Vacation and Happy Hour

The Oregon Coast





We had another enjoyable trip to the Oregon coast for vacation. This year we stayed in Newport. In years past we stayed in Seaside. My son Michael would have preferred Seaside. He calls it his "happy place". Trying something new was enjoyable. I had forgotten how impressive Mount Hood can be. Uncle Gene chose a couple of great wines. We stopped to visit my Mother and Fathers grave site. I did shed a few tears. I do miss them. As we drove through Boise (in 102 degree heat) we said "Hi" to Rebecca Anne but I don't think she heard us. Next year we are going to the Big Island. Reservations have already been made. Michael leaves for Norway tomorrow. He will be gone for two weeks.


Janice and I figure this was the last trip together as a family. The boys are growing older. We'll see what time brings. Speaking of time, have you heard the words to the theme from "M*A*S*H"?


We had a community Happy Hour last evening. We gathered at Steve and Dee's house. Everybody brought their own drinks and a dish to share. The band assembled and we had an open mike. Neighbors played their instruments and others grabbed a mike and sang. We had a great time.


Smiles,


David

The Columbia River Gorge

Time flys when you are having fun

The Flat tops in north central Colorado


The summer is just flying by. I'm having a hard time sitting down at this machine to talk about everything that has been going on.


The Weekend of the Summer Solstice, June 19, 20 and 21st was our annual SCSSYYSR (Sunshine Canyon Summer Solstice YaYa Sisterhood Reunion). Those who have followed me for several years know all about it. For those who are new here is the explanation. My lovely wife grew up in Sunshine Canyon. At that time there were very few families living in Sunshine. They were very close. Several of the families have moved away or the children have grown up and moved on. Although there are many miles between them, the families have remained close. Every year, for many of the past years, the families have gathered for a reunion. Except for one year, this reunion is held in the mountains at Dale and Terry's house. We affectionately call it "Hog Hollow". This year was just as much fun and the past years. My only regret is that I relied on Terry to take all of the pictures. She did a great job except that I walked off and left my disk at her house. Maybe, I hope, she'll send it to me. The picture at the top of the page was taken near their house on Saturday.


GREAT NEWS!!!!!! We have electricity at the Sunshine School house. We lost power when the old firehouse burnt down. It's only taken 3 years for the power to be restored.


My youngest son has earned his Eagle Scout award. I am really , really proud of him.

We are leaving for the Oregon coast on Sunday. We'll stop in Salt Lake City on Sunday night and spend time with friends. The next day we'll truck through Boise and then stop in Baker City, Oregon. Tuesday it's off to the coast after brief stops in Mosier (to pick cherries), Camas (to see my brother and his family) and Portland (to visit my parents grave site and then Uncle Gene's Wine shop). We will find our pillows in Newport.
Keep smiling!
David

Randy

Milo and I started our day as usual this morning. We had another “Sunrise Alert”. That is a phrase we use when there is a beautiful sunrise. The sky was ablaze with red, orange and yellow. We performed our morning task and raised the flag. As usual, Milo sat at attention. I almost wish he would learn to play the bugle.
Just then a brand new white Ford extended cab, Ranger approached us and came to a stop. I did not recognize who was inside until the power window rolled down. Behind the wheel sat Randy. I don’t usually talk about people’s characteristics because it’s not polite and my parents raised me better than that. (Also, you never know who’s going to read your journal.) But in Randy’s case, you have to know a little about him to appreciate his new pick-up truck.
Randy has lived in Sunshine for a number of years. He stays mostly to himself. He’s a bachelor in his mid 30’s. Up until today he has been driving an old red Chevy truck. He wears a brown felt “well loved” cowboy hat, Wrangler jeans and a pocket t-shirt (various colors). I did see him on a Saturday evening last summer wearing a “snappy” cowboy shirt. He must have had a date. His cowboy boots are well worn. It’s hard to tell what kind of animal gave up its life for those fine boots. I think he purchased them during Cheyenne Frontier Days.
I believe he fancies himself as a cowboy. I know he sure loves Country and Western music (not that there is anything wrong with that, I do too). I hear it every time he drives by. I used to think he was from Nebraska because of his red truck. Other times I was sure he was from Texas. He will often wear his pants inside his boots. I even remember him saying “all-ya-all” at last year’s community fest. I know he’s not from Wyoming. Unlike myself, he does not get that “far away look” when we talk about sheep.
Personally, I’ve never seen him take a drink, but rumor has it, he can hold his own with the best of ‘em. I’m not sure what he does for a living. He leaves every morning while Milo and I are walking. He returns when we are lowering the flag in the evening. As he passes, he gives us a two finger wave.
I thought it strange that he would stop this morning. He rolled down the window and called me over to his brand new truck. I looked in the window and noticed the gun rack in the rear window. He wanted to show me his “toys’. There, mounted where the back seat should have been, was a microwave, refrigerator and coffee pot. Mounted to the ceiling was a color TV / DVD combination. Randy must be a cowboy from Wyoming. They are awfully proud of their pickup trucks in Wyoming.

