Friday, October 18, 2013

Acorns, Stargazer and Vista House

This morning I stepped outside to see if the pin oak tree had turned more red, but it is still mostly green with some patches of red.  A stiff breeze blew through while I was looking up into the tree and I heard a bunch of acorns hitting the ground.  I got a shot of these "twins" - where two nuts are attached.  I am just fascinated by acorns.  To think that a gigantic oak can grow from these, plus they are just plain cute.  


My two little grandsons were with me during my jaunt and I asked them to pick up some acorns for me.. well, they're much closer to the ground than I am. :-)  


They kind of remind me of an elf with a hat on.


I got my grandmother's bowl out of the china cabinet to put my little collection in for a photo on the table.  It's called "Carnival Glass" and grandma used to make potato salad and serve it in this and she'd cut a hard boiled egg up and make a flower in the center with a slice of egg yolk for the middle.  I got this bowl the long way around.  My aunt inherited it and offered it to me while I was visiting, but I was worried about taking it home on the plane, so regretfully declined.  I kicked myself for years for doing that. A year after she passed away I wondered what happened to the bowl and wrote my cousin who was her executor and inquired to it's whereabouts.  She wrote back and told me, "She promised that bowl to everyone!", but she did have it.  A few months later a package arrived and lo and behold, she'd sent this treasure to me.  Thank you, cousin Glenda!


Autumn in a nutshell. :-D


We've sadly decided to sell our sailboat, Stargazer.  I have a website for the Ranger 26 and I get emails asking if any are for sale, so I've had 3 inquiries of late.  One man said he was going to drive here from Montana to look at it, (today), so Dayle and Travis have been down in the marina of the Portland Yacht Club getting her ready to view.  They had to install 2 fresh new marine batteries and Travis had to clean out the carburetor and they reinstalled it and the motor started up and purred!  Unfortunately, the man came down with a virus similar to mine and could not make the trip.  OK, my boat remains mine for a bit longer.. I love this vessel.  I lived on it in the San Juan islands for 4 months one summer and singlehanded her out in the San Juan Channel, and sailed to Rosario on Orcas Island with one other crew member.  I also sailed her in the Columbia River when I lived on a houseboat for 5 years, it was moored right outside my front door.


I named our boat Stargazer as there is a star embossed on her rudder and when you're sitting in the cockpit at night, what do you do?  You star-gaze!


Last night I was invited to attend the Friends of Vista House volunteer appreciation banquet at Mt. Hood Community College.  The Friends were nominated for the "President's Volunteer Service Award" and were honored with it last night.  Pretty neat, I'd say!  Our Friends of Multnomah Falls group also received this honor.  


Each one of the volunteers received a pin, what a treasure!  I will wear this with pride.


Two of my friends were also honored with a special volunteer service award, George Perry and Sally King.  I was asked to give a presentation about Sally, so I wrote a speech yesterday and told about the early days of the Friends of Vista House - as I was one of the founders of the group, and the first Executive Director back in 1982.  Sally has been the Volunteer Coordinator for 30+ years!!  Truly amazing.  And a very good friend of mine.



And today the FedEX guy came and delivered some new Corelle dishes for us.  With 6 people living here we've been running out of dishes of my old set, so I looked around and found these chicken dishes on the Walmart website - I ordered 2 sets of 4, so we shouldn't run out of dishes again.  :-)  Do you like them?  I do!


Cock-a-doodle-DOOOOO!


I wonder when all the leaves will be red?


Dayle has a turkey breast on the pellet grill/smoker right now.  We wanted to see if we could make our own smoked turkey for sandwiches.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  I hope you're having as wonderful of an Autumn as we are!  Have a great weekend!!   
((hugs)), Teresa :-)  

18 comments:

  1. I LOVE acorns and think they are the prettiest nuts; your mom's bowl is gorgeous too! I read somewhere that the Gorge won't be at peak color for 1-2 more weeks. We're impatiently waiting to see your bit of paradise then--if I can talk my DH into it that is:)
    I know I say this all the time, but your grand-kiddos are ADORABLE--I love the photo you posted today of them!
    Blessings,
    Aimee
    PS: I'm sorry the time has come for you to sell your beloved Stargazer. I know she'll always have a place in your heart though and am hoping she'll go to someone who will love her as much as you have.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love acorns, ours here in Florida are on the small side, I remember the ones in Michigan being much bigger. So sad to hear about you having to sell the boat, we had a sailboat when I was growing up, we sailed on Lake Erie. My Dad was very upset when he had to sell it. We had lovely times on that boat.

