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IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

Less than a week before we leave for our three-week vacation to the East Coast and I am exhausted trying to get everything done that I want to before we leave.

We took advantage of the nice weather last weekend and got the remaining Escalonia bushes planted. It took us three days to do it, but we got it done. It feels like we are just getting too old to tackle these big projects anymore. I just wish the whole project was completed as we have to put in a retaining wall yet. Dave figures that will be about eight tons of decorative concrete block, so we'll have our work cut out for us again with that!

I did take some time off on Saturday morning and went on a nature walk through Zimmerman Marsh. This is a newly acquired property purchased by the Lower Nehalem Community Trust. A bird lady was present to help us be aware of the various birds that live in the marsh. It was very informative as she could listen to the various bird songs and tell us what the species of the bird was. We spotted Red Wing Black Birds, Chickadees, Hummingbirds, Robins, and Yellow Warblers just to name a few. There were about 40 people on this walk and it was such a beautiful morning that it made for a pleasant experience.

On Sunday we got a pleasant surprise. Dave's cousin Dennis Nichols, his wife Sandra and their daughter and son-in-law Desiree and Scott Urban stopped by for a visit. They had spent the weekend at the beach in Rockaway and were on their way back home to the Tri-Cities. We never get to visit with relatives unless it is at a wedding, funeral or crowded reunion so it was nice to get caught up with their lives. Because of that visit, Dave has added another item to his "bucket list". Scott flies this World War II era Navy SNJ-5 and Dave is pretty sure he needs a ride in it!

Another project was also started this week. I have been clearing a path that leads to the back door. There was so much grass and weeds growing among the rocks that you could hardly find your way to the door! Anyway, I cleaned out all of the grass and weeds in the rocks and shoveled dirt that had shifted down beside the flower bed along the driveway. I shoveled the dirt into buckets and put it in another flower bed which needed replenishing. That project took me a couple of days and I am still not done. At least you can walk up to the back porch a little easier. I also scrubbed out the water fountain and got it running again.

I got Stanley the Basset Hound ready for his visit with Lara and her family. He is going to stay with them while we are on our trip. He needed to get his toe nails clipped and he also needed a bath. So that was done before we headed into West Linn. No one wants to keep a stinky dog around! Stanley is so funny because he just knows that when I gather up his stuff - water bowl, feeding dish and bed - that something is up. He whines and moans until we put him in the car. But then the minute we are driving on Highway 53 he starts whining and moaning BECAUSE he has to ride in the car! He keeps that up all the way to Highway 26! I think he gets car sick from all the curves we have to take on 53 because as soon as we get to 26, he settles down and goes to sleep.

It seems like we're leaving just as things are starting to come to life around here. The temperature climbed into the 70's yesterday and it's supposed to be even warmer today. The elk herd has finally emerged from its winter hiding place and we saw them through the telescope earlier this week. And the Goldfinches are back. Some of them aren't gold yet, but they're all swarming around the feeder.

Things are going to start getting hectic from now until we fly to Baltimore. We're home for a few hours before we drive north to meet some steamboat friends. We'll spend the night at their place and then hitch up their trailer to tow their boat to Seattle for the parade celebrating the opening day of the boating season. The Seattle Yacht Club invited the steamers to participate in the parade a few years ago and it's something we thought would be fun to do. It usually rains for the parade, but the forecast for Saturday looks to be sunny with the temps in the upper 70's. I can handle that!

Sunday we'll be back home, getting packed and ready to leave for the airport on Monday. Actually, it'll be Monday night, as we're catching the red-eye to Chicago. We'll have a three-hour layover there before changing planes for Baltimore.