What have I been up to?

Since the 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, I have been lucky enough to babysit my grandson, St. John for 3 days each week. His mom, Liz, went back to work so I am helping to ease everyone with the transition. However, things haven't gone smoothly. The first week we discovered Liz milk is doing one of those odd things that only happens to very few mothers. It changes rapidly and just smells (and probably tastes) awful after a few hours. After some advice from medical people, all that frozen milk got tossed (which is very sad for a nursing mother and child) and now, all milk must be scalded before being kept for a short time or frozen. Of course, St. John decided all bottled milk must be bad so he refused to take a bottle from then on. Everyone has offered advice, methods to try, etc and we have tried them all . He has finally taken a bottle occasionally but isn't at regular intervals yet. We find it usually take 2 people to accomplish the task with one person in charge of his head that turns back and forth and the bottle aimed at the moving target while the second person plays with his hands and feet that move constantly when he is awake. All this while we keep him happy and not make it a traumatic experience. So, Mom has to drive all the way home on her lunch hour daily. I was only going to keep up this babysitting schedule for 2 weeks but continued after Thanksgiving so he is with the same person regularly. He is progressing so we figure he will start taking a bottle regularly sometime before he goes to college so we will all hang in there with patience.
So this is why there haven't been any posts on this blog lately...
I am back at the beach finally today and we are experiencing our first winter storm. So far, we are experiencing at over 50mph winds and lots of rain. The roof got a little leak that we will have to get fixed quickly but luckily it stops and only drips once in awhile. The storm is supposed to bring record breaking cold, snow on the beach and higher winds. Our candles are out of hiding and we are ready for power outages. Our heavy chairs on the upper deck were threatening to crash through the big glass doors so those were moved. We are prepared. I still remember being here the first week of December last year with no electricity, phones or cells for 3 days before we finally were able to drive to our condo in West Linn with lights, heat, etc. It's just Winter on the coast!

He Won!

Not only did the first black man become President this week but also the first black sheep of the community was elected to the City Council in Lincoln City. By 73 votes, Dick made it! It was a big unknown to us as to how large the Mayor's circle of friends is but the "mavericks" in town (and I am not talking Republicans) jumped on the bandwagon to elect someone from the outside. It has been amazing to us to be at Starbuck's or Safeway and people walk up and say "I voted for you" or "congratulations, Dick" from people we don't even know. The planning commission meetings are cable televised and I guess people are watching because they voted. There were a couple of email trees going around also started by people we didn't know personally. We did have coffee with one couple who backed Dick from day one and started one of the email trees. What amazing people in Lincoln City. We love it here but are really even more impressed with the quality of the people. Here is what the local reporter wrote about the elections:

11/4/2008 5:00:00 AM Email this article • Print this article News Guard Post-Election CoveragePatrick AlexanderThe News GuardBarack Obama received strong support from Lincoln County as he swept to victory on Tuesday night, receiving 13,991 votes compared to 8,649 for John McCain.Lincoln City Council Other races were much closer, including the contest for Lincoln City Council in which Dick Anderson defeated fellow planning commissioner Erick Feuerborn by 494 votes to 421. Feuerborn, who has served on the planning commission for two and a half years, and Anderson, who was appointed to the body in July, were competing for a two-year term representing Ward II, from North 21st Street and South 14th Street. Feuerborn had received endorsements from Mayor Lori Hollingsworth as well as several members of the city council and planning commission, all of whom said he has the skills and experience to do the job. Meanwhile, Anderson received praise as an independent thinker, drawing support for several dissenting votes in which he moved to deny vacation rental dwelling permits in cases where neighbors raised concerns. Anderson said he was surprised when campaigning by how many people were aware of his work on the budget committee and planning commission. "They were just pleased with the questions being asked and the clarity those questions brought," he said. As the retired director of the Fannie Mae Business Development Center for Oregon and Idaho, Anderson says he has skills qualities and life experiences that will make him an asset to the council. He identified workforce housing as an area in which he would like to see progress. Anderson said he hopes the exchange of opinions carried out recently on The News Guard's letters page between he and Feuerborn supporter Councilor Rick Brissette will not make for a difficult working relationship. "I know I need six other individuals," he said. "I would hope to have their ear in any discussions and not be blocked out." Anderson will be joined in representing Ward II by Chester Noreikis, who was elected unopposed. Brissette was re-elected unopposed to his northern Ward I while Tim Crenshaw, planning commission vice-chair was elected unopposed to represent the southern Ward III.

