Deer in the Berries

It's summer. Summer means gardens and lots of yummy growing things. The deer think so to. And so far, we don't mind their mincing through the yard, or the fact that they're eating the marionberries. They don't eat them all, and the canes are very full. My parents' neighbor Nichole, on the other hand, hates that they ate her snow peas.
Note: I know the photo is out of focus. They don't like me to get too close with the camera.

Moving Palestine Church

This is the North Palestine Church. It was built about 130 years ago on the donation land claim of my 3rd great grandparents, Tolbert and Martha Angeline Belieu Carter, in Benton Co. Oregon.

A few months ago, the decision was made by the North Palestine Cemetery Board that the church building could no longer be maintained, and with the need to increase the size of the cemetery, the building (which hasn't been in use for decades) should be torn down. I think that was a sad moment for most of us who are attached to the building and the cemetery. Three generations of my family are buried in the cemetery. My family worshiped in that church once upon a time. Luckily, some preservationists have stepped in and with the help of the county, the building was spared.

Yesterday, the church moved from it's old brick foundation about to a new home about four miles away with the hope that it can be used as a community space. My parents and I went to watch, and it feels good knowing I could witness the move, rather than a demolition.

Goodbyes

This last weekend was one of goodbyes. On Saturday our family joined the rest of the old neighborhood to say goodbye to Kathy, a neighbor of 30+ years who passed away from cancer a couple weeks ago. She'd fought for several years, and held on to meet her first grandchild before letting go. So family, friends and neighbors celebrated one last backyard party in Kathy's honor. It was good to see people who have moved on to other places, and to remember other celebrations we'd all been a part of.

The second goodbye was different. The story goes back many years. One Christmas we gave my grandmother a birdhouse. She hung it outside her kitchen window and for years would watch the house swallows arrive, raise their babies and then they would disappear. When my grandmother passed away, my parents took the birdhouse to their home and for years we've repeated the cycle. This year, we finally got to see the babies leave the nest. It was an event my grandmother never witnessed since once the birds can fly, the whole family just disappears. It was kind of cool to see this year's babies take their first flight.

Berries!

I spent part of Tuesday picking raspberries at a local farm with my mom, aunt and sister. As usual, we picked more than we really needed. On Wednesday Mom and Traci made jam with most of the. Most of the ones I brought home were frozen whole so that I can use them later. I just put them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze for a couple hours, then I pack them freezer bags. I had a few left over, so I broke out the good ole' food mill and crushed them into puree. One of these days, when I have some space in the freezer I'll make some ice cream.

Grillin'

It's summer, which means food should be cooking on the grill, right? I'm ashamed to say, that I haven't done any grilling since I moved to Salem; instead I've relied on family dinners and camp outs for my grill fix...until tonight.

When I moved into my previous home, I splurged on a Weber charcoal grill. I loved it. Charcoal takes a little time, so it was common for me to grill a variety of foods on the weekends and eat all week. So, when I moved back to the Valley, my grill went into storage with most of my other things. Then last summer, Dad sort of commandeered my grill. Then the notice came from my management company: NO CHARCOAL GRILLS ALLOWED!

A couple months ago the parents bought me a new grill to replace the one they are now using. It's a Weber, but it's gas. Not my favorite grilling option. But you do what you must. Tonight I used the new grill for the first time. I love grilled steak.

July Road Trip

Sometimes I just feel the need to drive. So, last Friday I packed up the car and headed west to the Coast taking Highway 30 from Portland to Astoria. I'd never taken that route before, and while I enjoyed it, it's longer than taking Highway 26 I think. I stopped briefly in Columbia City to see the Caples House, another of the Oregon Society DAR museums. Further along the way I contemplated taking the Ferry from Westport across the Columbia just because I could, but I didn't want to wait forty-five minutes, so I just stayed on the Oregon side of the river.

In Astoria I went see Fort Clatsop, which is part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. My last trip there was in 1994, and the fort burned a couple years ago necessitating that be rebuilt. It was as I remembered, which was reassuring. I love to visit National Park Service sites.

So, spending the night in Astoria required finding a good place for dinner. Following some signs, I found the Ft. George Brewery. Good beer and good food. It was definitely a good choice. I had the homemade sausage with sauerkraut and fries, complemented with a pint of Divinity.

Saturday
morning I crossed the Columbia and hiked to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. It was cold, foggy and misting rain. Typical coastal weather, but it was a nice mile hike. Then it was back to the car, where I worked my way inland to Bremerton where I caught the ferry to Seattle.

Seattle is a great place to visit, and to all my friends and family there, I didn't call because the trip was very last minute with a very loose itinerary. I only spent a couple hours in town. Just long enough to visit the new (opened earlier this year) Hard Rock Cafe. I like to visit them, have a snack and buy a guitar pin. I have now been to the HRC's in Las Vegas, Louisville, Baltimore, Washington DC, Gatlinburg and Seattle.

It was a good trip, and nice to get away for a little while.

4th of July Vacation

Just got back from 10 days at the lake. It was a family and practically family vacation. We did a little of a lot of things: lounged around in the sun like lizards, swam like fish, rode the tubes (acquiring the usual bruises in the process) while Dad drove the boat and did some fishing.

I took no photos this trip. I have many of previous trips, and I caught no fish to brag about. The only two I managed to hook, unhooked themselves and swam away before we could get them in the boat. Regardless of the lack of photo evidence, it was a good trip. And it's good to be back.