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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MONDAY

. . . .Mondays always seem to spoil a nice weekend. . . . I had my laundry in the washing machine by 7:15 this morning, that should be worth a brownie button or two. . . . it is a good feeling to have that job all caught up. I thought about fishing today but that river is still not clean enough to get me excited. Bowling was an option but I just felt too lazy for that so I sat around the house watching the Olympics and getting fat. . . . . I flew my simulator Cessna 172 around McMinnville, Oregon today, just to have the practice in case I do decide to try flying lessons. . . .  I will try to stay awake through the commercials long enough to watch some more Olympic action tonight.

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SUNDAY

  This afternoon turned out to present this part of the world with nice weather. There were a lot of clouds but the temperature did get to a comfortable 72 by about 3PM. I bowled ten lines today, knocking over 1384 pins for my troubles. I did scratch three very good lines and three others I will not mention. I certainly am a slow learner. If I decide to let Mr. Daryl Self teach me to fly I am hoping it won't take as much time as bowling is taking. I am thinking strongly about phoning him and making some arrangements along those lines. I will wait for a while though, I want to get through the Tuesday afternoon BBQ in Canby before starting something else. Too much excitement is not good for one. This evening I will try to watch some more of the Olympics but I always want to fall asleep when the commercials come on. I know I will stay awake until I have eaten all of the popcorn I am planning on making.

SATURDAY

. . . .I spent over three hours at the river today. I had a lure out in the water working for me but I think the river is still too dirty to attract fish without smelly bait. I used the time to install 24 more paving blocks and to determine that two more are needed to complete the job. We could use eight more but the fear is that getting them too far away from the bank may cause erosion during high water. No need to make a large sitting area if it is going to have to be reengineered each spring. I was home and cleaned up by 4pm. The rest of the evening will be spent watching the Olympics until the commercials put me to sleep.

I watched the Olympics opening ceremonies until they started advertising their National Health Service as part of the program. That turned me off, I wonder who they are trying to sell socialized Medicine to.

FRIDAY

 I started out the day driving into town to pick up my new lenses for my glasses but discovered when attempting to put them in the present frames that they were 'grooved' incorrectly and do not fit the frame. Boo. They have been returned to the people who made them and I can expect a phone call when they are correct. Hopefully soon but I have no idea when 'soon' is. They will phone me. After that I stopped by the bowling alley just to see how I felt about trying it again. Today I paid little attention to my results except for the final tally which was a 137 average over 15 lines. I have to feel good about that because my summer league average is 133. I did notice several of the games were quit good and that pleased me but I become upset with myself when more of them are not 'better'.

The river is showing a lot of improvement and I expect to visit the fishing hole again tomorrow to see if the water might be clear enough to try fishing. It was late afternoon today before the clouds disappeared and it was never 'warm'. Maybe summer will start again tomorrow. We will see!

THURSDAY

. . . .I did accomplish everything that was on my agenda today. However my bowling results had a certain odor about them when all was said and done. My average for the three games was 118. I  took my comforter to the laundry-mat this afternoon, that has been on my mind for some time so I feel good about putting that behind me. My plan was to get my flight simulator up and running but it looks like that will have to wait until tomorrow, my get up and go seems to have gotten up and gone. I have felt all afternoon that I was in great need of a nap. I don't know what that is all about but perhaps after a good sleep tonight I will be back in form tomorrow.

The weather did turn out to be acceptable this afternoon but it did not look good this morning. As a matter of fact while driving up the hill to my haircut appointment my windshield misted up for a few minutes. I am happy that did not last.

My Protime checked out fine, I don't have to return for another six weeks.

WEDNESDAY

. . . .This was a great day…..For Christmas last year Terri bought me what turned out to be a flying lesson. It was not until today that we were able to schedule it so we could both go on the ride. The airplane was a Cessna 182 1969 model. My flight simulator has a 172 that I had been ‘practicing’ on and believe it or not I was impressed with how familiar I was with the instrument panel when I entered the plane.  As it turned out Terri was not feeling well enough to go up but I was very happy to do so. I was able to sit in the plane at the pilots position during the flight and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The instructor was good at letting me do most of the flying after we got to our 1500 ft altitude. We flew twice around downtown Portland and I took some pictures while he was at the controls. He asked me if I wanted to circle one more time and I told him no, I wanted to have control of the plane again. He laughed and allowed me to fly back to the airport in McMinnville down to 800 feet during the landing pattern at which time he took over. I was allowed to have my hands and feet lightly handle the controls while he did the actual landing [and takeoff]. It was a great adventure! After the flight Terri and I drove back to Beaverton for dinner at the Outback Steak house and after the commuter traffic died down I drove home. The drive home was very nice but the approach to the bridge at the Columbia River was slow as could be. It took me an hour to get from the Steak house to the middle of the bridge. I didn’t care one bit, it was a first rate day! Thanks , Terri!

