Spring Snow!!!

This is the first snowfall of the year --none in winter!!!!!

Momma deer with a big baby. My sister Marcia's deer have to be fed because they have had deep snow for a long time. We have had weird weather here if you consider the two big windstorms, one in November and one in December. Other than those it has been rain, rain, rain with sunbreaks here and there. Sunbreak is a word the Oregon weathermen use often but is wish it were MORE often.


This is a smaller fawn. Note the neighbor's tree that was broken during our windstorm. We will have to bring a cat/backhoe across his property to get the damaged trees behind our house.


OK, it is a pretty puny snowfall.


I took this from my upstairs bedroom window.


Rhiannon took this from the deck.


It really came down for awhile and has been snowing and hailing but not sticking or building up. This all melted but it is 8 pm and I hear it hailing. It is spring break and Rhiannon is hoping it sticks so she can go sledding with the new sleds we bought. I promised DeWayne that if we bought sleds it wouldn't snow--whoops! And he has to drive from Lincoln City to Portland over the Coast Range and then back over it again to get home after his doctor's appointment. He bought chains so he should be OK.

Easter 2008

The Easter bunny shopped at Costco and got these neat boxes (baskets) which unzip in the corners and become a play mat and when zipped up are like a play house. The kids loved them as it is a toy they can keep playing with. Go Costco!


Happy, busy kids.


They didn't tear into them this year. They're growing up.


Rhiannon is posing in front of hers. She took a tub bath with her little white stuffed seal today--of course, Grandma--it is a marine mammal. It doesn't matter if it is a plush animal.


Ryder posing with his basket.


Rhiannon is posing with a Littlest Pet shop toy she received from her dad. By the way, Rhiannon and the boys have a new little half sister named Madison.


Ryder is showing Racer the motorcycle guy that came with the motorcycles their dad sent.


Here we are decorating the Easter "tree" which is actually a manzanita tree branch. We bought lots of little wooden ornaments in Germany where we started this tradition. Our German maid brought us some forsythia branches with beautiful yellow flowers and three or four ornaments on it. We use the same bare manzanita branch at Christmas for our teddy bear tree.


I got the job of the Easter tree because Tiffany got the egg decorating project. (I was going to say chore)------:)


Racer ready to hang up an ornament.


All busy at work.


Rhiannon with her tie-dyed egg project.

Look happy kids, like you're enjoying this.


What a ham, Ryder!


Tiffany moved!!


Busy at work.


What a cute gang. Tiffany had had it when this project (I was going to say ordeal) was over.


This egg matches the throw rug. They both are a really dark blue but the flash made them look lighter. Tiffany forgot an egg in the dark blue dye cup.


Rhiannon made some glitter eggs.


Rhiannon's prize egg. She put glitter on it.


We took these daffodils to church. We bought eight bunches for a dollar each. This is what 64 daffodils look like.


I had to use a pitcher from the crystal factory in Germany in order to find something large enough to hold them all.


I caught the naughty boys break dancing in the foyer. Something they learned from the Best Man at Jen and Brian's wedding. They both go to Primary now.


Don't they look cute in their new clothes. These are the first white shirts and ties they have ever had.


Another pose.


Ryder looking sharp.


DeWayne's favorite saying--"There's always one" (who is sad or won't cooperate).


Church is over, dinner is over, and it finally STOPPED RAINING. We sent the kids over to the new neighbors while Tiffany hid the eggs and here they come! "We're not waiting any longer! Those eggs had better be hidden."


Here they come! And they'd better be fast as it will probably start raining again any minute.


Rhiannon's bunny box is full of eggs. What a happy, satisfied smile.


Racer found one hiding in my bonsai tree roots.


The two strange kids are our new neighbor twins, Maddy and on the slide is her brother, Justin. They are five years old and Rhiannon thinks they are pests.


The gang again. It looks sunny and nice but a really COLD wind was blowing and it felt like it came straight from Alaska!


The twins had their egg hunt in their house (visible behind Tiffany) earlier while we were at church. They came to watch our gang. Ryder and Racer like them a lot! Well that was our Easter. We had a yummy spiral sliced ham with raisin sauce (my favorite), baked yams, green beans, corn, four bean salad, and rolls. After all the doings -- oh I forgot, I also taught the Relief Society lesson--I was exhausted and went upstairs for a long nap!!!

March Madness 2008

DeWayne came home as usual on Thursday evening. On Friday we went down to Lincoln City and he put in my new crowns and bridge. He still has a little work to do to make my partials fit better so I will get them this coming Thursday evening. Here are some of the sights we saw on our trip. These are not in order as you come to them on the highway. I'll be posting Easter pictures in a day or two.


The Nestucca River south of Tillamook.


Beaver Creek south of Tillamook.


Moss covered trees along Highway 101.


More moss covered trees. It covered the trunks and all the branches.


The three graces--at Barview, two miles N. of Garibaldi.


The smokestack in Garibaldi.


My hometown, Garibaldi, from across part of Tillamook Bay.


When Garibaldi had its own high school it used to be the school's job to maintain and paint the G.


A view of the Nehalem River from within the town of Nehalem.


A view of the Nehalem River from the town of Wheeler.


The Nehalem River.


The bridge just north of Tillamook.


Snow covered mountains and pasture land near Tillamook.


A Navy jet at the entrance to the Air Museum in Tillamook.


The old WWII Blimp hanger at the air museum with snow covered mountains behind. We're having cold weather for the coast.


Devil's Lake in Lincoln City near DeWayne's dental office.


Looking South down the coast from Neah-Kah-Nie Mt.


A tunnel near the summit of Hwy 101 on Neah-Kah-Nie Mt. This is the tunnel where my mother used to sing "In the tunnel, beep beep" honking the car horn on each beep, all the way through the tunnel. I sang the same song to my kids in every tunnel as they were growing up and some of them sing it to their kids.


Haystack Rock from Mo's Restaurant near Cannon Beach were we stopped and had clam chowder on our way home.


NOW FOR AN UPDATE ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD


Grinding trees into bark chips.


After the big logs are removed, the remaining branches are ground up and travel up the conveyor belt. Here it is landing in a mound on the ground. Sometimes it lands in a big truck that sits under the end of the belt.


Early signs of spring on this tree.


Rhiannon and Ryder playing with the neighbors 5 year old twin girl and boy and their dog.


Flowers in front of Rite-Aid.


Pussywillows.


Flowers in a neighbor's rock garden.


Rhiannon with the camera playing photographer.


My partner when she comes home from school at 3 p.m.


This tree lost its top half during the windstorm. It needed to come down.


De working on one of the damaged trees.


Our barren driveway. I miss the trees.


This is where the kids were tree climbing a few months ago.


Wood piles like this are everywhere in Surf Pines.


Probably the most expensive house here. Certainly one of the more spectacular as it is on the highest point and has a circular portion that rotates.


A view of Tillamook Head just south of Seadide


The road down to the beach.


Rough surf.


Our LDS chapel in Seaside.