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   Shi Blogs Too: from out of the mountains where I live. I will now be keeping a journal. This is something new for me. I have no idea what I am doing, just that I am diving in. This should be an interesting journey for me. Mainly because I consider myself to be a semi-private person. I live with my fiance and our two kitties, in what I have come to recognize as a small community in a somewhat remote area. Retirement has it's own life style and livelihood. Far away from the norm.       ![Merit Badge in Blog Camping
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Sorry for outbidding you in the [Link To Item #2113623] ...I'm not a fan of bidding wars and feel bad about it. I know this isn't the same thing as the package itself, but it's the least I could do. *^*Smile*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Blog_Camping-1788309_13.gif) If you want to find out more about me...read my Author Bio ~
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Just a little entry to let you know that my auction is open again. There are many Halloween Signatures to choose from too! Stop by
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| I wrote a new poem yesterday: These Golden Years ** Image ID #1478381 Unavailable ** Weather reflects the changing season Fall is arriving, summer's leaving. I'm left knowing the real reason My mood swings feel like I am grieving. I've seen it happen before this swing Like saying goodbye to an old friend. Holding fast to each other they cling Neither of them ready to transcend. Then my birthday falls in November Perhaps the thought of turning older Cause to pause, reflect, and remember Long winter days that make me colder. Fall is everywhere near it appears Beneath a mountain I'm watching its Russet hues of sunset, color years, Leaving behind warmth that youth permits.  |
| I think that Chess is the most challenging game that I have ever played. Today Ron and I played again. He has beat me at every game we've played so far. We played two games today. The second one was my best game yet. I really put up a good fight throughout the whole game. I even had his King in check with my Queen and two of his rooks in jeopardy. Why I couldn't end the game right there is beyond me! I'm just not that sharp at it yet. He managed to wiggle his way out of it and I failed to reinforce my moves. After that my playing went downhill and he finally beat me. The champ still reigns...  I must say that I did have him worried there for awhile.  He was even whining. Well, at least now I know that I made him sweat even if I didn't beat him. There's always next time, and the fun is in just playing. |
| We rode the Vulcan one day last week to go see the twins and baby Analynn. They have grown some and Analynn is so pretty like her sisters. They weren't feeling all that great though. The twins were getting over the 'crud' as Mommy called it and the baby had an ear infection. She managed a smile or two while we were there, however. It was a cloudy and cool day during our ride, but it felt good to get out and visit again. We are back to sunshine here for the first days of fall. You can really feel fall in the air now. Even the trees are shedding their leaves and blowing around in the breezes. I'm planning a visit to Port Orchard real soon to see all of my kids and grandkids. I haven't been down to visit them all since May. That's quite a stretch for me. So, I am waiting to hear from my youngest son Matt as to when he will be able to pick me up at the ferry landing in Kingston. I will be staying a couple of days down there. I'm really looking forward to seeing them all.  |
| I got a good report from my eye doctor on Wednesday.The floater is still there of course but she told me that my eye is fine. So I am breathing easier now. I can go about my business of reading and writing with out having to worry about my retina now. I have a pair of prescription computer glasses that I am wearing now. They are fantastic for taking away the eyestrain while I am on here! I would recommend a pair to all of you who crane your necks and strain your eyes like I had been doing. Ron got his pair first and swore by them. I got mine but at first they didn't work properly...then I took them back so that they could be fixed for the correct distance... and what an improvement now! I need to get busy on here and catch up with my reviewing. I'm also working on another book. Taking my time on it though. I'm not in a big hurry. |
