FRIDAY

. . . . .Went fishing again today with no results other than getting exercise hauling some stuff up from the river to get it in out of the rain that is bound to start falling one of these days. The things I removed from the sitting area were the tools that I had used when laying the paving stones. Roy, my landlord stopped by with Lexy, his dog while I was down there. He was one of the many men who ran a dredge machine in the Cowlitz right after the mountain blew so many years ago. He left for home about 2:30 and ChiChi and I followed a few minutes later. No fish, of course. http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

THURSDAY

. . . .My bowling was not the best but I did maintain my average plus one percentage point. Stopped by Safeway on the way home and spent the evening in front of the TV. If the weather holds I will take the dog to the fishing hole tomorrow. He could even be the bait. http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

WEDNESDAY

. . . . . . A cloudy day, I spent a minute on housework before breakfast; I then waited for the mood to strike that might cause me to go fishing. That came a few minutes after 11AM so I loaded the dog in the car and left. For all of the good it did me. I did read for a while and attempted to enjoy the quiet but a couple of guide boats kept buzzing by so that idea was a flop. In all honesty it turned out to be a nice day, sans fish. We stayed out for four hours until we both got hungry, I had been eating blackberries and that held me for a while. Crazy dog eats blackberries too but this year he waits for me to pick them. Last year he was picking his own if they were close enough to the ground to reach. We got home and had a snack while watching the Republican convention. I put in another thirty minutes on my stepper, great exercise! http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

TUESDAY

….. Yesterday after bowling when I went to the counter to pay the manager told me that the day’s bowling was on the house. That pleased me very much, of course and today when I took Terri to lunch I discovered that she wished to pick up the tab. I felt very lucky and blessed. Tomorrow I am going to stop by the Cadillac dealership in town to see how well he responds to my lucky charm, whatever it is. Terri and I had a nice lunch, we spent all afternoon eating and visiting. Terri is starting her winter in Hawaii early this year so she is going to be leaving town next week shortly after her family reunion at crooked River, Oregon this weekend. The big bird is going to fly her away again. Last year she was here until November and our parting did not bother me as much then because I knew I was going to Mazatlan in a few weeks. This time it will be months before I leave for the winter. Woe is me…..The drive home was nice this evening, I even experienced the outcome of the 20% chance of rain today. It never got bad enough to turn on the wipers but there was rain in the air for a mile or two. I will miss you Terri!I hope you have a wonderful winter! Hey, how can you miss? You will be in Hawaii. Rich people get all of the breaks. http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

MONDAY

. . . . . I was supposed to pick up my new glasses today so I also went bowling while in town. The bowling was fine, I averaged 152 over ten games. The low game was 109 and the high was 207. I thought the previous back trouble may get in the way but I am happy to say that was not a problem. I did notice that my broken toe was giving me fits because the Scholl's shoe inserts that I had purchased for my bowling shoes two years ago have bitten the dust. After leaving the bowling alley I bought new inserts and stopped by the optometrist for my glasses. It is very strange but they are still not right and have to be sent back again for another try. That means another week without the best possible eyesight. I am happy that the problem is not bad enough to cause headaches but the pain in the butt is almost as difficult to accept. After leaving there and stopping by Sears to pick up a Mini-Stepper I had ordered I drove to Castle Rock to visit with Ron and Caren for a while. Ron was getting a lot of exercise cleaning out the old barn they have on the property, I am happy he is doing it and not me. I then drove home and fed the dog. I also put the Mini-Stepper to good use for a half hour or so while Chichi sat back and watched. It is good exercise and I am happy to have it available since I don't seem to get out walking like I should.

SUNDAY

. . . . Today’s entry could be a copy of yesterday except there was no NASCAR. I did talk to Pepik this morning, he phoned me via Skype from Prague so he could practice his English. We talked for about thirty minutes before I begged off to go fishing. I sent him some pictures of the deer I have seen around here, he will enjoy that. This evening was popcorn, apple slices and cheese while watching a movie, I believe it was called ‘The Hot Spot’ http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

SATURDAY

. . . . The weatherman promised a nice day but it started out with a reading of 39 on my outside thermometer this morning. I hate when that happens. It turned out to be a nice day at the fishing hole though. No fish but I did get a nice nap and read a couple more chapters in my book. Dog and I got home in time to catch the start of the NASCAR race too. http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

