Happy...51º

The Girls are coming, the Girls are coming....Hooray...Instead of tomorrow, TODAY... They will leave Portland after Cienna gets off work at 5pm, arriving Joseph in the cool of the night, sometime after 10pm...Must get groceries, cook some food, dust, vacuum or maybe not, just chill out and enjoy their visit...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Sunday...54º

Pam and I spent the morning watching one of the dragon boat teams practice for the first races to be held in Wallowa County, end of August...It was a clear, sunny gorgeous day...As we stood on the bank watching, it brought back all kinds of memories from years ago when we spent every weekend and more on the lake boating and water skiing...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Nothing of Note...47º

Took a walk, went to two yardsales, fixed smoothies for breakfast and drank them on the deck...A cool breeze most of the day but nice and warm in the direct sun...Dinner was non vegan as I slowly add back small servings of meat and rice, alongside vegetables AND salad...Topped off with a mini ice-cream sundae laced with huckleberry jam...Took a short walk last evening to bring my steps up to 7000, doubt that it negated the ice cream...Time will tell...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

View from our deck is the early morning sky, pierced by a contrail.

Cloudy/Cooler...46º

Yesterday was the perfect day for my solo walk at Iwetemlykin, sunny with a cool breeze...I saw 5 other walkers when I started but had the entire place to myself as I finished up an hour later...Missed my walking buddy, otherwise a perfect day.

First view of the mountain.

Selfie

Reflection in Knights Pond.

Trail on level ground.

Back home, had breakfast, then back to deadheading...Worked outside until time to fix spaghetti for our dinner...Took in the Thursday night music at the Gazebo in Enterprise...I had no trouble sleeping a full 8 hours last night...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Moderate Temp...48º

The day was mostly sunny, warm, but a cool breeze when a few clouds rolled in, reminded us of the snow capped mountains not far away...Herb kept busy, watering, mowing and I deadheading and weeding.

After eating leftovers for what seemed forever, I started from scratch yesterday, cooking a whole grain rice mix...It took nearly an hour to cook but turned out almost creamy, a bit sticky and very flavorful...Fresh greens, tossed with tomatoes, fresh asparagus and snap peas made a delicious salad to accompany a salmon fillet.

It was yummy.

Things are very quiet here on Barton Heights, but we have just a week before our "kids" start arriving for a week of summer frolic and fun...So looking forward to their visit...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

7000 steps...43º

Had an "on and off" day yesterday...Birthday party that was scheduled was canceled due to a medical emergency, patient awaits treatment...Garden/lawn watering was on again, off again, on again, as supplies are on order to install a permanent solution...No problem finding other chores to fill my schedule, with the forget me knots at the end of their bloom, I filled the wheelbarrow twice, pulled weeds as I went and in my head, planned out what I might plant this fall.

I walked in the morning and the evening, spent several hours on the deck but managed to put 7000 steps on the tracking mechanism on my iPhone, as I build up to the 10,000 steps that is recommended...We had enchiladas for dinner, along with a fresh spinach salad, spinach picked from our garden.

Reminiscing today, back to 1965, when Rusty made his appearance...Herb and I arrived at the hospital at 4:45 and he was born at 5:05...Always in a hurry!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

5th Annual...42º

Since none of our family is close and we are always looking for a new adventure, Pat, Brian, Herb and I started 5 years ago, celebrating  Fathers Day, with an outing to Baker City/Sumpter to enjoy a train ride and dinner at a steak house...Dinner at the old Union Hotel was next, followed by the newly remodeled Lostine Tavern (now closed and up for sale), last year dinner was at our house as Herb "practiced" on his new Traeger.

This year the search was on for a place close to home, a new menu and we were hopeful that the sun would be shining...The RimRock Inn met all the criteria, day was sunny and the menu, new, but limited...Two salads, two sandwiches no appetizers, no dessert but a huge wine list...Only problem was the $7.00 price on a glass of wine that (merely covered the bottom), P and I managed to sip it slowly...We each ordered a beet, orange salad, the fresh greens were crispy but they also only covered the bottom of the plate...The Guys opted for the burger and it was, well, just a burger, served with paper thin kettle chips (crispy and hot)...The ride was lovely, the company top notch and luckily when we got back to Barton Heights our wine glasses were filled to the brim and cherry pie a la mode was enjoyed on the deck.