| I just thought I would throw in this entry also. My Granddaughter had it on her MySpace and I thought it was pretty cute. It's an updated version from the one I read last. Hope you enjoy it ~ YOU KNOW YOU ARE FROM WASHINGTON WHEN....... -You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Enumclaw and Issaquah. -You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk Season (Fall) -You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time. -You know what "Jo-Jo's" are. -You measure distance in hours. -You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists. -You get a terrible sunburn on the first really nice day of summer. -You can't make it two blocks without seeing a Starbucks. -You can tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai food. -You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best and Tully's. -You become frightened by the bright yellow orb in the sky until the 9-1-1 operator tells you it's just the sun. -You can't imagine living through a tornado or hurricane but you secretly think earthquakes are kind of fun. -You can endure 100 days of rain and wind but an inch of snow means school cancellations. -When you cross the mountains into eastern Washington and it feels like you entered a completely different country... -When you live in a small town and when you try explain where you live, you eventually have to give up saying other larger towns around you and say "Oh, nevermind. Just NEAR Seattle. -"You say 'pop' instead of 'soda'. -When you think wearing a hooded sweatshirt 11 months a year is normal. -When you're out of state, people always ask you if everybody's suicidal. -Smiling and waving at strangers is no biggie. -Being pale isn't a big deal, because everybody is. -You know that cow chip is a delicious cookie. -Whenever someone visits from another state you always start a fight over the fact that we have more stuff started in Washington than any other state. (Starbucks, Boeing, Microsoft, Costco, Sea's Best, ect.) -You eat chinese/japanese/thai food all the time -You feel a very close connection with British Canadians, as well as the Japanese -An inch or less of snow means school is cancelled for one day for at least half of the Puget Sound. More then an inch and you're getting some serious time off. -you notice that you have no accent wut so ever... -you get mad when people dont use their blinker -you live "in the woods" -you can identify 10 different apples by taste and smell only. -you can smell the rain coming... -You expect snow for Valentine's Day, not Christmas. -When you visit another state and it rains...and all the other people around you run and scream while you continue to slowly walk around in your flip flops and shorts. -You "Do The Puyallup" every year. -You feel guilty throwing something away that could be recycled. -You or someone you know works at Boeing or Microsoft. - Anime and Manga is a pretty BIG thing, and you know of at least 10 different stores that have them. - You know the difference between "showers followed by rain" and "rain followed by showers". - The sight of Mt. Rainier is still awe inspiring. - Your lawn is mostly moss and you don't really care. - You have learned to assume Christmas will be rainy, not white. - Your phone book contains a tide table. - You still can't believe the new Seahawks stadium is open air. - You use the word "sunbreak" and know what it means. - You know more than 10 ways to order coffee. - You never go camping without water proof matches and a poncho. - You can point to at least 2 volcanoes even if you can't actually see them through the cloud cover. - You often switch from heat to a/c in your car in the same day. - You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat. - You know how to pronounce geoduck and know that it doesn't quack or have feathers. - You get upset when a store doesn't carry your favorite brand of bottled water. - You go to work in the dark and come home in the dark even though you only have an 8 hour workday - You realize no education is required to be a weatherman. Just make it up. - You know what 'Sodo Mojo' is - You think summer starts in July and winter in September - You know you better enjoy the snow the first day it falls before the rain washes it away - You own a barbeque that has rusted. - You prefer one mountain range to the other - When someone honks at you, you think they are trying to say "hi".~ |
| What usually comes with September weather here is cooler days and rain. That hasn't happened this year. We had the cooler temperatures and all the rainy days in August instead! Now we are having our hot sunny summer days! It's been cool only at night, early morning and late evening. If it keeps this up we just might get an Indian Summer in October! The last time I remember that happening it was in the early 1990's when we had sunshine for weeks and the temperatures were in the mid 80's! We are finally able to pick up some locally grown sweet corn. The rains all spring and early summer had slowed down the growing season around here for nearly everything. We stopped at the Farmers Market last week and picked up some big juicy peaches and local sweet corn. Yum yum. When Ron's sis Patricia was here vacationing she