Astoria to Tellia!

Yesterday, Dad and I did one of our "many to come" weekend excursions. Being the history buff that he is he wanted to travel to Astoria, Oregon, the end of Lewis and Clark's journey west. Thus, we have "Astoria to Tellia". Saturday about 10:30 am we headed northwest. Because we don't know much about this part of the country we took the looooooong way through Portland. Having finally traveled outside the city limits we began a slight, at first, ascent into the mountains between Portland and the coast. At about 1,000 feet we began to see snow on the side of the road. Lucky for us it did not snow, only drizzled a little, because we have no snow tires or chains. We peaked at about 1500 above sea level. The temperature was a chilly 33 degrees. Just before Astoria we came upon Fort Clatsop which is where Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805/06. It was a very small 33 people sized fort.

As you can see the pine trees out here are huge but oh so beautiful. Most of the trees have all that green moss on every branch too.

Continuing on into Astoria we ate at McDonald's because it was now 2pm and we were very hungry. Knowing this was a port I asked a young girl where the docks were because we wanted to see the big ships. She had a puzzled look on her face and pointed down the road a little ways. Going outside and heading down the road we felt rather foolish because there just across the street were many large ships going down the Columbia River. Duh!

Dad was still not satisfied that we had not gone clear to the end of Lewis and Clark's journey. So we headed across the river to Cape Disappointment, Washington. There we were able to hike to a lighthouse on the coast. It was beautiful as you can see.

The wind blew as if to blow us over the edge but the view was worth it. The sun was setting fast and we did not want to have to cross the mountains in the dark with possible ice so we headed back. Not quite making it to Cape Disappointment  was a disappointment for us as well. We plan to finish this trip next weekend. The highway was fine and it was a wonderful trip. On the way back we saw this which brings us to The End of
"Astoria to Tellia".

                                             We wondered if that was his dog or his wife.

Homecoming

This year the Thanksgiving Holiday was a bitter sweet time for us. We loved being able to come home (Dad says that Portland is our home now not Kearney but in my heart Kearney is still home). It was so special to see everyone.

Wednesday we went to Topeka where we had dinner with Grandma Marcell. She made pork chops and just for me crappie (fish- she knows that I love crappie). We also visited Grandpa and Grandma Fisher. Grandma's cancer is no longer in remission. She started chemo on December 3rd. Please remember her in your prayers.

On Thanksgiving Day Dad, Nellie and I traveled to St. Mary's to have dinner at Grandma G and Bud's house. The food was good but the best part was seeing Mom, Bud, Janet, Dylan, Paul, Mindy, Amber and Kensie. We were sorry that Matt and his family were not there but know they tried to be. Matt's car broke down in Marshall, Missouri on the way to St. Mary's.

On Saturday we had Thanksgiving with Nellie, Becky, Joe, Haydn, Aaron, Hannah, Alyssa, Connor, Zayne, Gabe, Jerren, Taylor and Brody at our house. As usual we took a goofy family picture ( Joe looks forward to that every holiday LOL). My favorite thing to do with family all together is to listen and watch everyone having fun. We missed Rachel, Dean, Caleb and Camber but appreciate the sacrifice they made to be home for our annual Halloween Party.

Wednesday before leaving town I was able to go to Connor's school for "Grandparents and Goodies Day". He was very happy to see me and me him. Afterwards on the way home I cried (sorry you had to receive the blubbering phone call, Becky). Knowing that I will  no longer be able to go to the grandchildren's programs and activities is hard to accept.

Goodbye and Hello

We have made the move. Last Saturday, October 30th, all of the kids and grandkids came to the house for a Halloween and Farewell Party. Caleb and Camberly were to come in on Friday evening but due to flight delays, they couldn't arrive until Saturday morning. Dad picked them up at the airport at about 10:15am. Rachel and Dean had come in on Thursday evening and spent the night with the Mayne's. Late on Saturday morning the party began with Caleb, Camberly, Rachel, Dean, Nellie and Mom and Dad. Becky, Joe, Hannah, Connor, Zayne, Aaron and Alyssa came later in the afternoon and Gabe, Taylor and Brody came a little bit later. Jerren and Haydn coudn't make it.

Mom and Dad met with everyone and shared some thoughts and had a nice reflection on memories. We ate and then had activities for all of the little kids. Around the campfire Dad told a story about building a monster. He was Dr. I. B. Wicked. He was helped by his assistants, I. P. Freely (Caleb), Frank N. Stein (Dean) and Lilly F. Fields (Nellie). The kids were sufficiently scared and then broke a ghost pinanta and collected candy. Almost everyone (Dean was the exception) danced and danced and danced to Just Dance on the Wii. I don't think Camberly really wanted to but she eventually succombed and danced as well!

