Home from a Beautiful Drive

This rose grew in Matt's back yard but I needed something gorgeous to post because the drive from Oregon to home was all that and more. I got an early enough start that I was not rushing, and the season was just right. Had time and wanted to take pictures but part of the grandeur is the vastness- I don't have a camera that would do it justice. The green grass in Red Canyon 35 miles from home was not the least of the scenes that made my jaw drop.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook of Hoot that I had downloaded on the iPod. I think it is coming out as a movie and if Hollywood does as good a job as Hiassen wrote it and the theater of my mind performed, it should be a fun show.

We arrived on the tail end of dusk last night. The closed up house was hot but we did the fans today and got the payrolls out and paid a few bills and stocked the larder with rabbit food. The sin of gluttony must be atoned. I am looking forward to getting some pounds off. There is certainly enough to do that moving a bit will help too. Will have to rise early and use the evenings unless it cools off. The yard was starting to bake. Doggies are fine- Goody slept a lot today and Buster agitated the neighborhood dogs. Back to normal.

A Chip Off The Old Block

Audrey, like her Grampie, is a two-fisted eater-fortunately not as often. Applebee's was the site for the farewell dinner. Grampie is a little sad but home will be nice too. October is not too far off and I may sneak a peek in July in Denver. Have had a great visit with all. Medford is a great place to visit, too. I can find my way around pretty well, now.

One pair of spectacles arrived and the prescription is right. The others will arrive in Arapahoe...I think. 

High Five for Grampie

Sunday was a busy day in Medford. Matt had to work after going to Roseburg to announce for Ultimate Fighting last night. Audrey and Cheryl had another birthday party to attend. Grampie had to evacuate the motel premises for the maid, so he went shopping: Goodwill rounded out the toy stash for Grammie's house and he likes to buy books there. He found two deck chairs for $7.99 and delivered them to the patios of both homes-they are built low to the ground for Audrey's cute little butt. He played on the green grass with the pups and took them to lunch at Burger King. He read one of his books. They don't last long with him. Like popcorn. He went to GI Joe's for a heater for the van and looked at some neat stuff he liked but did not buy.

After Matt got off work Grampie biked over to their house for a little visit but the rule for Grampies on bikes is home before dark and the kids hadn't dined but he had. (PPPPPP) Matt has Monday off and between getting packed up for an early departure on Tuesday and one last round of group gluttony it will be full too. Will the glasses Grampie got at Wally World be in tomorrow? The first ones came in four days but they were the wrong prescription.

He has finished loading Matt's CD's on his iPod and downloaded an audio book by Carl Hiassen called Hoot to listen to on the way home.Four solid days of music from ABBA to ZZ Top, plus 3000 pictures. Lots of space left.
Audrey is warming up to Grampie and he got a kiss and a high five on his way out the door.

Motorcycle Mama

Cheryl waves to Eve and Audrey as she sets off on a ride with her motorcycle gang. Grammie and Grampie took care of Audrey and did the laundry to boot! 

and the Box the Toys come in

Cheryl got busy and made a playhouse out of the box the slide came in. Mission accomplished the little critter has lots to do and she is a busy bee. She has had an ear infection but is feeling better and we had happy squeals and laughs today. 

Grampie's Day !

Audrey spends considerable time at Grammie's house. Most of the toys are at her parent's and her home. Grampie also misses out on the birthdays and Christmas although he is good about getting things sent. So Audrey gets to have a Grampie Day on which the O.F. gets to watch her enjoy a mini-bonanza. She got a bubbler to run through the hose with, a slide which she is enjoying above, a plush cow to snuggle with during her naps and sleep-overs, some books and a car thing with beeps and noises and wheels- (a Grampie's revenge thing as Grampie will be in Wyoming and will not be able to hear it). Grampie brought Chinese food for dinner. Audrey really likes the broccoli. A good time was had by all.

The Varsity Theater in Ashland

My aunt Ruth who is in her upper 90's has fond memories of her summers in Ashland because the people they visited when she was a child owned this theater and they got to go to the show every day. I wanted to take pictures. The cleaners kindly let me inside and I took pictures of the Art-Deco lobby. It has been turned into a multiplex so the proscenium stage is no more. I plan to surprise aunt Ruth with this blast from the past.

Lunch at the Dragonfly in Ashland

Eve had appointments in Ashland which is an artsy college town in a beautiful setting close to the California border. I wanted to take some pictures and hit a bookstore. Eve took me to lunch at the Dragonfly which has a garden in which to partake. Raspberry tea and Asian-Mexican fusion cuisine. I had a Thai chicken tamale. Fun time. 

