THURSDAY. . . ..

. . . . .Another happy day at the bowling alley. 158-152-158, very consistent and for me really high scores. The 156 average will raise my league average a bit above 151 I hope. . . . .Mel is feeling OK, his throat surgery worked out fine and he expects to be home in 3-4 days.  My plan is to return to the fishing hole again tomorrow. I stopped by Wal-mart this afternoon and purchased some new fish line, the other stuff is about 5 years old and getting too dry I fear. The new stuff is 15 pound test and the previous was ten pound. It may not help hooking a fish but it will help should the hooking ever come about.

WEDNESDAY. . . . .

 . . . . . Had another bite today but I was reading at the time and did not respond fast enough to hook him. Better luck next time. The weather is holding, I may try to get back out there Friday, tomorrow is bowling day.

TUESDAY. . . .

. . . . Another amazing day at the bowling alley! My first five lines came in at a 154 average then I repeated it during the second five lines. That came out to 154 average for the day. I think perhaps I am catching on to this game. Of course Thursday is coming up so I may not want to  be caught bragging. After bowling I stopped by the new Sporting goods store in Kelso and spent $18 on new fishing gear; I'll be returning to the fishing hole tomorrow. I expect to catch a big one!

MONDAY. . . . . .

 .. . . . . .Same old story, no fish again today. Mel arrived about half an hour after I did and within thirty minutes  had a five pounder landed. We watched several or at least one fish jump a dozen times or more until I left at 2:45. I lost another lure, line and sinker during the course of the day. I had not been having that problem but it seems bad luck has returned. I'll try to remember to stop by the sporting goods store tomorrow and resupply my fishing box.

SUNDAY.........

...................My scoring was really interesting today. My average after five lines was 149 and it remained that way through the tenth line. I feel very good about the day.     .     .     . After bowling I stopped by Safeway for some dog food and ended up spending $103.73. . . . .After getting home and putting away the groceries I put the doggy in the car and drove to the Teigen's for some of Ron's Birthday cake. It was an extra chocolate chocolate and was just the way I like it! 

The three dogs had a good time running around barking up a storm. ChiChi and I left just before 5PM and spent the rest of the evening at home watching Auto racing and foot ball.

SATURDAY. . . . .

............I got the impression that there a lot of fish in that river but I certainly can not catch one of those rascals. There were a lot of boats and perhaps some of the smiles I saw indicated that they had fish,  ,  ,  or perhaps they were laughing at me because I was not able to hook one.  Tomorrow I will return to the bowling alley, that will be a chance to try my luck again.  Something like that. Tomorrow is Rons Birthday [again] seems like he just had one. I bet he feels the same way.

FRIDAY. . . . .

. . . . . No fish again today. There were several guide boats out there too, that means the fish are in the water but  am told that the fall run will begin soon and there will be many more. Bring 'em on!

THURSDAY . . . . .

. . . .  .A happy day at the bowling alley today. I had the best results ever in league bowling this afternoon. 179-167-151= 165.666. We now have an official name for out team: No Name.  It started out as Team 13 but we had it changed. I don't believe any of us plan on being there for the entire season and that is the reason we all ended up on the same team. At the moment the No Names are in 28th place out of 28 teams. Just think what that means! No way to go but UP! .  .  .  .  I stopped by the Teigens this afternoon to say hello the the newest family member, a doggy named Bailey. Cute as a button! Same breed as Luky. ChiChi does not seem to be bothered by them but he does not 'play' with them at all. He is a very serious doggy.

WEDNESDAY. . . . .

. . . . I drove Mel to Vancouver this morning for an EKG procedure but arrived back in town early enough to spend two hours at the fishing hole. The fish were jumping and I changed lures 3-4 times to entice the buggers but to no avail. Tomorrow I will go to League Bowling but at the moment my plan is to return to the fishing hole on Friday. 

TUESDAY . . . . .

 . . . . Another good day at the bowling alley except that I didn't take a jacket with me and it was raining as I left. . . . My first five lines gave me a 148.2 average and the second five ended at 156.8. Not too bad. That came out to 152.5 for the day. I had to run to the car to stay as dry as possible but I am sure I missed a lot of rain drops that way.

MONDAY. . . . .

. . . . As I type this I can look out the window and see two deer nosing around looking for the non existing apples Roy had trained them to search for. Roy is recuperating from shoulder surgery so he has not been outside much. For that reason the deer feel ignored. . . .  .I caught no fish today and ended up spending a lot of time reading under the umbrella. The wind is beginning to get cool, it is getting near glove time. I did get a strike and that was exciting but it did not last very long. That was during the rainy part of the day. Doggy got soaking wet and cold, he was happy to get home and get his dinner. I popped up some popcorn and watched Monday Night Football.

SUNDAY. . . . .

. . . . . .I am happy to report the my fisherman's luck that began yesterday continued this afternoon at the  bowling alley.My first five lines averaged  155.8 and the second averaged 161.6.  That means I left the place with a ten line average of 158.7 That is a new high average for me. . . . . On the way home I stopped by Goodwill and purchased another book to read at the fishing hole and will return there tomorrow. While driving into town today I noticed a lot of fishermen trying their luck. I hope they left a couple for me!

SATURDAY. . . ..

. . . . . Today was the day!  After three years with nothing I landed a 6-8 pound King. Mel had caught a 30 pounder while fishing with Jeff Miller a few days ago and Jeff came by around 11 AM to show me four more he and his son had caught this morning. I was netting my fish just as Mel was bringing his equipment down for some bank fishing too. An hour later he landed a 20 pound Chinook. If I can catch 'em you have to know that the river is full of fish! I took mine home and cut off some steaks for myself and delivered the balance to Roy and his wife. They love fish and I am happy to supply them. Fish is a meat I would never buy at the market but I do like cooking up a small steak whenever I catch one. There was no rain today and the temperature was almost just fine. If my luck holds I will do well bowling tomorrow! .  .  .  .  Forgot to mention that two deer were peeking into my living room window this evening. I was watching TV at the time and waved at them. They made no effort to run away. I suppose they were looking for the apples that Roy some times leaves for them.

FRIDAY. . . . .

. . . . . .There was a lot of rain at the fishing hole today. I was able to read while sitting under an umbrella but that would not have been true if the wind had been blowing. I did get two strikes and one of the fish even broke water to flash his third fin at me before shaking the lure and swimming off, laughing. The other fish stayed deep and was off the hook before I could get to the pole. The temperature was acceptable enough to accept but I did get my feet wet because I was wearing the wrong kind of shoes. It is time to switch to something heavier. I may return tomorrow, depending on the weather.

THURSDAY. . . .

