We said goodbye to Salem last week.....bittersweet.....we love the area but are anxious to get home....left the RV in Salem since the plan is to return next year. We headed east, spending each night in a hotel....very different than the last several months.....took me a few nights to get used to regular flush toilets again! LOL! We're in the Upper Peninsula for a few days, visiting Dean's Aunt and cousins. Mischka has enjoyed spending time with their dog and getting attention from other people.....lots of attention! He has also found new and exciting things to get in to....balls of yarn, bags of dog food, a baseball cap and some sort of dried flowers. We're staying in the hotel across the street....very rustic!
Tomorrow we head toward Ohio....Dean has work to do so we'll stay there a few days. Then it's on to Clarksville, Tennessee to see our nieces and our friends Dee & Gary........and then home.
There are more pictures but I need to load them from my phone and the camera....will do that after we settle in in Ohio.
Namaste,
Tobi
Friday, September 5, 2014
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Oh beautiful for spacious skies....etc
The weather, the scenery, the food....Salem is an amazing place.....
The blackberries in the picture are from the local stand and intentionally grown. We have found that the abundance of wild blackberries is not a good thing! While we enjoy walking along the road in the park picking them and we admire their abundance everywhere we drive, we've been told by the locals that they are not a native plant and are considered a nuisance!.....but damn are they good!!!
I've apparently lost the Purple Mountains Majesty and Amber Waves of Grain photos....but you get the idea from previous pics....
I flew to Denver last week to spend some time with Aunt Esther and family....
The whole gang (minus Karin, Barbara's middle daughter, who lives in LA).....back left Barbara & Bob, the rest of the left side....Barbara's youngest daughter Julie and her 2 kids, Sara & Jazzy....moving over to the right side of the table.....the first is Jamie, Barbara's oldest daughter, next is Aunt Esther, and then Jamie's 2 kids, Katie and Will.
We went to dinner with Debbie & Mitch and then on to hear Mitch play (trumpet) at this cool ice cream parlor. He and the bassist play outdoors.....it's a charming little venue......
A week from tomorrow we start our journey home. It's hard to believe that the summer is almost gone....We've decided to leave the RV and return here next year.
Tomorrow will be my last yoga class at the Center 50+.....I've made some friends there....we sit downstairs after class and chat for a while.....will miss Tuesdays and Thursdays with the yoga gang.
Saturday the plan is to meet a golfing friend of Dean's, and his girlfriend for lunch.....then a haircut for Dean and then a picture taking tour of all the places around Salem we keep saying "Oh wow! Let's get a picture of that!"
Until next time.....
Namaste,
Tobi
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| The road from Red Hawk Winery |
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| The view from Red Hawk |
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| fresh fruit from farm to table |
I've apparently lost the Purple Mountains Majesty and Amber Waves of Grain photos....but you get the idea from previous pics....
I flew to Denver last week to spend some time with Aunt Esther and family....
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| Cousin Barbara & husband Bob |
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| The "Hoffman Gang" and matriarch, Aunt Esther |
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| Jamie, Katie, Will & Aunt Esther |
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| Jazzy and me |
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| Julie & Sara |
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| Aunt Esther's friends (and "adopted" niece & nephew) Debbie & Mitch |
A week from tomorrow we start our journey home. It's hard to believe that the summer is almost gone....We've decided to leave the RV and return here next year.
Tomorrow will be my last yoga class at the Center 50+.....I've made some friends there....we sit downstairs after class and chat for a while.....will miss Tuesdays and Thursdays with the yoga gang.
Saturday the plan is to meet a golfing friend of Dean's, and his girlfriend for lunch.....then a haircut for Dean and then a picture taking tour of all the places around Salem we keep saying "Oh wow! Let's get a picture of that!"
Until next time.....
Namaste,
Tobi
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
The adventure continues...
Much has happened since my last post.....some good; some not so good...and one thing in particular pretty lousy!
I'll start with lousy....I got a phone call last week that our beloved Spirit of Life minister emeritus, Alec Craig, had gone into Hospice care.....then on Tuesday, an e-mail that he had passed. One of my friends posted this on Facebook...."Alec led us with grace, humor and above all humanity!" So true! So true! Grieving via e-mail is new to me....in times like this I want to be with my friends and hug and touch and share. On Sunday at the Salem UU Joys and Sorrows I lit a candle and told of Alec's passing. RIP Reverend Alec! You will be missed!
