We were fortunate to receive got beautiful weather condition for our identify unit of measurement weekend get-together. It's ever hitting or immature lady inwards the Pacific Northwest at this fourth dimension of the year. We expected expert weather condition Fri in addition to Saturday. Lord's Day was a gift. When I left y'all on Friday, I had breadstuff rising inwards the kitchen. I wasn't able to make the fancy scoring I was hoping for, but the loaves turned out pretty anyway. One of these went dwelling work solid amongst Erik in addition to Mae. We ate the other one...yes, all of it.
Shortly after those came out of the oven, it was fourth dimension to caput to our floating dwelling work solid for the weekend. It was a footling confusing finding it since it wasn't good marked from the road. Once I got into the parking lot, hm, what to produce here? I decided to cross hither in addition to caput downward that ramp. It led to the river, after all.
Through this wisteria archway...
cardinal nether the mat, precisely every bit expected, in addition to voila! I was inside. This was the thought from our living room.
I was the starting fourth dimension 1 to acquire far since nosotros had to accept divide cars. (I'll explicate inwards a minute.) When Mike arrived, he wasted no fourth dimension taking a topographic point inwards the shade.
Across from where he's sitting was this footling floating greenhouse.
Right away our feathered friends showed up. This duck pair appears to alive at the work solid total time, fifty-fifty though they are wild ducks.
Other friends included this Canada goose,
in addition to nearly a dozen of his friends.
Also, this footling one-legged seagull. Don't know how he lost his leg, but he seems to acquire along fine without it.
We were precisely to a higher identify Willamette Falls. I'll tell to a greater extent than nearly the falls inwards a bit. If y'all can't wait, y'all tin click on that link to read to a greater extent than nearly it. But wait...what's that I run into off to the correct inwards that image?
Holy Smokes! I intend it's "Nessy!"
The kids showed upwards later on inwards the even out since Erik had to work. By then, the H2O was drinking glass smooth.
We missed Matthew this trip since he had to pass the whole weekend moving. Such is life. Nevertheless, nosotros had a lovely even out in addition to dinner of lasagna, salad made from CSA veggies, homemade bread, in addition to brownies for dessert.
Erik had to function the side past times side day, in addition to so nosotros had a pretty placidity evening. Day is done.
When I awakened the side past times side morning, the spray off the falls was glowing inwards the morn sunshine.
After Erik left for work, the Boat Captain launched the boat. The launch was on the other side of the river; in addition to thus, the quest for an extra car. He drove the truck in addition to trailer over at that topographic point in addition to parked it piece he got the boat into the water. Then, he drove the boat to our dwelling work solid in addition to tied it up. Then, I drove him dorsum to the launch to pick upwards the truck in addition to trailer.
There's our footling one-legged friend again.
For lunch, the Boat Captain took Mae in addition to me out for a tiffin cruise. There's our identify inwards the icon below. It's the largest of the row of homes at that topographic point correct inwards the middle of the image.
Okay, hang onto your hats, because hither nosotros go!
And no kidding nearly the falls. Every in 1 lawsuit inwards a piece mortal goes over the falls, in addition to to my cognition it is ever fatal. Willamette Falls is the 2d largest waterfall inwards North America past times volume, in addition to 17th largest inwards the world.
We went for quite a long ride. This department of the river is known every bit "The Narrows," where the channel is narrow in addition to the river is deep.
There's the Canby Ferry, inwards functioning since 1914. The specific vessel used has been replaced in addition to updated several times, most lately inwards 1997. It is 1 of 3 remaining ferries on the Willamette River. You tin read to a greater extent than nearly it at that link I've given you.
We rode all the agency downward to the Boone Bridge, which is 1 of the places where I-5 crosses the Willamette River.
Along the agency nosotros saw precisely about one-half a dozen slap-up bluish herons in addition to lots of ospreys. Here is an osprey nest, in addition to y'all tin precisely barely run into the chick where I've indicated amongst the light-green arrow.
We ate tiffin on the river in addition to and so headed dorsum home. Mike in addition to Mae had naps, in addition to and so Mae got the thought to walk to a nearby brewery in addition to gustation some of their beers. Do y'all think this railroad crossing?
Well, stop, look, in addition to hear hither because the develop came through fast in addition to furious amongst a fair amount of frequency. (Pretty awesome alliteration.) We had to hold off for the develop to top on this trip out. We stood no to a greater extent than than 3 feet away every bit it passed. Here's a video to give y'all some thought what it was like. If y'all can't run into the video, in addition to so click correct here.
Once nosotros were gratis to pass, nosotros walked precisely nearly 3 blocks to the brewery. Along the way, nosotros saw wild blackberries inwards bloom.
Or...if y'all don't desire to walk, y'all could grab my favorite jitney line.
Just nearly 5 minutes away was Feckin Irish Gaelic Brewing Company. What a humorous identify this was.
They had a quite a few beer selections. That immature lady at the taps is a social worker planning to render to nursing schoolhouse this coming fall. I liked her correct away.
Mae in addition to Mike both had beers. I'm non much for beer, but I produce loves me some difficult cider. Mine was a difficult apple tree cider this fourth dimension around.
The brewery was housed inwards a warehouse, but at that topographic point were a lot of things to aspect at. This is an arm wrestling tabular array inwards the colors of the Irish Gaelic flag.
Also, they had an ax-throwing game spot. Yikes!
When nosotros got dorsum home, Mae cooled her feet inwards the river along amongst some of her feathered friends. It was a footling likewise mutual depression temperature for swimming, but prissy for pes dipping.
