Reno Street Vibrations....great trip

We had a wonderful, relaxing week. Enjoying what we love to do.... ride our motorcycle. We had planned our trip to Reno for months and looked forward to the ride down to the semi annual Street Vibrations event.
However the weather and rain would decide that our trip would turn out differently for us than we expected.

We had planned on riding down to Reno, taking two days to do so. Taking the back roads, through Susanville, Canby, Alturus and into Reno. But the rain moved into Oregon the weekend we were to leave.
We decided to load the bike onto the truck and drive it down and stay dry, and have a good time.

We arrived on Tuesday afternoon to cool but clear weather after driving through rainy skies most of the way down.

I snapped this picture on the way down, it was a bird sanctuary around Altrus, I believe.

We spent the next couple of days relaxing and taking in the event. There were lots of vendors there to check out on the strip, which was closed down to all traffic for the week for the event.

One of the side streets, a view from out hotel room.

 Seth, taken up at Virginia City, we spent the days riding around the area and hills, Virginia City was on the map. Most of us made it up to Virginia City over the weekend. We ended up spending time up there for two days.

 
A view of the street on Friday, it was calmer on Friday than it was on Saturday, most bikers arrived in Virginia City on Saturday we found. Kind of crazy, but we had a good time. Our bike is parked near the flag.

Seth and I on Saturday ended up parking the bike at the beginning of C street coming into town. There must have been 2000-2500 bikes parked in Virginia City that day.... crazy!!

 Virginia City ... full throttle ....

Seth and I coming into town on Friday. Glad to have a picture of the two of us. A rare picture of the two of us on the bike together. We had a great time, I hope to go back someday.

Take care and God Bless,
Cathy

Eastern Oregon-Maupin and MaryHill, Wash.

Well, the weather here in Oregon has been in the high 80's (86-89, sometime's 90's) for the last two weeks... with no releif in the near future.  Which is great for our summer, the  gardens...as long as you don't forget to water your gardens...but takes it out of you otherwise. We who live in Oregon are used to a bit cooler weather. Anything over about 82 or so,  and  I just  wilt.... a true Oregonian  ... one who never has a great tan, and can't handle the  heat...

Last week, Seth and I took some time off work, and got on the bike and took off........

We ended up in Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington...  a great!!! R and R on the motorcycle....we took the backroads, around the back side of Mt Hood and into Eastern Washington We visited Maryhill and other musuems in the area, plus  the repica of Stonehedge that Sam Hill built ca. 1890's ... Wonderful!! loved it all!! And the time we had to rest and be together.

I have learned how to pack in one saddle bag, and one 1/2 of a back pack.... on the back of a motorcycle.  I can do it... We were gone for three days.. not a problem. And we had our tecky Kindle, and IPad with us too.... I can now pack small, only what I am going to need on a long weekend.  There is a store on the way... if I REALLY  need it,I can buy it. of which 99% of the time, I don't need it that bad :)

We usually take back roads to get where we want to go when we are on the motorcycle, because we have found it's safer.  It is often a lonely road, which  is fine with us.  Nice long.... quite stretches of  road with no one to worry about on the road. Just you and the wilderness.....

We took some time to ride along the Dechutes River, a long little used road along the side of the river, the reason we did that, is 30 years ago we ran the river with our friends, Monte and Ilene...  lots of great memories.  So, here we are  years later,  running the river.... only on our motorcyle this time, following the same two day path we did so long ago. Seth is sitting in front of the last big rapid  drop  of the run we had on our river run back in the day. I remember Monte getting out of the raft at the edge of the river upstream, walking down with Seth and checking out the river, before he ran us down the river into this last part of the rapids. He did this at all parts of the river that  held questions in his mind, as rapid waters were always changing on the river.  He would never run rapids without ch ecking them out first. I always felt safe with Monte and the river.
The river has changed over the years, and the drop is not as big as it was back then. When we went over it years ago,  it was at least a 10 foot drop into a rapid and river....below... now it does not look like it's even 4-5 feet. Lots of water in the river right now.     Great memories ....

The wheat fields were wonderfiul to ride through in Eastern Oregon after Mapin, Or. Had to stop and take a picture. It's going to be a wonderful harvest! ......

Well, that's about all for tonight, take care and God Bless,
Save travels,
Cathy

PS:

Stopped by and saw the repcia o Stonehedge that Sam Hill built in attition to his home Maryhill along the Gorge in Eastern Washington. I have been to the real Stonehedge in England, so I was looking forward to seeing this repica in Washington state.  Very windly and high heat, but that didn't stop us.  Very cool, worth the visit.