FRIDAY

. . . . .Mel and I took my car to Olympia today to visit with the ‘Cousins’ at lunch time. It was a nice visit but we were both sorry that Coya did not attend. She is the one who set it all up and at the last minute was unable to be there. Life is like that at times. We were home by 3:30, me to feed my dog and Mel to run some errands before taking the boat out for some evening fishing. He has reported that the river is down even more than last time I was there so perhaps tomorrow I will try my luck. Ken said two more days and they will arrive, Mel reports that over two thousand were counted at the Bonneville Dam yesterday. It can’t be much longer! I hope!….I received a nice note from Natalia today. The summer weather has been acceptable and she said that the rain I thought was heavier than usual was really not. I have been following the satellite picture for the Mazatlan area and it looked like a lot of wet weather. She has been feeling well and working 23 hours a day. I exaggerate, of course. She is getting along well with her new director. That is important. I am looking forward to returning when the snow starts around here. http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

THURSDAY

. . . .I guess Fall has arrived, the outside temperature this morning was 47 degrees. Booo. I went bowling today, even with my bad back I bowled my average of 133. My back did not cause as much trouble as I had expected so I can not use that as an excuse for not doing better. On the way home I stopped by Safeway for some groceries and to fill my gas tank. With my discount I only paid $3.56 per gallon. Still a lot more than a gallon of milk. http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

Wednesday

……I stayed around home today waiting for my back pain to go away. I want the pain gone by tomorrow when I go bowling. I don’t think that will happen though. If my bowling suffers it will only start me off with a very high handicap for the winter league. At least I will have a target to shoot at as the winter progresses. http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

TUESDAY

. . . . .I made no effort to go fishing today because although my back was better I felt it best to not push things too much. As the day wore on I found that the pain returned and even though the weather turned out great I was glad I stayed inside. I did walk to the mailbox to mail a card to Terri but that was the total of my exercise for the day. I will apply some more Hot and Icy this evening; it helps a lot. I want to be able to bowl on Thursday and going fishing tomorrow is not out of the question either. We shall see. http://celford52.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/celford52

MONDAY

…….I visited my optometrist this morning to verify that my complaint had merit.  The new lenses were manufactured with the wrong prescription in the right side. They failed with the prism value. A new lens is to be made and picked up next week. In the meantime I will continue seeing two headlights on motorcycles and four headlights on automobiles. I finally remembered pulling a muscle in my back several days ago and attribute that to my present discomfort; enough so that I am not planning on going to the fishing hole for a while. I hope to be feeling well enough to attend the first day of winter bowling on Thursday. I am comfortable sitting in front of the TV but that can’t last long. A couple hundred channels to choose from and over a thousand movies just can’t keep me happy. I am catching up on my reading though. And the afternoon nap today was welcome too.

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SUNDAY

. . . . . .Raining this morning, or misting; take your pick. In any case it was wet and cool. The roads were wet when I drove in to the bowling alley but by the time I came home things were bright and cheerful. Except for my bowling: I averaged my average of 133 for six lines. I would have bowled longer but for some reason my back was killing me and I though six lines was enough. I was surprised I maintained my 133 average. After bowling ChiChi and I drove to the Teigen’s to deliver some magazines and visit for a while. Caren served us all [Ruby, Colter, Ron and I} a bowl of ‘dirt and worms’. Tasted very good. Chocolate pudding and graham crackers mixed together with gummy worms crawling through it. I ate only half a worm, they are too sweet for my liking. ChiChi had a good time and allowed Ron to pet him at one point. He also pooped on their kitchen floor. I can’t take that dog anywhere. I spent the evening with a heat pad on my back. It did not seem to help. Lets see what tomorrow may bring.

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SATURDAY

. . . .ChiChi and I were at the fishing hole today but after an hour and a half we returned home. It was getting too cool and as a matter of fact I had to turn on the windshield wipers before pulling into the garage. It turned out to be a cool day beside the river and I forgot to take my book along.

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FRIDAY

. . . . .The dog and I spent four hours at the fishing hole today enjoying the cool temps and even a nap. The fish were not biting but that can’t be a problem because the peacefulness of it all makes catching a fish unnecessary. We might give it a try again tomorrow.

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THURSDAY

. . . .I had my car out of the shop early enough to make it to bowling with no trouble. The bowling itself was very bad, I averaged only 128 for the three games. My coordination was way off, couldn’t seem to do anything right. Next week starts Winter League, I hope I can show some improvement between now and next spring. . . .  Very nice weather today, it got up to 85 degrees in my place [I don’t have AC] and I handled it well. Tomorrow is to be as nice, it’s about time!

