Better Than McDonald’s

             We learned that Ryan and his family would be doing a tour of the main post office where he works.  We asked if we could join them.  On Saturday morning Richard drove Jaime and me downtown as she was still set on finding souvenirs bearing Utah’s name.  We also went to Trolley Square before driving to the post office to meet Ryan’s family.

It was a nice experience learning more about the structure of the post office.  Here is a more detailed example of what we saw.  Of course not exact.  We were not allowed to take pictures except in certain designated spots. Our tour guide spoke in a very soft voice.  He asked questions and gave out tee shirts for correct answers.  We walked away with two T-shirts and two string backpacks.

Afterward we asked if they would like to have lunch together and ended up going to the Old Spaghetti Factory (putting ourselves at Trolley Square once again).  Emma was most impressed and announced it as her new favorite restaurant.  She said the food was better than McDonald’s which made me laugh.  Well, yeah . . .

We parted ways after lunch.  Ryan's family had a ward bbq to attend that was different from  the ward reunion that we attended.  It was nice to see some faces from the past although all the visits among us felt quite brief.  Jaime was only five when we moved from the ward and so did not remember many but was able to visit with a few.

 

Visiting Cousins and Playing Games

 On Thursday morning my cousin Kindra (aka Michelle) and daughter, Aria (aka Melody) drove to Marj’s house to take Jaime and me to breakfast.  We ended up at a waffle house near the high school.  Afterwards Aria had wanted to get something at Fashion Place and so Jaime and I returned to the mall for a second time. After we were through browsing at the mall, Kindra drove us downtown and dropped us off. 

          We were specifically looking for a penny press machine and thought there might be one at the planetarium, but there was not.  

 

Jaime received a text message from Richard while we were downtown.  He had made arrangements for us to check in at a hotel as he was planning on driving in to collect us.  I was adamant about NOT returning on Greyhound.  I had wanted Richard to go with us in the first place specifically for the 18^th and 19^th – my soul reason for even being in Utah. 

                  UTA offered free fare to all passengers riding bus or train on Thursday and Friday and so we did not have to pay on the return.  

We took the train all the way to Sandy and met Natalee who then drove us to Marj’s to collect our luggage and took us back to the hotel.  She offered to take us back to her house and feed us.  But we decided to just rest up.  Jaime and I unpacked and went to the pool. 

Later Keith called to ask if we wanted to play games.  He came and got us and took us back to his house.  We were playing games when Steven (aka Corey) arrived.  Natalee took some really great pictures of Jaime and me playing cards with my brothers. What great memories in the making.

Wooden Eggs for School – Killing Two Birds With One Stone.

               My mind is so full right now.  I fear the ideas that are in my head may not make it to a post for this blog so let me start with the most recent . . .

          Myrtle Creek Visitors Association had posted to facebook about an upcoming Easter Egg hunt – which Jenna has been looking forward since our “business activity” on St. Patrick’s Day.  This time 12 specific businesses hiding a wooden egg.  And Jenna has been determined to find them all.  Though we physically entered more than half of the businesses, we had only hunted in five – well – she had hunted.  I am not great at picking out items when they are in my face let alone having to physically look for them. 

          This morning Jenna was at her photograph class and learned she had to pick an assignment to do.  There were at least three choices.  One of them was community activity.  So Jenna decided that since we would be exploring downtown anyway, she might as well take pictures of the activity.  

from MCVA facebook page

            I had forgotten how many businesses are NOT open on Monday. We had gone to 8 of the participating businesses though we will have to return for seven of them.   We learned that not all businesses received all the needed information to fully participate.   Jenna says she took several pictures – some by accident.  She took most with her borrowed Google Chrome book as the transfer from cell phone will no longer work for school assignment and vice versa – but she did take some with her phone.  Unless I harp on her she doesn’t generally send them over until after the fact. 

           So let me start at the beginning.  Leaving the house.  When we got to the corner Jenna noticed all of the flags set up over the bridge and asked what holiday it is.  I couldn’t remember the exact holiday but guessed either Korea or Vietnam.  I was reminded when I looked for this post that I had created exactly four years ago. But now I am getting ahead of myself. 

