Life on Barton Heights...Sunny, 79º today

Rusty and I are catching up with watering flowerbeds, and our garden is flourishing...We have picked cucumbers and tomatoes twice, cut back squash vines before they take over the entire garden...Zucchini and Patty Pans are slow to produce this year, but warm weather is in the forecast so we are hopeful...I reached into the straw in the potato bed, checking on the moisture, and came away with a huge potato, 1 1/2 pound Yukon Gold...OH MY!

I've made 10 jars of spicy dills, and yesterday bought 20 pounds of pears, (that have to ripen) and will eat all we want and can the rest.

Rusty is going back to Washington to work for a couple of weeks and is trying to get everything done here so I can do things easily, while he is away.

I'm finally feeling less sleep deprived, and might even get my suitcase unpacked today, or not?..I have acupuncture this morning, and we have leftovers for dinner...We are so enjoying fresh slice cucumbers, onions, cherry tomatoes with every meal and yesterday we had Swiss chard, seasoned with balsamic vinegar, I love this time of year and eating out of the garden!

That's one big potato

Another photo from Amsterdam of a bicycle, I tried to put a video on but it didn't work...Will try on FB...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

A Dad (I assume) with two children on 

the bike, one in front on the handlebars

and other on the back.

Home Sweet Home...Sunny, warm days this coming week.

Those overnight flights are brutal, to the body, mind and sole...Add the 9 hour difference in time and we almost arrived home before we left Prague...(that is my take anyway)...We left Prague on Thursday, about 2pm, a 3 hour flight to Iceland, a 50 minute layover (just enough time to get through the airport, and take a shuttle to the plane), then 8 hours to Portland...We did luck out with a plane only about 60% full so we were able to spread out a bit...Only bad thing was a passenger right behind us, who coughed, sneezed, and blue his nose all night long...If we don't come down with some dreaded disease, I will always wonder why!!!

We landed at PDX about 6pm, had a motel booked for the night, woke up at 3am...Our flight on Boutique air didn't leave until 8am, so we showered, took the shuttle to PDX, had breakfast and did a little touring around the newly remodeled airport.

We enjoyed our flights, going and coming on Boutique Air, a nice way to get to Pendleton from Portland...Tickets are relatively inexpensive and the parking is free...It is an 8 passenger + pilot & copilot, plane, very tight quarters, but only a 1 hour flight...A small airport, a very nice facility.

We opted for the freeway to LaGrande, so we could stop at Grocery Outlet, even though we much prefer driving over tollgate...We don't like the freeway even in the summer!

We were home by mid afternoon, our garden had been well tended by neighbors and friends...We had a fresh veggie dinner of cucumbers, tomatoes, snap peas, carrots, onions, new potatoes (smothered in butter) and homemade bread from the freezer...It was a wonderful trip and also wonderful to be home...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Our last dinner in Prague

Seafood noodles in a wonderful broth.

Our parting shot at the Prague airport.

It was hard to leave Cienna.

Newly remodeled PDX, did I read somewhere

that some of the ceiling beams,

 came from

JZ's Lumber???

Boutique Air, sun was so bright,

they covered windshield 

with sunscreens.

Our veggie dinner on the deck.

Up bright and early on Friday

to work in garden, pick cucumbers

and make a few jars of hot dills!

Photos of Amsterdam...

 

Cruise, Rusty is thinking about pushing me overboard.

She is so much fun

I assume this is a Dad and kids on a bike.

Stairway to the WC

The WC

Windmill at the brewery we visited.

My Kids

Our Cruise Guide

We got skinny in Amsterdam.

Navigating another airport...Bobi, still smiling, as she keeps me

going in the right direction.

Amersterdam, a breath of fresh air... Sunny today

 Amsterdam the city of bicycles, yes bicycles, canals and bridges everywhere, as well as smiling people on buses, trams and subways...It is a welcome change from the stoic people of Prague...Cienna, (usually with a smile on her face), told us that when she first arrived in Prague, she thought she had made a big mistake, but in the "Language House" and "ABC preschool," she has a made a circle of friends, none of them Chech...I'm not knocking Prague, it is a beautiful city, but just telling you our first impression.

Our four days in Amsterdam have been filled with food, drink, shopping, sightseeing and a 2 hour cruise around the city, where like Prague, the buildings are stacked in like cordwood, plus they are built on a swamp. (these are Rusty's words).

Breakfast at the airport, before we took Bolt to our Hotel, settled in, Ci ordered tickets for the transit system and we were on our way...Almost everything we book and pay for is done on her card, that is on her phone to swipe...I'm using the treking poles everywhere and the streets/sidewalks are smoother here, also with Rusty's help and the slower escalators, we don't have to hunt for the elevators!

