Where have the months gone?

Whew! It has been awhile since I posted anything on this blog. The time just flies by and I even wrote a check today and wrote October instead of November on it.

I am back to commuting to West Linn on a weekly basis to watch my grand daughter one day a week. Then when the girls get home from school, I take them up to Hebrew School before heading back to the coast. We went through all 3 girls getting the flu so I spent a couple extra days helping out. Allison and Jason had to spend a lot of time at home working to get the girls back on track but they are all healthy now. Of course, Dick and I had to spend Halloween with our Camp Counselor, Hanna Montana, a "Cute" Lion and a Dragon. What fun to see there happy faces all dressed up.

Right after that we headed South to visit Dick's brother, Pete and his family in Birmingham, Alabama. Their oldest son, Robby, is a senior so we thought we ought to get down there to finally see him play football. If you haven't heard, football in high school in the South is practically like pro ball. But it was fun and they won! Dick even managed to play 3 different golf courses while we were there and we visited with a friend in Atlanta, who used to work with Dick in Portland.

Then Dick and I just got back from spending a weekend with St. John while Brett and Liz went to Victoria to celebrate Liz' birthday. SJ was sick a few days before they left with a fever and up most of the night for several days. But, he managed to pull things together so his parents could leave and slept through the night for his grandparents. Still, I came home tired and happy.

We are back at the beach enjoying a fall storm. Missed the tornado that hit the north end of Lincoln City but the rains are heavy, the seas strong and the sand is washing away already to expose more rock on the beach. It is a usual winter occurence.

I am now gathering Christmas presents, stocking stuffers, making some presents, making some bean bags for the girls school, making some donations for some annual fundraisers locally, reading, cooking, seeing friends I have neglected, attended a college friend's funeral, babysitting Allison and Jason's dog, cleaning, seeing my bunco and Red Hat friends, visited a new resort in the wine country, watched many city council meetings on TV, following Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, and just plain everyday stuff. I am sure there will be some holidays outings I will share with you all soon. Lincoln City has some great, small town happenings as well as celebrating both Christmas and Hanakkah with our families. It will be Santa's first visit in years now that St John is in the family so it will be interesting to see how that blends into our traditions. It is just that time of the year!

It's Fire Truck Day!!!!

The day finally arrived for our ride on the fire truck and our grand daughters didn't think it would ever really happen. Dick and I drove to the fire station this afternoon and met up with Jim, the firefighter. Next, I followed in our car and Jim and Dick drove to BB Camp where the girls go everyday. They drove in, gave a blast on the siren and got everyone's attention. Two groups of kids were going out in vans and busses on day trips and overnight camp outs. The day camp group was there and were pretty excited about seeing the truck and learning all about it.

The firefighters have nicknamed the truck "Spongebob Square Truck" because it is yellow and square. There is even a likeness of Spongebob on the side of the truck. The kids asked a lot of questions including "Do you have guns?" (asked by a little boy, of course). Jim was quick to answer yes and pointed out a large water gun on top of the truck. Very impressive.

Finally, Jim tactfully told the kids he was there to pick up three kids for a ride and Eliana, Sarina and Dena took their places inside the truck. Dick, Eliana and Dena in her car seat were buckled into the 4-passenger back seat while Sarina got to ride up front....including wearing a headset so Jim could talk to her above the noise of the fire truck. She said you could see over everything from up there. Then off we went...

We headed around the lake to the new fire station to see it under construction. Next, was a biggie, a ride down main street to Cold Stone for a little ice cream. Then, back into Spongebob for a quick trip to the fire station where Jim showed the girls the other trucks and where the fire fighters have all their gear, etc. Eliana asked what the fire fighters do besides putting out fires so Jim showed them a video of all the things they do around Lincoln City including water rescues on the beach.

What a fun time was had by all. It was just another happy day at the fire station! Especially for Eliana, Sarina and Dena (and maybe Grandma and Grandpa too).

Summer in Lincoln City

Wow! What a different summer we are having. The valley is roasting in the 100 degree range and now cooling into the 90s. But that brings in the marine air that turns to fog here on the coast. It is pleasantly warm but so, so foggy. Then we go a block up the road to Hwy 101 and (surprise) it is sunny! Luckily for Allison and the girls, the camp over on Devil's Lake where they are each day, is much more sunny even though it is only 4 miles away. I can't wait for Portland and Salem to cool down so we can get back to a real summer.

