North, South, and East; next week West

Because of some changes in plans in teaching this year, I have had to make 6 hours of lectures that I had not planned on... So the blogging has suffered. Lectures are "in the can" and only exams are left to write, so maybe I can get back to the "fun stuff". Although Georgia will probably give her version of these recent 2 weekends, I thought I would give it a shot. In a nutshell, this year, we have 5 weekends to travel Oregon. We did one to the south coast and expect to go to the north coast next weekend. The first weekend, we went to the Lodge at Suttle Lake in the Cascades and this weekend, we are back in the Cascades at Five Pine Lodge in Sisters. http://www.fivepinelodge.com/ (Which I will discuss later), but Friday night we traveled south to Eugene and up the McKenzie River about 35 miles to Eagle Rock Lodge. http://eaglerocklodge.com/ Will come back to this also, just to keep chronology in line. So what did we do last weekend??? Something different for our Oregon trips. Since Georgia's back was giving her more problems than usual, we decided we shouldn't travel as far. After looking up and down the Willamette Valley (via internet), we settled on the Brookside Inn which is about 50 miles up 99W, just southwest of Portland. http://www.brooksideinn-oregon.com/ There Bruce and Susan made us feel really at home on their fantastic property with Mondo and Anne (two rescued Newfoundlands; Anne only arrived the day before) and Maxine, the cat who adopted the Brookside Inn as home and is a self appointed tour guide. As we enjoyed the grounds as they are in winter, we can just imagine what it will look like in spring, summer, and fall. Bruce is a fantastic cook who fixed bacon as we had never had it before. Actually chunks about 3/4 X 3/4 X 1 inch in size.... really good, but his scones fresh out of the oven were (I'm gonna say it) to die for!

In driving around the area, we felt like we were in Napa Valley with all the vineyards. The little town of Carlton was filled with wine tasting rooms. On the way to Carlton, we passed the Abbey that the road was named after. One cute little story is about a farmer named Jay McDonald who named his farm..... are you ready????? EIEIO... I just had to buy the hat. http://www.onhisfarm.com/ Bruce gave us several choices for dinner and we chose Nick's Italian Cafe in McMinnville. http://nicksitaliancafe.com/ This wasn't Olive Garden, or even Biaggi's, or the Macaroni Grill. This was real Italian. The story is that Nick, the original chef and owner got tired of cooking, so started hiring chefs. The quality apparently went downhill, til his daughter and son-in-law returned from Italy to take over... Wow! I of course can only compare with the American version, but Georgia has been to Italy and said it was authentic. Whatever, it was Gooooood!. We explored the grounds of the Brookside Inn, to find at least 3 ponds. An upper pond was set in the woods behind the house and fed a little "waterfall" that was set in really cool landscaping as viewed from the little breakfast nook. Then the water must have gone underground to come out on the other side of the driveway into another little watefall and into a second small pond. Then separate from all was the big pond. On the edge of the pond is a little sitting place called the Rose Cottage. This gives me a lead in to some history on the Brookside Inn. Apparently it was established and landscaped by the a man who had a fantastic gift in landscaping. He melted the manmade part of the property into the side of the natural landscape in such a way that it really appears to "come out of the woods". This included the ponds, streams and waterfalls that start "above" the main lodge and end in the brook by the carriage house. The story is that there were plots of a certain smokable plant found on the hillside also. The next owner turned it into a religious retreat called "His Hiding Place". The little Rose Cottage has scriptural names of Christ, ie. "Rose of Sharon, Lilly of the Valley, Bright Morning Star", etc. painted around the top of the walls. There is room for one or 2 chairs and is a great place to sit and look out over the big pond. The mantle of the fireplace in the great room of the lodge is carved with "His Hiding Place".. Apparently a place for renewal and rejuvination. It was supposedly very exclusive and the front gate was always closed. It is still a place for renewal and rejuvination, but Bruce and Susan make a point that it is no longer hiding. The gate is always open.

