Treasures from my Mailbox

My sister Hope called me from Costco on Thursday to confirm my address. She had run into an old friend of our parents, Mae Etta Kennel, who said she had just come across my birth announcement and would like to send it to me.

Sure enough, today an envelope from Mae Etta was in my mailbox. Inside was a note from her and a 3-cent postcard postmarked on December 22, 1958 in Cairo, Nebraska, addressed to the Kennels in Toledo, Oregon. Written in green ink in my mother's familiar handwriting, it began:

"A BABY- That which makes the home happier, love stronger, patience greater, hands busier, nights longer, days shorter, purses lighter, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, the future brighter -

On December 12 at 12:17 PM, LeAnn Sue arrived, weighing 7#11 oz. We were looking for her two weeks before - everything over by Thanksgiving, but we patiently (?) waited awhile."

I hold this postcard, yellowed and stained after all this time, and marvel that my mother wrote and touched this card nearly 50 years ago. When she penned this card 10 days after my birth, my mother had no idea that I would be blessed with her presence on this earth for only 14 short years. I am so amazed that her good friend saved it all that time and now returned it to me! Words cannot express my appreciation, but I have attempted to do so in a note that is already written and addressed to her. I will not risk procrastination resulting in inaction this time!

Another treasure enclosed was a slide, about which MaeEtta wrote, "In our slides we found this one of your family, taken when we stopped on a Sunday for church and dinner." The slide is labeled "Stan Troyers, 1965". Here it is, a never before seen Troyer family photo.

Back row, John, Dad holding Doug, Mom, Galen, Linda. Front, Mark, David, myself (Look, Will, I really did used to be a blond!), Hope. I'll email it to all my siblings.

What a refreshing and delightful change from the usual junk I find in my mailbox!

And, speaking of birthdays, a Happy Birthday to my big brother John, born more than 50 years ago today! I think you still have as much hair as you did back in the above picture! Were you about 15 back then?

Picnic in the Park

On Tuesday this week, I was suddenly struck with the horrifying thought that there was only one week of July left, one week of blissful unstructured days that didn't include any time at my place of employment. But there's much more than a week's worth of activities that I haven't done yet! Where to begin! One of my top priorities was a picnic in the neighborhood park with my nieces/sister/
great-neices & nephews. Fortuitously, today worked out for everyone with small children.Chavan insisted on sharing his cookie with Grandpa.

Cody really knows how to get comfortable when he eats! Ouch!

Jenna - how can a one-year-old be so good at posing as soon as she sees a camera!?

Tamarick, Cody, and Brenden had a great time on the play equipment.

The boys also found many things to do off the the playground equipment. They made numerous trips around walking on the edging, and also enjoyed racing each other around the outside the edging. We won't mention any trips behind the bushes that an eagle-eyed mother noticed and raced over to re-direct her son to the enclosed facilities.

Chavan and Jenna both loved the swing. I have always loved to watch the sheer joy of a small child on a swing.

This little guy was everywhere. He enjoyed the playground, but everything else was also entertaining to him!
As he was running back to the picnic table, he ran past the garbage container. With an exclamation of "Oh!" he turned back and thoroughly enjoyed opening and closing the door, until his mother redirected him. I had always walked right by there and never actually opened the door to view the garbage cart inside. I believe all the mothers did some sprinting to rescue their children from activities that would not be of their choosing -his mother definitely got to sprint more times than anyone else!

These kids are so cute and lovable. The only thing that could have made the day better was the presence of those who were absent. Dawn, we missed the Hermiston crowd!

I love being an aunt and great-aunt!

Bandon

Last fall I bought some raffle tickets to support a local youth program from a kid who came by the school office. Was I ever shocked when I learned that I had won a night in an oceanview suite at the Inn at Face Rock in Bandon as well as a gift certificate for Bandon Dunes. I was unfamiliar with Bandon Dunes but soon learned from an envious golfer friend that it is a premier golf resort. Since I'm not a golfer, I used the certificate to book a night there in a Lily Pond cottage (the only opening they had).

Upon our arrival at the Inn at Face Rock, we immediately noticed this sign, front and center in the lobby window. Our senses on high alert, we anxiously awaited the arrival of pets all night, fully prepared to comply with this request and report such arrivals immediately. Alas, there were no pets in sight.

We enjoyed a very relaxing couple of days. The weather was cloudy but warm. We visited Simpson State Park in nearby Charleston, and Will was thrilled to accompany me through the formal garden there. It will be gorgeous in a few weeks when the dahlias are blooming. The walk around the pond was my favorite part.
At Bandon Dunes Lodge, we had probably the most expensive dinner we've ever experienced. The food was arranged so beautifully it was a shame to eat it. It was a work of art. And delicious besides. I wish I would have had my camera. We didn't exactly fit in with all the groups of men wearing vests who were having dinner in there...but we enjoyed it anyway. It's good for us simple folks to get away and see how the other half lives once in awhile!

The Last Kid is Licensed to Drive!

Over the past six years, I have made many trips to the Department of Motor Vehicles with an anxious boy, starting the process with the learner's permit and finishing a year later with the driver's test. I learned to go a few doors down to the Christian bookstore, Rainbow West, instead of sitting nervously in the DMV office waiting for the minutes to slowly pass as my boy took a test.

The two older boys were blessed with excessive confidence that didn't translate into instant success. One boy passed the driving test the first time (and enjoyed the company of his tester so much that he wanted to invite her home for dinner) but took several tries to pass the written; another boy passed the written easily but made a dumb mistake and flunked the driving test the first time. Nick passed the test for the permit the first try, but was understandably nervous about the license tests. He wisely asked his dad to go driving with him the day before and critique him.