 

          First stop: Valley Tire Co Point S

          Jenna found the egg right away and took her first picture which I believe were of the directions on what was to be done.  I didn’t see all what she did as I was talking to Dan who had spotted me.  I went to say “Hi” to him and saw a long Chihuahua shivering in his arms.  Jenna was filling out a slip for the drawing and walked over to us and took a picture of Dan and his dog and then we left.

           I parked at the park behind Gooddog Bakery and made that our second stop.  Jenna found the egg within the matter of seconds and filled out another ticket for the drawing and asked Jeri if she could get a picture of her holding the egg.  We asked her where the Ole West Trading Post was.  She pointed it out to us but said it hadn’t opened.  That was okay.  We could just get it on our return to the car.

           Third stop: AG Market is across the street from Gooddog and so we go there and Jaime takes a picture of the masked worker behind the counter.  We then headed toward Trudy’s Treasures and learned it would not be open until 12:00.  We passed by the vacant building that had housed the Library Annex for just a short time. 

pic from four years ago this day

 Forth stop: MSK True Value Hardware store.  That egg took a little longer to find.  The person who helped us did not want his picture taken and so Jenna took a picture of the two of us outside the hardware store.  She took at least one on the laptop and at least one on her phone.

outside MSK

We crossed the street to St. Vincent de Paul which was closed.  Understandable.  It is run by volunteers and so is only open three or four times a week.  So will have to return tomorrow (or maybe Wednesday after we get our haircuts).  Hey!  

            Jenna spotted a broken frame on Main Street and retrieved a bubbled craft pic of a butterfly

She returned for the broken glass so drivers would pop their tires or create more glass shard.  And I went back for the broken frame not knowing if there were nails or not.  So we did a great community deed.  No pictures though.  Too busy watching out for cars.

         Fifth stop: Learned Homestead Furniture and Ole West Trading Post are the same building but were told there will be two eggs – one for each side.  They were not set up but we have to Return for St. Vincent and Trudy’s anyway and so continue on down the road and passed the park to

 Sixth stop: Myrtle Creek Saw Shop.

Jenna seemed to find that easily, but the shop was busy and I am in favor of the real customers to be helped first.  We took another selfie at the saw shop because they were busy.

The selfie she took at the Saw Shop is on the Google Chrome but this is one she
 took of herself eating the treasured candy that was given to her at the saw shop

 Return to the car before we catch another two (should have been three but I’d forgotten about Smith’s Feed Company – which ironically is the closest participating business to where we live) but I did remember Red Barn Garden Supply

Seventh Stop: Serena had not hidden the egg because she doesn’t have all the necessary paperwork to proceed and asked us if we would post that to facebook.  So we didn’t search for the egg or fill out for drawing but Jenna did take her picture and then we continued our drive to

Eighth Stop: Treasures of the Heart.  She also has another customer and has not hidden her egg for the same reason as Serena.  We will return tomorrow.  Perhaps tomorrow and Wednesday.  Jenna needs twelve pictures. I don’t know if she has that many currently.  Or if they’re usable.  I think she said ten were.

This is not from today, but I thought it was a good pic

Work and Halloween

One of my goals this year was to post a specific word at least every other week.  I don’t know that I posted any words in the month of October.  I haven’t been making good use of my time and didn’t post what I had in mind for yesterday.  I had to take the car in but figured I would write my post after I returned home.

While at the mechanics I received a phone call but couldn’t seem to answer it in time. I saw that it was one of the elementary schools and tried to return the call, but it didn’t go through.  I realized there was a message and listened to it.  The assignment is not until next week.  I called back to let them know that I can only work one of the two days that were mentioned.

I went home and looked up available sub jobs to accept the assignment, only it wasn’t listed.  Instead, I saw a position at the middle school for yesterday – though it was passed the time posted.  I called the school to ask if someone was still needed.  Thus, I worked yesterday for four hours and returned home.  I suppose I could have made the time after my return but chose instead to be with Roland who had gotten off of work early.

Downtown Trick or treating started forty-five minutes after Jenna returned home.  She had worn her elf costume to school but had changed into what she called a pastel demon.  We took her downtown and I took several pictures but have not gone through them all thoroughly but did make a scrap page from three of them to show her costume.  I will go through them more thoroughly eventually. I’ll be working again today as I had accepted the position on Tuesday morning.

After we returned from the Halloween festivities, I received another phone call to work today.  At first, I was thrown off believing yesterday was Friday and so why would I be asked to work on a Saturday?  But then I remembered that yesterday was Thursday.  It was a weird Thursday.  I somehow remembered that I was already working and so had to turn her down.