It has become obvious to me that there is too much material to include both weekends in this post, so I will save the Eagle Rock and Five Pine (Sisters) experience for the next post. Before I go, I must pay homage ot some folks who recently departed this thing we call life on earth. A couple of weeks ago, we got the notice that Dr. Charlie Reid, one of the best horse radiologists (if not the best... ) in the world passed on, taking with him an understanding of the equine athelete that was phenominal. I trust those who studied under him will use and grow that knowledge sufficiently. Then this weekend, I find that Johnny "Red" Kerr, a former Illinois basketball great and Chicago Bulls commentator also left us. This morning I see that our beloved Paul Harvey is also gone. Hopefully Paul Jr. can carry on that legacy. Yesterday, my friend, Dr. Mike Thomas, who bailed us out of a tough situation by venturing to the northland for a few years made me aware that his mother had also passed. Mike and his sister, now have to move into a different and strange chapter in their life. One full of plus and minus, ying and yang, joy and fear. A place I moved into when my sister and I lost our last parent in 1988. It's part of life. Good and bad.

I refuse to believe

Yesterday was Friday... February 13. The day went pretty well, excluding an x-ray machine delivering a loud "Pop" and smoking. Becky was on top of it and it wasn't my problem, right??? Oh, one of the 4 senior students on the radiology block was splitting kindling the night before and cut the extensor tendon on his thumb, so was out for their last day with me.... but that happened the night before. Oh, and I double entered a dictation, so Vicki had to fix that.. but that was a little thing. (at least to me). Then I came "home" to find that the jump drive that I had loaded with cases to put into the teaching file for next week (requiring weekend computer work for me) was somewhere at the vet school and I had no keys. OK, 1 point for Friday 13. We had been having some problems with the wireless router at the poultry building, so on Friday, Dave installed a new one. This one required security navigation. Georgia's "vista" computer jumped right through and she was up and running with the new wireless. I however, with my XP, required for some of the programs I run, didn't fare so well. Finally after Dave had left the office, I figured out that I needed a number from the router to get past the security. Not a big deal, I can use Georgia's computer over the weekend (we're heading out of town to the coast anyway), and Dave will have the number for me when we get back Sunday nite. So we are left with one "real" Friday 13 issue. This morning, I thought, " hmm there will be people at the vet school treating cases (see, I don't have a key or keypass). So I headed out this morning and went from door to door, looking for a friendly soul. Just as I was about to give up, I saw an administrator giving a tour to a future OSU vet student. Aha! I got in, got my drive and headed "home"... Hmmm, I thought. That new Mexican place, "La Rochita" advertised breakfast... I love breakfast! Went the extra 3 blocks to check it out.... Guess not on Saturday morning as it was closed. Well, I'm out and someone is serving breakfast. I headed west on 3rd street and found the Broken Yolk Cafe (http://www.broken-yolk.com/) It's a chain, but parking was easy (and free), so I stopped in. The first thing I saw was a charactature of Rod Stewart. Well, I must check it out so I can bring Georgia back here. Aside from the wait.... and wait.... it was a great experience. I did see a great sign on the wall that read, "Isn't a smoking section in a restaurant like having a peeing section in a swimming pool." My mind went back to all the lakes in Kosciusko County, Indiana where I grew up (more than any other county) and I think I peed in most of them, at least in the southern part of the county. I digress.... The food was good and I got the same thing I usually get at the B & B Cafe in Gas City, Indiana for only about $2 more. The B & B? Probably my favorite breakfast place on earth. And Deb and Mona (mana) know what I eat, so I don't even have to order... Life is Good! So, I believe I won against Friday, February 13. Let's see, I get another chance to try it in 27 more days, right??? Oh, I got the cases put together and sent to Nancy for inclusion in next week's lab. Now we're off to go across the coastal mountain range to drive the 50 miles along the ocean from Newport to Florence and treat ourselves to a Valentine's Day celebration.

