Picnic in the Park–and- Looking for a Lepidopterist

Oh we do have us a mini heat wave here in Eugene, OR.  I really need to have a talk with old Mr. Sol.  He lets us freeze in June and July and then in August he tries to make up for it by slow roasting us!  Please Mr. Sol, a little moderation would be nice.  The mercury has climbed to over 90F for the last several days and it is supposed to get worse before it gets better.  Add to that the smoke from several Oregon wildfires, and that equals health alerts for old folks and those with breathing problems.  Might get a thunder storm Friday night which would wash away some of the smoke.

But we braved the heat for a little river time yesterday.  Our favorite picnic lunch is a Subway sandwich – so easy, I just tell them what to put on it and I don’t have to slice, dice, or clean anything up.  Now that’s a picnic.

We took our sandwiches to Skinner Butte Park on the banks of the Willamette River.  This is just across the river from Valley River Center, a great boondocking area that many of you have enjoyed.

Poppy appears to be sniffing a pocket of sunshine (I’m sure there must have been more to it!).


Something caught their eye…


We managed to snag a table in the shade and enjoyed our Subs.


This is a busy park and right on the Willamette River bike path.  The path is heavily used by bikers and walkers alike and today was no exception.  The paved bike path goes on both sides of the river before it converges and continues on to Springfield.  Good to see people out enjoying the sunshine.



Between these picnic tables and the river, there is a more primitive pathway that allows river access.  This path is for pedestrians only.



One thing I do NOT like to see is idiots who ignore the law and launch their watercraft without the required Personal Flotation Devices.  I watched these two young ladies blow up their Sevylor canoe and launch into the river without any PFDs on board.  The craft looked more suitable for a small lake or a swimming pool!  There have already been people killed on the river this year and more who were rescued.  The river is relatively calm here but there are unexpected hazards and hidden detritus that can play havoc with inflatables.  I think they should be billed for the rescue efforts if they have launched without PFDs on board!!


With our lunch finished and trash put in the trash can where it belongs (another pet peeve of mine!) we vacated our table.  Didn’t take long for it to find a new tenant.


Here’s a picture I took when the kids were here and we visited Shotgun Creek.  Hope someone can tell me what it is.  The kids were calling it a butterfly but it looks more like a moth to me – but that is why I am looking for a lepidopterist!








And then, just because I like the looks of it, a fence I pictured when we went to the Finley Wildlife Refuge .


As Porky Pig would say, “That’s all, folks.”

Last Day With the Grands and Amazon Prime

Today is the last day of grandkids week.  We didn’t get as many hours in with all the grands as we would have liked but we did what we could. 

Today we went to pizza at Roaring Rapids on the river.  After all the rain we have had, the place has definitely earned its name.  Here's a picture I took last October when Rick and Paulette stopped by on their way to California and next to that a picture of what the river looked like today.  In the summer, the Willamette is a popular river for fishing from a drift boat or just rafting for fun, but I sure wouldn’t do it now.



We managed to burn off some of the kid’s energy in the arcade.  They gravitated to the air hockey game and had a great time playing various versions of two against one.  Just look at that puck fly.





Then we got home and the Wii games that I ordered yesterday afternoon from Amazon had arrived!!  I cannot say enough about Amazon Prime.  Not only do you get free shipping no matter what the cost, it is the FASTEST shipping I have ever received from Amazon.  Now that is only items fulfilled by Amazon so if you go to an off-site store that handles their own fulfillment, you might have to pay.  I don’t think I have purchased very many items that were not fulfilled by Amazon so it’s not a concern for me.  I also love the fact that I can get tons of movies and older TV shows for free with Amazon Prime.  For $79 annually, I think it's a heck of a deal. 

So back to the new Wii games.  I bought several Dance games and the kids have been at it ever since we got back from the pizza place.  It sure uses up some energy and it’s good for them.  Here’s a short clip of them dancing – they didn’t know I was filming but they were sure having fun.



And with that we bid a fond farewell to Spring Break at the grandparents…but summer break will be here before we know it.  It’s been fun, now I’m ready for a nap!!!

Poppy’s in the Fish Pond!!

Here I am again, home after being without internet for several days…now I have so much to tell I don’t know where to start or where to end.  Oh well, ya’ll already know I’m long-winded!  We’ve been at Clackamette Park for the last few days.  You can read about the park in an earlier blog by clicking on the link.

