Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010 was fun and relaxing. Below Jon and Corina bake us up some cookies.

Lot's of chess playing. Below Adam and Jon locked in a close battle.

We played a game of Risk. We talked Pam into playing with us. She said "I don't know how to play". Yeah right! She whipped all of us and took over the world.

 

 Christmas morning, Pam is excited about the camera that Adam got her.

  Here I am with my new hat, Lorelei said it was about time I had a new one?? I like my old hat, but the new one is nice too. I also got a gun, some waterproof camouflage pants and a new basketball! What more does a middle aged man need?

  Lorelei checking out her new stereo.

  Jon with some tea.

  Cody got a new Bible.

 Adam and Cody having a juggling contest (you don't get the idea that we are competitive do you?)

Then it was time for a serious picture. Left to Right, Lorelei, me, Adam, Pam, Cody, Corina, Jon

And then someone got the idea of getting a picture of us jumping???

A fun day for sure! You can see all the pictures HERE

Birthdays and more birthdays......

Haven't taken any pictures for the past few weeks so I will dig up a few older ones to use here this time. Jon's birthday was the end of Nov. Lorelei's was the 4th of Dec. and Adam's is coming up on the 17th.

For Lorelei's birthday I took her in to Salem and we did Christmas shopping and found her a pair of shoes. We went to McGrath's Fish House for dinner. Lorelei had king crab legs....oh my what a fun mess she made!

Last Saturday we drove 40 miles to Tigard to watch Adam play in the band at church. Then we all went out to dinner at Newport Bay. Adam will be 21 on the 17th! The picture below is a few years old.

Cody is doing well in the 7th grade. His winter music recital is Thursday night so we are looking forward to that. He is also working hard at his chess game. He really wants to qualify for the state tournament this year.

Things around the place are progressing slow! Been cutting back and thinning out some trash trees and hawthorne's but I need to get some bigger trees cut also. I will get the calendars finished up this week so will give me some more time.

Animals are doing well and we are getting plenty of eggs from the chickens. A couple of weeks ago Lorelei decided Queenie needed a bath but it was too cold to do it outside so we put her in the bathtub.....wow what fun that was......not. Lorelei then got the hair clippers and started trimming her....well she was real clean and looking good until we let her outside.

That's about all for now!
Glynn Jr.

Thanksgiving 2010......

Not a typical Thanksgiving for us this year. The week before Thanksgiving I spent curled up in a ball writhing in pain with a kidney stone. After trying some internet remedies and taking one of my last pain pills, Lorelei laid her hands on me and prayed. I closed my eyes on that Friday night and figured that on Saturday I would have no choice but to check into the hospital. I awoke the next morning pain free and have been so since.

During the same week I got a call early one morning and my dad told me that my grandma had passed away during the night. It was not unexpected but it's always a blow to lose a loved one. My beautiful grandma was 95.

On Saturday the 21st my dad called to tell me the services for Grandma would be on Wed. in southern CA. My first thought was to drive so as not to be under the control of the TSA in case I had trouble with a kidney stone. But the weather for Oregon and northern CA was looking cold and icy so Lorelei went on the hunt for a deal to fly down.

So Tuesday morning we awoke to a frozen winter wonderland here in the northwest. Reports of icy roads on the radio prompted me to wake Lorelei earlier than anticipated in case we ran into trouble on the way to the airport. We loaded up and headed out before daylight. We actually made good time with only a few slow downs. We had plenty of time to relax at the airport and grab a bite to eat before boarding our plane.

Because of the storm there were some really cool cloud formations.

We flew into LAX, picked up a rental car and made our way through horrendous traffic to our hotel room in Orange CA. I still can't figure out where 6 stop and go lanes of people could possibly be going at 3:00 on a Tuesday afternoon?

On Wednesday morning we got up and drove to Laguna Hills to have breakfast with Lorelei's sister Penny.

The service for Grandma was Wednesday afternoon and what a wonderful service it was. Grandma was loved by all and there were many tears of joy and sorrow as we remembered her life. After the services we went to my aunt's for fellowship and dinner.
Below my aunt Cheryl and friends.

My aunt Jeanette and my cousin Mary Jo

Add Lorelei and I to the mix and you get the pic below.

Okay from L to R Lorelei, Glynn Jr., Cheryl, Bob, Jeanette, Glynn Sr., Franci and Mary Jo!

Mary Jo's husband Kevin was kind enough to take most of the pictures of all the family. Thanks Kevin!

