My sister is very good at making the effort at seeing everyone when she comes to town. Better than me, she arranges to visit my brother and family in Bend. I probably wouldn't see them half as much if she didn't arrange these family gatherings. This trip was driving to see the family for dinner on Wednesday, river raft on Thursday then back home on Friday.
We stopped at the top of Mt Hood to meet at the adventure park, as some of us were coming from different locations and at different time commitments. Mt Hood allowed for long and short hang outs. My boys were able to eat our packed picnic lunch of Turkey and cheese sandwiches. Wander the park and look at the beautiful scenery while we waited for everyone else to join us.
My sister had car troubles. Radiator fluid drained out onto the parking lot asphalt while we chatted at the rendezvous site, which put a damper on her adventure, with the stress of whether the car would make it the whole way.
She and her husband picked up a bottle of anti freeze to pour in as needed. We arranged for the children all to ride in various other cars. My taking some and some going in the grandparent's care, so if the car she was driving did break down she wouldn't have to deal with children on top of everything else. It is a lot easier to hang out with a broken car if you don't have to entertain children.
The car made it to Bend where they dropped it at a mechanic for repair. A new radiator and $600 later the car was good for another few years of service to the family.
Wednesday night we had dinner with the family. My lovely sister in law cooked up a fettuccine pasta with sausages, and a caprice salad for dinner. The perfect dish for a large hungry crowd. We stayed late but my brother had to work the next day so eventually we all did have to head back to our hotel nearby.
In the morning I sent one of the boys to the front desk for ibuprofen so I could function for the day. I ended up skipping breakfast. Trev brought me up a little plate of food to nibble on once I felt functional enough.
We piled into the car around 11:00am to head to our meeting place for rafting. The facility had a big school bus to drive all the participants to the river, only 10 minutes away. Six rafts were heading out at the same time. Our family all would fit in one. There were nine of us going.
The raft trip was a two hour excursion down the Deschutes River. We had all done it before but it is a fun event, worth repeating. Trevor's eighth birthday was the last time we had done this rafting event. We had rafted the Rogue river out of Ashland, the last time. This year because of forest fires the rogue river was closed at this time, so we were lucky we had chosen Bend as our destination.
This rafting trip has only one serious rapid in the whole trip. Several small rapids to keep the excitement going and prepare you for the biggest one. Enough to get your heart rate going without killing yourself. I didn't have to paddle the first section, but one of my nephews decided he wanted to be at the front of the boat going through the rapids where the water splashes up and the thrill of being first into the fray is quite exciting. He passed his paddle to me and I had to get to work.
I have a big bruise on my thigh where I smacked myself with the T head of the paddle while the boat was tossed around going through the hard part.
The guide, Travis, was terrific. In one of the calm stretches, he had all the young teens sit up on the side of the raft on the pontoon, wrap their arms and legs around each other until they were tangled then gave a push to the center child and they all went into the water together. Laughing uproariously. Riley of course saw what was coming and opted out. The guide noticed the one dry smart child. He convinced Riley to play the game also. Riley very reluctantly allowed himself to be tossed overboard in good spirits.
When we went to pull Trevor back into the raft, he laughingly said "hold on, I am using the bathroom" . It took two to pull Trevor on board. My youngest nephew C, at age six, was not so enamored with the whole adventure. He was quite frightened by the tenseness of the rapids. He cried, but it quickly passed as the children jumped into the cool water to play in the calm afterwards.
My sister had to head back after rafting as the children's plane left for the East in the morning Friday. It would be the first time the boys flew alone. I knew I didn't want to do the drive back after rafting so arranged to stay one more night at the hotel.
There was a music festival in the park walking distance from the hotel. Fair food for dinner. Though being Bend it was no ordinary fair food. These vendors were high end fancy restaurants with amazing foods to taste.. Ice cream wasn't just ordinary ice cream, it was home made gelatoe in fancy flavors. The pizza stand had a brick oven right there cooking every pizza fresh.
I ordered Thai food, which was delightfully prepared, and shared my meal with Trevor so we could all try different options. The cousins went to the bouncy house for a frolic while the grown ups had one last night chatting and just enjoying living the beautiful summer night in the park with good loving family.
