40 Years

May 18th, Linda and I celebrated our 40th anniversary. On May 19th, I had my back surgery. Obviously, we were unable to have a significant celebration. We postponed everything, and Linda set about creating our next wonderful adventure. Something to commemorate our 40-some years together. We had had to postpone this all summer.

September came fast, and on September 4th, we loaded the Kia and drove west and then south to Eugene, OR, to visit Linda's sister and her family.  We were traveling light in the Kia, which meant we could make the entire drive to Eugene in one day. We shared driving and were able to complete the journey in about nine hours. We took our time, but, boy, did we feel it. Nine hours of travel isn't what it used to be for us.

Milo the invisible cat.

We arrived at the Sollenger's house and were greeted by our nephew, Kenyon. It was nice to see him smiling and very talkative. He told us all about his new obsession: collecting and rebuilding old World War I and World War II rifles. Kenyon showed us his collection and shared a surprise with us, which was scheduled during our visit. He was so excited because they would be taking us up to a rock quarry shooting range to shoot at targets with his guns.

Our first day was a very long one. Not only did we drive from Post Falls, but we also had a wonderful dinner, played Skip-Bo, and then went to bed.

Turtle Lake

Friday, Diane led us on a hike around a small lake called Turtle Lake. Just like the park's name implies, we saw many turtles in addition to numerous waterfowl. It was a fun hike and provided some much-needed exercise.

On Saturday, Kenyon and Diane led the way to the rock quarry in Kenyon's truck. Al Dee, Linda, and I followed in their car. It took us approximately 35 minutes to reach the location. When we arrived, Kenyon and Al Dee set out the guns while Diane, Linda, and I set up the targets. It was interesting because each gun we fired had its own story and history. Kenyon was very knowledgeable about their history, and Al Dee filled in with personal anecdotes about how they acquired each item. I shot 2 guns and a pistol. Linda didn't want to disappoint Kenyon. She shot one of the rifles and a pistol. She decided she really liked the target practice, but would rather use a bow and arrow.

That evening, we went all out and purchased dinner for the family from, wait for it, Chick-fil-A. This was Linda's and my first Chick-fil-A experience. We decided that the food was good and much better than Popeye's. After dinner, we played more cards (a fun new card game called Slapzi) and then went to bed.

Al Dee and Kenyon are setting up the rifles.

Eugene in the distance.

Pelican Shores

On the 7th, we left the family and headed to the coast, where we had a room reserved at a hotel called Pelican Shores Inn. It was a really nice room with a balcony and a small kitchen. We had a beautiful balcony that we used a lot! The drive was on two lanes, and it twisted its way down to the coast at Newport, where we then headed north on Highway 101. We stopped at Yaquina Head Lighthouse. It was beautiful weather. We ate a picnic lunch and then wandered the grounds for a while. We saw our first whale of the trip there.

For dinner, we visited the Chinook Winds Casino Resort. We both had a bowl of clam chowder, and Linda added some cheesy bread. The prices were ok, the soup was good, and we were served enough that we were each able to take a container home for our next lunch.

On our first full day on the coast, we drove south to Newport, where we visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium. We always enjoy looking at the marine life and reading all that is provided.

On this visit, we were captivated by the jellyfish display. The creatures are so beautiful and move about their tank in a very slow and peaceful dance. We spent a lot of time just sitting and watching their slow-motion performance.

We decided to stay for lunch at the Aquarium food court. The weather had changed and it was raining pretty hard (It is Oregon, after all). We enjoyed a sandwich split between the two of us, and we both agreed that it was delicious!

When we drive south to Depoe Bay and the Newport area, we always stop at Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint. The viewpoint never disappoints. This stop, we spotted two whales moving about the foam line, very close to shore.  I got a photo of one fluking, but the tail is barely visible.

On Tuesday, we went to the Lincoln City Outlet Mall.

After spending some money at the Outlet Mall, we visited Depoe Bay and ate lunch at a fine restaurant called Tidal Raves Seafood Grill. Linda enjoyed a bowl of clam chowder and a green salad, and I went all out and had fish and chips. My lunch was another culinary win. The sauce on the fish had an amazing flavor. Linda said her chowder was a lot better than what we had at the casino. We were sitting at a table overlooking Depoe Bay. Whales were spouting everywhere, and they were incredibly entertaining. It was a great way to spend an hour and a half.

Lunch at Tidal Raves Seafood Grill.

Our last full day was Wednesday, and we spent the day locally, walking on the beach, packing, and preparing for our return trip to Post Falls. 

We took the short drive south that afternoon and again visited Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint. We watched the whales spout and enjoyed the sun. On the way back to the hotel, we fueled up the Kia and bought a travel sandwich from Subway. 

The next morning, we were on the road home, leaving the coast around 6 AM. We drove straight through to The Dalls and filled up with gas. Continuing on, we made one other stop just north of the Tri-Cities at The Country Mercantile. This large specialty grocery store has been on Linda's watch list for a long time. We shopped around and purchased some of their Mexican burritos (which were a little pricy). We ate them for dinner once we got home, and they were very good.

Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint.

