In the Pacific Northwest: On the Way Home

We had a great time. We didn't want to leave. But the time did finally come, and I hoped I'd taken enough photos so that we could relive the adventure over and over in the future. And we'll go back--we want more time with Reyn and Liz, more time to explore, more time to see Oregon.

Reyn and Liz picked us up in their 1955 Chevy. What a ride! I had been talking to some of the powwow dancers while we waited, and when that car pulled up, they grinned from ear to ear, and gave a big thumbs up. I tell you, I felt cool getting in that car.

I watched the Oregon countryside pass by through the window--fields of hay, distant mountains, wineries with fields of grapes, garages with old trucks hidden inside, farmhouses.

I thought back to one place we'd visited, the Grand Ronde Shopping Center. Iconic of a time gone past, as was much of what I watched through the window for the first part of the trip.

And then, there was this airplane sitting on top of a building. Really?? Really. And from its side came waterslides! Other aircraft were all over the place.

 This was the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum and Waterpark and a long way from the rural countryside we'd just been seeing.

We did not have time to stop, but Reyn took us a drive through the grounds. Through the glass we could see the historic Spruce Goose, the largest wooden aircraft ever built and the brainchild of Henry Kaiser and Howard Hughes. One day I want to see this thing close up.

We met grandson Jared for lunch, then said our goodbyes to our friends and headed to Portland with Jared.

His apartment is right downtown--this is the view from the rooftop patio in their building (which has a hot tub, firepit, and lounge area, pretty nice).

Jared took us for a little tour of the city on the transit system.

We didn't go far, but saw a lot that was interesting.

Powell's! I've bought from them online so it was a treat to see this huge used/new bookstore in person. I have to admit, I get overwhelmed quickly when faced with too much to look at. We browsed and enjoyed looking at the antiquarian and rare books, then headed out to find dinner.

On the way to the restaurant we passed many, many food trucks. They're everywhere in Portland. This one offers "a taste of your childhood. And if your childhood sucked, we'll share a taste of ours."

The Multnomah County Public Library where my friend Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald once worked. I don't think I ever considered actually seeing this place, which is a great supporter of storytelling.

We chose a place called Henry's for dinner, and opted for the patio. What a good evening, talking with Jared and his girlfriend Pilar.

Then we headed back on the train for the apartment for more talk and finally sleep.

We were up and out before 6:00am. Jared dropped us off at the airport, and soon we were back on a plane and homeward bound with lots of memories that will have to hold us until we can get out west again.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Happy Birthday, Jared!

He's 17 today--our oldest grandson. What a guy!



To Jared

The road you've traveled hasn't been easy,
you've had many turns and troubles,
but I remember when you were a baby,
drinking your bottle and blowing bubbles.

I remember how you poured my coffee
when you were only two,
how alone you put on your shorts and tees
and learned to tie your shoes at three.

Tommy was the one who gave you the egg
that you smashed on the sliding glass door--
we laughed at the egg running down your leg
--that was the year you were four.

I remember the car you rolled over the hill,
--weren't you only two at the time?
And the rope swing that broke and scared us all;
what a relief that you came out of it fine!

Then there was the time your tried to ride
the picnic table on skateboards' wheels.
The table--of course it didn't survive
the wild ride over the hill.

We can laugh at the stories, and shake our heads
when we remember your childhood days,
But you're one of a kind, grandson Jared
and we wouldn't want you any other way.

So I hope you have a wonderful day
that's full of memories and love
And I'll keep praying your Angel's okay
and keeping close watch from above.

Granny

Homecoming: Part 1

It was finally the day we had waited for: the 111th Combat Engineers of the WV Army National Guard was to arrive home from their mission at Camp Speicher, Tikrit, Iraq. Among the soldiers would be my son, First Sergeant Derek Ford, returning from his second deployment in the current war, and his third including the first Gulf War.



We traveled to the Air National Guard base in Charleston, WV to wait for the planes to arrive. At the base, shuttle buses waited to ferry us from parking to the hangar where crowds were already waiting for the troops.

Haley proudly wore the National Guard hat her dad gave her. She's his girl, no doubt about it.

Many families made posters and signs to welcome their soldiers home, like these placed along the fence leading to the hangar.

Then it was wait...and wait. The planes had been delayed by a bad storm in Minnesota, we were told. They would be an hour behind schedule. With temperatures in the 90's the hangar was actually not too bad. My son Tom and grandson Jared look a little bored, don't they? I found a friend to talk to, so time passed a little more quickly for me.

