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September 18, 2009

IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

There is the nip in the air in the mornings and it sure feels like fall will be here soon. I took some pictures of some of my flowers in the yard before the frost comes but the light doesn't do the color justice. The fuchsias are at their peak and the Autumn Joy is in full splendor. The little maple tree by the driveway is just starting to show its colors. In a couple of weeks it ought to be brilliant. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I replanted some lettuce and covered it this time so that the deer won't find it. I really have to be clever to try to outsmart those hungry guys! Speaking of deer, they managed to tip the birdbath over the other night. At least I think it was them. The deer come into the yard and eat birdseed, geraniums, roses and whatever else pleases their pallets during the wee hours in the mornings. If it isn't the raccoons, it's the deer, so I just can't win around here.

Last Friday was our 44th wedding anniversary and Dave took me to a nice place in Manzanita called the Terra Cotta Cafe. We had to make reservations and we really enjoyed the meal. Last week, I promised a review and I have to say it was most enjoyable. The food was excellent and the service was too. It's a bit on the high side as far as prices go, but it's one of the few options for a meal to celebrate a special occasion around here and so we felt it was worth it. Afterward, we took a stroll on the beach and watched the sun set over the ocean. It was a beautiful evening and we enjoyed the walk. We live so close to the ocean and yet, that was the first time this summer we have been out to walk on the beach. We really have to try to do that more than just on our anniversary! The funniest thing happened this year. We always give each other cards for our anniversary and as it turned out, we gave each other the same card this year! That has never happened. I guess after 44 years of marriage, you start to think a lot alike. I told him that next year we should just pick out one card and both sign it!!

We were invited to a potluck down at the Kahrs' dock on Saturday night. It was a get together for all of the Kahrs' renters and they invited us too. They asked Dave if he would steam up the boat and give everyone rides. We did that and it was a big hit. There were about twenty people altogether and we spent most of our time manning the steamboat and so we didn't get to do much visiting. It was fun to make several runs in the boat with no problems. It has been that way most of this year and it's nice to really enjoy the steaming without having to worry about breaking down. We even lit the oil running lights and made a run after dark. It's been a loooooong time since we have been able to do that!

There are a lot of fishermen and their boats out in the bay right now. Most of them are catching Coho Salmon, but are limited as to what they can keep. A lot of the fish are jumping out of the water and if you had a big net, you could probably catch a few that way. We have also spotted the usual crowd of seals looking for their fish dinner also. It is funny too, to watch the Fish and Wildlife enforcement people pull up and stop in front of our place and check out the fishermen through their binoculars just to make sure that they are towing the line and catching the right fish. It's illegal to keep any of the larger Chinook Salmon this season, and those that do are getting huge fines.

We are having good friends over for a couple of days. Ed and Diane Avila from Dexter (east of Eugene) are spending some time with us. We usually stay with them on our trips back from Ashland but this year we didn't make it. It was their turn to come see us anyway and so I am looking forward to our visit. We took them out in the steamboat for a while after they got here last night. It was a beautiful evening and we enjoyed the run. In all the years we've known them, it was the first time they had a ride on the boat.

I have an all-day Red Cross class on sheltering on Saturday. We have to learn how to set up a shelter and fill out the right forms for everyone, hand out meals, etc. They wanted us to spend the night at the shelter, but that is optional and I decided that I didn't need to do that. Besides, we are getting together with friends so we can attend the Rockaway Beach Fireman's benefit. They are having Elvis Presley impersonators and it should be a lot of fun. I'm just hoping the rain holds off.