On Sunday, we had a birthday party for the new 23 year old, Miss Nellie Marcell. We had a scary meal and then it was time for Caleb and Camberly to head home. Rachel and Dean were next for their long drive back to Oklahome. Becky's was the next to leave and then Gabe's and finally Nellie. The house went from very noisy, with 17 people to very quiet with just two.

We are so greatful that everyone made it. We love you all so much and will miss you.

On Monday, we went to Topeka to see Grandma Marcell. Loretta, Jerry & Cindy, and Linda and Ron came over and we grilled hamburgers. We had a great time and were able to say goodbye to everyone on Dad's side.

On Wednesday, we headed to Portland. Becky, Hannah and Zayne took us to the airport in Lisa Walkers Cadillac Escalade. Becky didn't have enough room in her car for our eight bags and all we have left is the pickup since the car is being shipped to Portland. We had to stay in a hotel for a couple of days but finally moved into the apartment on Friday afternoon. It is call Altamont Summit and has a great view of downtown Portland from the windows. The apartment looks very new. It is completely furnished. We really like it.

 

On Saturday, we headed towards Mt. Hood. We only got up to 4000ft elevation and there was snow on the ground. We drove for a while but it started to mist and we were afraid that we would get into some snow so we turned back. We drove back towards Portland and then went off in some different directions. Finally, we headed back home (that is still hard to say). We watched TV and went to bed. On Sunday we got up and headed to Church. We didn't know it but it was Stake Conference so there was no one at the Church building. Another lady showed up just as we did. She was visiting as well. We drove to drove to another building but it was also empty. We came back to the apartment and got on the internet and found the right building. We made it for part of the meetings. We then drove around the neighborhoods some more and finally back home.

Nellie's Sweet Shoppe

Yesterday Nellie and I had a somewhat sad but enjoyable outing. We attended an open house for a sweet shoppe in Smithville. I had read about the open house in a local newspaper. What caught my eye was that this sweet shoppe was called " Nellie's Sweet Shoppe".  I felt Nellie and I should attend to see what kind of goodies they had and to get her picture in front of the sweet shoppe's sign. Nellie was delighted at the thought of treats and a photo op. We were not disappointed by either. As you can see several pictures were taken and the treats proved to be yummy. Pumpkin fudge was Nellie's favorite. A week or so ago she had pumpkin pancakes and has had many cravings for pumpkin since then. I, of course, always gravitate toward chocolate and nuts. I ended up with a pecan turtle however my request was for the cashew turtle. Now comes the sad part. The woman waiting on us became somewhat emotional as she explained to us the origin of "Nellie's Sweet Shoppe", which is probably why I ended up with the wrong turtle. The shoppe is named after her daughter Janelle or "Nellie" for short. Her Nellie had a cancerous mole on her knee that was removed. Many years went by and she developed another cancerous mole but by the time it was diagnosed the cancer was everywhere in her body and it finally caused her death. Family members got together and opened the sweet shoppe to help raise money for melanoma research and to distribute literature about this type of cancer. The open house yesterday was for this purpose. Nellie and I bought six raffle tickets. Nellie won a certificate to a beauty salon and I won three months of fudge. I get to go and pick out a pound of fudge for the next three months. Actually I will get the first month and Nellie will have to get the last two months. I forgot to mention we bought a caramel apple stripped with chocolate which we shared, grape flavored gummy penguins, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered sunflower seeds and caramel corn besides the pumpkin fudge and pecan turtle already mentioned but not mentioning the many samples we tried. I will mention that Nellie had TWO pumpkin fudge samples and I ate a mocha sweet. OOOPPS! It was sooooo pretty I immediately stuffed the whole piece in my mouth not realizing until it was too late that it had coffee in it.

Out with the Old and in with the New

Mom and I came home on Thursday. We arrived to a new sidewalk and new section to the driveway. They had torn it out before we left for Portland and it had rained a lot while we were gone so we thought it might have been to muddy for them to pour the driveway. Fortunately they were able to get it poured. It looks pretty good. They also mudjacked the front steps so they are now pretty level. Mom spent most of the day on Saturday power washing the sections that were not replaced. They had a lot of algae, dirt and mud, and other stains and now they are all cleaned up. It took her about 5 hours and 10,000 gallons of water!

They also replaced the pad by the back door and it is now attached to the foundation of the house. It also looks pretty good.

On Friday they came out and replaced the carpet in the living room. The red is now gone and the light brown is in. We got the handrail all painted black and in place. We need to touch up some places where the black is nicked upstairs and then that is done.

Now the task is to keep it all clean while it is on the market. The sign is now in the front yard, however, the house is not officially on the market until Tuesday.