I really am not complaining. We still get to see the wonderful creatures at the beach. Not only do we watch my favorite pelicans swoop by but we also watched a harem of sea lions playing in the surf last evening. And, of course, my other favorite creatures on the beach this time of year are the dogs and tourists. Sand castles, teenagers trying to impress other teenagers as they attempt surfing or bodysurfing, and people who get drenched unexpectedly by the waves. Entertainment at our back door.

It is just another day in paradise.

Quiet Sunday Morning

Jason is here for the weekend and he and Allison took the kids to camp for Sunday breakfast. Lox and bagels and the works are a favorite and are served every Sunday morning at camp. Soooo....it s quiet around here for Dick and me. Of course, quiet is all relative and compared to other times with 3 tired and hungry little girls, it is peaceful.

It may be more quiet than usual but we do have 3 big dogs in the house right now and a cat. Poor cat has been avoiding all the dogs, kids, etc. and finally ventured out while we were watching TV late last night. She discovered Jason's near empty glass of water on the table and managed to jam her head in it in an attempt for a drink of water. I hadn't realized she was looking for water so after nearly getting stuck in the glass, she now has her own water downstairs with her food. It was a show in itself.

The dogs are getting walked in shifts. It takes two or three of us if we take them all out at once and heaven help us if we get to visit another dog or two. We must be quite a sight. Dick decided to take all 3 with us to Starbucks this morning in his SUV. I am not sure what got into him but he is in charge of all dog decisions. The whole back end of the car is full of golf gear so the three dogs sat in the back seat. Each one could us a backseat for themselves. Mr. Lincoln decided he had enough on the trip home and jumped into my lap. Did I mention he weighs 65 pounds and is the smallest of the three? When we finally got home and piled out of the car, some tourists were walking past with their Whippet. They smiled and chuckled a hello as I got out with Sophie (Allison's boxer) but really got a laugh when Dick then had his hands full with our Portuguese Water Dog, Lincoln and Brett and Liz' dog, Tillee, a huge Bernese Mountain Dog. They seemed to almost scurry down the street to get out of our way. All the beasts wanted to play with their newly spied friend but had to settle for a walk across the street to our vacant lot.

Now we are home. Three monster dogs are asleep after the outing and I think Dick may be ready to doze too. It's just a quiet Sunday morning!

We finished up the Jr. Golf program yesterday with 5 holes of golf, hot dogs, drinks and happy kids. What could be better?
Tomorrow I am off to Portland to babysit St. John while Liz works at Sand in the City. I have volunteered at this event for a few years but this year I volunteered to help watch SJ. On Friday, sand will be dumped into Pioneer Square in downtown Portland and it will be a madhouse with people building sand sculptures. But what a sight when they are finished! It is a major fundraiser for the non-profit Liz works for, Kids on the Block. Good Luck.
I am also anticipating a fun time at St. John's birthday party on August 1st. I can't believe he is going to be a year old. Then again, Liz was pretty big at Sand in the City last year and we were all on pins and needles anticipating a childbirth DURING the event.
The girls are all very happy at camp. Allison is shouldering more responsibilities daily especially with camp stepping out on it's own this year. It should be a challenge. Eliana, Sarina and Dena are all making us laugh with their activities. Sarina had lost her towel at the swimming pool and had to have a counselor dry her off. The towel will show up. Dena is going to bed nightly wearing a pair of underwear OVER her pajamas and diaper (in anticipation of someday really needing them). I got an email from Eliana today (even though she is living right here) telling me how much she loves camp, and she loves camp, she really loves camp.
I have been working on broken things recently...a broken dishwasher (2 weeks waiting for a part) and a little bump on my car (I've turned into that garage a hundred times and never bumped before). Plus trying to get the sand to exit my house even though the girls dump their shoes outside and shower after beach time. Is Dick bringing it in? Am I? It is a mystery.
Other than that, things are pretty normal around here: Starbuck's regularly to see friends (they have a corner that is called Dick's office and friends actually stop by because they know we are there...4 people today), golf for Dick, keeping up with family and friends for me, grooming Mr. Lincoln, nose prints, hand prints and salt off the windows, reading, cooking dinner nightly when my campers got home, watching the surf and wildlife and getting out in the community. Just another fine day at the beach.