I walked back to my brother's home just off the park for an evening of conversation and good company which is rare to come by when we live over 4 hours from each other. I have to say Bend is a wonderful community. He and his wife have a home very centrally located. biking distance to everything. Their neighbors all know each other and say " hello" as they take their evening strolls. My brother spent over an hour watering his garden and showing me his plantings. I was impressed. I had had no idea he was such a green thumb. He garden is loved. It makes me motivated to put more into my still un landscaped back yard.
Friday, The last day of our wonderful adventure in sports paradise, the cousins came over to have breakfast and swim in the hotel pool for our last hours.
We eventually had to leave as the dog was waiting to be picked up from the sitter. .
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Kayak trip
Wow, what a whirl wind vacation. Took the family on a kayak trip around a wildlife preserve. We saw swimming in the water an otter and as we all pointed and waited for the other kayaks to catch up the otter became three baby otter heads to our delight, staring at us as curiously as we were watching them.A few minutes later our guide shouts out that a beaver just went under her kayak. The boys shouted that there was a snake in the water. Our guide told us that yes some snakes in our area do swim.
All sorts of birds flew by of all sorts of sizes. A blue heron flew up the estuary only to have us catch up paddling, so he flew on again. I can't name the birds we saw; Hawks, eagle, kestrel and a multitude of other birds. WE turned the corner to a beach and played in the water and ate our lunches of turkey and cheese sandwiches with peaches. The water play was a delight after sitting in the Kayake of over two hours. Thjis was a six hour experience my sister reserved for us all. I was a little leery of six hours, but she said she liked to push our limits and I was game.
The next leg was a bit more aggressive and dangerous. One leg of the island circuit was a stretch on the Columbia river. The tide was incoming and the wind had picked up. We were paddling with the current while being pushed back by the wind and tide. When a big cargo ship went by we turned into the wake to ride out the bumps, before straightening our course and continuing on. The water was not the smooth glistening surface of the protected estuary. The waves joggled the kayak. My partner was Rils, on this leg, for which I am grateful. He handles my stress the best in the family. I had not absorbed the fact we would be on the Columbia for a stretch. It is a mighty river that deserves respect and caution. It is extremely unpredictable and dangerous.
Trev was in his own Kayak as he is just too big to fit in the average kayak. Even then it was a tight squeeze. We tried to switch him out to a tandem after playing on the beach, but there was just no shoving him into the shared space. He had a blast though paddling and racing with his cousins.
On the big river though , there was no messing around. Our young guest, K, began to get sea sick from the waves of the river. Poor boy even threw up in his mouth, only to try and swallow it so he wouldn't make a mess. My sister offered to switch out and row with him in his tandem, which my young nephew was paddling with the extra weight, as K was having a hard time doing anything, feeling so ill, but the guide said no stopping on this leg. We had to just plow through and get off the river. If the wind picked up any more the waves would be too big for us novices. We were under pressure to continue. Our guide was awesome and stuck with the sea sick boy and his partner, encouraging them to try their best to continue until there was a safe beach to stop and rest and recover sea legs.
There wasn't anything I could do so I left the guide to handle the situation and continued on paddling with my heart thumping and my wish to just finish this dangerous leg and get back to the calm beautiful estuary where I could relax and enjoy my ride.
Once we made the turn to get off the river, the guide had us pull over to another beach for a rest and for K to recover his equilibrium again. More water play and horse play ensued. Then back into our Kayaks for the last leg of the trip. riley and I were a good team as we surged ahead of the crowd.
One reason I wanted to stay ahead is Trevor wanted me to hold stuff from his Kayak.He was all wet and wanted me to keep his stuff dry. He tried to pass me his binoculars in open water and was all whiny when I refused, afraid they would be dropped in the transfer and lost forever. I told him to hang on to everything until we hit dry land. He can be such a whiner sometimes. I surged ahead.
Shortly after taking the lead and heading down the beautiful quiet estuary for our last leg, Trev's voice could be heard beginning "One hundred Bottles of Bear on the wall" . He was not so romantically inclined to view nature. The excitement of the big river and now the quiet estuary did not hold him as it had on the first leg of the trip, when we all were admiring the baby otters and the birds, and Trev was trying hard to figure out how to paddle properly. Now he was an expert and ready to play.