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TUESDAY

. . . .It looked like rain so I washed my car. There is no rain in the forecast but that can be negated at any moment around here. I washed away the Jiffy Lube Sucks sign I had painted on the rear window. It is still there but in smaller letters. It is also on the rear bumper but the stuff I used blends in so well with the color of the car that it is hard to see. I may get a different colored marker and try again. Last Friday Caren welcomed another Birthday so I took her out to lunch today to celebrate. I had a nice Senior Steak and she ordered a Philly sandwich, half of which she took home to Ron. We had a nice visit and I got home to ChiChi about 2PM. It has been another nice day, the temperature was below 80 and there was a nice breeze blowing. On the way home I considered going by the bowling alley but my heart was not in it. I decided  a nap was in the cards. That turned out to be the correct decision.

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MONDAY

. . . . I returned to the bowling alley today and spent over three hours trying to convince myself that I will some day be able to bowl a decent series of three lines. I was able to squeeze a 148 average out of a total of 15 lines today. I was so surprised at the 148 that I ran it through my calculator twice just to make sure. Five of the lines were over 150, that really cheered me up! Perhaps I am [slowly] catching on!

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SUNDAY

. . . .I spent over four hours at the fishing hole today, not to be fishing because the river is too dirty for that but I did plant a couple dozen more pavement stones in the sitting area. It was threatening rain most of the day but it never materialized, thank you, God. Sunday evening I enjoyed a movie with a bowl of popcorn and apple slices. It was a good day. Most of them are.

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SATURDAY

. . . . . The river is really a lot worse today so I decided to bowl a while. It took three hours to bowl 15 lines and only three of the games were anything to brag about. I ended up averaging 130 for the day.

There have been two dozen paving bricks delivered to the dike so that is where I will be tomorrow, with today's warm weather it should be dry enough down there to get more work done. I doubt there will be a lot of fishing though.

FRIDAY

. . . . .ChiChi and I spent over three hours at the fishing hole today. I had a ‘spin and glow’ working off a 4 ounce sinker in rather murky water.

No fish were caught and I spent most of the time laying more pavement blocks in the seating area of the fireplace. There was a slight rain falling when we left that I had not noticed because I was under the trees while placing the blocks. I realized how lucky I was to have left when I did after the drive home. The rain was really coming down for a few minutes before I got back to the house! The rest of the evening was dinner and watching TV until I went to bed to read myself to sleep. At 7PM the sun was shining brightly.

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THURSDAY

.  . . . Bowling was pretty bad today, I averaged 128, had little control of the ball. Nothing I was using yesterday worked today. Bowling, ugh!. . . .   I stopped by my optometrist this afternoon and ordered new lenses for my eyeglasses. I have a cataract developing in my left eye and although the new glasses will give me 20-20 vision for now that may not be the case in another year. The right eye seems fine. Life in the big city, they say. Great weather today, I hope is lasts for several years.

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WEDNESDAY

. . . .The flow rate at the river has taken a quick plunge but because of the snow melt or work on the silt dam the Toutle river is pouring a lot of dirty water into the Cowlitz just north of Castle Rock. I didn’t even try to check out the fishing hole today. I did go bowling and after 10 lines left with a 147 average. If I were to remove my worse game from the records my average would be 151 for the day……I felt good about that. I stopped by the Teigen’s place on the way home, Caren was trying to take a nap but did visit while I was there. I was getting hungry again [it is never ending] so I headed for home after a short visit. Tomorrow is League day so it will be interesting to see if I can continue the bowling that I was doing today.