Into the Swing of Summer

Our activities are rolling now! Eliana finished a week at girl scout camp and then a week here at BB camp and came home exhausted. 2 hours later, she woke up! Now she has joined her 2 younger sisters for day camp while Allison is pulling it altogether so all the campers have smooth sailing while there. Last night she had a call that one camper had boarded an airplane from China and needed a linen pkg (which was supposed to be preordered). She had to scramble this morning to buy everything from a sleeping bag to sheets and towels to even a pillow for her. With over 200 kids arriving today by bus, plane, train from Seattle and cars with mom and dad, it keeps her hopping. She will be ready for a glass of wine tonight.

Dick and I are busy wrapping up 5 weeks of the Jr. Golf program he initiated. Next week we end things with a short round of golf for the kids so they get final instruction on etiquette and so they can try the skills they learned first hand on the course. We are amazed not only how excited the kids are each week to really learn golf but also how much they have improved in that time period.

We are proud of Sarina for recently signing herself up for swimming during the camp skill building time block. Now she is swimming at least twice a day and having a ball. Dena is having fun learning all the camp songs and hand motions her sisters are teaching her. A 2-year-old doesn't always get them perfectly but she ends up with the right move and words at the very end and that is all that matters.

Of course, we are also squeezing in a little cooking, sand digging, playing with Lincoln and kite flying after camp most days. Hope you enjoy the photos. It's just a busy summer.

4th of July

It's the 4th and the grandkids are decked out in red, white and blue. Since they are pretty tired from camp all week (including Allison) and their Dad is here for the weekend, we decided not to plan much. It's Oregon, we will be grilling salmon and corn on the cob for dinner and watching all the big and little fireworks out our front window on the beach. Those will be thrilling but the cat will have to be locked in a big closet so she doesn't run off for 2 days like she did last year. Happy Birthday USA. And I hope it is just a big celebration day for all of you too.

First Day of Summer Camp

I woke up this morning with my 2-year-old granddaughter, Dena, in my lounge chair with her special, purple blankie, her cup of orange juice (like coffee, she can't start the day without it) and "reading" Grandma Sue's book by James Patterson. She complained that the book only had one picture. The picture was of James Patterson who looked somewhat like Grandpa Dick according to Dena. She said next time she would get a book from her room with pictures but today she would read mine.

We successfully got everyone off to their 1st day of BB Camp here at the coast but on Devil's Lake. Dick and I headed to Starbuck's right away for our "orange juice" but it was the real thing with caffeine. We will see how we do by the end of the week.

By the way, Allison found more stuff stored at camp to wash and I swear we are on the last 3 of 6 loads today! Just a nice clean day!

I am still doing laundry but the towels are now finished and I am on to blankets and (can you believe it?) 16 more sets of sheets. I think this will be it and all of it can be hauled out to camp soon. Whew.

Dick was out walking Mr. Lincoln this morning and a garbage trucked pulled over to talk to him. The guy said he has been watching Dick on channel 4 (Government Access Channel) and likes what he has been doing and likes his ideas during the City Council meetings. He isn't the only stranger to recognize Dick and stop to chat. Makes it all worthwhile.

We stopped by Starbucks this morning as Dick headed out to marshal at the golf course. They had what they call the "golfer's special" ready for him. It was a cup of coffee and croissant bagged up and ready to shoo him out the door so he could make his tee-time (only today he wasn't playing). For me, on the other hand, it was a plate with a warm croissant, a newspaper and the overstuffed chair. I'm not sure who got the better service...but it was great service for both of us.

I came home to continue the laundry and watched the 5K beach run go by our house....see pictures above. I take pictures rather than participate!

Just another day at the beach.

BB Camp

It is almost time for Allison and the girls to invade the beach. We are looking forward to their summer with us and just this weekend, we purchased a tour of the fire station, ride on a fire truck and ice cream with fire fighters at Cold Stone for them all. As a City Councilor, we will let Dick ride along with them.

