Hiking from Larch Mountain to Multnomah Falls
7miles...5 hours
glad it was all downhill

Have you ever been on a 'Lion Hunt"?  If not, sorry, if so, you know just what I am talking about when I say we went over  rocks, a bridge, a swamp, crossed a river, climbed a tree, ate lunch on a cone bed, went into a cave...it reminded me over and over of that little story.



fall is on its way




Finally a glimpse of the gorge



you can see how close the fire got to the falls a few years ago

MADE IT!!!!



Tired Feet?



Tunnel Reflection on the way to the truck



We made it home by sunset.





 

Off to the Zoo!



Josiah invited me to the zoo with them last week. It was a perfect fall day, warm and sunny and not very crowded because school has started.   

After seeing all those animals, we then watched our own little monkey devour an ice cream cone.

Another thing that I have not done in quite a few years is can.  Jessi decided that she would like to learn to can some things for Josiah.  So last week, we drove to Hood River and bought some peaches, pears and apples.  The peaches were ready by today and so we got them all in jars today.  And even after all the years, EVERY one of them sealed!  What a magical sound that little 'pop' is.  If you have never canned, you probably have no idea what I am talking about, but it is the best noise ever to hear the lid 'pop' down as they cool and seal shut.  Next will be applesauce and as soon as the pears are ready we will tackle them.

  Oregon fire season is here.  There are fires burning in Eastern Oregon and a few in the Mt. Hood Forest.  There is so much smoke that it has blocked the view of the mountain for at least a week now. It is sad to know that so many people have lost homes to the fires.  One of my relatives had it come all the way to her driveway!  The sunrises have been so orange and colorful.  Pretty, if not for knowing the reason for it, I would enjoy it.   

Mt. Hood is normally where the sun is.

 Oregon State Fair  When I was growing up, we went every year, some years, I had my 4-H project entered.  Later, my parents used to take the WHOLE family, my sisters, our husbands and our kids.  I am not sure why we stopped going together, but for some reason, it has been years since I have gone.  John & Rachel live in Salem and they have never gone since they moved there.  Emily and Joshua had never been to a fair!  I don't know why we didn't think of it sooner, but this year we took the kids to see it.  Of course it was the hottest day of the year, but we had a good time.  For me it was a walk down memory lane, the 4-H exhibits, the cotton candy, the flowers and walking and walking.  For the kids, it was the rides, Emily is fearless and will go on just about every ride.  Joshua took it a little more cautiously at first and by the end let Emily talk him into a few more than he originally wanted.  For John, it was unreal how much they can get away with charging for everything.  But at least it was free parking, right? 

So we went to the beach with two of our kids and their families. (missed you Dennis, Abby and Gabe!)  We stayed in a rented beach house.  Now this was not just an ordinary beach house, this house was new and gorgeous and full of all kinds of niceties.  It had two bedrooms and two more hide-a-beds.  It was  really really nicely decorated and had a beautiful view of the bay.  Sometimes the view was better than others, depending on if the tide was in or out.  We took turns cooking dinner and had plenty of time to relax with each other on the deck, along with time on the beach, visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory and we saw the Weinermobile.    

I found out that I could get along fine without my good camera.  I pulled out my old camera and used it.  I knew I could not go without some sort of camera.  It only takes 40 pictures at a time...with my other camera, I have unlimited practically, so I roughed it with the old dinosaur and actually discovered that I CAN get by with fewer photos than I normally take.  That does not mean that I was not rejoicing when I received the news the next week that my camera was repaired and ready to be picked up.  I think I will super glue it to my hand to keep from dropping it this time.

Here are a few more shots of our fun weekend.