The Cove

We live in a beautiful spot on the Oregon Coast. Our house is surrounded with various very large trees - hemlock, Sitka spruce, Coast redwoods, shore pines, alders, and smaller Japanese maples and a stray dogwood. We've planted most of the trees although some of the spruce and hemlocks were here when we built the house. A large number of spruce are "volunteers." They just grew from seeds the squirrels drop, I think.

When we first built we needed to cut down thirty-five trees, and I was afraid the forest would never grow back in our lifetime. Wrong. Little rhododendrons we planted from one-gallon cans are now six feet high. The little cedars we planted in the front area are over ten feet high. They were less that six inches when we got them from the Forest Dept. So things grow quite quickly here in The Cove. Except for the rhododendrons, however, we don't get a lot of pretty blooming flowers. We just don't seem to have enough sun for them. My hydrangeas do bloom, and Bill took a picture of one covered in snow one year. They often bloom too late in the year!

So I have some flowering things in pots, and when I remember to water and fertilize them they look pretty for about four weeks. It hardly seems worth the effort. I once loved gardening, and still enjoy flowers and greenery, but no longer 'garden.' One great thing about living in the forest - I no longer have to weed!

Completion

We are finally getting back to a somewhat normal existence with the rooms painted and the furniture and furnishings back in place. A few pictures need re-hanging, but as Bill says - we have time to do that when we "get around to it." I feel as if we've moved into a new home - almost! The colors are just right. Our wonderful painter only took four days to do the job, and it was quite a big one. The very high ceiling in the "great room" as well as the 9' ceilings in the rest of the downstairs made for a challenge for him, and he did it all by himself!

We spent a good part of our days in the library/office room on our computers while the painting was being done. Bill has been making note cards to sell for our after-school program - The Kids Zone - so for the past several months we have traveled to various parts of Oregon for him to photograph Oregon's covered bridges. We'll be off again soon to get shots of four more. He'll have taken pictures of forty-seven bridges by then, with only three more to finish. Many of the bridges fell into disuse or neglect, but fifty remain and an Oregon Covered Bridge Society was formed to keep those remaining in repair. His photography has taken us over a variety of back roads and country vistas we hadn't seen before, and while he climbed up and down river banks to get that perfect view, I was able to read and enjoy the quiet.

Paint

We are going to paint the inside of the downstairs of the house - at last! It has been over 12 years since the first very thin coat of white was put on when the house was built. Now that we know that white isn't needed for light, here in the dark woods, we are ready for some color. Benjamin Moore paint has a new one-coat paint - Aura - that we will use. We have finally decided on the colors. For the main rooms - the kitchen, dining room and hall - Harmony - a darkish beige. For the master bedroom and bath - Wind Chime - a Celadon green. We have tested three different greens and decided on this one. We tried two different colors for the other rooms, but the second was too yellow for my taste. Now, when the rooms are finished we'll see how well we did. If I could have mixed three or four different greens, I might be happier with the final color, but it was too much to worry about! We can certainly live the next 12 years with what we've picked!

Memorial Day

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and I'd like to remember the members of my family who have served.

My great-great-great Grandfather Levi Ashbrook served in the Revolutionary War. My great-Grandfather Aaron Ashbrook served in the Civil War on the Union side, as did his brothers, one of whom died as a result. My Grandfather Roy Wilson Ashbrook served in the US Army in the Spanish-American War in the Philippines and lost an eye there. He then went on to train soldiers for WWI. My uncle Roy served in the Army in the Battle of the Bulge and had frostbite as a result. He then went on to serve in the Army of Occupation in Japan. My uncle Ed Allatt was a bomber pilot in the Mediterranean and had two planes shot out from under him and had to ditch in the water. My father was a pilot ferrying supplies to Australia for the Navy in unescorted, and unarmed planes. My first husband, Mike, was a Captain in the Canadian Army, serving in Korea and in the Congo under the UN. My husband, Bill, made his career in the Air Corps for 22 years. David, my son, was in the Navy for 12 year. And I almost forgot my great-grandfather Searles who served as a drummer boy for the Union in the Civil War.

To all of them - Thank you.

Memorial

This is always such a hard time for our family. I looked at Lesley's blog today, and tears streamed. Too many memories - but some of them are such good ones. I love looking at the pictures of Rachel and Amy. And I remember that weekend at the cabin when the girls had such a good time in the snow. Memories.

Off and Away!

We leave soon for our trip back to the mid-west for several important events. First we'll get to meet Sylvie - a very important new member of the family - our great-niece in Colorado. Then a stop in Kansas to visit a member of Bill's family - His cousin Sabine who is his first cousin's daughter from Germany. Then to Nevada, Missouri and Catherine's graduation from Cottey - and a visit with Val and Neal and Catherine before they head for San Diego and we head on up to Lincoln, Nebraska. There we'll visit the Jacksons and Schers. And that will be a fun time for me with Maddie and Emily! And then on home. We're keeping fingers crossed that the weather will be nice to us!

Finis!

Today I took my memoirs to the printer. I worked hard on them, and hope they reflect something of my life without too many bumps and bruises. Thanks to Alison for the title. I don't know what I'll do for writing now. I'm not creative enough to start on something in fiction, and I've done my life. Not good with poetry. Oh well - time now to read!