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TUESDAY

. . . . The river is still high and dirty so I drove into town to do some shopping and to bowl 13 lines. I intended to bowl more but I was doing so poorly that I quit early. My average for the 13 lines was 125, not too hot, to say the least. Rain is expected tonight [maybe] so I may not make it to the fishing hole tomorrow either. More paving bricks have been delivered and if there is no mud and no rain I may continue that project but I will wait until after lunch tomorrow to make the decision.

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MONDAY

. . . .The weather was just right for fishing today; the problem was dirty water in the river and no fish biting. ChiChi and I laid concrete tile on the deck of the sitting area but ran out of them very quickly. More are to be delivered in a day or so. We stayed three hours and would have stayed longer if I had remembered to bring my book. The book helps the time go by while fishing in a nonproductive river. Perhaps we will try again tomorrow.

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SUNDAY

. . . .I was tired enough to sleep until 7:30 this morning. That is rare since the sun has been coming up so early these days. There were about 35 people at the Larsen Breakfast this morning. It broke up about 9:45 and I was on my way home by 10:00. It was a three hour drive and the only rain I found was after getting off I-5 at Pleasant Hill Road.  ChiChi was happy to see me but after a few minutes he found a new bone that Ray’s dog had finished with so that had all of his attention. I down loaded my many pictures of the weekend and will edit them before forwarding them to the Bride and Groom. I saved over 300 pics and several of them are really nice. I am sure she will like the entire collection. She is like that!  

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SATURDAY

. . . . Ron and Caren were sleeping in today so I had breakfast by myself after finding a service station and filling the T-Bird with another tank of gas. The temp. was 64 with a lot of cloud cover this morning. Later I had lunch with them when the Teigen's went out for breakfast. After lunch Caren and Ron took the kids to the pool. I wandered around the hotel looking for more of the Larsen Clan but was not successful. I took a much needed nap this afternoon and woke up shortly after 3PM. There were several short rain showers while all of this was going on. We left the hotel near 4:30 to attend the Wedding. Things went well for the Bride and Groom. I took a ton of pictures and after I delete the bad ones I will email the rest to Bride Kari. Not that she will need them, there were more than a dozen other cameras recording all that was happening. The Teigen’s and I got back to the hotel at 9PM. I was pretty well worn out and I am sure most of the people [about 150] who were there felt the same way. It was an outdoor wedding and there was not a drop of rain to fall, a great day for the Bride!

FRIDAY

. . . . The drive to Bothell was uneventful. The weather was just right and the traffic [except for the Seattle area] moved along very well.  I arrived at 3PM and checked in expecting Caren and Ron to have already arrived. That was not the case however. Enjoyed lots of thunder and lightning about 4PM, the rain really poured down for a while. I left for the potluck about 5:45 and met Ron and Caren just arriving at the Hotel, they looked beat. They told me the traffic through the Seattle area was awful. I must have missed it by minutes. I got back from the potluck about 7:30 and talked to Ron and Caren for a few minutes before getting at my blog and chess games. It was a good day, nice drive.

THURSDAY

. . . . Averaged 138 for three lines of league bowling today. That should lower my 76 Handicap a little bit. Arrived home at 3PM and loaded up the clothes washer for the heck of it.Took a break for lunch and finished the laundry about 5 Pm. ChiChi is still favoring his leg but feeling fine, he is in a good mood until I put the head cone on him and apply the Scarlet Oil. Each morning when I remove the cone he goes after the itchy but healing foot.

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WEDNESDAY

. . . . I had a great day, didn’t go fishing but I did drive to Portland to pick up Terri and we spent the afternoon with Jean and Ben to celebrate their Birthdays. We had a nice meal at the Hill Top Café in Canby with plenty of conversation. We can always count on a lot of conversation when Ben is around. He has been every where and done everything. A fun time just sitting and listening to his stories. I was home by 10:45, just in time to feed my dog before he went to bed. It was another great day, not too warm and not too cool. Just the way I like it!

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TUESDAY

. . . .Wonderful weather today, reminds me a lot of Mazatlan in the winter. A little over 70 degrees and a nice breeze coming in off the coast. I bowled 15 lines this afternoon after enjoying a great lunch with the gang of ‘52’. My average for the 15 lines was 135, nothing spectacular but I think I am slowly learning how to bowl. It certainly is taking long enough!

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MONDAY

.....It was  a nice day for fishing and building the floor at the fire pit. Didn't catch a fish of course but I did get a few more pavement stones placed and continued reading the book I bought the last time I was in Powells Books.r.