Dick and I spent this past few days washing sheets. I thought it was 32 sets but it turned out to be something like 58 sets of twin sized sheet sets for use at BB Camp this summer. Check out the photo. We washed, dried, and folded the sets and then placed each set into its pillow case for safe, clean keeping until needed. The camp is on the east side of Devils Lake here in Lincoln City and I am sure we will get to know our way around it as time goes by. We took all the sheets, plus a load of pillows and sleeping bags that we brought over from Portland, out to camp this morning and deposited them in a storage room for summer use. At the same time we picked up blankets and towels that also needed washing. Looks like we will be making another trip out to camp by the end of this week. Laundry really is an easy thing to do to help out with such a wonderful cause and we can do it right here at home. The camp kids are going to have lots of experiences they will never forget. Clean bedding and towels will be just a little luxury while camping.

Dick is off to his Council meeting presently and it should prove to be another long eveningl. There have been extensive discussions about the vacation rental homes locally and how to alleviate any problems before they happen. I will be watching from my easy chair here at home since it is televised locally. That way, I can change the channel if I get bored!

The summer waves are depositing more sand on the beach right now. This year there is a berm forming directly in front of our home thus a little stream/pool forming on our side of the berm whenever we are at low tide. The girls will have fun playing in these pools after the water warms up each day, so I hope the berm remains. We did get to see 10 kite surfers whisk on down the beach a few days ago. What a sight! And what a lot of air they could get leaping over the waves! It is so amazing to watch. Just another lazy day at the beach.

Spring is here!

Spring is here in Oregon. That means rain, clouds, sun and that the weather is teasing us a lot. Dick finally has had some golf without rain so he is happy. He will be marshalling at the local golf course starting later this month so he is VERY happy.
I have been starting to feel like a yo-yo going back and forth between Lincoln City and West Linn lately. We still have Mother's Day, gardening in our community garden, a wedding, dog sitting, babysitting, my regular bunco group and a trip to Sunriver with the bunco group all this month. I am hoping to see a couple of the girls softball games as well. So far, whenever I have been in town, the games have been rained out. Like I said...Spring in Oregon.
Mr. Lincoln is enjoying his buddy, Tillee Jane being here for a visit. They are about the same age so both are still pretty playful. Tillee tires out first and just sits on Linc to settle him down.
We ate lunch yesterday at one of our favorite haunts here at the coast, The Beach Dog. Great hot dogs, sausages, etc. in all sorts of ways and fantastic breakfasts if you are ever looking for a fun place for a meal. There are dog pictures all over the walls from people who have visited. The owner gave us a calendar she had with a Portuguese Water Dogs theme. Most of the pictures were taken in the area when they had a PWD show here a couple of years ago and a couple who visited her restaurant were the photograpers. Even Bo at the White House would have been impressed.
Well, I am off to pack up for a couple of days at the Brett and Liz Anderson home in Lake Oswego. I am enjoying the ocean view while I can but the view of the trees and yard at their house is great too. I am just on the road again!

Planting the garden

This past week, Dena and I went to the garden to plant a few seeds. She wanted to plant the corn as she said, "I love it!". I made very straight rows of trenches and gave Dena a handful of corn seed at a time but she still insisted on going here and there to plant her corn. First one row, then another spot in another row to bury her treasure. I tried to keep up with her and fill in where she skipped and push the seed into the trench where she "missed" but I may be transplanting the seedlings once they come up. Have you ever tried to keep up with a 2-year-old?
Next, we proceeded to cover the seeds up. Dena had a hand shovel and did her best to cover up the trenches. Sometimes she actually scooped the seed out of the trench but Grandma came along behind and did the best she could to keep things in rows, covered with dirt. I was able to convince her she would enjoy digging in the dirt while I planted a few other types of vegetables.
Finally, it was time to water. I did have to help her squeeze the sprayer handle on the hose but we managed to get some water on the seeds...and it has rained a little...so hopefully our seeds will germinate. There are even little signs on the corn that read "Corn by Dena" just in case some of the big time master gardeners notice how crooked my rows are. They do appreciate children taking an interest in gardening so I hope whatever happens will bring smiles to their faces.
It was just a sunny, dirty, watery, fun day for both Dena and me.

It must be Spring

Dick and I just spent part of Saturday and Sunday morning working on our Organic Garden at the community gardens in Lake Oswego. It was perfect, sunny weather. Not too hot and not too cold. Dick had put together three 4X8 boxes this year so we leveled them onto the plot and semi-filled them with soil. Dick had already weeded the plot and Liz and Brett have been trying to keep it clean, also. Next, we laid down cardboard and some bark to make pathways through our garden plot so we can reach the vegetables as they grow. We put cardboard down at the bottom of our boxes, too, before we added soil. All very biodegradeable vs. plastic. This week I am hoping to plant some seeds to get things started in the non-boxed areas. Corn, squashes, cucumbers and maybe tomato plants. Brett, Liz, Allison and Jason are in line to add some new soil to the boxes in the near future and then we will be ready to roll. The boxes will house the lettuce, onions, beans, peas, etc. More updates on the garden as we head into the growing season. It was just a very earthy day!