Now the "not so good"....which is actually probably in reality, good......Dean has been bothered off and on for years with foot pain. It got bad enough to get him to a walk-in clinic while we were in Las Vegas. The doc gave him a shot which gave him some relief but recently the pain came back with a vengeance....enough to make him leave the golf course! We went to a doc here in Salem.....x-rays showed calcification that is apparently causing the pain....on 8/5 he goes in for surgery! Send positive energy our way!
Now for the good.....
The folks sitting next to us at dinner a couple of weeks ago had this ginormous bottle of wine. We commented on it and they shared a glass with us. One of the men, told us it was from Red Hawk Winery and worth a visit. We headed up there the following day for the tasting....it was worth it!
Enjoyed some very nice wines and meet some really nice folks.....including the owners.
Dean's foot pain subsided enough that we decided to visit Silver Falls.....everyone here has been telling us how beautiful it is and we are trying to do some tourist-y things. So, Saturday we ventured forth. The weather was perfect....sun shining, not too hot, a nice breeze and little, if any humidity. We decided to stop for lunch at a place we had read about...."Word of Mouth Bistro"
It's an independently owned place serving breakfast and lunch. They had been approached by Guy Fieri to do a "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" segment but turned him down. We arrived and were told it would be about a 50 minute wait.....I would have left but Dean, the "foodie" wanted to wait. After about 30 minutes the host asked if we wanted to sit at the bar. I don't like eating like that (bars are for drinking) but we were hungry and wanted to get on to the falls. We agreed and it turned out great. Our bartender/server, Nichole, was charming and made a few recommendations....they're known for their creme brule pancakes....seriously? Dean chose the Cinnamon Bun Pancake and I opted for the Reuben. While we were waiting for our food to come out, Nichole brought a sample of the creme brule pancake with this little flag stuck in it.....
Yeah! No wonder they're known for it! Absolutely yummy but probably should have been dessert. Anyway, Nichole told us that sometimes the owners, Steve & Becky, who are by the way, the kitchen staff, send out samples or sometimes the servers request them. Nichole had asked for us. We struck up a conversation with Hillary, the woman sitting next to us. She had been Steve & Becky's neighbor in Catalina Island and had recently moved to Salem. She was raving about the food. She also shared with us that she, Steve & Becky are all animal rescue folks (Hillary came to Salem with 32 cats!). Not sure how it came up, but we discovered that one of the dogs at the Red Hawk Winery was initially rescued by Becky! Small world! Hillary went into the kitchen to say hello and told them about us being at Red Hawk. A few minutes later Nichole came out with another "gift" from the kitchen....a salmon cake......
We sort of cringed as Dean is not a seafood guy....and salmon is one of the fish he hates the most! Not wanting to be rude he tasted it.....and loved it!
We said good bye.....and we'll be back...... to our new friends and headed to Silver Falls....Oregon's largest state park.....9,000 acres with 10 different waterfalls. We opted for the South Falls.....
Definitely worth the trip....
Until next time......
Namaste,
Tobi
I'll start with lousy....I got a phone call last week that our beloved Spirit of Life minister emeritus, Alec Craig, had gone into Hospice care.....then on Tuesday, an e-mail that he had passed. One of my friends posted this on Facebook...."Alec led us with grace, humor and above all humanity!" So true! So true! Grieving via e-mail is new to me....in times like this I want to be with my friends and hug and touch and share. On Sunday at the Salem UU Joys and Sorrows I lit a candle and told of Alec's passing. RIP Reverend Alec! You will be missed!
Now the "not so good"....which is actually probably in reality, good......Dean has been bothered off and on for years with foot pain. It got bad enough to get him to a walk-in clinic while we were in Las Vegas. The doc gave him a shot which gave him some relief but recently the pain came back with a vengeance....enough to make him leave the golf course! We went to a doc here in Salem.....x-rays showed calcification that is apparently causing the pain....on 8/5 he goes in for surgery! Send positive energy our way!
Now for the good.....
The folks sitting next to us at dinner a couple of weeks ago had this ginormous bottle of wine. We commented on it and they shared a glass with us. One of the men, told us it was from Red Hawk Winery and worth a visit. We headed up there the following day for the tasting....it was worth it!
 |
| part of Red Hawk Vineyard |
Enjoyed some very nice wines and meet some really nice folks.....including the owners.
