Cannon Beach - July 27, 2009

The Portland Metro area, and all of Oregon for that matter, is experiencing a very unusual heat wave of day after day with temps over 100 degrees, with high temp records being broken almost every day.   On Monday the 27th, DeeDee and I picked up Amber, Isaac, and Abigail and we went to the coast to Cannon Beach.   Cannon Beach is famous for Haystack Rock at the south end of the beach.   We got to the beach around 10 AM, before the crowds, and got a good parking spot in one of the city's free lots.   We set up on the beach and enjoyed the sun, cool breezes, and view.   There was just a slight hint of fog in the air which kept the temps nice and balmy.    Amber, Isaac and I walked to Haystack Rock to look at the tide pools while DeeDee and Abigail stayed at the blanket so Abigail could play in the sand.   As we walked along the beach to the Rock, Isaac and I wrote names in the sand, Isaac walked on the "rail road tracks" and "roads" made by the three-wheel sand buggies that people were riding on the beach, and we made sure not to step on any of the dead jelly fish that had washed up over night.  At the tide pools Amber had lots of "teaching moments" with Isaac, as she pointed out barnacles, sea anemones, crabs, star fish, and a few teeny tiny fish caught up in the pools.   Of course we also had to watch out for the seagull gifts from above as we looked at the pools.

After joining back up with Gramma and Abigail, we played in the sand some more, then walked back into town for lunch and a stop at a toy store.   We left around 3:15 or so, the temperature gauge in my car said it was 71 degrees (21.7 C).   As we started back inland on US 26 it quickly got up to 100 (37.8 C) and stayed there most of the way back.   But, as we got out of the coastal hills and into the valley approaching Hillsboro where Amber lives, the temperature started climbing and when we got to Amber's house at 4:30, it was 107 (41.7 C).   Thank goodness for air conditioning in the car and in Amber's house.   When DeeDee and I left for home around 6:15 the temperature gauge in my car, which had been just parked sitting in the sun, said 121 (49.4 C).    As we drove home the car cooled off and the temperature stayed right around 100 and was still at 100 when we got to our house in Scappoose at 7 PM - and YES, our house is also air conditioned.

Our temperatures in Scappoose since Saturday through today (Wednesday) have been between 103 and 105.  According the weather forecasters the highs will stay that way until the heat wave breaks, supposedly around 10 PM Thursday night, after which we should be back in the low to mid 80's.  Hanna would have been miserable, as when it got to 80 she thought it was way too hot.  Once this nasty High Pressure system over us moves out to the east, it will get back to normal, 70's and 80's in the daytime and high 50's low 60's at night.

Update on Aaron

On Monday, July 13th, our oldest grandson, Corporal Aaron Robertson USMC, arrived  at his permanent duty station, 3rd Radio Battalion, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii.   Aaron said he "might" be temporarly assigned to the 31st MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) in December for a six month tour to the South Pacific - Phillippines, Japan, Thailand, and Guam.

The photos show how Aaron enjoyed his first Saturday in paradise.

Columbia County (OR) Fair - July 15, 2009

We live in Scappoose (Pop 6,580), the second largest city in Columbia County, OR (Pop 50,000).  Today, DeeDee and I went to the Opening Day of the  Columbia County Fair, which is held in our County Seat, St Helens (Pop 12,000+), 8 miles from Scappoose.   Having moved to Oregon in the past 20 months for DeeDee and 13 months for me, we are used to the big Los Angeles County Fair and the California State Fair in Sacramento.  So our little Columbia County Fair is not real big, as county fairs go, but that being said, in just a few hours we were able to see all of the Fair and everything we want to see.   And, because today was Senior Citizen Free Day, I got in free and with the $1-off discount Day Pass for DeeDee we bought yesterday at a local store, we got in for a grand total of $7, plus $2 parking; with a short 300 foot walk from where we parked to the front gate.   Sometimes, there is something to be said for smaller.   We stopped in the Pampered Chef and Tupperware booths, lunched on some great BBQed ribs and chicken, visited with a few friends we saw, wandered through the Oregon State University Master Garden area, the plants for sale area, and of course we checked out the quilt exhibit (where I took the photos).   Many of the quilts were made by members of the Columbia River Piecemaker's Quilt Guild, of DeeDee is a member.  We had a great time, spent a fraction of what we would have at the LA County or CA State Fairs, and were home within a couple of hours.  It's nice to have a good time with someone you love.