I took a half hour out of my busy schedule to wash the car this evening. I want it to look nice for Friday when I drive to Bothell to the Larsen Family gathering and wedding.

The vet gave ChiChi some pain medicine to see if that will help him use that lame leg, I don't think it will work though. Too much time has gone by. He does not seem to be in a lot of pain when he carries the leg around, he follows me everywhere I go while at the river.

My Monday night fluff is on TV tonight so I will stay up later than usual to watch those commercials. It was a beautiful day, I love this weather.

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SUNDAY

. . . . .ChiChi and I arrived at the river about 11:30 today. I did a lot of digging and leveling of the seating area, it is ready to place more pavement tiles as soon as they arrive. The exercise was good for me and I also read for a while, as well as relax and watch the many ‘drifters’ going down river. It was a warm Sunday and that always brings out the inner tubes and kayaks. I saw a lot of sunburn being made today. We got home about 4PM and after eating half of his dinner the dog took a nap. A couple of hours later he came out and ate the remaining half then fell asleep next to the computer desk. It was really a very nice day.

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SATURDAY

. . . . ChiChi and I spent four hours at the fishing hole this afternoon. Didn’t get any bites but I was able to place all eleven of the paving stones that were there. It looks like maybe fifty more will cover the sitting area leaving a slope to the river for rain run off. We got back about 4PM and the first thing the dog did was remind me it was dinner time and five minutes later he was in bed snoring his little head off. He does a good job of getting around with three legs but it does take a lot of energy. There was a bit of excitement about one quarter mile downstream from us. It appeared that a rescue team was hauling a human body  out of the river. I have no other information and am not really sure what I saw. It looked serious and it was a Coast Guard helicopter. Those aircraft are very rare around here.

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FRIDAY

. . . . I played on the computer this morning, got some bills paid and my email answered. ChiChi is sleeping a lot but was proud of himself for running a deer out of the yard this morning. He did it three legged too! The deer was calm while we were twenty yards away but once the dog began his approach the deer bounced across the lawn and dissolved into the trees next door. At 11AM I ate some lunch and took doggy to the river. We were there by 11:30 and arrived home at 4:30. I got  a lot of exercise preparing the sitting area at the fire pit for concrete paving blocks. Hopefully the final project will leave a deck with a downward slope to it. I  have every intention of take my time and enjoy it as a hobby and not hard work. The weather was really nice today, I think the temperature at the river was about 72. That is great working weather. No fish, of course, nothing new there. I carried the paving blocks down the dike one at a time and the doggy followed my every step. When we got home I fed him right away and after getting out of the shower I found him sound asleep at the side of the bed. One tired pup! Looks like nice weather through Tuesday so we may spend more time down there.

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THURSDAY

. . . .Bowling day. 133-150-137.A 140 average beats my 133 as a summer leaguer. ChiChi is resting a lot but feels much better since I removed the cone from around his head. Applying the Scarlet Oil is not easy because he fights anything to do with his leg but I will not give up, it will be applied even if I do have to mop the floor each time.

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WENDESDAY

. . . . . .The little doggy got a lot of sleep last night and again before noon today. I spent time with my flight simulator after breakfast and enjoyed watching beautiful weather develop outside my window. It is hard to beat blue skies and puffy white clouds floating by. I drove over to Caren and Ron’s place for a BBQ this afternoon. They came up with some tasty steaks and hamburgers, as usual. Caren sent me home with enough leftovers for another large meal tomorrow. I left the doggy behind because I thought too much excitement would not help him heal. When I got home I removed the gauze on his foot and applied some Scarlet Oil to his foot and the wound inside his left groin area. I attempted to give him water and food afterward but he was having nothing to do with me by that time. He hates to be handled when he is not in a good mood, most other times too, as a matter of fact. I checked on him at 6:30 and he was snoring soundly under the bed. I will attempt to offer him food and water later in the evening.

