Loud equate to good?...49º

I passed up yard saling with Pat yesterday morning and canned apricots for Rusty and made deep dish apple pie for Herb...Finished up in time for the "Juniper Jam" that started at 1pm...I found a spot where I could see both stages, the sun was shining and I settled back to listened to an hour of mellow music, treated myself to a sausage dog with sauerkraut and watched the people.

Apricots

P and N stopped by for a visit as they checked out the crowd and vendors...By this time I was watching an ominous black cloud moving my way, when I got a text from Pat saying they had arrived...Trying to decide where to sit, we visited with mutual friends before abandoning the grassy lawn, wind whipped at our heels, the rain started and the temperature dropped about 20º...The "Quonset Hut" provided shelter from both rain and wind as well as a full on view of the main stage...It also lessened the need for earplugs...As more people gravitated to the shelter P and N also blew in as the music screeched to a halt, taking a rain break.

Looking out on the scene, people folded up lawn chairs, lowered canopies and hunkered down for the duration or left the grounds...Pam, Nancy and I stuck it out, Pat and Brian abandoned ship for their cozy lake cabin...About a half hour later the sun came out and I followed P and N to their chairs in the second row where the music was blasting and people had started to dance...I truly wished for earplugs...It was fun watching the people (all ages and sizes,) the music, though loud, was good for dancing..But by the time the set was finished, the music had gone beyond loud, lost its crowd, and my head felt like it had been inside the "liberty Bell" at its inaugural ringing...Time for me to go home and eat pie with Herb....Hugs To All....OWAV:)

Eyes/shopping...50º

From one eye appointment to the next I keep shopping lists of items to buy in LaGrande...We arrived early at Dr Pettits office and were in and out within an hour...Early morning is best at Walmart so that was next on the list, then BiMart for canning supplies, nuts and wine...Grocery Outlet almost last, where several things went into the ice chest...Items not on the list such as Haagan Das ice cream and Salted Caramel bars were only slightly thawed by the time we arrived home...I was looking for frozen foods that could be used for finger foods at the Josephy Center...I passed up the chicken wings because they are too messy and the meat balls were absent. (Maybe on another trip)...We had lunch at the "Smoke House Diner", not the best but okay...They advertised finger steaks and in our mind that means hand breaded strips of succulent beef...Instead it was battered, frozen, grab a handful out of the bag, throw in the deep fryer and cover with canned sweet/sour sauce before serving...Their salad bar was their only saving grace!

Our last stop "Kauffmans" as we leave Island City...This little store has bulk items that are very inexpensive compared to name brand package stuff, such as pectin, tapioca, peppercorns and alum...Also a deli case of meats and cheeses ready to be sliced, pastrami and swiss were my choices.

At home we unloaded the car, sorted and stored all of our purchases...Took a break, caught up on FB and scrabble then Herb opted out on the music so I joined Pam and Nancy for the end of the season concert...Back home Herb had sampled the salted, caramel ice cream bars and had one waiting for me...Yummy!..Hugs To Cienna...OWAV:)

Flash Back Friday...

Cienna camping with Oma and Papa

Cienna on a field trip in Thailand

(next to last on the left with hat and braids)

Reminisce...

Always fun to look back and see what was happening in our life a year ago...Last year I was waiting for tomatoes to ripen, making jam, gathering fresh veggies from the garden, weeding, deadheading, transplanting and we made a trip to LaGrande for eye appointments...(same as this year)...Our one major difference, last year, was a trip to Redmond where we watched Cienna play water polo in a Jamboree...This year we are watching her via Facebook as she is 3 weeks into her Rotary exchange of a year in Thailand...Life moves on.

Yesterday I played hookey from housework, cooking, canning and all those other things...Went to write people, then out to lunch and was enjoying sitting in the sun finishing a glass of wine when it dawned on me that I had a PT appointment scheduled for 2pm...After PT I came home to relax on the deck, catch up on scrabble and just laze away the day....So now I have a full day today making another batch of apricot jam and maybe roasting some tomatoes, figure out what we are having for dinner and get my shopping list in order for LaGrande, where we have eye appointments tomorrow.

Coming up this weekend and next week: Saturday the annual "Juniper Jam" takes place in Enterprise, Monday evening Pam's birthday party, and on Sept 4th an opening at Josephy Center...Pat and I will be making finger food for that event...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Following photo's were taken at lunch with the "Write People."