A Sunny Day at the Beach

As Mr. Lincoln and I settled into our deck chairs to do a little reading this sunny day, 2 nice looking, younger couples made their way down the beach to set up "camp". We watched as they pitched a tent, lay a blanket in front of it's door and arranged a cooler and bags for their rare day in the Oregon sunshine. After they checked out the rocks and waves, Linc and I set to work reading about the Japanese in WWII here in Oregon and the couples went on their way for a nice walk down the beach towards Kyllo's.

A little later I heard yelling and saw one of the couples running back our way while the other was yelling. I checked the waterline for an emergency situation but everything looked calm. The running couple turned up the speed and headed our way...only more towards their tent/campsite. As I looked down, you could hardly see the blue and white tent. It was covered with seagulls. First, an EMPTY potato chip bag, then an EMPTY bread bag and finally all sorts of EMPTY bags blew off in the breeze as the couple sped towards their picnic. I did rush in the house to grab my camera but by the time I got back, the gulls had dispersed because of the human intervention. The people were very disappointed that their picnic had been invaded and devoured. The rest of the afternoon they had to take turns guarding the place as the seagulls continued to surround the tent just waiting for another chance. I'm not sure much was left but if that was my tent, I'd be protecting the beer for sure.

So the pictures are of a dejected picnicker and then someone in front of the tent on guard while the gulls stand in wait to capture the beer!

We don't have bears like camping in the woods, but those seagulls can sure behave like a scene out of "The Birds" and ruin a good picnic. Good thing for sunshine! It's just the right kind of day to eat out in a restaurant.

Ocean View

Ocean View by Eliana Kaufman
Age 9 Spring Break 2009

White waves, blue sea
Sunny sky, you and me.
Always moving towards the shore,
Puts me to sleep and then I snore.
Watch the ocean, you and me,
Watch the boats sail out to sea.
Many birds down on the sand,
Swoop down from above before they land.
Tide goes out and rocks appear,
We climb on them, far and near.
Trees surround the rocky bank,
We imagine walking the plank.

Whew!

It has been Spring Break this past week! At first, Lincoln City seemed a little quiet for this time of year, but after the first few days last weekend, more people showed up and the town is alive with visitors. We even had visitors. Allison, Jason and the girls came over last weekend and the 2 older girls stayed her for a little extra Grandma and Granpa time. Dena still had daycare available when Mom and Dad would be working, so she went back with them.
We headed back to the Portland area for most of the week and on Tuesday, Allison and I took the girls to see the play "Goodnight, Moon". Dena (2) still keeps saying "I loved it" but claims she didn't like the cow who kept trying to jump over the moon and would fall. I think she thought the cow was getting hurt and it bothered her. But she loved the bunny! Allison could quite get the tooth fairy's resemblance to Elvis?
Wednesday, I had all 3 girls and even St. John came over in the afternoon, so I was surrounded by my grandchildren. Dick and Lincoln (the dog) showed up on Wednesday night so Dick could golf on Thursday. Then, Linc and I headed off to Brett and Liz house Thursday morning to babysit St. John all day while Linc played with their dog, Tillee. Allison called and all the girls showed up so we could go have coffee at St. Honore, the French bakery. Yum! That evening, Brett and SJ escaped to at our house since Liz' "book club" was gathering at their home. Finally, on Friday, I watched Eliana and Sarina while Dena went off to her daycare "school" and Allison and Jason headed to work. St. John came over for a little while too so the older girls again had fun practicing "babysitting". They like to entertain him with their dancing and he seems to enjoy the show.
Friday night we capped things off with Allison, Jason, Dick and I going to the Lakewood Theatre to see "A Flea in her Ear" while Brett and Liz took their turn babysitting all the kids. Grandma Sue had enough kids by then and needed an adult night out before heading back to the beach. I am exhausted from all that youthful energy, but it's just Spring Break!