Our longest day

It appears that for us this year, the longest day wasn't really June 20, but January 31. Let me explain. We arose at 4:15 am CST after very little sleep because we were still tying up loose ends in the wee hours of the morning. We got our showers, threw our computers in the car and headed off for Greg's in the near zero morning weather. We had sent our clothes, etc. by Fed Ex, so we wouldn't need to hassle with baggage through the airports. (We recommend it.) Greg dropped us off at the airport to begin our voyage. Although I used to fly nearly monthly, I hadn't flown in years (before 911) and Georgia last flew in 2000. We were preparing for our second stint at Oregon State University in as many years.

The Illinois prairie looks pretty bleak at 7:30 am in January. We were full of anxiety and excitement. Leaving our loved ones and home, but returning to "our beloved Corvallis" where we enjoyed our first trip to the Pacific Northwest a year ago. Those feelings, however gave way to exhaustion as we settled back in the tight little American Eagle plane to nap our way to Dallas.

As we approached Dallas, we snapped another picture (without snow; since the temp in Dallas was far above the single digits we had been enduring at home.) Once we had made our way through Disneyland like DFW from B to D where our connection to Portland was to depart, we slipped into Friday's for a great breakfast. Got voicemails from the FedEx office Corvallis that the stuff we sent there to pick up on our arrival was ready to pick up. Georgia went to pick up some things and I had just pulled out my computer when the announcement came, "flight XXX to Portland will now depart from gate A..... " By now the 2 computers were getting a bit heavy. We hoofed it back to the monorail and made our way to concourse A to wait for our flight. And we did have to wait because the plane we were to take to Portland was late getting to Dallas. We had heard that the temp in Portland was 51 degrees, so I packed the scarf (that Melissa knitted for me) into my computer case. On boarding, to cut down on things to handle, I also packed the camera and stored everything overhead except Georgia's purse. That became significant later. On the clock, the trip from Dallas to Portland appeared to be only about 2 hours, but we crossed from central, over mountain, and into pacific time during the trip. We both napped again, but were really blessed that it was clear as we crossed the Rocky Mountains. I kept trying to figure out where we were comparing it to our driving trip last year. Then about 20 minutes before landing Mount Hood came into view. My, my, my, what a beautiful sight. We had seen it from Portland last year (see post from March 08) and had driven up to the Timberline Lodge during a snowstorm, but here we were looking down on it. Oh! The camera is packed away. damn... Well, here is a pic I found that is very close to what we saw. As we circled to come into Portland from the Northwest, we got to see ships at the mouth of the Columbia River, etc. The difference between bustling DFW and the Portland airport was astounding. Peaceful and serene. There was even a lady singing to us (in person) as we made our way to the car rental area. Got the car. Upgraded to a 2009 Subaru Forrester which we thought would be needed for the trips we planned into the Cascades.

We got to the FexEx office in Corvallis about 5pm to pick up our "medical machines" and prescriptions, etc. that we had sent on Thursday (2 day shipment). We had sent our clothes by FexEx ground several days earlier and Dave from the Corvallis Depot had e-mailed us earlier that those 4 suitcases had arrived.