Digging in the dirt...50º

After not visiting the garden for a few days, because of the rain, I wasn't surprised to find cucumber and zucchini...Cherry tomatoes in orange and purpley red are beginning to show up as well.

Think I better make zucchini casserole!

Moving from the garden I deadheaded, pulled weeds (easy after the rain) transplanted bee balm, iris and hostas...Back in the house, the smell of meat simmering on the stove reminded me to slice and dice fresh tomatoes and onions for our taco dinner.

Below is a photo looking out our sliding doors onto the deck...I love this view even after the deer "mowed" off all the petunia blossoms late in the night...I had been neglectful and didn't spray the liquid deer fence!..Oh Joy is right...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Memory Lane...46º

Up early this morning, after a full 8 hours of sleep, feeling refreshed...The sun is shining, slight breeze, just right for working outside and that is good because the apricots and tomatoes need a couple more days to ripen up...I did 14, 1/2 pints and 3 pints of apricot jam yesterday.

Very Tasty

This morning after scrabble games and scanning FB for bits of info about Cienna, I decided to search for old friends...I typed in Duchesne, Utah (we lived there for 7 years, 40 years ago) on FB and started looking for any name that might be familiar...But first to appear was a little cafe named "Polar Queen"...I would have sworn on a stack of bibles that its name was "Artic Circle" but there it was, a photo so I couldn't argue with that!..It was a block from our house and in 1966-73 we (Bobi, Rusty and I) treated ourselves to hamburgers, fries and milkshakes, whenever Herb was gone fighting forest fires...It seems impossible but I remember our "whole meal" costing about $2.00...But I couldn't remember the name of the place so maybe it wasn't $2.00 but it was cheap and good.

I continued my search and found some of the "Bailey Family" that lived next door so I sent out friends requests...Will see if they claim to have known us...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Pickled...46º

The pungent smell of vinegar filled our house yesterday, as I scrubbed and trimmed 20# of small cucumbers...One gallon for sweets, 10 quarts and 7 pints are hot, garlic dills...While working on the cukes, I had a small pot of soup simmering on the stove for our dinner...Herb finished picking the apricot tree before the rain storms knocked any more to the ground...I think we got about 50# all together...Jeff and Connie stopped by for a visit and apricots.

Cucumbers all done, now I must start making jam out of the ripe apricots...That should keep me busy today...50# of Imnaha tomatoes were delivered yesterday and they can wait a few days before I start the roasting process...Bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwiches are on todays menu...The sun is shining, fall is in the air...Herb has laundry started and he needs a haircut...I better get moving...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

I think I take this photo every year!

2 boxes of Imnaha Roma's

Front Porch

2014 Garlic Dills

52º...Rained

A few yardsales for Pat and I yesterday, but no great bargains...Back home I worked outside deadheading and looked at spots that need to be filled in as fall approaches...Never as much fun putting everything to bed as it was in the spring when everything is just sprouting through the earth...A good soaking rain afternoon and into the night really helped to freshen things up as we look ahead to the Indian Summer that Wallowa County is famous for...The "turning" of the trees, as the maples go through many shades of red and the tamarack turn from green to gold...It was posted on FB yesterday that the storm left its first snow (maybe hail) on Ruby Peak.

Brian delivered 20# of pickling cukes from Walla Walla and I quickly washed and put them to soak overnight in ice water...They are patiently waiting this morning ready to go into jars and onto the cellar shelves...When afternoon turned cool yesterday I got the baking itch and made a small batch of chocolate chip cookies, not only to warm the house but our tummies as well...Becky stopped by for a short visit as she ends another workweek and looks forward to a weeks training in El Paso Texas...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Cooling Down...49º

What I think has been a wonderful summer seems to be winding down here on Barton Heights...Nights much cooler and daytime temperatures in the 70's...Except for the fires and smoky conditions we have enjoyed the hot, dry weather of this Wallowa County summer...Coming home from the Thursday night music last night, fields of alfalfa hay were either baled or swathed waiting to dry...That smell of fresh mown alfalfa is like heaven to me.

Yesterday kept me busy with PT early morning and an afternoon volunteer stint at the museum...Herb and I enjoyed a rare "treat" for dinner yesterday when I stirred up corn meal batter and made "Scooby Snacks", glorified home made corn dogs (bite size)...Our greasy delight for this year...Finished off the day with friends at the Thursday night concert at the gazebo.

