Week 26 - Oregon City - June 24 - June 30, 2024

This week was Girl's Camp, and both Bev and Jessica went to work in the kitchen.  Clara went to camp, Jude went to Travis', and Ruby and Jane came to us for most of the week.  Here is evidence that they were here.

We noticed earlier in the year that the windows behind the kitchen sink need to have the lower edges refinished.  So, after watching a You Tube video, Dad figured out how to remove the windows and transport them to the basement, where I restored them.  I had to get more poly urethane, but other than that it was a pretty normal re-do.

Jack thought it was fun to have a big opening right at the sink.

Three days later Dad re-installed the windows.  Everything looks really good.

We finished cutting and splitting all of the logs I'd dragged up from the woods.  There is always a lot of debris left over on the ground - bark, little pieces too small to throw into the basement (these I collect and box up to use in the Solo Stove when we go to Sutton Lake) and stuff.  I carefully rake it all up, put it into buckets, and then the buckets into the trailer.  I then take the trailer into the woods and dump the organic debris wherever there is bare ground.

Jane and Holland even helped collect debris.

Zelensky wasn't too keen on moving out of the way of the trailer.

Jack tried to help in the splitting.   Here he is "camo cat" on some old pallets....watching the splitting activity.

Here he's at least sleeping on the saw's table...just in case we need to use it this time.

Friday - this was the day to give Eric and Jude their birthday presents.....we went to Wahtum Lake!  Travis joined us again.  The plan was to get to the lake.......swim, fish a little, and then take a day hike to Chinidere Mountain.

Mt Hood on our way to the trailhead.

It took about 2 hours to drive to the trailhead.  And...the trail to the camping spot was only about a half mile long.   Here's the lake and the spot we chose for the campsite.

The boys went fishing - caught a bunch of little ones.  This one was "too hooked" to live  -and we ate it.

There were lots of this herbaceous dogwood at the base of many trees.  Cornus canadensis or Bunch-berry.

Saturday- this was the day for our hike to the top of Chinidere Mountain.  The hike (abt 4 mi round trip) begins with gentle uphill trail circling the eastern part of the lake.  It's an easy trail - no tripping hazards on the trail.  The cut off the Chinidere Mountain, however, is steep, but it's short and the reward is this.

There were great bunches of flowers on the top....like these Scrophulariaceae, probably Penstemon Cardwellii-

We returned to camp by following the trail that completed the loop around the lake - it was a bit steep and you had to watch your feet.  Next time we'll return the way we came -it may be longer, but easier.

Back at camp the boys went swimming - more like deep wading.  Finally both went underwater.

SUNDAY - we woke up to wet tents.  It had rained, but not heavily - still we had wet tents to dry out once we got home.  The cloud were really low over lake.

We ended a great trip at the Dairy Queen in Sandy.  I always feel grateful when I can share my favorite times with my children and grandchildren.