Wednesday, December 31, 2008

WOO HOO!!!

Vegas air fare finally went down.

3 round trip tickets for $481.50.

So we're going down for Valentine's Day.

WOO HOO.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Snow update

It's warmed up and is thawing! YEA!! The roads were passable yesterday, but really, really rough. I've driven mountain 4-wheel drive tracks that were better.

Here's something from Homes & Gardens of the Northwest I thought you would-be gardeners would enjoy. I sure did.
"Gardening is all about who's in charge and it ain't us."
CSA farmer Will Newman

Monday, December 22, 2008

More snow


According to the paper, Hillsboro officially had 9 inces of snow at noon on Sunday and we had at least an inch of snow Sunday afternoon. Richard had driven enough to clear all the snow from his pickup before he parked it last night. This morning there was 1 1/2 to 2 inches on it. Guess what, its still snowing.
The pictures were taken yesterday afternoon so imagine at least 2 inches more.



Sunday, December 21, 2008

Saturday, December 20, 2008

IT'S SNOWING

and snowing and snowing and snowing. I shook the snow off of the bird feeder about 7:30 this morning. This is what it looked like at 3:30 this afternoon. Even more now.


If you're trying to remember summer, maybe this will help.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Australia

We went to the movie 'Australia' this afternoon. It's not bad; not a total chick flick but close. Could and should have been cut by at least 30 minutes, but overall I'd recommend it.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

I have a cold

I missed two days work this week with a cold. The fever's gone, but I'm still hacking and sneezing and sucking on cough drops. (If you're looking for a stock tip, Hall's should be good.)
Anyway, it looks like I'll miss Kenzie's play. I was really looking forward to it, but I don't like people that go to a crowded auditorium and annoy everyone by coughing their heads off, so I won't do it. I'm sure Kenzie will be great and I hope someone takes pictures.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

It's a tough job...

Friday, the engineering manager took the department to the Tri-County shooting range and to Clancy's in Sherwood for lunch.
The idea is that:
a. Some of the new engineers are fresh out of school and have very little actual shooting experience.
b. It gives us a chance to try out some of the new prototypes.
c. It's damn good for moral.
The range has pistol, rifle, and shotgun ranges. I split my time between pistol and rifle.
It's really tough sweating over a hot gun all day and keeping your eye on the target, etc., but someone has to do it.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Daddy.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Birthday Mom.

We love you because:
At 95 you still keep pluggin’.
You are in great shape for the shape you're in.
The simplest things please you:
Eating out.
A grandchild’s kiss.
The fresh air of a walk.
The sun on your back.
A note or card in the mail.
A phone call from kids.
A cat to pet.
Church parties.
A ride in the country.
Family & Friends.
You are so self sufficient.
You make do or do without.
You are still the funniest person I know.
You never let us run out of TP.
You are easy to cook for.
Your needs are small.
Your love is LARGE.
Happy Birthday to YOU.

Monday, October 27, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - RICHARD

Just 10 of the reasons I love you.

You are my last born.
You have shouldered being the baby well.
You are protective of your sisters.
You are protective of those you see in need.
You love and honor your grandmother.
You have a strong sense of family.
You are the bestest Uncle.
You graduated in spite of some pretty big odds.
You served our country with honor.
The reason you came to our family is a miracle.

Mom

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Coincidence??? You decide.

I lost my flash drive. I know I had it 10/22 by 10/26 I couldn’t find it anywhere. It is not unusual for me to lose things, I would find it. But I didn’t find it. I looked everywhere over & over again. It was full of pictures, GG’s stories, old journals, family history, and personal history. I was devastated.

During conference the message I heard more than once was be kinder and let people know you care.
In my journal I wrote 3 things I wanted to do about this counsel. Some of them had been in the back of my mind to do since July. As I finished my list the thought was strong that, “When you actually do these things you will find your flash drive.” That’s silly - the list had nothing to do with the flash drive.
It took me until this Friday morning to finish the things on my list. As I put the stamp on the envelope and addressed my letter I said to myself, “Now can I find my flash drive?” And again I thought how silly that was.
I needed to do some on-line banking for Richard. When I came home for lunch, I took the papers off the shelf – the same papers off the same shelf I have looked thru at least once a day for 3 weeks – and the flash drive fell out onto the floor.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I'm a star

Check it out. Go to www.leupold.com, click on the golfer, wait for it to load then click on the "History of innovation" video. Don't blink.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Oh, yeah....

Richard's home too.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Bad news for berry lovers

Marvin's back. The odds of my new berry bushes surviving have sunk to a somewhat abysmal low. Not sockmarket low but bad none the less. He's a sweet little dog, but he has more energy than 5 dogs should have. The results of all that energy have been very detrimental the the health and well being of my lawn and garden. In other words, he could tear up a crowbar!!