The carpet is now in in the basement. The ceiling is finished, the doors are trimmed and all the vents are in place. We wish we had done this when we knew we were going to live here because it looks great. The basement is so quiet and comfortable now.

This is what was Mom's craft area. We also carpeted the stairway so once you go through the door to the basement, it is all carpeted. All that is left is a little touch up paint on the support posts and the basement is completely finished.

Coast to Coast

It has been a busy and wild last two weeks. Mom and I went to Florida in the beginning of the month and then to Portland the last part. The first week we spent in Cocoa Beach, Orlando and New Smyrna Beach. When we arrived on Monday, we headed to Cocoa and really enjoyed the hotel and beach. The weather was great, a little hot, but not too bad. We spent a day at the pool and just relaxed. We walked the beach most every day and that is one of the things we really love. It is so relaxing to hear the waves crashing onto the shore and smell the fresh salt air. Hurricane Igor was approximately 1,000 miles offshore to the east but it had a huge impact on the surf. They recommended that you not swim because of the rip currents. Cocoa was not too crowded as it is a "Pay Beach" and most if it has hotels or resorts comprising its shore. Just north is Canaveral Beach and it is free but also more crowded. The sand is a light brown, and very soft and powdery. On Wednesday we headed for Orlando as we wanted to attend the Temple. We spent the night there and headed to New Smyrna on Thursday morning. Thursday was also back to work for dad. Mom drove as I spent most of the day on the phone. New Smyrna Beach is also great. With the exception of Gabe, all of you kids have been there. 

We really like the hotel and how it overlooks the ocean. Dad spent all weekend at the Edgewater Open House but we did walk the beach every morning before the show started. We were able to see the sun rise over the ocean. That is so incredible. You can see it getting lighter and lighter, and then, all of a sudden, it explodes over the horizon and there it is.

The turtles were also hatching and one morning we saw two trying to get to the ocean. One didn't make it. A seagull had it in its mouth. Mom went chasing after it to get it to drop it but no luck. The other was surrounded with people taking its picture (mom included). We don't know if it made it or not.  They are about 1-1/2" to 2" long.

We ate lots of seafood (no turtles) and most of it was very very good.

We came home for a day, did laundry and then headed to Portland. Mom has been looking at apartments and homes. We found a great home but it is too early for us to buy. We need to sell ours first! Mom is going to look at it tomorrow. It is a forclosure and needs a lot of work on it as the prior owners have vandalized. From what we can see from the outside and through the windows, it is a great house. Dad worked in the office all week, got a bit frustrated and then cooled down and had a good end of the week. Mom was a little frustrated with the housing picture but that also worked out by Friday.

On Saturday, we went to Mt. Saint Helen's. It was a great day, 80 degrees and sunny. It was a pretty good drive up there but well worth it. It is the 30th anniversary of the 1980 explosion that dramatically changed the landscape. After 30 years, it still looks a bit like the moons surface.

It is coming back and there is some green, but it still lacks trees and other vegetation. When we first saw it from a distance, it didn't look like much and we thought we were going to be dissapointed. Once we arrived at the observatory, Johnson Ridge, it was incredible. The entire top and side of the mountain is gone and the volcano dome is exposed. Incredible. When you come out, we will take you to see this, as well as the coast, and Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, etc. So much to see.

We are here until the 30th and then back home. They will install the new carpet on the 1st and then the house goes on the market.

This House is a Killer

We now have a beautiful new sump pump in the basement. Fortunately they were able to get in completely put in on Wednesday. Since we had a small leak in the basement wall, we had a drainage system and sump pump put in. As soon as they completed, I was able to build the final wall in the basement and get in finished. The basement is now completed except for the ceiling and floor. I just have eight tiles to put in the ceiling and Home Depot will install the carpet when we return from Portland on the 30th.

Mom spent most of Saturday removing the wallpaper murals from both upstairs bathrooms. So sad :(. They are now just plain old bathrooms. We rented a steamer to aid in the removal and it made it so much easier. Mom did most of the work, I only helped on the up high stuff. We were up till 12:30am painting but we now have both bathrooms upstairs finished. We had a huge list of things to do on Saturday, over 30 items, we were able to finish all but five. We were completely worn out. Thank goodness for a day of rest on Sunday.

Tomorrow we head to Florida for a few days of sun and fun. We are so excited.

The realtor was out this week and we signed the paperwork. It won't actually be listed until October 5th. They don't want to list until the new carpet is installed.

Week of Vacation???