brought sweet corn over from eastern Washington and it was so good and full. Ours over here wasn't quite as full as it should have been yet. We sure had a good time when Patricia and Pebbles were here. She drove a long ways by herself over the mountains to get here. That can be quite an ordeal for anyone let alone an older woman traveling by herself with just a small doggie. So we really appreciated her coming all that way just to visit us. We sat around and talked and talked all the while she was here. Well, I should say we just sat around and ATE and talked while she was here! She enjoyed our company and we hers. We played chess one evening. Her and I with Ron coaching her. She hadn't played chess in about 40 years so she was learning all over again. We watched movies in the evening. She and Pebbles snuggled in the big wide recliner with a blanket and she would be dozing off in no time! I think the movies Ron picked for us were either too graphic- The Shield -or hard to understand the dialog - The Last Detective. That one is a BBC series. Anyways, we didn't mind that she fell asleep it made us feel that she was relaxed and felt right at home here. She and I did work in a walk down Cedar Grove Ave. here so she could see Mt.Baker looming behind our home. It is hidden behind all the trees in the community and can't be seen from the house here. She was in awe of it's beauty. She is a mountain lover of course and used to live in Oregon right at the foot of Mt. Hood. So of course she knew how much we appreciated our mountain home and the breathtaking views. The visit went by so fast and soon it was time for her and Pebbles to leave. Pebbles was such a good little girl when she was here. She and our kitties had only a few confrontations during the whole time. She never chased the kitties though, and they kept their distance. So it worked out that they each kept their space and all was fine. We will be looking forward to another visit from her in the future for sure. |
| I'm trying to catch up on my emails and my Auction here. My eye report was good. There was no tear of the retina. However, the detachment was severe and the Dr. wants me back in next Wednesday for another look. It is a continuing detachment so there are precautions. I'm still having flashes and pulling in that eye. The floaters I am stuck with until they settle down and fade more in time. I'm trying to limit my eye strain. The visit with Patricia was great! She spent four days with us. More on that later. |
Well, today I am going to see an ophthalmologist for my right eye. Hopefully he will give me the good news that I don't have a tear in the retina. I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing. I think I'm afraid he will say "stay off your computer!" I can't bear the thought of no WDC for any length of time! Tomorrow Ron's sister Pat is arriving! She is leaving Moses Lake this morning and will make a stop over night before heading over the mountains. She's bringing her little doggie Pebbles with her to spend a few days with us. It will be the first time for her to see where we live. She hasn't had a vacation in three years because she was keeping a close eye on Mom. We are looking forward to her visit for sure. I'm probably not going to be spending much time on here, and that will be best for my eye anyways. |
| Today is Labor Day, but I'm not going to do a whole lot of laboring today for sure! Yesterday I was having a problem with my right eye. I noticed a pulling and some light flashes now and then. We were actually having a thunderstorm here and at first I couldn't tell if it was from the lightening or what! We had been in the middle of our second game of chess when the thunderstorm started. We continued to play as the sky lit up and the thunder rolled around us. I was putting up a good challenge for my chess partner (Ron) by capturing both of his knights and his rooks and I even had his queen pinned! It was very exciting for me as I have yet to beat him at Chess. I don't know maybe I got just a little too excited or what but then it happened. Something was blocking my vision in my right eye. It was dark and moving around. I knew immediately what had happened. It was another floater! The medical term for this is posterior vitreous detachment. The gel around the eyeball detaches itself from the retina. Sometimes with serious consequences by tearing and detaching the retina itself. It is fairly common in adults over age 60. I had my first experience with this at age 61. At that time it was my left eye and I think it was from eyestrain of reading on the computer for too long of a time! I had an eye examine done at the time and was reassured that I did not tear the retina. The floater itself was much smaller than the one that came yesterday. That worries me. I also saw a red color to this larger, more spread out floater. I think that I was seeing blood with this one! Something that I never saw before. I think it may have made a tear on the retina. I will be calling the eye doctor here tomorrow and making an appointment to get in and have it looked at.Meanwhile I will lay low and be careful not to put anymore pressure on my eye than what is normal. That means less time on the computer too!  Oh, I almost forgot...I lost the chess game! The 'Champ' still reigns...ugh. |
