Chief Joseph Day's...46º

Parades, rodeos, dances and more...Wallowa County is a hive of activity as the bumper to bumper traffic rolls into town...Service trucks of all kinds, beer, pop, chips to name a few...Cafes and gocery stores are well stocked for the 4-5 day event...Not only diesel trucks pulling horse trailers but also campers, motor homes, trailers and SUVs all looking for a place to park...Teepees started sprouting up last week at the Indian encampment less than a mile from our house...We hear the voices and music from the loud speakers at the rodeo grounds, but by 10pm the rodeo is over and we are asleep, letting the younger people party into the night...Tonight is the last rodeo and dance before people start packing up and moving out.

Years ago CJD's was the main event of the year and is still the largest that our county sponsors...Now Wallowa County has an event almost every weekend, starting in May and going through September...Our town is busy busy, and caters to campers, hikers, bikers, boaters and street tourists here to enjoy this little piece of heaven...We, the locals kind of hunker down, go about our business and wait for our world to return to normal, just in time for an Indian summer that abruptly turns into winter...I don't long for winter but just for the peace and quiet that comes with it...We are lucky to live in this county and blessed to live on Barton Heights away from the crowds...Today we are again headed 50 miles out of town to our favorite Huckleberry patch and a day in the forest...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Back in the Groove...55º

6am, Mona and Jerry pulled out the driveway, faced with an almost 600 mile drive, back to Centerville, Utah (North of Salt Lake City) and their home...75 miles to LaGrande on secondary roads then freeway for the rest of the journey...We've had 5 days of visiting, eating, deck sitting and card playing, a great respite for all of us...No planned activities, just relaxation.

Back home, Jerry still has a chiropractic practice, with Mona manning the front desk, they see patients 3 days a week and still manage to raise a small garden and enjoy family, especially their great grandchildren. This doesn't sound like a very demanding life but I failed to mention that Jerry is 80 and Mona will be 80 before the year is out...Needless to say they enjoyed the quiet, no freeways, no pollution, no stress, cooler climate here on Barton Heights...It was a great few days and this morning we were all wishing for a few more.

Herb and I will ease back into our quiet days of watering, gardening, lawn mowing and eating leftovers...Downtown Joseph will grow by leaps and bounds this week as Chief Joseph Days celebration gets underway...Parades and rodeos fill the week as thousands of tourist flood this little town, ready to party!...Thankfully our home is away from most of the crowds and noise...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Apple Pie

Portobello Steak

Aww the view

Zucchini Casserole

Relaxed

At home on the deck

4 goofy faces.

Quiet Days...50º

Quiet but productive days, working mornings, taking in the view in the afternoons...Didn't quite work yesterday as the afternoon turned cloudy and cool...As usual on a cool day, soup is my go to meal for dinner...We enjoyed roasted tomato soup with grilled tuna sandwiches and later dessert of fresh raspberries and a tiny scoop of ice cream for me.

Thinking ahead to later in the week when Mona and Jerry come for a visit...Menus forming in my head, checking the weather and hoping for warm, sunny days...Pat and I will walk this morning as we have catching up to do...Herb has laundry in the works...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

California poppies and day lilies blooming on Barton Heights.

Perfect Weather...47º

Not too hot, just right for walking, working, resting...Worked outside in the cool of the morning, weeding, spreading straw to keep the weeds from growing back...Herb put up fencing to keep the deer from eating on the cucumber vines that are starting to climb...He also put up fence panels to stop the tomato plants from taking over the pathway, and the asparagus plants as we stop harvesting them so they can grow tall and fern like...Cabbages are starting to head, potatoes showing buds and beet are ready to thin giving us delicious baby beets and greens for dinner...I was so intent on getting this done, that I worked into the heat of the day, finally giving up to shower and sit on the deck...More of the same will fill my day today...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

The Sun Returns...50º

Nice enough yesterday as Herb and I drank our smoothies on the deck, before he went to mow lawns and I, to do some grocery shopping and errands in Enterprise...Today the sun is warm early and promises to stick around for a few days...I slept late, still catching up from gallivanting with the kids.

Today the garden is calling me to pick raspberries and do some weeding, also the garlic will be ready to harvest in a few days, as it continues to dry...Still not up to speed on my walking, but will keep trudging along, anything helps...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Big, Sweet and Juicy

Morning sky

Mr President, Clematis

Same, only in the shade and shows the deeper color.

Typical Joseph Weather....42º

The Girls were on their way before 10am, after stripping their beds and loading the car...Weather has turned cold, so Herb started a fire in the basement to dry sheets and warm the house...The rain came down all day, leaving a frosting of snow on the mountains behind our house...Leftovers were heated for dinner, I took a short walk late afternoon and bedtime came early.

We won't have to water until later in the week when the days grow warmer and the rain stops...Hugs To all...OWAV:)

Cienna and Papa finishing up the last of the ice cream.

Selfie before leaving.

Drawing to a close...54º

The week has flown by, the weather has been close to perfect and the "company" the very best...Our usual BBQ's on the deck, wiener roast and smore's at Wallowa Lake State Park, cooking, miniature golf, yard sales, card games, puzzles and down time finds us either on the deck, taking in the view or on our "devices," reading, surfing, playing games...Friends have joined in for food, visiting and laughter.

Rusty went home on Thursday and Bobi and Ci will leave tomorrow...The weather has changed to cool and rainy for the next several days...Herb and I will transition back into life on Barton Heights, resting up and settling back into our groove...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Donut extravaganza 

Rusty taking a break

Artist at work

Ci and Rusty

Petunias and Lavender

Oma and Ci

Bobi playing miniature golf

Pat and Mason, (not sure what Pat is thinking)

Cooler Weather...45º

Nice to have the weather a bit cooler, for sitting on the deck...Yard sales in the morning, cooking and jigsaw puzzle in the afternoon...Didn't take us long to figure out that Barton Heights is much more pleasant than navigating the 4th of July traffic in downtown Joseph...We are so spoiled!...Hugs To All...OWAV:)