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August 13, 2010

IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

We had a busy weekend visiting with folks at the annual steam meet in Tacoma. We didn't take the Captain Bell this time. There were too many problems and not enough time to get them all sorted out to where Dave felt comfortable towing it all the way up there. We had fun riding along on other steamboats and talking to people instead. There's always something to be said for taking your own boat, but the truth is, you have to spend all your time with the boat and don't really get a chance to visit. There were 21 boats at this meet. One came all the way from Tucson, Arizona but most of the boats were from Canada, Washington, California, and Oregon. Our weather wasn't the best (a little rain and cloudy) but we enjoyed ourselves just the same. One interesting thing about this meet was that it was at a museum in the industrial part of the waterfront. The easiest way to get steamboats in the water was to "sling" them in with a crane. Several boat owners took advantage of that and it made for a pretty amazing sight!

We stayed in Tacoma Monday morning to help other boaters get out of the water, and then stopped by the Brown & Haley Outlet Store, which was just a few blocks from our hotel. It was a chocolate-lover's paradise! When their Almond Roca and all the other items they make there don't come out looking like they should, they send them to the outlet store and sell them for next to nothing! We could have come home with the back of the Suburban filled with chocolate, but instead walked away with only one bag full.

We got back from Tacoma Monday afternoon after making a stop at Costco to pick up a few things. We had just enough time to catch our breath as we are expecting company all week and then Lara and Greg and the granddaughters will be coming down for the weekend.

Our first guest arrived on Tuesday evening. Our friend Bobbie Recio from California is using our place as a base for a few days while she visits with lots of her old friends (she used to live here). She is also visiting with her sister and brother-in-law who have been fishing and they are here from Washington. Bobbie is a very easy guest and we enjoy having her here. One of the things that she really wanted to do while here was take friends to the Tillamook County Fair. So Thursday we did just that. The big attraction is the Pig 'n Ford race that is quite entertaining. Racers have to run and grab a pig from a pen, run back and crank up their old Model-T's with one hand while holding the pig, jump back in the Ford with a squealing pig in their arms and then try to drive a lap around the racetrack while maintaining control over the pig AND the car. Then they get to swap pigs and do it two more times! What we saw was just the first race - they'll do this every night for the run of the fair until someone is crowned as the winner. Who says we don't know how to have fun here in Tillamook County?

Dave had to run into Beaverton Tuesday evening for another class reunion planning meeting. His class will be holding their 50th in a couple of weeks and they needed to finalize all the plans for the event. They haven't had a reunion for 30 years - and this is only the second one since they graduated - so it's pretty hard to get these guys to sign up. For one thing, it was an all-boys high school, so there's no "old flames" to attract people! On the way home, he snapped this pic of the odometer on the Suburban. Guess he should buy a lottery ticket!

Today we are making a run into Hillsboro so Dave can get his hearing aids checked. They have been slowly dying and we will probably have to invest in a new pair. I say "invest" because they are a major expense to replace and they don't seem to last very long either. When we get back, Bobbie is taking a bunch of us to dinner at the restaurant she used to own here in town. She did that last year and we had a good time. We'll get home just in time to greet Lara and her family when they get here.

I am looking forward to seeing our granddaughters (Jordyn, Jaysa and Jadyn) this weekend. It seems like it's been too long and I need another grandma fix. The other two granddaughters (Ashtin and Paige) were down a couple of weeks ago and this week they are both off to basketball camp (Ashtin) and soccer camp (Paige). The weather looks promising. With very hot temperatures in the valley, everyone will be rushing to the seashore to escape the heat. Usually when it is so hot in the valley, it is foggy here, unless the wind shifts to blow it out to sea. Cross your fingers for an offshore breeze!