For the first time, Will was the accompanying parent on the driver's license quest as they headed to the DMV first thing Monday morning. As the time passed, I figured no news was good news. Eventually Will called and told me to get out the tissues. My heart sank, until Will continued talking about how Nick had mowed down a couple of pedestrians and so on. I requested he put Nick on the phone for a true report. Nick was thrilled to confirm that he had passed both tests with flying colors.

So here he is after they returned home, ready to hop into the old Corolla instead of his bike and head down the road to the gas station and then to his job at the seed warehouse. After paying nearly $40 to fill the tank that Eric drained every drop out of before parking the car a few months ago, Nick appreciates the boring job even more!
Will and I went down the road a little later and saw the Corolla carefully backed into the parking lot. Nick gets off work a 8:00 PM, and for the last three evenings since he got that license, he has had places to go and people to see when work is over.

Along with the satisfaction that my son growing up, becoming responsible and independent, is a twinge of sadness. I will especially miss the opportunities to talk to him that happened as I was driving him around to activities. That driver's license is a huge step in the process of becoming independent.

Knowing that Nick would be my last baby, I have especially treasured every milestone, from pregnancy on. When he was a baby, I spent as much time holding him as I could, knowing how quickly that baby time passes. Now here we are, with the empty nest around the corner in just a few more years. I will try to enjoy his teenage years as much as possible. The messes are annoying, waiting to hear the car return by curfew can produce some anxiety...but my years of putting up with it are blessedly short!

Fortunately, there are plenty of little guys around to renew the joys of childhood. Here's my nephew Cody at his Uncle Galen's house last week. Cody's approach to pools reminds me of my boys at that age - pools are not for wading in, they are for jumping into!

Belated Metolius Pictures

It's amazing how busy I have been the past week in spite of having so much extra time with this whole month off work. Nick was gone to New Orleans all week and I don't recall being home for dinner even one night. I was so disappointed when I tried to get Tom and Jewel over here for a meal and Tom said they were all booked up. Then I was delighted when brother Galen called to invite us to join the family for dinner at their house Monday night. Tom's little family headed back to Indiana on Wednesday and I got to have dinner with them at Pings on their way to the airport. The exciting fortune in my cookie was the best one I've had yet. "You will advance socially without any effort on your part." I'm waiting!!!

Cousin Cindi is here from Arizona so I got to have dinner at Uncle Cloy's on Thursday. I sort of invited myself - you know how it is when someone drops by and won't leave so you have to invite them. Then I got to have Cindi, Gwen and Aunt Norma Jean here for lunch on Saturday with a last minute invitation. Will and I had dinner at the Olive Garden in Portland one day when we went there to finalize the Durango sale. I had lunch with friends, spent time playing in my flowerbeds, took walks, shopped and thoroughly enjoyed every single hot sunny day.

It wasn't quite as relaxing as being at the Metolius last week. I tried to walk a different section of the river every day, and I decided the Forest Service must only be able to make signs that say "1 mile" and "2.5 miles", because it was always that far from one place to another. With many photo op stops, the 2.5 miles from the Gorge Campground to Wizard Falls took nearly two hours and the 2.5 miles from Canyon Creek to Wizard Falls took 40 minutes. The distance covered wasn't the least bit similar.

The pictures don't do justice to the varied scenes of this river.
I love all the wildflowers growing on the bank and on the fallen logs.

Lupine, columbine, and what are the yellow flowers?

The Canyon Creek hike is one of my favorites.

Will hiked this with me the first time. I had to go again.

And here is a section of the trail after switchbacking down after the Gorge.

It's great to have Nick back home. He had a wonderful week, experiencing the joy of hard work that makes a difference and is appreciated by the recipients.

What will this week bring?

Happy 16th Birthday, Nick

Over the years, Nick has celebrated many of his birthdays at campgrounds. On July 3, we had a party for him with his requested strawberry shortcake in the afternoon at our Smiling River campsite.

He received exciting gifts such as bubbles, an extremely goofy visor, swimming goggles, parachute guys like he used to love to get from the dentist, Jones sodas and other various snacks, and other miscellanous goodies. He was delighted with all of it. His real gift is a computer video card coming from his favorite on-line computer store, Tiger Direct. He got to float the river in inner tubes with his friends (while wearing the new goofy visor, bring smiles to the faces of observers), jump off the bridge into the freezing waters of the Metolius, go to the rockpit and do some target shooting with his dad and the other guys, play cards, wrestle, and drive home around all the downhill curves, laughing as his mom kept slamming her right foot on the floorboard. He did a good job of driving; mom just needs to relax.

The really sad part is that he had to leave his beloved Metolius to come back and put in a few days of work before he leaves for a youth mission trip to New Orleans in a couple of days. Eric helped relieve his sadness by calling him on the way home and inviting him to go out to a late movie for his birthday. Eric got off work at 10:00 and came here to pick him up. Shall I wait up for them? Not much longer.

A lot of things change when a boy turns 16. It's hard to believe my baby is that old!

The Metolius

The Metolius River - one of the most beautiful places on earth and the location where we have spent the most time camping. We traditionally go there in July with several other families. The kids get along great and we adults relax and enjoy the beauty. I especially love walking the river trail and seeing the prolific blooming wildflowers.Will cooked a wonderful meal in the dutch oven on our second night.

Anisa grabbed my camera and caught me snitching a bite of the delicious pork roast.

The next day, Will had to make a trip to Sportsman's Warehouse in Bend to purchase something that would make his job much more comfortable. He also got a smaller dutch oven.

That evening, he used them to make biscuits to accompany the barbecued chicken and a delicious peach cobbler. I love being married to a man who makes dinner!