Week 17 - Oregon City - April 21 - April 27, 2025

This week I practiced my guitar and participated in woodland restoration

There are a lot of conifer seedlings sprouting.  This one is a cedar

This one is either a Doug Fir or a Grand Fir.  I think its a Grand fir because, In Sector 1,  there is an adult Grand Fir in the area and no Doug Firs.

I set out pink flags at all the places where these seedlings are - about 30 flags!

Here is a BIG bed straw plant - I love pulling these up.

I love digging up thistles like this  big one.

It's neat to see new fronds starting to emerge from the Sword Fern plants.

I spent nearly three days in the area behind the barn, in Sector 2, where the spring is.  the nettles and dock were so tall, and the clumps of bd straw were huge. 

the steepness and the muddy muck made it really hard  ...but I prevailed.

For Activity Day, I asked Ben Lyman (who is a county sheriff -- I think at the county jail) to come and teach the kids about CPR - - he brought about ten manikins.  It was a great event.  Ben did a fantastic job and the kids were very attentive.

Here is Ruby and Sam

We celebrated Ann's birthday...again..but with her own cake....wait - it was an icecream dessert that Travis made.

Gotta end the week with a photo of the big sleeping cat, Zelenski

 Week 16 - Oregon City - April 14 - April 20, 2025

Dad's birthday was on Tuesday, and we all (daughters, daughters-in-law) went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant, kinda next to  REI at Clackamas Town Center.  It was pretty good food and the birthday people Dad and Ann were happy.

Baby Sam came too1

I spent most of the week doing woodland and forestland restoration.  I went back and forth everywhere and dug up nettles, blackberries,  ivy, and thistles.  The woods look really nice.  And I am finding a lot of little baby cedars and Doug Firs.  I was cleaning up Sector 2 and found this bird's nest amongst a whole bunch of nettles.

On Saturday we all gathered and had birthday cake and ice cream for Dad.

Easter Sunday  - I hid rabbits at the Scots, the Louthans , and the Front Grays  I took a photo of the rabbits for each family so, if some couldn't be found, we'd know which ones they were.

Jessica sent a phot of her kids with their rabbits...but it is HEIC and it's too hard to convert

This last photo shows the cats performing synchronized sleeping.

 

 Week 15 - Oregon City, April 7 - April 13, 2025

I've been working in the woods a lot - mostly digging up and out blackberries, ivy, nettles, thistles.  But, I'm also taking photos of spring blooms....it's like meeting up with old friends you haven't seen for a year.

this is a Rhody Warren got for me a couple years ago. So far it is the only one to have bloomed.

I found this baby Douglas Fir on the trail.   I mark all with a landscapers flag.

This is my Spring Photograph

Maple Paratroopers

Bleeding Heart - Dicentra formosa

I replaced the bridge which crosses the creek between Sector 2 and Sector 4.  Tjhe original one I made was just a 6-in beam.   The last time I tried to cross it, I hesitated..it was just too narrow.  So I installed this much wider metal mesh bridge.

These are the healthy Cedars of Lebanon trees that we grew from seed from a cone that fell on to the ground at Bevs.  These are planted on the south side of the hay field.

Shawny Ernst was in town - she came for the Easter Devotional for which Whitney was the pianist and also conductor for the children's choir.

Jessica, Bev, Travis, Warren, and Dolores were in the orchestra

Clara, Gretchen, Abby, Holland and Copeland were in the choir.

Brenden and his family were in Oregon for the weekend.

Jack like to help me practice.

 Week 14 - Oregon City - March 31-  April 6, 2025The big event this week was the birth of Malcolm and Haley's baby boy, Samuel Francis Gray , 31 March 2025.  The name is memorable because Dad's father was Samuel Francis Gray...and Haley has a grandfather named Samuel and has another grandfather named Francis.........so he is a double/triple namesake.  We went to the hospital to seem him on Day 2.

Ivan and Renee and Magnus came on Monday and spent the week with us.......a week full of cooking Japanese food, going shopping, and fun mayhem.  They enjoyed meeting Sammy.

Jessica and Bev have started making Cro-Nuts which are croissants cut up and then deep fried.  Quite delicious...many were made and consumed.

Ivan was a great cook whole he was here.  He made his famous Okonomiaki (spelling is wrong) which is like a pancake with cabbage and mayonnaise and a sauce.  It looks awful but tastes delicious.  Jessica is trying one.

On Friday April 4th, the children threw a big party for Dad's 80th birthday. Tons of people were invited.....from the Brunner Road, church, old friends, family.  It was really quite nice!  Bev and Jess championed Thai food which was delicious. 

Dad and his childhood friend, bill Sweet

Ivan and Jami Beech

Teenagers 'chillin'

Tyler and Jamie

Ann and Sam

Magnus and I went on a walk in the woods - he climbed on this tree which I've wanted to do....

On Saturday I went to a Protest - - against Dumty.  It was fun.  Exciting to see so many people who are opposed to what Drumpt is doing.

We had our last dinner with Ivan.  The kids had a kick out of making the human pyramid photo.

Sixte of our 20 grandchildren.  Missing were the Utah boys (Bjorn, Archer, Magnus) and Natalie.

It was a busy and fund week with Ivan and his family in town.