Organic Gardening

Today we did our pre-gardening. We are required to attend a meeting every year as we return to our organic community garden and today was the day. Yes, we will have scarecrows again this year. We even signed up for our mandatory work session to help the community garden with maintenance in May. Dick and I then went directly to our garden space to clean it out. We are moving to a larger space! A few asprins later, I can say our old plot is clean and ready for the next person. Brett came by to help and we even left the old place with new bark for the walkway around its border. Then we transplanted our rhubarb to the new space. The new plot looks like it has great soil and is already for us to plant. We were informed the water would be turned on mid-March and frost season ends mid-April so we are ready to go. Now for the planning and waiting for that warm weather and no more SNOW! It's just spring fever.

Tank turns 15 !!!

Many of you have met Tank, Brett's big, black dog, who lived with us on Turner Rd for years. He is getting old and grey but just celebrated his 15th birthday with a dog party. 15 is very old for a large sized dog. Tank is getting a lot more grey, creaky joints, and is losing his hearing but he is still a shiny-coated, easy-going, friendly dog. You just might have to shout a little to get his attention.

Brett and Liz held a party for him on Valentine's day and since a number of large dogs were involved, they held it at Lexie Dog, a new doggie place in downtown Lake Oswego. The main play room was decorated with streamers and balloons. There was a big sign on the door declaring "Welcome to Tank's birthday party". Brett did a great board showing pictures of Tank as a youngster, teenager and many of his trips backpacking and snow shoeing. There was a "human's" table with lemonade, cupcakes laid out in the shape of dog bones and snacks for nibbling. Then there was the doggie table with a banana and peanut butter cake with cream cheese frosting. YUM! There was a bowl with heart shaped dog treats and a party favor for each dog with more heart treats and a doggie donut in each bag to take home.

Tank's friends included Tillee (Brett and Liz' other dog) and her sister, Poppy who are both Bernese Mtn. Dogs, 3 Portuguese Water Dogs (Shasta, the mom and brother and sister, Jamaica and Mr. Lincoln. Lincoln is our dog), a Rottweiler and another non-denominational dog. They all had a lot of fun chasing balls and each other. Then the fun began with bobbing for apples. The Portuguese Water Dogs won the prize for the "Dogs in the water the most" and Tillee won for most apples eaten.

Next, the dogs were grouped together by who got along best into smaller side yards and Tank remained the center of attention when his cake was brought out. We weren't sure how all the dogs would do in one location with food around so we played it safe. Once Tank was able to spot the cake, he licked the frosting happily while Brett took pictures. We cut up the cake and all the invitees inhaled their pieces. The humans were then served cupcakes to round out the day.

It was a wonderful tribute to a great dog. Tank took his glucosamine and pain pills ahead of time and seemed to enjoy watching all the youngsters make fools of themselves. It was just a man's-best-friend day.

SPLASH!!!!!

I just have to share...at 5pm today Dick and I were chatting and he said to look out the window. A whale jumped straight up in the air just out front of our window and fell back into the water. It continued to do this 5 times in a row. We have never once seen this happen. I immediately called a neighbor so she wouldn't miss it...and of course it stopped. Margaret wanted to know how much wine we had been drinking. She has lived here since 1992 and has never seen that happen!It's just a new experience!

Time Flies

I can't believe we are already in February. 2009 is going fast, already. Lot of things are happening in Lincoln City and with the grandkids to keep us busy. We recently visited a new, City sponsored transitional home for men here in LC. I was really impressed by how nicely it was set up and monitored by a live in resident manager. One man was only 18 and kicked out of his home once he was of legal age. He was going to high school and working but the home gives him a roof over his head to help him move on with his life.

Today, we went down to pick City Hall to up a laptop supplied by the city for Dick's use as a City Councilor. We went into the meeting hall and the IT guys showed Dick just how to plug in to use it during the meetings and also had set it up with desktop icons to help him navigate all the city documents, etc. Dick brought along his people (me) to get training also, but I think they actually did such a great job there won't be much for me to do. I did connect him to our wireless connection here at home (there is also one set up for when he is at City Hall) and he is ready to roll.

Dick and I signed up to work on the 2010 census and go to take our tests tomorrow. We figured we walk all over this town anyway, why not put it to good use.