We arrived back at our starting dock, having made a 9 mile trip around the island. I would go again in an instant. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had. It hit all my favorite buttons with friends and family and fun activities. The Columbia River part was a bit of a thrill seeker's stretch, but I know not to take that river for granted. Next time I might just do the down and back trip in the estuary instead of the full circle. Kayaking is a delight.
All sorts of birds flew by of all sorts of sizes. A blue heron flew up the estuary only to have us catch up paddling, so he flew on again. I can't name the birds we saw; Hawks, eagle, kestrel and a multitude of other birds. WE turned the corner to a beach and played in the water and ate our lunches of turkey and cheese sandwiches with peaches. The water play was a delight after sitting in the Kayake of over two hours. Thjis was a six hour experience my sister reserved for us all. I was a little leery of six hours, but she said she liked to push our limits and I was game.
The next leg was a bit more aggressive and dangerous. One leg of the island circuit was a stretch on the Columbia river. The tide was incoming and the wind had picked up. We were paddling with the current while being pushed back by the wind and tide. When a big cargo ship went by we turned into the wake to ride out the bumps, before straightening our course and continuing on. The water was not the smooth glistening surface of the protected estuary. The waves joggled the kayak. My partner was Rils, on this leg, for which I am grateful. He handles my stress the best in the family. I had not absorbed the fact we would be on the Columbia for a stretch. It is a mighty river that deserves respect and caution. It is extremely unpredictable and dangerous.
Trev was in his own Kayak as he is just too big to fit in the average kayak. Even then it was a tight squeeze. We tried to switch him out to a tandem after playing on the beach, but there was just no shoving him into the shared space. He had a blast though paddling and racing with his cousins.
On the big river though , there was no messing around. Our young guest, K, began to get sea sick from the waves of the river. Poor boy even threw up in his mouth, only to try and swallow it so he wouldn't make a mess. My sister offered to switch out and row with him in his tandem, which my young nephew was paddling with the extra weight, as K was having a hard time doing anything, feeling so ill, but the guide said no stopping on this leg. We had to just plow through and get off the river. If the wind picked up any more the waves would be too big for us novices. We were under pressure to continue. Our guide was awesome and stuck with the sea sick boy and his partner, encouraging them to try their best to continue until there was a safe beach to stop and rest and recover sea legs.
There wasn't anything I could do so I left the guide to handle the situation and continued on paddling with my heart thumping and my wish to just finish this dangerous leg and get back to the calm beautiful estuary where I could relax and enjoy my ride.
Once we made the turn to get off the river, the guide had us pull over to another beach for a rest and for K to recover his equilibrium again. More water play and horse play ensued. Then back into our Kayaks for the last leg of the trip. riley and I were a good team as we surged ahead of the crowd.
One reason I wanted to stay ahead is Trevor wanted me to hold stuff from his Kayak.He was all wet and wanted me to keep his stuff dry. He tried to pass me his binoculars in open water and was all whiny when I refused, afraid they would be dropped in the transfer and lost forever. I told him to hang on to everything until we hit dry land. He can be such a whiner sometimes. I surged ahead.
Shortly after taking the lead and heading down the beautiful quiet estuary for our last leg, Trev's voice could be heard beginning "One hundred Bottles of Bear on the wall" . He was not so romantically inclined to view nature. The excitement of the big river and now the quiet estuary did not hold him as it had on the first leg of the trip, when we all were admiring the baby otters and the birds, and Trev was trying hard to figure out how to paddle properly. Now he was an expert and ready to play.
We arrived back at our starting dock, having made a 9 mile trip around the island. I would go again in an instant. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had. It hit all my favorite buttons with friends and family and fun activities. The Columbia River part was a bit of a thrill seeker's stretch, but I know not to take that river for granted. Next time I might just do the down and back trip in the estuary instead of the full circle. Kayaking is a delight.
Monday, August 5, 2013
teen visitors
My New York sister is out visiting. She came up with my step mom for an overnight. The fair was in town so we went down to see the animals, and ride the rides, and ( my personal favorite) eat fair food. We had a blast. My step mom and I enjoyed walking the different booths and seeing the local art and 4 H submissions. I enjoyed the chicken barn immensely
I ordered Gyros and hot dogs and hamburgers and flannel cakes and ice cream. Of course I shared everything with the boys. I just like to have a couple of bites then pass it on. I even ordered food that my step mom could eat from a vendor, toppings for a salad. She has health concerns and is a very difficult person to feed. We have all figured out what she can eat and just take the matter into our own hands rather than have her try and figure out what is available that she can eat.