We hop the "22" bus, in front of our hotel and it delivers us to the middle of downtown, where we got educated on how the buses, bicycles and a few cars, all use the same space...Bicycles usually have the "right of way." NOBODY wears a helmet, most bikes are just one person peddling, but some have crates, front or back to carry dogs, children, groceries, etc...They peddle fast, weaving in and out of traffic, all looking like they are having a good time...It is truly amazing.

 The first night we ate at the "Seafood Bar," sharing appetizers, and main dishes family style, along with drinks, (my Bloody Mary was delicious).

The Cruise is a great way to see the city architecture and points of interest and get an idea of the canal system...Amsterdam is 7 feet below sea level...We chose a small boat, holding about 15 people, that included snacks and drinks...A light rain started about halfway through and we finished the cruise with umbrellas and blankets for all...That's it for today...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Sorry it won't let me post photos here...GRRR

A break for Oma...75ª

 After walking over 17,000 steps in the last two days, I opted to stay at the flat and write a blog and just chill...Bobi, Rusty and Cienna are shopping at the farmers market and getting their steps in for today.

Ci is the ultimate tour guide, finding us different adventures, each and every day...Different cafes for our dining and drinking pleasure...She is ever cautious of my well being, and finds elevators instead of stairs or escalators to access buildings and transportation.

Bobi is our photographer, extraordinare, and mood boosters, always looking for things to make us laugh and making sure we have the best experience! 

Rusty is the steady patient one (after all he is putting up with 3 women for 3 weeks), he fixes breakfast most mornings and calmly waits and people watches, while the "girls" dart into just one more store.

We enjoyed A day at Cienna's flat, where she fixed a delicious buffet of finger foods and invited co-workers and friends to join us...It was a delightful day and so much fun to see her, in the life she has made for herself in Prague.

We are looking forward to 4 days in Amsterdam, flying there tomorrow...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Some of the sights in Prague...

Adventure Outside of Prague...Still very warm

A correction on my last blog, "The Vltava River flows under the Charles Bridge." This bridge, now open to foot traffic only, was the first bridge built to span the Vltava River https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vltava... This bridge like most of the streets, sidewalks etc, in Prague are cobble stone, of all shapes and sizes...Some are big and very bumpy and others are small stones and smooth.

Up at 4am Friday morning to board the 7am bus for "Cesky Krumlov," a small city, 3 hours from Prague...The buses are air-conditioned and comfortable, scenery is mostly fields, some with large round bales, like we have in the US...Some forested areas, very small diameter trees.

Cesky Krumlov is built along side the Vltava River, with the Krumlov Castle, built in 1240, as its center...From the bus station, we traversed down a very steep hill, crossed the river, made our way up, around, through, over, in and out until we arrived at our hotel (Wellness Pension, Ametyst bed and breakfast), for the night...We dropped our backpacks, found a tiny cafe, and an "aperol spritz." Rusty opted for a beer!

Afternoon was a time for shopping for the "kids," while Oma took a 2 hour nap, before dinner...Next morning's breakfast was served in our room and then Cienna had booked a 1 1/2 hour spa, which we all enjoyed immensely...Ready for the day, we now loaded our backpacks on the transport chair, that Rusty pushed and I navigated the cobblestones with my treking poles...We got a reprieve from the heat, as a gentle rain moved through...We found a small riverside cafe, with an outside awning, where we sat and watched the many rafts floating down the river.

Storm over, we finished our trek, up the steep path to the bus station and the 3 hour return trip...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Spa with red lighting in tub.

Dinner

Smooth Stones

Big Cobble Stones

Chesky Krumlov from the Castle

Sight Seeing in Prague

 We are 5 days into our trip to Prague, where Cienna (my granddaughter) now lives...She has been here teaching for 11 months and recently returned to Portland and spent 10 days with family and friends, before joining us on our trip to Prague, so she could show us all the sights and we (Rusty, Della and Bobi (Cienna's mom) could spend time with her and see what her life is like in a foreign country.

Rusty and I met up with Bobi and Ci at PDX, Thursday, August 8th, after driving 2 1/2 hours to Pendleton, then flying on Boutique Air for an hour...We all waited 5 hours at PDX, before boarding our plane, Iceland Air, for  8 hours, to Iceland, where we had a 1 1/2 hour layover that stretch into 3 1/2 hours after a delay and a different plane...Arrived in Prague around 5pm Friday (Prague time.) None of us got much sleep, because with the change in time, it never got dark.

