Our Youngest Grandson turns 4

Four years ago in April we got a call in Camp Verde, AZ that our youngest daughter had gone into labor 3 weeks early. We were already on our way home to be at the birth

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and would have been back in less than a week--but seems our "new to be born" grandson was ahead of schedule. After the call we hit the road running--breakdown was quicker than we even knew we could and headed back to Portland. We drove almost straight through, with only a stop of 4 hours to sleep in northern California. We arrived the next day, 11 hours after his birth--but a delivery we will never forget. My good friend Lisa stood in for me "the absent" mother; she kept me abreast via cell phone of the progression of  labor as well as the eventual delivery, allowing me to be "present" throughout the process without being physically there. Now that is a "real" friend. I will always be grateful to her.

Well now that grandson has just turned 4 and we were there to celebrate his birthday with him.

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He was over the top with excitement. He wanted to spend the day at Chuck E Cheese, so we joined the family there--goodness what an active place. Of course seeing him feeling so special melted our hearts and made us glad that "Chuck E" gave him his wish of a fun filled day.

A Weekend Away--an annual Women's Retreat

Ah, to go away with a delightful group of women is beyond special for me. I look forward each year to this retreat, and so appreciate the time, to spend time away with these wonderful women, and being on the beautiful OR coast is a bonus in my opinion.  We gather in Lincoln City at a beautiful home that is perfect for a large group such as ours. A few of us arrive early on Wednesday, most of the other ladies arrive on Thursday--leaving the last few to join us early Friday. The weekend is full of friendly chatter, soulful laughter, too much eating, quiet reading, competitive games, joyous times together, heartfelt tears, spiritual fellowship, walks on the beach, biblical lessons & intimate sharing by all.
Joyce took the plunge last year  by blowing a lovely glass ball. This year she tried her hand at a blowing a matching glass bowl--wow it was beautiful. So loved sharing this thrill with her.

Happy are We--Good Friends Jim & Diane Visit

A call came yesterday from our good friends & Boomer mates, Jim Baker & Diane Fisher; they were not far, &; would like to visit with us in Canby. Oh yeah--we would were so happy to hear they were coming by & looked forward to seeing them.

They arrived midday Sunday & we spent the day catching up on each others travels. Later we prepared dinner--easy was the menu, since they had planned steaks, potatoes & salad. Now that was huge hit with us. The weather cooperated with us & dinner was most successful.
The next day Diane & I did some errands, & another meal was planned. Grilled chicken, rice & salad---again weather worked for us, and the dinner was enjoyed outside on the deck.

Later games were played--but unfortunately for Diane & I, we were not successful in being victorious--the guys did overly gloat. Not becoming in our opinion:)
Sadly on Tuesday we bid them goodbye until we meet again….we know it will not be soon enough for us.

Oh where, oh where is the sun....

When we arrived the sun was shinning, warm temps had arrived and not nary a cloud was in the sky. Our host left the next day & soon the sun followed. Clouds, rain, wind and just plain nasty weather arrived at our doorstep.

But how can we complain, since our weather this winter mostly consisted of mild temps, rarely rain and a fair amount of sunny days. Hey we arrived early in the NW and the weather has always been unpredictable.

But today the sun has returned....well for a few hours anyway:) The flowers our blooming, the gardens are growing (well except for the potatoes) and people are out doing what they love to do. Many neighbors were out today... we know this because their planes were in the air.

We are truly enjoying our stay here in Canby despite the weather. All is good and peaceful:)

A New Project for Frank

We have been talking about replacing our old very heavy analog TV with a newer LED flat screen TV for a couple of years. We thought we'd wait until the old TV gave up the ghost. Well, the old TV has continued to serve us well, and didn't seem to be anywhere near to "dying" any time soon.

So plan B was put in place--we had to make a decision, whether to replace the old TV or wait another year--the verdict-the time was now. Frank had had a plan in mind for awhile and now he was able to see if it matched the outcome he envisioned. The hardwood cabinet that contained that old heavier, much taller &; deeper TV-- would need to be cut down and redesigned to fit the newer, lighter, flat screen TV.

It was Frank's hope the finished project would look as if the coach came with the new TV. In addition he wanted the front frame to be removable so that we would be able to access the back of the TV, giving us some extra storage &; he wanted the new TV to be on an articulating, extend-able arm that would give us more flexibility in positioning the TV, yet be stable & secure when the RV was in movement.

Voila-- that is exactly what the result was--a cabinet remade to fit a more modern piece of technology, stable and accessible. An added bonus, the cabinet is no longer the "head-thumper" it was prior to the remake. We both love the look as well as the new digital,. flat screen TV. Good job Frank!

Easter in Canby with Family

This morning we were up early and attended a local church here in Canby with our daughter Gina. A moving message was delivered, inspirational and the good news is we felt welcomed in this community church.

Later in the afternoon, much of the rest of our family arrived to share the day with us. Ryan brought a beautiful bouquet to brighten our day. The grandkids, as well as parents were all decked out.

Dinner was an easy finger food spread, allowing us all to catch-up on "what's new" and just spend some quality time together. Gee do you think we like our kids--yep--they are the best.
P.S. Notice the family dog--Sadie--she belongs to all of us:)

Dinner with oldest son Frankie & wife Sheri

Hey what do we miss most about being on the road full-time--Family & friends that have know us forever. We always miss our loved ones when we are traveling, so it is so great when we are able to be with them up close and personal.

Today was one of those days. Our eldest son Frankie and his wife Sheri had us over for a dinner. It was--Lasagna one of our favorites. We never get this because it's kinda of hard to do lasagna for 2. This one hit the spot & was way yummy--a real 2 thumbs up from both of us. Thanks kido's for the great dinner.
Our son has a passion for saltwater aquariams, fish, coral and all that this entails. He has a live saltwater reef in a special tank that is a wonder to behold. All things tropical that one would see in an ocean. It is so beautiful, but I guess you'd actualy have to see it up close and personal to understand how spectacular it is.