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.