By then, Erik arrived dwelling work solid from work. We'd ordered takeout Thai nutrient for a dinner cruise on the river. And whaddaya know? Our shadow selves showed upwards precisely inwards time!
Mike in addition to Erik relaxed for a bit.
And in addition to so nosotros headed out for our dinner cruise. It was a prissy warm evening.
Because nosotros spent to a greater extent than than $50 on our Thai take-out, nosotros were rewarded amongst this footling IV purse of the restaurant's work solid chardonnay...for emergencies, y'all know.
After dinner, nosotros headed dorsum for a campfire on the deck. There was a bucket provided that nosotros used to moisture downward the wooden deck surface, in addition to and so Mike lit it off.
Earlier inwards the solar daytime we'd learned that 1 of our neighbors was raising an orphaned duckling. They're hoping it volition grow large plenty in addition to only leave of absence the "nest" 1 of these days. It had a plastic wading pool, in addition to the board y'all run into at that topographic point is the ramp so that it tin acquire into its puddle for a swim. So cute.
While nosotros sat past times the fire, they gave it a heating light for the night.
And that was a really sugariness cease to a prissy day.
When I woke upwards Lord's Day morning, at that topographic point was a really pretty sunrise.
Erik decided the nighttime earlier that nosotros should go out for breakfast, in addition to he chose a identify inwards Oregon City that had several unlike Eggs Benedict dishes on the menu. The eating topographic point was busy, but it was precisely a brusk hold off for a table.
Oregon City is a pocket-size historic town. Here's the tree-lined Main Street.
Just downward the route was the Clackamas County Courthouse, in addition to y'all know I dearest a expert onetime courthouse. This 1 was built inwards 1937.
After a large breakfast, Erik took us on a tour of the area. He worked over hither a piece back, in addition to so he knew some prissy places to go, starting amongst this park...
where nosotros could accept a trail downward to the river's edge. This is the Clackamas River.
And security first. I must tell y'all all the ways y'all tin croak today, so live careful, in addition to sentinel your step.
Also, nosotros met this boyfriend every bit nosotros walked along. He's a Shasta Swallow Tail.
Also, nosotros saw this bat house. It appears a plane determine it would brand a expert work solid too.
One of the local residents had a tree amongst a human face upwards carved inwards it.
From there, nosotros headed to some other commons (the rear escapes me). This happens to live the confluence of the Willamette River (in the foreground) amongst the Clackamas River (behind).
There was some habitat restoration going on here, including this blooming lupine.
And at that topographic point were plenty of Canada geese hither amongst along amongst hundreds of goslings.
And this goose...it took me a while, but I finally figured out that this is a hybrid Canada/Greylag Goose. Apparently Canada geese tin hybridize amongst several unlike varieties of geese.
From there, nosotros headed to the overlook of Willamette Falls. The Willamette River is historically significant. Oregon City was the cease of the Oregon Trail, in addition to so at that topographic point are a publish of centuries-old abandoned structures along the river, including this complex at Willamette Falls. Here is a pano of the entire area.
Here's a chip of history nearly Oregon City.
There are currently plans inwards identify to redevelop the area, in addition to this volition live a really worthwhile project. I'm hoping we'll alive long plenty to run into it come upwards to fruition. Here are a duet of explanatory signs.
Okay, so let's precisely accept a look, in addition to delight hear your manners. Absolutely no missile throwing.
There are the falls inwards the icon below.
To the correct of where I was standing, it looks similar this. And, yes, it's ugly. It was a hub of manufacture at 1 dot inwards time, but these structures receive got been abandoned for some years now.
Straight ahead from where I'm standing is this:
And y'all tin run into that nosotros are, indeed, precisely to a higher identify the falls. I've indicated the location of our dwelling work solid inwards the icon below.
And past times then, my traveling companions were cook to autumn into nutrient comas, so nosotros headed dorsum to the house. When nosotros arrived, our duck friends were snoozing on our deck.
The others took naps. I wasn't feeling a quest for a nap, in addition to so I worked on my stitching. It was prissy sitting on the deck inwards the brilliant lite working on this in addition to watching the birds. There was an osprey nest across the river from here. We could hear the osprey, but nosotros never saw it.
After everyone woke up, nosotros went to some other brewery that Erik was itching to try.
It turned out to live the province of the funny signs. They for sure had some clever ways of enticing folks driving past times to halt inwards in addition to receive got a brew.
They had so many beers, it was difficult to select precisely one. Mae ordered a duet of flights. Erik in addition to Mike each ordered the same thing.
I had my common difficult cider...this time, limey ginger. It was yummy.
And after that, nosotros headed dorsum dwelling work solid to relax for our in conclusion even out there. We had leftover lasagna for dinner, in addition to that was pretty much the cease of the weekend. Yesterday morning, nosotros checked out in addition to came home. One to a greater extent than identify unit of measurement get-together for the books. We had so much fun in addition to enjoyed this floating dwelling work solid venue so much that we're in all likelihood going to produce it over again side past times side year.
And now, we're at home. Kitties were fine. Matthew was inwards in addition to out all weekend, in addition to so they weren't actually alone. Today I'm getting my monthly pedicure, but I'm also hoping to acquire some serious sewing fourth dimension in. I'm hot sure how much fourth dimension at that topographic point volition live because it's also a CSA pick-up day, in addition to so I'll live doing that later on this afternoon. I've been putting off grocery shopping in addition to carte du jour planning until I run into what veggies are inwards our share. That tin hold off until tomorrow, however. For now...the flamingos are calling.