A Room of Their Own

Having a place to offer friends to stay is a wonderful feeling. I am so thrilled that my guest bedroom (still a works in progress) and bathroom passed the test.



I bought an air mattress and thoroughly insulated it with both egg-crate foam and a mattress pad --- and apparently that worked.



I'm all ready for company. Lolli and Ron are next. I'd love more visitors! Come on, you're welcome.

PS - Sophie's thoroughly accepted her new toys. Here she is happily destroying a new wood toy.

Making a house a home!

May 25 - After all that trekking and gadding about, Rita and I were ready for a day at home. None of my paintings were hung yet, so Rita got fired up to help with home decorating.



Her brilliant suggestion was the placement of my Stickley hutch. Here she is enjoying the fruits of her labor.



She was invaluable in hanging my David Marsh decorative shelves and Mexican arts. Here Nancy and I toast my new home.



A home isn't a home until you've shared it! Bob & Jan Burdich gave me the champagne at my going away party. Here's a toast to friendship at my very fist dinner party.

A Trek to Bishop's Close

May 24 - It was a beautiful sunny (!) day to be outdoors. The Bishop's Close has been a family destination for decades. Nancy and her friend Bonnie joined Rita and I.



We meandered through the spacious, luxurious grounds snapping images that caught our fancy -- like this rhododendron:



... or these magnolia leaves ...



Or just hanging out and soaking up the colors.



Or watching the newts and salamanders in their leisurely pursuits.



We refreshed ourselves at Zeppo's in Lake Oswego -- a thoroughly upscale, posh town. Then viewed Willamette Falls and the pulp mill.

Inspired by Vernon DiPietro (artist displayed in Hood River gallery) I took this shot -- which unwittingly is the SAME shot he took!



Rita and I settled down for a low-key evening of Netflix (The Wristcutters proved to be more charming than its name would suggest) and were interrupted by an "emergency bulletin" on the radio about an approaching storm. We caught these pictures of this colorful sunset before the thunderstorm hit.



There's actually a rainbow in the upper left of this view.

Rita does the "Gorge"

May 22 - My good friend Rita was my first guest. We went straight from the airport to an overnight getaway along the Columbia Gorge.

First stop, was "Crown Point", where some tourists snapped our picture.



Yes, the weather sucked. Next stop was Multnomah Falls where we had a delicious lunch at the Lodge in front of a fragrant fireplace (they must burn cedar!).



When Rita saw the road signs, she realized Bonneville Dam was on the Columbia -- where her father had been an engineer. Here we see the "spillway" releasing the exceptionally high snow-melt.



The skies cleared as the day worn on (see proof below).



Our destination was the Oak Street Hotel in Hood River -- famous destination for wind surfers.



The next day we returned via the Dalles and back along the gorge on the north (Washington) shore. Neither of us thought to take pictures of the mile long train the blocked our river view for several miles. We pulled over to let it pass --- only to find a 2nd train on the far track!

We hiked and dined at Skamania Lodge -- a future must-do destination!

Not Again!

First it was my stereo. Then I had to replace my radio. Now it's the TV. I get intermittent "red screen". I can hear the audio and occasionally the see the video for short spells.

Apparently the coaxle cable intake on the TV is very flimsy to begin with and has gone belly up.



Is it a fifty cent fix or time for flat panel TV?

I've had disc 4 of season 3 of "The Wire" for three weeks now from Netflix. I still haven't seen it. Maybe I need to talk to Netflix.

Lilac Time

It's that time of year again. With the weather warming up the blooms are a plumping!



Cut flowers keep a long time and have a most heavenly subtle fragrance!

This sprig is what I see from my dining table.

In Memorium

Early Tuesday morning, April 8th, Nancy's beloved Tucker went missing between 1:30 and 2AM. Vancouver still has wildlife large enough to prey on small dogs like Tucker. Trash cans and recycling were out on the sidewalks that night. What should have been a brief pee break proved his undoing.



Tucker was a graceful, elegant little fellow -- a "min-pin" (Minature Pinscher). He LOVED his free-range walks. He'd thunder past us on his delicate Tinkerbell legs. Here he keeps a sharp eye on the neighborhood cats in Nancy's back yard.