4th of July Weekend... A Blast! really....

We had a great time this weekend! The 4th of July this year was busy but great in many ways. We spent it with the company of friends and family. And had a couple of first's that happened this year for our family. The first one, was our two daughter in laws ran in in the "Freedom Race 5k" race on the morning of the 4th. We were all up at dawn with the sunrise. Seth took this picture as sunrise was peaking over the trees  on the morning of the 4th... and yes were up and getting ready for the day.

Soon it was off down the road to lay claim to our parade site, Seth left at 7:15am to stake claim to our area of the sidewalk in which to watch the parade. He told me later, that he got the last bit of area left in front of Bi Mart, which is where we like to watch the parade. Boy... you would think  you were   battling for a sideway spot  at the Rose Parade or something...

Next, our girls Brittni and Lindsey were both running in the 5k Freedom Race. They were running ahead of the parade, early in the morning.  Seth was able to snap pictures of them on their way by. They both finished and did well. :) We are proud of them for running the race.

 

Soon there after, the parade started. I was so excited to be able to be in the parade this year. The Wells Fargo Coach was coming to town to be in the parade, and I was able to ride it. We had a blast. It was something I will never forget. So many customer and friends through the years... were so pleased that the coach was there, thanking us, saying hi... through out the parade. It really validated to me that Wells Fargo Bank is doing a good job with their customers in Molalla.  So many of the people  all through the parade route, clapped, stood up and clapped in some cases, said thank you for bringing it to town.... its beautiful,.... that's my bank... called out my name to say Hi... it was really  a great day.

 

This is us, after the parade. we won the President's Choice award for community involvement.
Can't wait to do it again. Till we meet again,
Happy Trails,
Cathy

Spring Chores...

A beautiful week in Oregon ! The sun was out, it was warm and toasty!  I was in heaven.... and ready to get out into the yard and weed those flower beds and mow that front field...oh I mean lawn. :)

 And I was busy this week with picking up the fruit tree trimmings from late winter, getting ready for spring budding. We need to spray them for bugs....it just jumped into my mind...need to add to the list.

So glad spring has arrived. Seth and I went into town today and stopped at  Home Depot. It was filled with customers buying everything in sight. Let the sun come out in Oregon and we will go outside and work in the yard or work on the house. And drive to Home Depot to buy supplies.  We were checking out the prices on mowers. And while we were there, I picked up my garden seeds for my garden. Chuck had tilled my garden spot last week. So it is about ready to go.

My back flower bed is full of purple flower of spring. It always refreshes me from the dull winter that has just pasted.  It tells me it is time to clean up the beds, till the garden spot, clean up the deck, get out the deck furniture and then relax in your outdoor living-room.That is about June. :)  And since I now have another wedding in Sept we are planning for, I have to really keep up on the flower beds and yard. .... Seth is working on the lawn ...trying to get it healther looking by Sept. Maybe I should have a wedding every year.... ?  Last years yard was wonderful!
Have a good week.
Cathy

Family Ties...

In the last few days, I have discovered some new family ties I have been unaware of for several years. Some stories that I have heard through the years, I  now have been able to put the pieces together. And after so many years, they now  make sense after visiting with my new found family members.  I fondly welcome them to the family. They are Seth's fathers great Aunt Beulahs family.  Beulah's granddaughter, Mary. Seth's grandfather Herbert & Beulah Finney are brother and sister. Making Seth and Mary and now Scott, who has also contacted me 2nd cousins.  So glad after all these years to re-connect after all these years apart.  Below is a picture of Great Aunt Beulah and her husband Sam Strachan.

After living in the SD area for many years, they moved to the Portland, Oregon area to spend the rest of their lives here. Carol and Wilbur spent many times visiting back and fourth through the years with the family. I have found pictures in the old books of the families, and so has Mary in her books. Below are a couple of pictures she sent me last night.
 I was amazed, one of them is an old growth log from Wilhoit Springs. I still need to ID the kids standing on the log. But you can see Wilbur and Carol, Aunt May, Uncle Ralph Ludwig, Beulah and Sam Strachan in another of the group shots below.
In the top photo: Wilbur and Carol Finney are standing on the far left in the back of the group. Next to Carol, Aunt May Ludwig. Ralph Ludwig  is the big guy in the white hat and Buelah Finney Strachan is standing to the right of him. Sam Strachan is standing by Beulah in the white shirt and grey hair.  Paul, Mark, and Mary Strachan are in the front of the middle photo.  The families involved are identified as Strachan-Finney-Ludwig..