Thanksgiving morning saw us roll out of bed early to make our way back to the airport. Our schedule was to fly out of LAX at around 12:30 to Seattle then a 3 hour layover and back to Portland arriving around 7:00 p.m! So our Thanksgiving meal this year was a pizza at the airport. We still stopped and said grace thanking the Lord for all that is ours. It wasn't the Thanksgiving that we had planned but we made the most of it and it was good to see family that we had not seen in some time.

At home we enjoyed the company of our three boys. Adam was home from Portland with his girlfriend Pam. We had missed Jon's birthday on Tuesday so we invited Jon's girlfriends parents and siblings over for dinner on Saturday night. Corina's mom and dad had all of our boys over for Thanksgiving and it was such a comfort knowing they were well taken care of in our absence. We had a great meal and good fellowship.

Glynn Jr.

Mt. Shasta?

Last Saturday Lorelei and I got in the Expedition and headed south not really sure where we were going to end up. I needed to pick some parts up from my dad and he was going to head north with them. We took off about noon. My dad and Franci didn't begin driving north until about 7:30 that evening. The plan was to meet somewhere halfway.

We stopped in Grants Pass for dinner and although Lorelei had seen a billboard earlier about an Applebees there, we were not able to find it so we settled for Denny's. We DO NOT recommend the Denny's in Grants Pass! Onward we went through the many curvy sections of I5 that take you through the mountainous southern part of our state. It was raining off and on but that's not unusual for November in Oregon!

Crossing the border and on into California, it was nearing 8:00 o-clock and the next big town would be Redding about an hour away. We had a bad hotel experience in Redding a few years back and Lorelei was not looking forward to that being our stopping point for the night. Just about that time we were passing the town of Mt. Shasta and the sign before the off ramp had a Best Western listed. I said "hey how about here" before I finished the sentence Lorelei said "Ok".

We checked in to a beautiful place with lodge type furnishings and a real log fire burning in the lobby. We decided to go for a walk so we put on an extra sweatshirt. We went across the street to a very nice little market that looked closed from the outside but once inside was bright and well stocked. I must have counted ten or twelve people working in this market and only one other customer at 9:00 o-clock on Saturday night. Lorelei got some lunch meat and some bread to make us some sandwiches for the next day. We walked around the small shopping center that included an auto parts, bank, Radio Shack, cinema and a hardware store that had fishing gear! I told Lorelei, you know you are in the right place when the hardware store has a huge fishing gear section.

We tried calling home but we had no cell service. We had talked to Cody earlier in the day and he was all set and Jon was going to be home after 8:00 from work so we were not too worried. I was a little worried however that I really needed to talk to my dad first thing in the morning to find out where they were and how far we needed to travel to meet up with them.

As usual I woke up and looked at the clock and it was 4:30. I ran through the different scenarios in my head. How far had my dad and Franci drove. Do I need to just get up and drive south, meet them and then come back for Lorelei? Could I wait a couple of hours and then Lorelei and I both head south? I decided to go find cell service and try calling. I waited unit almost 5:30 before rolling out of bed and telling Lorelei the plan.

So I get this brilliant idea (sometimes I get these) maybe I could get some pictures of sunrise with Mt. Shasta in the foreground! Trouble is, I wasn't sure where Mt. Shasta was. Yes I was in the town by the same name but it was dark when we pulled in and it was still dark when I threw my camera gear in the truck and headed out. When I got to the main intersection it looked like heading east was at least going up hill and if I could get high enough I could get cell service. So east it was and yes it was going up! After about 10 miles the road began to look and feel different? Hmmm.....what's that on the road. About the same time I looked over at the side of the road and in the darkness there was snow on the ground, so what was on the road was ice! I slowed down and in the beginning glow of the morning I rounded a corner and realized where Mt. Shasta was. I was on it! Well so much for getting a picture of sunrise with Mt. Shasta in the foreground.

I finally found a spot where I had service and pulled over and called my dad. They were going by Lake Shasta! Wow they had driven all night with just a nap break. They met up with us at the hotel as we were finishing breakfast. Lorelei and I went back to the room and got ready to leave while my dad and Franci ate. We then loaded up the parts and let them use the room for the rest of the morning to get some much needed rest.

Lorelei and I headed out to do a little sightseeing and begin the drive back home. We drove up to the highest point we could on Mt. Shasta where they had the road closed. The peak of the mountain was shrouded in clouds so we didn't get a good picture of it.

We found this really cool old bridge near Rogue River and stopped to take some pictures.