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TUESDAY

. . . .I bowled 15 lines today and came out of it with a 131 average. Perhaps I will do better on Thursday.  After getting home from that embarrassment I loaded the doggy in the car and ran him up to the Vet appointment. That splint had to come off because it was wearing his crotch raw to the point of bleeding. The vet had trouble getting the splint off and ChiChi was really complaining while I held him through the ordeal. I have a small container of Scarlet Oil that I am to apply once daily and we are to return to the vet next Monday. He was getting along fine without having to wear the cone but now he has bad wearing on his skin near his ankle and he can not be licking at his wounds for a while. He can not eat or drink on his own while wearing the cone  so I will be helping him out with that for a few days. The vet said he will heal quickly but the leg will never be the same again; the splint was to have been on for three weeks and without any promises after that. He is home and resting, we will see what tomorrow will bring. The fireworks tomorrow night will send him into orbit I am sure.

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MONDAY

. . . . Spent four hours at the fishing hole today, no fish again but there was also no rain. However the rain part will change tomorrow so I guess I will go bowling again. Got home about four today and ate a light dinner [still full from yesterday] and played on the computer for a while this evening before my Monday night stupid stuff came on TV.

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SUNDAY

. . . . .I had a very nice visit with Terri Lynn this afternoon, we had a lot of catching up to do since we last saw each other in November. After a long lunch and lots of conversation we went to Powell’s books where I found a copy of Tale of Two Cities. I have been wanting to read that for some time but never could find a copy at a price I was willing to pay. Until now. I arrived home about 8PM and was happy to find that ChiChi had not destroyed his splint. I had purposely not put his cone on him because I really felt he was going to behave himself; especially since I had applied some hot dried spices to the duct tape that was wrapped around the foot end of the splint. You were a good boy, ChiChi!

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SATURDAY

. . . .I could not help myself today; I returned to the bowling alley and bowled ten lines. The first five gave me a  143 average and I bowled a 138 during the second five lines. That was not too bad for a kid! I got home about two o’clock and was happy to see that ChiChi did not chew on his splint while I was away. I had decided to test him without the cone around his neck. I will try that again one day.

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FRIDAY

 . . . . .I bowled 15 lines today but only came home with a 133 average. Very disappointing, but I will continue to embarrass myself more or less daily just to see what comes of it all. Doggy is not happy with the cone and fights me each time I put it on him. It is a shame but he has no intention of not chewing at the splint at every opportunity. Eighteen days [and nights] to go, ChiChi.

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THURSDAY

. . . ..  Westport radar displayed a large rain front off the coast this morning. Summer is not going to last too long again! The last 48 hours have been it, I’m afraid. Such as it was. I made the mistake of going bowling today. 106-117-108. I have no idea what is going on. I can do nothing right with that bowling ball. Since it is a light ball and fits my hand so well I have decided to learn to bowl with it regardless of my lousy scores. Perhaps with years of practice I can improve. That would be nice.

ChiChi is trying his best to not chew on the leg splint but I can’t trust him out of my sight. I put the cone on him each time I leave the house. He is becoming more and more unhappy when he sees me getting close with that thing in my  hand. That rain front arrived late afternoon today, light showers before sunset.

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WEDNESDAY

. . . . .ChiChi and I went fishing for a couple of hours this afternoon. I thought I would have to carry him up and down the dike but he mastered the stairs and the path very well all by himself, thank you. He is unable to jump in the car but he jumped out quickly enough when we got home. I removed the cone long enough to feed him and give him water but the minute I left the room he was tearing at the splint again. He always sits in my lap while I watch O’Reilly on TV and I had to lift him again today, of course. He was very uncomfortable and could not find his ‘spot’ but he stayed the whole hour. After I left the chair and started this blog entry he laid down beside me and is snoring at the present. Tomorrow is bowling, I hope to do well but you have heard that story before!

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TUESDAY

. .  ..  .I bowled 12 lines today and averaged only 131. Took doggy to the vet and had a splint applied to his left leg, X-rays showed torn ligaments. He spent all afternoon chewing at the foot end of the splint so I drove to Pet Co for a cone collar to keep him from that little activity. Of course he had the cone removed before we got home so I put it on him again. We will see how long it lasts this time. He had to be ‘knocked out’ in order for the x-rays to be taken so he has not been in a good mood all afternoon. Perhaps by morning he might feel good enough to eat some food, he certainly did not want anything to eat today. Caren and Ron invited us over for fried clams this evening and it was after leaving there around 7pm that I drove to Longview for the collar. At the moment the dog really hates me for the  splint and the collar. He still has all of his teeth, I can count them from the needle points in my right thumb. Poor doggy, I am sorry he has to go through this. He can’t understand he would be in very little pain if he would just not fight it and relax.

