The Party is nearly over...

Tomorrow is Ben and Ryann's last swim lesson, then I will take them home to Vancouver. I have to admit I'm feeling a little bit panicky. What in the world am I going to do with myself now?

I've got 3 weeks before I go to Austin to see Kevin, Stephanie and the girls. I kind of feel like I need to check out the place and make sure its ok for them. Then...back to Oregon and...what?

I guess I need to decide what I'm going to do when I grow up. I'm being forced into it. I sure can't spend the rest of my days staring at the ocean 24 hours a day.

Oh well...whining is not attractive, so I'll shut up.

The Sameness of Summer

Ben, Ryann and my adventures have taken on a sameness. We searched for new beaches yesterday because the weather was glorious. We ended up going to the lake so they could 'fish' for fingerling's. They managed to get every kid in the area involved with the search. They managed to catch and release several, so it was a good day.

Ryann decided that she wants a dog. For some reason yesterday became doggie day. Every time she came across someone with a dog, she would ask the owner politely if she could pet them. She always got a yes.At one point on the beach she was in the center of four dogs and throwing a stick into the water for them to chase. She was having a ball and all the critters loved her.She showed no fear in her interaction with the dogs or the owners. My little darlin' is growing up.

We have three more days of swim lessons, then I'll take them back to Vancouver. They start school next week. We don't have a firm plan for today. Maybe we'll just take it easy.

Make your own adventure

Ben and Ryann and I have been trying to come up with a new adventure each day. We call them mini-ventures. Yesterday we went to the ocean science center in Newport, Oregon. We spent about 2 hours there looking at sea creatures and learning about the topography of the earth below the seas. I found it very interesting. The kids found it just 'ok'.

Today we went to the sand hill in Pacific City, Oregon. It's a very tall hill of sand...fun to go up because if you fall, you only fall into sand. Ryann actually rolled down it on her side with her hair flying. Ben ran down really fast laughing and grinning all the time.

Later today  we took some bread and some Cheerios cereal that had been dumped on the floor...(long story)..to feed the sea gulls. The kids got very excited as the gulls flocked around us. They seemed to come from every direction.

Swimming lessons each day are going well also. Tomorrow will be day 4 of their lessons, and I can honestly say they are both swimmers now and becoming more comfortable in the pool each day.

I'm beginning to worry a little about what I'll do when they go home. Oh well, I'll think about that another day....

You can't cure stupid, but.....

This has been an eventful week. We saw Stephanie, Sophia and Juliet off to Austin on Thursday. Grandma didn't do too well with the goodbyes, even though I'm going to see them next month.I'm using a new version of blogger and I'm not sure how to add pics yet, but when I figure it out I'll add a pic of them walking into the airport. Ahhhh, here we go...

Ben and Ryann and I have spent the week together and then we have two weeks at the coast with swim lessons. They are both very excited about it. In the meantime we've been trying to have a little adventure each day. Yesterday we went to the lake so they could play in the water. Ben managed to catch a small fish in his hands, so he was very excited.

Today we went north to Tillamook and went through the cheese factory. The reward was the Tillamook ice cream at the end of the tour. We came out to our car after, only to find that someone had parked behind our car! I was furious. About 3 cars had decided this was a good idea. I can't imagine why. I stood there fuming and the woman in the car parked next to mine (we were parked legally before the idiots parked behind us) came and we both lamented the stupidity it took to be the first one to park.

As we stood there talking, the persons parked behind her car walked up and started to get in. I couldn't help myself...I started to question them. I asked in what universe it was that made it seem like a good idea to park behind already parked cars. She hemmed and hawed and said 'well there was no one....' at which point I stopped her and said 'oh yeah...we were already here before you got here! Here's a tip for the future...don't EVER park behind cars that are already parked where you'll be hemming them in. I can't cure stupid, but I can help you learn from your mistake and make sure you don't make it again.." Wow..did I really say that outloud? Oh yes. It was one of those times where I won't be saying later "I should have said..." because I said it.

After that adventure I was fuming for a good while. Ben told me.."Grandma, just relax and breath deep". We stopped at a lighthouse that I'd been wanting to see. It was a short hike out to it, but we loved seeing it.

All in all, it was a good day, and swimming lessons start tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Ryann the TV Star

Ryann was on the evening news with a basketball star. I'm trying to imbed the link, so be patient.

http://www.kgw.com/video/featured-videos/Brian-Grant-fundraiser-to-fight-Parkinsons-99699279.html