December

We spent Christmas with Nancy's sister and brother-in-law in Albany, OR.  We had a great Christmas Eve dinner, followed by gifts and a road trip to St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Lebanon  for their Christmas service. 

Matt, Katie, Nora and Amelia celebrated Christmas with Katie's family in Klamath Falls.

I got my cast off and am in a knee brace now.  I start PT in January.

Best wishes for a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a joyful 2012.
.
Emily, Brian, Beth, Bud, Nancy, Sherry, David, Pam and Doug

 

November

I had to have another surgery on my knee and another cast.  I should be fixed now.

Matt, Nora, Katie and Amelia joined us for a week during the Thanksgiving season.  We had our turkey dinner on Wednesday so David and Sherry could attend.  Our niece, Beth, joined the brood. 

 On Thursday we joined  some of my 1st, 2nd and 3rd cousins for a great dinner. 

Amelia

Nana & Nora playing beauty shop

October

 Visit to Milwaukie

Matt & David visit while Amelia sleeps.

"Oh my goodness! Which one?"
Nora's pumpkin patch dilemma 

.
.
David ended his racing season with second place trophies in three racing divisions and a fourth place finish in another division.

David in the lead coming into turn 8 at Portland International Speedway

.

Princess and the Pea - costumes by Katie - photo by Matt

September

I injured my knee during the Labor Day weekend and needed surgery to get things back to normal.  I was in a cast from mid thigh to the top of my ankle.  It was a new adventure in moving around the house.

August Shakepeare and Amelia

We joined friends in Ashland for two plays in the outdoor theater and a tour of the fermented grape establishments around Grants Pass. 


We went over to Klamath Falls for a peek at our new grand baby on Friday, but Amelia  had not arrived yet.  We left on Saturday and Amelia Ann Lane arrived Sunday, August 21st. 

August - Jazz time

  We joined friends in Osyterville, Washington for a small jazz festival.  The boys  managed a fishing trip, while the ladies shopped in Long Beach.

Hats mandatory

Yes, he is really playing both horns.

   

July

Our niece Emily was married to Brian.  A grand occasion and superb party.

Matt and Nora.  Katie made the dress.

Emily and Brian

June

   Nancy and I met Katie and Nora in Medford so we could take Nora to Bandon beach for a week.  The rest of our group arrived on Friday and left Monday to finish plans for Emily and Brian's wedding. 

 It was a fun time building sand castles, walking on the beach, getting ice cream and exploring tide pools.   Nancy and I slept really well after a day keeping up with our little darling.

We returned Nora to Klamath Falls on Friday and sauntered home on Saturday to get some rest. 

The 2011 group

Cousins Beth, Nora, and Emily

Some days are just amazing.

Memoral Day

Nora, Katie and Matt joined us for a couple of days.  Nancy and I volunteered to take Nora, while Matt and Katie spent a couple of days in Lincoln City for a little R & R.  FYI ~ Katie is now 6 months pregnant.

It takes a lot of grand parent energy to make a 3 year old tired.

Nora joins Papa for a trip  to pay respects.

    .

May

Nancy and I went for a trip to visit some spots in Oregon that we had not seen.  Our first stop was Pendleton, home of the Pendleton Round Up, the biggest rodeo in the northwest.  It is a cowboy town and proud of it.  We toured Hambly's, a premier  saddle and leather wear store, plus the Pendleton Woolen Mills while the mill was running full speed.  It was amazing how fast they can make a blanket!  Our rambling included some must-see cafes that hadn't changed their menu for several decades, but are a fixture for the locals and curious visitors. We also enjoyed a tour of the wineries in the Walla Walla Valley.

Ambling down highway 395 to Long Creek, we headed east on 402 to the towns, villages, out posts, general stores of Monument and Kimbery. After a turn south on highway 19, we stopped at the John Day Fossil Beds (nice video tour).  


The final stop of the day was at the Prairie City Hotel .  Our former neighbors in Oregon City are the owners.  It was quaint and comfortable.  

View of the Strawberry Mountains  1/4 mile east of Prairie City

Retracing our tracks under stormy skies, we pointed the car east on highway 26 toward the Painted Hills.  We were pleasantly surprised to see partly cloudy skies as we entered the National Monument.  I was very grateful the weather cooperated so I could take lots of pictures.  It is a truly magnificent place!  We will be visiting this area again.

 

We spent the night in Bend before zipping down highway 97 to Klamath Falls for quick visit with Katie, Matt and Nora.  We meandered back to Milwaukie to see some other sites in our beautiful state.
 

Near the Ides of March

We joined friends to see three plays in Ashland - To Kill a Mocking Bird,  Measure for Measure and  The Imaginary Invalid.  We also managed to  tour different wineries on the Applegate Wine Trail and had our picnic lunch with our friends at the Schmidt Family Winery.




I went fishing on the Nestucca River for Spring Chinook.  We caught several nice Chinook or King Salmon weighing from 12 to 16 pounds. The Nestucca flows into the Pacific about 5 or 6 river miles from here.  If you look at the map we are fishing just up river from Cloverdale.  The fish are really fresh from the ocean.

February and March

We joined Matt, Katie and Nora for a memorable trip to Disneyland and to the San Diego Zoo.

The adventure begins.

A chance to be a kid again.

Woody's smile couldn't get Nora to look at him. 

Maybe next time.

Queen and Princess