A Week's Worth of Travels

Dave and I have been gone for almost a week, but I haven't had a chance to post a blog.  Well, I've had chances but I chose not to do it--procrastinating again.

Last Thursday we visited our son Jonathan in Bothell.  We stayed at Lake Pleasant RV Park again.  This time we had reservations and needed them because the park was quite full.  Jonathan bought a new-to-him car the day we arrived, so he took us for a ride.

Lynden is a Dutch-themed town.

Friday morning we drove north to Lynden, WA and stayed at Hidden Village RV Park for two nights.  This campground was okay.   The sites are fairly close together are are arranged with two sites facing each other.  That's good since it means we don't have to look at our neighbor's sewer hose, but it's bad if you are friends with the people you are facing.  We happened to be placed next to a large group with one site, four cars, one trailer, one large tent, three dogs, six adults, and numerous children and teenagers.  Even if they were trying to be quiet (they were not) there's no way that the noise couldn't have spilled over to our site.  We tried to change sites, but the park was full.   The reason we chose that park is that we attended a wedding near in nearby Everson.  Jonathan's best friend of eighteen years, our former neighbor, Ryan, married Malorie in a beautiful outdoor wedding at the home of friends on Saturday.  Jonathan was the best man and gave a touching toast to the bride and groom.  Both Ryan's mother and I were moved to tears as Jonathan recounted a few of the adventures that he and Ryan experienced together, as well as meaningful times he spent with both Ryan and Malorie.

Jonathan returning down the aisle after seating the groom's grandmother.

Ryan and Malorie were both German majors and said their vows in German.

While we were in Lynden, I visited the quaint downtown and was again impressed with how clean and neat the town was.  I visited my favorite store there, the Homespun General Store and found out that the store will be moving to a new location across the street.  Flowers were blooming everywhere along the streets.

One of Lynden's spacious, clean streets. 

Sunday morning we had planned to spend a few days in Hoquiam, but on our way south on I-5, we discovered a leak from our toilet.  Added to a computer hardware problem that was waiting for Dave at home, we decided to come on home.  The two problems turned out to be easy to fix (that's my talented husband who's good at fixing things).  On Monday afternoon we were able to head north again, this time only 80 miles north to Centralia.  We are staying at Midway RV Park, but once again it will be time to leave for home on Wednesday morning.  As Dave's football-officiating season gears up, our RV travels will diminish.  We've had a lot of fun times this summer!

Flowers in Lynden 

Finally, a Beautiful Spring Day!

The last two days have been gorgeous with temperatures in the low 70s, sunshine, and not too much wind.  Dave and I went for a bike ride each day and it felt so good to be outside soaking up Vitamin D.  This was the first bike ride we've been able to go on since we got home from our trip to Wenatchee.

For seven days, I didn't do much because I came down with a bad cold.  All I was able to do was sleep, sleep, sleep.  But now I'm feeling much better, just in time for the sunshine.  Beginning on Saturday we're supposed to get some more rain, but at least we've had a dose of sun!

Because of my cold, I had to miss the big WHL hockey game between the Portland Winterhawks and the Kootenay Ice.  But Dave was able to attend, and was able to sell my ticket to a scalper.  Alas, the Winterhawks lost, so their championship season came to an end. 

I took a few pictures of some of the flowers in our yard.  What a difference a bit of sun makes!

Our very own lilac bush! 

A few lilies of the valley--they smell so good!

Our mini-rhody bush--the one that survived

Junction City, Oregon

Monday we had to say goodbye to our motorhome for a couple of weeks.  Our Bounder has a small crack underneath the right-hand side of the bedroom slide.  This crack needs to be fixed under warranty, and Guaranty RV Service in Junction City, Oregon is our closest authorized Fleetwood repair shop.

It was raining slightly when we left home at 8 am.  We ran into more rain as we drove south on I-5.  When we got to Junction City, which was about 100 miles from home, the rain had stopped. 

We were glad to see that Guaranty RV Center was booming with business, at least it was booming with repair business.  We saw lots of trailers for sale, but I don’t know how many people were buying. 

The flower pots outside the service center were blooming.

We stopped for gas in Junction City because the price was about ten cents less than in Vancouver.

On the way home we stopped at an overlook of the Willamette River on I-205 just south of Oregon City.

Flowers, Bees. and Thorns

When I visited the Rose Garden last Friday, I tried to take pictures of some of the bees buzzing around the roses.

 

Along with beautiful roses (and bees) come thorns!

And that is a good summary of life, I think—flowers, bees, and thorns—all part of the process!

Washington Park, Portland, OR

The International Rose Garden is just one small part of Washington Park in Portland.  The zoo is there, along with a children’s museum, the World Forestry Center, an arboretum, and many other places of interest.  

Visitors to Washington Park can visit the Japanese Gardens, or play a round of tennis.

Concerts are held in the outdoor amphitheater during the evenings in August.   

The entrance to the amphitheater and the Rose Garden offers an enticing glimpse of downtown Portland.  This is one of my favorite views of the city!

Portland’s International Rose Garden

Yesterday Dave and three other guys drove to Yakima for a golf tournament.  Since I had the day free, I decided to practice my photography skills.  What better place to take pictures than the International Rose Garden at Washington Park in Portland, Oregon?

Everyone seemed to be out on the road yesterday.  I had traffic both going and coming back.  But the road stress was worth it because the rose garden was beautiful.  I wish I could load the smell of the roses into my blog.  Oops, better not, someone might be allergic. ;-)

I had trouble choosing just a few photos for this blog, so you may be seeing more pictures in the future!

Shore Acres State Park, Coos Bay, OR

Today’s excursion was to Shore Acres Gardens.  The gardens are now part of Shore Acres State Park in Coos Bay, Oregon.   

From the park brochure: “Perched on a scenic bluff high above the Pacific Ocean, Shore Acres began as a private estate with luxurious gardens featuring trees, shrubs, and flowering plants brought from around the world aboard the sailing ships of pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson. 

Simpson developed the summer home into a showplace three-story mansion complete with a heated, indoor swimming pool and a large ballroom.  the grounds contained five acres of formal gardens, including a Japanese-style garden built around a 100-foot lily pond.

When fire destroyed the mansion in 1921, Simpson began to build an even larger replacement.  However, financial losses during the Depression caused both house and grounds to fall into disrepair.  In 1942, Simpson’s beloved Shore acres was purchased by the state or Oregon for use as a public park. 

The mansion no longer remains, but the restored formal gardens continue to attract thousands of visitors.  The garden features year-round displays of floral and scenic beauty and the annual “Holiday Lights at Shore Acres” event that runs from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.  

A fully-enclosed observation building now occupies the site of Simpson’s mansions, offering spectacular view of rugged seascapes, towering storm waves, and glimpses of migrating whales from December through June.”

Tomorrow I will post pictures of the shoreline—another spectacular sight.

Thanks for reading!