Winter is coming

Even though we had a 75degree day this week (which is warm any season at the coast), it is still apparent that winter is on its way. I noticed that the surf had eaten up some of the sand on the beach leaving a drop off that wasn't there before. The sand gets pulled out every winter and our beach shows off a shelf of rock and lots of pebbles along the water's edge instead of sand. It is coming! We see the changes daily. I also took a picture of most of the areas sea gulls having a meeting just below our house. I wonder what they were discussing. It's just the changing of the seasons.

Election time approaches

Dick and I spent Sunday at Chinook Winds Casino for the annual Candidates Fair. McCain and Obama did not show up but most of the State, County and Lincoln City candidates were there. Thank goodness Merkley and Smith kept their negative campaigns to themselves by staying home. They all gave short speeches, answered questions submitted to the emcee and then had closing comments. It was fun to see what everyone had to say. There weren't a lot of people in the audience but it was broadcast on 2 radio stations in Lincoln City and Newport. My brother, Rick came in time to hear the locals. There were several of our friends there also. Dick passed out brochures, talked with several big supporters and for a political day...which I am not thrilled about...it went well. Dick wouldn't let me take a picture of him but the newspaper took pictures. He had 5 letters to the editor in support of his endeavor published this past week but we still feel like the underdog in the situation since we haven't lived here full time as long as many others on the ballot. November 4th will be here soon. It was just another red, white and blue day!

Apple Cider Time

We had a lot of fun Saturday making our apple cider at Brett and Liz' house. Many new people stopped by with all the kids and some of the adults taking part in the cranking of the press. We had some of Brett and Liz' neighbors, Liz' sister-in -aw, the Kaufman clan, friends from their birthing class, my friend Connie, and one of Brett's college friends and everyone's family. Tank, Tille and Linc were all there and kept away from lapping up the golden cider. First we threw in the apples and cranked one wheel to crush up the apples into small bits. Next we cranked the wheel on top with a old Louisville Slugger baseball bat from Dick's childhood. Then, out comes the juice! We felt like we hit the motherlode just putting our cups under the flow of the juice to taste each batch. Cider jugs were sent home with all and the day was done. Check out the pictures. It was just a crispy, juicy day!

Fall Beauty

I spent a quiet day by myself last Wednesday. Dick went to Corvallis to golf and Linc and I remained at the beach on a bright and sunny day. It definitely was a fall day but we had sunshine and bright blue skies. I was working on Halloween costumes for the grandkids when a group of 5 connected kites caught my eye. I had to take pictures. They were beautiful! A little while later, a group of brown pelicans flew low over the water. They had been near extinction until recently so it is nice to see them back on the West coast. Later in the afternoon we sat on the deck reading and there were only 3 people on the beach. This is definitely off-season and very peaceful. Evening is my favorite time of day on the coast. The dark rocks really stand out against the white breaking waves. I feel like my eyes have been tuned to high definition. Finally by morning, a huge moon was still shining over the ocean and leaving a long reflection on the water like a moon at night over a lake. Looking back, it was an extremely gorgeous day. Just beauty and the beach!

Mo on Mo

It is official. Mo is a little girl kitty. Our neighbors, the Miesens, have taken her in to be fixed and are taking her back to Mexico later this month. The Miesens have a cat that has cancer and won't be with them much longer, so Mo has found a good home. We are certainly glad she has a place to stay before we get any more of the 100 mile per hour winds we had last winter. It's just adoption made easy for all.