The RimRock reopened about a month ago, new owners are young and looking for a way to make it in Wallowa County...We wish them well, but they do have their work cut out for them...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Walking...49º

A walk at Iwetemlaykin yesterday, stretched my muscles and cleared my mind...A peaceful spot as Pat and I stopped on the bridge over what she calls "our babbling brook." Not another soul did we see in the hour that we spent following the path up, down, over and around...Chief Joseph Mountain loomed in the background, grasses swayed in the breeze and the quietness surrounded us...We stopped to talk, no reason to hurry, no agenda to follow...A brief interlude, a respite from the busy world...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Yarrow on our walk.

Fresh from the garden for dinner.

Rainy Days...39º

I always look forward to rainy days, thinking I will clean closets, chase dust and cobwebs, and vacuum corners...But now all I want to do is read, play on the computer, bask in the warmth of the wood stove and dream of baking bread, cookies and desserts...AAH the comfort food before CHIP...Guess I better get my walk in before I make a new batch of hummus...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Rainy Tuesday...42º

Looks like a good day for working inside, cleaning up my continual mess, cooking, maybe some sewing and looking for a good book to read...Garden Club this afternoon is a possibility, meeting will be in one of the greenhouses at Wallowa County Nursery in Enterprise, out of the rain.

So far the rain is gentle and will continue through the week, with warmer days predicted for the weekend...It is actually a good interlude to the unusual warm days we have had this spring and our gardens are soaking it up and loving it!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Close Ups...41º

Our weekend in Joseph was semi warm, so time was spent both inside and out, keeping up with the gardens and yard...I did some walking, we visited with friends, and ate dinner last night on the deck...Today looks like our last warmish 70º day, with the rest of the weeks daytime temps in the 50's/60s.

In Portland, Cienna spent the weekend paddling with her team "Dam Beavers" on the Willamette River...Races were held both Saturday and Sunday, weather cool, but the rain held off...This event, in its 26th year is part of the "Portland Rose Festival," so while Ci paddled, the Grand Floral Parade was also underway, on Saturday.

Since we have opted to stay in Joseph and away from all of the craziness of crowds, noise, and traffic, Bobi, through the wonders of "camera phones" and "drop box" keeps us in the loop with photos of the Dragon Boat races...For this we are thankful....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Click on photos to enlarge.

Ci reaching

Ci did it!

One race done

Sometimes she paddles

A little "drama" here

A 4th place trophy

Gentle Rain...46º

Cooler temperature, gentle rain, a nice change from the unusual heat this June...Did some work outside yesterday before the rain started, then cleaned house, shopped for groceries, started a book...All in a days work.

Today Cienna will be paddling a dragon boat in Portland, along with team mates called "The Dam Beavers,"from Beaverton High School...This is her third year of paddling and she loves the opportunity to take part in another sport that has something (everything) to do with water.

Thursday she took her last final in "early college," to finish her first year...She has done very well so far and we are extremely proud grandparents...Now she is trying to schedule a trip to Joseph this summer but also has to schedule work, (lifeguarding) possible summer school all into 3 short months...We will take anytime we can get.

Now I must take a walk and figure out food as I feel the need to come up with regular menu's (with less meat) that both Herb and I will eat...He has been making do with a less than nutritious diet on some days, while I figure out my new path.

We celebrated a quiet day yesterday, after 55 years of married life...Sometimes we read each other minds or lips and other times we still don't have a clue what the other person is thinking or saying...Guess that keeps life from getting boring...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Replay for 55th Anniversary...48º

Quick Post...50º

55 years ago today in McCall, Idaho...A day much like today, warm and sunny...Herb and Idella, joined by friends and families on their wedding day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Married and carried over the threshhold.

Turning Cooler...52º

A busy day yesterday and a hot one as well...Early morning walk, haircut for Herb, I met Carol for breakfast in Enterprise before shopping at safeway and stopping at the care center to visit with Margaret...At home Herb was watering flower beds and lawns.

For dinner we had marinated portebella mushrooms, topped with sautéed garlic scapes, onions and a sprinkle of blue cheese, quinoa, fresh asparagus and greens...Not bad for a vegetarian meal.

Late afternoon was windy and stifling hot and included an hour long power outage...Funny how when the power goes off, all you can think of doing, requires electricity!