Bored, bored, bored, hot and waiting.

Hannah found a friend to hang out with too, and hitched a ride around the hangar.

Homecoming: Part 2

Hannah found another friend: Governor Joe Manchin. Never shy about speaking to people, Hannah walked right up and introduced herself! His parting comment to her was, "you come see me now, you hear?" Hannah assured him that she would. As we walked away, she asked, "so where does he live?" In a great big, beautiful house, I assured her. "Well, let's go see him after our cookout tonight," she said. I wonder if he'd be surprised!





The kids loved the big flag--hiding behind it seemed to be an attractive game. Look at the legs back there! I caught the girls standing still for once.



An announcer told us the planes were 15 minutes away, and everyone moved to the tarmac. For more waiting, but this time the end was in sight.

Now these two look like heartbreakers to me, but I'm their granny/mother.

"Are they here yet?" Hannah asked. We saw other planes landing, but none were the ones we were looking for.

And then, finally, a far-off dot in the sky got bigger and bigger...

Homecoming: Part 3

There! There it is! The C-130 carrying the soldiers home! Another followed close behind.

As the planes landed, a great cheer rose from all the people lined along the tarmac. Flags flew and signs were held high. My favorite was a sign that said, "Dad! I'm Here!"

The stars and stripes waved proudly from the lead plane, and the WV State flag flew from the following one. What a sight!

The loading bay opened and we could see the soldiers inside. Where was Derek? We strained our eyes to see him.

As the first soldiers disembarked, we were given the signal that we could go to meet them. What a rush as people swarmed forward, every eyes seeking a beloved face.

And then, there he was. Haley saw him before he was even off the plane--one uniform like all the others, but the face--that was her Dad!

Homecoming

Tommy is home at last from Germany! Tonight we picked him up at the airport. Jared and Haley waited impatiently to see the uncle who is not much older than they are (Haley is 12, Jared 16, and Tommy is 21).
















He looks great--fit, built and happy to be home. What a joy to see his face again--even though we spoke on the phone every week, there is nothing to compare with seeing someone you love in person. (yeah, he's stooping over his two short parents!)





Jared, Hannah and Tommy--what a difference a few years makes in a kid's size. Hannah is such a little bird. Jared is actuall about 2 inches taller than Tom, although it doesn't show here.


Now everyone is settled down for the night. Air mattresses have been inflated, the stove and fireplace loaded for the night, blankets, sheets and pillows found, lights out. The house is quiet and I can think about having our youngest son home again.



I wonder how he'll find the adjustment from Air Force barracks to a very quiet, solitary house in the country. He was raised here, but off and on for the past few years has been living in other places where there is a lot more people and activity. Here, he'll see the occasional deer, plenty of birds, the dogs, and the mailman and school bus passing on the road a quarter of a mile away. That's pretty much it for a day's activity.


He has plans, of course. College, a job, maybe an apartment. So his stay here is likely to be limited. We'll enjoy having him for this time, and I sort of think he'll enjoy getting out again when he gets his ducks lined up. He's tried a few things already--a short college stint, welding, driller, the Air Force. Always his passion was fitness, and now he's determined to make that his career. How? Stay tuned...

Food, Friends, Family and Fun

Weekend: Fiddler by the fire...


Friend Odie Parkins plays some tunes late Saturday night

Redbird in the pear tree (you can't see them, but there were five cardinals in the tree, waiting for us to leave so they could continue their breakfast)...

Jaime knitting as I cooked breakfast for the second time for late-rising and late-arriving teenagers. Michaela helped Mommy (oh yeah...)

James with his two favorite Christmas presents--goofy glasses and a Whoopie cushion. The Whoopie cushion sustained a blowout, and in true mountaineer fashion, we repaired it with, what else, duct tape! (I could have saved a lot of money; could have bought him ten Whoopie cushions and he'd have been on top of the world)...

Raven trying out James' shades...

And Tigger getting some loving from Michaela...

Who is that little Druid beside Jared's Jeep? Jared and friend Taylor and Aaron spent a long chilly day installing a new radio in Jared's wheels, and Michaela visited with a tall sunflower stalk that looked very like a wooden staff...

and on the porch, very muddy pink hikers testify to a wet, busy day outside.

Book Festival Day 2

(No photos today--I forgot my camera)

I thought I was tired last night!