Jenna does not have school today.  But she will be going to the school’s homecoming dance tonight.  She will be dressing in costume and not a formal dress.

Bandon: Pier and Washed Ashore

          I don’t know what time we left the house on Saturday.  I had programmed the address for the Washed Ashore Gallery in Bandon, Oregon.  We arrived in Bandon sometime between 10:00 and 11:00.  We found a parking spot in the lot behind these two sculptures. 

The outside doors were open, but the inside doors were not.  We decided to walk around the town and ended up on the pier.  Here are some of the pictures that we took:

         There are perhaps 8 streets surrounded by two signs

A tourist trap which reminds me of Skagway or Newfoundland (which I have never been; I have only seen parts portrayed on television’s “the Republic of Doyle”

https://andersonvacations.ca/product/11-day-newfoundland-circumnavigation/?v=7516fd43adaa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandon,_County_Cork

https://thestylescribe.com/2016/07/23/skagway-alaska/

           We explored a few shops, purchased some fudge, got something to eat and made our way back to the museum which had opened.  

 So sad that so much waste has polluted the oceans and are killing the sea life.  These items and sculptures were made from the garbage that had been washed ashore

          And those are not all of the pictures that we took.  Learn more here and visit a washed ashore exhibit near you.  Hopefully each of them will provide a workshop opportunity for you to participate in assisting with future creation of other sculptures

stabbing Styrofoam pieces 

Jenna and Roland made spikes while I cut pieces

Roland moved to something more challenging

making pieces for a shark display

Faeries, Fairies, Selfies and Climbing Hills

                When I showed up to the library on Monday, Rindy and JM handed me a book on Faeries and told me look through the book and pick something to share.  They said they had looked for a story but weren't able to find one.  The "information" book was the only they could find.  Faeries are micheiveous creatures - not to say that fairies aren't - but I think the spelling somehow changes the definition.  Faeries, on a whole, sound impish and somewhat scary . . . at least from the descriptions in the book.

                I did like the "faerie" definition to mean "doesn't necessarily have wings, no specific size (as some can be as big as giants)  . . . but are all bound by magic" and there were different classes of faeries, which I did not go into.  The book had some detailed illustrations on some pages and rather dull ones on others.  The information that I thought I would share was always on a page without illustrations or so minute it seemed ridiculous to hold the book up for the children to look at.  I told them we would first learn a bit about fairies and then I would read them a book with an actual story.

                I mostly asked questions:  Who knows what a fairy is?  What does a fairy look like?  What does a fairy wear? and then we would talk about what we thought and what was written in the book.  One girl suggested that fairies wore paper.  I read that everyday wear was mostly made of leaves and that mouse skin was used for the faeries who went to battle.  Silky webs were reserved for high fashion.  I pulled these two examples from the web:

                               

When Jenna was younger we had used flower pedals, grass and leaves to make fairy clothes.  It was fun.

                 Someone had given me Pinkalicious Fairy House to read.  I don't recall ever seeing a children's book (early reader) told in first person before.  That was different.  I read some, showed pictures, told some, skipped pages, then sent them outside to make fairy gardens.

               

 

                On Tuesday Jenna and I went downtown to take some selfies as it was city hall selfie day in Myrtle Creek.   

                We had left  the house at 8:00 and left city hall to go to the pool but as we were there major early, we took some other selfies as well.

                Our instructor is out of town and so one of the lifeguard' has been assisting the class with workouts. There were four of us, I think.  Yesterday there was only two.  Yesterday the pool was warm.  Yesterday Jenna and I just did our own thing.  It was glorious!

                The skies have been clear the last two mornings. 

                Jenna and her friend Kylee had made plans to spend the day together.  I dropped Jenna off at the school where they started to hang.  After I returned for them, I could see the haziness filled the skies again, and the mountains were hard to see.

                I must have driven the car up and down hill, back and forth, wearing the poor thing down as I was either driving Jenna and Kyle around or running errands for Roland.  I was tired of having driven more in one day than I'm used to in just one week.

                When we returned home from our trip that we'd taken in June, we passed the small town of Glide before entering Roseburg.  Last night the stations flashed a warning on the screen that Glide was to be evacuated IMMEDIATELY.  That's not good.