Temperature in the cool 70's today and even cooler into the weekend...Time now for my morning walk...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

CHIP Potluck...52º

For my first CHIP Supper Club I took, seeded flat bread and spinach artichoke hummus, good reviews on both...I asked Pat to come as my guest and Janice also attended as an alumni...About 18 students and guests attended...A nice array of food to choose from and the film, "FED UP" was shown...A scary film about how our food supply has changed over the years and is controlled by big business...Advertizing plays a big part in addicting our children to sugar at an early age as it can now be found in almost anything that is packaged...Check out the film as I can't do it justice here in a paragraph or two.

My outside chores are calling me and I must take a walk before the temperature starts to soar...Made the decision to take a vacation from Write Group for the summer, so I have more time to spent enjoying my blooms!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Janice and Idella

Active Sunday...60º

Up early yesterday, I took a walk, then worked in the garden in the cool of the morning...Herb had sheets on the line before 7am, as we both knew it was going to heat up fast...9am found us on the deck drinking our mango, apple, banana smoothie, fortified with flax meal and chia seeds...We have found that this type of drink keeps us going until noon, when we have a snack of our choosing.

Cleaning the table and benches for our deck is a job that quite often gets put off...So even though it was warm by noon, I found a shaded spot and armed with soapy water and scrub brush, Herb manning the water hose, we scrubbed and sprayed until all were clean, getting ourselves wet and cooled off in the process...Then it was time for a real shower before I started slicing and dicing veggies for a tri tip Chefs Salad.

Pam came for dinner late afternoon and brought fresh cherries and strawberries for our enjoyment...I strayed from the vegan food plan, enjoyed a glass of wine and added small amounts of cheese and meat to my salad...The evening cooled of nicely, the sunset was stupendous and sleep came easy in our freshly washed/line dried sheets...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Outside...54º

Early summer follows early spring this year...Yesterdays temp in the 80º with the same for the rest of the week and thundershowers thrown in, adding a little coolness...Herb kept the sprinklers going yesterday and more today...I must get out for a walk early this morning and work in the veggie garden replanting carrots and beets as the first batch didn't germinate and the quail also used the bed for their daily dust baths, rearranging the few seeds that sprouted.

Our deck is wonderful for relaxing in the heat of the afternoon and plan to do more today...New planters adorn our deck, much less work than before, will see how they work out for the summer...There is still a lot of work to be done, with the never ending cycle of watering, weeding, planting, rearranging, mowing and cleaning keeps us busy and happy that we are able to do these jobs!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Iris's at their peak.

My dinner yesterday.

Graduation...52º

18 our of 30 people showed up for the last night of chips, to eat vegan potluck...We celebrated our last night with vegan food, no caps, gowns or diplomas, just congratulations on a job well done...Everyone who finished the program lost weight, got good results on their blood tests and no one planned to celebrate with a steak dinner or a big juicy hamburger...We had worked too hard to blow it all on a fat, salt, laden meal...Not sure how long that state of mind will last but hopefully we have all developed some new habits and can continue with restraint...The local CHIP group will host a potluck "supper club" every month, to keep people connected and remind them to eat lots of veggies and fruits...People are already signing up for the fall CHIP program.

My numbers again came up encouraging, with cholesterol remaining stable, while I cut my dosage in half, blood pressure down another 10 points and weight down a total of 10 lbs...I lost a bit of the waddle when I walk and look forward to eliminating that completely.

The sun is shining, a glorious day in Wallowa County...Pat and I have yard saling on our mind and after that the lawn and flower beds need to be watered...Herb cleaned the deck yesterday, I have the planters, planted and afternoon it will be time to view the mountain...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Orange Water

Dessert

Broccoli Salad

Noodles and Stir Fry

CHIP Potluck...50º

Our CHIP classes are about to end and in celebration half of the class brought potluck last night and the other half will bring potluck tonight, all vegan of course!..I couldn't decide which of my dishes to take so ended up with all three...Tabouleh, Pea Bean Salad and Pita wedges...Of course the bread was the most popular, because so few people make bread...A few of the dishes (all tasted wonderful) I remember were "Thai veggies, Kale salad, Seaweed wraps, "meat patties" made from pecans, and too many salads to remember, all in all, added to fruit ice cream, with toppings it was a lovely, filling dinner...Now looking forward to tonights dinner and our last night...We get results from our blood tests to see what progress we made in the second month...I know I lost a few more pounds and my blood pressure when down a few more degrees...More on that in tomorrows post!

Our trip to LaGrande yesterday, found our eyes are stable...HooRay!..Quick shopping trip and we were back home shortly after noon...I spent the rest of the day cooking for last night...The sun is hiding this morning with possible showers...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Tabouleh with Quinoa

Pea/Bean Salad