Shotgun Creek

Shotgun Creek is a BLM day use park about 24 miles northeast of Eugene.  Unfortunately, I figured there would be a good website I could link to but this link is not real good.  I spent all my camera time mostly taking pictures of kiddos and didn’t get any real good scenic shots.  Oh well…

The new header picture was taken today as we arrived at Shotgun Creek.

So, we loaded up six grandkids the dog and the old folks (that’s us, in case you didn’t know) and we headed out to Shotgun Creek for the day.  This is the road into the park and gives you the feel of the forested nature of this park.


The park consists of about 260 acres, of which 20 are developed as a day use area.  There is a swimming area with individual picnic sites that look more like campsites.  The picnic sites are scattered throughout a network of paved paths near the swimming beach and all have a nice picnic table, fire pit, bar-b-que grill and the firewood is FREE!!  The day use is also free with a federal parks pass, otherwise it’s only $3 per vehicle.



The other side of the park has a playground, sand volleyball court, horseshoe pits and two group shelters.



The covered shelters have a large fireplace, water and electric, and nice picnic tables.  This one is kinda up on a small hill.


There is a network of about 6 miles of walking trails, mostly along the creek. 


A small dam is in place creating the sandy swimming area.  I don’t know if the dam has another purpose but it sure makes a fine swimming hole!  I found a group of weird and crazy people standing in front of this dam.  The dog was not crazy!


I swear I do not know these people!!


The water is not at all as warm as Grandma’s pool but a couple of the kids made the effort to enjoy it.













Poppy thought it felt pretty good and was brave enough to get in up to her “ankles”.  Rusty would have been in there, first laying down for a soak and then a little swimming.



The sign says “Unsupervised Swimming” but it looks to me like we have more supervisors than we do swimmers.


Brendan enjoyed the sand and built a fine sand fort.


The playground is a popular spot but we had it all to ourselves today.


Later a couple of families showed up at the swimming area but other than that, it was pretty much our private park today.  Can’t beat that.  Cailin brought her guitar and provided some beachside entertainment, along with Bekah.  (note to family: a couple more clips on my You Tube channel)



All of this activity was too much for grandpa and he just checked out for awhile.


Thankfully he woke up feeling refreshed enough to drive us all back home…and that ends another day of making memories for the grandkids.

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer.

Remember those wonderfully warm summer evenings when all you had to do was hope and plan and dream?  Remember how wonderful to sit on the grass or lie on your back and just watch the clouds roll by?  How wonderful to be a kid in the summer time.  Forget the hassles of school, the homework, the occasional unfriendly teacher, the class bully, the teenage angst and just drink in the LAZY summer evening.  Ahhhhh.



And the HAZY mornings with a slight chill in the air.  But all is well as you snuggle down under the covers and dream of ….whatever you wish!


Unfortunately, the tent has to come down today.  Not running the sprinklers is beginning to take its toll and I can only imagine the smashed grass under the tent.  The good thing here in the Pacific Northwest is, within a few weeks, you’ll never be able to tell there was a problem.  And it was worth it besides.

And then there’s Crazy!!  After a tough day of dreaming and swimming and hanging out, there is Shave Ice to enjoy….


More crazy… (the obligatory pool toss)


And if that’s not crazy enough….


Ah yes, those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy days of summer…they are over too fast.  Hope you are enjoying yours as I am enjoying mine.

What Do We See

I was reading Mark’s Box Canyon Blog this morning and it reminded me of an incident with my grand girls yesterday.  If you want to see some fantastic “eye candy" check out Mark’s blog.

Anyway, I’m talking about nature and the beauty that we can see all around us.  I’ll never climb the wonderful peaks in Ouray, CO. but I will enjoy what I can of the beauty that surrounds me.  I hope I never get jaded or take it for granted.  I don’t think Mark has!

Seems many of the young people (or older folks as far as that goes!) have no true appreciation of nature.  They prefer texting on their iPods or iPhones to actually looking around them and seeing with the eyes of their soul.  I don’t blame the kids.  Life has gotten so complex and busy that most do not have the opportunity to get out and learn to appreciate the beauty of creation.

I try to get my grands out when I can.  Yesterday we were going to a park a ways out in the country.  It was just a scouting trip to see if it would make a good full-day trip next week.  It passed muster and we will go back on Monday or Tuesday. 

This is the thing that amazed me.  As we were driving along the highway, I was pointing out the various wildflowers to the granddaughter that was riding shotgun.  The wild sweet peas are in bloom right now and I love their vibrant hues of magenta.  As I pointed out different flowers and trees this 12 years old kinda nodded with that bored look that was meant to humor the old grandma but couldn’t quite work its way up to enthusiasm.