Throughout my journey north from San Francisco, my sister Nancy obsessively scoured the rescue ads on the Internet (while checking her voice-mail for news of Tucker being found). Once we arrived in Vancouver, we went out on site visits to available puppies. Our second try was a winner.

Little Mr. Lincoln is a 16 month old chihuahua, born in early January 2007. He came from a loving family who sadly realized they did not have enough time for him. His 'mom' tearfully gave him up to Nancy.



Two weeks later, Mr. Lincoln is thoroughly adjusted to his new life. Nancy is busy socializing him and takes him everywhere. He's adapting beautifully.



And 'mom' is being much more conservative about keeping him leashed at all times when outdoors.

Two Girls and a Dolly

OK, one of the big changes for me was having a washer and dryer of my own in my home -- a first in my life! I resisted the urge to buy the latest and greatest and found a matched set on Craig's list for $200.

But before I could install them I needed to prepare the laundry nook which needed some battered old plank shelving removed, then the walls painted and new wire mesh shelving installed -- all of which took me about a week to do.

My brother told me about "appliance dollies" -- oh my! They work miracles (along with a willing sister to help with the brains and muscle).



Et voila! Piece of cake.



After correcting everything we did wrong (drain not properly installed, hot and cold intakes reversed) I am happy to report it all works PERFECTLY!!!

New Home Mail

Opening my mailbox for the first time was a real thrill. It was packed to the "gilly-gobbers" with postcards and letters from friends, along with the usual magazines and flyers.



It was great fun to decorate my refrigerator with the cards from home ... (yes, there are 4 cards from Rita -- a true friend!!)



Even more surprising were the discount coupons. How did they know I just moved in?

What I lost (haven't found yet)

1. monitor cable (FOUND May 10)
   
2. wireless network router (FOUND May 10)
3. Tivo DVR power cord (FOUND May 10)
4. pepper mill (FOUND May 10)
5. electric tooth brush (FOUND May 8)
6. juicer - blade tightener/remover do-hickie
   

Remember, hired packers packed the kitchen and most of the bathroom. By moving day there were three people besides myself packing up odds and ends. Labeling went by the wayside in the flurry of activity.

Emptying my apartment was a small miracle!

What I learned

1. You don't know how well the packers and loaders did until you UNPACK! (there were some boo-boos, but for the most part I was very fortunate)
   
2. Always have bottles of water on hand for the contractors -- every single one of them asked for this and I never had any on hand.
3. If providing lunch, ask for any food preferences ahead of time. I ordered pizza on the spur of the moment and later found one of the movers had tossed the bulk of his serving in the trash.
4. Protect everything against WATER. I had slight water damage and could have had a lot more. The van roof is a thin, transparent layer of fiberglass -- probably for light and weight. It's not water-tight. The van spent a few days in the depot in Portland and we had night-time rain.
5. About those boxes -- I bought too many -- especially the "large" size. I bought 30 small -- I'd recommend 40-50. That's enough to get you started. Most movers have their own boxes and not necessarily expensive either.
   
6. Styrofoam "peanuts" -- movers don't use them!!!! They use newsprint.
   
7. No matter what the size or weight -- pack all communications electronics together and label them well. This includes:

• all connecting cables and power cords for computer and peripherals
• routers, printers, surge protectors, speakers
• all connecting cables and power cords for TV, cable, Tivo, etc.

*** Remember, with electronics it doesn't matter if you recover 99 pieces out of 100. A single lost component can make all the rest of them inoperable.

Unpacking

The tape, saran wrap and blankets were unending. The blankets had to be returned as I'd rented them from U-Haul. They were only $1 per day for a dozen -- no questions asked about their condition when returned.



Somehow we rise to the situation. I am an orderly person and living in so much chaos was difficult.



Progress was difficult to discern in those first few days as MOUNTAINS of wrapping trash accumulated.

Moving In - April 15, 2008

Seven days after moving out, I moved in. The van arrived on Tuesday, April 15 -- tax day and my sister's birthday.

As usual, the ABF driver was a master driver and very friendly.




The movers didn't arrive until 3PM. They moved everything out in two hours (!) -- leaving me with a huge tumble of furniture and boxes to deal with.





Garages are a wonderful thing!