November 28, 2024 - Salem, Thanksgiving Day

 

 Title: November 28, 2024 - Salem, Thanksgiving Day

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's 

Hike Info:

Type:Thanksgiving Activities

Description:

 

Corn Man Lawrence

 

Today is Thanksgiving Day. Which means the two F’s-Food and Family. I got up a bit before 7. David was already out for a walk. The rest of the clan, the record, is: Andrea, Lawrence, Steven,Rachel, Sherri, Gary, Friday and Korra. 

Anyway, the reason why we are all up is that we will be taking part in the Salem Run’occopia. All humans in our group, except for David, will be participating in this, but at different lengths and different methods. Andrea, Lawrence, Steven and Rachel will be running-at least most of the way. Sherri and I are walkers. Poor Korra and Friday were not invited.

The Event People

 

The longer runs start first around 9:15. Sherri, Steven and I wait around in the cold for the other two runs to start. Steven starts off running. Sherri and I walk together about 50 yards, but I feel I need to pick up the pace. Off I go at a little faster pace. Later on Sherri told me she really was not feeling energetic at the start, but picked up later on. 

 

 

 

 

Going towards Minto-Brown

I have brought along a GPS and see that I am doing a reasonable 3.5mph pace. The route goes along the Willamette River, leading us out of Riverfront Park. The way is around the Giant Globe and over the Peter Courtney Minto Island Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge. This has us going about a third of a mile in a wildlife refuge area. Then we entered Minto-Brown Island Park. We have walked the first part before, it is about where we would stop. Instead at a junction, we take a right which takes me around a large field and back close to the River. There is a water station, but I have my own bottle and I go on. Now it is time to start the return trip. This takes us along an embankment and back to the original trail. By this time, my legs are feeling a bit leaden.

Andrea Finish

As I get close to the Finish line, Rachel joins me and my legs do not feel as heavy. I come under the Finish Line at an hour and 12 minutes at an average of 3.4 mph. The official results has me at an 18:55 pace-I am happy with this. I am glad I downgraded my event to 6K instead of 10k. I would have been a lot slower. My leg and hip did not feel bad.

Rachel helping her Dad finish

But did Sherri come in? Yes! She remembered what I have preached: it does not matter how badly you have done throughout a time, when you come in, come in strong. She came in right at my pace and 21:50 pace over all. I think we all are happy.

Back to the car we go and back to the house. We rested for a while. At least for those of us who do not have turkey making responsibilities. David and I make a trip over to Jason’s house to pick up some tables. This rest time is a couple of hours, until the Thanksgiving Festivities start.

 

 

 

 

 

Cooks

That is when Sue, Jason, his fiance Lisen, and kids come by and the chaos starts. The chaos is the result of the combination of four active kids, two active dogs, nine mostly sluggish adults and Thanksgiving dinner preparation. That is the recipe, if you ever want to recreate it. That is also the time of love coming together as a family. And I? I just try not to add to the chaos and enjoy the energy.

Desert

Chief Wizard

Dinner is turkey and potatoes and stuffing, and string beans and onion, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Topped off with dessert of pies and cheesecakes and good stuff. We are all content, celebrating a year passed and times years ago when the gatherings were larger and the people seemed older. It is a time of remembrance.

And then there are the games. Lawrence plays wizards with the children in the basement. I am not sure who is the biggest child. And then there is a pseudo card game with adults and just plain old talking.

Several hours later and much fun under the bridge, Jason’s group left. We help clean things up. And then it is back to jigsaw puzzles until bedtime. As the poem said, not a creature stirred, not even a mouse-I guess that is for Christmas-we are practicing.

 

 

Extra Photo's

More of Rachel and Gary

Andrea close to finish line

Sisters-Rachel and Andrea

Going back towards Riverfront Park

Rachel, Lawrence and Andrea

Lawrence, the Corn Man, and Andrea

Gary at the Finish-Rachel had already crossed it once

Sherri and Gary

Lawrence, the Cook

Steven the Cook

Games

Pre-Thanksgiving Meal Food

Thanksgiving Food

Thanksgiving Food

And still more food

Any of that for me?

Korra saying, where is my food?

Games

June 27, 2024 - Go To Salem

 Title:  June 27, 2024 - Go To Salem

Hike Info : Description : Background :  Animals : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Car

Mileage: 223 miles
Time:  4 hours

Description:

I got up early. Well, maybe not as early as usual, but around 5:30. My lightning report, unlike the previous two days, only showed one event, and that was a cloud to cloud close to Evolution Valley. After completing the report, I had breakfast while Steven and Sherri were getting up. Then Korra and I went for a short walk.

By 830, we were packed and on the road with me driving the first segment. Nothing eventful happening. About an hour and a half later, I traded driving responsibilities with Steven. He takes us into Salem and to Lawrence and Andrea’s house. We get there a few minutes before Andrea comes in-she had made a Costco run for the incoming locusts.

Korra and Sherri going to Salem

The first order of business is to give us a tour of their new house. Pictures from Zillow are good, but there is nothing like seeing something in person. There are dual thoughts which go through my mind. The first is that the pictures do not do justice. There is a basement and second story, so the house is bigger than the footprint shows. Also the feeling is that the house is basically solid and will serve Andrea and Lawrence well. The second is how Lawrence and Andrea will be able to shape the house into their own. Already they are redoing the insulation. There are other areas which they are working on, or will be taking care of, such as the crack in the driveway. To be young and energetic!

We unload the car. Andrea’s sewing machine cabinet will wait until Lawrence comes home as there is a need for more muscle in it. My brother David built it solid.

