Summer in Portland

Portland, OR

Camping at Waldo Lake, 2nd deepest, most clear lake in Oregon


Wish I had taken photos of the clear blue water - friends say it's like the water in Hawaii.  There were 7 of us paddling and hanging out at Waldo Lake - a very cool place to spend a few days.  This is our 3rd year in a row and every year we have more fun!

This year was very,very dry - so no open fires allowed.  The one exception was propane grills and fire pits (anything that could be turned off).  My 'Fire Dancer' propane fire pit provided some critical camping ambiance; although the 9 yr old in a neighboring campsite was disappointed that I wouldn't let her make sticky 'smores over my clean fire glass!






The sunsets were a bit more colorful than normal because of the wildfire smoke in the air.  Luckily, it wasn't thick enough to disrupt our enjoyment of the trip.  Sigh . . . . Summer in the PNW = wildfires

More about those wildfires . . . 


Over the weekend, the wind shifted bringing the smoke from the numerous large fires burning in Eastern Washington and Oregon into the Portland Metro area.  Our normally good air quality deteriorated rapidly and was rated 'Unhealthy' for most of the weekend.

Where is the sky????

Normally, one has a very clear view of the hills across the Columbia River from this spot on Broughton Beach.

Volunteering for Greyhound Adoption NorthWest


Even though it's a 45 minute drive and shifts start at 7:30 am, I do love spending time with the hounds.  Mostly, I wash down kennels and feed dogs. They are so fun and enjoy their turnout time - the kennel muzzles are to protect their tissue-thin skin from inadvertent nips (we call the muzzles "their party hats").  They are almost all young, strong dogs recently retired from racing careers - so they are sometimes scared, sometimes rambunctious, and always so sweet I have trouble not stuffing a couple into the back of my car when I leave for the morning. 

Finished running around - now we want breakfast please

Even with thick rubber mats, these bony, thin-skinned critters need a lot of soft, cuddly bedding to snuggle in.  And sometimes, there are as many as 20 dogs in the kennel!    Depending on the number of dogs and how clean they keep their 'blankies', this translates to anywhere from 1 large garbage bag to 4 bags of laundry every day!!

I took one big bag home this weekend - it took almost 3 full loads to wash.


Clean, folded and ready for big dogs to mess up again!

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Red Cross #CampPrepare!

Aug1; Portland OR

Red Cross's "Test Your 72 hr Emergency Kit" campout weekend


I had been wanting to test out my 'Go Bag' for awhile, so this was the perfect opportunity!  Many people joined the Red Cross at a local State Park for a day of camping.  I elected to camp on my back deck because Fay Wray is increasingly frail and I didn't want to leave her.  

To keep myself honest, I taped all the faucets and the fridge door closed.  That way I wouldn't be tempted by the Salted Butterscotch ice cream.  It was the hottest weekend this summer (of course, just to make it extra hard!!) and I admit that I retreated inside to the air conditioning for awhile in the late afternoon.  Also, at about 2 am, the hard deck was a bit much for my hips - so I spent the rest of the night on my comfy bed inside.

Regardless - the event was a success.  My kit worked really well and I had everything I needed.  Because of the hot weather, I have added some gatorade mix to my emergency food.






Fay Wray did not participate!


Well, she's old.  And she had her first Grand Mal seizure a few days ago and I didn't want to put her under any unnecessary stress. But, I realized that her harness and leash were at the bottom of my Go Bag - not handy if it had really been an emergency.  I also relocated her crate to the same closet as the GoBag.  In a real emergency, I'd probably feel better if she was in a sturdy crate.



The local media really got excited about this event!


While we've known for years that the PNW is due for a major, major earthquake, but a recent article in the New Yorker has had everyone in a tizzy.  So, the Red Cross asked if I would be willing to be interviewed by the press as part of the coverage of Camp Prepare.  Of course, I said yes (before realizing that THREE different stations would be out to talk to me!).





Overall, it was fun - even Fay Wray was photographed and appeared on TV.

Here are some links to the coverage if you're interested.


 




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