. . . . . .Today league bowling was mostly a fun time. My second game dropped to 134 but the other two were 160 and 158. I was happy to be best on team in the first line, that made me feel very good. My handicap is 63 at present and the challenge will be to improve it. I will not be so happy if it drops below that. Yesterday I had left my sweater folded over a chair and forgot to take it home but was happy to find it in the 'lost and found' when I arrived today. Heavy rain later this afternoon, looks like winter is winning the battle of the seasons.

WEDNESDAY. . . . .

 . . . . . . I was not happy with my bowling results again today. I bowled 12 lines and came home with about a 139 average. Poop. Tomorrow is League day so perhaps I will remember today's mistakes and show better then. Who knows, not me!  I did win $3 on the Washington Lottery, not much but a start. I have been playing California and Washington State Lotteries for over 30 years. It must be a rip off, I have yet to win anything to brag about. Mu guess is I have invested over 2K in the two. There is no profit in gambling, folks.

TUESDAY . . . . .

 . . . . .I left the house at 11:45 for the drive to Beaverton for my device checkup. The doctors are very happy with the way it is functioning and how well my body is doing with its help. I also was given x-rays to make sure all of the leads going into the heart are wearing well. The opinion is that the pacemaker will be fine until at least 2017 at which time there will probably be a need for a new battery or a new device. The new devices are now able to last 20 years with out removal. It would be nice to outlive one of those! I enjoyed the drive and was lucky in making the whole trip without rain. I did have to turn on the wipers as I entered the Kelso city limits but that's nothing new. Terri Lynn is on her way to So. California so she was not able to meet me for a late lunch. I guess we will see each other again one day, if and when she ever returns to the rain filled Portland area. Living in Hawaii as she does would make it difficult for one to ever move back here to stay.

MONDAY

. . . . The weather was nice at the river today and there were several guide boats out but I saw no happy fishermen. One was jumping it the vicinity of my lure but he never did attack it. I used four different lures during the four hours. No luck.

SUNDAY. . . . .

. . . . .I did much better bowling today than I did fishing yesterday. My first five lines came to a 157.6 average and I was feeling just fine but then the Seattle Football game came on the TV and I was no bowler after that. My second five lines created a bad 137.6 making the final for the day 147.6. Actually my sixth game was a 192 but it was during that line that my eye started to wander toward the TV set overhead.. . . .I am doing very well finding excuses for my poor results!

SATURDAY. . . .

. . . . Again, no fish. I am really looking forward to tomorrow when I return to the bowling alley. I am sure to score something there. Certainly can't do it at the fishing hole!. . . . There were a lot of boats out today but I didn't see them do any good either. I watched several fish jumping but they are not striking.. . . .

FRIDAY. . . . .

. . . . .This was a wonderful day to be at the river. I even saw a fish jump three different times. He was within a few feet of my lure each time but refused to strike. The great weather is holding and if it continues I will return to the fishing hole again tomorrow.. . . . . 

THURSDAY. . . . .

 . . . . . .I drove up the hill to Bernita's place this morning for my haircut. There were several raindrops on the windshield when I arrived. When I left at 10:15 there was no sign of rain and the drive home was uneventful.  I thought I had lots of time  to eat something before leaving for bowling but I was mistaken. I gobbled down half of the lunch I had prepared and arrived at the bowling alley just in time. I am still listed as a 'sub', perhaps I will get on a team next week. My results today were 149-149-156; that left me with a 151 for the day. One of the best league days I have had and I am still holding a fair [for me] handicap. It that rain goes away overnight I will return to the fishing hole tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY. . . . . .

. . . . . ChiChi and I were at the fishing hole about two hours today before getting a bite. The fish was gone before I could even get out of my chair but there is no doubt it was not a shifting of the sinker on the river bottom. A few seconds after the strike a 5-6 pounder rolled to the surface of the water  a few feet upstream of the pole. I think he was giving me the finger, fish style. We experienced a few rain drops on our head while there today, nothing came of it but it was a reminder of  winter to come. Darn it!

TUESDAY. . . . .

 . . . . .I forgot to mention that when I drove in yesterday evening I discovered a deer and fawn blocking the driveway. I stopped and enjoyed the view until she sort of shrugged her shoulders and bounced away, the fawn soon followed.. . .  .That sort of thing happens around here quite often. . . .  .I bowled ten lines today and ended with a 136.8 average. I was so unhappy with myself that I threw five more lines to improve the situation. I ended up bringing the daily result up to 138.5. Not too good but perhaps that means I will do well on Thursday. Hope, hope.

MONDAY. . . . .

. . . . .At least I got a bite today. I also watched a fair sized fish jumping and rolling. Perhaps I am getting closer to the big day when I finally catch a fish! This evening Caren phoned and invited me over for a Salmon BBQ but I turned her down. Once I get settled in for the evening it takes a bit more than a fish meal to get me moving again. Thanks, Caren, for the offer. I am sorry to hear that Ron ran out of propane while cooking the meal. Poor Ron!

SUNDAY . . . . . . .

. . . . . I arrived at the bowling alley about 11AM feeling rather good about my new found ability to bowl an acceptable game. The first five lines were not good at all. My average turned out to be a 127. I had to sit down and give myself a talking too and remind myself to go back to the basics and concentrate. I did much better during the next four lines then came up with a 171 on the tenth and last for the day.  The last five average was 148. The ten games averaged 138. I felt much better about things after that. On the way home I stopped by Teigens to find out how well the fishing trip went yesterday and Ron told me the eight guys on the boat each caught two silvers. They were in the ocean past the bar on the Columbia. The water was smooth and there were even some home made rafts from Long Beach, Washington out there with them. I have never been out side the bar fishing and really never have been excited about trying it. Maybe some day. Yesterday they had eight fishermen on the 22 foot boat but only four could fish at a time. I wouldn't care to do that. I will be happy to stick to the bank, a shady spot under a tree with a book available. That is my plan for tomorrow.

SATURDAY. . . . .

. . . . . .Great day, Terri is visiting her sister in Portland so I met her and  we drove to the beach for lunch and took a 2-3 mile hike on the sand afterwards. The weather was as nice as anybody could ask for and the car ran like a top. It was a lot of fun getting 'caught up' with Terri and if all works out we might find  time to meet again before she heads to So. Cal with her other sister. I got home at 8:40 just in time to save the dog from starving to death, his words, not mine.

FRIDAY . . . . . .

. . . . . .Another nice day at the fishing hole except the wind was a bother at times. I suppose it is blowing in some bad weather, it is safe to say that around here this time of year. Even if it isn't always true. No fish were caught but there were a couple of small ones rolling on the surface right where I was fishing. That is aggravating but it's called 'fishing'.

THURSDAY. . . . .

