Absolutely loath going so long between posting as I can't remember what all has been going on. Just some highlights since last posting:

Opportunity Foundation finally hired my replacement mid July. What a relief it is not to be driving over the mountain one or twice a month for a week or more to work. I finished out July and have not been back, even to visit. 

Basically I have been happily unemployed.  I have rewritten several of my genealogy web sites which was a lot of fun. Was able to add lots of new information to each site for researchers.  Still got finish work on a couple of those. 

Got an early Christmas present from Todd. A new "35 mm" digital camera that contains wireless connectivity, such fun and much improved over the smaller brother to this one.

I got it while in Prineville, visiting Mom and didn't have time to really play with it, so first morning home, we had a lovely fog and just enough light from Clark to make a couple interesting photos.  Think I'm going out to play later this morning.

Have Elin started in her Junior year of high school. 17 already, so scary. She is just growing up too soon. Got her through soccer, that seemed like 2 months of pure he-double-toothpicks. Ended up a fairly good season. Now we are into November and the cold.

Todd & I picked out a shelving unit for the deck to put the plants into. Hopefully, I can winter them

over and not have to replace them. Which reminds me, I need to go check them to see if they need water. I have replaced the cardboard with a tarp around the back and a cloth sheet that can be clipped on over the front and sides. So far it is working out great.

Todd's new full time job working from home seems to be working out just fine, except when he has nothing to do, so he comes out to pester me. Telecommute sure means a lot of phone time for him. He doesn't seem to ever run out of words.

A new cousin reunion (with moms) has been scheduled for February. Looking forward to it. Not sure yet if Todd can get it off, but am definitely taking Elin out of school to go.  She has missed out on quite a bit of these kind of trips so it is her time.

Guess I am out of words, as I can't think of what else we have been up to. Did drive down to Cottage Grove to have dinner with Guy and Tammi which was fun. They are renting a cute house, but home to find something to buy.  Thanksgiving will be at Linda's in Hood River, don't know what we are doing for Christmas yet.

SPRING! June 2013

Vancouver has been wonderful! Being semi-unemployed, I've been able to do a great deal of genealogy research.  Spring here was beautiful. Watching the birds, a squirrel, and leaves come on the trees. It is amazing the changes that happened just in the month of May.

Special things that happened since I last posted:

A great trip to Indiana and Illinois with my mom to visit her sisters, see Chicago (pictured - flying into O'Hare). A tour of the parking lots at the Indy Speedway and many other exciting places. I got a couple things taken off my bucket list on that trip. We got to spend a week there visiting and touring. (Think I already talked about this?)

Spent the winter going once a month back to central Oregon to O.F.C.O. for work. My retirement from them lasted to the week before Thanksgiving when they called with several disasters that I went down and cleaned up. Lots of changes happening there that are both good and bad. 2 weeks in December over Christmas and 3 weeks in Feb for more work. And just got back yesterday from another trip down there

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Marlene, Karen, Susan at The Steer for dinner

My next trip with mom was to Iowa for her sister's 60th High School reunion and the "all classes" dinner. She also had her 60th Lutheran Hospital Nursing school reunion.  So, we threw in a Cousin reunion dinner on a Thursday night, then a Heggen/Simpson reunion on Friday night where there were 5 generations, from age 86 to age 1 mo. (This doesn't count the bun in the oven). Another trip that was very fun.

The trip home was not so great, our plane from Des Moines was delayed by an hour, causing us to miss our connection in Denver and we had to spend the night there, I was given the choice of separate room or sharing, so we had separate rooms for the night. Kinda fun :-)

My darling daughter Elin has only another week or so of school and she will officially be a Junior in high school. Holy Cr**! She has 3 days of what they are calling "newbie" soccer this week and also testing at school. Official last day is June 18th. I have to be back in Redmond on the 19th of June for 3 days; 1) to attend a retirement party, and 2) to get some work done.

I've signed up for a couple of great crochet newsletters.  Its fun to look at the patterns, then scratch my head and think, I wish I could read this and know what I was doing... I've crocheted for years, and still have a very difficult time following a pattern.  Mostly, over the years, I've just looked at an item and figured out how to make it, or some close approximation of it.