Dean's foot pain subsided enough that we decided to visit Silver Falls.....everyone here has been telling us how beautiful it is and we are trying to do some tourist-y things. So, Saturday we ventured forth. The weather was perfect....sun shining, not too hot, a nice breeze and little, if any humidity. We decided to stop for lunch at a place we had read about...."Word of Mouth Bistro"
 |
| Note the acronym...WOMB! |
It's an independently owned place serving breakfast and lunch. They had been approached by Guy Fieri to do a "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" segment but turned him down. We arrived and were told it would be about a 50 minute wait.....I would have left but Dean, the "foodie" wanted to wait. After about 30 minutes the host asked if we wanted to sit at the bar. I don't like eating like that (bars are for drinking) but we were hungry and wanted to get on to the falls. We agreed and it turned out great. Our bartender/server, Nichole, was charming and made a few recommendations....they're known for their creme brule pancakes....seriously? Dean chose the Cinnamon Bun Pancake and I opted for the Reuben. While we were waiting for our food to come out, Nichole brought a sample of the creme brule pancake with this little flag stuck in it.....
Yeah! No wonder they're known for it! Absolutely yummy but probably should have been dessert. Anyway, Nichole told us that sometimes the owners, Steve & Becky, who are by the way, the kitchen staff, send out samples or sometimes the servers request them. Nichole had asked for us. We struck up a conversation with Hillary, the woman sitting next to us. She had been Steve & Becky's neighbor in Catalina Island and had recently moved to Salem. She was raving about the food. She also shared with us that she, Steve & Becky are all animal rescue folks (Hillary came to Salem with 32 cats!). Not sure how it came up, but we discovered that one of the dogs at the Red Hawk Winery was initially rescued by Becky! Small world! Hillary went into the kitchen to say hello and told them about us being at Red Hawk. A few minutes later Nichole came out with another "gift" from the kitchen....a salmon cake......
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| we brought the leftovers home |
We said good bye.....and we'll be back...... to our new friends and headed to Silver Falls....Oregon's largest state park.....9,000 acres with 10 different waterfalls. We opted for the South Falls.....
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| walking under the falls |
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| a view from under the falls |
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| orange moss |
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| dandelion wishes |
Until next time......
Namaste,
Tobi
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Etc.....
Once again I've gotten behind in blogging....with this being an extended trip it sort of feels like if I was blogging from home....so I'll only post periodically......
Once upon a time in Palm Harbor, Florida, a woman and her 12 year old son moved into our cul de sac....it wasn't long before we started what has become a 20+ year friendship.....and with that friendship came a whole family! We have been included in the family reunions, birthday celebrations, etc. Two years ago we shared in the joy at the wedding of "that 12 year old boy", now in his 30's. Sadly, early this year we saw the passing of the family partriarch, Burton Deane (Poppy). And then last month the birth of a great grandbaby.....the family reunion this year was joyful, as Poppy would have wanted.
We are now back in Oregon, missing our friends but happy that if we're going to get out of the Florida heat, we picked the right place.....
Lots more posting but need a break....
Until next installment.....
Namaste,
Tobi
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| LuAnn |
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| Akili....the former 12 year old |
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| Todd....part of our family....now part of the rest of the family |
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| Chef Chris....LOL! |
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| Grandma (G-ma) Robin |
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| That's the new Mama in the forfront |
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| The family sense of humor |
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| Auntie Alicia |
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| And the July 4th birthday celebration of matriarch, Sheila Deane |
Lots more posting but need a break....
Until next installment.....
Namaste,
Tobi
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
More lapidary
I'm very excited.....Dean has joined me in the lapidary class! I wanted to share his first effort....I think it's awesome!
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| Dean's first lapidary piece |
Monday, June 30, 2014
Catch up pictures
One of the problems is by the time I load pictures onto the computer I've forgotten where some of them were taken....LOL! I think I did good on this set of pictures.......
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| Dude....our next door neighbor in Dayton, OR |
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| Unitarian Universalist Church of Salem, OR |
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| The Silver Creek String Band |
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| The RV park streets....we're on Pheasant Lane |
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| More of the RV park flora |
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| .....and more! |
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| Rickreall Creek runs along the back of the park |
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| wild blackberry bushes all over the RV park |
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| just chillin'....see how I'm trusted around shoes! |
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| One of Tobi's new pieces....with red jasper from Sedona |
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| .....And the wines are very good! |
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| and the view spectacular |
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| The tasting room patio |
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| Tobi's new best friend |
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| Ashley, the winery hostess |
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| The Thunder Egg |
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| The Thunder Egg cut in half |
Lapidary is such fun and I think will add a fantastic new dimension to my jewelry making....
Until next post......
Namaste,
Tobi
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