Saturday, August 20, 2005

Lauren Finds a Pretty Kitty



Salem Friends of Felines had a spot at the Salem Saturday Market. We had read in the paper they were to be there and had been promising Lauren a kitty for quite a while.We found a precious girl kitty named Oreo and she chose us. Lauren held her and they were an instant pair. Oreo(whose name we may change) has a few more medical visits and we will be able to get her next Friday.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Erik Speaks to the South Salem Rotary Club



Erik spoke to his home host Rotary Club today during their luncheon. Here he is with Walter Jones, who was the club's host exchange coordinator. Thanks for all your help Walter! His talk was about his exchange in the Philippines. He presented a great media show with pictures, maps and a variety of descriptions. Additionally, he set up a table with many of the trinkets and objects he returned with. His talk lasted more than thirty minutes and he had a lot of questions asked after the presentation. Many people told him and I what a great job he did. This is probably the final step in his yearlong journey.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

My sister turns thirty-nine!



My little sister just turned thirty nine. We celebrated at the house with barbecued salmon and grilled carne asada. Also we had fresh steamed garlic green beans and olive bread. We washed it all down with iced green tea. And yes, that's our most famous Pineapple Upside Down Cake ... by special request!

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Erik gets his first car.



Erik worked like a dog to get this car. He bought it with his own money. It's a Honda CRX and has only 226,000 miles. Thats is just breaking in the motor for a Honda. He takes the Mech Tech class at Sprague, so he will be able to take it in for repairs and maintenance. I have enjoyed driving and working on it, too.

Monday, August 08, 2005

We take a cottage on the coast.



We needed to get out of the valley. The temperatures were in the 90's and it was humid. I managed to snag a little cottage in Waldport. The place was older and homey and had a fantastic view both of the Alsea Bay and the great Pacific.



From our deck we barbecued wild salmon, snapper and fresh tuna. The first day was windy and chilly, but the next 3 days were great. Dawn took several walks, Lauren and the boys played on the beach.



Our real purpose in going to the beach was to consume massive quantities of fresh seafood. Here Erik maintains great form as he downs some twenty oysters in a delicious chowder at the Sea Hag in Depoe Bay. Spencer and I also had the oyster stew.



Here the girls are down on the beach. Lauren absolutely could be the poster child of the Oregon Coast. She can't get enough!



Dad and sis watched seals and whales, we also looked at the stars and talked about the earth and moon.



We love going to the dock at Newport and watching the harbor seals. Spencer and Erik are easy to find ... do you see sissy, too?



Here are some of our vertebrate friends. Not only are they fun to watch, but man they sure do raise a noisy ruckus every once in a while.