. . . .  .I stopped to get gas on the way to bowling today and was too late getting to the bowling alley for their regular ten minute 'practice' session. I did have time to throw two balls and both were strikes so I felt pretty good when team bowling began. I was put on a team as a sub though, so far I am not on a regular team. I must wait until a group is found that is willing to accept the fact that I am leaving in the middle of the season to return to MZT. I did bowl fairly well though, 152-152-136 for an average of 146.6. I think that will lower my handicap from 66 to 65 when I again bowl next Thursday. In the meantime I will continue practicing twice a week. I certainly need it!. .  . . . I stopped by Wal-Mart for my annual eye exam and the doctor was very pleased with my eyes, she told me I was most fortunate to have such great eyesight for my age. She feels the cataract that is developing will not cause me any trouble until at least age ninety. I told her I am willing to wait until then.

WEDNESDAY. . . .. . . . .

 .. . . . . .  .I did not catch a fish today but I think I got a bite. It may have been only the sinker changing position that forced the tip of the pole down momentarily but the bell rang so that was something.......I watched a boat drifting by hook and net a nice looking what appeared to be a Steelhead of about 12 pounds. He was fishing right in front of me and I was surprised the fish did not get tangled up in my line. It jumped almost three feet out of the water at one time, a very pretty sight! I wish it had hit my lure instead of the other one. That is the life of a fisherman. The weather is holding, it was very nice today after the clouds left the area. I was wearing a jacket until 1PM.

TUESDAY. . . . ..

 . . .  .I enjoyed a great lunch with the guys from the 'class of 52' today. Only seven of us were there but this is the good old summertime so I am sure attendance will pick up as Fall arrives. . . . . .After lunch I stopped by the bowling alley and continued the good day with a 148.6 average for the first five lines then returned for the second  half with a 163.4 average for five lines. That means I had a 156 for the day. That might be a ten line best for me. If not the best then very close to it. . . . . . . I forgot to mention that before I left for lunch I gave the car a bath. It sure is a good looking automobile when it is cleaned up and shiny. Getting close to twenty one years old and running like a top!

MONDAY. . . .

. . . . ..  .Doggy and I spent an extra hour at the fishing hole this afternoon. I was hoping to catch a fish but of course hoping ain't getting. It was a comfortable day, I really enjoy sitting there and watching the world go by. We arrived home around 4PM and settled in for the evening. 

SUNDAY. . . .

. . . . I was pleased with my bowling results today; I failed to do very well in a couple of the games but I left with  a 148 average. Had I been a bit more attentive perhaps I would have broken 150. .   .    .    .ChiChi is doing better with his sore throat, I have found that he does not choke if I mix a bit of water with his canned dog food. That may be the way I feed him from now on. He appears to choke badly on any dry food or firm canned food. 

SATURDAY. . . . .

. . . . . Doggy and I enjoyed a quiet time at the river again today. The weather is holding just great but the fish are not biting. There were a lot of boats on the water but I have no idea how well they did. NASCAR and football are on TV this evening so I will be busy [without getting any exercise].

FRIDAY. . . . .

. . . . .There were a lot of guide boats on the Cowlitz today; I think it is because the Columbia has been closed to fishing for a short time. I saw Mark, Mel's friend, catch two Harvest trout while I was at the river. They were large enough to make a meal each. I didn't catch anything but the weather was nice. Happily it was sort of cool at first. I say happily because I could not find ChiChi after about an hour of wondering where he might have wandered off to. I discovered that he had never gotten out of the car when I parked on the dike. He usually does a lot of exploring when we first arrive so I was not too upset when at first I could not find him. He was nevertheless pleased to have me open the door and let him escape a horrible death in a locked car. His throat is better today and he is eating the canned dog food that I have mixed with water.  Also, there are still a lot of Blackberries at the rivers edge and while I was eating some he was there begging for his share. It surprised me that he was willing to eat anything but the berries went down as well as they ever had when I offered them to him. Crazy dog likes blackberries I guess.

THURSDAY . . . . . .

. . . . . . .After my Pro time check [OK] and a small lunch I joined the Winter Bowling League today. Today was the first day so no one had a handicap at the beginning. My bowling results were 157- 135- 140. That was a 144 average for the day and a handicap of 66. My lowest ever. Now my job will be to maintain the 66 and make every effort to lower it even more. I hope to get to 59 and be happy with it! We shall see.

WEDNESDAY. . . . .

1. . . . . . The weather was nice at the river today. There was a small fish jumping, looked like perhaps 3-4 pounder. Mark, a friend of Mel's came by and made every attempt to hook the fish but it was not biting.  I have decided the fish are just too smart for me. I will not give up trying but I do feel I have no answer for how to catch any of them. I will happily return to Bowling tomorrow and begin the Winter League. I am a better bowler {I suck at it} than I am fisherman.

TUESDAY. . . . .

. . . . . . I made some changes at the bowling alley today, I took my 16 pound ball with me and after using it for a couple of lines I decided to stay with it the rest of the day. My average for the first five lines came to 158.4 then I fell off a bit to 155.2d for the second set of five. My total average for the day was 156.8. Not too shabby, now to do as well on Thursday. The heaver ball forces me to slow down on my delivery and that seems to help with my accuracy problem. My low game for the day was 121 and the high game was 217. I have decided to start the new season next Thursday with the heavier ball.    .     .     .After bowling I drove ChiChi to Teigens house for a short visit and to drop off some magazines I had finished. Their little dog Luky seems to have taken a liking to ChiChi but it does not appear that ChiChi returns the favor. I am sure they will get used to each other by the time winter sets in and I leave for warmer climes.

MONDAY. . . . . .

 . . . . . Caught no fish today but there certainly were a lot of people trying. There were a lot of boats and some 'inner- tubers' too. The boat people were all fishing  and there were no sport type boats running around. Jeff and Jordan Miller stopped by with their boat and showed me a 15-18 pound Chinook they had landed down river earlier. One of them also landed a 40 inch Sturgeon but they put that one back in the water.  They even took some time to attempt to dig that table out of the water but to no avail. The sand was refilling the hole as fast as they were digging. It was a very nice day, the weather was great and the Labor Day crowd was enjoying it.

SUNDAY. . . .

. . . . . .I certainly can not brag about my bowling ability today. The final tally came to 131 for ten lines. Ernie, my coach, stopped by for a while and offered a few tips and I worked on them but it didn't help. I was consistent though, I don't know if that is a good thing or not but my high game of the day was 144. Got home in time to pig out in front of the TV and watch NASCAR until almost bed time.

SATURDAY. . . . .

