We had a wonderful calendar week at Ft. Stevens State Park inwards Warranton, Oregon terminal week. There was a weak jail cellular telephone signal, too therefore no blogging for me. The signal was rigid plenty to tease, however. Occasionally, nosotros could alternative upward our email, too I'd come across tantalizing headlines, but no agency to click on the link too read the story. Like this one: Chevy Chase: He's 74, sober, but no ane volition piece of occupation amongst him. Really? Is that guy silent alive? And sober? I didn't fifty-fifty know he wasn't sober...ever...and he wants to work? Geez. It's the toll you lot pay when you lot no longer read People magazine. I stopped reading people close thirty years ago, when I no longer recognized the names of whatsoever of the "People" inwards the magazine.
So...anyway...here's what happened. I guide keep lots of pictures. I'm hoping I don't overload your figurer amongst them. We arrived at Ft. Stevens belatedly afternoon on Monday. Right away, Mike flipped the switch on our imitation fireplace too built a burn downward for me. He's such a romantic.
For all I've smirked close how ridiculous the imitation fireplace is, it does brand a overnice room heater. It's sort of interesting to spotter too speculate close what makes the flame expect similar that. But mainly, it's only an electrical heater that makes almost no noise...a proficient feature. Fairly soon, nosotros were joined past times Miss Sadie.
And Mr. Smitty. He was silent looking for those cubbies. It must live therefore confusing for them. We don't intend they realize this is a dissimilar rig, too therefore they don't sympathise why things are rearranged. They kept returning to the quondam location for their nutrient dishes too.
One thing I similar close this rig is that I tin lav sit down too expect through the window too come across the kitties on their catio.
Smitty takes refuge there...it's the alone thing that's silent inwards the correct location.
It's percentage too percentage alike for the catio. Sometimes they leave of absence together, but mainly, they only seem to guide keep worked out a agency to percentage the space.
When I set out the novel kitty quilt, Smitty took to it immediately. We noticed he stopped looking for the cubbies too. We believe he only wanted a infinite to telephone outcry upward his own. They both used this footling quilt during the trip, taking turns every bit they exercise amongst the catio. There's some other kitty quilt on the "dresser" inwards the bedroom, too they usage that ane too.
Okay, at nowadays recollect the Caramelized Plums I made terminal week? We had them over H2O ice cream originally, but nosotros both idea they tasted a lot similar strawberries when they're dressed upward to live strawberry shortcake. And therefore I made some Bisquick shortcakes too nosotros gave it a try. And, whoa...that was actually good. The plums are tart, too the sauce is sweet, too therefore it's a real overnice combination. I've linked to the recipe dorsum there. These are therefore proficient too you lot tin lav brand them inwards only a few minutes.
We were lucky to guide keep fantastic weather condition for the week...always a gift on the Oregon coast, but peculiarly inwards belatedly September. The initiatory of all twenty-four hr menstruum nosotros got out too did a footling sight-seeing inwards the park. Ft. Stevens State Park is enormous, amongst an enormous campground. It's possible to get out to the rima oris of the Columbia River from there. Interestingly, when you lot catch the footling town of Astoria, you lot mightiness intend you lot are at the western-most call for of the state. In fact, Warrenton is on a sort of "cape" that extends further due west toward the Pacific Ocean. From this spot, nosotros could come across the huge span inwards Astoria that connects Oregon too Washington. It's hard to come across inwards this image. I'll exhibit you lot a improve ane a footling afterward on.
Looking inwards the other direction, nosotros could come across the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse on the Washington side of the river.
Our shadow selves were inwards fine form. They ever expect their best on a sunny day.
Driving on, nosotros came to the South Jetty observation tower.
This is a busy port amongst ocean-going vessels coming upward the Columbia River heading for Portland too points beyond.
Here's a footling information close the jetty too its function.
There were 2 large ships coming in.
From the observation tower, nosotros had a improve persuasion of the lighthouse.
We could also expect far downward the beach too come across the wreck of the Peter Iredale, too therefore nosotros drove on to teach a improve look. We've visited hither before, but never inwards such overnice weather, too therefore I can't say sure as shooting I've ever stood this close. You tin lav read to a greater extent than close it correct here. It was a large transportation that ran aground inwards 1906. Most of it is buried inwards sand now, but you lot tin lav stand upward at this halt too come across the tops of the masts (I presume) too teach some feel of how large it was.
It's a footling spooky walking around it, knowing how long it's been there.
I ever relish seeing footprints of diverse critters inwards the sand. This is a seagull, I presume.
But I wondered close these tiny paw prints. They were close the size of a dime. What sort of critter exercise you lot suppose left these?
From there, nosotros drove on to Battery Russell. You tin lav read to a greater extent than close it correct here. But first, live warned.
There was a fourth dimension when I would guide keep laughed close this, but amongst 2 cougar attacks (one deadly) hither inwards the Pacific Northwest this summer, it's no longer funny to come across this sign.
As for Battery Russell, here's the beginning. From there, ane walks upward a long flying of stairs to come across the rest.
And at that spot it is.
It was abode to some real large guns.
I don't guide keep a lot to say close this, too therefore I'll only exhibit you lot some of the pictures...
