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September 15, 2017

IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

We had a great weekend. On Saturday, we decided to try our luck with crabbing so we jumped in the boat and went out near the mouth of the river. Our one mistake was going on a weekend as there were so many boats on the water and so many crab buoys to keep an eye on and it took a lot of maneuvering to avoid all the pots! But, we carried on. Both of us were kind of new at this, it had been a while since Dave had been crabbing (and never in the new boat) and I had never crabbed before - ever! So while Dave controlled the boat, I baited the rings and dropped them in the water. It took a while to get them all deployed and by the time we had all four crab rings in the water, it was time to check on the first one. We circled around the buoys until I could reach in the water and grab them and then I had to pull like crazy to retrieve them before the crabs escaped. It was a lot more work that I realized. We hit it lucky with one nice "keeper" on the first try. Some of the crabs had to be tossed back in the water because they were either female or too small and trying to pick them up without getting pinched was a challenge. Then it started to drizzle and we were getting wet and cold. After retrieving all the rings, we headed back home with our big catch of three huge crabs. We ended up with about a pound of meat after cleaning and cracking them so I made crab cakes and decided that it was worth it and plan on trying again. We made a list of some of the things we should have brought with us, like a hook to snag the buoys and a larger bucket to place the crabs in. Dave got a crab hoist for his birthday so that will come in handy next time we go out. We're picking it up on Saturday, and I'm pretty sure he won't waste any time installing it on the boat!

Sunday, we made reservations to have dinner at one of our favorite places, Neah-Kah-Nie Bistro in Manzanita to celebrate our 52nd wedding anniversary. We both ordered the smoked salmon with shrimp Caesar Salad which was delicious and ended our meal with this luscious chocolate cake. This place - and a couple of others - are on our "special occasion" list. Those are the ones we don't go to regularly because of the expense. But early on in our marriage, we always tried to budget for going somewhere special (and spendy) on our anniversary and that's a tradition we still keep. Our anniversary was actually Monday, September 11th. but they were closed that day, so we went on Sunday night.

Also this week, the Cubans came back to do some more work for us. We are finally getting used to the fact that we just never know when they will be showing up. But they always do. Ricardo and Alexei arrived and got busy priming the siding for the church project. We had ordered more boards because we were short on our first order, so they got them painted. The next step will be for them to return today (or so they promised) to started putting them up. We will see as sometimes they don't come when they say they will. However, it is going to start raining soon and we want to get the siding done before that. The Cubans also finished digging around the back of the church, removing the dirt that had settled around the foundation. They spent one night with us and worked most of the next day so they got a lot done.

Our friend, Ray came over and finished the installation of the railing that we wanted along the back stair steps. I had taken out a big plant there and so now it was opened on one side and we were afraid that we would fall over the edge. Dave and I painted that this week too. The project actually began a couple of weeks ago when the Cubans dug holes for the support posts. Ray then put two four-by-four posts in the holes and poured concrete around them. After that set up, he built the rail system and - as I said - Dave and I painted it to match the nearby deck railing. It turned out real nice and we feel a lot more secure with that side of the stairs closed in.

The bathroom project will not start until we get the windows which will be around the 6th of October. Meanwhile, we have all the shower parts, glass door and tiles. We also have the new shower head, which I am getting excited about using. It is called "Flip Side" by Kohler and it has four different water positions. So instead of taking a 5-minute shower I will have to experiment with the different shower modes. I can't wait!

Last week, we met our oldest granddaughter Ashtin in Hillsboro for a late birthday celebration for her at Red Robin. In last week's entry, I had mentioned that she had car trouble on her way up from Salem. When I posted that entry, we thought the car was just short on oil and that it would be okay. Well, to make a long story short, she now has a new car. It is a 2014 Dodge Dart and it will be more reliable when she leaves for college this Sunday. She also has a job while attending school, she has been working for the YMCA youth group (she coaches kids soccer teams) and the YMCA has transferred her down to Monmouth where she will continue working while going to school.

That's all the news my way. I did manage to have my allergies flare up this week. I was working in the park on Wednesday and my eyes started watering and itching with a sore throat and cough. There is something in the air that I am allergic to and it about drives me crazy when I go outside to do anything. I can't stand being in the house all day but I don't want to suffer with this either.