Alora Springer's 3rd Birthday Party - July 11, 2009

Amber and Christina (Simpson) Springer have been friends since 5th or 6th grade in Valencia Valley Elementary, Placerita Jr High and Hart High in Valencia, CA.   Christina and her husband Steven live in Hood River, OR, east of Portland with their two children, Alora (3 on Tuesday July 14th) and Elijah (20 months).   We went to Alora's 2nd birthday party last year, held at Blue Lake Park about 15 miles east of Portland right next to the Columbia River and were invited to Alora's 3rd birthday party, which was today, again in Blue Lake Park.   Amber, Isaac, and Abigail were there as well as Christina's parents, Rob and Wilma Simpson, who live in Valencia.  We had a great time and the kids really enjoyed the park.   We got there around 9:30 and had no trouble getting our favorite spot, table and BBQ pit, but by 11:00 the park was jammed and we would have been out of luck.   The weather cooperated and stayed cool, around 65 to 68, until early afternoon when the sun came out, but it still didn't get above 80, so we were spared the hot weather in the 90's predicted by the weather people.

We sang Happy Birthday to Alora with Steve strumming along on his guitar.   But after Alora opened one of her presents, which was a guitar, we sang Happy Birthday to her again so she could strum along with her dad, and then we all sang the ABC song so she could play guitar some more.   

And, with the two Grand Mothers (Wilma and DeeDee) hovering around, the mommies (Christina and Amber) didn't need to worry about having to change any diapers.

Abigail thinks she is a big girl now and can drink out of a regular water bottle.   She got as much water in her as she did on her and on everything around her.

4th of July, 2009

We celebrated the 4th of July with Amber, Chris, Isaac, and Abigail; their friends Randy and Sarah and daughter Summer; and Andy, whose wife Evette and son Kian were down in California.   Isaac, Abigail, and Summer really enjoyed playing in the pool because it was in the low 90's.   Randy, Chris, and I enjoyed some really great beer, and for the non-beer drinkers there was iced tea, Pepsi's and of course, water.   Because of the tall trees on the west side of our property, the yard started getting shaded by 4:30 or so, which really made it very comfortable, even though it was still pretty warm.  For snacks we had deviled eggs, a veggie platter, chips, and some sinfully delicious monster strawberries dipped in white chocolate that Sarah brought.  For dinner, we had BBQed hamburgers and hot dogs, with potato salad and fruit salad.  No one went home hungry or thirsty.

Because Randy, Sarah, Summer and Andy had to leave around 6 PM, we did some fireworks in the back yard around 5:30 for Summer.    Then, around 7:30 or so, we went out to the front yard for fireworks for Isaac and Abigail.   Fortunately, we still had a ton of smoke bombs and spinners left from what we set off in the back yard, cause the big container of 45 cones I had for the front yard turned out to all be Party Poppers and not fireworks.   But, we had fun making smoke in the street and noise in the yard with the poppers.   Christopher was the designated "lighter" and did a great job of not letting stuff go under my car or into neighbor's yards when he threw the spinners into the street.   We were safe and sane, with only one tiny incident when a piece of cardboard from one of the poppers went sideways and hit Isaac on the side of the face.   After that, he said he doesn't like poppers at all and only likes fireworks in the street.   Behind us and somewhere off to the west of us there were monster loud booms and explosions way into the night till about midnight.    I know most of them had to be the illegal type, but we never heard any sirens, so guess no one got hurt. 

We had a good time and look forward to July 4th, 2010 - same time, same place.