The Chef at Rest

Matt has Monday and Tuesdays off. Yesterday he took care of Audrey, then we went to the Co-Op and he got his lawn and garden supplies and put in his garden, mowed etc, etc. Today he took care of the baby, and managed to produce a wonderful 5 star meal:big NY Strip Steaks , scallops (both on the grill) fresh green beans, fresh strawberries for his wife and old man. Makes me tired watching them. Cheryl got home late from her office at Harry and David's changed clothes and took over with Audrey giving her a bath and a snuggle. Busy, busy people. Both doting parents.

Our New Grandpuppy

Jason and Lori are new parents to a piddling pup. He is so cute. Already has claimed his spot on the bed so I think he has landed in a good spot. Tentative name is Juneau after their great vacation of last summer but there is some fear that the "no" in Jun-eau may confuse and the nickname Ju- might be problematic in Florida. Is anything simple anymore? 

Biking along Bear Creek

The Raleigh and I sallied forth on the wonderful bike path that parallels Bear Creek. We only encountered a few fellow bikers and a jogger. A few shopping carts betrayed the presence of homeless residents camping along the creek. Not a hard life during this season. I am told the path goes all the way to Ashland, OR. I am content to know this fact rather than experience the 16 mile ride at the present time.

Mother's Day in Medford

Matt works Sundays and with the baby it is easier to eat at home so Eve graciously ceded her kitchen to me so I could cook for the mothers:

Cornish Game Hens on a bed of Wild Rice dressing with Blueberry cinnamon sauce;
Spring greens with mandarin oranges sweet onions, and sauteed walnuts, mandarin balsamic vinaigrette;
Asparagus with lemon mayonnaise;
Sourdough bread;
French-Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce and sauteed almonds, garnished with fresh strawberries.

Blackberry-sage iced sun tea, and a local white wine.

Eve's neighbor Hoppi joined us and brought appetizers early in the day so we feasted the livelong day. Nice day.

Barbecue at Chez Roberts

Cheryl prepped and Matt cooked steaks with and Cheryl's corn on the cob, beet greens with balsamic vinegar and Banana dessert made a perfect meal in the mild Medford evening.

Art in Bloom in Medford, OR

Flowers and Arts and Crafts, and music in downtown Medford made a great morning. I biked up to Matt's house and caught up with Cheryl, Eve and Audrey who walked downtown. There were some imaginative things there and people were interacting with the art and each other.

Lake of the Woods Oregon

Day one of our journey found us at our destination-Winnemucca, NV where we took a motel room at our favorite Motel 6. We gassed up and I found an audiobook of The Spoon River Anthology. Over the 202 miles between gas stations purveying $3.50 per gallon gas I enjoyed hearing this classic that I re-visit about once a decade, usually in print. We made good enough time that we tokk a little side trip to Lake of theWoods. It had been ice until three days before we visited. The resort was just opening. We made it to Medford before rush hour. Good journey.

Almost a Rodeo

Guy's brother almost had a rodeo. He worked two horses at the branding. One was a novice who did quite well but you could see the strain. This one was feeling his oats. 

Sunday Branding at the Givens

Two Frank brothers from Lysite, WY joined a mostly new crew for the big branding on Sunday. The cows were experienced mothers and had been processed before so the horsemen and women separated the calves from the cows and the afteroon was spent branding innoculating and otherwise attending the calves. 

A Stolen Picture

My cattle working days are long over but even a cowboy needs a computer geek once in awhile. Guy and Janet's Kodak camera had a full card and the dock is packed away while they build a house. So I cleared the card and burned them a CD. I told them I was going to steal this picture that they took last summer in the Wind River mountains. They won't tell me exactly where it was taken and I understand- a good fishing hole remains that only through secrecy. But I thought the fish beautiful. I have not seen that hue in a trout before. 

"Hold her Newt, She's a rarin'!"

The mother cows are too big to safely wrestle so a chute is used to confine them while they are vaccinated, tagged and checked over. This part of Guy and Janet's herd is first year mothers- heifers about two years old. During the drought lack of feed and water forced many ranchers to haul their cattle to Nebraska and when the drought persisted part of the old herds had to be sold. Proceeds bought new cows . It was a traumatic time because ranchers grow attached to their livestock and have worked hard to improve their herds. Nothing to do but sell out or start over. It takes courage to ranch these days.

The Cowboy Way

Guy, a former rodeo competitor keeps the cowboy traditions alive at his annual brandings. While he infuses some humane new technology such as curved chutes to reduce anxiety, the skills of roping, cutting and "calf dogging." are practiced and his circle of cowboy friends come from miles around to keep their skills and the skills of their great horses alive. They "heel" the calves-deftly rope their hind legs, drag them to a head harness that holds them firmly (most of the time) and then neuter, vaccinate and brand them. All is done in less than five minutes then the dazed calves run to their friends. In a few hours they are reunited with their mothers who have been tagged and vaccinated earlier in the day. When it comes time for his friends to brand, Guy packs up and goes to them.