Monday, July 25, 2016

Garden Party, New Cousin and Maiden Voyage

Goodness, what a busy weekend!  On Saturday I drove my two sisters to a baby shower for my niece who is expecting her first baby, a girl.  :-)  It was up in the hills and countryside of Corvallis, OR.  It was at a friend's house with a lovely yard and the temperature was perfect in the shade.  They had some fun games and then we enjoyed watching her open all the thoughtful gifts.  Her sister was there with her darling baby girl, her sister-in-law also was there who is expecting her 3rd child next month, too.  Such a nice party.


My niece Jessica on the right loved the little hat and booties that I made for her and her best friend Emily loved the little hat I made for her baby that she brought to the shower.


My younger sister Denise made several fun things, blankets and this adorable bunting to hang in the baby's room.


My sister-in-law D'Ann was chilly in the shade, so I gave her my shawl to warm her and she wrapped her sweet granddaughter up with her.


The girls and the baby.  


A diaper cake.. those are so cute and useful! :-)  My other niece Johanna planned the party, that is her sweet baby girl in this photo.


After the shower we met up with a new-found cousin!  Quite the story - I had my DNA tested and when I visited the webpage recently there was a note that gave me a few possible relatives that had used the same company - it gave me the opportunity to click on a link to email the person so I did.  I got a note back telling me that her grandfather was my dad's brother!  She said she lived in Corvallis, so I suggested we meet for coffee after the shower, so we did - my brother even joined us (all four of us siblings).  We found we had so much in common!  It was a wonderful time.


Yesterday when our son got home from work at 3:00 pm, we gathered things together and Kristi packed a picnic and we headed off for the maiden voyage of our new boat.  We drove to Chinook Landing to launch and were disappointed to see the parking lot was full and it was completely crowded!  So, we decided to drive to Cascade Locks to see if the boat launch there had space.  We were pleased that it had plenty of space for us.  We launched the boat and here is my first photo as we started our first cruise - the Bridge of the Gods spanning the river between Oregon and Washington.


The boys were enjoying themselves and so were Dayle and Kristi.  Travis was at the helm and I was in the passenger seat.


Travis gave Kristi a lesson on being skipper of the boat.


Grandpa helping Caleb with his life jacket.


I snapped the front of a big barge going downriver.


And the big tugboat pushing the barge.


This is Wind Mountain, on the Washington side, I climbed to the top of this mountain when I was about 10 years old while in Girl Scouts at camp there. 


Heading upriver.


From the middle of the river Travis noticed a park and boat ramp I didn't know was there, so we decided to take the boat into the dock there and let the boys swim and have our picnic dinner.


Kristi was resting her sore foot which she'd had surgery on a few months ago.  I'm waving at you from the boat.  


The boys couldn't wait to get in the water for a swim.


Hayden.


Caleb.


After a picnic of deli sandwiches, macaroni salad, fruit ambrosia salad, chips, grapes and fig bars, we all got onboard and headed out to the river and a nice cruise back to Cascade Locks.  Wind Mountain again.


Travis gave each of the boys a chance to be captain of the boat.


Enjoying the day.


Hayden getting his navigation lesson.


The Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge is so scenic with the big rugged cliffs.


A great first day on the river in our little C-Dory!  


Now to wonder where the next place we'll go on the boat!  What a busy weekend!  I hope you're enjoying your summer, it goes by way too fast!  August is almost upon us!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

18 comments:

  1. Wow what fun Teresa...so much in one weekend. You will have so many places to visit on your great boat x

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  2. Oh my goodness what a busy day you had Teresa! First of all, the shower looked like it was a wonderful time. What nice gifts she received. And to find a long-lost cousin -how fun is that? Your maiden voyage on your new boat looks like a wonderful time. I think we have may have been to that little park that you mention with the boat ramp. We found a little bitty park one time on our drive down to Portland that had a boat launch and an outhouse and not much else. I'm so excited for you my friend.
    Blessings, Betsy

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  3. Wow! What a great boat! I know you must be thrilled!

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  4. What a wonderful time you had this weekend Teresa. Hugs Anne x

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  5. What tremendous fun you would have had on your boat. The Columbia River looks a beautiful place. How amazing to find a new cousin.You must have had lots to talk about.. Have a great week Teresa. Horrible wet, grey cold here in N.Z. good for knitting and stitching:-)Hugs Shirley N.Z.

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  6. Fantastic Teresa what fun for you all and lots of good times ahead cruising around and fishing too xoxo

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  7. Great that you started your boating adventure on such a nice day with beautiful scenery and family! We are so fortunate with the magnificent Columbia River in our backyards - always something to see and do in the Gorge.

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  8. What a brilliant weekend, and what a beautiful part of the world you live in, it really is stunning. And so much fun for boys to grow up somewhere like that. Picnicking, going on a boat and swimming - it doesn't get any better! Glad you all had such a lovely time together and had fun with your new boat. CJ xx

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  9. Wonderful family times, Teresa! The new boat looks great! Just catching up here and lovely to see all your bright summer pictures. Have fun!
    Helen xox

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  10. We camped at the KOA in Cascade Locks in early June and loved the area. Its great to be able to see what it looks like from your boat - such a beautiful place.

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  11. Looks like a fun weekend was had by all! :)

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  12. Lotsa fun here! Is the water salt water? Fresh? Brackish ?What creatures lurk below?
    Leeches? Sharks? Just fisheees? I love to jump in and swim too.

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    1. The Columbia River is fresh water and starts all the way up in Canada! No leeches or sharks. The river is fresh until it reaches the Pacific Ocean when it's a mixture of salt and fresh.

      Fish of the river: http://ecology.pnnl.gov/Fishes_Columbia_River.asp

      http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/cwp/cwpfactmap.html

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  13. Looks like the water was perfect and not too windy out there! I've been boating on the Columbia when the waves were huge! Not too much fun! Your day was sublime and the water looks so beautiful and green. I love the Gorge!

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  14. Oh what fun...a baby shower and launching your boat. It looks different on the water for sure. Glad you all had a good time. I had fun Sunday evening going through my photos from last week's trip to Newport. Glad we all had good weather when we were out and about. Take care and thanks for sharing your adventures! The Gorge is Gorge=ous!!! xxx ;.} Becky

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  15. What a happy post Teresa. New babies, a new cousin ~ wow! ~ and lovely trip on the water. CNN

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  16. Looks like the baby shower was a great success and everyone was really enjoying themselves. Love the setting outside. Reminds me of what you sometimes see in the movies. Your shawl looks lovely on your sister-in-law. When did you make it - perhaps I'm having a senior moment but I don't remember seeing it. Loved the trip up the river and seeing everyone having their driving lessons. Methinks you're going to really enjoy that boat. xox

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  17. Aha...this was the post I was looking to find. Oh the fun you will have on your new C Dory! She sure is pretty!!! And the scenic photos...they just make me want to go to Oregon so bad!
    In a previous post....I got chills regarding you finding your cousin!! What a thrill that must have been!!
    And a lovely shower too, that you went to on that same day.
    The salmon that Dayle caught was a good looking fish! I was drooling. Just think of the fish dinners to come, now that you have your boat!!
    xo kris

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