Visitors

We have two visitors.  Johnny and Tad!!!  It's always great to have one of our sons here even if I find all kinds of new games and apps on my phone and I-pad after John leaves!

Tad is our 4th foster dog.  First we had sweet Jordana.  She was like having a favorite aunt in our home - loveable and affectionate!  Then we had Howie.  He was more like entertaining your 96 year old Grandpa - calm and slow would be the words to describe life with Howie.  Next was Stan, a puppy full of enthusiasm.  Having Stan at our home was like babysitting an active 2 year old.  And since he was supposed to be 'resting' it was like trying to keep that 2 year old on bed rest!  Now we have Tad who is an active guide dog.  Tad qualifies as a perfect dog!  He is super obedient, highly intelligent and also lots of fun. This guy even sleeps in!  He loves to go on walks and he also plays hide and seek with us.  I will tell him to sit and stay and then go hide somewhere in the house.  When I yell, "OK Tad" he races around until he finds me and then is wildly excited.  Very entertaining!  I absolutely love having these foster dogs.

What could be better in the morning?

7:30 a.m., a roomful of teenagers, me and the New Testament!  The best way to start the day!

Swifts

As everyone knows Portland is a bit quirky!  Some of the quirkiness I enjoy like Voodoo Doughnuts.  Last night I added a new quirky Portland thing to my list of enjoyable....watching the Vaux Swifts at Chapman School in NW Portland.  In September thousands of these little birds make their way south to Central America and Venezuela and the chimney at Chapman school is one of their resting spots.  Estimates are that 2000 - 15,000 roost in the chimney.  And probably 1000-2000 Portlanders roost on the hills and yard around the school enjoying picnics and watching the show.

When we first arrived and joined the throngs of people, the swifts were just sweeping the sky acting as if they had interest in the chimney but not actually entering.  It seemed that one large group would fly in, buzz the chimney and then in a great choreography of flight swoop out.  I think the word is a 'murmuration' but that might apply only to starlings.

Then just as the sun was going down, as if on cue, they started spiraling into the chimney like a giant vacuum cleaner was sucking them in.  More and more and more came and entered the roost.  I can not imagine how they all fit.  On the 13th the count was 6000 but it could be more now.  Totally amazing!

Another part of the show was the occasional passing of a hawk looking for his dinner.  It was pretty easy pickings!  People cheered for the hawks.  I heard a conversation behind us between two young women.  One was appalled that there were cheers for the hawk while the other just commented that there were LOTS of swifts!  I don't think any of the hawks went away hungry.  I imagine the hawks are back in the morning for breakfast.  They must think it is too good to be true.....so much potential food in one place!

Here is what a Vaux Swift looks like up close and personal.  And no I didn't take this picture.  If you are in Portland and haven't seen this spectacular show, I highly recommend it!

Travel Bug

I have often tried to figure out why I love to travel so much.  Recently I read an article about traveling with our Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.  I agree so much with what she says about travel.  Maybe this explains in part why I love it so much.

"I think where there has been more traveling, there is greater understanding.  There may not be agreement-we may still believe that the political system of another country is wrong or the way women are treated is not acceptable-but we get closer to seeing the world through somebody else's eyes, and I really believe that is an essential step not only for diplomats and other government officials but for business people and for American citizens, because it help us get perspective.  It's also reinforcing that, despite the differences, there are fundamental human similarities.  We cry over tragedies, we yearn for freedom, we want our dignity respected.  So I think travel is both broadening and opening." Hillary Rodham Clinton

The broadening of perspective and getting to know people from different cultures are definitely two of the reasons I love to travel.....I also will admit that I love the food and the shopping!!!!  I'd probably love it even more if I could fly on a plane like Hillary and have my own full size bed in my private bedroom.

Bull of the Woods

Labor Day was a perfectly glorious day for hiking!  It isn't too often that you get all this sunshine in Oregon.

George had a new program on his phone that helped us find our way to "Bull of the Woods."

It's true that on a clear day you can see forever!  From the old fire lookout we could see Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt Rainer, and Mount Saint Helens.  The view from on top was worth the steep climb!

Philly!

Mary and I had a great day in Philly!
The art museum in superb.  You can find everything from shaker furniture to the impressionist artists that I so love!

We couldn't do our 'Rocky' like run up the stairs because they had a stage set up for a concert and we didn't buy a Rocky shirt.  In fact neither of us has even seen the movies!  Are we the only people in America who haven't seen a single Rocky movie?