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MONDAY

. . . .I just HAD to go back to the bowling alley again today. I averaged 139 with the first five lines and it may have been better but I was trying out another ball Ernie had found for me. I had been complaining about my 12 pound ball not having any ‘life’ so he discovered another 12 pounder that has a more off center weight that creates a bit of a curve when it is thrown down the alley. I practiced two lines with that and didn’t write down the results but I had a total average of 139 after five lines. I then threw five more lines of 139-146-139-171-148= 148.6. Now I am getting somewhere! The truth will be in the pudding come Thursday. There is a 50 Percent chance of rain tomorrow so I might use that as an excuse to not go fishing. I would like to try that ball again.

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SUNDAY

. . . .ChiChi and I spent three hours at the river today. Threw a lot of sand around but never did catch a fish. It was a fine day, broken clouds and no rain until after we got back to the house. Every thing worked out just fine.

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SATURDAY

. . . .I bowled ten lines today; the first five averaged 136 and the second five averaged 145 so I came home feeling pretty good about my results. I am getting used to the 12 pound ball but it has no life in it, it only goes in a straight line. But is it light enough to be controlled fairly well and I suppose I will get better as time goes on. Lots of rain today so I was better off bowling than I would have been at the river. Perhaps the sun will be out for a while tomorrow. Maybe I will catch the ‘big one’.

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FRIDAY

. . . . .          My doctor appointment in Portland was to be at 3:30 but the office phoned and asked if I could be there at 1:30. It was no big problem, I had nothing else planned for the day. Actually, it worked better for me because I did not have to fight the commuter traffic when leaving Portland after the appointment. I left the house at noon after having lunch.

While there I had an echocardiogram done to determine the condition of my heart and was happy to find that the deterioration of the heart muscle is not progressing as fast as it was almost three years ago. I surprised myself by walking the stairs to the ninth floor. I did have to stop twice to catch my breath but that only took half a minute each time. I have another appointment in early December just to make sure I will be in good enough health to spend the winter in Mazatlan. I asked the doctor if it would be OK to buy the ticket ahead of time and she assured me she expected no serious problem to present itself. I got rained on driving to the appointment and again while driving home. I’m ready for Mazatlan right now.

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THURSDAY

. . . .Another great day for fishing but I went bowling instead. I should have gone fishing. I bowled 133-153-128, just about my average but better days are coming. I thought I would be fishing tomorrow but just remembered I have a doctor appointment in Portland at 3:30 so I doubt there will be any fishing.

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WEDNESDAY

. . . .The first day of summer and no rain! That is unbelievable for the great Northwest! Doggy and I got to the fishing hole today and found the sitting area under more than a foot of water. The river level was 36.4 feet and had it been two inches higher the area I have been working on would also have been under water.

As it was I decided to throw out a lure and read for a while. I also built up the area with more sand just for the exercise. I did get a strike but he only hit it once and was gone. So, no fish again. It was a great day to be at the river though. The water is high but the color is good and there are fish in there. I might give it another try Friday.

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TUESDAY

. . . . It was too wet to go fishing so I spent another couple of hours bowling. After 10 lines I did worse than yesterday. I got a 138 average. Might have done better but my last line was a 102. That made me feel pretty lousy. The next two days are to be nice so I will go fishing tomorrow but rain is expected by the weekend.

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MONDAY

. . . . . . Winter has returned, at least I felt that way at 6AM. I drover into Castle Rock about 10:30 and was almost washed away in a downpour. I had to sit in front of the hardware store for several minutes waiting for the rain to ease up enough to allow me to get inside. After arriving back at the house I ate some lunch then left for the bowling alley. The sun was out by that time and stayed out the rest of the day. I bowled 10 lines and averaged only 130 with the 12 pound ball. I was disappointed. I really expected to do better than that but it never happened. Life has it down days, I suppose.

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SUNDAY

. . . .Never did get to the fishing hole today. I decided it would be more fun to go to the bowling alley and try out the 12 pound bowling ball I have become owner of. My first three games were 115-115-140. I expected problems because I am not used to such a light ball. The second set of three games came out 159-128-130 which is a tad better than my average for this summer. I have decided  to continue bowling with the lighter ball, it seems to require less effort and I am getting about the same results. I arrived back at the house before 2PM and spent the rest of the day pigging out in front of the boob tube.