Growth

We have been watching growth in all the youngsters around here. Earlier I wrote about Mo, our neighborhood kitten that was just hanging around and living under a neighbor's deck. She is still with us (I use she but we really don't know what she/he is) and getting bigger. We are close to catching her to get her spayed/neutered but the dilemma is in sending her off to Mexico with another neighbor who is willing to take her. No one else here has wanted her but they also don't want to give up the antics of our neighborhood cat. I think that as winter is becoming more evident, so is the need for Mo to have a real home. She will be missed but well loved also.

We experienced our grandson's first visit to the beach and growth being very evident there also. Just like most people who visit us, St. John tried out his beach coma mode. He made his first visit to Starbuck's so Grandpa and Grandma could show him off...golf hat and all and even had a walk with Mom on the beach to hear the wonderfully calming ocean noises and fresh salt air. It was so nice the last evening here, Liz and SJ were able to sit out on the deck and enjoy life without the need of jackets or blankets as the sun was setting. It's just growth...coming on much too quickly in my opinion.

Creating a Campaign Flyer

After trying out many types of tri-fold brochure software, deciding what to write, how to write it, where to print it, how to distribute it and when, we finally had to put photos into Dick's campaign handout. First, remember that Lincoln City is a small town, Dick's people have limited resources (Dick and me) and limited money so we decided to take the pictures ourselves. I took a bunch of head shots of Dick. I took pictures of he and Linc downtown LCity as a lot of people know him by sight from their daily walks there and then decided to include one with all the grandchildren. What an experience. Eliana is 8, Sarina is 5, Adena is 21 months and St. John was about 6 weeks old when we took the pictures. It took a lot just to get one that was useable but it was a riot. We either got someone with closed eyes, kids with drifting attention, crying SJ, a hand on hip pose from Sarina or if we weren't watching, Dena would scoot her little self right out of the picture. We did get one out of about 50 that we loved and now have a family collection of pictures that show off each grandchilds personality peaking out. It's just being oneself.

Brian and Kristin Visit

Mid September we had a visit from Brian, Kristin, Cooper and Jordan from California (my niece and family). They spent a lot of time hunting for agates on the beach as well as beach critters in the rocks on the beach. Kristin is an expert at spotting the agates and their car was probably 5 lbs heavier going home with all the beautiful specimens then found.

We also visited Barking Dog Farm which is a local organic farm. Not only did we get lots of produce but Heidi (an owner) does metal sculpture placed around the grounds. I got photos of her nest with birds and a kooky looking bird up in the plants on the deck. Fun. Check out the pictures attached.

We all went whale watching in Depoe Bay one day when the sun was not cooperating and did see a number of whales in the bay. We had a nice waterside lunch, bought salt water taffy and headed home.

Today is my day to finish things up around here before I head back to West Linn. I just finished rewriting and editing Dick's submission for the Voter's Pamphlet for his City Council run. I am also working on his hand-out brochure. We will need to go out and take a couple more pictures either today or in the morning to add more color to the text. I will finalize the brochure while I am over in the valley. Dick has another Planning Commissioner running against him so he will have to go out and campaign to get elected.

We enjoyed having a few neighbors over for a meal over the Labor Day weekend and also had lunch with friends on the deck outside at Kyllo's restaurant on a nice sunny day. So today, back to cleaning up the house, making appointments and getting errands done. I will be gone a few days and then come home with my niece, Kristin and her family arriving with me. They will first stop in the Portland area to meet St. John.

Anyway, it is a nice sunny day to wrap things up and fiddle around while Dick is on the golf course. It's just beach time!