Betsy Ross Home

Liberty Bell

And for Mary a graduate of Benjamin Franklin International School....lots of Ben!

A list of his accomplishments - He was one talented, versatile guy!

This statue of Benjamin Franklin was made of keys donated by school children in Philadelphia.  The problem they didn't foresee was that children were so excited to donate a key to the project that they didn't ask permission before they took parent's keys.  I wonder how many car and house keys had to be replaced at home so that this statue of Ben could be created??

And for our NASA fan Scott, here is the flag flying at half staff by Independence Hall to honor Neil Armstrong!

And what better way to end our day in the 'City of Brotherly Love" than with a Philly-Cheesesteak sandwich!

Valley Forge

I realized on this trip that while I once knew a lot about Revolutionary War history....I've also forgotten a LOT!  Nevertheless we loved exploring Valley Forge.

Replicas of the cabins that General Washington's men built to survive the winter and spring of 1777-78

I don't think I would have enjoyed spending a Pennsylvania winter here. 

Well maybe if I could have been with General Washington in his warm stone house I could have survived.  I've got this admiral, general thing going on!  Martha did live here with her husband.  An interesting fact....Pennsylvania had a law that any slave who stayed in the state for 6 months was automatically freed so General Washington rotated his slaves from Valley Forge to Mount Vernon, Virginia every few months. When he and Martha died all the slaves were freed.

And while I'm dreaming of generals, admirals and stone houses, I 'll add a wish for a piece of furniture like this....

And a built in china cabinet and paneling like this....

Memory lane

Son-in-law Mark doesn't have the travel bug like the rest of the family but he cheerfully lets Mary go on  trips with us.  This time we decided to head north to Philadelphia by way of Port Deposit, Maryland and Valley Forge.  Philadelphia and Valley Forge make sense for a couple of tourists like us but you probably wonder about Port Deposit, Maryland!

You know that my Daddy was in the navy.  Well he was stationed for two years at Bainbridge Naval Base near Port Deposit.  I went to kindergarten and part of first grade on the base.  Since it was so near where we were headed, we decided to take a small detour.  Realizing that it was 53 years ago that we left the base and that I hadn't been back since, I wondered how accurate my little girl memories would be!  The base closed in 1986 so there was nothing to see on the actual base, plus they had very convincing warning signs on the road leading out to Bainbridge so we settled for a tour of the town.

 I told Mary all that I remembered about Port Deposit.

• The town was small with the Susquehanna River on one side of the main street and a single row of houses on the other side.
• Behind the row of houses was what I remembered as a mountain cliff.
• We went to a Presbyterian church that was downtown.
• There was a sort of park that had stairs that went up the mountain side.

Guess what?  My memory is pretty good!

This picture was taken near the river, looking across the one street at the one row of houses. The population of Port Deposit is 676!  That is small!

One of the buildings on the narrow main street is the First Presbyterian Church!

And behind the church is the 'mountain side' I remembered!  I'm sure it did appear to be a mountain side to a little girl from the flat lands of central Arkansas.

And right by the church...you guessed it!  Stairs!!!

Is it a sign of dementia that I can remember things from 53 years ago but can't remember why I walked into a room?  Oh well, it was fun to visit 'Historic Port Deposit!"

Annapolis

I don't like that our daughter lives on the other side of the country.  But I love that she lives in an area full of potential for all kinds of fun excursions.  The first Saturday of my visit Mary, Mark and I headed to Annapolis, Maryland.  Because my Daddy was in the navy I have a soft spot for anything Navy....so the Naval Academy was a natural first stop.  The grounds of the academy are beautiful and I loved seeing  the midshipmen in their summer whites.  All the students live in one fantastically beautiful building.  It is the 2nd largest dormitory in the world.  The largest is in Russia.  Living as a midshipmen would be a bit like living in Versailles. Except that the dorm rooms, though functional, aren't quite palace standards! Oh yeah, and then there is all the studying....they all graduate with engineering degrees.  And the physical challenges and the hazing by upper classmen!  But the common rooms are fit for royalty as the ceiling and chandelier of this room plainly show!   I don't think my dream should be to be a midshipmen but the admiral's wife....or the admiral!

I also liked this reminder for these future naval officers.....

Isn't this an interesting monument in to our submarine forces?

Go Navy!

Then dinner at a crowded, noisy seafood restaurant along the Potomac.  A wonderful day with my favorite daughter and son-in-law!