to keep down the population. Unless another aquarium has out a call for one of the birds they are not allowed to reproduce.

We also got to watch the feeding of the sea lions and the sea otters. That is always fun but in the summer the crowds make in difficult to see and we usually try to let the others up close and enjoy our view of the feeding when the crowds are smaller. As members we do visit the aquarium often and get a chance to see the exhibits without the many people fighting for the best place to watch.
You can see all of the pictures at this link

Benton County Fair

Well it was off to the Benton County Fair. Fair is much different than I remember from my youth in Wyoming. Yes there are still some animals the 4-H club members are showing but goats and llamas are new and different to me. Also all the sheep are market sheep. None of the wool breeds that I showed in my younger days were to be found or dairy cows, only dairy goats.


Pigs yes we did see pigs. First the performing Valentine pigs performed on stage. Not the racing pigs but pigs that push balls around the stage or do other stupid tricks. You could even pay $5 to get your picture taken with the littlest pig. I’ll take a pass on that. Then there ware the show pigs and the FFA had a sow with a litter of seven pigs there just for people to see the real life of pigs, in the heat they were sleeping..

The chickens and rabbit barn is fun. An interesting collection of strange looking animals you never see on the farm. It was hot so most of the animals were sleeping for the day but one rooster was up and had to crow just to let us know he was there.

You have to stop by the stage often. The activity there keeps changing from pigs to music. The old time fiddle can be fun and I enjoy seeing the younger performers get up and show their talent. Many times it is better than the older adult players.

We had to spend some time at the rodeo for some calf roping and bronco riding. I will have to say most of the calves got away and the riders did not stay on the horse. But the rodeo queens were nice and acted as the clean-up crew to chase all of the calves and horses out or the arena. They may have been the best riders there. I was not impressed. May the cowboys in Wyoming are better or my memory is bad but I remember more success when I have been to rodeos before.

Of course you have to have the Livestock Association barbeque of beans, roll, beef, and lamb. And sit down with your ice cream cone to listen to Johnny Limbo and the Lugnuts. A Portland group in its 29th year of rock and roll.

National Night Out

Tonight was the National Night Out - Ice Cream Social for our neighborhood. My Wife Marilyn worked with Tiffany Chona and Carol Rice in getting it organized. Everyone brought toppings for the ice cream and we had six gallons of Tillamook Ice Cream.


Of course the ice cream was the big reason for being there but it is also a chance for neighbors to have a chance to get to know each other. About 60 people attended the evening.Since the development is eight years old many of the homes are now owned by the second or third owner and there are always new people to meet. For many it is just a chance to catch up on what is happening with neighbors they don’t see often. It is all part of the Neighborhood Watch program to keep down crime in the neighborhood.


The party was visited by one of Corvallis police officers and the fire department showed up with a fire truck for kids of all ages to see and crawl up to the first steps. There were also games for everyone, with prizes.One of the projects for the evening was to collect food for the South Corvallis Food Bank. About 55 pounds of food was collected to be given to the food bank.