We keep getting a glimpse of Cienna on Facebook, she at Rotary meetings, dressed in traditional Thai clothing, (looking stunning) another one in her school uniform (looking like she is 10yrs old) as she starts her third week of the approximately 50 that she will spend as a Rotary Exchange Student...Hugs to Cienna on this day...OWAV:)

With Oma and Papa at the Pacific Ocean

With Dad and Mom 1st Christmas

Making food at school

Dressed for the 26th anniversary of the Rotary Club

Clockwork...47º

In the early morning hours yesterday I perused Facebook looking for any tidbits of news about Cienna in Thailand, then moved onto the scrabble games, waiting for me and finally wrote my blog...Got an early start making pie crust...I'm liking my 14 cup cuisinart better each time I use it, although it has taken some adjusting on my part...It easily holds the 4 cups of flour, and 1 1/2 cups butter/lard mix...It only takes seconds to blend all of this and with the larger bowl doesn't throw flour all over the baking center...I haven't gotten brave enough to add the liquid (egg, vinegar and water) because I think it will mix the butter/lard too much...I dump the mixure into my favorite very large tupperware bowl and drizzle the liquid mixture overtop then mix it all together with a fork and finally with my hands...This makes 4 large pie crusts that work perfectly for my rustic pies...I cut the dough into 4 pieces, shape into round discs, freeze 3 in separate baggies and refrigerate one for later in the morning.

Time to change clothes and go to Enterprise for the dreaded mammogram...Actually I've never been terribly uncomfortable so once Josie gets the machine working (it is a computer and came up with an error message) so she had to shut it down and restart before it would work, while I'm standing there  clutching my cute little coverup and we are making small talk...The joys of being a woman.

Made a stop at Safeway and Dollar Stretcher (found the illusive pickling salt) I could go on a rant here but will save it for another time...I arrived home to pit and slice a few Santa Rosa plums and a bunch of fresh apricots, roll out the now chilled pie crust, assemble the rustic pie and into the oven to bake.

Baked and cooling

It is almost noon and Herb was ready to pick cucumbers...It always helps to have 4 eyes and 4 hands when picking cucumbers...On our small patch we found enough to make a quart of dills and two big ones for us to eat as slicers...Took a good look around the garden and the little black bugs seem to have vacated!..I got the cukes stuffed into a jar and on to process before I took a short rest on the deck before starting dinner.

Oh so pretty

I found pork chops in the sale bin at Safeway, so at home I trimmed the middles to freeze and cut the outside pieces for stirfry...Yakisoba noodles (Bobi's recipe) was on the menu for dinner...I browned the pork after rubbing it with "garlic paste" (I'm loving this stuff) then added leftover spagetti noodles, tossing and browning until all was hot...Set that aside and started a stirfry of onions, garlic, peppers, summer squash, grated ginger, kale and cilantro, adding soy sauce as needed...Dumped the pork and noodles into the stir fry and volè, my version of Yakisoba noodles...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Yummy

PS...Late afternoon we had pie.

Change of Plans...54º

It didn't take long for Herb to back the truck under the apricot tree and with the help of a 4 foot ladder we were soon standing on the flatbed picking apricots...Only one problem...They were not as ripe as they looked from the ground...So we picked the ripe ones and left the others to ripen for a few more days...Really no hurry just didn't want them to get too ripe and turn to mush.

I decided to do some cleanup and deadheading in the flower beds before the sun got two hot and then a nigging thought told me to check the veggie garden...Last week we had an invasion of tiny black, beetle-like bugs in the arugula...I used a soapy solution on them and thought I had taken care of the problem, but they had only moved a few rows to the kale and cabbage...Kale was totally ruined and they were eating away at the cabbage...Herb to the rescue...He cut the largest cabbage heads, washed them off and I brought them in the house to finish trimming and cleaning them...(sprayed the remaining cabbage plants to get rid of the bugs on them.)

Now instead of apricot jam we would be making sauerkraut...Found three large wide mouth jars to wash and sterilize and got ready to grate, slice, chop or ??? the cabbage..Tried using the new cuisinart but that was a disaster, the slicing blade hardly chopped it up, the grating blade made it too small and the chopping blade made mush out of the bottom and left the rest of it whole...Back to square one I got out my trusty, old, large holed grater, put on the new glove Pat had gotten me, (so I didn't add any of my knuckles to the mix) and grated 10 pounds of cabbage...I added salt, mixed, squeezed, then packed it tight into the jars...It is now starting the fermentation process, sitting on the dryer in the laundry room...Takes about a week and then it will be stored in the back of our refrigerators for yummy dinners this winter.