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SATURDAY

. . . . ChiChi and I spent 3 ½ hours at the fishing hole today, shoveling sand, reading, resting, anything but catching fish. We got home about 3pm hungry and dirty. I jumped in the shower and as I finished the phone rang. It was Caren calling to invite me over for a BBQ. I was most happy to hear it because by that time I was really getting hungry. I grabbed a Peanut Cluster to hold me till dinner time and doggy and I hopped in the car. The hamburger we had was delicious, Colty was fun to watch running around the place and the strawberries for dessert were wonderful. Caren sent me home with some fried chicken and pea salad. It was a great evening and we got home about 6:30. It rained on the way home but I refused to turn on the windshield wipers. It was another good day!

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FRIDAY

. . . . .Turned out to be an especially nice day at the river. Didn’t catch any fish but I took my car wax and detail paint with me and worked on that while the fishing pole was cooling itself by the rivers edge. The car is now waxed and ready to sit out the winter in the garage if I end up going back to Mazatlan again this winter. That is my plan, God willing! Doggy and I fished and waxed until about 3:30, later some clouds rolled in; there is a rain front rolling in from the Gulf of Alaska. If it arrives by noon tomorrow I will go bowling. I found a 12 pound bowling ball that I want to practice with, I have felt for some time that the 16 pounder is a bit too much for me, now I will check that theory out. I may have to learn to bowl all over again!

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THURSDAY

. . .  .I refreshed the contents of the refrigerator today after bowling and stopping by the lab for a Protime update. The bowling results were two pins above my average so I won’t complain too much; I am sure I can do much better though. Also stopped by the auto paint shop and got a small bottle of touch up paint for the car, now I have to wait for the mood to do that job. If I depend on the weather I may be a long time completing that chore. It is not warm today but at lest it is not raining, God is good, life is great!

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WEDNESDAY

. . . . .It was threatening rain all morning so I used that as an excuse to stay home and do laundry. When the laundry was finished and put away I still had an ounce of energy left so I washed the car. NOW the rains can start again. I put the car back in the garage. That did not please the doggy a lot, he is ready to jump in and go someplace each time I fire it up. I took a nap this afternoon, that always refreshes one, but me, refreshed, still leaves a lot to be desired. I’m lying, but I thought that was a funny line. I don’t feel I had enough exercise today but I will make up for it tomorrow, another bowling day.

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TUESDAY

. . . . The rains arrived a few hours later than expected but they were in the air as I drove away from the house this morning. Today was the day to meet the ’52’ gang for lunch at 11AM. Lunch went well, as usual and after leaving the festivities I stopped by the bowling alley. That went well also, I averaged 150 over six lines and had I not bowled one line at 109 I would have a much better average. On the way home I stopped by an auto repair shop and ordered a bit of touch up paint for the car. I have accumulated a few scratches that have to be taken care of, I grazed a pile of rocks and put some scratches on the lower right side. Lucky for me there was no denting. The paint will be ready to be picked up on Thursday after bowling. We had mostly light rain today, if I had been home it would have been a good time to wash the car and put it in the garage until the storm passes.

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MONDAY

. . . . .Rain is expected  tomorrow but this morning was beautiful. I felt when I got up that it would be a nice day for fishing. It turned out that I was right about fishing but the catching was no good. It was really a very nice day to sit by the river and read between sessions with the shovel throwing sand from one part of the dike to another. Actually I am widening the steps going down to the rivers edge. I suppose a good share of it will be filled in next winter but that’s OK, I will just have something more to do next spring. . . . . Strange stuff: Last fall I sent Terri some sun hats in Hawaii and they have never arrived. The Post Office attempted to trace them but you know how that goes. On March 19 of this year I mailed a package of plastic dish covers to Natalia in Mazatlan. They have yet to arrive. I did not pay for first class to Hawaii but I thought I should for the package to Mexico. For all the good it did me. I went to the Post Office today but all they could offer was ‘sorry’. I can remember many years ago when the French Postal delivery was the laughing stock of the world, they now have competition. . .  .At the moment there is heavy rain North of Westport, I expect it will be here in the morning. Life is Grand!