Finneys

The cute little fellow with the tripod across his knees is Scott Maclean who will retire in a few months and who is a new grandpa.   The other photos are from a Finney visit  in 1958 -- Wilbur and Ralph Ludwig, Aunt May Finney's husband in the first shot.  Third photo: The cat is named Willis, with Seth on the floor beside the cat. Carol Finney is sitting on the couch with Pamela Finney next to her. Carol Finney is sitting with Seth in her lap in the second photo.  The place is 5103 NE 15th in Portland.

I wanted to share some our our fine old family photo's. This is what I work on for fun. Preserving our families histories.
Take care and God bless. Cathy

The Race- NASCAR Travels

Our first time to get away this year after our remodel, was a trip to visit friends in Burbank, California.  They are our racing buddies. And the race was coming to town! Can' miss it.  So we packed our bags and flew out of town.  Headed for a few days of R and R....and sunny warm skies.

 The group of us at the track. , John, Kim, Jon, Gloria, Cathy, Seth, Dan and Nancy.  Auto Club 2013

Cathy At the track.

 Seth and John relaxing after lunch and before the races starts.

Green, green, green.....the race begins.... a great view of the track.  We had a great trip and it was a restful and fun trip.

Dan and Nancy, we took a side trip up to the Griffith Observatory. Great views.

Home remodel finished:) ...

After two months of torn up bedrooms, living room, family rooms, we are finished with the new carpet project. Of course, with new carpet comes painting and the many, many other things that you find along the way that need to be fixed that you meant to do YEARS ago, and never did. And need to do NOW.

So, we started with the two bedrooms, in January. We ripped out the carpet, painted the bedrooms, repaired the sub flooring.... and such....and the other repairs that needed to be made.... and prepared for the carpet to arrive.......
 .....................tick tock...tick tock...

 

The carpets arrived for the bedrooms. So happy. :)  We could then move the furniture back into the rooms and then begin moving the living room futniture out, and prepare to paint, and wait for  the arrival of carpet the second week of Feb. we ordered.

About now....we figure out we are way too tired, and  are TOO OLD to be doing this hard work by  ourselves..... too late... we are into it now.

The living room, cleaned out of all carpet, and ready to paint.  TV,  and our chairs are all that are left in the room.  It was very cold in the house for the two or three weeks while we where going thought this. We wore extra layers ....I do not recommend  a "winter" remodel. It can be a very cold. The furniture was stored in the dinning room and family room as space was found here and there. My sister was  aghast, when she found out we were doing this and could not figure out where we where putting all our stuff. We found a space for it. :)  I hated living that way for the time we did, but we knew it would be worth it in the end!

Dinning Room..full of stuff....

Then you have the living room  moved into the dining room. 

 

Seth, on one of his many trips to Home Depot. :)

Working in the living room for a week, getting it ready, painted and prepped for carpet. We took a weeks vacation to get ready for this part of the house to be done.  I made a creative memories page of a few pictures I took of the week. Denver on the couch, and Felix in the kitchen,. :)

Done... warm and cozy at last.......

Have a good week. Take care and God Bless.

Cathy

Super Bowl Sunday

It's Superbowl Sunday!
The game is on and as I sit by the fire and wait for the lites to come back on I decided to make the time useful. It's been a busy work week, both with the house, and Creative Memories. The carpet arrived on Thursday :) and the bedrooms look great. It's nice to have the room put back together again. It's amazing what some  fresh paint and new carpets can do to a bedroom. We are busy putting things back in order in the bedrooms, before we start work on the hallway and living room. We moved some things around. I put the old tall desk in my office. It offers more storage for me and gives the guest room more space.

Yesterday, Pam, Cindy, and I  along with a couple of Pam's clients spent the day at the Expo center. It was a Creative Memories Event for about 900 women. Mostly traditional paper scrapers, but we digital gals were there also. :)  Had a great time, but it was a long day and I had some electronic challenges to deal with.  For some reason, my phone was dead on arrival...ok ... what the heck?
Well, I can live with it, I can plug it in on the way home, and Pam has hers to use if I need to. But when my computer goes down before it should have, the day for me just kind of went down hill. I lost the project I had been working on for over an hour when it went down. Arrrgggg..... not a good thing...

