This month's calendar                         Archives                            Our Google Calendar                   

July 14, 2006

IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

This is another one of these weeks where I have to post early because we will be leaving Thursday for a mini-steam meet at Tenmile Lakes for a few days.

Last Saturday we went to the Nichols family reunion. Our drive took us up the Columbia River Gorge and I can't remember when we have seen the river so calm. Usually there is such a headwind that there are whitecaps on the river. We crossed the Columbia River to the Washington State side at the Hood River Bridge, where they are famous for windsurfers, but not that day. In fact, as we were able to look back south across the river from the Washington side, we could see Mt. Hood reflected in the water! That NEVER happens! The drive took about three hours and the potluck started at 1:00, so we wanted to get up there in plenty of time to visit with folks. The reunion is held at "Fort Runamuck", a small farm where Dave's aunt and uncle used to live. They are both gone now, but the land is still in the family. It felt strange to be there without them around anymore. The Nichols family is Dave's mother's side and the reunion started out many years ago with her father and his brothers and sisters; Dave comes from the Luke Nichols family branch. Anyway, there were about 75 people who showed up. We have been going to these reunions since we were first married (and Dave has been going to them all his life) so that has been a long tradition. Our girls and their families came up for the day too. I was glad, because I think it is important that they keep in contact with their kinfolk, even if it is only once a year! As usual, they had hot dogs and hamburgers and everyone else brought their favorite dish. There was sooo much food and of course, you HAVE to try everything. The highlight of the desserts was fresh raspberries over ice cream. It sure tasted good since it was so hot outside. We just went up for the day, but some of the relatives camped overnight. We usually take the motorhome and stay a couple of nights, but there was just too much else we had to take care of, so we made it a 350-mile day trip. We got back home around 8:00 PM that evening.

On Monday, Dave hitched up the steamboat and headed back up to Everett, Washington to get some more repairs done. He left early but it still is a five-hour haul and going through Seattle is such a nightmare. He came back with horror stories of 6-lane freeways with semis a foot away on either side. He made it, but I swear - he comes home with even more grey hair every time he does that! Anyway, they managed to get all the leaks taken care of at the shipyard that afternoon. Dave spent the night and left the next day for home with boat in tow. We are delighted about that because we are headed for Tenmile Lakes near Reedsport for a mini-meet and we wanted to be able to take the steamboat with us. Wednesday, we took some time to clean the grime off her and I will polish the brass once we get to our destination. It will take us about 4 hours to get to Lakeview. We will leave Thursday afternoon and come back on Monday. I have my fingers crossed that Dave's "motel-selecting" skills have improved since the last couple of times he's picked a place for us to stay. If you read this journal regularly, you know the horror stories of some of the "questionable" places he's picked! This one looks pretty good, but then some of the others did too!

While Dave was up in Everett on Monday, I went down to Tillamook to run some errands. I stopped off at the feed store and picked up some birdseed for the Goldfinches and our little chipmunk. Those critters are eating us out of house and home! I think the word is out that there is food at the Bell household! I counted 8 Goldfinches on the two feeders that I put out the other day. That doesn't count all the Blue Jays, Sparrows, Redwing Blackbirds and Chickadees that drop by too. I also stopped and stocked up on some food for us and picked up a prescription for Dave.

Speaking of prescriptions, I have added another one to my list. I had my blood tested again to check out my thyroid and it is inactive, so now I am taking a drug for that. I do feel more energetic and hopefully, I can get back on my diet again and start to lose more weight. I use to kid my father when he took so many drugs and now I am beginning to do the same; a drug for my thyroid, my cholesterol and my hormones, will it ever end? It isn't that I don't take care of myself, because I do. I just wish that there were a more natural way to heal your body.

Our sunny warm weather turned to rain Wednesday. So when it rains, I spend most of my afternoons reading. I just finished one book, a Stephanie Plum novel, "Eleven On Top" by Janet Evanovich and am almost done with "Pawleys Island" by Dorothea Benton Frank. Both books were given to me for my birthday. I never had the time before I retired to be able to read so much. It is kind of neat.

The forecast says Wednesday was the last day of steady rain. We may get a couple of showers on our drive south on Thursday, but the sun ought to be out all weekend. That would be nice!