A Day Late and a Dollar Short

I’m not quite sure what that means but my mother used to say it when she didn’t get something done on time so I’m using it tonight.

As you have probably figured out by now, I am way behind on blogging about our journey.  Several reasons for that…sometimes I didn’t have internet and sometimes I didn’t have time…and sometimes I just plain was not motivated!  I haven’t been feeling all that good on top of everything else.  How’s that for telling it like it is?

So we are home now, and I still want to blog some about Madras and the Crooked River and the rock place and Sisters, but for today, I just want to blog about …today.

I confess, it has been a struggle being home.  I did not want to quit traveling this time.  Everywhere we went we had a million and one things we wanted to see and do and we only got maybe 4 or 5 (or fewer) of those goals actually accomplished.  I guess it is better to want to go back than to get burned out on an area.

I haven’t been doing well with my back for several weeks and just can’t seem to get rid of the (hate to use this word but…) PAIN.  So I’ve been a little discouraged and grumpy.   We’ve been doing a thorough cleaning of Therapy and LOADS of laundry.  Today we decided to get out with the doggies for a bit.

We took them to Valley River Center to walk along the river walk.  There is one really easy place to get down to the water and Rusty was loving it.  We liked the looks of these trees growing on their own little islands.


That’s a pedestrian/bike bridge in the background.  One thing about Eugene, we sure have a lot of pedestrian/bike paths and it seems there are always more going in. 

I don’t know what this tree is growing by the river but I liked the contrast of the purple and green leaves, the white berries and the cloudy sky.



And this is just a weed seed pod but I liked the shapes and the way the sun was lighting all the little tendrils and seed pockets.















We saw a TON of school kids walking the path, broken up into groups of 20 or so.  We were very surprised when we got out of the car just as our granddaughter, Cailin, was walking by with her group.  She saw us before we saw her and we got to give a big wave and howdy but she had to stay with her group.  One of the adults said there were about 400 kids out walking – must have been the entire school – I don’t know what it was all about.  As we were headed back to the car we saw these two stragglers at the end.  They saw us looking at the hat and the boy that didn’t have the hat on called out – “That’s MY hat!”  I told him it was a great hat and asked if I could take a picture.  “Sure,” he said as he snatched the hat off his friend’s head and placed it on his own.  They were having fun.



After that we wanted to check out the Delta Ponds as they have been doing some work there.  The ponds were lower than I can ever remember seeing them.  We were tuckered so we didn’t walk far but we did find this great Buttercup.


Hard to believe most of the flowers are gone for the year but the fall colors will be here soon to compensate.  The pond was calm today, providing a great opportunity to capture the reflection of the sky on the water.



It appears the city has been working on the path.  We saw new concrete and a new overlook.  I think the path is being extended to go all the way to Valley River Center, thus connecting it to the main Eugene/Springfield bike path.  Cool!!

That’s all we did today other than more cleaning.  I am doing semi-annual stuff like oiling all the wood, putting a seal/polish on all the counter tops and on the shower walls, and washing all the rugs and blankets.

I'll write some more about Madras and Sisters in the next several days.  We did see some neat things in that area.  Don’t know when our next trip will be but you can be sure that whenever we can, we will be in Therapy!


P.S.  Almost forgot...Got this in an email from an old friend the other day and thought it was funny...hope you get a laugh out of it.

Yesterday I was at my local COSTCO buying a large bag of Purina dog chow
For my loyal pet, Jake, the Wonder Dog and was in the check-out line when a
woman behind me asked if I had a dog.
 

What did she think I had an elephant? So since I'm retired and have little
to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the
Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in
the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an
intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in
both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a Perfect Diet and that the way that it
works is, to load your pants pockets with Purina Nuggets and simply eat one
or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it
works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that
practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care, because the dog food
poisoned me.  I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff a poodle's
butt and a car hit me.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was Laughing so hard.

Costco won't let me shop there anymore.

Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the
World to think of crazy things to say.