    Hugs to you Teresa,
    Meredith

    ReplyDelete
  3. Acorns and conkers are just wonderful autumn treasures Teresa aren't they. They look gorgeous in your bowl. Enjoy the weekend x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Teresa:
    Another full and happy, (mostly) post. That picture of the boys with the acorns is just too cute. And your carnival glass bowl and story is beautiful. What a great cousin you have.
    I'm sorry you have to sell Stargazer. You've made lots of wonderful memories on her haven't you? Hopefully her new owner will love her just as much as you have.
    Enjoy your turkey...it's sounds delicious.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  5. A beautiful and heartwarming post, Teresa! Thank you so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It saddens me when I read about the decision to sell your sailboat. I totally get it, how hard it is, because it isn't just "a" boat, but a boat with memories attached. It's not about a chunk of money, it's about a chunk of one's life. It's even harder to sell something that belonged to a loved one who has passed on. Like my husband's Harley Davidson Electra Glide. I was never fond of that bike, I never rode on it once when he had it, but just knowing how much he loved that bike and how much he enjoyed the times he spent traveling on it, that made it very difficult for me when I sold it. I guess I am just a sentimental slob when it comes to this sort of thing.
    (((HUGS))) Susanne :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Teresa, Love your acorns and all the one's the little guys gathered. They really do look like little elves!
    Congratulations on your service pin, it's an honor and a beauty! Love love your new dishes. They are great and will be so much fun to eat off of. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
    xoRobin

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Teresa- I'm completely in awe of your beautiful Fall. Such rich colors and the acorns brought fond memories to me. Don't forget to get a perfect pic of your StarGazer so you can paint a picture of it to hang in your home and reminisce every time you see it.
    Your apple pics from yesterday: They just might be Spigold's. A cross with NoSpy apples and Golden Delicious.
    Thank you so much for sharing pics of your family, farm and treasures. They're heartwarming and so worth the visit to your blog.
    Blessings- Ren In Az

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congratulations on your award. You are a wonderful citizen and an asset to your community. I love acorns too and I used to save them when I would find them on hikes. The carnival glass is gorgeous! Lucky you. I'm so glad they sent it to you, it's in good hands at your house. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congrats Teresa! What an honor my friend and what beautiful grandchildren you have! Blessings

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the acorns. I collect them too. I call the tops hats as well.
    Love the dish you have them in. How fun to remember your Grandma when you use it too. It is such a pretty color!
    Hooray for the pin. Nice to be honored for you hard work and service.
    I was sad to hear you are selling your boat. I hope the new owners will love it as much as you did!
    The dishes are wonderful! In fact, that is exactly what I thought when I found them at Kmart up in Big Bear last summer. I love them, and use them every day. I broke a bowl though last week. Boo.
    I hope you are feeling better now!
    Your Autumn colors are glorious!
    xo Kris

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow congratulationson your ward! That is such an accomplishment. Your plates are very pretty. Hope you have a wonderful weekend .

    ReplyDelete
  13. It sounds like you are feeling a bit better, Teresa :) Yea! The acorns, the antique bowl, the boys, Stargazer , the award, the leaves and your new dishes are each uniquely beautiful. Thanks for sharing your appreciation of each with us, and allowing us to appreciate them, too. It is so beautiful in our neck of the woods! I took the Grands out to the swing set and slide this morning amidst the wonderful gold and orange and red and green leaves. Soo wonderful! Hope to see you soon :)
    Gracie xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good Day Teresa, Your grandsons are sweeties.. Are they twins... It looks like they were having a grand time picking up acorns... A wonderful time of year in the woods.. Your Years of Service at the Vista House Award President Pin is very lovely and a treasure indeed.. The Rooster plates are great. Hugs Judy

    ReplyDelete
  15. Those acorns remind me of the Gumnut babies. Your new dishes are nice - we have Corelle here but I've never seen them like that. Just a border maybe. My set is completely white - a bit boring and I'm starting to tire of it. My friend gave me a single dinner plate for my birthday and I love it - its square with a kind of dip in the middle. Will have to see if I can find out where she got it from so I can start building a set.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The rooster plates are charming, and your sail boat is a beauty. We owned a Cal 20 for several years and sailed it a lot. Sad to sell it, but if you don't need it, might as well sell. I like the bowl the acorns are in and your story about it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hello Teresa - are you getting over the bronchitis - sounds as though you are ! I love the bowl - such a gorgeous colour. I too think acorns are rather special and marvel what they grow into. Love the crockery. Sorry you have to sell the boat. Have a lovely Sunday. I am being very lazy after doing my class yesterday. I had 10 ladies and I showed them how to make 3 different cards and a small table gift. Phew!!!! Hugs Anne x

    ReplyDelete

I absolutely love comments and thank you so much for taking time to leave me a note. :-)