Week 7- Oregon City - February 12- February 18, 2024

The flight back to Oregon was painful....1 hr wait in Boston, 2 hr flight to Chicago, 4 hr wait at Midway, 4 hr flight to Portland.  We got home about 9:30 pm,...exhausted and stiff!  But a new day began on Tuesday!

The big news of the week is that the mini blinds were to be delivered and installed on Wednesday.  We took down the four remaining old blinds and moved stuff so the installer would have free access to everything.  Here is the last remaining one.

From start to finish...Mike removing the old windows to Blind Guy installing the blinds was 

9 1/2 weeks.  I was so relieved when the process was finally done!  Here are the ones in the bedroom....really can't see any difference, but the quality is definitely there.

The weather on Tuesday was nice and sunny  ...so off to the woods.... to Water Pipe Slope!  Removing this old dead snag was hard - mostly because the hillside was steep, but also because the snag was thick and very wet.  

However, I prevailed and with the trusty ATV and a thick rope, I pulled it over the the "Habitat Pile" I had started some time ago.  I cut it into manageable lengths and layered the pieces up onto the pile.

Now I have free access to West Slope using the trail that the downed snag had blocked.

I took this photo one morning when I go to Bev's to help Jude practice his piano pieces.  Afterwards Bev has scripture study.  

Lots of cold and rain the rest of the week.  I started cleaning/organizing projects.  One really bad place was the "pantry" area by the basement stairs.  Nothing had happened there for about ten years....but, after M & H moved their things out, I decided it was time for a makeover.

Tyler plays Unified Basketball which is a unique way of playing basketball.  Each team has about 8-10 Athletes who have varying  handicaps and 2 Partners who are high school students who know how to play but want to do something useful with their efforts.  We went to one of his games;  it was really fun to watch.  Tyler's main job was to get the ball down the court and try to get someone free that he cold pass too who would then attempt the basket.  The Athletes were ecstatic whenever the got a point.  Their opponents were staff from the high school.  The students just barely won by 2 points  - -- they were to happy.

The cats love to go outside - - except when it is raining.  The rush out the door but come back shortly....usually damp and needing a wipe down.

Then they sleep.

Watching and waiting for Dad to finish cleaning the litter box

Morning snack with freeze dried poultry.

We went to a gymnastics meet with Stanford...we won.  There is nothing more fun than a winning team and a celebrity gymnast on your team...Jade Carey.  It will be a sad day when she uses up her time at Oregon State.

We went out to eat at Tommy's Cafe afterwards

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Sunday night Warren made a Mardi Gras Cake.  According to tradition he added a little plastic beaver - - rather that a bean.  Everyone was looking in their piece of cake hoping to get it.  But no one did which was quite mysterious.  How could someone have eaten it?  Then Jessica, while rinsing dishes, found the little beaver in the sink.

Jamie came to dinner.

 Week 6 - mostly Boston MA - February 5 - February 12, 2024

Most of this week's blog will about about our (Bev, Jessica, and my) trip to Boston for the sole purpose of visiting Natalie and Clay.

Before I left, however, I took a photo to prove that spring had come to Oregon.  Yes - Osmaronia cerasiformis!

And I restocked the Irish Spring Original scent soap to the wooden tripods I assembled over the newly planted deciduous trees.  I did it differently this time by drilling a hole in an entire bar of soap and then suspending the bar of soap.  I hope this method is more effective.

THURSDAY - we left at the unholy time of 6:30am which meant I had to wake up at 3:50 - very painful.  We had an incredibly boring flight to Chicago and then reconnected for the flight to Boston.

Natalie and Clay picked us up and we went to a restaurant located right in the middle of downtown Boston - called CGK.  Their specialty is incredible delicious hamburgers.