I had a physical therapy session scheduled for yesterday and it was canceled...Today I have a mammogram scheduled for 9am, wonder if my plans will get changed today...There are enough cucumbers to make a few pickles and maybe the apricots are ripe!..Come back tomorrow and see what really happens...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Cabbage and salt, turning into sauerkraut.

Apricots...56º

Herb and I will be up a tree this morning...Apricot tree that is, we have a bumper crop and they are ready to pick...Another beautiful day in Wallowa County....Hugs to All...OWAV::

Fun and Games...58º

With the promise of sunny days and warm temperatures for the weekend, we (Mona, Jerry, Herb and I) spent a chilly Friday inside visiting, eating and honing our card playing skills...Mona had told her friends that she was coming to Joseph, Oregon to spend a few days sitting on our deck and visiting...And that we did, but we also managed to take in the yardsales on Saturday morning as well as taking in the sights of the Wallowa Valley as we traveled...We all bought a few treasures...Back home Mona and I decided to pick some apples (still kind of green) and make a pie...Topped with ice cream it was yummy.

Before baking

Sunday morning after breakfast of huckleberry pancakes, bacon and eggs we donned our sunglasses and visors for a trip to the top of Mount Howard on the gondola at the head of Wallowa Lake...Herb and I have taken this ride many times but never tire of the scenery in this amazing spot...After the 15 minute gondola ride to the top terminal, we began our slow trek to Royal Purple Overlook, stopping to read each sign and catch our breath, because at over 8000 ft the air is thin and we are out of shape!..We climbed all the steps to the very top where we joined the Golden Mantle Squirrels, who live here year round, and took in the amazing views of the surrounding peaks with their remnant glaciers...From there we hiked back down and up another hill to get a view to the East and  the "Seven Devils" in Idaho...This late in the season a few wildflowers are still blooming and M & J were amazed at the different species of trees (white bark pine and alpine fir) that grow in this high altitude.

Trying to get a photo of the Golden Mantle squirrel

We spent 2 hours on the trail, traversing half the loop, as we made our way back to the terminal and the scenic ride back down the mountain.

Alpine Asters (I think)

Whew, we made it.

Tired but elated (none of us had a heart attack) we returned to our deck on Barton Heights and our dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy along with more of the fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and squash from M and J's Utah garden...The last of the sliced peaches would have been very good with a little cream but a deep dish peach (with a few huckleberries on top) pie and ice cream sounded much better...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

We had to eat it with a spoon but no one seemed to mind.

Foggy....53º

More rain overnight, totally fogged in this morning but now at 6am we can see an outline of the mountains...Mona and Jerry arrived yesterday afternoon, car loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables from their garden...Also canned peaches from the cellar shelves...We visited the afternoon away, had spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner...Made the garlic bread using my new "garlic paste", quick and simple...Sliced "tree ripened peaches" with cream tasted wonderful for dessert.

Not much planned in the way of activities as that will depend on the weather...Maybe check out some yard sales and hoping it will be warm enough to sit on the deck or at least be outside for awhile...Cooking, visiting and card playing are in the forecast!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Flash back Friday:

Mona and Jerry after 58 yrs of marriage

On their wedding day at the Lake Fork Ranch

Another shot

Rain...60º

I awoke to thunder and flash lightning at 4am, by 5am we had a nice steady shower for about a half hour, supposed to continue off and on for the rest of the day.

Yesterday I was somewhat productive, cleaning, sorting, dusting and scanning a batch of photos...Herb took care of the outside watering and did fetch and carry stuff for me...We had chicken tenders and stir-fry (garden veggies) for dinner...The weather turned hot in the late afternoon and I found myself on the deck, looking at cooking magazines (thanks Pat) and cleaning some of the volunteer garlic that I pulled up recently before it seeded more volunteers.

Last week while following a link on Facebook I came upon a new recipe site...A recipe for Garlic Paste (Toum) caught my eye...Of course you know I have lots of garlic and use lots of garlic and I also have a new/used cuisinart, recently purchased at a yard sale and have only used it once to slice some peppers...It is a 14 cup capacity, instruction booklet not included (much larger than I ever invisioned that I would need but it was such a "good deal."...)This recipe is the same process used to make mayonnaise which I have never tried, but both our kids have and they were free with pointers for success...The most important thing I think is adding the oil slowly and evenly...IF you have a cusinart this is easy because the small cylinder piece that you use as a pusher also locks in place and has a small hole in the bottom of it...(Thanks Bob, I wouldn't have figured this out in a million years..) Filled with oil (it holds about a half cup) and with the machine running it adds a stream of oil to the garlic as it is pulverized and whipped into a thick, creamy paste...Recipe said it would make 3 cups to be kept in the refrigerator and used within 3 months...I ended up with 5 cups...It can be used in and on anything that would normally have garlic and given as gifts as well...What could have turned into a colossal mess with my old 5 cup cusinart worked perfectly in the new 14 cup...Guess I will keep it!..Must get moving, companies coming...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Garlic, oil, lemon juice, water and salt

