I would probably self-identify as a female rural West Coast (of USA) Caucasian, but that wouldn't include, as labels often don't, my journey from a small monocultural mill town to a solo sabbatical in six countries (in '91). Now I'm on to the exciting sojourn of retirement (from full-time worklife five years ago). I love travel and art and aesthetics, as well as almost all cats and dogs I've met. This blog is just for fun and experimenting with the tools. It should be amusing...

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Erratic

Well, I certainly didn't mean to supersize the three pix below, but I've been wrestling with this sorta-new Blogger and it's ANNOYING! Can't seem to get in and easily erase or edit, so I'm leaving it for the meantime and going outside....apology.

Nature's Beauty

We're very lucky in that Lake Siskiyou is about eight minutes from our house, so we can dash over there for a bit of beauty and a cold one while we enjoy nature. It's the first mountain lake we can swim in around here each summer, but the water's just warm enough for toes this mid-June.



The gooses are starting to arrive, probably a short stop on their way north. Gorgeous and regal, they float by with a few inquisitive snorts unless one has visible treats.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Hometowns

This is a small picture of the home I grew up in from about age 6 to 12. The overgrown trees and bushes are new. It was painted white when we lived there & looked out to the Columbia River in a residential area. A cemetary was right next door. One of my 'sister' Heidi's best tricks was to galumph into the middle of funerals while we hid in the bushes and hissed for the escaped hound: "Ashes to Ashes, St Bernard dog...." Camas, WA had the largest specialized paper mill in the world then, under Crown Zellerbach. Every day smelly smoke would belch out from the mill and fathers said to families, "That's money in the bank!" It turned the silver black & who knows what it did to us, but it's still there, under another company name. Being there gave me a definite small town experience: as kids, we rode our bikes all over town, through the woods and down to the rivers, with our pals. Most everyone knew everyone else. Now there are more folks and a new bridge to Portland, but downtown Camas still looks much the same. When I go there and walk around, I feel like a ghost....what's your home town like now? And you when you're in it?

Summertime Fun

http://www.moteldelrogue.com/ Here's the URL for our favorite quaint motel. We've been going since daughter Sylvia was about 2, and now she's a beautiful 5'7" gal. (She was too busy with end-of-school activities to stop for a photo!) We took eight friends there last week and had a blast with potlucks and veranda breakfasts. And nearby Grant's Pass has wild boat rides, big funny painted bears downtown, and very cool restaurants. HOORAY for summer! Now I'm planning an Oregon coast trip, and time in Portland and Camas, where Gramma is!

A group of us went up to Grant's Pass, OR to stay at our favorite motel, Motel Del Rogue, which is wonderful, cozy and a peaceful retreat. We also went to see Asleep at the Wheel, an Austin band who've been around since early Willy Nelson, et al. Lotsa fun! There are 15 varied units here in a restful, fun atmosphere. The innkeepers Kevin and Constance are very welcoming and helpful. Sorry the shot of Michael fiddlin' on the balcony came out dark. Come join us for the next excursion, less than two hours from home!