| Yesterday I spent some time editing my newly written poem. I asked mcgupta for his help in getting the meter right. He was very helpful and gave me more than one review and a re-rating after editing. I was determined to make the poem the best it could be for the contest. I still am not truly satisfied with my results on this one. I'm sure that it will never be one of my favorites in spite of the perfect rhyme and meter here. Every morn' when I awake I see your smiling bring Happiness, make no mistake The reason why I sing. Days fill up with love so pure, You are my everything. Long nights no longer endure, Sing my nightingale sing. Grateful for your tender touch, To your heart I will cling. Because you've given so much, You're the reason I sing. Spend with you, my golden years Together love takes wing. Heavenly ring in our ears. You're the reason I sing. This was written for the contest INSPIRATIONS a prompt based contest - following the prompt - reason why I sing. rhyme and syllable pattern- abab, 7676 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am trying to catch up on some of my blog reading around the site. In doing so I ran across this little survey -
I found it interesting and took the time to fill it out. Lately I have not been taking the time to read and leave comments on the blogs I normally visit. I have been so wrapped up in mentoring and corresponding on here with ~Windsong~  who is Ron's sister and new to the site. She is rapidly filling her port with all kinds of poems and stories! She has learned so much the short time she has been here and is gaining exposure and recognition for her work!She mentions her appreciation for all in her blog. I am very excited for her  |
I wrote this inspirational poem today for a contest. The Reason Why I Sing Every morning when I awake I see your smile bring Happiness to me make no mistake You're the reason why I sing My days fill up with love so pure You are my everything Lonely nights I no longer endure Listening to my nightingale sing Forever grateful for your touch Unto your heart I'll always cling Because you've given me so much You're the reason why I sing Content I'll spend my golden years And watch our love take wing Celestial bliss ringing in our ears You're the reason why I sing. |
| The phone rang at 6:00 A.M. this morning. I crawled out of bed half awake to answer it. It went to the answering machine but nobody left a message. I turned the volume down and while I was doing that it rang again. I picked up. It sounded like my son Patrick, so I said "What did you want?" "I'm returning your call" "I didn't call you" "Oh, I thought you did" he laughed. "No, it wasn't me. All I did was press the volume button to turn it down." Then I asked him "What are you doing up this early?" "I'm going to work." Doubts as to who I am really talking to began to creep into my half awake head. I knew that Patrick was not working at the present time. Health issues due to his asthma had caused him to lose his last job. "Oh, where are you working?" "At the shipyard." Then there was a sudden disconnect and a dial tone. Whoever it was must have realized that he was talking to a complete stranger too!  |
We're back to sunny days and warmer weather again. We had five straight days of rain and COOL temperatures here all week since Sunday...but now we are sunny again! Ron is gearing up for his ride tomorrow. He's been out in the garage doing the tuneups to the Vulcan and now he's out in the driveway giving it a bath. He will ride in the morning with his chums Dave and Clark. It's a weekend ritual that has been pretty ongoing for about five years now. At first it was just Dave and him riding, or Dave, Nancy, Ron & I doing the riding. Now, Dave's friend Clark has joined up and they are a threesome every weekend...well just about every weekend anyway. I think it is great that these THREE SENIORS can get that kind of enjoyment out of life and ride the miles that they do with the wind whispering through their helmets reminding them of their youth ~ "Roll Me Away" Took a look down a westbound road , right away I made may choice Headed out to my big two-wheeler, I was tired of my own voice Took a bead on the northern plains and just rolled that power on Twelve hours out of Macinaw City stopped in a bar to have a brew Met a girl and we had a few drinks and I told her what I'd decided to do She looked out the window a long long moment then she looked into