Elsie and the Goat

Today was a day of shopping and odds and ends. The main entertainment for the day was watching the goat and Elsie play hide and seek. The goat would stand at the fence and when Elsie ran down the hill to chase her, the goat would run around to the other side of the barn and peek around the barn, waiting for Elsie to run that direction. Back and forth--silly fun.

In this photo you can barely see the goat by the tree right next to the barn The blur running toward the goat is Elsie. I'm afraid to mention how nice it is to have an uninjured dog this trip. Tule is obviously 12 years old and a senior dog. She still enjoys the fun, but paces herself very carefully.

Sunday

We walked into Mom's church this morning to such a nice surprise. All of the pews and altar were covered with wonderful handmade quilts. These quilts will be sent to many places all over the world. When it was time to do the blessing of the quilts, the pastor had everybody place their hand on a quilt in front of them. It was a very moving experience. Most of the quilts will go to Africa.

Then I took Mom to her apartment building so we could empty the meters on the washers and dryers. She loves to wrap the coins.

Mom is doing very well--much better than last year. And the dogs are loving being near the horse and goat in her pasture.

Family Time

Today we had a laundry marathon, visited Costco, then went to my sister's for dinner.

This is one of my favorite parts of my sister's yard. That is Carol pulling some weeds in the background.


We had a great dinner and good visit. The it was back to Mom's to feed our hungry dogs who were very happy to see us.

Tulips!

When we woke up this morning, I took photos of Mom's gorgeous yard. She has so many things blooming. The daffodils around her fountain on the patio are gorgeous. The hillside as we look to the barn is covered in color.


















This photo doesn't do the view toward the barn justice. Her yard is gorgeous.
















We decided Gary hasn't done enough driving in the past few days, so we went up to Mt Vernon to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Wow! Tulips are everywhere. In fact, when Mom went to the Netherlands, she was told their tulip bulbs come from the Skagit Valley. I wonder if that is true? There were definitely a lot of tulips still blooming. Tulips as far as the eye can see.

















Mom and me with tulips at one farm.

Seattle, Here We Come

"The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle. And the hills the greenest green in Seattle . . .:" (from the old tv show "Here Come The Brides"). We had another great day in the rain until the sun came out at lunch time. But I can't complain about the sun coming out because we were having lunch on the waterfront in Tacoma when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

Our dear long-time (not old) friends, Norm and Barb met us and drove us to a great little restaurant right on the water in Puget Sound. It was a fun visit with a beautiful view.

















A seagull even stopped by for a visit as we waited for our lunch.
















We noticed a lot of Scotch Broom (bushes with yellow flowers) along the freeway. When we were growing up it was considered a nasty weed, full of bugs and way too prolific. Now we see it for sale at nurseries in CA and cringe. You won't see any in our yard, but it is kind of a pretty plant, for a noxious weed.

















We drove past the freeway exit for our very first home. Our address was Thorne Lane North SouthWest. Weird, huh? But true!















Then the wonderful Seatlle skyline appeared on the horizon, complete with Space Needle. It is such a beautiful city. The Olympics were showing here and there among the clouds, but not in position for a good shot from the RV moving at 65 mph.






As we turned the last couple of corners going to my Mom's, the dogs figured out where we were and started crying. When we parked, they flew out of the RV and ran to see the horse and goat, so happy to be free. Then it was up to see Grandma. Their fun has begun. We were amazed that our senior citizen, Tule, was able to run so much and enjoy the space. Up and down the outside stairs--the dogs will sleep well tonight and so will we. No photos of Grandma's because she had plans and we hit the ground running--to the PO and Walgren's and for groceries and Costco. Maybe tomorrow will give us the time to take a few photos of this beautiful yard (while my Mom is stlll sleeping).

We Love the Oregon Coast

Today started with our annual fantastic breakfast with Alan and Karen at the Pig n Pan. Note the interesting breakfast choices on this exerpt from the menu.

















As we left Newport and passed Cape Foulweather (yes that really is the name) we were slowed down by work on the fallen trees from the latest windstorm.



















Oregon believes you need to follow a car after you've been stopped for road work.


















We drove through Depoe Bay--such a beautiful little spot in the road.



















We drove past lots of Skunk Cabbage--a beautiful flower with a nasty smell. You don't want to go anywhere near it, but it sure is nice to look at. The yellow spots are Skunk Cabbage.



















We drove through Astoria with only one stop at Home Bakery. Had to buy a loaf of their yummy rye bread and a couple of treats. This bakery has things you just can't buy anywhere else--lots of Scandinavian goodies. Drool.


















There are rhodies like this all the way up the coast.


















The azaleas look like these everywhere in the "moist" areas this time of year. All the rain sure makes the towns beautiful.



















Britta likes castles, but I'd rather see a scene like this than any castle any day. This is my idea of a beautiful sight.



I did put my order in for rain before we left home and I got it, but I goofed and forgot to ask for the wind not to be included. It was a drive that was very easy on the eyes today but the wind made it a bit tough for Gary. It was my kind of day, but I wasn't driving.

The Rain is so Beautiful!

The first thing we saw this morning as we headed into the Siskyous was a snow plow! Made us a bit nervous since a big storm was predicted. No snow or rain was sighted until on the road to Newport, except up very high. Interesting trivia--today we learned that the summit of the Siskyous is the highest point on all of I-5.

Madronas were blooming as we left Medford and headed toward Grant's Pass. These trees are so beautiful all year round.


















Elderberries were blooming between Corvallis and Newport.



















We had a very relaxing dinner with Gary's brother and his wife, Alan and Karen.


















Check out the view of the ocean from our table.


















And the best part of the day for me was the rain. (The rain in this photo is the real thing.)


















Second best was this cool feature at the restaurant that makes water run down the windows to wash the salt off from the ocean. I want this fake rain at home for when I am missing the rain.

First Stop--Yreka!

We got a later start than usual because I had to count offering at church before we left. It was an easy morning, so we actually drove away from the RV storage area by noon. We have started loading the final load, including the dogs, away from our house to try to deter burglars. I still think they are the same ones (we are up to 7 burglaries on or near our street since ours in June) so we are safe because they know they already got everything at our house. But we are working at keeping our whereabouts less well-known, anyway.

Elsie really relaxed this time. She slept peacefully most of the way (unlike the last trip where she stayed awake and worried almost the whole time). She even was an excellent model to show off the progress on my silk scarf. I was able to knit on it quite a bit before the road got too bumpy. Can you see her little black nose peeking out?



















Lake Shasta was as full as we've ever seen it. It was a beautiful sight--so much better than seeing it in drought years.


















These purple flowers show up all along the freeway in the Lake Shasta area. The baby green leaves mixed in with the evergreens and a few of these purple bushed thrown in make the drive absolutely gorgeous.









Tomorrow we head into the storm in Oregon (I can hardly wait!) on our way to see Gary's brother, Alan and his wife. It will be a fun day.