. . . . . . .Not only did I not catch a fish today I also got rained on. I had my trusty umbrella so my reading was not interrupted. A couple of boats drifted by and I am sure they though 'lucky dog' when they saw me sitting there without a care in the world. Most of the boats have no tops at all because it interferes with their casting. I was happy to be wearing a jacket and I expect that to be a regular thing for the rest of the fishing season. I'll try bowling tomorrow, not that it will do me a lot of good.  LOL 

FRIDAY. . . . .

. . . . .No fish again today. It is really nice to be at the river though. A friend of Mel's, Dick, who lives in San Diego stopped by today to announce that he is in the area for his annual fishing trip to this region. He did land a Chinook in the Columbia yesterday and told me he planned on returning to the Cowlitz this evening to try for some Harvest trout. It will be interesting to see if he has any luck. I still have some eggs left from the batch Jordan gave me so I will be down there again tomorrow. 

THURSDAY. . . .

. . . . . I really expect to catch a fish tomorrow. My luck was so bad at bowling this afternoon that it can only get better at the fishing hole.. . .  .My scores were 112-126-104. I don't even want to know what that averages out to. I stopped by the market on the way home and stocked up on essentials but forgot the potato chips. It was a tough day all around.

WEDNESDAY. . . . .

. . . . .  .No luck at the fishing hole today. Jordan, Jeff Millers son was there and caught a small Steelhead so we have proof that fish are available. The rest of the day was drama free, I will go bowling tomorrow. That will be the last day of Summer League and we will have a meeting to prepare for the Winter League that will start next week.

TUESDAY . . ..

. . . . . .A nice day at the bowling alley. I scored a 156.4 average for the first five and 150.4 during the second five.  Coming home with a 153.4 for the day made me feel very good........I stopped by the new sporting goods store in Kelso and spent a few dollars on fishing gear on the way home. The temperature was below 90 today and the hope is that it will be like that again tomorrow when I return to the fishing hole.

The first picture above is a 49 Cheverolet exactly like the one I bought in 1954 in Kelso. I took the picture at the Longview Auto show last week.
The bottom picture show that overturned table I have been attempting to remove from the river. I have since given up on the idea because the sand fills in faster than I can shovel it out. Should the water drop another two feet I might try again but I doubt that is going to happen this year.

MONDAY. . . . . .

. . . . . I was up a bit earlier than usual this morning because I had promised a friend I would drive him to Vancouver for a doctors appointment. We were back by 10AM and I was at the river by 11:00. I didn't catch any fish and did lose hook, line and sinker as well as a great length of fishing line on a hangup. When I pulled on the line to retrieve my stuff the line broke right at the reel. That meant I did not have enough line on the rig to continue fishing. This all happened late enough in the day so I was home a bit sooner than usual. After installing another couple hundred yards of line I prepared the rig for the next fishing trip and then pigged out in front of the TV for the balance of the day. My plan is to go bowling tomorrow and return the fishing hole on Wednesday. 

SUNDAY. . . . .

. . . . . . Caren was not feeling well enough to make the trip to the Flower Show we had planned on so I visited the bowling alley this afternoon. The first five lines was a 150 average but I only did 141 during the second five. The final for the day was 145.2. I can see improvement, but it sure is slow in coming. I stopped by Safeway for gasoline and a gallon of milk on the way home. The weather is very good, Love it!

SATURDAY. . . . . .

 . . . . . I ended up going to the Car Show at the Fairgrounds with Ron today. They had a good turnout; a lot of cars from the early thirties up to 2007. Ron suggested I enter my T-Bird but I know it would create a lot of work for me to clean it up the way it needs to be in order to be inspected by the public. I did take some pictures and had intended to post them here this evening but I got wrapped up watching a movie and ran out of steam. The weather was just fine, I am not sure how much longer that will last but it is great in the meantime!

FRIDAY . . . .

. . . . . Spent another early afternoon at the fishing hole again today. There was no sign of a fish and few boats were seen. I have decided that I don't have the stamina necessary to dig that overturned table out of the sand. I make a good start on it and remove a lot of sand but by the time I get to that point I am too tired to continue. While I rest and wait for the energy to continue digging water fills in the hole again. Mel said to wait until next spring and see what the winter runoff produces in the line of results.. . . .Suits me, I have enough of that kind of exercise.

THURSDAY. . . .

. . . . Stopped by Frontier to visit Pauline after bowling today. She will be released to assisted living as soon as a spot is found for her. She is walking fine and is in good spirits but is aware of the possibilities for Parkinson's patients. Her Brother has had the disease for the past 15 years so she is well acquainted with her possible future. She is looking forward to getting out of her present location but it may be a few more days. . . . . Bowling was a great disappointment to me today, I began with two good games before the third one came along and produced a lot of doggy dodo. I was able to salvage a 138 score for the day. That is my present league average but far from what I can do on my 'off days'. I will be back at the fishing hole tomorrow.  

WEDNESDAY..

. . . . . . . . There was not much going on at the fishing hole today. I saw no other fishermen and I don't recall any serious fishing going on aboard the boats passing by. I did take a jacket with me and I am happy to have had it along. I was also smart enough to wear long pants. It seems fall is on the way. Darn it!

TUESDAY. . . . . . .

. . . . . My bowling session did not begin well today. I averaged only 138.2 during the first five lines and the first three were even worse.  I took a short break and gave myself a talking too before moving on to the second half of the so far farce.
The next five lines averaged out at 163.6. It would be great if I could do that on Thursday but I will have to wait until then to know if  that is even possible. An average of 150.9 for the day brings joy to my heart though!   . ....On the way home I stopped by Frontier convalescent facility to visit Pauline Harris but discovered she is probably there under her married name and I don't have that. Perhaps Bob or one of the other classmates who read this will correct me via e-mail. The weather was great today and I am looking forward to the fishing hole tomorrow.

MONDAY. . . .

. . . . . I delivered a third of my 'gift' fish to Mel today and spent another three hours attempting to catch one of my own. No bites. I did finish another book though and I think I fell asleep a couple of times. I saw proof of fish being in the river though, one was jumping around out there but not paying any attention to my artificial lure. I will make another attempt on Wednesday. I know that one day I will catch a good sized fish. Film at eleven.

SATURDAY and TODAY

. . . . .I spent three hours at the fishing hole Saturday but caught nothing. Jeff Miller came by with 6 steelhead he and his son had landed down river. He gave me one of them and I cut it into three pieces, I treated myself to one and gave another to Roy [ the man I rent from] Hill and his wife. The third piece will be given to Mel tomorrow when I next see him.. . . Today, Sunday, I visited the bowling alley and came out feeling pretty good about my improvement. The first five gave me an average of 152 and the second set returned the favor by also ending up with 152.. . .  .After bowling I picked up the doggy and some containers that I owed Caren for past goodies she had sent me home with and drove over tho their place to get acquainted with Luky, [that is correct, Luky] their new puppy. He is a cute little ball of fur and solid white. I think ChiChi took a while to get used to the idea of another dog in his life but things went well. The plan is to return to fishing tomorrow.

