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IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

We started out last Friday with having "steam" friends arrive with their steamboat to help with the Wheeler Centennial celebration. More friends - and another boat - came on Saturday so we had a house full to entertain. It was great fun at the celebration with a dedication ceremony with State Treasurer Ted Wheeler among the dignitaries. His great-grandfather was C.H. Wheeler, who owned a lumber mill here in the early 1900s and for whom the town is named. It was nice that his great grandson could come and say a few words. We had free cake and ice cream for everybody and also free steamboat rides. It was a perfect day and everything went as planned. After dinner that night, we went on a twilight steamboat ride down the bay. We got a view of our place that we don't get to see very often - not only during the day but also as the full moon was rising and the setting sun was reflecting off our living room windows.

On Sunday after breakfast and before the steamboats were pulled out of the water, the six of us took another nice steamboat ride - this time five miles up the Nehalem River. It's always fun to do that because the people living along the river really react to hearing a steam whistle and come running from their houses to wave! It was another beautiful day and I think I got a little too much sun and wind. As we were saying our goodbyes at the dock, one of Dave's fellow city councilmen pulled up from a day of fishing with a beautiful salmon that he had caught and offered us a piece. We never turn down fresh salmon and it was "melt in our mouth" wonderful!

I headed into the valley on Monday as I had a dental check-up and a mammogram scheduled. I packed my overnight bag as I was planning to spend most of the week in town. Lara was having more reconstruction surgery on Tuesday morning so I took her to that and waited for her to recover to come back home. It was 5:00 p.m. by the time we got home with the traffic and all. She has been a little sore all week but has had so many surgeries that I think she is used to them by now. The doctor still wants to do just a little more "nip and tuck" and then she should be as good as new. I helped her until Thursday afternoon before I headed back home. We only had five-year-old Jordyn to care for this week as the two older girls were off to church camp.

While I was in town I also met my older sister Judy for her pre-op appointment up at the OSHU Medical School. She is scheduled to have her fourth knee replacement next week. However, she has been fighting a persistent infection for several years, and the doctors have told her that if the leg is still infected they will have to consider amputation instead. We're hoping for good news. OHSU is like a city within itself and very confusing to get around. I had directions and I still was confused. I finally stopped at an information desk and had an escort take me to the right place. We went up elevators, down halls and over sky bridges before we found the right room. I would have never found the place on my own. Then when it was all over, I had to figure out where I was and where I had parked the car!

Dave stayed home all week and held down the fort. He made sure Stanley got his food and he made friends with the feral cats. Those cats aren't choosy about who their friends are as long as they have some food to share. Of course, Stanley was lonesome the whole time I was gone, at least he let me know about how he was treated when I came back. But he didn't fool me because Dave took a picture of him pretty content basking in the sun.

It feels good to be home once more.