Last Two Days

I took my daughter Amy and my two granddaughters, Jenna and Paige, to the airport this morning.  We had a great visit with them.. they should be nearing Ohio now.  On Thursday we gave Amy the keys to our 2002 Thunderbird convertible and she headed off for lunch with an old work pal at NIKE, then had a pass for the NIKE employee store where she got to shop for herself and the girls.  She had a nice long day to herself which she loved.  Dayle and the girls dropped me off at Multnomah Falls for me to volunteer with my friend Shirley - and then he took them sightseeing and for ice cream, playing in a park and finally McDonalds.

First a hike up to see the falls.  A perfect day for it.

It's so nice and cool up near the falls as there is always mist up there. 

Then he took them to Bonneville Dam to the Fish Hatchery.. they have a wonderful sturgeon pond where you can walk down and watch them swim by.. the biggest one, an 8 footer, is named Herman.  They used to have a 12 footer but someone stole him! 

They also have a trout pond with huge trout.. aren't they neat? 

Dayle said that he saw a pond of rainbow trout and that they were all about 2 foot long! 

They have a neat bronze sculpture of salmon leaping up rapids to lay their eggs and spawn in our rivers. 

Then they headed East to Cascade Locks where he got each of them a big swirly soft ice cream cone at the old fashioned drive in there and then drove them to the park to eat them and play on this wonderful playground structure that resembles a Sternwheeler boat.  It was so warm that the ice cream melted all over the girls and grandpa had clean up duty with paper towels from the restroom.  :-)  Here is Paige in a tube on the play structure.   

Canned Jenna.  :-) 

When I was downloading my camera I was surprised to find this one.. I thought it was so funny I had to share.  My LUMIX has a touch sensitive screen where if you touch it it will take a photo.. we always find a "clunker" photo when I download them. :-) 

Windsurfing is a very important activity in Cascade Locks, Hood River and the gorge in general.  They made a neat play installment so kids could see how it is that you windsurf. 

Yesterday the kids and grandkids came to visit to see Amy and the girls one last time before they flew home.  It was a busy, crazy day.. we ordered pizza and had dinner on the deck.   

The kids had a blast all afternoon.. swinging, sliding, running through the woods. 

Paigie on my lap. 

I wanted a group photo of my 6 grandkids, so I asked them to climb up on the big old stump in the woods... aren't they just adorable?  I love them so much!

Then I asked them to have a group hug.. and this is what I got.  Awwwww!!! 

The kids all came running back from the woods all excited.. Gabriel had found a 4 leaf clover!  I told him that it was very good luck for him! :-) 

Gabriel and his 4 leaf clover. 

After Gabe got so much positive reaction to his clover.. they went back to the forest.. and here is what Hayden brought to me. :-)  This boy is so sweet. 

Caleb also presented me with a handful of clover.  After I praised them and admired them, I asked them if they would give them to the chickens, telling them it was their favorite things.. which they promptly did.   

Jenna brought me a bouquet of the most lovely, tiny flowers.. I have no idea what they are, but they are beautiful and have this interesting twisted center.. do any of you know what this is?

I was wearing a pink tie-dye t-shirt and they looked very pretty against the fabric. 

3 of the boys decided to cool off in the blow up pool.. or what's left of it.  Grandpa was emptying it to clean it out and refill it when the wind caught it and flung it into the rose bushes and the top blow up ring now has a thorn hole.  :-)  Look at that cheeser face on Caleb?  LOL!!

Last night I decided to make a yo-yo hair clip for Jenna.  She wears one every day to keep her hair out of her eyes.  So, I let her pick what color she wanted and I sewed it onto one of her plain pink clips and added a neat metal button - isn't she cute with it in her hair?  This photo I took this morning.. she's a little sleepy!

We got up at 4:15 am this morning to take the girls to the airport.  Have I told you lately that I'm not a morning person? :-)  Dayle wondered why the girls hadn't come in yet and went out to check on them.. they didn't hear the alarm and were still asleep!  Departure for the airport was 5 am and he woke them at 4:37!  They stayed all week in our nice roomy trailer, so they came in and finished getting their bags together.. I brushed both of their hair and we were on the road right on time.  I drove, no room for Grandpa with all the luggage.  I got them there in just under a half hour - unloaded them, hugged them all and waved them goodbye.  We won't see them for another year when we will fly the 3000 miles to Ohio to see them.  I must say, seeing my girls once a year is not enough.  ::sigh:: Well, onward and upward.  We are resting today and then have a Friends of Multnomah Falls Volunteer Picnic.  Fun!  Have an awesome weekend!!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)