Labor Day has passed and it seems deserted here at the beach. We celbrated Labor Day by taking Linc to the annual dog swim at the pool. The last of the season kids swim ended at 3pm and at 3:30 they opened the door to the dogs. There were only about 12 dogs last year but about 30 this year. We still had room to play ball in the water and after hesitating at first, Lincoln made a remarkable rediscovery...WATER IS FUN!!! While we were drying off to go home he even found his hidden ball in my bag and dropped it in himself for one more dive into the pool. The pictures show his "get ready", "get set" and "GO" poses. I came home with a few scratches and bruises where he got me as I helped him climb out several times but we all had to laugh over the whole outing. There were Yorkies, dauschaunds, Rotweilers, Pit Bulls, Labs, Mutts, a tall Labradoodle who walked on her hind feet instead of swimming, Border Collies, Dalmations and even one Portuguese Water Dog named Mr. Lincoln. It's just the dog days of summer!

Dick and I are now into our regular routine at the coast. After a month in West Linn, I couldn't wait to settle back into things. The house is pretty dusty and the bathrooms are dingy but I am getting through them one at a time. One day it dawned on me that with this house and the condo in West Linn, I have 6 bathrooms to clean! Ugh!
Dick has been busy with the Planning Commission and some urban renewal processes going on in the Nelscott area of town. He has been assured that his filing information is all correctly turned in, including checking to make sure all his signatures on his petition were registered voters in our ward, so he is officially running for City Councilman this November. In the last election, the winner got a total of 400+ votes so this isn't like the Presidential bid but should be fun.
Today Dick is playing in his Friday men's league year end tournament at the golf course. He made the final foursome (top 4 in both the Tuesday and Friday leagues combined) so he is pretty happy. Of course, if he gets too excited, his score won't be as good. I am waiting to hear the outcome once he gets home.
I am just enjoying being back to my beach. We are putting up with all the inlanders for another week and then the beach will be empty again with lots of space for Lincoln to run. On Labor Day after 3pm, we will take Linc to the Community Center to swim in the pool. They let all the dogs swim the last day of summer before then drain them and do the maintenance. He loved it last year as he was a pup just getting to know his swimming abilities.
Last evening as we sat on the deck, each with a gin and tonic in hand, we had a whale right in front of our place and not far out. He was just at the breakers. A number of people on the beach saw it too and just stopped everything to watch. After several blowing spouts, he finally rolled his back up out of the water and flipped his tail at us. Beautiful way to end the day!

Mom (Allison) and the girls came over to the coast for a few days before Mom started her new job and Eliana and Sarina were back in school. It was rainy and dreary most of the time but we did get a walk on the beach and Grandpa Dick and Sarina flew the kite when it cleared up a little. Inside we found time for a tea party that Dena took very seriously since we used china cups and plates. We had oyster crackers and lemonade but it was still a tea party. Since we were a houseful of girls except for Dick and Lincoln, we did get to the outlet mall for some shopping and the girls are all set for school. They headed back to see Jason and get back into the flow of everyday life and Grandpa Dick and Grandma Sue got back to their beach coma.

After or during our walks we often stop at Grandma's community garden. There are about 150 plots where people grow organic vegetables and/or flowers. It is very strict on being organic so no pesticides/chemicals or deep digging allowed but the soil is fabulous and we are getting plenty of lettuce, spinach, green beans, onions, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and beets. Dena likes all the scarecrows that were constructed this year. The first photo on the left is the one near my garden and the other two are familiar ones we see as we walk down the path. There is even one carrying a Whole Foods grocery bag. The middle one is Hawaiian complete with flip flops and a grass skirt. The man on the right has a wide tape measure for suspenders and looks like a real farmer carrying a chicken.

Eliana and Sarina have been going to golf camp all week in the mornings. We decided ice cream and a trip to the park with cool fountain water in the afternoon was in order since it was a hot day. Dena doesn't seem to like to be splashed by the water but her sisters don't have a problem.

Dena does like going on our morning walks but it is so slow for Allison and for me if we can't talk her into doing part of the walk from the stroller. This picture is just from the start of the walk and not even to the first turn. It is about 1 1/3 mile trek for her little legs but she enjoys every step. Not sure the grown up girls get much of a cardio work out when Dena decides she has to walk but the fresh air is nice.