my eyes She didn't have to say a thing, I knew what she was thinkin' Roll, roll me away, won't you roll me away tonight I too am lost, I feel double-crossed and I'm sick of what's wrong and what's right We never even said a word, we just walked out and got on that bike And we rolled And we rolled clean out of sight We rolled across the high plains Deep into the mountains Felt so good to me Finally feelin' free Somewhere along a high road The air began to turn cold She said she missed her home I headed on alone Stood alone on a mountain top, starin' out at the Great Divide I could go east, I could go west, it was all up to me to decide Just then I saw a young hawk flyin' and my soul began to rise And pretty soon My heart was singin' Roll, roll me away, I'm gonna roll me away tonight, Gotta keep rollin, gotta keep ridin', keep searchin' till I find what's right And as the sunset faded I spoke to the faintest first starlight And I said next time Next time We'll get it right Bob Seger's "Roll Me Away" |
| It rained very hard in the middle of the night last night. It continued to rain on and off all day today. It's kind of nice to have the temperatures cooler and the rain makes everything smell so fresh outside. Our kitties have been laying around the house all day. A sure sign that summer is coming to a close. During the hot days and nights we couldn't get them to come in the house except to eat, and then back outside they would go. The Blue Russian "Bentley" as we call him, was content to play inside today with his toys. He had about four of them that he was batting around the kitchen and the dining room earlier. Meanwhile the older cat "Beyonca" has been sleeping the whole day away up in her spot below the walk in closet window. She will stay there until she gets good and hungry. Talk about a lazy day. I have been on and off my computer most of the day. I've been playing around with signatures for Ron's sister Pat. She is the one who joined Writing.Com the other day. What fun it is to have her here too! She is filling up her port with such wonderful items and is getting a lot of good feedback. I just love her poem about Dan The Piano Man! I just love her! |
| Yesterday Ron's sister joined WDC! It is so great having her on this site. She is a very talented lady. She helped me write my first song that I posted here. Years of composing, playing , and singing professionally had given her lots of knowledge in the area of songwriting. She also writes poetry from her heart as you can see here - ~Windsong~ stop in and check out her port!I am just tickled that a family member is on this wonderful site with me. We are having lots of fun. I've given her a few sigs to start her out. She really loves this site. Of course, who doesn't??!! Ron's oldest son Noel is visiting with us today. He flew in from Minnesota to do a paint job in Seattle. He will stay the night with us then leave early morning to SeaTac Airport to catch a flight back home. Gosh, he still looks the same. I don't think that guy ever ages. He will be forty in November. He looks like hes' still in his twenties to me. He is married to a sweet Russian gal named Albina. They have three boys and she is expecting again in November. I'm going to go take his picture right now and put it in here. ** Image ID #1463979 Unavailable ** Noel & Ron ** Image ID #1463981 Unavailable ** One of me in front of the mantle antlers! ** Image ID #1463984 Unavailable ** I'm putting on the pounds because I quit smoking. |
I wrote my very first song today. That's something I have been wanting to try for quite some time. I finally got up the nerve to just do it. Actually I was impressed with the Country Music Lover's Contest that COUNTRYMOM-JUST REMEMBER ME  runs in her forum. So I chose one of her prompts in there and this is what I came up with:  Moonlight In The Mountains Verse At the end of the day two lovers slip away outback to the hot tub Underneath a summer sky they rub elbows with the stars visit Jupiter and Mars And when the night is clear heaven can appear... Chorus Those shooting stars above us... are forming silver fountains flowing down on lovers 'cus...it's moonlight in the mountains. Verse While the moon hovers over star-crossed lovers below we'll spoon like we're on our honeymoon. Wrapped tightly in embrace together we can chase moonbeams overhead that beckon us to follow... Chorus Those shooting stars above us... are forming silver fountains flowing down on lovers 'cus...it's moonlight in the mountains. Bridge Bring on a hot summer night and baby we'll take off in flight where no one else can find us We'll hit the Milky Way then ride a fireball all way back! Verse At the end of the day two lovers slip away outback to the hot tub Underneath a summer sky they rub elbows with the stars visit Jupiter and Mars And when the night is clear heaven can appear... Chorus Those shooting stars above us... are forming silver fountains flowing down on lovers 'cus...it's moonlight in the mountains. Y'all tell me what ya think now wontcha?  |