The boys climbed the climbing wall. Trevor did it barefoot, which was excruciatingly painful, but he had worn flip flops, which are not good for climbing walls.
WE watched the Derby, where cars battle it out by crashing into each other. We have decided my nephew is not Derby material as, for the second year in a row, he started crying when his particular favorite car crashed and was knocked out of the race. He totally misses the point of the smash up bash up being the fun part.
I got a call that one of Riley's old friends was in town and wanted to know if he could come play for a few days. He is dropped at the fair with suitcase in hand. Riley takes him to the car to leave his case and they come back for more rides and food.
We stay until the fair closes for the night. We all have a lovely time. A perfect day of sun and fun and family.
I ordered Gyros and hot dogs and hamburgers and flannel cakes and ice cream. Of course I shared everything with the boys. I just like to have a couple of bites then pass it on. I even ordered food that my step mom could eat from a vendor, toppings for a salad. She has health concerns and is a very difficult person to feed. We have all figured out what she can eat and just take the matter into our own hands rather than have her try and figure out what is available that she can eat.
The boys climbed the climbing wall. Trevor did it barefoot, which was excruciatingly painful, but he had worn flip flops, which are not good for climbing walls.
WE watched the Derby, where cars battle it out by crashing into each other. We have decided my nephew is not Derby material as, for the second year in a row, he started crying when his particular favorite car crashed and was knocked out of the race. He totally misses the point of the smash up bash up being the fun part.
I got a call that one of Riley's old friends was in town and wanted to know if he could come play for a few days. He is dropped at the fair with suitcase in hand. Riley takes him to the car to leave his case and they come back for more rides and food.
We stay until the fair closes for the night. We all have a lovely time. A perfect day of sun and fun and family.
car shopping
OK . We are big people. We are physically big people. Trev is over 240 pounds and six three and still growing at not quite 16. We do not fit in little interior spaces with sloping roof lines in the back and no leg room in the back seat.
Shopping cars is work. I find I like the boxy look to allow for the interior head room and I want cargo space for my work suitcase of samples and the case of molds. What I like and what Tom likes are turning out to be two different designs of cars. We both agree to better gas mileage. But for the space I need, I am finding I need a shape Tom thinks is a joke.
I looked at the Ford focus. I couldn't fit my clubs in the trunk without folding down the seats, let alone loading it up with my work cases. I did look at the Toyota Scion and the Cube (can't even remember the manufacturer) . The shape works. The cube may be ugly on the outside but when you get into the car the capacity for its size is amazing. Good gas mileage also. Tom asked if I was joking, when I sent him pictures of the cars.
I am going to look at Chevy's HHR and a couple of other cars as I try to find what I want. I know it is out there someplace. If I could just shrink my jeep and get the mileage, I would have my car. The other problem is having ground clearance. Many of these cars ride low. I am bottoming out on my low riding Taurus upon occasion. I would like to find something that can get down awkward driveways or gravel roads, as that may happen with some patients.
I am looking. I know when I see the car it will speak to me.
Shopping cars is work. I find I like the boxy look to allow for the interior head room and I want cargo space for my work suitcase of samples and the case of molds. What I like and what Tom likes are turning out to be two different designs of cars. We both agree to better gas mileage. But for the space I need, I am finding I need a shape Tom thinks is a joke.
I looked at the Ford focus. I couldn't fit my clubs in the trunk without folding down the seats, let alone loading it up with my work cases. I did look at the Toyota Scion and the Cube (can't even remember the manufacturer) . The shape works. The cube may be ugly on the outside but when you get into the car the capacity for its size is amazing. Good gas mileage also. Tom asked if I was joking, when I sent him pictures of the cars.
I am going to look at Chevy's HHR and a couple of other cars as I try to find what I want. I know it is out there someplace. If I could just shrink my jeep and get the mileage, I would have my car. The other problem is having ground clearance. Many of these cars ride low. I am bottoming out on my low riding Taurus upon occasion. I would like to find something that can get down awkward driveways or gravel roads, as that may happen with some patients.
I am looking. I know when I see the car it will speak to me.
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