Finally, we also accepted an invitation to help the Culinary Center celebrate it's second year of existence here in LC. A great chef at our favorite restaurant, Blackfish Cafe, established the Culinary Center in an old, unused restaurant over City Hall. They not only provide classes for locals and visitors, but also do classes for employees of restaurants and bars for licensing and for food handlers. The remodeling makes it a beautiful setting with a lot of stainless steel cooking areas, mirrors for viewing chefs at work and a beautiful view of the ocean. For those of you who know Lincoln City a little, it is next to Price and Pride (near the outlet mall) and over the library. I am still hoping to take some classes there soon but we have enjoyed special events in the center.

The grandkids are all fine and growing strong. Grandpa Dick just completed a light bar to go over Eliana's bed and amazingly, it works well. Eliana is happy to have her own room now that she is 9 and her little sister just turned 2. In the few minutes we were trying out the new light strip, Dena had papers off Eliana's dresser flying everywhere and her camera out of the case and pushed lots of buttons. I can see why Eliana likes her own space. So far, Sarina is still enjoying sharing a room with a 2-year-old. Dena hasn't climbed up to the top bunk in the middle of the night yet!

We are looking forward to this summer when all the girls, Allison, Eliana, Sarina and Dena will be here in Lincoln City on weekdays and home with Jason on the weekends. Allison is working for a camp here is Lincoln City so they will be staying with us at night and at camp all day. During most of the year she will be working out of Portland since the camp is only open during the summer months. I am sure I will have pictures of camp to post once that happens.

In a couple of weeks we will be helping Brett's dog, Tank, celebrate his 15th birthday. This is pretty old for a big dog but Tank is hanging in there. He doesn't hear too well...or at least fakes it well enough. He has some joint problems and trips a little when he is trying to run up the stairs here at the beach. But good old Tank still loves to come visit us at the beach and tries to pretend he is young and runs and bounces a little just like the rest of us as we are getting older and pretending right along with him.

So, with the Arctic Blast at Christmastime past and snow melted, we then had wonderful 70 degree weather this past week. It was amazing to drive from Lincoln City to Portland with the top down on my car in February. Now we are back to normal Oregon weather...it's just raining!

Welcome to 2009

The winter storm at the beach turned into winter STORMS here and in the Portland area. We did make it over the hill to the valley mid-December. Then we had to stay there because the roads to the coast were closed because of snow and downed trees. The snow finally melted when the rains arrived and then flooding started. We did get back to the beach with all the Kaufman girls in tow ( including Allison) on December 26th and had a fun 3 days before they headed home. We even tried out a new tea room in town just for girl time. The rains are now heading east and the rivers are slowly lowering. Welcome to 2009!

Our Christmas was decorated with snow. We haven't had a white Christmas in years! It was messy getting around but Dick put chains on his SUV and we managed. Our West Linn condo is up a hill but luckily our Homeowners Association kept that road clear. It was much better off than most streets of town. On Christmas Day, Dick had to make a few trips up the hill to Brett and Liz' house with me and the Kaufman clan to have our holiday morning together. Then Dick and Brett ferried us all down again after a great brunch, presents and some competitive Wii playing. At 5 years old, Sarina is a mean boxer and Eliana beat us all at bowling. You should see Dena go jogging on the Wii Fit program, too. It was a fun day and Allison and the girls finally got out of the house after a week of not driving anwhere. Cabin fever had set in. One day Allison walked to the grocery store just to get out of the house. Jason was assigned childcare duty for an hour or so. The girls had an extra week off because of the snow and so were home almost a month. They started back to scholl this week, Allison started a new job and Dena even started a new day care program right where her mom works.

The grandkids are growing up. Eliana has her 9th birthday tomorrow. Dena just turned 2 on December 30th and St. John will be starting real day care next month. What a big boy! We even took Dena and St. John for suprise photos before Christmas and they arrived "close" to the holidays. Never got from the airport to the store in the time frame everyone planned on. Darn weather! Brett and Liz got IOUs from St. John for Christmas.

Monday, Dick gets sworn in to his City Council seat. He is enjoying his time with people in the community and getting to know them all. He has been drinking a lot of coffee around town with outgoing council members, local retailers and just regular folks he has met. We spent a nice afternoon at the home of Susan and Gordon Walker and enjoyed touring their wonderful beach home.

The rain has stopped. Holiday rushing is over. I think I am back in my beach coma once again. It's just 2009, here we come.