After picking up our stuff, we were ready to eat our second meal of the day, so we stopped by one of our favorite places in Corvallis; the New Morning Bakery. It was as good as we remembered. While there, we called Dave at the Depot to let him know we were in town. He said he was at the office so he would meet us there. He greeted us and told us that he had already put our bags (and the fan we left last year) in our apartment. That of course meant we wouldn't need to lug those bags up those stairs. Didn't upset us in the least. Dave said he didn't know we were rock collectors.... .referring to the weight of our bags. As we walked up the stairs and into the apartment, it was a great familiar feeling, similar to how we feel when we open the door every other July to the condo at the Maverick in Ormond Beach, Florida. We unpacked a few things and put the few groceries away that we had picked up at the Safeway on the way to Washington Hall (Corvallis Depot Poultry Building). After rumbling around a bit, we fell into bed about 10 pm. That may not seem like such a long day, but it started at 4:15 am CST and ended at 10 pm PST and included a complete change in surroundings and lifestyle. Although I am looking forward to working with the folks at the vet school, I realize that I will be working 5 days a week for the next several weeks. Since last March, the longest I have done that was 2 weeks. Got a welcome message today from Vicki, the transcriptionist. Today, I rented a TREK Town and Country bicycle (very much like my old Schwinn Cruiser) to ride the one mile to work. Don't know why I didn't do this last year. Got a helmet to go with it. Now I should fit in with the locals a little better. The guy at Peak Sports where I rented the bike said that police would arrest you for running stop signs, etc. so be careful. I'm not used to obeying traffic rules on a bicycle. (http://www.peaksportscorvallis.com/) I got my route figured out (bike path all the way to the vet school) and found the bike racks at the vet school. I got to listen to the Illini beat Iowa via my computer (the Big 10 network isn't a big deal out here) and we watched the Superbowl on a 19 inch panasonic TV..... That's a bit of a drag, knowing what TV setups we have at home. Did nose around enough to see that the great Italian restaurant Iovino's, as well as Cloud 9 and the cute little French Bistro are still operating. Can't wait to see how many more of our discoveries from last year we can find.... and add a few more. We will be going back this weekend to the Lodge at Suttle Lake which was one great place near Sisters, Oregon. We found a new place for Feb 14 in Georgia's favorite shopping town of Florence called the Edwin K B&B (http://www.edwink.com/index.html) which was recommended last year by someone at the vet school. We had hoped to return to the Columbia Gorge Hotel which we were sad to hear on the news had closed this past weekend. We tried the Whale Cove Inn in Depoe Bay, but it was booked for that weekend.

Another project

Last summer, Blaine and I had a "building session". We got the copper arch completed and installed and started on a little table. We didn't get it done, but did get the parts cut out and some assembled. You can see 2 images of "raw wood" here. One is the partially assembled table and the other is due to a lesson I learned years ago. I hardly ever make 2 things just alike, but back in the birdhouse days, I would make one for someone, then someone else would say, "I would like one like that." So the lesson learned was; always make 2 patterns of everything you build because there is something unique about that item that you won't remember the next time you want to build one. Therefore there is a second image of "raw wood" pieces all tied together. This is the second set of parts for the table. Because of time, we only marked out the profiles on the sides and legs, ready to cut when and if there is need to do this style again. Although the prototype picture I had brought from Oregon had a different style of leg, we (I) decided to try something different. I don't think Blaine was quite on board when I was rattling on about this idea. We cut the leg pieces on a bevel with the long side out. Then glued and nailed (got to use my new air nailers) to the end and side pieces making 4 sides with beveled ends. That was the part we got done last summer and you see in the first image, all clamped together. This weekend we got to finish the table (sans painting). What we found was that although our biscuit joinery last summer was a bit hasty (something to work on), the table came together quite well and the legs were very strong. In fact, although the original prototype included a lower shelf (which would give strength to the legs), we omitted that shelf, allowing the table to be used as a small writing desk. We stained the top and drawer front and added an old drawer pull that I had salvaged from some piece of furniture on it's way to the graveyard. We were afraid to paint it because it was soon to be packed in their van to ride to Springfield. I think we were very happy with the results, although as always, there are flaws that only the builder knows about. One thing I learned years ago. Don't tell everyone about the mistakes in your projects.... Although they are glaring to you because they weren't up to your expectations; most other people probably won't notice them.

Little details

So we're just about ready for the traditional family Christmas celebration. As we were tying up some loose ends last nite, Georgia says, "Greg always looks for the mistletoe. We used to have it all the time." Taking my cue, I made plans to "stop by" and pick up a bunch on my way home from grabbing a few bundles of firewood. See, we missed the Hogan woodcutting this year due to our trip to Tennessee and although we were offered wood anyway, the schedule didn't allow for bringing any home. So since time is getting short, I decided to grab a few bundles that you see as you walk into stores; you know the reject junk from sawmills. Decided to get the wood at Lowes. (that was the first stop). Then to Prairie Gardens... they've been out for 3 weeks. OK, on to Greenview... Never had any, Now Walmart.... didn't get any this year, Target.... ditto, Getting nervous. Back to Lowes... all gone. So I gave up and headed home, but stopped by the Mahomet IGA for a couple of grocery items... Yup; there by the express checkout lane. Now I remember living in the south and visiting Florida and seeing mistletoe growing as a parasite in the trees. I was about ready to e-mail my friend Mike Thomas in Mississippi to ask if he could FEDEX a batch to us overnite. But IGA, right here in Mahomet bailed us out. Soooo.... There had better be a lot of kissin' at our house these next few days. Merry Christmas to all!