Loaded fries

....and for desert...a Nutella milkshake

Natalie and Clay live in a three story house that is only about a ten-15 minute walk to Harvard Business School. Natalie drives to her school which is about a 20 minute drive away.  Her house was built in 1915 and is called a triple.  Each floor is a separate apartment with a living room, kitchen, big entry, three bedrooms and one bathroom.  There are two staircases - the front one from the street ....the staircase has an inside landing for each floor.  From each kitchen there is another interior staircase that goes to the basement...it seems much steeper that the front one  There is also a balcony on the back side which you get too by going out the kitchen door.  There is a back yard which is completely fenced, but it's probably seldom used.

Photo of basement foundation.

I also got reacquainted with the two cats.

This is Lily who is about the same size as Jack.

And Luca who is a it bigger than Zelensky.

FRIDAY - First we drove to the campus of Northeastern University where we dropped off Natalie to attend her classes of the day.  Then we drove back to the house and with Clay, we all walked with him to the Harvard business School to attend a class with him.  It was a discussion about and an analysis of Ryan Air.  Really interesting to hear the students make responses to the lecturer's questions and be able to defend their comments when the teacher and or other students may have disagreed.  We attended the 80 minute class.

The three of us then headed to Boston Common the oldest city park in the United States - all 50 acres of it.  We parked in a humongous parking garage under the park,  went up the stairs and began our walk along the Freedom Trail.

The Freedom Trail is a tourist route marked with brick path in the sidewalk and pavement.  Here we're standing over a metal disc identifying the trail.

We walked and walked (more that 10,00 steps) while Bev read interesting historical facts from her phone.

Ice skating.

Park Street Church

We passes several really really really old graveyards with headstones so worn that nothing could be read.  All amongst the tall city buildings.

A Franklin relative

Lunch at Quincy Market  which was started in 1825 by the Boston mayor named......Mr. Quincy.  Now it is a ginormous food court with lots of stalls selling tourist goodies.

I got Philly Steak and Cheesy fries.

We walked till we dropped.

And then headed back to Northeastern Univ where we met up with Natalie and three of her PA friends  We helped them by being pretend patients with ailments that they needed to diagnose.  None of us did very well because nobody got the script far enough ahead of time to do a good job, and it was the first experience for the girls.

For dinner Friday night we went to a Hot Pot Chinese restaurant and stuffed ourselves.

SATURDAY - all of us (Clay included) headed to the Harvard campus (different location from the Harvard Business School or the Harvard Law School).  I think the photo is Harvard Square....but maybe not...lots of places with trees...no it isn't.

Harvard Law School.

This is an original Guttenberg  Bible in the Harvard Library

Students studying in the library - just like students at Oregon State.

We were finished with Harvard and took an Uber to downtown Boston to visit the Boston Library which was quite....very quite....fancy.

Just like in the movies

Big lions

Went to the Old South Church

There was an interesting display of Chinese art.  They were all renditions of the story of Christ but done in a Chinese style.  I liked this one showing Joseph and Mary trying to find a place to stay.

We found a nice place to have a nutritious lunch.  A very busy place that served sipping chocolate and all sorts of chocolate yummies.

After....lunch...we got another Uber and headed to Beacon Hill which has steep streets, very picturesque areas and the homes are not affordable.  We walked until we dropped.

Had great pizza for dinner.  Went back to Nat's house.

SUNDAY - went to church....just like in Oregon  - except the parking lot was in a garage under the building,and there were three stories.....  entry on first, cultural hall on second, and chapel on the third.

While Natalie and Clay taught the Sunbeam Primary class, we took a walk along a canal that went to the Charles River.

In the afternoon we headed north and drove about an hour to Rockport which is a classic little coastal town filled with perfect little houses in the town....and very fancy new houses out along the coast line.  Many of the little shops were closed for the winter, but enough were open to browse through.

Crab pots

Nat, Clay, and the horizon

MONDAY - going/coming home.  It was sad to leave Natalie and Clay.  Nat said,"goodbye" and headed down the stairs.