FRIDAY . . . . . .

. . . . . . Doggy and I were at the fishing hole for almost three hours today and our results were the same as they have been for the past three years. The new book I'm reading is good, there was no rain although the clouds were rather dark, the Blackberries are ripe and tasty and the river is still too high to dig more on that table. I may go back tomorrow, talk is that the fish are arriving!

THURSDAY. . . . .

. . . . . Did you notice that I failed to post yesterdays blog until five minutes ago? It was waiting for me when I sat down to write this one. . . . .Today was a fine day, no rain at all and not much sunshine to be happy about but it was warm. I arrived at the picnic shortly after 11AM and was there in time to help with some set up but most of it was completed before I arrived. I stayed until all of the things were packed up and Bob was ready to drive the loaded truck out. I was hanging on to a bag of 'chips' until just before Bob raised the tailgate on the truck so I tossed them inside too. When Bob reads this he will discover why there was a half bag of chips in with all of the other stuff. Most of the left over food was taken home by the 40 or so guests and I think I have enough to last me 5-6 days. Perhaps longer because I froze the ribs for later use. Three or four pounds worth after the bones were removed. It was a day to remember because our High School Trio played Banjo and sang some old songs. It is days like this that make me wonder why I ever moved to California 60 years ago. Too soon old, too late smart.

WEDNESDAY . . .

  .  .  .  .I didn't expect to get to the fishing hole today because I was scheduled to help unload some stuff for the picnic tomorrow. I found myself home from that little chore about 11:30 so after lunch I took the dog and spent almost three hours trying to catch a fish. .  .  .Fat chance of that though.  The river is still clear but it is about a foot higher than two days ago and it was raining for a while so I did not do any digging on that table. The rain was not heavy enough to bother me much and I used the time under the umbrella to continue reading my latest book. Arrived home at 3PM and settled in for the rest of the day.

TUESDAY. . . . .

. . . . . .I was happy to get to the monthly luncheon before the clouds opened up and dumped their load all over Longview. The rain was so heavy it it reminded me of a cow peeing on a flat rock. The lunch was fine but only five of us made an appearance. Perhaps the others are waiting for the picnic gathering on Thursday. . . . . After bowling I visited the bowling alley and was happy to walk away from there with a 146 average for the day. My consistency was good; the first five lines averaged out at 147 and the second five delivered a 145. Not bad for me, I feel I am showing improvement. I will not be bowling Thursday because that is the day of the aforementioned picnic. I stopped by Safeway for a gallon of milk on the way home and ended up spending $72 for groceries.   Life is good.

MONDAY. . . . .

. . . . .The weather was great for fishing today! Naturally I caught nothing but what the heck, it was nice just being there.  . . . I did decide to pick some blackberries to bring home while I was there. The only container I had was a paper bag and I filled it with berries. It was a small bag and weighed only about two pounds. Since I was in no mood to walk it to the car before leaving for home I sat it in the shade and ignored it for an hour or so. As luck would have it the paper bag soaked through and the bottom of it fell out so I had to do the best I could to salvage all the berries and get them home. I used a plastic bag that was in the trunk for any fish I catch. When I got home I put the container in the fridge and now I have to clean them and prepare them for use. I think I will make Blackberry pancakes one day. The strawberry pancakes I have been enjoying might have a competitor.. . . . Robin Williams died today, sad news.

SUNDAY. . . .

. . . . .Things turned out very well today; my bowling results were 148 for the ten lines. I was very consistent with no high scores or really low. I arrived home about 2:30 and sat down in front of the TV with a glass of wine and before I could work up an appetite Ron phoned and invited me over for a BBQ. I had a Moose meat hamburger with all the fixings and a Pepsi and Rum. Sol was there with a new girlfriend and he brought along a fishing buddy he works with. A good time was had by all. I got home at 6:20 and settled in for the night. It was warm today, will be a lot warmer tomorrow, or so they say.  Happy Birthday, Leonard!

SATURDAY. . . . .

. . . . .Doggy and I spent another four hours relaxing at the fishing hole again today. We notice several boats trying their fishing luck but they didn't seem to be doing any better than we did. It was another good day, I hope they continue!

FRIDAY. . . . .

. . . . . Another nice day at the river even without fish. I relaxed with a good book and dug away at that table a bit more. The problem with the table is that the sand fills in by the next time I get down there. Were the water to drop another foot I believe I would be able to shovel the sand out so it would stay out and perhaps retrieve the table. Perhaps that will come about before  August ends. We shall see.

THURSDAY . . . .

. . . . .  Things worked out fine at the bowling alley today. The start was a disappointing first game of 122 but I was able to come back with a 139 and a 167.  That made my average for the day four points better than my league average of 138. I felt pretty good about that. On the way home I stopped by Safeway and bought 15 gallons of gas for $54.00. That should hold me for a few days. R&R motors phoned and cancelled my appointment for my gear shift repair. The one they had found [used] was damaged and they know I would not want that so they will contact me when they do find one that looks as good as the car deserves. That means my plans are to go fishing tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY. . . . . . .

. . . . I had my breakfast finished and the laundry all caught up by 7:30 this morning. It was such a lazy morning after that that I decided to get horizontal and read for a while before having lunch and driving to Beaverton for my doctor appointment. . . . .Well, I fell asleep and did not wake up until 30 minutes before I was supposed to leave the house. It was a mad rush getting lunch and getting myself dressed but I left at 11:45. I usually walk up the nine flights of stairs to the doctors office but I was running too late for that so I took the elevator for the first time ever in that hospital. The echo cardiogram results were better than expected, my heart function has climbed to 40% from several years at 35%. That was a good thing but  my kidneys are now at stage three failure but they have been there before but dropped so I am guessing that will clear up too. Gotta' have hope, you know.. .  . . . . The drive to Beaverton and back was very nice, the weather is just the way I like it and the traffic flowed freely. Green lights and blue skies. Can't beat that!

TUESDAY. . . . .

. . . . . My bowling results were bad enough to make me feel hopeful about League Bowling on Thursday. My first five lines averaged 140.2 and the second set of five came back at 141.40. That averages out to about 140.8. That is a bit better than my league average so I hope to do at least that well next time I get down there.. . . . .Tomorrow I have an appointment with the cardiologist in Beaverton so I will not be able to make it to the fishing hole. Maybe Friday! 

MONDAY. . . . .