Wednesday we did a bit of sightseeing around Oregon City.  We went downtown and walked along the river and got some pictures of the falls.



There were not as many boats in the water as there were last month, but we still saw some salmon being caught.

Do you know what this is?

It’s the other end of THIS:

“MY, what big TEETH you have.”  “The better to steal your salmon with, my dear!”

We also saw an interesting tour boat.

“Sit down, lady.  There are NO restrooms on this boat.”

And another:


And another…

Now you’re talking!!


Russ found some ancient hieroglyphics:


And Rusty found a great place to get in the water:

“Sorry Rusty, the leash is just TOO short for you to reach that tree!!”

Wednesday evening we went to see Red and his family.  Red, incidentally, has a new blog up with a story I remember well from his younger days.  Sometimes I think it might be better not to remind the old folks of those days so long ago!! 

Anyway, Poppy and Rusty were SO happy to be off leash in a fenced yard that they ran around like dogs half their age!  Suddenly, we heard Bekah yelling, “Poppy’s in the fish pond.”  Now, John’s fish pond is not exactly a fish pond.  There have been no fish in there for quite some time but it is full of about 3-4 feet of scummy rainwater at the moment and not something Poppy would normally be drawn to.  I can only surmise that in her frenzied joy at being unleashed, she wasn’t paying any attention to where she was going and thus fell into the pond.  John ran out and rescued her (she was hanging onto the edge for dear life) and we dumped a bucket of warm water over her to get the yuk off and she is none the worse for wear.  She will get a proper bath now that we are home.  I should have taken a picture but I was too concerned with getting Poppy taken care of that I didn’t think of it.  She sure looked chagrined at the whole matter and tried to make us believe she went in on purpose, but we know better.

While we were there, Russ got tired and took his usual late afternoon nap.  He had a napping partner, Pita, John and Joni’s old kitty cat.


John and Joni adopted Pita from a shelter when she was around three years old.  That was about 12 years ago.  Pita has always been tiny but now she is old and has long term health problems and weighs less than 5 lbs.  She is still spunky though.  She held her ground against both of my dogs and they quickly learned that this was HER house and they backed off and deferred to Miss Pita.

The river at Clackamette Park was way up from when we visited just last month.  That’s the sidewalk all covered with water.  Rusty thought it was a great place to wade!  I’m not sure I would be brave enough to park where that motorhome is parked – that was the camp host!!


Thursday we went to see our daughter Merry and her family.  Our granddaughter, Anna, was graduating from Jr. High and so we celebrated with her.  Where did the years go?


Thursday evening we were relaxing at the park when I heard a sound I haven’t heard in a LONG time – the sound of an ice cream truck!  We all know those treats are over-priced but somehow, they just taste better when you buy them from the ice-cream man.  We saw him making his way through the park and rushed out to meet him.  There were more grown-ups lined up to sample his wares than there were kids!  Guess there’s a little kid in all of us.


We also were treated to a gorgeous sunset over the river that night.  We tried to get a photo but the little point and shoot just doesn’t do sunsets very well.  If we had taken the time to get out the tri-pod and set up the big camera the sunset would have been long gone so this is the best I could do.  Doesn’t do it justice but you get the idea.


This morning I was just too lazy to cook breakfast.  Truth be told, I am SICK TO DEATH of the smoke alarm going off!  No I do not burn everything but the smoke alarm is (in my humble opinion) way too close to the stove and no matter what I do the alarm goes off several times every time I cook.  It’s so bad that when I start getting out a pot or a pan, Poppy runs for the bedroom and wants to hide until it’s all over.  Russ took them for a walk yesterday morning when I cooked breakfast.

So anyway, this morning we decided to go out.  We followed the GPS directions to a Denny’s that was no longer there, then to an IHOP that was now for lease.  Finally we saw a place called simply “Hales”.  Now our daughter is married to a Hale and so we thought this might be a good choice.  Turns out we were right.  This is a little restaurant about two miles from the park.


The interior is nicely done with several different seating areas.

The breakfast was not cheap but it was delicious and definitely worth waiting for.  I would recommend this restaurant if you are in the area.













Well, if you have made it this far, I am surprised.  Sorry, just too much catching up to do.  So now you have come to the end so I shall say “Good-bye” for now” and I am going to go read YOUR blog…I’m kinda behind and missing it.