End of an Era

Last week brought a sad day at our house. The old Dart departed for Japan. Aaron sold it on ebay a few weeks ago and this week, at 10 o'clock at night, a young man arrived to load it on to a car carrier to drive it down to California where it will be loaded on a ship and floated to Japan. It was fascinating to watch him load her up and we were all sad to see the ol' Rosiemobile leave. Lots of memories in one car. This photo is poor but it was 10 at night and I wanted to have a snapshort of the event.

We moved some of Rosana's old furniture into the house this week and even drove by her old house today, so I am reminded of her in many ways. It has been almost two years since she died and I still think of her almost every day. What an amazing lady she was!

In other car news from Dallas, the van was on it's last legs, so we traded it in for a 2000 Ford Ranger that Nate has happily driven out to Black Rock several times already. We were probably the least sentimental about that van than any other car we've had. Our acquaintance was short and we were glad to see it go. We still remember how Aaron cried and cried when we traded in the Escort station wagon about 20 years ago. Good thing he wasn't here to bid the Dart goodbye!

Trip to Zion

Last week my sister Rachel and I took a quick trip to Zion National Park. We had a blast, as we always do traveling together. Here's some notes and photos from our trip:

We left Portland early Tuesday morning and flew to Las Vegas. We rented a car and drove around the city, stopping for lunch at "In n Out" before hitting the road. It's about a 3 hour drive to Zion, traveling from Nevada, through a bit of Arizona, to Utah. We stayed in Springdale, which is just outside the park. We checked into our Bed and Breakfast and then hopped the convenient shuttle to the park. Most of the year, cars are not allowed inside most of the park but they have a great shuttle bus system that we took full advantage of. We rode to the end of the line, checking out the park and then got off for a hike along Riverside Trail, which is along the Virgin River. We hiked to the beginning of The Narrows, which is where the canyon is so narrow you have to walk in the river. It was cold (40 degrees) so we only went a short way but it was very scenic and fun. Then we took the shuttle back towards town, spotting wild turkey and deer along the way. Another short hike took us to the viewpoint for the Court of the Patriarchs, three large stone peaks. We grabbed some dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Springdale and soon hit the hay.

Wednesday dawned clear and we were excited for a full day of hiking. We set out to hike the trail to Angel's Landing. This is a five mile round trip hike with a 1500 foot elevation gain. All the signs warn it is not for those afraid of heights as the trail has steep drop offs and is less than four feet wide in spots. We were up for the challenge! The beginning is an easy stroll along the canyon floor and then the fun begins, with numerous switchbacks up the hill, a drop into aptly named "Refrigerator Canyon" and then on to Walter's Wiggles, a series of 20 switchbacks cut into the rock. Up higher we hit Scout's Landing, the turn around point for anyone nervous about the last half mile. This was where the real fun began- climbing up and over rocks with chains placed in the rock to assist you, and steep drop offs on all sides. We were very excited to reach the top and see the glorious view. Then came the hike down, which was harder than going up along the steep climb. We used the chains as much as possible. We finally made it to the bottom and took a well-deserved rest. Not wanting to waste our time in the park, we set off on another hike, this time to Emerald Pools. There are three pools, Lower, Middle and Upper and we saw them all in a 2.5 mile loop. The views were great of the canyon and all the amazing rock formations. After this hike, our feet were killing us so we took the shuttle back to our room and got some take out food for dinner. After a rest we wanted to see more so we took the rental car to drive along the Zion-Mt. Carmel highway. This road has a mile long tunnel that was built in the 1930's. After the tunnel we stopped for the Canyon Overlook hike. This is a fun hike along the sandstone to a gorgeous view of the canyon. We got there just as the sun was setting and clouds were rolling in and the view was fantastic. Then it was time to head back and get some sleep!

Our last day in Zion was a bit slower, due to our aching muscles. We took the shuttle to the trail to Weeping Rock and enjoyed the stroll. We watched the movie at the Human History Museum and checked out the lodge and the Visitors Center. Then we bade Zion goodbye and hit the road again. On our way to Las Vegas, we stopped at Valley of Fire State Park. This is more amazing rock formations, brightly colored and rising abruptly out of the desert. We did a couple of short walks, clambered around on the rocks, and admired the sandstone and the petroglyphs. A drive along Lake Mead and by more amazing geology brought us into Las Vegas. We checked into our hotel and did a drive down the Strip, but decided we preferred the natural beauty of the parks to the hustle and bustle of Vegas. We flew home the next day, tired but our minds full of all the beauty we had seen.