An attempt to "Marvin Proof" the new bushes.

The perp trying to look innocent.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Big boxy glider



This is what the bigger gliders look like. It undoubtably has more room than the little sports job I was in.




Looks like a sedan surrounded by sports cars.

In this case, I think comfort is highly over-rated.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Mother.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Have you noticed...

Democrats believe that government should be all things to all people, while Republicans believe that government never does anything right.
Democrats, when elected, have never been able to prove their theory, while Republicans, when elected, always prove theirs.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Monday, October 6, 2008

Just so you know....

Let's be clear on this...buying a Berkley blueberry does NOT make me a ultra-far-left-wing radical terrorist, ok. It's just a blueberry bush. Geez...

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Berry lovers rejoice

As my wife, kids, the squirrels, the birds, nieces, nephews, their kids, and all of the grandkids tall enough to pick them know, one of my 25 to 30 year old blueberry bushes died and the other is trying to. That one has been in intensive care all summer, but is still just hanging on.
So as not to disappoint all of the above mentioned, yesterday I bought 3 new bushes, 1 'Berkley' and 2 'Duke' varieties. I want 1 more Berkley and a couple of 'Earlyblues', but they probably wont be available until next spring and I'm not sure I have room for the Earlyblues. I plan to have a line of them along that side of the garden.
My difficulty finding plants brings me to one of my favorite rants - Any gardening book will tell you that fall is the best time to plant shrubs, so why do the garden centers (especially Fred Meyers) get rid of all of their shrubs by the end of summer. Maybe you don't qualify to be a garden center manager if you've ever read a gardening book.
OK, enough rant. All of you Blueberry lovers keep you fingers crossed for my new bushes. (Having no fingers, I'll exempt the birds.)

Saturday, October 4, 2008

My birthday present

Janet got me a flight in a glider for my birthday!! How neat is that?
For those of you I haven't already bored to death, here's some pictures of the flight.



This is the glider I was in. (Must have be painted by an OSU fan.)



Bob, the pilot, giving instructions.




Squeezing in. (I wont mention any names, but some of you should consider the large, box style glider if you go.)





Wow! I made it.




Watch where you put your feet, pal.



The tow plane. (Ducks fan)


Takeoff




Airborne


The tow plane again


Mt St. Helens and Mt Rainer


Mt Hood and Tualatin Plains



Hillsboro (Hare Field in center)



Sawmill, hwy 26, and Willamette Valley Soaring Club field.










Glider field



















North Plains on approach



Final approach

Touchdown. We're done.











Very cool. Thank you, thank you Love.

If you're interested in a ride, contact the Willamette Valley Soaring Club. www.wvsc.org or (503) 647-0913






HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROGER

Just 65 of the reasons why
You accept me for who I am
You adore and take time with the grandkids
You allow me to babble
You allow the kids and their spouses to be adults
You always say "I love you."
You are a good son & a good son-in-law
You are a reader
You are hard working and a good provider
You are still willing to try to sleep with a demented frog
You are tolerant and even kind to my friends
You are true to yourself
You are willing to share
You are willing to take Mom to the doctor
You bring me roses and strawberries
You can be very patient
You can tell a great story & you're writing a great book
You care about my sister and her family
You care about the way you look
You care for and about the pets
You change the oil in my car
You come home every night
You do all the driving
You do all the yard work
You don't have to let everyone know how smart you are
You don't try to push your ideas on others, allowing them to have a different opinion
You eat all my cooking
You find the best places to be in the Wallowas
You give the best good morning, goodbye, hello, good night and just because kisses
You have an amazing ability to find your way there and back again
You have such a dry wit
You help make the bed
You help me feel "better" and care about my pleasure
You help me have respite care
You know a lot about birds and stars and trees and wildlife
You let me cry if I need to or just because
You let me keep the bedroom cool/cold
You let me sleep in
You let me take showers with you
You love family history
You love the outdoors and the beauty of nature
You make me feel safe in your arms
You make me laugh
You make my daydreams worthwhile
You never stop learning
You offered our home to Mom
You pick good movies and are a great date
You plant, water, weed & harvest the garden
You restore my soul at East Eagle
You rub my feet and scratch my back
You shop and will buy anything on the list
You show pride in the kids and grandkids
You support me in my job
You support my church activity
You support the children's/grandchildren's activities
You supported the help I gave Gwen with Mother
You take beautiful pictures
You take care of your health
You take me to extended family functions
You take out the garbage
You take us camping
You were a patient patient while you were so sick
You truly are handsome
You will kill spiders, flies and fleas
Your 1st kiss - in the driveway on Rosa Rd… knocked me off me feet
Your kisses still thrill me
You are my knight is shining armor

Friday, October 3, 2008

Woo Hoo

We're going to start blogging.