It's woolly worm season. This was only ane nosotros saw during the week.
From Battery Russell, nosotros drove on to the museum where I picked upward my initiatory of all fridge magnet of the novel RV.
And there...we saw to a greater extent than evidence of Fort Stevens. Some of this predates the civil war.
You tin lav read to a greater extent than close Fort Stevens correct here.
You tin lav impress your friends amongst this fleck of trivia: Fort Stevens was the ane identify on the American mainland hitting past times gunfire during World War II. Here are some headlines close it.
It was a Japanese submarine firing the shots. The Americans did non provide fire, although the argue is unknown. Speculation is that they didn't desire to hand upward the location of these large guns.
Here's a replica. They were on a slice of equipment that raised them higher upward the wall to fire, too in ane trial fired, they came dorsum down, hidden too protected.
Here's a photograph from the museum.
We walked out beyond the fort to come across this one.
Here's a sign explaining it.
There was also a rose exam garden there.
That was all the sight-seeing nosotros did on that day. When nosotros got dorsum to the RV, I started on the newest Friendship's Garden block too stitched the entire initiatory of all hooping.
We had no plans for our 2nd day, but I tried in ane trial again to brand a proficient Dutch Baby pancake inwards the RV oven. This fourth dimension I tried combining the best of 2 recipes, too it turned out great.
This is my customized recipe. To serve this up, I only sprinkled it amongst confectioner's saccharide too drizzled a footling lemon juice. Sometimes I add together maple syrup, but these were proficient without anything added.
So except for a footling shopping excursion, nosotros hung out at the RV all day. For our shopping, nosotros were on the hunt for a duet of things. For ane thing...espresso cups. We similar a loving cup of espresso after lunch, too the cups nosotros had were chipped too sort of messed upward after years of traveling. We flora these at a local Starbucks. Cute, huh?
They're portion of a serial of "Been There" mugs...and who knew? Apparently, ane tin lav register too sign-in too study beingness there...wherever "there" is.
Also, we've puzzled how to bargain amongst these shelves higher upward the couch. Without doors, nosotros haven't been real successful inwards our efforts to seat materials upward at that spot too non guide keep it come upward crashing downward piece nosotros teach downward the road. There is a lip on each shelf, but non plenty to halt things from toppling over inwards a hard stop.
So nosotros looked for some tension rods. These tin lav live taken downward when we're standing still, too and therefore seat upward when nosotros desire to teach downward the road. We wondered if at that spot was plenty "tension" to jibe things inwards place. As it turns out...this works. We rode abode amongst no problems.
On our tertiary day, nosotros visited Fort Clatsop, a portion of Lewis too Clark National Historical Park.
Again, I don't guide keep a lot to say close this, too therefore I'll only exhibit you lot the pictures. This is a replica of the identify Lewis too Clark stayed during their wintertime inwards Oregon.
Here's a footling information close the structure.
And hither are some pictures of the rooms too their lean furnishings. Consider the wet, cold, rainy Pacific Northwest, too and therefore consider spending months cooped upward here. It's no wonder ane of them described this every bit a "dismal niche."
After exploring the fort, nosotros took a brusque hike out to where their canoe landing was. This portion of Oregon is the abode of the large Sitka Spruce trees. I had Mike stand upward side past times side to this ane for scale.
It was real peaceful out there. The wooden pilings you lot come across inwards the H2O at that spot are leftover remnants of the logging industry.
And I took pictures of a few footling things nosotros saw along the way. These were close the size of ball bearings.
There were silent a few wildflowers inwards bloom.
And wild berries ripening.
Cattails. I dearest cattails, fifty-fifty when they aren't attached to actual cats.
There was a fancy footbridge across the river.
And to a greater extent than peace too quiet.
On our agency back, nosotros ran into this guy.
At the visitor center, I picked upward some other fridge magnet.
From there, nosotros drove into Astoria. The town is named for Jacob Astor. He was a wealthy human being of affairs who went downward amongst the sinking of the Titanic. You tin lav come across the huge Astoria span mentioned before at that spot on the left.
Back home, I worked some to a greater extent than on my embroidery. I was able to nearly complete this slice during the calendar week amongst the aid of my footling truthful cat Sadie.
You tin lav come across how tense she is.
Now we're dorsum home, too I finished the terminal footling fleck this morning.
Here are the 5 blocks I guide keep finished therefore far. There are 4 to a greater extent than to do.
Just before leaving abode on Monday, I did the fusing for the September Tuxedo Tales block.
I'm hoping to guide keep some fourth dimension today to top-stitch the pieces too stitch inwards the details. Here, I've drawn inwards the lines too set out the buttons. I'll run upward them on last. The squirrel has a hot-fix boom caput for an eye.
When that's finished, I'll guide keep some fourth dimension to piece of occupation on a footling wall-hanging for the RV. For this, I'm putting together 2 patterns...the 5th cycle PDF from Sher Hastings Designs, too the background from the Little Camper designing from Patchabilities.
So...I promise you've enjoyed this footling tour of our week-long trip. Time to teach dorsum to business...business beingness generally sewing, but also a footling cleaning.