Back in the USA (for now)

  We are back...in Oregon (ONLY for a while that is)!

Mt. Hood Oregon - Our backyard playground

    
  Cruising is wonderful but we miss our families and also want to feed the cruising kitty. A trip home to visit and work was due so we flew from Bocas del Toro, Panama to Panama City. Our plane was delayed due to torrential rains on both ends of the flight. We had to land at an old US airfield that is now used for an executive airfield, wait for the storm to pass then go on the 5 miles to the PC airport. Only in the tropics!   We picked up our luggage stored on a friends boat then spent the night at a hotel with a shuttle. 5am comes way too early even if you are excited. Florida here we come on the first leg of the journey.

Weeki Wachi's famous "Mermaid Show"

    First, we flew to Florida and spent a wonderful 10 days visiting Nancy's family and we even managed to take in the wonderful, and famous, Mermaid Show at Weeki Wachi Springs. Corny? Yes. Fun? Absolutely!  The water is crystal clear and comes right up from the ground to form the springs. Nancy's dad, Ed, said the first time he was at Weeki Wachi 78 years ago they camped in the field and swam in the clear water springs before it was a Florida "attraction".

 Nancy" - My beautiful mermaid

Mermaid and King Neptune ?

 I don't think so! 

    We flew to New Mexico to visit  Nancy's son Eric, his wife Rain, and our granddaughters Keziah and 6 week old Keira. We had a great time and even got to help on a few projects. We helped put a new coat of paint on the girls new playhouse. Once the new colors were agreed upon, brushes and rollers were soon flinging the colorful paints all over the little playhouse. Eric and Sam poured a small concrete pad at it's front door to really complete the "project". Once the job was totally complete we were treated to an afternoon "Tea Party" served by our host Keziah with little plastic cups and saucers. We're sure the little playhouse will be much enjoyed by our two beautiful granddaughters with many more "Tea Parties" to come.

Proud Grandma Nancy with Keira

Granddaughter Keziah's newly painted playhouse

   Our next stop, Portland Oregon. We visited our good friend Jim at Hood River. His home has lovely views of Mt. Hood and the Columbia river gorge. It happened to be cherry season, and of course being Oregon it began to rain....death for a cherry crop. With the spectacular view we watched as one cherry grower flew a helicopter close above the cherry trees to "dry" the cherries before they had a chance to split open from the rain...and I'm sure that wasn't cheap!

Jim's awesome view of the Columbia River and the Valley

    We borrowed a vehicle from Jim and drove to Portland/Vancouver to stay a few days with Nancy's friend, Lois. She just purchased a new home and is still arranging items.  We all had dinner at the Deck restaurant on the Columbia River, where we enjoyed the boating atmosphere. Nancy visited with some of her sailing friends from the Oregon Women's Sailing Association and told a few stories of our adventures.

   We spent several days with Sam's mother, Charlene, in Roseburg and enjoyed the annual Roseburg 50's Show & Shine Cruise with old cars cruising the downtown street. Uncle Chuck, Charlene's twin, had two cars attending the cruise. We got to take a "few laps" around town in a 1930's Model A and in a 1930's Speedster with my cousin David.WOW!  Fun to ride around and show off the restored old cars. Fun! Fun!

"Cousin Dave" & Nancy cruisin' with the 1930's Sportster

Keep the motor running Uncle Chuck.... While I make a quick bank "withdraw" !

    We are now in Eugene Oregon visiting with daughter Denielle, husband Jeff,  8 year old grand daughter Shannon who is visiting for the summer ...and of course our now 1 year old grandson Bodhi! Bodhi's a great little guy with a fun personality, and Shannon is a wonderful, fun, playful girl and a great "big sister" too.

Denielle & Bodhi with birthday cupcakes for everyone

Yo Yo Yo G'Son ...Wass-up!

    Jeff and Denielle put on a big BBQ for Bodhi's 1st birthday and did a great job...it was lots of work but well worth it! 

Bodhi's First Birthday gift from Grandpa Sam and Grandma Nancy - Have fun Bodhi!

Push us some more Grandpa!

  
Nancy got a Travel Nurse job in Eugene just a few minutes from Denielle's. We purchased a Ford 4x4 pickup for travel and fun adventures on day's off. Oregon has many wonderful places to see, things to do, with miles of mountainous forests and high desert wilderness to explore and lots of rivers to fish. Jeff is about to begin building a new McKenzie River drift boat - specially designed to fish the smaller rivers of Oregon. And, the McKenzie River flows right through Eugene and is famous for it's steelhead fishing. Jeff has asked Sam to help him and he is excited to get started...then, LOOK OUT FISH!
  So, for the next 6 months we will be around Oregon.....somewhere, and enjoying life to it's fullest.
    Life is good for us "Land Lubbers" but we are already missing Windfall..."sniff sniff."