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| Happy to be in Bend |
Today
is Saturday, November 30, 2013, and we are setting up our strategy for moving
on South to Burns and beyond. The last several days have been so nice here with
Howard’s family. They have been so gracious and generous to us and are
apparently very happy to put us up and make time to get to know me too!
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| Celina and Mari |
We arrived at their lovely home on Tuesday afternoon,
November 26th. Joining us as at the family home were daughters Maryn
and boyfriend Louis, Lindsey with her husband Tyler and their two beautiful daughters
Ryan and Mari. Everyone got settled and the house was full of love.
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| Benham Falls |
The next day we had a yummy breakfast followed by a hike to
Benham falls with Rick, Maryn, Baby Ryan and three dogs, Boscoe, Tele and
Django. It was very cool and absolutely beautiful. The dogs were off leash and
Django was having a blast fetching the ball, even taking a sliding Bambi style
wipe out on a frozen patch on the trail. Uncle Rick gave all the pups a nice
treat for being such good trail dogs.
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| Tele having fun on the river |
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| Celina and the great outdoors |
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| Rick, Maryn Bosco & Celina |
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| Good Dogs!! |
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| Working up an appetite |
Wednesday is our first Thanksgiving dinner
to be shared with the family, which includes Chris’ mom, Gramma Lowie. Chris is
a fabulous cook and she has presented a bountiful table centering on a
beautifully cooked teriyaki salmon.
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| Bridge across the river |
On Thanksgiving, Tyler, Lindsey and the
kids took off for the other side of their family’s celebration and Chris and
Rick led us on a wonderful hike alongside the Deschutes River. They’re both
avid bird watchers, so with all of us looking skyward, we managed to see some
Townsend’s Solitaires, some Robins and two Red Tail Hawks.
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| Towndsend's Solitaire |
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| Avid birdwatcher |
Arriving back at the house, Chris set to work making the
turkey dinner we all had been thinking about since last Thanksgiving. What a
success! Again, Chris did a fabulous job with the meal. That night, the 6 of us
played a hoot and hollerin' game of Celebrity. What fun!
Friday, we went into town and did a little shopping. We took
picked up things we needed for Howard’s Famous Blue Bossa Salmon Chowder. Now
it was just 4 of us for a very casual dinner.
The whole time we visited, Django had a blast running around
with Boscoe, the Wright’s older Chocolate Lab. Because their home is RIGHT on
the Deschutes River, every morning, he got to run out on the deck and then
around the garden, sniffing for squirrels and birds and other critters.
Saturday, the 30th, we all took our time getting up and
getting out.
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| Max & Django with a dispute |
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| Linda & Bob Rasmussen |
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| Celina and Anne Howard |
We went to visit some Santa Cruz transplants, Linda and Bob
Rasmussen and Anne Howard. We had a great time visiting and they, getting to
know Howard. A few glasses of wine and it was time to get back to the river
house and check in about dinner with the family.
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| Grandma Chris and Mari |
We had made plans to meet up
with Lindsey’s little family at a place called Blue Pine. The food was really
good, the conversation and company was priceless and the beer was Oregon good!
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| Running from the storm |
After watching a movie back at the house, we all got a good
night’s rest and when we got up early this morning, we packed up and headed to
Burns, just ahead of the weather system we wanted to avoid.
The route we decided on was impeccably spartan. As the wind pulled us forward, the miles and
miles of the high desert’s muted ambers and sage greens divulged the
presence of lonely cattle grazing. The
white line dotted black top appeared to have its own version of ocean swells,
gently rolling up and down. A large herd of American Antelope grazed to our
left, distinctly themselves.
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| Eastern Oregon - heading east |
We arrived in Burns, Oregon, around Noon, to visit niece,
Harmony Jean and her husband and three children. A fun few hours of catching up
and playing with her adorable son and two daughters, one of whom I was meeting
for the first time. Their Christmas tree was up and decorated and their little
home was filled with noisy, happy children who enjoyed playing fetch with
Django and hanging up the paper snowflakes Auntie Celina made for them. Parting
came too soon and we began our sprint for Lakeville where we planned to stay
over.
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| Harmony Jean, baby Jude, Braedon, Capri & Auntie Celina made paper snowflakes |
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| Lake Albert - half salt flats, half lake |
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| Lake Albert |
Again, the long, straight and desolate road lay before us
and we were safe and secure in the Gigmobile. We had to stop along the side of
the road at Lake Abert to experience the cold wind and lakeside rocks, shrubs
and feeling of being in the middle of nowhere. The alkaline lake has a maximum
depth of about 11 feet and over all is about 57 square miles in size. It’s a
wonderful bird migration spot on the “Fly Way” of the West.
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| Green-tinged bluffs overlooking the lake |
We finally arrived at Lakeville in time for the sunset. The
room we found at a little travel motel is warm and the wifi is willing. Dinner
at the local Mexican restraint yielded what the body needed and now, it’s time
for bed.
Off to Reno tomorrow to visit yet another family member.
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| Sunset at Lakeview |
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