It's A Very Fishy Story

On Saturday it was rainy so we decided to head east on I-84 through the Gorge and to Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery. It is only about an hour east of Portland so not a bad drive. We went to the visitors center first and they talked about how and when the dam was built. It was during the Great Depression and was built to produce power for the Pacific Northwest. It is pretty impressive. They also talked about Salmon spawning. When the dam was put into place, it created a problem for the salmon as they swam upstream on the Columbia River to get back to where they were born. They have a "fish ladder" in place that allows them to get back upstream. There were quite a few fish working their way up the ladder. You can go to the observatory and see them from underwater. Pretty cool.

We then went to the fish hatchery and saw how they breed and hatch the salmon and put them into the river in bigger numbers. We also saw the ponds with the giant sturgeon. The big one in the tank is 9' long and over 1,000 pounds. You can't see it very well in the picture.

We went across the Columbia and into Stevenson, Washington so Hannah could say she has been to another state. We didn't get a picture taken.

On Wednesday, Mom and Hannah head back to the Midwest. We have enjoyed having Hannah here but she misses her family and it is time to go back. We will miss her.

The house is coming along nicely. The floor in the garage is poured and the guttering is on. The sheetrock has been delivered and will go up on Monday.

That Seals the Deal!

For the past several days, the weather has been great. Temperatures in the low 70's and mostly sunny. Dad had to go to Washington DC on Monday and Tuesday but was back on Tuesday evening. The house continues to go up very quickly and they expect to be done by the end of the first week of August. The windows are all in, the siding is on, the electrical, plumbing, gas, ductwork are all done. The insulation goes in on Tuesday and the sheetrock starts. The rock wall is mostly up on the north side of the house. We get more excited everytime we go and look at it.

On Friday night, we drove two and a half hours to Newport, Oregon and spent the night. Newport is on the coast and south of Portland. We got up early and headed to the beach. It was a little overcast and cool but we went for a nice hike on the beach.

We then went to the science center and saw some urchins, anemones, starfish, sea cucumbers and an octopus.

Initially we planned to go to the aquarium but decided to go back to the beach.  The water was a bit cold but Hannah didn't seem to mind. We waded a bit but mostly watched her in the water.

We then move Yaquinta Park. It is a National Park. You have to pay a "Day Fee" to get in so initially we weren't going to go. We decided to bite the bullet and went in late afternoon. It was a fantastic experience. The best place we have ever been in Oregon. We were able to see the lighthouse and to go to the "Cobblestone Beach" and watch seals. We hiked to the top of the hill for a breathtaking view of the bay. The pictures below show some of what we saw.

The seals were fun to watch and they kept getting closer. We finally had to leave and head home. We were going to eat at Georgie's Seafood restaurant but the wait was too long and it was already 7:30 with a 2 and one half hour drive home. We went to a burger joint and had a great meal and headed home. We arrived home after 11:00pm.

Mom was sustained as the Seminary Teacher today at church. That's all for now.

Just Say Cheese, Please

On Memorial Day we headed to the coast. Hannah has made a friend at church and she went with us. We started at the Tillamook National Forest. They had a great interactive visitors center where the girls could dress up and pretend.

From there we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We were very excited to go there to see how cheese is made, tour the factory, eat free samples and get some ice cream. It was actually disapointing since the factory was closed. There were tons of people there so we just ate cheese samples and then bought some ice cream.

We then headed to the coast. It was a little overcast and rainy but we still had a nice time.

On Saturday, June 4th, we went to the Columbia River Gorge to see the waterfalls. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid to upper 80's. After the Gorge we went swimming at the apartment complex pool.

We had a picnic later that day at a park that overlooked Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Ranier and some other ones.

The house is coming along very well. The plumbing is done, the electrical is started, the roof is on, the siding is mostly finished and the heating is almost done. It is very exciting.