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WEDNESDAY

. . . .. By 9AM I had taken my car up the hill to R&R for transmission servicing and oil change. Ray drove me home and promised to call as soon as the work was finished. I waited all day to start the laundry, I did not want the washing machine or dryer to be running while I was not home. They called about the car at 4:15 and told me it would not be ready until tomorrow morning. They promised I could have it in time to get to the bowling alley and that was all I needed it for so I didn’t complain. I did get the laundry done, folded and put away by 6:15.  We enjoyed a nice warm day around here today, I hope it lasts for at least another 4 months. After that I will be I Mazatlan, if all goes well.

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TUESDAY

. . . . Had lunch with the gang of ‘52’ at noon then stopped by the bowling alley. I bowled 143 average for ten lines. I would have bowled more but I thought the 143 was about as good as it was going to get today so I quit and went to Wal-Mart. I picked up my new lenses for my glasses today, I am not happy with them but the lady behind the counter said I will get used to the new strength in a day or so. I hope that is the case because right now I would do better with the old lenses. I got home around three PM and fed the old dog. He didn’t eat though. I usually put cheese chunks on his food and today I failed to do that. After I fixed my own snack, including cheese I added a little to his meal and then everything was fine again. Dumb dog.. . . .I forgot to mention that I saw my first Bald Eagle of the season yesterday. He was not as large as the one last year  but still a beautiful sight!

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MONDAY

. . . .I accomplished nothing today. ChiChi and I spent four hours at the fishing hole reading and enjoying the cool river breeze. We watched a boat drifting by hook into a salmon and pull it aboard. It was pulled in on the opposite side of the boat from us so there was no way to tell how large it was. It was not a quick catch so I am guessing it was a bit hefty. We left about 4PM and headed home for a much needed shower and some dinner.

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SUNDAY

. . . .ChiChi and I spent part of the afternoon at the fishing hole again. Mel was there and we visited until 3PM but I became hungry and we left about that time to get home to some dinner. The weather was warm today but it was nice in the shade next to the river. There was a lot of traffic on the water, inner tube riding and lots of kayaks. A couple of guys were fishing but I was surprised there were not more. The water seems clearer so perhaps we will try again tomorrow.

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Saturday

. . . . . . The dog and I spent three hours at the fishing hole today. I saw a couple of guide boats with fishermen aboard but saw no fish. I did a little reading and generally enjoyed the cool breeze. I doubt the temperature reached 75 at riverside. It was relaxing, the river still leaves a bit to be desired as far as clearness is concerned but it is fishable.

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FRIDAY

While driving back from the bowling alley today I noticed the river is clearing. Perhaps that is where I will be tomorrow. Today I bowled 1489 pins during ten lines. That is pretty good for me, I hope to maintain an average of 150 and this is a good start.

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THURSDAY

. . . . Things went well at the bowling alley today, 147-154-164=155. That is one of the best league days I have ever had. Now I have to keep it up! After bowling I stopped by the Teigen’s for a visit. Ron was busy in the yard with the leaf blower but took a break for a few minutes. Caren and Colt had gone into town this afternoon so I was unable to say hi to them. I only stayed a few minutes because I had not left the door open for ChiChi and wanted to get home before he had a fit in the house all by himself. He was hungry by the time I arrived but it was time to be hungry, I feed him each day at about 3PM. The temperature never reached 80 around here today. It was a nice day to be fishing but the river is still a mess. The Toutle River is causing all the trouble, it looks like a river of concrete. The powers that be are working on the silt dam and causing a lot of the silt to head for lower elevation.

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WEDNESDAY

. . . . I returned to the bowling alley again today and threw 15 lines. My average for the day was only 130 but I did toss a few good ones in the bunch. The river was not ready for fishing and I will check that out again on Friday. Tomorrow is league bowling so lets see how well I do!

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TUESDAY

. . . . .I had the laundry in early this morning and while that was happening I read my email and my news sites. After putting the laundry away I had a sandwich  and decided to spend the rest of the day at the fishing hole. ChiChi and I jumped in the car and down the hill we went. I didn’t pay much attention to the color of the water until after I had my lure all ready to toss out. I spent about ten seconds deciding that I would be happier at the bowling alley. The water is not really bad but it did not look the way I would want, and further, I saw no one else fishing. I then drove home with the idea of changing clothes and going bowling. I stopped by the refrigerator for a piece of chocolate candy and noticed something was drastically wrong. The refrigerator was dead. The motor was running but there was no cold at all. The stuff in the freezer was thawed so it had to have been ‘out’ for some time. I told Roy about it and he told me he would give me the garage fridge he keeps his beer in. The dead one had been installed in September of 1980. We made the switch and after I cleaned the ‘new’ one I stocked it with what stuff I had. Too bad he didn’t leave the beer in it though.. . .Long story short, I got enough exercise cleaning out the fridge to feel I had had enough for the day. The temperature was not too bad today but I did work up a sweat scrubbing that critter down. It appeared to be a garage fridge alright, never cleaned as far as I could tell. It is looking good now though!