The small black dot is a fluke.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Checking Out Fishing

Over the past few months, I have spent quite a bit of time recovering from my back surgery. Each small adventure we've tried was a test of how I have been healing. We found that I could pack and get ready for our trips with no problems. I didn't have problems getting into or out of the camper, or better yet, crawling into bed when it was time to rest. After this latest trip, I feel confident saying I'm back to normal, and we can continue our adventures with no worries.

Linda was online this spring and checked out the website for Huckleberry Campground up on the St. Joe River and noticed an opening at our favorite campsite. It was available Monday through Thursday, so she clicked the reserve button and secured the spot. Gotta love retirement and camping during the week.

We loaded up and spent the next few days relaxing in the shade on the banks of the St. Joe and loving it. My test dealing with my recovery from back surgery was to go fly fishing and see if it caused any problems. I can say without a doubt that I was able to fish just like I have in the past. I got a bit tired, but all in all, the fishing was unhampered by my injury. Now I just have to figure out how to catch those critters!

Linda enjoyed her time away from the stress of caregiving. She took walks, read her books, and enjoyed the quiet. On one of her morning walks, she came upon a rabbit that was determined to make her laugh. The rabbit would hide in the brush and then rush out and jump around in free-form dance, much like puppy circles, except, of course, it was a bunny. Linda said it did this about four times before it disappeared into the dense brush and out of sight. She looked for the little bunny every time she walked, but never saw it again. 

Around our campsite, we spotted many different birds, but the one that intrigued us the most was the Grey Catbird with its distinctive songs and cries. It really does sound like a cat at times, and we were able to spot it hiding in the brush next to our camper.

For our dinners, we used our Dutch ovens. The first night, I followed a recipe out of one of my many DO cookbooks for a Mexican enchilada dish.  I put it all together, and as I added ingredients, I thought t it might be a bit too plain and not have an exciting flavor. When I served the meal, we were pleasantly surprised that it had a great flavor and turned out really good! It was delicious!

The second night's meal was an old favorite that we have cooked many times, Chicken Cordon Bleu. The meal is always very flavorful, and everyone loves it. It does, however, take a bit of fussing and mixing to get it all together.  I will be trying some ideas I have to make the process less labor-intensive for the future.

Our three nights on the river went by very quickly. We were sad to have to drive home on Thursday, wishing we had just one more day. 

A Birthday Trip to Sam Owen

View from the Veterans Memorial at Hope City Park.

Sam Owen Campground is located on the Hope Peninsula near the thriving towns of Hope and Clarkfork, Idaho. To get to this spot from Post Falls, we drove north through Rathdrum, Athol (hehe, I always laugh at that name) and Sandpoint. Once through these urban areas, we started edging northeast along Lake Pend Oreille. 

We were on a mission, and our task would lead us to the East Hope City Park, where there is a memorial honoring all residents who have served our country in the military. One of the name plaques has been paid for and reserved to honor our aunt Irene Dunn's husband, "Uncle" Jack Dunn.

Jack served in the US Navy and spent most of his time on the island of Guam. He was a resident of Hope and operated his family dairy. I spent many days up at his farm helping with chores, picking cherries, and harvesting hay. It was a memorable time in my life, and I know it instilled a strong work ethic in my soul.

Uncle Jack's nameplate has been purchased, but we found that it hasn't been installed. We walked through the small park and checked out the monuments. It's a pretty little park, and we will definitely have to return as soon as we know the nameplate has been installed.

It was a short drive to our campsite at Sam Owen, and we arrived just after 2:30 PM. We set up the camper and lounged around in the shade until Rayelle and Mike arrived at about 5:30 PM.

We spent the rest of our evening chatting with the Andersons. By 9:00 pm, we were ready for bed.

The 24th of July was Linda's birthday. We loaded into Mike's truck and drove to Clarkfork, where we found the Clarkfork Pantry, an amazing bakery.  What a wonderful selection of baked goods and foods! We bought coffee and various sweet breads covered in frosting. We were in heaven.

Birthday Apple Fritters. Yum!

For Linda's birthday, I gave her some flowers and a card. The two items were supposed to accompany her main gift, but that didn't happen because that gift failed to arrive in time for this trip. Linda and I had gone to a jewelry store and replaced her cubic zirconium in a ring with a real stone. We combined her birthday and our 40th anniversary into one event.

A fish in a bikini.

That evening, the celebration continued, and we found our way into Hope, where we settled into the Old Ice House Pizzaeria. The pizza place is very popular, but we found a table with an amazing view of The Green Monarchs and Lake Pend Oreille. We ate pizza and played a trivia game that Rayelle found in a game box. It was a fun meal and very educational.

Our next day was spent in two locations. The beach or at camp in the shade. The relaxation was exactly what everyone needed.

For our evening dinner, Linda and I cooked brats and provided potato salad and fruit salad. I baked a fruit cobbler in the Dutch oven, which we devoured with no problem. The evening was topped off by playing two rounds of Mexican Train. Julia and I won a round each.

The last day of our stay was spent sunning and enjoying the beach.  We all met at the Andersons' campsite for a great dinner of hamburgers, potato salad, and chocolate brownies.  After we finished dinner, we spotted two immature Great Horned Owls sitting on a dead tree stump. The sun was setting, and my photos were not as clear as most due to the distance and lack of light, but the one shot I got works well enough to show that we did have these beautiful winged visitors.