Today's "Hooked on Crochet" newsletter is having a contest to give away 3 skeins of beautiful yarn.  I've already put in my first entry at http://www.allfreecrochet.com/sweeps/Naturally-Caron-Spa-Yarn, now I need to blog, twit, facebook and pray :-). I just love the newsletter as they do a good job of mixing the free with the purchase and ALWAYS have easy patterns for us who are inept at crocheting but love it.

My latest headband projects for the Christmas Bazaar.  I've already finished 6, and need a few more before I can go back to the hats I really enjoy making.

Lots has happened since I was last on here to blog.  We have moved completely to Vancouver, WA. and live just a few blocks from Historic Ft. Vancouver.  Lots of history there, more important to me is the Base Cemetery and Old City Cemetery that are just a few blocks away from here.  I have posted a few pictures of the Base cemetery on FB, but maybe I'll get crazy and do a few here also. OK, just one ~ this is my favorite that I saw while we were wondering...

What brought me back to the blog is an article at: http://www.sentinel-standard.com/article/20120915/NEWS/120919661/1001/NEWS I picked it up from a tweet on family search.  Its a really good idea to do this on your cameras, cell phones other digital devices. The basis of the story is to create a file on your memory card that has your name, address & phone number so that if your device is lost, it can be returned to you.  I plan on doing that on mine.  If you need instructions, I can help, just let me know.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, bacon has cooked, hash browns are ready to go in and eggs are sitting and waiting all while we wait for the dishwasher to finish.

I'm at work and it is HOT!  Not like they are getting back east, only in the 90's here.  Problem is we have about 15% - 20% humidity so you sweat.

We are down to about 2 weeks to moving to Vancouver!  I'm sitting here today trying to transfer documents to my replacement and finding it VERY hard to give things over...

Elin gets back from summer camp today.  I've missed her.  Miss Todd also as he has been living in Vancouver.  Guess I better get back to work.

Update on trips in November

Its now pushing the end of January 2012! I got an email from a friend who I haven't heard from in years, and it reminded me that I have a blog. so I need to get blogging.

What has happened since November?  We went to Seaside and to Chiloquin. Had a great time at both.  Pictures: didn't take many, but will add them 

This is a tiny little gate about knee height.

This is a gate to a B & B that I thought was cool

Todd & Elin walking away disgusted that I'm taking gate pictures 

Hills to the south of Seaside

Strange vine growing on a fence

The ocean

It was cold and mostly raining in Seaside. But we had a nice time staying in the condo, went out a couple times for groceries and once for a walk.

At Chiloquin we went to the Klamath Trout Hatchery

 The Hatchery was built in 1939 and was very fun.  A great place to picnic in the summer.

Couldn't get over the size of some of the trout there.

This is looking south across Agency Lake toward the mountains.

Sunset over Agency Lake out the front porch of Guy & Tammi's home

Cat guarding the Thanksgiving leftover

back yard fence with dried flowers

Fort Clatsup rebuilt

We stayed home and worked through December and had an enjoyable visit with Scotty when he came home on leave.  Now we are into January and I'm planning a trip to Las Vegas for AYSO and planning the Heggen reunion in May.  Fun stuff to come in the future.  Will keep you posted

November ALREADY!

Daylight Savings strikes again!  Changed my clock last night, and kept waking up to figure out what time it "really" was.  Today is laundry day, clean up web sites day and blog day.  It is also help Elin with homework day.  Awoke to our first snow fall this morning about 7:30am (8:30 in real time) after getting up at 6am (7 in real time).  It didn't stick around long enough to do much beyond make mush in the driveway.

What has been happening?  Not much.  Getting ready to return to Seaside next Sunday for 4 days.  Following that, we go to Chiloquin for Thanksgiving with Guy & Tammie.  That should be very fun... then Christmas.

This year is almost shot, and I honestly can say I haven't got much accomplished.  Soccer flew by so fast it didn't even raise a breeze.  Elin moved into the high school as a freshman. I purchased a Desk/Wall Organizer and its still in its box. 

Guess we just continue to let time fly.