. . . . . .Turned out to be a good day. My bowling started out not so good but that was because I was trying to follow through properly with each ball I threw. It took about three lines to catch on to the routine and after that I did very well. The first five lines averaged out at 140.2 and the second five gave me a 157.4. I ended the day with a 148.8 for the ten lines.. . . . .Not bad for a kid! . . . .  ..  Mel told me there are Steelhead in the river but I am going to return to the bowling alley again tomorrow just to see if I can force myself again to deliver that ball correctly.. . . .  .I got home around 2PM and decided today was the day the doggy gets his bath. The one I have been putting off for so long. I filled the sink with cool water and dish soap then retrieved my heavy gloves from the trunk of the car but before donning them I picked up the dog to remove his collar, he snapped at me but did not really show a lot of anger so I continued the process without gloves. I am very happy to report that this is the first time in ever that I have bathed him without gloves! He is catching on! He even liked me after it was all over! In the past he has hated me for hours after the experience. He was nine years old this past April. Good dog, ChiChi!

SUNDAY. . . . .

. . . . . I drove over to Teigens and picked up Caren for our Birthday Luncheon. She has been a very busy lady lately and felt the need for some relaxing time. We had a nice visit with our Applebee's meal. She and I don't get a chance to visit too often so it was fun sort of getting caught up. Colton was not feeling well today and had been at the hospital last night being checked out. The problem was and still is sinus trouble. It seems he has some airborne allergies or something similar. I had Caren home by 3PM and Colton showed more life than he had shown earlier, he was out in the yard driving his electric tractor around the yard at full speed. It seems he always sets that thing at full throttle and goes like the wind. Today was no different.  Sick or no sick. Caren gave me some tomatoes from her garden and some ham out of the refrigerator. Along with some other goodies to eat. It was enough food to last me for the next three days at least. I arrived home about 4PM just in time to feed the dog before he fell into a starvation coma. His words not mine!

SATURDAY. . . . .

 . . . . .Doggy and I were at the fishing hole again today; the river is up a bit and there are a lot of weeds coming downstream. We caught no fish but I did find the handle to my fishing reel that I lost a couple of days ago. That means I now have two reels, three, actually, counting the one on the other heavy duty pole. Again, no fish were caught but I saw two small ones landed by boat fishermen as they drifted by. It appears that the chances of catching one or two this month is improving. How is that for positive thinking?

FRIDAY. . . .

. . . . No fishing today; I attended the Memorial Service for Rudy Teigen. The service was well done with several good speakers and a full house. Rudy had a ton of friends in this area. The food and visiting afterward was very good and luckily the church has an air conditioned basement 'rec' room for the gathering that took place when the service ended. The river has risen about 18 inches since the last time I was down there; I will check the new water flow tomorrow before deciding whether to go fishing or bowling. Another very nice, summer day, I hope they continue until after Christmas.

THURSDAY. . . .

. . . . . My first two lines of bowling today were fine [138-148] but the third line went to pieces at 114. I ended the day with a 133 average which is close to my league average so I didn't hurt the team too much. . . Ernie, my instructor was on the other team and it has been a long time since I have worked with him so when he brought up my follow through when delivering the ball I decided to try to do things the right way. I know my follow through is not proper and I have even gotten out of the habit of trying to correct it. We both know that I must improve in that area if I am ever to become a Winter League class opponent. Since that is my wish I decided to start working on it while I had him there for feedback. Any way, that is the excuse I will use this week for my poor results. By the time next week rolls around I am sure I will be able to come up with another excuse. Never fear! . . . On the way home I stopped by Bob's Sporting goods and bought a new fishing reel, I hope to try it out on Saturday. The weather is beautiful around here! Reminds me of Mazatlan in January!

WEDNESDAY. . . .

. . . . Doggy and I arrived at the fishing hole shortly after 11AM and since the water was higher and the temperature was lower I decided to finish the book I had brought with me instead of digging the table out of the sand.  About noon Mel showed up with his weed eater to clear some heavy grass around the path beside the river. He was unable to get it started a couple of days ago so he installed a new spark plug and did some work around the house yesterday. Then today he carried it down to the river and found again  it would not start. As he was attempting to get the thing started I walked to my pole and reached for it to reel it in to clear the stuff off the line. I was most unhappy to find that when I had cast the line out earlier the handle had fallen off the reel. I had to pull the line, lure and sinker in overhand and stop fishing for the day. Mel and I sat in the shade for a couple of hours to cool off before we gathered up our stuff and vacated the sitting area. I will attempt to locate a handle for the reel tomorrow after bowling and if that does not work I will purchase a new reel.It was one of those bad fishing days. The good news is I went fishing.

TUESDAY. . . . .

. . . . .I averaged 132 over ten lines at the bowling alley today. It was not a happy day but I am pleased to note that that is the worse thing I have to worry about.. . After bowling I stopped by the house for ChiChi then drove to the Teigens to check up on them and to deliver a book about spiders that I thought Colton might like; but when I handed it to him he shivered and tossed it to  the floor. He told me he does not like spiders. .  .  .Ron applied some 'tire shine' to my cars tires and to the 'bra' I have on it. The car looks great all spiffed up like that.. . . I made a date with Caren to take her to dinner in celebration of her Birthday on the 20th past then loaded up the car with the little dog and drove home.  It turned out to be a very nice day with lots of sunshine!

MONDAY. . . .

. . . . My friend Ben Bader passed away yesterday, may God be with you good buddy! . . . .Ben was a wonderful story teller, it was a ball visiting with him. All that was needed to get him started on an adventuresome story was to ask him a question on any subject. He was ready to turn it into something that at one time or another happened to him.  It has been said by people who knew him well for many years that most of the stuff he came up with actually happened. Ben had a very exciting life.. . . .  .ChiChi and I spent three hours at the fishing hole today working on removing the table that has been buried in the sand since winter. The water is way too deep and each shovel full I remove is replaced by the sides of the hole sliding down into the previously removed spot. The exercise is great but I can't say the same for results. Sort of like my bowling.

SUNDAY

. . . . It was a nice day to drive a freshly washed T-Bird into town this morning. My bowling results were very good, considering my usually poor results on Thursdays. My first five lines came to 154.8 and the second five squeaked by with 148.8. I was happy to leave with a 152 average for the day. My last game was the high for the day, 177. Stopped by the market on the way home and arrived there just in time to feed my dog at 3PM. He was happy to see me because eating is his favorite exercise. 

SATURDAY

. . . . . Another lazy day in Pleasant Hill. Being well aware of my need for exercise I did wash the car though. I suppose the time I spent in front of the TV and eating could have been used for better things but I plan on making up for it by bowling again tomorrow. I did not get to the fishing hole because there was a NASCAR race that I did not wish to miss. I suppose I gained another pound today. My bad.