Casual Time

Now that my granson has arrived, things are pretty low key but busy here in West Linn. I have been running errands for Brett, Liz and St. John (Sinjin) and helping Allison and Jason with a little babysitting so they can get things done and of course I have to get my daily baby fix and see St. John but otherwise things are not too exciting around here...just busy. I am enjoying the Olympics! And I have baked a lot of banana bread, pineapple zucchini bread and peanut butter, banana, chocolate chip bread so there is never a spare moment.
I also have had Lincoln here with me while Dick has been back at the beach. Lincoln and I have a daily rountine of coffee (sometimes with friends or the Kaufman girls), a romp at the dog park to see Linc's friends and then a walk around the trail there that goes past my community garden. Dick has been over in Lincoln City collecting signatures for his run for City Council this fall. The petition is due shortly so he wants to make sure he is prepared. He did get appointed to the Planning Commission so had meetings there, also. He has played golf in the Friday League there, of course, just to keep up on his exercise.
Over here, Dick attended his class reunion but I begged off and watched Dena while all the other Kaufmans went to a wedding. Dick had a good time catching up with friends and again playing golf at the reunion and he agreed that I would have been bored. He saw that on the few faces of the spouses that did attend.
This week is golf camp for Eliana and Sarina so Grandpa Dick has volunteered to chauffeur the girls to and from the golf course. Then, then, and again, then, I will be able to go to the beach and see how it looks after being here for about a month! I miss the ocean but wouldn't have missed this time for anything. My garden is looking good after a little more attention than normal and I will have vegetables to take back to the coast with me.
Well, I am off to fix chicken for dinner for Brett and Liz and watch a little more Olympics. More soon after I get back to the beach.

He has arrived

Finally after a few days of labor at home and a long time in the hospital, Sinjin Fyfe Anderson has arrived. It's a boy! He has big hands and feet and at least on the first day and night he has been fairly quiet. Mom and Dad survived and are doing well too. Elizabeth had a C-section so I will stick around the West Linn condo a little longer to see what help I can be. Meanwhile, Grandpa Dick is on dog duty while they are in the hospital for 4 days. More soon.

Sunday, Eliana, Sarina and I realized Grandma didn't have any food that kids like for breakfast. I guess not being a breakfast eater doesn't go over well when they stay here. Allison joined us at Starbuck's and Jason and Dena slept in. Later that afternoon we went to see Kit Kittridge, the American Girl at the movies. Good show. Eliana learned a lot about the Depression.
Today is Tuesday and a golf day for Dick. He and Linc drove over from the coast this morning and I met them in Woodburn to pick up Linc. Then Dick drove off to Tukwila. We stopped by the dog park before heading home. Then I watched Dena while Allison took Sophie to the vet to get her stitches out. I am hoping now that Liz will interrupt me for a jaunt to the hospital so I won't have to spend the day cleaning the house. I put it off for awhile so I could do my wrap up paperwork for Sand in the City but it is now inevitable...look out floor, here I come!

I am having a relaxing and fun filled few days waiting for my newest grandchild to be born. Saturday the girls and I went swimming at the condo pool, we went to dinner (check out the photos of Dena tasting Allison's pizza and then taking over...hurray for teeth) and then Eliana and Sarina spent the night. They did some picture painting to decorate the place and then Sarina fell asleep without a blanket and with the overhead light still on. I guess she was tired. Eliana wants to know the secret of falling asleep!

We are also getting in the habit of going to the dog park to exercise the dogs and Liz. Saturday we went to St Honore...again and to the dog park with Brett, Liz and Tillee. Here are a couple of pictures of the dogs together and of Linc anticipating the ball fallin from the sky...

Well, Linc and I have been hanging out in West Linn while Dick has been playing golf. No prize money this time but they were in the running for awhile so it made for a fun tournament. He was anxious to play Shadow Hills in Eugene because years ago we were members at the club. He is now headed back here to see us all.