Mouse story

One of my Sunshine neighbors, Maggie, works in one of the high-rise buildings in downtown Denver. She leaves Sunshine around 6:30 in the morning, Monday thru Friday. She drives down Sunshine Canyon Drive, thru Boulder and onto US 36, the Boulder Turnpike. It’s still called the turnpike even though the toll booths were removed many years ago. Her drive continues onto Interstate 25 and then on Spear Boulevard into Downtown Denver. It is a 35 mile drive that takes about 55 minutes on a good day.
Her office is on the 24th floor. There are 35 people sharing the small space, crammed into small cubicles. There is a large open space where all of the workers share three FAX machines and two copiers. There is also a large bank of filing cabinets. Maggie told me a story about an incident involving a mouse last week. One of the file clerks opened a filing cabinet drawer and saw a mouse. She jumped, uttered the appropriate shriek and slammed the drawer. She immediately ran to her desk and called the building maintenance department to report the incident.
Fifteen minutes later a maintenance worker appeared. He checked every filing cabinet, inside and out. He could not find the mouse. The mouse was probably just as frightened as the clerk and left soon after the drawer slamming. With other jobs to do, the maintenance worker asked the clerk to sign the work order “completed”. The clerk refused, saying she wouldn’t sign until she saw him remove the mouse. The maintenance worker said “Listen lady, the work order says ‘chase mouse’ not ‘produce mouse’ and I did that”. The file clerk thought about it for a minute and then signed the work order. The mouse hasn’t been seen since.

So Long Bob, the schoolbus driver

Milo and I took our morning walk, just like we have everyday for the last 3 years. We stopped at the old Sunshine school house. The flag was raised to full staff; we remembered our servicemen and then continued our walk. We turned and started our return home.

Milo always hears the school bus as it nears us. His ears perk up and his tail wags. We knew our ol' buddy Bob, the school bus driver, would have a treat for him. We knew this was the last day of school for the students. We were looking forward to seeing Bob. Bob pulled the bus to a stop and opened the door. Milo went to the door and waited for Bob's command. "Sit" and Milo was sitting with his tail wagging. Bob threw Milo a treat. Once more, all was well with the world. Before I could tell Bob that we would miss him all summer and would be looking forward to next fall, Bob told us he won't be back next year. He's nearing 70 and is ready to retire. We wished him a fond farewell and he drove on to pick up the waiting students. We will miss him.

So long Bob.

Proof

Just a short note. Here's proof, he made it. Congratulations to my son, Michael. Here he is with his girlfriend, Jeanette.
The Party was a lot of fun.

Late Spring and an open invitation

Spring comes late in the high country. The other morning I had to stop by the neighbors and snap a photo of their driveway. They planted daffodils all the way to their house. Daffodils are one of the few plants the deer are not interested in eating.

My youngest son, Michael will graduate from Boulder High School on Saturday. We are hosting a graduation party on Saturday, noon to 4PM you are all invited. No need to RSVP...just show up.
You are more than welcome to join us. They say it takes a community to raise a child. We have had a very large community.