Picnic Table

I have so many memories of growing up on the farm in Paul. When I think of my childhood, that's where my thoughts take me. We could play outside all day and mom didn't have to worry about us. We would play in our sand box that grandpa Calvin built, or the playhouse that dad built us. Mostly I remember riding motorbikes, shooting our BB guns and our siblings were our best friends. We were tired and dirty by the end of the day, as it should be with kids. I also remember eating many outdoor meals on our big picnic table. It sat under the shade of our weeping willow tree. I bet everyone of my cousins at some point have eaten at this table.

I don't know how it happened that I now possess this very same picnic table. It was at home with grandpa Virgil in Shoshone for years, while my family gypsied around the country. I am so grateful it stayed in the family. We use it all the time at the Villa. It must be about 30 years old! It is showing some signs of wear. A few dings here and there, but it is as sturdy as ever. I decided it needed a little lovin'..

The boys are so quick to lend me a hand they got to it before I could get a proper "Before" picture. You can see how 30 years in the sun has dulled the finish. It just needed some fresh paint.

I love this oiled bronze color.

Six cans of spray paint and several coats later... I think this table is ready for it's next party!

I wonder if this table will bring back good memories for the next generation? I can't see why it wouldn't be around for another 30 years. One of my grand kids will probably end up with it.

That makes me smile.

This is my cute little nephew Richard Robert. He loves being ouside in overalls.

Oregon Coast

With Summer winding down and the temps rising, we decided to beat the heat with a trip to the coast. Four days in Waldport was just what we needed to cool down. We got a late start on the road and planned to drive as far as we could, then pull over and set up camp.

I love driving in the early evening. Everything seems to be quieting down. The scenery was beautiful.

I'm actually surprised Arron drove past Sisters Oregon before pulling over to sleep. Like pros the boys set up a tent, threw in some bags and we were sawing logs in no time. (all except Jon)

Good Morning!

By the way Laiken looks you'd never know just how close to Hwy 20 we pitched our tent. (maybe it wasn't the snoring the kept Jon up, but the semi traffic?) Just a short winding jaunt to breakfast, then the beach!

Ahhh, that's what we drove all night to see!

There was a lot of frisbee tossing and beach combing going on. I think my favorite was just chillaxing in a beach chair with a book, and my camera.

I think Arron found 16 cents.

We had a nice relaxing first day. We watched the Olympics on T.V. and Laiken made us rice krispie treats after dinner. Our little beach house was so fun!
I had to throw in this picture of Laiken rockin' the pearls and leather...not to mention the leopard yoga pants and turquoise flip-flops...how does she do it?

We were all pretty stocked for the all-day fishing charter. I was sure we were going to bring back loads of Rockfish, maybe we'd even get lucky and catch a Salmon!

It was a great day.

Jon pulled the first one in.

He was also the first to have to throw one back. Whatever this blurry blob is, it was no longer in season. Bummer.

After Laiken caught several Starfish, she finally pulled up a "keeper"

We didn't catch as many fish as we would have hoped. Honestly, Laiken was the hero of the day with a grand total =1! But....

we were not going home empty handed!

We caught our limit of crab! 60

Nothin' left to do but eat these little monsters!

What tastes good with crab?...more crab, and butter, maybe fries.

No one is walking away hungry from this table!

So we ate and ate and ate, all the while watching the Olympics. It was bliss.

We explored Newport the next day.

At Pirates Plunder there was much to see.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. Sunny, every day! What?

We couldn't keep Arron away from the waters edge for long, we wound up back at the docks.

I know he's thinking...if I can't catch a fish, by dang, I'll buy one!

Needless to say, we ate fresh Albacore Tuna that night. Arron cooked it up on the grill.

We strongly believe in making your own luck!

I'm so glad we did this trip.

The Last of the Flooring Projects

This project was a doozy, not because it was hard or even that expensive; but because it took several months to complete and all the while we had to live in a bit of a mess. That's not easy for me to do!  (I have issues with waiting and messes) 

First we had to clear everything out of the basement. Remove all doors, tape the walls and worst of all... Skye's room had to be moved upstairs. Yuck!

The basement floor had many problems that needed fixed before beautification. We had to make it level, fill in drain holes, and patch the concrete. Before we could do any of those things we had to sand and clean the floor.

It's never all work and no play here at the Villa, but sometimes the line does get blurred a bit.

In the middle of the clean-up, Skye decided it was high time for Jon to get his crash course lesson in rideing. It only took one lesson! Jon is a fast learner and Skye is a great teacher.

Look at that focus! Jon was cruising around the Villa in no time.

I definately see a smile. I'm so glad because Jon may not know it yet, but he has lots of rideing trips to go on with the Shore family.

Now back to work/play. (See, there is a thin line between the two.) Arron and Skye leveling, patching and filling holes.

Remember, all this took time. Time to cure. Time to dry. Finally, we got to the cool part. Staining and epoxy coat. First re-tapeing all the walls.

Time for a break.

Pizza.

 Never ever have extra help on a project without feeding them!

I'm not sure if Laiken and Jon come out to help us because they enjoy it or because they know they'll get fed. Maybe it's a little of both?

 I never said the food had to be fancy!

Time to squeeze in another lesson from Skye.

How To Unicycle.

Back to work/play. Adding the etching stain.

Now tell me, what woman would'nt want to come downstairs to find this?

After much waiting again. Waiting to dry. Waiting to cure. We got this.