Bonsai Club Visits With David DeGroot

Members of the Portland Bonsai Club helped with chores at the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection and for their reward were invited to the home of David DeGroot (the curator) for coffee and treats and to view his private collection. In addition David invited the members to bring one of their own trees for him to evaluate and for his constructive criticism. His garden was spectacular and he and his wife were gracious hosts. It's not hard to understand why David is a world renowned bonsai expert. It was a long day but well worth the effort.

Bonsai Volunteer Work Party

This summer Patty went to the Seattle Pacific Rim Bonsai garden with a group of volunteers from our local bonsai club. Each year we help the garden perform various chores like cleanup and weed pulling. In exchange they get to tour the exhibit and go behind the scenes into the greenhouses where the rest of the exhibit is housed. This exhibit is world famous and has many donated trees that are very old. Click here to see more of their gallery. http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/aboutus/whereweoperate/bonsaicollection/bonsai/photogallery.asp

This year the curator gave them a special treat after working when he invited them to his home to view his private collection of trees. She said it was truly amazing to see these rare specimens and to visit with the curator at his home. I will do another quick blog to show off the pictures from his private collection.

A Quickie At The Beach

Dinner On The Town - Portland Style

Last Christmas our ex-neighbors (Ericca & Jeff) gave us and The Boys gift certificates for dining at any of the McCormick and Schmicks restaurants. We used the first one recently at their RiverPlace restaurant. It's located on the harbor (nice views) and we had a table next to the window so we could people watch.

Dinner was great, as usual and the desserts were to die for. The waitress brought the wrong dessert first and then replaced it with the right one - free of charge. Safe to say my blood sugar took a major hit that night.

I really like the artsy-fartsy picture of Steve and Bill.

Ft. Stevens Camping

Just The Facts, Ma'am!

Who: Me, Patty and The Boys (aka. Bill and Steven)

What: Annual Fall camping trip

Where: Ft. Stevens State Park

When: Sept. 14-17, 2007

For the past 2 years we have planned a camping trip in September (after the kids go back to school). This year it was to the Oregon Coast. Ft. Stevens State Park near Astoria. This was our first stay at this park but the second trip for The Boys. The weather was cool and sometimes drizzly but It Is The Coast and The Start of Fall.

After arriving Friday afternoon and setting up camp we decided to eat out at a local eatery called Buoy 9. The Boys had eaten there before and they highly recommended it. It did not disappoint!!! The food was done to perfection; the portions were huge and the prices were very reasonable. I had a 14 oz. cut of prime rib with all the fixing's for just $18.00. Their daily drink specials are only $2.50. That day it was called a Limbo and was filled with rum, orange juice, banana liqueur. Very tasty, indeed. We finished the night sitting around the campfire feeling great just being away from town.

The next day we spent exploring the Southwest Coast of Washington. We went to the Saturday Market at Ilwaco where we got to see an old-time tall sailing ship, "The Lynx"; had lunch in Long Beach; toured 2 lighthouses and a decommissioned big gun battery that was used to protect the entrance to the Columbia River from 1900-1944. Everything was great except the hike to the Cape Disappointment lighthouse. It turned out to be a whole lot of up and down trekking on dirt paths with not much of a view until you actually got to the lighthouse. Got some great pics.

Saturday night was dinner at The Boys. Salad, stew, bread and ice cream for dessert. Yummy. Word of warning - watch out when Steven is mixing the cocktails. Not a measuring device insight. Patty became the latest victim as we spent another warm and dry night around the campfire.

Sunday we awoke to rain. Had breakfast at Buoy 9. They were serving a special french toast made with apple strudel bread which was better than my biscuits and gravy. Still large portions and great prices. Next it was off to Astoria Sunday Market. Quite impressive for a small town. About 70 vendors and they closed off 3 streets. Patty was wet and cold so she bought a cute wool cap made of recycled sweaters. We got some plants, kettle corn and a personalized stamped id tag for Boo (our newest kitty).

The rest of the day was spent visiting attractions in and around Astoria and down the coast at Seaside. It rained on and off all day and into the night. Dinner was at our trailer. We fixed salad, lasagna, garlic bread and more ice cream. Turns out both camps brought ice cream figuring to surprise the other - Surprise!!!! Can't really go wrong with Ben & Jerry's, no matter what the flavor. No campfire, too wet. We huddled in our trailer and played a board game. As usual Patty and Steven got to laughing about some silly joke and he almost made himself sick with all the giggles.

Monday we didn't have to leave until 1 pm so we had breakfast and headed out to see some of the sights that were close by. Went to the beach to see the shipwreck, found seashells, saw the end of the jetty (most westerly point of Oregon) and another gun emplacement. Then it was time to hook up and head for home. Only a 2 hour drive home so we were there in time to attend a meeting of one of the garden clubs we belong to. Great trip with no mishaps. Even had a bear sighting, ask me about it sometime. Can't wait until our next big adventure.