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SUNDAY

.. Doggy and I enjoyed a very quiet day. I did get to the 49r Restaurant to meet Melvin and Billy for lunch though. After leaving them I stopped by the Teigen’s for a short visit and to return the container that she sent me home with last week, the one with the meat loaf in it. Hopefully she will refill it soon and invite me back. Mel mentioned that the river is still dirty but I may check it out tomorrow if the bad weather expected does not materialize. I have to get some shovel exercise even if the fish are not biting. It has been a good day, cool but lots of sunshine!

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SATURDAY

. . . .The river is definitely not the right color for fishing and water is in the sitting area of the fireplace so I decided to go bowling. The only good thing about bowling was when the fifth line ended I decided to really crack down on myself and concentrate on one more line. I bowled a 156 and left feeling a little better. The average for the 6 lines was 126 and I have no idea how it got that high.  

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FRIDAY

. . . .The high water has washed over the sitting area of the fishing hole again. It was raining too much to even consider going down there today anyway. I did get brave and stopped by the bowling alley though. I came away feeling good because of the nice last two games. 130-154-120-140-117-126-133-141-159-159= 134.5. I made a change in my delivery during the last two games and have decided to try that again the next time I get down there. It took me two hours to throw 10 lines and I was not as tired as usual for some reason.

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THURSDAY

. . . . . .Another rainy day in Western Washington. My first bowling game left me with a score of 119 but then I returned with a 166 and a 156. That turned out to be 10 pins better than my average for the three games. I felt good about myself but I noticed that two others on my team scored 200 or better on each of their games. Sometimes I am the bug and sometimes I am the windshield. More rain due tomorrow.

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WEDNESDAY

. . . . . . . . .ChiChi and I spent three hours at the river today, didn’t see any fish but the weather was nice, a few raindrops but no cool wind. I did get in some shovel time with the idiot stick and feel good about that. The river is up a bit again and not as clean as it has  been.

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TUESDAY

. . . .  .I felt it was just too cool to sit by the river today so doggie and I stayed home and got fat. I considered going bowling again but decided I would let the good results from yesterday hold me for a while. While the rest of the country is enjoying summer we in Western Washington are doing the best we can to keep things out of winter mode. There is a possibility that last remark is an exaggeration so to speak. However it is the way I am feeling at the moment. I am sitting in the house wearing a sweat shirt watching a too cool breeze rough up the trees outside my window. Life is really tough some times.

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MONDAY

. .  . .It was too cool and wet to bother going to the river today so I paid a visit to the bowling alley. 149-213-155-144-118-140= 156 average. Not bad for my abilities. If history is any lesson I will fall far short of those results come Thursday. I was most pleased with the last game because I was fighting with myself to make an improvement over that 118. When I really pay attention I can deliver the ball correctly, but that takes a lot of concentration.. . . . This evening Caren phoned to tell me she had made a meat loaf and I should come get some. I had already eaten but I did drive over there to get a container full for tomorrow’s enjoyment. I was home by 8pm in time to catch my favorite fluff on Monday night TV.

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Sunday

. . . . Spent another three hours at the fishing hole. No fish but I did get the news when I got home that Ben is home again! He is one tough o’ guy! Sunday evening, time to cook up some popcorn and find a movie free of commercials!

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SATURDAY

. . . .Doggie and I spent another three hours at the river today. It didn’t do us any good though. Par for the course, of course. Got a message that a good friend and Terri’s Uncle [Ben] has been taken to ICU with a heart problem. I may drive down that way tomorrow and try to cheer him up, poor guy. I know Ben would love to spend some time at the river with me but his health has not been good enough for him to make the trip. ChiChi and I got home about 4PM today. I ate dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching TV and catching up with my email.

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FRIDAY

. . . It was a warm 62 degrees when I got up this morning, the day looked promising. It had started to sprinkle when ChiChi and I left the house and only got worse as the next hour progressed. I managed to get the lure in the water and sit under a tree for a few minutes before a large Scotch Bloom limb caught my line and forced me back into the rain to retrieve my lure. I ended up loosing hook line and sinker. I became discouraged as the rain continued so after creating a whole new set up I decided to not even cast it out. ChiChi and I came home. The rain stopped as we pulled in the garage. The inside of the car smelled like wet dog. I couldn’t tell if that was me or the animal. That was our adventure for today. It only lasted one hour, tops.

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