Suddenly she sat up higher in her seat and turned her head as she spotted something on the other side of the road.  Aha, enthusiasm!  “Look at that Limo,” she said.  I hadn’t even seen it…just didn’t register. 

This is not meant to be a tirade against video games, iPhones, or the like.  It is what is normal in today’s world (more’s the pity!).  I just wish the love of the outdoors could somehow be appreciated as much as the virtual world.  I do think they are finding some joy in nature, at least I hope so.  And each one is different.  Some enjoy it more than others.  Progress may be slow but I will keep trying.  At least I got them to sleep outdoors in a tent!

New Campsite

We found a wonderful new campsite today.  Lots of green grass, trees, concrete covered patio, and we were the only ones there.  Don’t you just love uncrowded campgrounds?

Anna has lots of experience setting up tents and she went right to work.



Emmie, Cailin, and Bekah are not quite sure this is being done correctly.


Just listen to Anna and the job will get done.



Just a little adjusting on the rain fly.



And a little adjusting in the front.


And they’re good to go!


This campsite comes with a great picnic table and a bar-b-que.


There’s a heated pool for those who care to use it.


And a playground just over the fence.












Ahhh, it’s nice when you find the perfect spot!!

Just a note – I was unable to write much yesterday.  I’ve had a problem with my shoulder for about 7 or 8 months now.  I kept hoping it would get better on its own but no such luck.  Finally went to the doctor yesterday and she said I have a rotator cuff injury.  She got out a needle that was at least 12 inches long and a half inch in diameter and told me she was going to put some steroid right into the shoulder joint!!!   After she put the smelling salts away, and got me back on the table, I thought maybe this would be a good idea.  The injection was really not too bad but by afternoon that shoulder hurt worse than it ever had.  I absolutely could not move it without severe pain. However, it is MUCH better today.  I am trying to not use my left arm but it isn’t easy.  Being right-handed I never really thought about how much I rely on my left arm!!  Pay attention and you’ll be surprised at how handy that non-dominant arm is.

Anyway, if I do not experience a great deal of improvement in a week, I have to have some imaging studies done to determine the extent of the problem.  If it is a torn rotator cuff then that most likely means surgery.  I am going to try and do my bestest to take care and rest this shoulder and let it heal on its own cuz there ain’t gonna be no surgery in my future and that’s that!!  And so I sit here typing and my shoulder is starting to ache so this is goodnight and if you don’t hear from me every day, you’ll know the reason why.  I’m still reading your blogs though!

Thanks for the Suggestions and the Troops are here.

Had some great suggestions in response to last night's post.  Rick suggested there might be a few trips to the grocery store so I went to Costco this morning and got the BIG sizes!  He also suggested we oil the refrigerator door…also done.  Sounds like you and Paulette have had a bit of experience, eh?

Shoeless Joe thought I might want to get my roller skates out so I could keep up.  I tried John, I really did, but about the third time my keister hit the deck I decided I better just hoof it.  Besides, the skates of today have all the wheels right down the middle!!  Thanks for the idea though!!

Jerry and Suzy thought the kids might be feeding me a serving of exhaustion along with the fun.  Have to say you’re right about that but I’m trying to keep my exhaustion calories to a minimum.

The Good Luck Duck had a great offer of…well, maybe I’ll just leave you to read her comment!!  Sounds good to me LOL!!

Actually, it’s not going too badly but since this is only the first day of all four girls and two guys, we’ll see how it goes.  Thankfully, they are finding things to do that each enjoys and not all have to do the same thing.

  Bekah, Emmie, and Brendan made a beeline for the pool.  The water was up to 85F today but even so, it took a little getting used to.











In the end there’s really only one way to enter a pool.



Anna, Cailin, and Corbin baked a cake and did a fine job of it.  AND they cleaned up their mess!



So with one day down and 9 to go, we’re off to a good start.

Whew, nice day but tiring

Well, the girls finally rolled out of bed about 9:30 this morning…that’s a tad early for them but I promised them a drive out to the lake so they made the effort!!  We are trying so hard to keep Poppy healthy for as long as we can and any walking helps to control her diabetes.  We try to take her to places she enjoys so she will get some exercise.

We visited Fern Ridge Reservoir today, locally known as Fern Ditch.  It is a large, shallow lake and the water is nowhere near as clear as the other bodies of water in the area.  The wind blew yesterday and the waves on the shallow water really stirred up the dirt on the bottom.


