Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

As we headed toward Lake Shasta this morning, we could see the smoke from all the wildfires. I was hoping it would be gone by now. We are now driving in smoke, probably all the way home. The fresh, cool air was nice while it lasted.



We had a fast, fun lunch visit with Winnie in La Pine, OR yesterday shortly after we left my brother's house. She is such a lively friend--plays golf, lots of card and domino games and volunteers endlessly. She is never bored. Rhubarb is growing plentifully in her yard so she gave Gary enough for a real treat when we get home. Notice I figured out how to use the timer on our camera!
















This huge bug landed on our windshield as Gary pulled over to let trucks pass. It stayed on for quite awhile. We have no clue what kind of bug it is, but it is an Oregon Bug.









Finally Mt. Shasta greeted us as we neared Weed to spend the night. Today is the last day of our trip and this is the last blog of this trip. The massive laundry attack will soon begin, but it still will be good to be home.

Bend

As we traveled from Goldendale, WA to Bend, OR, we drove along the Columbia River Gorge and finally crossed it. It was amazing to see how deep the gorge has gotten over the years since we last saw it. It is becoming a mini-Grand Canyon. Gary insisted we have a photo as we sped alongside the river.

When we made it to Bend, we discovered they have been having a few wildfires, too, with enough smoke that we couldn't see the beautiful view of the mountains from my brother's huge house. In fact, you couldn't even tell there were mountains out there! But it was clear enough to enjoy the pool.

We had a good visit and lots of fun with our nephews. Alex, age 10, decided to try surfing on his Mom's new floating mat. And Josh, age 12, created a relaxing recliner in the inner tubes. The boys took the dogs for long walks and a couple of runs that they all absolutely loved.
We had a Silly String War that I lost--too bad we didn't get a photo of me draped with Silly String. I didn't even look in the mirror--just knew it was stuck to my glasses, in my mouth, my hair and even stuck to an earring, not to mention my clothes. But we had fun! And everyone enjoyed a good laugh at my expense.

Dinner last night gave us an opportunity for a good family photo. Josh, Grandma, Alex and their dad, my brother Monte are on the bench and if you know me, you know who is behind them. ; )









As I looked through our photos, I realized my sneaky sister-in-law, Brenda, managed to stay out of the photos again! We need more photos of Brenda, she is the best looking one in the family and she loves to hide from the cameras.

Now we're heading home. We'll stop in Weed tonight and be home sometime tomorrow. One more blog will show up tomorrow as Gary drives and I have fun on the computer. Love our "aircard".