I took last week off for vacation so we could work on getting the house finished and ready for sale. We did get a lot done but it wasn't as much as I had hoped. All that is left to do in the basement is to finish one end of the craft area with studs and drywall and then the carpet can be installed and it is finished. The bathroom is completely finished now and the main area is almost done. I just need to paint the support poles and put a little trim up. The reason for the delay in the craft area is because of a small leak in the wall. Hopefully they will get this fixed this week and I can get the wall built by week end. We have quotes on the carpet from Home Depot. We are also replacing the carpet in the living room as the realtor believes the red carpet will hinder the sale.

I cleaned out my shop area and threw a ton of stuff away. Gabe is getting all the extra chemicals I had for working on equipment and all the left over John Deere paint. I did get the frame for the 110 tractor that Gabe and I have been working on painted and the engine for it is completely together and painted. I am hoping to have the tractor put together by the end of this week if my part sarrive. I have been shopping for Deere parts all week on eBay and was able to find everything I need (except for a hood, too expensive). Hopefully all will arrive by this weekend. It is coming together well. The fenders is the last large piece to paint.

Mom began removing the wall paper mural in Nellie's old bathroom and is about 2/3 finished. It is taking a lot longer than anticipated. We hope we have enough paint to finish in there. Mom also wanted to wash the windows in the house. I helped her with the upstairs windows and the picture windows in the living room. It took all morning on Saturday but they are finished. She will work on the rest of the windows this week.

We still have so much to do here. We have settled on a realtor and will have them out this week. Our septic system is not working so we need to fix that and we still need to have the driveway and sidewalk repaired. We talked to a company yesterday that would mudjack and then refinish. There are some sections of the driveway that need to be replaced. Not sure if we will have refinished, replace, a mixture of both or nothing at all done!

I go back to work on Tuesday, after Labor Day. That will be the real break! On the following Monday, September 13th, we head to Florida for the Edgewater Open House. We will enjoy the beach. The first three and a half days are real vacation and then we begin working on the show on Friday morning and the show is Saturday and Sunday. We will then fly back home on Monday, wash clothes and pack and then to Portland on Tuesday. We will be there until October 2nd.

This past Saturday, Gabe and I took Brody, Connor and Zayne to the Royals game. Unfortunately, the Royals lost (as usual) but we had a good time. I am not sure if the boys knew who was playing or who won but they did enjoy the food and drink. Brody loved the salted peanuts and popcorn, Connor loved the cotton candy and popcorn and Zayne loved it all. Zayne had been to a game once before but it was a first for Connor and Brody. Connor and Zayne got a little bored at the end and fell asleep but overall it was a good time. The game went into extra innings so we did not stay for the fireworks. Gabe bought plastic batting helmets for everyone and a big #1 foam finger for Brody.

Grandma Georgie and Bud are coming on Sunday to spend the night and to pick up some of the stuff I had from the basement. They are heading home on Monday.

Moving to Portland

We have been transferred to Portland and will be moving in November 2010. Dad has lived in the Topeka/Kansas City area all of his life and Mom has been here for most of her adult life. We are sad at the thought of leaving you 5 children and 8 grandchildren behind. Since Caleb and Camber deserted us and moved to Rochester, NY five years ago and Rachel and Dean recently defected to Oklahoma, it is only Gabe, Becky and Nellie holding down the Kansas /Missouri fort.

We plan to come back every year for the 4th of July, Halloween and New Years Eve. You als)l will need to come and see us on Thanksgiving and Christmas! We will miss all of you but we need to keep in touch with photos and stories (blogs). Once we find a home, you are all welcome and we want to see you.

We are in Altus, Oklahoma this weekend visiting Rachel and Dean. It is over 100 degrees and their air conditioner is going out. Good thing we are going home tomorrow to our A/C. Hopefully they can get it fixed tomorrow. We went swimming yesterday at a local lake and then to eat at Applebees for dinner. Rachel and I grilled chicken for dinner tonight and mom made cookies. Dean basically did nothing but eat. Actually, he put the rolls out last night to raise. Mom also cleaned up the mess and Jag cleaned the floor.

We played Settlers (board game) tonight and Dean cheated and won the game. We refuse to play with him again until we know how to cheat better than him.

The drive down was longer than anticipated since it rained in northern Oklahoma. We stopped in Edmonds and spent the night. We were going to haul our couch and loveseat down and mom headed out with them in the truck to pick me up at the airport. Unfortunately it rained and hailed before she got out of Kearney city limits so she went back home and came to get me in the car. We went back home and unloaded everything and hope it will all be dry when we get back.

This Tuesday the inspectors come to the house and the realtors come on Wednesday and Thursday. The process will then be underway. The basement is nearly finished now, basically just carpet to put in and a little bit of ceiling.

Mom has applied for a job with Blount (my employer) Portland and was interviewed on Saturday while we were driving down. If she gets it, she may need to move sooner than I do.

Thats all for now.