The Bonnie Chronicles- Episode 4

Well, it's finally happened. We took in poor, orphaned Bonnie, gave her our love and care and devotion and how does she repay us?
By making us go to court to bail her out of jail.
Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. First she went to jail, then we bailed her out, then we went to court.
Lemme back up.
Our campaign to improve Bonnie's health was so successful that she slimmed down to the point where she found a tiny gap between our fence and our house to escape. She only got a block or so away and a neighbor found her. Meanwhile, we come home and freak out when we can't find her anywhere and no gates are left open.
We called the shelter the next day and were told they had picked her up. Boy, was she glad to see me.
We had to pay the shelter and were given a loose dog/no license ticket that required a mandatory court appearance.
We were both nervous, never having been in court for so much as parking ticket. When we both went before the judge even though he only called my name he asked me "Oh, is it his dog?" and when I replied "No, his grandmother", the judge asked "Why isn't she here?"
After we told him that grandma was dead and that's why we have Bonnie, he looked so embarrassed he dismissed the fine and sent us away.
Neadless to say, we've evaluated our fencing with a new, slimmer Bonnie in mind.

lph

Cider making

Jessica and Josh picking apples

In early October we headed for a three-day weekend in the Methow, to press cider and spend time with Brian's sister Leah and Shiori. Jessie, Josh, and Travis all got to experience of picking apples with a 100-pound (it seems) picking bag around their necks and riding at the top of the forklift to reach the high ones.
The weather was fine and it was great to spend time outdoors in such a beautiful place. Our teen, Travis, was not happy about being there and very adament that he did not want to participate but once there and once involved, he had a lot of fun. Maybe not as much fun as wiping out a whole platoon in a WWII video game, but fun nonetheless.
Grandpa Keith showed up in time to instruct the greenhorns in the finer points of pressing cider (Leah hadn't done it since she was young and Brian too, except for a small batch he and I did for fun two years ago that all spoiled because he didn't remember you had to process it or freeze it).
The Methow in fall is amazing, I never get tired of it. And the cider turned out well. We also picked several boxes of apples to bring home and can applesauce (we're still making batches -- how did farmers ever find time to make babies?).

Our cider was a scientifically balanced blend of different apple types to achieve the perfect combination of flavors.

Okay, we tried to find the ones without worms and hoped for the best.






Bonnie seemed to enjoy being back on the farm and Travis enjoyed teasing her. Kodiak and Max ran so hard they slept like the dead all night.

Do the dead actually sleep?

Whatever, the dogs love the farm.

lph

Family fun all around

Great weekend all the way around this Saturday and Sunday. Sarah came over with her boyfriend, Cody -- it was the first time she's been to Central Oregon since Christmas. (Her car is sketchy, so she has been hesitant to drive).
We visited a lot and had a nice lunch in town, then went on a short hike at Smith Rock, which neither of them had ever been to (even Sarah, who lived here for 2 years!)
On Sunday the little ones -- Jess and Josh -- and Brian and I went to Camp Sherman to a gathering of local letterboxers. We had lunch and shared stories and ideas about letterboxing.
(Short explanation for the uninformed: letterboxing is a hobby closely related to geocaching, only without the technology. Clues to "boxes" are posted on the Internet that take you to usually remote locations where people have hidden small boxes containing a guestbook and unique rubber stamp. You stamp your own 'log book' with the special box stamp -- proving you've been there -- and use your own custom stamp to log into the guestbook. Think of it as an artistic treasure hunt.)
We enjoy letterboxing as a family because it ties in to two interests we all have: hiking and games. Anyway, fantastic fall afternoon in a fantastic area.
Then we went to our first square dancing lesson, which was a kick in the pants. Jessie took lessons earlier this year and everyone looked they were having so much fun we decided to give it a try. Jessie participated to brush up on her skills and Josh went too, although he was reluctant at first. He had a great time anyway and we committed to coming again.
Personally, as long as they don't make me wear those silly skirts, I'll keep going. It's tons of fun and requires less coordination than ballroom or salsa (they tell you what to do).
Best thing about the weekend: fun times with family. Second best: no chores.

lph

Methow memorials: Bill and Leah

The joint memorials for Bill and Leah Hole were held Sept. 9, in Methow Washington.

We took an extra day off work and made the marathon drive from Redmond to Methow Thursday night, after a full day's work. When we arrived around midnight it looked like the valley was blanketed in fog -- the effects of weeks of wild fires in the area.

The cemetery in Methow is cut into the hillside on a bluff high above the river. It is not maintained to speak of and the cheatgrass had only recently been whacked in the area of the family's headstones. The graves date back to the very early days of the valley's settlement and many names well-known in the community were represented.