Today I will be writing a bit of history and sharing photo's of the dams that have been built in this corner of the state of Washington. I have observed all of these dams except for Upper Baker Dam. I have already mentioned Lower Baker Dam in a few blog entries down. So, I will start with that one. ** Image ID #1462483 Unavailable ** Lower Baker Dam, visible from the town of Concrete, it's a bit of history. Built in 1925. In 1927 the dam was increased to 293 ft. in height. Which made it the highest dam in the world. The Power plant slightly down stream from base generates 70 megawatts. Baker Lake area is accessible, by road off Highway 20 in Skagit County, Washington. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** Image ID #1462484 Unavailable ** Upper Baker Dam on Baker River north of Concrete, Washington. Built in 1959, produces up to 105 megawatts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** Image ID #1462487 Unavailable ** The Ross Dam built by The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project along with two other dams The Gorge Dam and the Diablo Dam. The dams are located in Whatcom County above the town of Newhalem, which lies just west of North Cascades National Park. Diablo Dam was begun in 1927, five miles upstream from Gorge Dam. All three dams were listed in the National Register of Historic Places. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** Image ID #1462490 Unavailable ** Diablo Dam and Skagit River in full flood stage. The Seattle City Light Company operates this and the nearby Ross and Gorge dams, which hold back water on the Skagit River in the north Cascades, and generate electricity for Seattle. The Skagit project started in 1919. The Diablo Dam, reservoir, and powerhouse was the second of the three to be built, constructed between 1927 and 1936. The Ross Dam, built later, formed a reservoir which extends into Canada. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** Image ID #1462513 Unavailable ** The Gorge Dam on the Skagit River. You can see this dam right off of Highway 20 heading east before the beginning of the North Cascade Mountains, as you leave Newhalem and head towards the pass. Construction of Gorge Dam began in 1921 and the first power was delivered to Seattle in 1924. The cost of the dam was $13 million dollars. In 1961 a new Gorge High Dam was completed (300 feet, 91 meters) to replace the original Gorge Dam. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** Image ID #1462505 Unavailable ** I figure this is as good a place as any to include this photo of the Dalles Bridge. The Dalles Bridge crosses The Skagit River downstream from where we live. We have to cross this bridge every time we go into Concrete or down Highway 20 to Sedro Woolley and Mount Vernon, I-5 and and beyond. It gets it's name from the rocky canyon that it was built across. That concludes my history lesson for the day. |
| Ron has been teaching me how to play chess. He bought a tournament champion chess set with weighted pieces. He just happens to be good at chess. We have played several times and I have not won a single game yet! Talk about frustration...arrrrghhhh. Don't get me wrong - I love the game. I am addicted already in spite of defeat. He is such a great teacher. He gives me tips and a few warnings if I begin to make the wrong moves. He has no mercy, however, when he is in hot pursuit of my King. Sometimes I can put up a good battle and other times he swiftly gets me in "check" and "checkmate." I've never played a game that I loved so much and wanted to win so badly as this one! I get so frustrated that I spew out "Oh no...not again! Give me back my Queen,"  and "I hate this game," but I really love it.Now, I know how my kids and grandkids felt every time I beat them at checkers. Ron just keeps giving me more encouragement by telling me that with each game I am getting better at it. He has such patience and I couldn't ask for a better instructor. I just really want to beat him soooo bad though. |
