Morning Hike to the top of Multnomah Falls!

August 3, 2008--

I made the quick drive to Multnomah Falls this particular morning (while in the Portland area) and hiked to the top. The sign near the bottom says "1 mile" to the look-out and although I've hiked it twice before in the last 15 years, I forgot how long (and steep) that "1 mile" is. It's a mountain full of switchbacks and once you get to the top you have to come back down the other side a little bit to make your way to the actual look-out. Here's a picture of me (looking red-faced and winded) on the look-out deck at the top.

I've also included a video clip (I'll warn you, it's very amateur!) that shows the pool at the top and follows the water to where it drops over the edge and you can see the parking lot and the beautiful Columbia River. It was a cloudy drizzly morning so it appears kind of dark but the river is right by the freeway.~

Dinner with Kari & Brian and Family

August 2, 2008--

I had the pleasure of joining the bride (Kari) and groom (Brian) at dinner the day before their wedding with some of their family and friends. What a fantastic group of people.~

Picnic with friends...

August 2, 2008--

Karen, a friend of mine from high school, was also in Portland while I was there. She hosted a picnic at the Portland Rose Gardens and invited me to attend. It was good to see her as well as her parents Larry and Ardith, whom I hadn't seen in several years. Karen lives on the East Coast now but her folks still hail from my previous home town in the flatlands. While at the picnic I was able to catch up with Angela, another friend from school who calls the Portland area home.

Here are some of the pictures of me, my friends and some of the amazing flowers from the gardens.~

My Cousins!

August 2, 2008--

A big thank you to my cousin Chelyn & her husband Tim who hosted my brief stay in Portland this weekend. They have a wonderful place near downtown Portland with a fabulous view of the city. What a privilege it was to stay at such a great place and be so close to everything.

While there I also got to see one of my other cousins, Holly (one of Chelyn's sisters). It was great to re-connect with all of them since I haven't seen them in a couple of years. [Pictured above are Tim & Holly (L) and Chelyn and I (R).]

We all went to breakfast before Holly, Chelyn and I hit the farmers market and then the market down by the waterfront.~

Anna's Bridal Shower

July 31, 2008--

Mel and I held a bridal shower in honor of Anna's upcoming wedding! As you can see, we had a great time!

The ribbons and bubble gum were related to a game that involved questions we asked Anna about Daniel, showcasing how well she knew her future husband. (This game was courtesy of Toni who made me play this game at MY bridal shower eleven years ago! Thank you, Toni! I have used it at several showers over the years and it's always a fun one!)

We held the shower at a fantastic location (great idea Mel!) at this little restaurant here in town on a little lake (see slideshow). Anna was "showered" with a lot of nice gifts and Daniel (pictured with Anna in one of the photos) arrived after the shower was over to help Anna get all of the gifts home.

Thank you to all who attended and made it so much fun!~

In Celebration of Jeremy's Birthday!

July 27, 2008--

Happy Birthday, Dale!

July 25-27, 2008--

Dale and Cheryl visited for the weekend while Jeremy was out of town at the customer appreciation golf tournament. We informally celebrated his upcoming birthday (on Tuesday!) throughout the weekend and while they were here we floated the river. What a great time! There were several be-careful-or-you're-tube-is-gonna-flip-and-you'll-get-dunked-in-the-river moments but it was so much fun!~

Baseball!

July 24, 2008--

Another fun evening watching baseball at the stadium with friends and family...as you can see, for us it's as much (or more) about the social interaction as it is about the baseball game! We hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we did the company and the game!~

Camping!

July 18-20, 2008--

We had planned to go camping this weekend (July 18-20) with Gary and Melissa until Jeremy was called to work out of town. However, I decided to go anyway since we had already made arrangements for the pets. We had a great time and hopefully he’ll be able to join us next time!

This camping spot was new to me and I was amazed at its beauty! The reservoir was surrounded by mountains and the view from our camp was fantastic. I hope you enjoy the pictures, despite the fact that I broke the unwritten rule not to take pictures (of humans) while camping (in other words, it’s not so glamorous without running water, make-up, etc.)! View at your own risk!

Look closely in the slide show for pictures of a female mallard with her nine ducklings, they were such a treat to watch while we were out on the boat fishing on Saturday evening. Also, the purpose of including the picture of the vehicles is to show that it froze overnight on Friday night! We were definitely in the mountains!~

Happy (Early) Birthday, Rick!

July 13, 2008--

My nephew and I went to see my Dad ("Grandpa Uncle Ricky") before I had to head home today. His birthday is coming up this week so we had an early birthday visit. I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that while Ethan and I were there, we did all the things that my siblings, cousins and I did at his Mom's (my Grandma Tilly's) house when we were little. We ate sandwiches, played in the dirt, played in the irrigation ditch (but unlike when we were kids, we hosed off afterwards), toured the gardens, looked for wildlife (see the wild rabbit in the pics), climbed trees and ate popsicles. What a great time!~

Happy Birthday to you!

July 12, 2008--

Here are a few pictures from the annual "Happy Birthday" get-together with Patti, Joan, Jill and Stacey. (We try to get together at least once a year to celebrate all of our birthdays...even though our birthdays are in January, May & June.) Good friends, good times.~

Dave & Toni's Barbeque!

July 5, 2008--

Day 5, Act 2

Everyone enjoyed themselves at Dave and Toni's barbeque! Check it out!~

Krista's Peru Presentation

July 5, 2008--

Day 5, Act 1

We all attended a special event at Dale and Cheryl's church where Krista shared about her recent mission trip to Peru. What an amazing adventure!~

4th of July Fireworks!

July 4, 2008--

Day 4, Act 2

We had a great time playing and watching the fireworks display!

Days of the Old West Parade!

July 4, 2008--

Day 4, Act 1

Our 4th of July celebration wouldn't have been complete without the classic "Days of the Old West" parade!~

Days of the Old West Rodeo - Thursday

July 3, 2008--

Day 3, Act 2

We met up with the rest of the group on Thursday night at the "Days of the Old West" rodeo where we enjoyed classic rodeo events like bull riding, bareback, saddle bronc, team roping, barrells and calf-roping. There's nothing like a good ol' rodeo in the Wood River Valley, the venue is small and there isn't a bad seat in the house!~