It felt luxurious to sleep in until 9am today. The ringing phone woke me--it was son #5, Tommy, calling from Germany. We have a system: he calls when he has time to talk, and I call him right back to save outrageous charges on his cell phone.

He sounded great, full of plans for the future. He's in the Air Force, but has gotten into health and fitness and is studying to be a personal trainer when he gets out. It's too funny to hear this son, the pickiest of eaters when young, extolling the virtues of chicken sprinkled with pepper and flax seed, steamed broccoli, and other very healthful foods. I'm proud of him and the efforts he's making on his own to learn about nutrition. And he's learning to cook too!

Grandson Jared and I made it to the book festival by noon and manned the booth for a while. A wide variety of folks stopped to talk, sign up to receive more information about storytelling, and pick up brochures.

I've created a new brochure called "So You Want to Be a Storyteller" that was popular with booth visitors--I took 50 with me on Saturday, and had only 3 left at the end of the day. I made more when I got home. I also spiral-bound more copies of my ghost stories book--I started with the only four I had left, and was out of those early in the afternoon. The storytelling guild's membership form needed revision too, and I made brochures for that. So I burned the midnight oil Saturday night, getting everything printed, bound and ready to go. (Which is another reason why sleeping until 9am felt so good.)

Today we had the Storytellers Concert. Five tellers agreed to perform, and I was MC. The turnout was disappointing, only 15 people, but then attendance at the festival seemed to be down in general, especially today. And Robert San Souci, a well-known children's author, was presenting at the same time as the concert, so we had heavy competition for audience.

But even though the audience was small, the telling was excellent. Fred Powers started our set with a riveting coal mining story. He brought many coal mining tools for display which added to the atmosphere as he crawled into the room in his miner's outfit. I sang the ballad "WV Coal Mining Disaster" after Fred's story as a tribute to miners and the women who love them.

Suzi "Mama" Whaples followed with a new story with a lot of punch--a personal story about an encounter with a homeless woman years ago. Her point was made with grace and few words, no preaching but a truth so evident that all of us felt the power of her tale.

Donna Wilson demonstrated the art of the traditional tale with her telling of "Old Dry Frye," one of my favorite Appalachian tales. Her story reminded me a local humorous story by Delmar Hutton of Jackson County that is supposedly true, and absolutely hilarious. I told that tale and then we moved on to Michael Kasony-O'Malley, our guest performer from Columbus, Ohio. His personal story of making chocolate chip cookies and a disastrous science experiment had us all in tears with laughter.

I did a "science" ballad after Michael, "The Bricklayer's Lament," surely as much about physics as anything!

Karen Vuranch ended our set with a fantastic telling of another traditional tale, "The Two Old Women's Bet." Too funny! And a fitting tale to end the concert.

Another two hours in the booth talking to visitors, and then it was time to take down our displays. This is the hardest part for me--we're tired and drained, but the booth must be disassembled and the car loaded up for the trip home. Larry calls the car my little pickup and he's not far wrong. By the time we'd stopped for groceries, the car was completely full from the front seats to the back bumper.

Of course, I bought some new books, and a DVD on the process of coal mining. I want to learn more about mining and I am looking forward to watching the DVD. I now have a big stack of books to read and review, and will be posting the reviews as soon as I can.

First Car

We can all remember our first set of wheels. This past weekend I finalized the purchase of grandson Jared's first car--a 2000 Jeep Cherokee. Jared found it, loved it, and talked his Dad into buying it. That part was easy.

What wasn't so easy was buying the Jeep in Derek's name while he's in Iraq. Fortunately, I had power of attorney. Unfortunately, the banks weren't used to making loans when the loanholder was at war. Fortunately, they got through the paperwork and we got the deal done.

Last night Larry took Jared for his first drive in the Jeep. I stayed home--this was a guy thing. They came back grinning and happy, and Jared had completed his first loop of Joe's Run in his first vehicle.

What Happens When Your Grandson Gets to Play with Your Camera and Computer

What happens when a grandson gets bored at your house because there's no television--but there is a computer and a digital camera? He starts out looking fairly normal, standing by the firelplace in our log room---

...then he learns that you can play with settings and color and such and things start getting a little weird....



...and as the night goes on, it's not only weird but '60's psychedelic.











Ha, Jared! Bet you didn't think old Granny would put these on her blog!



Great pics.