FRIDAY

. . . . . ChiChi and I arrived at the fishing hole about 11 AM. Didn't catch any thing but I did dig around the table that fell into the water last winter. Mel came down and watched the operation after discovering that his weed eater would not start. He wanted to clean out the path leading to the sitting area but that will have to wait for another day. In the course of the digging I found that his fish net was tangled in the rope that was also wrapped around the table legs. I was able to remove the net from the water for Mel but in the process I lost my balance and fell backward into a foot of water and a sandy bottom. I knew the water was cold because I  had been working in calf deep water but that sudden soaking up to my belly button was a shock to my system! I was on my feet immediately and heading for my chair when the dizzies hit me. I am happy that the chair was there because without it I would have fallen to the sand. It took me about three minutes to stabilise my system, cold water is tough to accept plunging into! It was not long before I was back in the water to continue digging the table out. I think the river will have to come down at least two feet before I can be successful with that chore. Mel feels that the river might reach that level at some time in the next two months so I will continue working on it. When I got home I put my wet clothes in the washing machine along with my other laundry and watched a movie while that was processing. By 5PM the laundry was finished and put away. There seem to be no lasting effects from my earlier 'dunking'. 

THURSDAY

. . . . Turned out to be a good day: It began with a haircut this morning and my pro time check around 11AM. I arrived at the bowling alley about 11:30 and had a hamburger to fortify myself for the league bowling that started at 12:20. I was happy with my first two lines of 157 and 166 but I fell into bad habits on the third line and walked away with only a 134. The final result was 152 for the day and since that is 14 pins better than my league average I had to be happy! . . . .After bowling I stopped by Safeway for some groceries, gasoline and cash from the ATM, I am now set for the rest of the month. Life is good.

WEDNESDAY

. . . . . .I guess the fifteen lines of bowling yesterday took more out of me than I had expected; I slept for almost eleven hours last night and had two more naps today. My plan for the day was to go fishing but the falling rain in the morning created a mood for reading and napping. After lunch the rain seemed to be letting up but that did not last very long and when it began again I returned to my book and another nap. It was just one heck of a lazy day. Lazy days can be good though!

TUESDAY

. . . . . .We had rain for a while before I left to go bowling but happily it stopped before I left the house. I bowled five lines and was not happy with the 125.6 average so I buckled down and tried another five: 142.8.  That average for the day was not really good so I stayed around and bowled another five: 144.8.  I felt a bit better after that but my total average for the day only came up to 137.7. That was not very nice either. What was nice was to see that the weather had cleared since arriving at the bowling alley and the short drive home was very comfortable. Tomorrow I will try fishing again. I hope the little rain we had has not made the river dirty again.

MONDAY

. . . . . Doggy and I arrived at the fishing hole at 11AM and we caught nothing of course. I did take off my shoes and waded into ankle deep water to work on digging that table out of the mud/sand. Naturally the sand fills in about as fast as it is removed but when the river comes down another foot or so I believe I will be able to recover the thing. My question is will the top still be attached? I feel that it is because I uncovered enough of the legs that had they not been attached to the top it would have been lifted off the mud. .  .  .  I will continue with the project. I might add that that water is cold! I can't believe that folks on inner tubes actually have a nice ride down the river. To each his own, as they say. 

SUNDAY

. . . . . . I was pleased enough with my bowling results today; the first five lines averaged 150 and the second five gave me a 158.  The grand total for the ten lines was 154.4. I must learn how to relax and do as well each Thursday during league bowling. . . . Today was Caren's Birthday, Colton said she is about 17 but he is only five years old so what does he know?  .   .   .   .   She had invited me over for a BBQ this afternoon and I arrived about 2:30, just a few minutes after Ron and his Mom had left for the hospital; the hospital had phoned earlier and ask Lila to come quick so they did. Rudy had passed away suddenly from a possible blood clot in the heart. We will miss Rudy, he was fine member of the family and a great Dad to Ron. Ron phoned Caren about an hour later and asked her to be there too so the party ended at that moment. Rest in peace, Rudy.

SATURDAY

. . . . The annual Cousins Lunch went very well this afternoon, about a dozen people showed up at Ken and Junes place in Longview and a good time was had by all. We could never have asked for nicer weather. The food was fantastic, thanks June, for all of the work! I left around 4 PM and went home to take a nap but found a NASCAR race on TV and enjoyed that until it ended at 8PM.

FRIDAY

. . . . . .No fish again today, I didn't even see another fisherman on the river. It turned out to be a nice day sitting in the shade reading but I wore heavy clothing because it was cool down there until 2PM or so. 

THURSDAY

. . . . . My bowling results today were as follows: Stinky, Stinky and really stinky.
My average for the day was 134 which is 4 pins below my league average [which will now go down because of today's results. . . . .After stopping at Safeway and putting away groceries I went to Roy's house and removed the new printer they had me install a few days ago. It seems it is working way too slow for them to be satisfied. I explained that perhaps we could speed it up by changing the quality of the results to a lower sitting but Iona said she wanted to return it.  I also told them I knew a guy who might be able to speed up their computer [it is very slow] so she agreed and I delivered it to Tom, my computer guy. They are going to tell me when they get the machine back and I will hook it up for them. Tom said it would be ready tomorrow but I told Roy to not bother asking about it until about Monday. Tom is not too quick about working or keeping his word but he does a good job when he finally gets started.

WEDNESDAY

. . . .  .This was another nice day to sit at the river and enjoy the breeze as it tumbled through the leaves above me. I did have a short nap and for exercise I discovered the ropes buried in the sand that were attached to the two anchors that were lost last year when Mel's boat capsized. I was able to bring the anchors to  shore so now the only thing that I might be able to salvage is the table. At the moment the river is too high for me to safely attempt to retrieve it but perhaps the situation will change enough next month for that to happen. We hope the glass top is still in the mud and it too can be brought up, highly unlikely though. I am sure it must have settled away from the table itself when it went under. It was another good day!

TUESDAY

. . . . I arrived at R&R Motors at 10AM this morning just as Chris was finishing up with his first appointment of the day. He had the new Cruise control Amplifier installed in less than ten minutes and I was on my way. I decided to drive the freeway into town just to check out the cruise control. It sure is nice to have that feature operating correctly again. Of course I am working with used parts but with any luck at all it will last a lifetime. I stopped by the doctor's office on my way to the bowling alley and was told they had sent in my prescription request last month, they said I should phone the outfit in San Diego and find out why I had not yet received the med. After I got home this afternoon I did that and was told that the only request they had ever received was dated at 10:30 this morning. The meds are on their way. Someone is telling fibs, big time!. . .  .I was very happy with my bowling results today. The first five lines came out to a 154 average and the second set amounted to a 159.  The actual total for the day was 156.2.  Now the challenge is to do as well on Thursday. The weather is fair to good, I may return to the fishing hole tomorrow.