Happy 92nd!

Today my mom turned 92! She can remember what year she was born (1917) but doesn't know how old she is. Aaron asked her old she felt and she said 70. Here's some old pictures I dug up. The first one is her with a baby. It is most likely me, but it could be Rachel and the pictures has no notation or year on it. It doesn't matter, my mom spent many years in church (where this was taken) with a baby on her lap. She looks happy and I think she loved having a baby in her lap. With 6 kids, 20 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren and 3 great, great grandchildren she has held many in those arms.

Here's one with the three younger kids and her at the beach. She loved the beach, it was her favorite place to go. Her favorite spot was Beverly Beach on the Oregon coast. She has a big smile on her face, which is how I picture her; she knew how to have fun. She can still make me laugh with her comments and insights.



Here's a couple more from when I was in high school. I have many great memories of my mom. She was an extremely hard worker, endlessly patient, loving, and helpful. She taught me to make pies, bread, cookies, sunday dinners, and meals for a crowd. She was a performer too, willing to perform "Spittin'" in her eighties and ready to entertain any crowd. She took care of all her kids and her mother and mother-in-law and fixed thousands of meals and washed thousands of loads of laundry and rarely complained about any of it. She was the first person I know to have a personal computer and was always ready for a new one. She always said her favorite things to do were eat and talk! Most people think a lot of their mom, but I can tell you I have had the privilege of being raised by the best. Happy Birthday, Mom.

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!!

Today our baby girl is 24! Since she's in Korea, she is 25 there, as they count the years a bit differently. We miss her very much but we are so proud of her. She is truly the bravest person I know. Here she is as a joyful baby. My wish for her is to feel this kind of joy today!

We're not losing a son, we're gaining a country!

Aaron and Kim announced their engagement this week!! They'll be married in Australia sometime this summer or fall. We only met Kim a week ago but we're delighted to welcome her to the family. Here's a photo of them with their computers and the new ring. They were busy updating their "status" on facebook! Only one of many important tasks to tackle now.

Blazing News

It started when we noticed some flames in the area behind our house. Here's what we could see from our yard:

A call to 911 let me know they had engines on the way. It was a storage shed filled with carpet pieces.

Soon it looked like this:

Thanks to Aaron's friend A/C for the snap!

They got the fire out and our arbor vitae was saved. It was good for some excitement, however.

Stay tuned for an even more exciting post soon, I promise.

Snowball

Here's Nate and Barbara Jane at the winter dance. Pretty cute, huh? No, they're not really in London, just another photographer's prop.

Still Alive in Boring Polk County

Today the Oregonian travel section has a listing of the 150 places that should be on every Oregonian's list to see, in honor of Oregon's 150th birthday. You can see it broken down by geography here:http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/ In the newspaper, it's broken down by county. Polk County has one lowly listing - Baskett Slough Wildlife refuge. Only Gilliam county has a shorter entry, and it's for the John Day River, which I've canoed on and is awesome! Some counties have up to 10 or so listings. I am proud to say I've been to nearly all the places listed, with the exception of most of the remote counties, such as Lake and Union. Where have you been?

Also, just finished a book I really enjoyed: "Still Life With Rice" by Helie Lee, which is about Korea and one woman's fascinating life through numerous moves and wars and personal disasters and triumphs. Before that, I read "American Wife" by Curtis Sittenfield, a novel loosely based on Laura and George Bush. Both were enlightening books I'd recommend. Happy reading and traveling!

Today it's Aaron's Birthday!

Happy 26th today to my eldest son! Here he is at 3 months, trying to copy the baby in the background. Such a talented kid, even as a baby! I think he is still just as flexible, too. We're enjoying having him stateside after his world travels. We'll be dining on tatertot casserole and banana cream pie tonight in his honor. Happy Birthday, Aaron!

Happy Birthday, Kathy!

Today one of my older sisters becomes an official senior citizen! Here's a picture from when she was about half her current age, but she hasn't changed much. She's had to overcome some significant health stuff this year and she's done a great job. Thanks for always being a big help to me and taking care of all of Mom's financial and organizational matters. Happy Birthday!