Yup, that’s the lake water, ankle deep and almost can’t see anything!!


It is a popular lake for boating though and this year they have a rental concession.

Photo by Bekah.

Anna took this shot of a kayak against the backdrop of some of the many large sailboats in the marina.


What a gorgeous day, blue skies, sunshine and just a few puffy clouds.

The girls paused on the footbridge long enough to pose for a picture.


Grandpa and Poppy were bringing up the rear.


Teenagers or not, these girls enjoy swings.  Secretly, I do too!!











Russ went and picked up the boys while I took the girls shopping for jeans at St. Vinnys (thrift store).

This used to be the swimming area for little tykes but over the last couple of years it has been let go and has become overgrown with weeds.



But all the weeds and Queen Anne’s Lace, brings lots of ladybugs and the girls had fun playing with them.



That’s Russ’s cane on the right trying to steady the bush so I can get a picture.  We’re very professional when it comes to nature photography!!

The windstorm yesterday blew junk all over the pool cover but Anna sprayed it off and Corbin scooped the leaves.


Bekah and Brendan enjoyed swimming…


…while Anna, enjoyed her iPod!


Ya know, that pool is just a homemade concrete covered hole in the ground, but after looking at Fern Ditch this morning I am so glad we have it.  It may not be much but every kid in this family has spent time in that pool and every one of my grandkids can swim.  Keeps them outside and moving (most of the time!) and it’s a lot cleaner and warmer than the lake, and much safer than the rivers.

Tomorrow, two more girls get dropped off and then the fun really begins!!

INVASION!

No it’s not ants, or spiders, or cockroaches.  It’s not the Martians, or the Body Snatchers, but it might possibly be Teenagers From Outer Space!! 

Just kidding of course.  I have the best teenage and pre-teenage grandkids that any grandma could ask for.  The two from Portland, Anna and Bekah, arrived today and the two Eugene girls, Cailin and Emilie will be joining us on Wednesday afternoon for a 10 day sleep-over.  Somewhere in there I need to work in a couple of grandsons too.  If you don’t hear from me for a couple of days, call for help.  They have either locked me in the attic or I have locked MYSELF in the bedroom.  Next time Sue and Mo go on a winery tour, I think I need to go with them!!  Doesn’t matter that I don’t drink – I could always start!!

I’ve been keeping my eye out for the announcement from Canon regarding their new mirrorless camera, with interchangeable lenses.  Rick Doyle has blogged about this a couple of times and explained the technology behind the camera.  The announcement came out today and it sure looks like a fine camera.  HOWEVER, for the price I think I will just stick with a middle of the road point and shoot.  As Rick pointed out to me in an email, he’s tired of changing lenses for different conditions, and I think I am too.  If I want to do that I can always break out the D300. 

So, since my camera developed some kind of scratch or chip in the lens, Russ went to Costco and got me a new Panasonic Lumix ZS19.  I am not committed to it yet but am going to try it out for a few days and see what I think.  The advantage is, it is just a newer model of what I already have so there is no real learning curve and the same battery fits so I will have a spare. It doesn’t have a lot of the special effects that some of the cameras have but I don’t use that stuff anyway.  I can always add any effects I want in post production.  I just want a good easy to use lightweight camera that I will carry with me and use.

I tried it out on my flowers tonight just to see what it could do.  Unfortunately, my flowers, like myself, are beginning to show signs of old age.  I tried to tell them all that sun would surely fade their beautiful  youthful bloom but, sun-worshippers that they are, they didn’t listen to me.  Now they are each day becoming more faded and wrinkled and brown.  Sad, but true.  Anyway, here are some of my blooms.  How many can you name?  Answers are at the end of the blog.

Okay boys and girls, here are the answers.  I hope you didn’t cheat!!
1.   Balloon flower
2.   Mint
3.   Hosta
4.   Mint ( yup again, did I fool you?)
5.   Ya got me!!  I can’t remember so if anyone knows what this is, please let me know.  It is a bush and it is perennial.
6.   Star gazer lily
7.   Star Jasmine (and its ant)
8.   Yellow snap dragon
9.   Pansy
10.  Petunia
11.  Geranium
12.  Crocosmia (I hate this stuff – can’t get rid of it.  My lawn guy did me a BIG favor and planted it for me in my garden without telling me, bless his heart!)
13.  Martha Washington geranium
14.  Calla lily
15.  Violas
16.  Snapdragon
17.  Violas again!
18.  Viola (I love these little guys)
19.  Gladiolus

So there you have it.  May you bloom where you are planted, or wherever the big wheels take you!