So, I started over, only to start having issues, with my pictures not wanting to move from one program to another the way they should. Something was up, and I didn't know what was going on. So, I shut it down, and since it was getting late in the day, after 6pm, I decided to pack it in for the day.
When I drove into the yard last night, Missy my cat decided to play with me. Seriously.....Missy....the day I have had....

As I slowed down to pull onto the pad by the garage, she looked at the car, and walked in front of me on purpose, seriously....ok, I backed up to move over into the other lane, and she walked over to the other lane... I backed up, she followed the car..... by now, I am a tired and a  unhappy camper, and thinking, Tonight, you have to do this tonight? I stop the car, look up to see Seth  laughing in the window...that's of no help, thanks :)  sweetie.  I get out, yell at the cat, she leaves slowly walking away. I drive into the drive way, and walk into the house not so quietly, talking to the cat. Seth still laughing says "she was doing that to you on purpose you know. Playing with you".  Once again Arrrggg. "YES, I know.... I didn't think it was cute".
So ends my day.  I hope this finds you all well and that you enjoyed the game. It turns out we have a game and it's not a runaway by the Ravens!
YAHH! Go San Fransico!!
Cathy

A Cold frosty week in Molalla

It's been a very cold two weeks, getting  colder with each passing day. We have been huddling in the house trying to stay warm each evening with the heat on and a fire in the fire place. I for one am glad we don't live in the mid west where the winters are much colder and longer than ours....I am longing for spring and the Oregon rain.

The fog lifted for the first time today in days, when I came home for lunch at 2pm today, this is what I saw. Several days of ice fog on all the trees and bushes around the property. A beautiful frosty white homestead. And I might add still FROZEN. We expect freezing rain in the morning. Our high today was 34. It was 23 when I left for work this morning.

But this is what I look forward to when I get home from work and over the last few days over the weekend.....

Keeps us warm after a long days work at home or at work. We have been busy working in our house to replace the carpets in the house. Which with that comes of course painting the walls while your at it, fixing this and that while your at it... we ripped out the carpets from one bedroom last weekend with brother in law Neils help and plan  this weekend working on our bedroom. The carpet has been ordered and due to arrive on the 28th. Install  date yet to be determined. We will also be replacing the living-room and hallway carpets after that.  A lot of work is ahead of us, but it will be worth it and look nice in the end.

That is, if we can stay out of the urgent care centers with 17 other people, all of which have the flu or colds, waiting for a doctor for 2 hours, to look at your hand as  you have cut it with a pudy knife. Yes, Seth had an encounter with a pudy knife. And that is all I will say about it. He will be fine. I on the other hand, am taking vitamin C  and now sneezing.  We will be returning to the bedroom work this weekend.

Take care and God Bless.
Cathy

Creative Memories Weekend

 We spent the first two weeks of the new year resting putting Christmas away for another year and trying to stay warm. It has been colder  recently these past few days and we have found that the older we get the less we like it. And the more of a challenge it is to stay warm.

Oregon Gardens Creative Memories Consultant Event


Pam and I spend the weekend enjoying the time working on projects, helping others, and enjoying the time together. A total of 52 women came together this weekend to spend a day together , to learn and  to share our passion of creating albums, books, and other projects together. And for those that want too, there was also help to grow their business. Pam and I also invited Brittni and Lindsey to come over and enjoy the evening and stay the night. We had a nice dinner and good time sharing.

I have taken on the challenge from the Pixels2Pages Website  "Day2Day"  Challenge.  Don't know if I will be able to keep up with it, but I am willing to give it a try. I have completed the first week page and I am remembering to take at least one  picture a day somewhere in my life. It's kind of like a a diary of your life in pictures for a year. We will see how it turns out.

It was fun to put together and didn't take me long at all. Which is a good thing, since I do have several other projects I am working on also. I have a wedding book for my son, a camping book for my husband, I want to do a family book for each side of our families. So, I will be very! busy this year. Oh, and a book of our trip to the Caribbean too.

Wow...my evenings will be very full indeed. But it's fun and worth it in the end.

A Creative Memories Partner, and one of the best places to increase your knowledge of  digital scrap-booking. and projects.

Have a great weekend! It's FRIDAY! Mine as you can see will be full, and that is in between picking out  new carpet, paint and molding for a remodel project we are also working on.

Take care and remember, SMILE, it's never that bad...............
Cathy