Garlic Paste (Toum)

Cooling...64º

A brief shower yesterday but no measurable rain here in Joseph...It did cool off and will remain so for a few day with more showers in the forecast...We really need a soaking rain.

Early morning yesterday I had raspberry jam bubbling away on the stove...I've gone back to cooked jam instead of frozen, takes less sugar and is easier to store and saves room for other stuff in the freezers...Two pints and twelve 1/2 pints are now ready for the cellar shelves...I keep checking the apricot tree but it will be a few more days before they are ready for jam.

My intention was to get to Pats early for our Write People luncheon but most of them beat me there and a few got confused on directions, but soon we were all reading and discussing...Then the best part was the potluck lunch on the deck.

Lunch with the Write People

Janie's Chocolate Angel Food Cake

The next two mornings the "slave labor" (H & D) gets busy at our house, cleaning and cooking, as we have company coming...Della is in charge of cooking and cleaning, bathrooms and kitchen and dusting...Herb takes care of making sure the beds are made with clean linens, rooms are vacuumed and he makes the endless trips up and down the stairs fetching and carrying whatever I might need...Mona and Jerry will arrive on Thursday for a few days...Love having them come to visit but also because they bring tree ripened peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers and whatever else happens to be ripe in their garden...Yummy!

Last week before Cienna left for Thailand I went through photos and pulled out a bunch of her growing up...My plan is to post one or more of these each week as we follow her years journey in Thailand...We will also follow her from years 1 to 16...I will try to keep them in order but they will also be random depending on my mood...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

3 months old

Cienna in deep thought with Gramma Great looking on.

Cienna in Thailand age 16

Catch up...65º...Overcast, possible rain

Overcast this morning and breezy...Back to last Friday, I enjoyed a lovely day when "We 3" got together for lunch at Pats...It has been several months and was fun to catch up as we sat on the deck surrounded by our wonderful Wallowa County scenery, eating, having a glass of wine and visiting.

Sunday I again spent the day watering and baking, yes I made more cinnamon rolls to stock our freezer and also share with friends...Monday I was back in physical therapy for a look at my knee and see if more therapy will help and possible water therapy at a later date...Late afternoon I made a small batch of bread for french loaves and buns (Mona and Jerry arriving this Thursday) and baked it late evening instead in the heat of the day.

This morning I have raspberry jam to make before I go to a potluck luncheon (taking a loaf of french bread) at Pats with The Write People.

Cienna continues her orientation in Puket spending many hours making new friends and having fun in the water...I'm sure some time must be spend in meetings and studying...She has kept us well posted with photos on Face Book but think that will taper off when she gets to her host family and starts school...Must get on with my day, raspberries are calling...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Cienna 

Busy Weekend...52º

A smoky haze filled Wallowa valley Saturday morning before the annual fly-in at the Joseph Airport...It didn't stop people from coming to the event as they lined up, at the gate, hoping to be one of the lucky 25 people who would get a free flight...Herb and I arrived at 6:15am, car loaded with cinnamon rolls, ready to be heated...The pancake breakfast trailer was set up, tables ready...The smell of hot grills and sausages cooking, permeated the air...At 7am the gate opened and the fun began...The smoke lifted and people arrived steadily throughout the morning, some eating breakfast, others happy with just a cinnamon roll and coffee...A DC3 plane had flown in for the event and was on display, along with a Steerman, open cockpit biplane...Vintage cars were another attraction...The breakfast and the last cinnamon roll, all sold out before 11am...People were having a great time, we heard lots of good comments and plans are already under way to make next year even better...It was a very successful day!..(A side note here...We shared the airport complex with the fly-in on the south end and the Forest Service Helitac crew on the north end as they continued with fire suppression.)