No baby yet but the doctor continues to say things are moving along. Since everyone else was working today, I decided to stay in town...just in case and it looks like I will spend a few more days here. Dick and Linc will head back to the beach tomorrow just to check on the cat and get the mail, etc. He will be on call to come back over and manage the dogs for a few days once Liz goes into labor. Brett is planning on staying at the hospital after the baby is born, also.

Linc and I have gotten into a morning routine of going to the dog park each morning. We drive by there often even when we aren't stopping and he begs to stop every time. He has many friends there and can always find someone to run after. There is one family who brings 4 boxers and boxers like to run. Today he ran with a dalmation but played ball with another Portie named Lucy. Afterwards, we went down to road to play with Kasey, a new puppy owned by my friends Connie and Peter. They played well until Kasey ran head on into a tree while running and looking at Linc instead of where she was going. We all decided it was time to call it quits.

By the way, Mama Mia was really fun to see. The singing wasn't all that professional but that is part of the charm of the movie. The music was terrific! And it was really funny. Enjoy.

I made it through the weekend at Sand in the City. Luckily the weather cooperated and it was only in the 70s and low 80s. I will post a couple of pictures of some of the kids working in the Kids Craft booth I was overseeing plus a couple of the sand sculptures. The one that took top prize is amazing not only because of the intricate carving or that it stood over 5 feet tall, but it had a tunnel through it. That is hard to do. These sculptures stood for 3 days and are made of just sand and water. It is amazing. There is also a photo of Eliana (my granddaughter) with one of the puppets that was posted up on the main stage.

Today I am off to work at our community garden, clean the house and a dental appointment so it is just a normal day. I am hoping to meet up with a few of my friend tomorrow to see Mama Mia and have dinner out. Enjoy the photos.

It's a busy week

This next couple of weeks will be very busy for me. I drove over from the Coast to West Linn on Tuesday morning and met Liz for coffee and to take our two dogs to the dog park. Then Liz came to our condo so we could swim. We are all trying to keep Liz busy and well exercised so the new baby will come sooner. Late that day, I went to my friend, Joan's apartment to help her unpack and welcome her to her new abode.

Wednesday was grandkids day. Dick helped me since we had all 3 at one time. We did manage to go to the park and run in the fountain. 1-year-old Dena wouldn't have anything to do with the spraying water but the older 2 wore themselves out. Later Liz and I went to Dinner Done Right to make dinners for the freezer for Brett to cook once the baby arrives. Another productive day.

Today started out with an early morning babysitting spot at Allison's so she could run her dog, Sophie, to the vet for some minor surgery. It is easier to do without 3 sleepy girls in the car tagging along. Next I am back to Joan's apartment to help her set up her computer and then to the dog park and my community garden. I need some lettuce and spinach for salads and to water and weed. Luckily I have picked a cooler day for the gardening. Liz has been watering the garden regularly to get herself out of the house and moving around.

Tonight starts the "big event" of Sand in the City in downtown Portland. This event is put on each year by the non-profit where Elizabeth works...Kids on the Block...and it is their major fundraiser. It is a sand sculpture building contest put on right downtown Portland and is a lot of fun. I do the kids craft area during the event so I am totally worn out after 4 days. Tonight is set up and Pioneer Square is transformed into the beach. We have a group of inmates who come down with a Sheriff to do community service this evening. The ground of the entire square is covered first in landscape cloth and then plywood before the large dump trucks of sand are dumped there. Tents, table and chairs and a stage are all installed around the square and then we are ready for Friday when different companies come to build the sand sculptures that can be 4 or 5 feet tall. The link to see the website for previous years is: http://sand2008.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=251973

I hope you will take a look if you are interested. I will get back to this blog...with pictures, hopefully, once the event is over. I will, hopefully have news and photos of a new grandbaby soon also.