We had a fun drive and got to see a few new sights!  A few more pictures are HERE

Glynn Jr.

Otis cafe and Cody's school pictures.......

Last Friday, Lorelei and I were over at the coast again fishing and having a great time. We loaded the boat at nearly dark and as usual it was time to figure out what to do about dinner. Usually we head south on 101 into Lincoln City and grab a bite, but I suggested to save some time that we could head for home and pick up something at Dairy Queen which is only about 20 minutes from our house. Lorelei agreed and we headed east right by the Otis Cafe just like we have done a hundred times in the past 16 years of living here. When we passed by I even said something about how good the food is supposed to be there. Well about 10 minutes down the road we saw sirens and lights....uh oh.....yep an accident and a bad one. We waited for a few minutes and someone came by and said that it would be a 2 hour delay! Wow....the only other way to get home would add about an hour to our normal one hour trip.

So I say to Lorelei, "we can turn around and eat at the Otis Cafe and wait for the wreck to clear". She says "Ok but how are you going to turn around with the boat on behind?". No problem says I as I crank the wheel to the left and gas it. Well the shoulder of the west bound lane was a little softer than I had figured (not a major miscalculation because of course I had a plan B). So as the right front tire of the truck begins to sink and slide off the road, Lorelei makes some sort of comment questioning my decision making. Not a problem says I as I reach down and put the truck into 4 wheel drive. I get back on the gas and thankfully I feel the tires grab and back up on the road we go. Hey I said " we are on an adventure right?". Sometimes I think Lorelei doesn't appreciate adventure like I do.

So back to the Otis Cafe . Now if you ever want to step back in time then this is the place for you. This place looks much like it did back in the 30's when it was built. Inside there are 4 booths and 2 tables plus seats at the bar. The food was great! The service was good and the company of my fishing partner was even better.
Lorelei got a burger and salad and I had the full breakfast with eggs, hash browns and homemade bread. Lorelei topped off her meal with homemade pumpkin pie and I had the fresh cinnamon roll. Wow was I stuffed. As we were finishing up we could see the line of cars coming from the east that signaled the wreck must be cleared. So we got in the rig and headed east with full bellies and another great memory.


 Then on Sunday between rain showers we convinced Cody (ok I think Lorelei bribed him) to dress up and let us take his school pictures. Below is one that I took.

Below is one of Lorelei's

You can see all of them HERE
That's about all for now.

Glynn Jr.

November already!

Wow....can't believe how the time is flying. The boys are all doing well. Adam is still living in Portland and we have not seen him for several weeks now. He works full time and is working hard at his music. Jon is going to school, working and is still very active with his church activities so even though he lives at home we don't see him much. He is traveling this Friday to Seattle Pacific University to sit in on some classes and to meet with the track coach. He is thinking about transferring there next year.

Cody is doing well in the 7th grade and working hard at music and chess. He has a concert tonight.

Lorelei and I spent Saturday over on the coast and we covered a lot of ground searching for salmon! We stopped at 4 different rivers and scouted. We fished two of the rivers with no luck. Although we did find this awesome fish and chips place in Lincoln City where we ate dinner after our long day of traveling. We will try again this week for the ever elusive salmon!

I will have more pictures next time. If you want to see all of the October pictures they are HERE

Glynn Jr.

Another fishing day.........

Last Friday it was suppose to rain so I got up and was working at home. I kept looking off to the west and could not see any clouds that would signal rain. Lorelei got up and said...."hey why don't we go fishing". Well I had to think about it for nearly two seconds and then said OK!
There are some salmon running in a river close to home so we chose not to make the drive over to the coast and instead drove about 15 miles to the east. There is a very small boat ramp on the Yamhill River in Dayton. We arrived at around noon and prepared the boat. Now even though this river is much closer to our house, the boat ride to get where the fish are is much longer. It's about a 5 mile run down this small river to get to the confluence with the Willamette river. That is where we figured to find the best concentration of fish. The five mile run must be made cautiously because of the many logs and snags in the water. We were cruising along enjoying the boat ride when I spied something along the bank. We got closer and we saw this. Lorelei got a nice picture of the critter.

I think it is a mink and it's the first one we have seen. We continued on down, enjoying the beautiful fall colors munching on our sandwiches that Lorelei packed for lunch.

When we reached the mouth of the Yamhill where it dumps into the Willamette we immediately saw fish jumping. The pinkish colored coho salmon were everywhere! We fished in vain for nearly 5 hours without a bite.