 

Korra, Steven and Gary returning to RiverFront

I think the drive took more out of me than I thought it did. I am mostly content to lounge around. Still I would like to get a bit of their landscape irrigation taken care of. But we are enjoying ourselves.

Lawrence comes home, we move the cabinet into the house and Andrea makes us dinner. Lawrence has a Thursday night gym time, so it is just the four of us for dinner. Then we went to the RiverFront Park for Andrea’s Dragon Boat practice. While she practices, we do an evening walk over the Willamette Bridge to Minto-Brown Park, at least the edge of it. It is good to stretch the legs. We also enjoy seeing the flowers along the path’s edge and the bird life along the River. At the boundary, we turn around and return in time to meet Andrea and her team as they break up from their practice.

By the time we get back to the house, Lawrence is home. A bit more conversation before we turn in to go to bed.

Background

La Quinta-Medford. We are on our way to our daughters with our son and his dog. La Quinta has dog friendly rooms. My only reservation with the hotel is that it is right on I-5. How much noise will there be? The room we were given was dog-friendly, meaning other dogs had stayed there before. It looked and felt like any other hotel room. Comfortable beds and the usual amenities. We did not hear the highway noise-we were on the far side of the hotel in room 122. We all slept well. The breakfast was standard stuff-waffles, eggs, cereal. The only knock I had was that there was not much there in the way of diabetic choices, such as a no-sugar syrup nor any peanut butter. Still I was able to deal with that. On the whole, a good place to stay.

Animals

 
Flowers and Plants

Oregon Grape

Japanese Tree Lilac

Preforte St John's Wart

 

January 12, 2023 - Salem

 

Title: January 12, 2023 - Salem
Hike Info : Description : Animals

Hike Info:

Type: Walking

Trail head: Andrea and Lawrence’s house

Trail: Streets and parkway

Destination:  None

Actual Destination: Minto Island 

Distance: 5.6 miles ¹

 ¹Computed from Google Maps

Sherri at Capitol

Description:

I heard Andrea this morning quietly getting herself ready for work around 6:30. Then slept a bit more until I heard Lawrence doing the same thing around 7:40. I finally got up at 8:15 and went into Lawrence and Andrea’s meditation room. There I read and had my quiet time until 10, when I went down to find Sherri was awake and having breakfast. So I had mine. Sherri seems content to listen to Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables this morning. So I joined her in reading my Crime and Punishment.

Strange Tree

It was not until we had lunch did we start moving. Most of the predicted dry time of the day had already passed when Sherri and I left their front door. But we will go ahead and walk until we either feel like going back or the weather tells us to return. Our plan is to walk around downtown Salem, maybe find a garden path or two and then return in an hour-that is when the rain is predicted to come.

Noble Wave

We head to Mill St and take it to 12th St. We immediately note the difference between Fresno and Salem drivers-Salem drivers stop for pedestrians, even if we are on the curb. This will be a new experience for us. Lawrence notes that walking through Willamette University can be enjoyable. But when we look to see where there might be good walking areas, all we see is buildings. So we continue down 12th to State St.

Ducks on the Willamette

We only go a short distance down State till we hit the Capitol grounds. We know the actual building is closed due to seismic retrofitting. But the grounds, even though small, are interesting. Particularly some mystery trees which look like they have tied themselves into knots. We walked down a green mall to Center Street. They do not have the various fountains running-wonder why since there are now a few drops on my head. We head west on Center and then staircase up a ways before getting to RiverFront Park.

Minto Island pathway

 

It has started to lightly sprinkle, but we have our rain jackets so we are OK unless it gets to be a downpour. We cross Front St into the Park. This is where we were after eating in August. We listened for 15 minutes to a band then, but there is no band playing now. Just the grounds keepers and a few people like us walking around.

Sherri wants to go by the Willamette River, which we do. There is a stern roller boat called the Willamette Queen. Looks like it is a floating restaurant as there are only meal times when you can board. After admiring it, we continue on going up the river until we get to the bandstand. There is a bridge and I ask Sherri how much further does she want to go? She is still OK to continue on, so we cross the bridge. Later on I found out from Andrea that the locals call this the Taco Bridge. Take a look at the picture.

 

 

 

Gary on same pathway

This puts us onto Minto Island. This is where the Minto-Brown Park is located, but the eastern end is some sort of conservancy. Lots of grassland, looking pretty soggy in the Winter. Mallards are all around. The path looks pretty new-no cracks in the surface. We walk on it for a while until we come to a line of trees. By this time, it is time to turn back.

We headed back the way we came to RiverFront Park. But we climb up to the bandstand and then circle around to the parking area. The bathrooms are open, so we avail ourselves. There is even a dry picnic table for us to rest at for a few minutes. Then we are off, going down State Street all the way to 12th, passing by the Capitol again. Looks like it is not just the building getting a makeover, but the landscaping along State. Sherri eyes it towards the work we did to our front yard. I think it got her seal of approval.

 

 

 

World Peace

We then cross 12th and follow it up to Mill St. My legs are feeling a bit heavy towards the end. But we arrive at Andrea and Lawrences, only a bit damp, feeling good about our walk. When I plot it out on Google Maps, it looks like we went about 6 miles. Much more than what we were planning on.

We go back to reading and relaxing. Andrea comes home from work a short time later. Lawrence fixes us some chili beans for dinner while Andrea goes out for a run. Filling and tasty. Then we read most of the evening. Pretty low-keyed. Bed time is a bit after 9:30.

 

 

Animals