Kids and Grandkids

KIDS AND GRANDKIDS 

I have a couple of photo boards around the house and change them up as I have time. This one is right over my dresser, where the insurance man and I see it every day. I thought it would be fun to be seasonal this time, and so I searched for for fall family photos through the years. I am loving it. So fun to see different grand kids at different stages. I think they will have fun seeing it too.

Happy Pretend First Day of Autumn!

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

George Eliot

I am pretending that today is the first day of autumn, instead of tomorrow. It was so beautiful this morning. Crisp and chilly, bright blue skies and sunshine, and a hint of wood smoke in the air. A few bushes and trees have a touch of turning color. 

I put on some beautiful music, and proceeded to decorate the house with my autumn things. It was wonderful and I even had a second cup of coffee to celebrate. I enjoy the cooler weather, and we do have beautiful fall days in Central Oregon.

In the afternoon I got a cup of tea (with a scone of course) and got out my Brambly Hedge book for Autumn and re-read it. Such lovely stories, drawings and books. I also put out my Brambly Hedge Autumn plate, tumbler and teacup and saucer. A great thing to do on the first day of autumn, don't you agree?

 Crab apple limbs in front of the pine trees.

A little pinkish red, which I can see from my front window.

And gorgeous plum colored crab apples, that the birds haven't got hungry enough to to find. 

Happy Pretend First Day of Autumn!

Country Scenes and Children's Dreams

Like I promised, we are at the edge of the arena at the fairgrounds in Burns. The insurance man took the day off and we went and took his mom to the fair. We started by looking at exhibits and seeing the theme of the fair in every one's handiwork. The theme was ' Country Scenes and Children's Dreams', a theme I really liked. We visited with friends, had some hamburgers with grilled onions, and then we decided to go into the grandstands and watch horse roping and some horse races as well.

Here are all the cowboys all lined up on horses, waiting their turns to rope a wild horse. Harney County is still one of the cowboy capitals of our country. Lots of ranchers here.

Just waiting for the next riders. 

They rope in teams of two, one around the neck and one to capture a back leg.

They are pretty good with their ropes, but only a few teams actually got their ropes around both the neck and leg. Beautiful horses. I especially liked the gray and black horse in this photo. Enlarge the photo to see it better.

While their Dads and Grandpa's were roping, some of the little cowboys were having a grand time in the dirt. Complete with hats and boots.

We had some fair food while we watched. Mom had an ice cream cone and the insurance man and I split a root beer float. We also ate some 'funnel cake fingers' and split an order between the three of us.

There are also plenty of cowgirls out there too.They are very good at their horse skills. 

We watched two or three horse races, and enjoyed that before going out to look at the 4H animals. 

Really cute calf that came along with his mama, so that she could be judged.

We decided we were tired, so went home and fixed dinner before relaxing for the evening.

On Saturday morning, we got up early and went to the 'Cow Ladies' breakfast. The ranchers grill steaks, flip big pancakes and fry eggs on outdoor grills, while the we follow the line and end with an offer of brandy. (Too early in the day!) The breakfast was yummy (love that steak) and it's all for a good cause, college scholarships for the 4H kids. My mother-in-law loves to visit all the people who have come into town, and a good time was had by all. After that, full and stuffed, we went downtown and put up chairs for the Fair Parade. A friend of ours was named Grand Marshall of the parade, and there were children in droves, exited to pick up the candy. This family was next to us, and the candy they snagged should keep them going until Halloween.

The insurance man and mom, the empty chair is for the lady snapping the picture!

The honor guard came first, and we all stood to recite the pledge of allegiance. You gotta love small town America, where there are no protesters in sight....

Then we all sang the National Anthem while some old cars went by. Beautiful.

And the parade was wonderful, with a visit from Smokey the Bear, no less. 

Another great fair to celebrate!

Fun in the old town tonight!

Today it feels a bit more like Fall outside. We continue to have thick smoke and dangerous air quality, but today is a bit cooler with some clouds. They say we might even have a thunderstorm this evening. Rain would be good, lightening most definitely not. Our hearts are sore for the loss of our forests, hiking trails and beauty due to many wildfires. It doesn't quite feel like summer is over, and yet my yard and garden are acting like autumn is approaching. Plants have a way of knowing when to turn each page of the year.
September is a time when I feel like closing things in to home and all things domestic. More cooking, and more creative juices flowing. I feel powerful impulses to clean out cupboards, finish up older projects and start new ones, decorate inside and out, read a new book, bake some pumpkin nut bread and even go to the Harney County Fair.

 At the first of August we took some friends of ours with us to our local Deschutes County Fair. This is Emily age 16, and Abby age 12. We are 'glowing' in these photos, as the temperature was in the high 90's.

We had fun looking at all the animals, and the girls had friends who were showing their 4-H animals and staying at the fairgrounds for the week of the fair. A soft bunny below, and some pretty pigeons above. They make the most peaceful coo-ing sounds.

We ate fair food, and watched a children's ventriloquist while we ate. We saw exhibits, people, (lots of people) photography, vegetables and flowers, quilts and cakes. 

But we waited until sunset to go on rides.

It was cooler, and so pretty with the lights all lit up. The girls had never been on rides, so the insurance man and I had so much fun watching them enjoy it for the first time. Just like when we were young, and enjoying rides.

I think they decided that this was their favorite ride. Sort of a long boat that rocked back and forth, higher and higher.

And finally we all went on the Ferris Wheel together. The seats were enclosed capsules that held four people, perfect! We had a beautiful view of the skyline after sunset, with the Cascade Mountains standing out against the night sky. So much fun!!

But now it is September, and time for the Harney County Fair. It is always the last of the County Fairs for Oregon. So we are headed across the High Desert of Oregon to Burns, and will spend a few days going with my mother-in-law to all the fun small town fair activities. A local parade, ranchers and wives pancake breakfast, and the fair itself, which includes a rodeo and horse racing events. Lots of fun in the old town tonight! 

Hope you are enjoying September and the first taste of Autumn in your world!

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The Diversity of Oregon

One Saturday in July we decided to check out the back country of Deschutes County, where we live. In the past when we wanted to go out into the High Desert of Central/Eastern Oregon we would go to Burns and out into Harney County. But this day, we wanted to see what was in our own back yard. Obviously, lots of sagebrush, juniper trees and views.

We drove on various dirt and gravel roads and took a picnic lunch along. We found that most of the land was fenced off  and posted private, no trespassing, which surprised us. We didn't know so much of it was privately owned, since it is mostly desert space. We found several old homesteads, long abandoned and derelict, but with a kind of haunting beauty of their own. This one was in a fairly green valley with several little springs of water dotting it. 

We found this big barn, really large by High Desert standards. It looks pretty good from this side...

but not so good from this side. We got out and walked around it, and admired the original workmanship. It won't be standing too many more years. 

There was a nice little spring just down the road, and we could see where they got water in the 'old' days. 

Many dreams and stories are abandoned out there, and the trees were quick to invade this little house and call it their own.

We did find one nice large farmhouse, still housing a family and farm, far from 'civilization'. Shady and green in it's little valley it seemed an oasis in the midst of sagebrush. We also encountered a sheriff deputy, who pulled up alongside us and seemed glad to chat about the area. He said that the land owners wanted a law enforcement presence known, to quash any vandalism or theft, so routine cycles were driven once a week or so. Interesting. Oregon is a state of such diversity. From the ocean, to the fertile rain-filled Willamette Valley, to the High Cascade Mountains, to the High Desert. 

We are planning another trip out to view another section soon as we love exploring our state.

We'll take you along too....