The cermeony was very sweet and casual, with simple rememberances by friends and family.

We were among the last to leave and Keith was worried about leaving the urns unattended until the cemetery worker arrived, so Brian jumped in the grave to place Grandma and Grandpa before we left. Definitely not a sight you see every day.


Poor little Maddie, daughter of Andy and Chi, had to endure being a living doll for Shiori and Jessica, who didn't let her out of their sight the whole day.








The weekend was not without fun. We all went swimming in the river near the farm, a favorite pasttime for many generations of Holes, from what I've learned. It was thankfully much warmer than in early summer, so even I got in the water (and that's saying something).

The Methow River is amazing. I've seen few so clear, it is a nice change from the sediment filled bodies of water I'm used to west of the Cascades.


Grandma's treasured incense burner collection, which she once told was begun after her brother Alan brought her one back from his Navy stint in the Orient, was shared with friends and family so everyone could have a rememberence of Grandma.

Overall, it was a great weekend --great to see family and friends, great to say goodby to Bill and Leah in the manner they wanted, and great to be in the magical place that is Methow.


lph

The Bonnie Files - Episode 3

Bonnie is doing great. She has been having weekly grooming appointments to get a skin problem in order. It is going well but she is rolling over and scratching her entire body on any rough surface she can. Rolling over you say? Yes she has lost several pounds on the Thyroid medication and is now very close to her target weight. She is 20.5 pounds currently. She started with us earlier this summer at 26 pounds. We had an appointment with the vet the other day. They drew her blood to see if the medication levels are correct. We will know in about a week how things are going. Bonnie is having a great time with Kodiak and Max. They are running, yes running, around the yard together these days.

BH

Canning Peaches

Peaches have always been my favorite canned food. I have introduced them to our kids and they are still a hit with most of them today.

I was bold this year coming home from Washington and brought peaches with me to can. I had what I thought was all the supplies that I needed. My plan was to can around 90 - 100 jars. I purchased and was treated to the great smell fresh peaches all the way home in the car. I looked through the canning book for tips and reviewed my notes from canning with Grandma Hole. I was ready to go!! Well maybe not. In forgot that I needed rings for the jars!! Well I picked those up and now I was set. I started on Saturday morning. It took me several canners to get a system going that worked and get all the kinks out of my instructions. I got 36 or so jars done that day. It felt great and the kitchen table was starting to fill with full jars instead of clean and shiny empty ones.

Sunday I got up early and started right in on it. Leslie started to help me throughout the day and we ended up canning 102 jars total in two days. What a feat!~! Leslie said "Buy less peaches next year!" It was fun and a great accomlishment but I will have to agree with her. We actually had 2 boxes of peaches left over that I took to work and gave to friends.

I loved the labor of the job and feeling like we were getting something accomplished that is going to be enjoyed over the whole year. It also felt really good connecting with Grandma and Grandpa Hole. I remember the summer I spent time with them and Grandma showed me how to can peaches. It was a wonderful time that summer and this weekend connected me with them and let me grieve. There is something wonderful about time spent with the ones that you love and that loved you.

BH

South Sister Hike

Travis, Brandi, and I went for a hike on Labor day. We have been talking about hiking up the South Sister for a long time now. We started planning the hike early this summer. We found out it is usually a 12 hour hike or so. We arrived at the trailhead at 6am. That is a great feat for a two teenagers!! The hike is roughly 11 miles round trip and gains more than 5,000 feet in elevation. We all hiked through the forest and up onto the plains that you see in the picture. This was a great place to view the mountain and see what we were up against. We kept going and ended up at the base of the mountain to begin our ascent. Travis and Brandi made it about 1/2 way up the mountain and more than 2/3 of the way for the whole hike. Brandi was worn out so they stayed there and rocked out to iPods and CD's while I went on up the mountain. I finally made it to the top with many trials and stops along the way. I had to set goals of getting to this rock or that one and taking a break to keep myself going. There were two things that I was amazed and surprised by. First this was the most dusty hike I have ever been on and I didn't expect that. Second was that there would be so many lakes, snow fields, and glaciers to see. There are more lakes of all sizes and colors from glacial till blue/green to muddy brown than I realized. The first surprise was not so great but the second one was awesome. The hardest part of the hike mentally was motivating ourselves to keep going. The hardest part physically was the hike out. Brandi started having problems with her hips hurting. I started having problems with my KNEES. By the end of the hike my knees were hurting very badly and I was really glad that I had used the trekking poles. It was a great experience for me. Travis and Brandi had a good time and I am very proud of them. They made it a long ways. Maybe we will have to go back some day. Later - BH 

Pictures for the Foo Dog

Hello Mr. Foo Dog

The trip to bring Kristin to college was quite a road trip. Brian and I both worked Tuesday, Aug. 22, so we took off immediately after work and drove 5-plus grueling hours to get to Seaside. Except for the wonderful sea smell, we noticed nothing as we stumbled out of the car and into our hotel beds at midnight.

