Fort Vancouver

 Last week we had visitors.  Friends from San Diego, David and Lois, stopped by.  So we got reacquainted with all the exploration spots at the site.  Saw some friends who work there.  Had a great visit at the Marshall House, where George C Marshall lived when he was the Commandant in 1938 and 39,  It is a beautiful house.  It's the site of many weddings during the year.


We also spent time at the Pearson Air Museum before wandering down to the fort itself.  Our rangers friends gave us a key so we could enter some of the buildings that are normally not open,  It was a  nice gesture.  It was fun being the tour guides for D and L and seeing the place again.  We will go back to volunteer again for sure.

   The heritage garden had a fall look meaning that many for the vegetables had been harvested, but the flowers were still looking good.  It was a good day.

Progress

My neighborhood is changing.  In the area just east of us that used to grow  crops is now growing a neighborhood.  Growth is inevitable.  As I type this I can hear the sounds of progress.  Nailing guns, excavators, power saws set the background noise level.  That level will, unfortunately, continue until every lot is occupied.  It looks to be a while because there are approximately 50 home sites being prepared and being built on.  The good thing is that they are all single family homes.  No apartment structures in sight.  As I walk the boys down Teakwood or in the building area, the skyline and the view is changing daily.  

Home

We have been home for a week.  Most but not all of the items in the trailer have been unloaded.  (Some are still buried in the basement)  There are some trailer projects to do but the yard and house needing more attention right now.  I have someone who mows regularly but the weeds continue to grow and the trees and bushes continue to grow so the trailer projects will have to wait for a while. The weather has been beautiful since we have arrived home so outdoor activities are enjoyable.  The weather forecasters say changes are coming this weekend so now is the time to get yard things done.
    This weekend R and I attended our first Comicon. It is an annual event that uses a large portion of the Portland Convention Center.  If it would have been a Sci Fi or a Star Trek event

 I would have been more involved and had been more interested in the booths selling and showing items .  The comic industry has evolved into a mega-industry with a major portion of the movement here in the Portland area.  

     The convention center was crowded with all sorts of costumes from scary to creative to silly.  Some required a second look.  Some others made you feel a tinny bit guilty for taking a second look.  It was an interesting afternoon.

Did you know ?

Highway 93 from Salmon to Arco is called the "Peaks to Craters Highway".

If you into Lewis and Clark, Salmon is a great place to visit.

There is a substantial Amish community in southeast Minnesota.

America is a beautiful country to explore.

Life is good.




more later

Helicopter

Sign of the times

Sept 2, 2016

   Today was a long road day.  It's 450 miles from Twin Falls, Id to Redmond, Or.  I planned on 9 hours driving time so we left TF at 7:07,   The trip involves about 120 miles of freeway ( I-84) and the rest US 20,  We gained an hour with the time zone change and arrived in Redmond about 4 pm.  That was 10 hours on the road.  Starting out early helped make it better but it was still a long day.

Twin Falls

   Arrived in "Twin" yesterday.  Spent a day and a half in Salmon.  I wish we would have had more time to look around.  The area is a hotbed of Lewis and Clark information.  The Sacajawea Center has a large section of books and pamphlets on the expedition.  It would be fun to spend some time trekking where they trekked over 200 years ago.
    We drove Hwy 28 north to Salmon and Hwy 93 south out of Salmon.  Both are great route choices heading up to that area.  The town of Salmon is kind of an oasis.  There is "not much" for many miles around that area so the town has pretty much everything you want.  Long bus rides for high school teams in that area.

The Tetons

Sunny days and mild temps made for a pleasant stay.  The fire at the northern border of the park made the air quality an issue as you can see from the upper photo.

The lower photo is taken at the Laurance S Rockefeller Preserve in the national park.  His father purchchased 33000 acres to preserve land and then donated it to the NPS.  Thank you Mr Rockefeller.