Our first day was spent acquainting ourselves with our surroundings, shopping for a few groceries, mostly breakfast items and drinks...We spent the afternoon at Cienna's flat, only about 5 blocks away and Bobi and Rusty soon got oriented with directions...Our flat is in between a freeway, major roads, and tram lines, so earplugs are our friends at night...We are on the second floor (have an elevator) and can leave our windows open, with fans, as AC is not in most housing in Prague...We spend most of our time on trams, buses, subways, walking and occasionally on BOLT (Uber)...So far we have visited the Jewish Cemetery, Old Town, parks and beer gardens and today we took a lunch cruise on the Charles River...It has been very hot but is cooling with possible rain by the weekend.

My kids have been super good to me as we navigate the cobblestone sidewalks, roads etc...I use trekking poles when walking and sometimes we take a transport chair along for me to ride in...It is quite rough but Rusty is a good "pusher" and hasn't dumped me out yet...When crossing roads, you have to watch for cars, buses and trams that all run on the same roads, cars don't have to wait for you to get clear across the street and they drive very fast.

That's enough for today, hugs to All...OWAV:)

Bobi and Ci

     

Me getting a ride

Jewish Cemetery

A pork knuckle to share

Appetizers to share

Prague from the tower

Market fruit

Have to pay for a WC

(water closet)

Catching up...52º

 The nice weather had Pam and I on the road again, paved, rough, rocky, potholes...We traveled all of them on a trip out north, including Chestnim, Buck Horn, Vigne, and Red Hill (just some of the names)...We had packed a lunch, sandwiches, drinks, chips, and found Becky lounging in her hammock at a "no name" campsite...We visited for many hours, before returning in a circuitous route back to Enterprise/Joseph. 

The drive was lovely and we were amazed at all the thinning projects going on in the forests out North...Finally some of the land is being managed like it should be, as they open up spaces, remove trees, pile them into stacks, that will later be burned, or grind them into chips, and scatter them on the forest floor...It makes for healthy trees, that now have room to grow...So many beautiful places, so close to our towns, that we can spend time in the peace and quiet...It was a very good day.

Rusty spent his birthday, yesterday, milling slabs for more raised beds...My friend MaryB came to visit, with me on the deck and took home garlic scapes from the garden...Today I will make Rusty a cherry pie (he much prefers that over a birthday cake) and he will BBQ something for our dinner...Our celebrations are low key.

We heard from Cienna, as she ventures away from Prague, and flys away for an adventure in Greece...That girl knows how to make the most of her time when she isn't teaching preschoolers, English as a second language...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Lighting wasn't great.

Buckhorn Lookout view.

Forest thinned a few years ago.

Lunch with Becky

Cienna in Greece

Perfect Temperature...70's, sunny/few clouds

 Maybe the last frosty days are over as summer slips in, no more covering gardens at night, moderate temperatures and gentle breezes, while we relax on the deck...After we water, mow and weed!

Rusty has been working at his house, on these cold, wet, dreary days...One of the rooms has been insulated, sheet rocked, sanded, primed and is almost ready for a coat of paint...Then the finishing touches of reframing the windows and other trim.

It doesn't take much to keep me busy as I do the endless household chores of picking up and putting away!..Seems my energy level has gone south, for whatever reason...Enjoy these first days of summer, Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Field of Poppies

Lovely Iris

Moving into Summer??. Sunny 43º

 A promise of warmer days and nights is in the forecast, maybe summer is in view...We never get too hopeful here in Wallowa County because it has been known to get snow/freezing temperatures every month of the year...But we never give up and look forward to any summer days that come our way.

On that note, it looks like watering, mowing, weeding, sitting on the deck basking in the sun is in our future.

Yesterday I took advantage of our last chilly day for awhile, to make and bake a big batch of bread and cookies...The heat from the oven and wonderful smells not only kept us warm but reminded us of how lucky we are to be alive in such a beautiful place and still have the energy to make such yummy food...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

PS...Rusty still doesn't believe that eating raw cookie dough is bad for ones health.

Cooler Weather...44º cloudy, breezy

Last week flew by, with niece Diane and husband Kim, here for a few days of fishing...They did a lot of fishing but not much catching...Diane got the biggest Kokanee on the last day...Maybe next time the fishing will be better.

Very proud fisherman

Packed up ready to try a new fishing hole.

Rusty is busy cutting more slabs with his portable mill, so he can finish the garden beds, when we harvest the garlic in late July...Garlic scapes are growing and will soon be ready to harvest...The garden is finally all planted, with sprouts showing, it is late this year and now we are having very cold weather for a few days with freezing temperatures. Typical June, I think we had snow at this time last year...The water system is set up, pumps woking well and even though is is cold outside, the ground has dried out quickly and we need to keep the sprinklers going...I love spring and summer but the jobs seem to be adding up.

We do what we can do, but still take time to relax on the deck and enjoy the view...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Who said, orange and purple

 don't go together.