Back home I fixed dinner and then joined old friends to wish Margaret Botts a happy 90th Birthday...Margarets 4 children hosted the event and friends and family came from far and near...Canopies and umbrellas provided shade for both people and the lovely food buffet...Margaret was my boss at the Joseph School cafeteria in 1977 and we have remained friends over the years...Ater raising a family and working at the school for 15 years she retired, then worked cooking in Alaska before joining the Peace Corp in 1984 and spent 3 years in Belize...Then returned to Wallowa County to be near family...A great lady and a special friend.

I was settled on the deck for the evening when Becky called asking us to a BBQ...We joined them for awhile just to visit and touch base as they are both leaving next week, John with his job and Becky with hers will be off to a training session.

We capped the evening off when other friends, Sharon and Gabby, stopped in and we visited on the deck...Didn't take me long to crash into bed that night...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Cinnamon rolls in front, breakfast line in back.

Hot, Smoky, Red Sun...58º

Our heat wave continues, Hurricane Creek Fire put up huge smoke clouds as we left Enterprise last evening after the Thursday night concert, Imnaha Fire is still burning...All of this is in our tiny corner of the world in Wallowa County...The Columbia Gorge fire is still spreading and many more fires are burning in the West.

We enjoyed the lively western music last night, provided by "The Wasteland Kings"...It had everyone tapping toes and one teenage girl danced most of the evening, first with who we assumed was her grandmother and then by herself in her own little world.

Smokey view from the court house lawn..

(It is much farther away than it looks in this photo)

Homeward on Hurricane Creek Road

In other news, Cienna arrived safely in Thailand...Rotarians and "new friends" were there with flowers and a huge sign welcoming Cienna Ashton Wall to Thailand...Her incredible journey has begun in earnest...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Friends is what it's all about...54º

It started way early yesterday morning as Cienna & Family prepared for Cienna's departure to Thailand...With time to kill at the airport Bobi took and posted photo's on Facebook to let friends and family know what was happening...Messages from "friends" came in wishing Cienna a safe and adventureous journey...This is the new way to connect and keep in touch, make new friends and rekindle old friendships.

Cienna on her way to security.

Another example of friendship continued yesterday as Pat and I were again rolling in the dough, talking non stop as we mixed, rolled, baked and frosted the last 45 cinnamon rolls that will be for sale at the "Fly-in" hosted by the Joseph flying club on Saturday August 9th...A total of 120 (some ungodly number anyway) rolls were "flash frozen," carefully wrapped and stored with threats of slow, painful death if anyone even thought of sampling them until the big day...The Adelhardts' are relatively new friends but we have had quite a journey in a short time.

Della doing one of her favorite things.

One tray our of six or is it seven?

On Tuesday morning I picked raspberries at Tim and Debbie's house, friends through goats, llama, sheep and loads of wood logs...Debbie and I are always exchanging gardening tips and ideas...She got some of her raspberry starts from us and now that ours aren't producing so well, she shares with us...I also brought home beets and greens, lettuce and zucchini...What a deal!...Sorry no photos. :(

Herb answered the phone last night and low and behold Jeff and Connie needed someone to pick their raspberries...Jeff and Connie friends from way back...They moved here in the 80's with the Forest Service,  then transferred to John Day and then back to Wallowa County...We stay in touch and occasionally get together...So last night about 6pm we arrived at their house with "picking buckets" and a bunch of garlic to share with them...J and C were probaby about ready to eat dinner but instead they took us to the raspberry patch and stayed, Jeff helped us pick and we kept up a running conversation about kids and what was happening in our lives...Connie occasionally chimed in as she picked cherries in a nearby tree...An hour or so later we left with raspberries and cherries (a bonus)...As we left I said, "Will give you a call when the apricots are ripe."...Ah friends, what would we do without them?...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Journey Continues...58º

Over the next year, I'm sure many of my posts will have updates on what I call "Cienna's Journey"...It began over a year ago when she and her Mom went to a Rotarty Exchange meeting and this morning she awaits her flight at PDX where she joins other "Outbound" students for the ride of their life...I can only imagine the adrenalin level that fills the air, families bidding children farewell, laughter and tears, hugs and kisses and an occasional "OMG, where is my passport?"

Herb and I "facetimed" (oh the modern world) with Ci yesterday for our farewells and now can only wait until her parents get the word that she has arrived safely at her new home and then follow her blog for weekly updates...Rotary limits the amount of contact so students can immerse themselves into a new culture, family and country...We respect that.

I'm assuming Ci is aboard, seat belt fastened and as she did as a toddler hanging on tight as she zooms away and the real Journey Begins...Hugs To All...Be safe Cienna....OWAV:)

See ya later