Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery near Sisters, Oregon

Dave and I spent the last few days at Mallard Creek Golf and RV Park near Lebanon, Oregon.  Dave has been busy golfing and I have entertained myself by sewing some quilt tops.  I'll blog about that another day.

Today Dave took the day off from golfing and we drove up the mountain on US Highway 20 to Sisters, Oregon, about a two-hour drive from the RV park.  I visited "The Stitchin' Post", a very nice quilt and yarn store in Sisters.  Then we had lunch at Bronco Billy's Grill and Saloon, located inside the old Sisters Hotel. 

Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery

After lunch,  we drove out to Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery, located along the Metolius River.  This is one of the best fish hatcheries that we've visited.  The fun part is buying a handful of fish food and feeding the fish.  The fish all come swarming and jumping to get at the food. 

Swarming fish

The fish nurseries are round so that the food gets more evenly distributed, otherwise the stronger fish get all the food.  These fish are too small to be fed the pellets available in the fish food machines.

Besides being a fish hatchery, this is a very tranquil place to spend some time.

A majestic Ponderosa Pine

The Metolius River

The weather was cool and a bit windy, but we've had no rain the last couple of days!

Happy Anniversary to Dave and Me

Yes, Dave and I were married 33 years ago on May 12, 1979 in Riverside, California.   We were married on a hot Saturday afternoon at Hope Lutheran Church in Riverside.  Just like this year, Mother's Day was the following day.  We stayed around to honor my mother and my new husband's step-mother, who were both in town for the wedding, then on Monday we left for a glorious 15-day honeymoon in Hawaii. 

Dave and I met in Atlanta, Georgia, where we were both attending a Burroughs computer convention.  We were introduced by a mutual friend.  At the time we met, I lived in Stamford, Connecticut, and Dave lived in southern California in Colton, east of Los Los Angeles.  It was a long-distance romance until I was able to get a transfer with my company, Hewitt Associates, to their Newport Beach, CA office.  I moved to Huntington Beach and Dave still lived 60+ miles east of there in Grand Terrace.  After the wedding we were both able to live in the same town (and the same house!) in Grand Terrace. Later we moved to Riverside, where we lived until we moved to Vancouver, Washington in 1993. 

May 12, 1979

Today in Vancouver, the temperature was in the mid-80s.  Dave and I drove to Vancouver Lake, where we went for a bike ride, then sat by the lake and ate our picnic lunch and read our Nooks. 

The park was busy today with several crew boats, a bicycle and running race, and lots of families enjoying the warm weather. 

For our anniversary dinner, we went to Osaka House, a teppanyaki-style Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.  Good food, good company, and a great anniversary celebration.  Thank you, Dave, for putting up with me for 33+ years!   I love you (still)!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Monday was my 60th birthday.  I must say that I do feel older now!  At least I'll be able to remember how old I am for the next year.  I always had trouble remembering which "50-something" I was. 

Dave and I had a great week at Cape Disappointment State Park in Ilwaco, WA, except for the lack of cell service and internet.   Note to self:  don't go someplace where it's hard for loved ones to contact you on your birthday!

The highlight of my birthday came a couple of days early when Tim, Kiersten, and granddaughter Sophie surprised me with a visit to Long Beach.  Dave had stealthily arranged it all ahead of time.  He and I were waiting to meet a friend (supposedly) at one of our favorite Long Beach eateries, Hungry Harbor Restaurant.  When I turned around, I first saw Tim, then Kiersten and Sophie.  I was really surprised and so glad to see them that I almost started crying.  We had just celebrated Sophie's first birthday the week before, and they didn't give me a clue about what they were planning for my birthday a week later.

Happy Sophie waiting for some lunch.

After eating lunch together, we took Sophie to a local park so that she could work off some of her energy before she had to get back in her car seat for the 2.5 hour ride back to her house.  Sophie doesn't walk yet, but she loves to pull herself to a standing position.  She had a great time at the park even though it was a bit cold and wet.  Afterwards, we all went to another well-known Long Beach eatery--Scoopers Ice Cream Shop.  I had to bid farewell to Tim, Kiersten, and Sophie.  Thanks for the wonderful surprise, Dave, Tim, Kiersten, and Sophie! 

It rained every day while we were at the beach, but on Sunday we managed to go for a walk at Cape Disappointment.  We were surprised to see how much driftwood was on the beach.

We always enjoy seeing North Head Lighthouse.

This boat didn't make it!

How does a huge tree stump get washed ashore?

We found two buoys that had washed ashore, as well as a hard hat that we think might have come all the way from Japan.