We fished until nearly dark and by the time we reached the launch ramp it was dark and cold. We had a very nice day on the water. We saw some Great Blue Heron, Kingfishers, Osprey and other birds.
Well.....someday we will catch a fish that we can bring home. Until then....no one can say that we haven't tried!

Glynn Jr.

Another great day at the coast.....

Lorelei and I, in our seemingly never ending quest to bring home a salmon, went over to the coast again on Wed. The salmon had all moved up river. I did manage to hook and land a native coho which you all know by now must be returned to the river. We did, also catch a few crabs which we brought home and eagerly devoured last night for dinner. We took some time to relax and explore the estuary. It was a beautiful day with temps in the upper 60's, maybe even 70! Lorelei sat in the front of the boat and got some great pictures! We had an awesome day and didn't get back home until well after dark.

An old root ball in the estuary.

A pair of Mallards take flight.

A Cormorant with a long take-off.

Who are you looking at?

Thanks for looking!
Glynn Jr.

More salmon fishing.....

So last Wed. Lorelei and I head over to the Salmon River again hoping to bring home dinner. What a beautiful day on the coast! Temp was in the 70's. We didn't get a salmon but we had a great day on the water. We fished until our arms ached. Lorelei again did not want to leave. She is a trooper!

Glynn Jr.

Fishing....fishing.....and more fishing....

Sunday before last the Pennington's and the Upshaw's got together.Corina was going off to college in a couple of days and we were invited over to do some fishing at their pond. Lorelei took the next few pictures.

Below: Corina with a bluegill she caught on a hand line.

Adam and Pam drove over from Portland to join the fun. Below Pam holds a nice largemouth bass while Adam and Cody look on.

Cody pulled in a nice Crappie!

Below: Jon and Corina work together on another largemouth.

We had a great day with wonderful family and friends. Everyone caught fish. Adam took a couple of the bass home to eat. The Upshaw's insisted that we stay for dinner. It really was a nice day.

So then last Thursday I suggested to Lorelei that we go salmon fishing. I had a reliable report that the salmon were in, so we headed for the coast. The forecast was for rain, so we bundled up and headed out. It wasn't long before Lorelei had a salmon on the line. It jumped and ran and jumped some more. I told her it was probably foul hooked and then a few seconds later it was off. Lorelei was bummed but I reminded her that if it was foul hooked we would have had to release it. Now I should have stopped and explained every possible scenario for needing to release a salmon that you catch. Not doing this was going to bite me this day. See until this day Lorelei had not hooked, fought, landed and brought home to eat a salmon totally on her own.

So about an hour later Lorelei's rod bends over and her reel starts screaming. It's a beautiful chrome bright salmon, fresh from the ocean. As it swims by the boat I can see it's legally hooked in the mouth. Lorelei fights the fish all on her own. She did great!

As I scoop the shiny salmon into the net, Lorelei's hands are shaking and she is almost in tears of delight. As I look closer at the fish, I realize that it is a native Coho. Now I know the drill well and without thinking I say something like "well we have to throw this one back". Lorelei says something like "I know you are just kidding". One look at her face and I realized that she really did think I was kidding. When she realized that in fact I was not kidding I thought maybe she was going to throw me back and keep the salmon.

Below, Lorelei musters a smile before returning her salmon to the river.

About 15 minutes later, Lorelei hooked another salmon! This one was a big one, well over 20 pounds. She battled it until her arms ached. Since it was so big, I just knew it had to be a Chinook and legal to keep. We finally netted the huge fish.........and yes you probably guessed by now, it was the largest native Coho I have ever seen! Now if you have ever been in a small boat next to a 100 lb. bundle of dynamite with a fuse that is about to be lit, then you know how I felt at that moment.
To say the least, Lorelei was not happy about returning her two salmon to the river. Fish were jumping everywhere and she was determined to catch a legal one. She fished until I finally had to insist that we head for the boat ramp as the tide was going out and I was beginning to worry that we may not have enough water to make it back to the ramp.

We head back to the river this morning to try again.

Then on Saturday our friends Bobbi and Ron were here from California. Jon, Ron and I went over to the Upshaw's pond for some more fishing!

Below: Ron with a nice bass.

And Jon with another hog!

 

I sure am missing cross country this year but as you can see, fishing here in Oregon in the fall is really nice and it's something we have not done much of the past few years.

Take care all. Drop us a note. We love to hear from you.

You can see all of the Sept. pictures HERE

Glynn Jr.