| Well, here I am back to blogging again. My youngest son Matthew was here with his three children and my daughter's daughter (Alexandra). They arrived on Wednesday, August 6. Ron had already left with Dave for their road trip on Tuesday morning, leaving the house for the kids and I for two days and two nights! I had a nice turkey roast in the oven for them when they arrived good and hungry. I also fixed them mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, corn, and garlic bread. They filled up on all of that and began to settle in. My granddaughter Alex had been here twice before but it was the first time for all of the others! They really loved the place and made themselves at home immediately. They brought plenty of movies to watch and sketch pads to draw on. We bought a cheap chess game while they were here, so they had plenty of entertainment...besides my computer. They are really good kids and behaved themselves accordingly. Grandma was very proud of them and I enjoyed them immensely! Matt kicked back in the hot tub with the kids and they all had a good time in there. Matt's birthday is Sunday so I had his gift all wrapped for him to open when he got here. He turns 34. My baby! The kids ages are - Kody 16, Karly 13, Alex 13, and Kory 11years. Kory stayed in the hot tub longer than the rest of the kids. He couldn't get enough of it. By ten o'clock the first night here, Kory was out like a light! The hot tub had put him to sleep early. The rest of the kids stayed up until past midnight watching Indiana Jones. Kory slept in until 11:00 am the next morning. When he awoke he said "Boy, Grandma, my Mom needs to get a hot tub too!" The next day we went down into Concrete so they could see the old town. When they saw what was left of the old school house that had burned down, Kody said "I bet that place is haunted." Then when we went through town and they looked at all the real old buildings they were all piping in with: "Those buildings are all haunted too." I had to laugh at that. Matt wanted to go up above Concrete and see the Lower Baker Dam. So we drove up to the Dam, but the spillways weren't open, so they didn't get to see the water rushing over the Dam. From there we drove down to the Skagit River. The boys wanted to know if they could swim in the river. They said that they had swam in places of the Columbia River before. I told them "No, the river is too wide and swift with an undertow that makes it very dangerous to swim in." I explained to them that parts of The Columbia River are like a lake and that is where they had done their swimming. Not so with the Skagit River though. While we were at the River there were two men with dogs that were throwing sticks out into the River for the dogs to go after and bring back to them. The older of the two men had thrown his stick out a little too far for his dog. The stick went out into the current and the dog after it. We stood there and watched as the dog drifted further and further out into the middle of the River, away from the smoother water toward shore. The old man was calling his dog loudly, but the dog could not fight the current as he desperately paddled the swift water. So the dog's owner jumped into his pickup truck and raced off downstream from where we were. The younger man said he was hoping the dog would be able to swim to smoother water downstream. By that time we were all wrapped up into the fate of the drifting dog. He was being carried further and further away down the middle of the wide River until we could hardly see him. It was too much for Kody to watch so he turned and walked slowly back to his Dad's car. Sadly, we all turned and walked, one by one, back to the car. The kids all wondered why no one bothered to rescue the dog. I tried to explain that the dog's owner may have had a cell phone to call someone to help rescue him. It seemed a bit of a feeble answer for them. Then I tried to reassure the kids that the dog would be able to go ashore somewhere downstream. The possibility that the dog would tire and get pulled under the water stuck with all of us the rest of the day. Matt was somewhat upset that the kids had to witness such an ordeal. My only condolence was in thinking that somehow it was meant to be witnessed by them. Sometimes a certain amount of fear goes along with respect, and that magnificent River demands respect. We all limited our conversation about the dog the rest of the day. I promised to check into the fate of the dog for them. Something I may be able to do if I ask around. We got on with our visit and slowly began cheering up again. The evening ended with chess games and another dip in the hot tub. Later, it was movie time again. Then all of us were ready to retire by 11:00 that second night. Friday morning after breakfast Matt began loading up the car for the 150 mile trip back home. We said our goodbye's along with plenty of hugs and kisses. I stood teary eyed, but smiling, on the front deck and waved goodbye to them as the loaded car pulled away and rounded the corner at the end of my road. Alex and Karly ** Image ID #1460617 Unavailable ** Matt and Kory ** Image ID #1460574 Unavailable ** Kody ** Image ID #1460571 Unavailable ** Karly and Matt ** Image ID #1460570 Unavailable ** Alex ** Image ID #1460564 Unavailable ** AmericanTowns has printed my story online here - http://www.americantowns.com/wa/concrete/news/skagit-river-visit-117795 I used a photo of two of my other grandson's as it was all I had taken of the grandkids by the river here. |
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