....Good People, Good Food, and Even a Quilt or Two!
We all had a wonderful 4th of July. Along with with family, and friends, our two vintage 70's canoes (a Gummond Whitewater and a Mon Ami), and my son's double kayak, we traversed a beautiful length of the Willamette River. We left home at about 9:30 a.m. packed up with hampers, coolers, life vests, sunscreen, and two quilts ;-) had a long but really fun day, and were back home by 7:30 p.m.
Traveling from from Independence, Oregon on many, many miles downstream to a very small and up a cliff but private docking space down the Willamette River to the "Social Security Fishing Hole" where we had parked our retrieval vehicle for the guys to bring back with our canoe trailer to our ending spot.
Because of the many river bends it took much longer than we'd anticipated but our six rowers stayed the course, including my husband who'd had a stroke on April 16th and is doing very, very well. He's been doing his own physical therapy on his right side using archery practice at home, and getting into shape with walking and jogging, besides, and rowed the entire day.
It was exhausting for me just sitting and watching how hard everyone worked as not very considerate power boat and jet skis would occasionally cross, and I do mean cross, our path, and we would have to change direction to ride into their waves and not sideways into turbulence.If you've never canoed or kayaked and have a power boat please be aware that we are working and working hard for our trip and water courtesy is most appreciated! Slow down on your approach instead of cutting cookies to show off for all of us and please drive to all of our side instead of down the middle of us ;-)
We stopped one fourth, or one third, or one something, or so along the river at the Chatoe Rogue (their own sense of humor spelling of Chateau) which is home to Rogue Brewing and used their riverside picnic table and my quilt for our picnic abundance. That's the photo with all of the canoes and kayaks that were using their riverside docking space.
We had a lovely picnic with a lot of combined and wonderful food using one of my quilts as a table cover! Patriotic abundance and gratitude in all ways.
Came home in time for thundering fireworks from Volcano (baseball) Stadium in Keizer, Oregon, just on the other side of the freeway from where we live and scared cats at all 3 households. Our two big girl chickens, Penelope and Matilda and our three little girl chickens, Edith, Dorothy, and Little Nell had somehow completely exchanged separate fenced in sides of the coop while we were gone.
Edith (Silver Wyandotte) Dorothy (Golden Wyandotte) Little Nell (French Cuckoo Maran)
Kermit the cat and our big girls Penelope and Matilda
Kermit chicken sits a lot for us....keeps the big girls out of trouble ;-)
We assume it involved feathers flying along the way! Someone flew over and three others must have tunneled or pulled a Harry Houdini. All we know is that no one was very happy and all of the baby crumble grain had been eaten and waters tipped over. They had their own fireworks display I suspect!
But the humans all had a wonderful time and all feathers eventually unruffle and everyone forgets their challenges, or sore muscles, or place in the pecking order and only remembers what a great day it was, and that we were all fed and watered and loved spending time with family.
I even walked down to our wild cherry tree along our driveway and picked both young and old girls (both human and chicken) some cherries for their red, white, and blue, holiday finale!
Hope you all had a great 4th of July, good companions, and lots of good food, as well!
Michele Bilyeu blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey through her life in Salem, Oregon and Douglas, Alaska. Sewing, quilting, and wildcrafting, with small format art quilts, prayer flags, and comfort quilts for a variety of charitable programs. And best of all, sharing thousands of links to Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns and encouraging others to join her and make and donate quilts to charitable causes. Help us change the world, one little quilt, art quilt, and prayer flag at a time!
2 comments:
Sounds like a wonderful holiday, Michelle! Must be sure to mention to Fee about the Social Security fishing hole. Alas, he has had trouble with inconsiderate boaters, too.
HI Michele...so glad you had a good time with your family, even though you were swept around by the boaters!!
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