MONDAY

. . . . . . I phoned R&R Motors this morning and arranged to have my cruise control repaired tomorrow morning. This will be the time we discover if the used part I purchased will do the job. . . . . My plan was to go fishing today but Mel phoned and asked me to stop by his place and help him go through all of the pictures he had inherited from Barbara when she died. He was having trouble deciding what to keep and what to give away. I worked on it with him for 2-3 hours and finally got it all broken down to our satisfaction. Most of the stuff we will deliver to Caren for her inspection and very little was tossed. After leaving Mel I did drive by Caren's house and left two suitcases filled with pictures on her back porch. A lot of the photo's were taken by my Dad and really brought back some memories. Many of them I have never seen because I spent most of my life in So. California. It is a tough thing to do, going  through old pictures.

SUNDAY

. . . .  My bowling went well today, I'm happy to report. The first five lines came out at a 153.8 score and the second five ended with a 152.4. It appears I was bowling consistently well, for me, and with a better than usual result. The river looked nice when I drove into town this morning so perhaps tomorrow I will try again to catch a fish. The Salmon are not expected for about a month but I can always hope for an early one.

SATURDAY

. . . . .I hooked a twelve inch squaw fish today, tossed it back of course. They are the last thing I would ever wish to put in a frying pan. The rest of the day was just fine, I even fell asleep once at the river. The book I am reading is coming along just fine too. I think there is something going on at the bowling alley tomorrow so I will phone them early to see for sure. I may end up fishing again. .  .  .  The part for the cruise control came in the mail today so I will contact R&R Motors Monday morning and try to get that installed. The good weather is holding, that is strange for this part of the world. 

FRIDAY

. . . . .Another fish less Friday, but the reading and relaxing by the river was nice. 
          The river is still not clear and I pick up a lot of weeds and stuff on my line. I reel in about once an hour to clean it off. There was a small trout doing some acrobatics at the surface but no sign of any serious sized fish.When the wind came up it got a bit cool at times. Strange weather around here!

THURSDAY

. . . . . I was happy with my final bowling results today but the first line was a weak 129. Luckily enough I came back with a 157 and a 150 to end up with an acceptable 145 for the day. It was also nice that we won over our opponent. That is a rare thing for our team, but it just shows to go ya' we can do it if we buckle down! Stopped by the market on the way home and it was nice enough out to keep the windows rolled down all the way.

WEDNESDAY

. . . . . I got a bit of exercise at the fishing hole today. The pathway from the sitting area to the pole holder needed some attention so I cleaned things up a bit with the shovel. Also during the winter the table and chairs were washed away but I noticed some time ago that the bottoms of the table legs are reaching upward toward the surface of the water. I attempted to dig some of the sand from around the thing but it did little good. Sand falls back into the hole as fast as I dig at it. Perhaps if the water goes down a foot or more next month I may be able to retrieve it. I have no idea where the chairs are. . . . Lots of reading today and no fish. The weather continues to be peachy-keen, just the way I like it. It reminds me of Mazatlan in January and February.

TUESDAY

. . . . . I was a very happy boy as I left the bowling alley this afternoon. I was very consistent with a 152 average over the first five lines and a 154 average during the second five lines. . . . I will try to do as well on Thursday, league bowling day. . . . Before bowling I had lunch with eight others from the class of '52' and had a nice time getting together with them again. Spring has sprung....the weather was exceptional this afternoon. I will try to catch a fish again tomorrow.

MONDAY

. . . . . No fish again today but as usual the quiet was nice and the weather was acceptable.  Just a great day to be alive!

SUNDAY

. . . . . The river looked inviting this afternoon as I drove into town to try that bowling thing again. My first five lines averaged 136 and the second five came out at 150. I felt sort of OK about the results but I knew that had I concentrated as well during the first set as I did on the second I would have done much better for the day. Most of my problem is failure to concentrate, I keep telling myself that all I have to do is walk up there and toss that ball. I am slow to discover that bowling certainly is not like that. . .  . .This afternoon I wasted away the time in front of the boob tube. My bad.

SATURDAY

. . .  .Doggy and I spent three hours at the fishing hole reading and napping. We arrived back at the house before three o'clock and had a light lunch and watched a movie.  Five o'clock found me driving into Teigens driveway and hopping in their vehicle for the drive to South Sound Raceway for the evening. That was really a lot of fun for a 3/8 mile track, those cars really get to speed in a short distance then slam on the brakes just in time to make it around the turn before hitting the gas again. The main event was 125 laps with lots of excitement all of the way. The races ended about eleven PM then they had their annual Fireworks Display. I got home at midnight and posted my blog before settling in with a couple of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk. It was another great day!

FOURTH OF JULY!

. . . . This turned out to be a good day except that Ron and his Mom were in Portland awaiting the results of Rudy's, Ron's Dad , stomach surgery. I spent the afternoon with Caren and Colton while we all celebrated the day with a couple from Caren's past.
The races we were planning on this evening turned out to be not this evening but tomorrow so we will get together again tomorrow and go to the races. I left Caren's place about 7PM and Ron had not yet phoned about Rudy's condition. The weather was nice, Colton spent the afternoon making soap bubbles while the rest of us told tall stories and lied a lot. It was a good day. Remember your prayers for Rudy.

THURSDAY

. . . . . It looked like rain when I left for the bowling alley this morning but it never happened. Didn't hurt my feelings at all. . .  .My three lines of league bowling were all above my average so I felt pretty good as I walked out. Made a stop at Safeway for a tank of gas and a few goodies that I just can not live without. It was  a good day and I expect the same for tomorrow. Caren phoned and asked me to join them tomorrow for a BBQ and a trip to the auto racing in the evening. Sounds like fun!

WEDNESDAY

. . . . . I phoned the supplier of old auto parts this morning and after getting their email address sent them five pictures of the cruise control amplifier I am looking for. They phoned back within the hour and told me it was being shipped out today. I have an appointment for next Wednesday morning to have it installed. It will be nice to have cruise control again but the price of the labor is terrible for all of the time it took R&R Motors to find the problem. . . . . .Spent 4 hours at the river today, no fish but again a great day to be there. 

TUESDAY

. . . . . .This day helped prove that summer does occasionally come to Washington. I am sure the temperature got above eighty, I like that!  Bowling was nothing to write home about but I did average above my league average at 140. This evening Roy asked me to help his wife install a new printer for her computer. It took a couple of hours but most of that time was showing her some basic things about computer operation that she knew nothing about, drag and drop and basics like that. It was fun and she did appreciate the help. I also gave her my copy of Computers for Dummies that I am sure she will get a kick out of. The river did not look very nice as I drove by today but I may try some fishing tomorrow. Sitting at the river reading is not hard to take on days like this, fish or no fish.