It was up at 5:30 a.m. the next day and over to Scott's to help load up Kristin's belongings, both those destined for college and those heading to our house since Scott will be selling his house soon and how no idea what to do with Kristin's flotsam and jetsom until he was resettled.

It was a relatively short drive to Forest Grove and Pacific University, thankfully, and a pleasant surprise. I hadn't been there in many years and the town has really grown. It's a stone's throw from Hillsboro now -- Portland has really spread out in amazing proportions. Pacific is a nice, compact campus, with wonderful old buildings and huge trees mixed in with more modern brick facilities. We moved Kristin into her dorm room, met her roomate Elena, who is from Hilo, Hawaii, and explored the area. After a supply run into town for missing must-haves for her room, a really bad parent's dinner, and a busy day, we left for Redmond.

In all I was impressed with Pacific, at least what I could see on the surface. Their school colors are red and black, which are pretty cool compared to many school colors and the 'mascot' is a Chinese foo dog -- they are called The Boxers -- but the dog is distinctly Oriental and exotic in apprearance, which is beyond cool compared to most mascots. For those reasons alone I'm happy with Pacific.

We only hope it suits Kristin even more.

---lph

110 in the shade

Our vacation in Idaho was all about keeping cool. Outside of visting with my friend Laura and her family we spent lots of time in the water, around the water, or in air conditioned stores.
This fountain is in downtown Boise and Kristin and Jessica couldn't resist trying it out. It made walking around town (we were there for an open air market) a little uncomfortable for them but they dried pretty fast and we're probably a lot cooler than everyone else.
After the market we stopped by a Basque festival (i.e. Basque: region between France and Spain with unique culture and language).
Another day was spent in a huge water park with rides, slides and pools and another shopping at Boise's large two-level shopping mall.
Many hundreds of dollars later we headed home, still hot, tired, but content with our time away from home.

-- lph 

Mary's Visit

One of Leslie's best friends, Mary, came over this weekend. Leslie and Mary really enjoyed catching up on things and swinging in our lawn swing. It reminded them of being at Leslie's grandma's house when they were growing up. We went to downtown Bend for a late dinner and ended up at Han's. Good food, dissapointing dessert. We tried a great wine from Panther Creek. It was very good. When we got to downtown we couldn't get to the restaurant because there was a car cruise going on. It was the Chevy club cruise. There were quite a few cars and they would be parked or making a curcuit downtown. Kind of neat. After we ate we walked around and found a band playing on Minnesota street. There were a bunch of people enjoying the music and dancing. We watched for a few minutes and then to my surprise Leslie wanted to dance. The three of us went out and danced for the last few songs of the night. It was a lot of fun. We walked up to the Deschutes brewery for a refreshement. I love their home brew root beer. We went off to home after that and ended the evening at a very late hour for us of midnight. Today we lounged in the morning and read the paper. Leslie and Mary went to Bend in the afternoon to do some shopping and browsing downtown. They had a good time. I told Mary she is off the hook for a year from our razzing about coming to see us. It ended up being a great, relaxing weekend.

The Bonnie Files - Episode 1

We are posting the progress of Bonnie as she takes the plunge into our family. Everyone is very excited and we are having fun. The trip down here from Grandma's was good and Bonnie travel's very well. We have taken her to the Vet and the groomer to give her some TLC. Hope to see you soon.

The Bonnie file

Bonnie is doing very well. She has had some bouts of stress but overall is integrating with our family and having a great time. Believe it or not she is now playing with Kodiak and Max. We found out about 2 weeks ago that she has a thyroid problem. We got medication and she is recovering very well. This is probably the root cause of her weight issues, skin issues, coat looking dull, and general lethargy. She is going for walks generally once or twice a week and enjoying it.

Summer of 2004. We took a trip to Seattle and visited the Seattle Center, Seattle Aquarium, Science Fiction Museum, and the Rock and Roll Museum. Kristin and I had a great time on the rides. We all had fun people watching while laying in the grass by the fountain. 

First post

The first ever post for the TrouteHole family blog site. What a fun experiment in the big world of the web!!