Adventures in South Carolina - Part 1

In November we made our escape to see Laurie and Tom in their new home in South Carolina. The same nursing student looked after my mom so again we were able to relax on that end. The first day there we had the typical southern rain fall - no dodging drops of rain there. We wanted to find something to do indoors so after some discussion I suggested the Catawba Cultural Center since the Catawba Tribe is famous for their pottery. Well lets just say the center was interesting - empty, but interesting. I snapped a picture of the group outside the entrance, but Tom was a bit nervous since the parking lot was empty.
The ancient bead work is very interesting and so time consuming. I just never knew Sesame Street dated back to tribal times.
To finish the day we were looking for some information on the Anne Springs Close Greenway. Laurie being a brave soul walked right into some ones front door. Actually it was part of the office for the Greenway, but we were not sure and it was hilariously funny.

Octoberfest with Kathy and Ian

Laurits and I were able to sneak away for a much needed weekend to visit Kathy and Ian. We had a wonderful nursing student from George Fox come and help my mom so I was able to relax knowing she was well cared for.
While we were there we enjoyed a fabulous day in Levenworth. It was their Octoberfest weekend so it was crowded but we enjoyed the whole atmosphere. I think we eat our way from one end of the town to the other. Kathy has all the pictures in her camera sooooooooo I have nothing to show - (Kathy I thought you were sharing some pictures).
On our way out of town we stopped at the Stocker Farms Corn Maze and deceided to try our skills at navigating the puzzle. This was a big risk because if we had gotten hopelessly lost it would have made us very late getting home. We asked some people how long it took and the average seemed to be about 30 minutes. We set a goal of 15 minutes - and thanks to Ian's and my excellent map reading skills we made it in 18 minutes. Had we not made on wrong turn (I am sure it was at Laurits or Kathy's suggestion) we would have made it in 15 minutes.

What a Difference a Year Makes; or Not

November 16th 2007 my Mom's life as well as Laurits and mine changed forever. Mom was in a head on collision that at the time threatened her life. She has a determination and a will to live that served her well and today she continues to enjoy much of the things she used to do. Thankfully painting which gives her the most enjoyment is something she is still able to do today.

So here she was August 2007 in front of the Woodburn Art Center.

Here she is in her studio after the accident still painting

She even won honerable mention in a juried show at the art center; and what makes that award even sweeter is the painting she entered were ones she had done after the accident.

October 7th - 30 Years

On October 7th we celebrated 30 years of marriage. This is a real accomplishment, but with out getting too sappy I can't think of anyone that I would have rather gone through all the ups and downs of life with. I think we have a true friendship that has endured the trials of everyday life. I thought you would all enjoy seeing how we looked 30 years ago; and although we look a little older (maybe a bit shell shocked) we are still a couple today. Laurits, thanks for 30 years of being by my side.

Motley Mill Creek Crew

We recently had the pleasure of hosting (from left to right) our son-in-law Ian and two of his friends Bobby and Bart for a weekend of extreme mountain biking at "Black Rock" just south of where we live. This is an area inside the National Forest - Coast Range that has been cultivated for some wild mountain bike rides. During the summer season the forest service even runs a truck to ferry riders to the top so they can get in more rides. I snapped this before photo before they left and had fully intended to take an after picture, but unfortunately they returned home to a minor crisis; no pump for the well which meant no showers. After a short amount of time the guys managed to pull off a "MacGyver" type feat where they were able to run water from the neighbors outside faucet to our house thus by-passing the well. Though it was dark, hence no after pictures, everyone was able to shower and we all ate a nice dinner. We look forward to hosting you all again. This time Ian take my camera so you can take photos and videos from the course.

Barn Improvements

So living in Oregon we seem to experience wet winters, and when we built our barn we failed to take into consideration the direction the wind would blow the rain.  This resulted in it becoming necessary to close all the big doors on the barn to keep the rain from soaking the aisle.  Hmmmmm why not put a porch on the barn so the door can be open?  That is exactly what we did.  We called our barn builder and told him what we wanted and asked him to come up with something that would look attractive as well as provide the functionality we wanted.  The result is awesome and we love the new look of the barn.

Here is a better picture of the bench. It is so relaxing to sit out in the barn and enjoy the crisp evenings. There is room for guests so come a "sit a spell" at the Osterud ranch!

Operation Chipmunk

So some of you know that I started my morning well intending to be at work on time, but oh know the woodland creatures saw to it that would change. I was about to make my lunch for work when I noticed that Boris the cat had caught a chipmunk who was not dead yet, but was on his back twitching. I was very unhappy about this, but I at first decided to let nature take its course (but oh no I could not leave it at that). I tried to ignore what was happening outside my patio door and make my lunch, when out of the corner of my eye I saw the chipmunk flip over and attempt to scurry away. Now it was time to make my move, so I race to the door to yell at the cat to drop the now recaptured critter. As I slid the door open wide the cat ran in with the chipmunk in his clutches and I am sure I yell something and he reacted by dropping the chipmunk. Oh great so now the chipmunk sees he is free and is racing around my kitchen climbing cabinets and I am running around trying to follow where he is going. Then the unthinkable….he finds the one and only hole in my kitchen and disappears inside. Oh crap!!!!!! So not knowing quite what to do I call my fearless neighbor who is an animal lover like me. I believe her first reaction was to laugh, but then she came over. We bravely opened cupboards but soon realized the little chipmunk was trapped between the sub-floor and the cabinets. I soon began dismantling the cabinets, but I did stop short of removing the counter top. We tried a yard stick to flush him out but he hung on in the corner. We even tried to get him to stick to the yardstick with duct tape, but that didn't work either. So Kathy suggested I go to work and she would go to the farm store and get a live-trap for chipmunks complete with bait. So long story longer…………… she set the trap and our little friend left his hiding spot and took the bait. Kathy took him down to the woods and he let loose some grateful squeaks as she let him loose. She did snap his picture before letting him go. I Love a Happy Ending  I owe Kathy big time, and for today I will a vow not to rescue any more woodland creatures….of course tomorrow is another day.