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MONDAY

. . . .I stopped by the Pharmacy today to get stocked up on more meds then drove the West Side Hwy to Kelso and the bowling alley. My first five games were 130-128-149-171-124 which gave me a 140 average. I was pleased with that. I was starting my 6^th game when Ernie, the guy who gave me all of that help two years ago, including his old size 10 bowling shoes walked up to me with a shinny bowling ball in his hands. He has recently inherited a new ball and offered me his old one free for nothing. It is not a perfect fit but the next five games I bowled with it produced 158-170-156-189-203= a 175 average. I was so excited that I bowled another five lines just to see what I could do when tired, 153-160-116-151-118= a 140 average. My total average for the 15 lines was 152. That was a great day of bowling for me! I am excited to see if I do as well on Thursday at the league games. I now have Ernie’s shoes and ball, if only I could work up to his score! . . . . I was up late last night watching the NASA Mars landing, really exciting and I was watching it live on the computer so I didn’t have to sit through those commercials. I have to admit I did not believe such a complicated landing attempt would work, I predicted a big crash and dead Rover. That shows how much I know, again! I wonder if I should predict it finds proof of former life on the planet! Naw, I won’t go that far because I am usually wrong about things like that.. . . .I delivered ChiChi to the vet this afternoon for a final checkup on his left rear knee, it is going to be a long time before he can use the leg, if ever. The vet does not want to apply another splint because he will just chew it and his foot off again. He does not seem to be in a lot of pain as long as he does not attempt to walk on that leg.

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SUNDAY

. . . . Doggy and I spent four hours at the fishing hole today. We didn’t catch any fish but the book I was reading was exciting so all went well.

We got back to the house about 4PM and relaxed for the balance of the evening.

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SATURDAY

. . . . . Terri Lynn and I had a great adventure today. The original plan was to drive to the beach but I mentioned stopping in Willamania, Oregon because it was the name of a town I remembered as a kid. A really young kid too. We had lunch there and toured the local museum and a couple of other places that looked like fun. There had been a brochure in the restaurant that mentioned a local falls we though we might like to drive to on the way [out of the way] toward Lincoln City so we drove in that direction. The sign was very small but Terri Lynn spotted it soon enough for us to be able to turn around and get on the little, narrow ‘road’ to Niagara Falls, Oregon. It was five miles of Thunderbird cruelty at no time exceeding ten miles per hour. When we arrived thirty minutes later we were surprised to see two other vehicles at the trail head. And swarms of flies. And one very tired lady who had just returned from the one mile hike to the falls who showed us pictures she had taken at the site. There is not enough water in the stream this time of year to produce a ‘falls’ that is worth a one mile hike in thongs and 100 degree heat to bother with. We ended up taking pictures of the path going toward the falls then proceeded to return to paved highway. We bought gasoline in Hebo, Oregon and found traffic at a standstill just North of Lincoln City before making a u-turn and heading back to  Canby. I was too tired when getting home Saturday night to post this blog so it became my first chore of Sunday morning. There was more to report about Saturday but suffice it to say that it was a great adventure. We never did get to walk on the cool sand we started out for.

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FRIDAY

. . . .. ChiChi and I spent four hours at the fishing hole today, most of the pavement blocks are in place so all we did was sit and read waiting for the non fish to bite. The weather was great, about 70 degrees in the shade, can’t beat that! It’s a great life!

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THURSDAY

. . . .It has been a very lazy day for me. I did get to the bowling alley and bowled my average then stopped by Safeway on the way home. The weather is nice but far from warm, warmer is expected tomorrow from what I hear. The sun dropped below the cloud level early this evening, made for a nice ending of the day.

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WEDNESDAY

. . . .This ended up being a very lazy day. I was late getting out of bed because I was late last night getting into bed. I did help Mel get his boat out of the water but that only took about an hour of my time. After I got back to the house I had a nap and awoke from that about fifteen minutes before O'Reilly came on. The weather turned very nice around 5pm but of course I was not about to go out and enjoy it, I didn't seem to have the energy. Tomorrow is bowling day therefore I have to get my beauty sleep so I will be ready for the exercise.

TUESDAY

. . . .I got home from the Bar-B-Que after 11 PM last night. We all had a good time and the T-Bone steaks were really appreciated. Ben does a great job with the Mesquite charcoal he uses. I didn’t even think of posting the blog although I did have the TV on while eating a sugar cookie with a glass of milk before going to bed. Now a new day has arrived so we shall see what adventures await.

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