A new word for a favorite sound.

Listening to WEFT (you can get it online) the other day, I was really blessed with one of my favorite sounds. My taste in music tends to revolve around "down home" styles, mostly acoustic. Last Saturday evening, we got a treat listening to our Greg and his Friend Jim Wood present a "concert" called "US2" in which they covered lots and lots of U2 songs; just Jim on the guitar and Greg on the Mike with a scratchy voice that he covered well. While that wasn't my favorite type of music, I really enjoyed it; and got to see one of the boys using his talent. Back to me and WEFT. I Listen to that station as much as I can from noon til 2 because they play rhythm and blues. I have always liked this music as it was the beginning of the Rock and Roll of the 50's... the last of the great music.. With R&B, the older and more acoustic the better; I don't care for the screaming guitar styles however. Well, since we are in the Christmas season, they played a couple of Christmas songs including one that just about had me jumping off my ladder. The music style was that which I had always called Cajun music, but in my attempt to find the song (cause I really couldn't understand the words of the title) I found that this music is really called Zydeco, which is a particular style of Creole music, but I love it, love it love it. You can't sit still if you have any rhythm in you at all. I find that I have always loved this music, but didn't know what it was called. It is amazing how many bushes I find that I have lived under as I move toward seniority. The name of the song was "Zydeco Christmas". You can hear part of it if you go to: http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=014551920229&track=8&disc=1
Wikipedia gives this literal definition forZydeco:(French: "les haricots" or "le zaricot", English: "snap beans") This music just makes you happy. Which brings to mind one of the guidelines we gave the boys as they were beginning to appreciate music and decide what they wanted to listen to. The rule was something like this; If the music makes you feel happy, it is probably OK to listen to, but if it makes you frown or feel angry, then you should just turn it off. I realize that if the whole world employed this principle, the poplular music of today would be a whole lot different than it is. For the most part, I would say that would be "a good thing", but it can also create a Pollyana personality. Some of the music is intended to make us feel uncomfortable to allow us to take some of the ills of the world seriously (aka U2). Oh Boy! I feel another rabbit trail coming on. Sooooo.... just why do we listen to music? I hear people saying that they "enjoy" listening to music. But then what about music of social revolution? Certainly that music doesn't create enjoyment. Sometimes I think we may listen to music to feel like we are joining those who care. Can you really call that enjoyment? I would venture to say that there are those who feel they are "paying their dues to society" by listening to such music.. Sorry, if listening to the music doesn't spur you to action, you really have done nothing but try to salve your conscience. That music has a place, but if you ask me, for really enjoyable music, you can't beat Zydeco (unless you have a poker up your butt)..

transitions

Last spring, we experienced a spring in the Wilamette valley of Oregon in mid March, then traveled through northern California with more spring, only to be hit with winter coming out of Colorado. After one day of winter in Illinois on our return home, we got to experience another spring. I should interject that our favorite times of the year are spring (for me) and fall (for Georgia). Could it be because I was born in March and she in September??? After a short summer, we experienced fall in Illinois and Indiana during September and October, then on October 31, we headed to Tennessee. We got to experience a beautiful fall again in Kentucky and Tennessee. This was all great and fitting with our year of 2 springs and 2 falls. However, now that we're back in the midwest, it is winter. We got to experience our first snow of the winter driving to Gas City Thursday evening. In case you didn't know... Winter is here. We feel like we left for Tennessee in the fall and returned in the Winter. I have notice that my body has not had time to equilabrate, but I do have my trusty Ridge Rider vest from Laramie to keep me warm. Oh well, we'll make the transition again; and be wishing for snow at Christmas.