Back to the Basics

Remember this dish towel warp?  Well I've finally started weaving on it.

This pattern is called Cat Tracks and Snail Trails.  Rocky keeps calling it Tiger Tracks and Snake Trails.  The pattern only calls for two colors so I was worried that using a third color wouldn't work very well, but I like how it is weaving up.

Rogue River Twitch

We recently took a trip down the Rogue River with Helfrich Outfitters.  As always, they show their clients a good time.  This is our first day putting in just above Graves Creek near Galice, OR.

After lunch that day we were treated to a show of helicopters dipping water out of the river from in front of and behind our boats.  All the camp sites along the south bank were closed due to wild fire.  We actually saw one area that was still smoldering and one log with flames coming from it.  It was still pretty smoky in that area and we really noticed it while trying to sleep in our cabin that night at Black Bar Lodge.

We didn't stop at Zane Grey's cabin.  It is a neat place to see, but it had all been wrapped in tin foil to help protect it from the fires.  We were able to see a glimpse of it from the river.

Along the way we got to stop and explore Rogue River Ranch.  (I can't believe it, because of the government shut down I can't even link to the page.)  It is a historic ranch that was established in the 1880's during the gold rush.  You can take a self guided tour through the house, tack shed, and blacksmith shop.  The grounds have a caretaker who lives there and keeps the place in beautiful condition.  There is a large field where people can even camp for the night.  I guess it's a good thing we were there when we were, it's probably all locked up now.

I think this set of rapids is called Blossom Bar.  To me there was no obvious route through these boulders and I was very thankful to be with such experienced guides.  It's kind of hard to see because of the rock behind it, but that big boulder behind and to the right of that boat has a big hole worn through it, I think it's called C rock.

We did a lot of fishing.  The first day we tried to catch salmon, but they weren't hungry so we switched to fly fishing for half pounders.  These fish have a rather unique life cycle, I added a link that gives a brief but nice explanation.  We used wet flies and a technique called the "Rogue River Twitch."  It was fun and thanks to lessons from the guides my cast was getting pretty good by the third day.  Turns out that half pounders love vitamin D.  This is Vitamin D:

The guy who developed this particular fly pattern named it Vitamin D.  I thought it was pretty as far as flies go, too bad the ones that get in our houses and annoy us aren't as attractive.

And this is one of the half pounders I caught and brought home.

It was a good trip with no phones, no radio, and no TV except at the last lodge.  The weather was beautiful, but it did get cold and windy on the third day.  I think this photo was during a sun break that day.  Oh, we also enjoyed the company of a family from Eugene that was in our group.  They were a nice bunch who enjoyed fishing and laughter.  

Other than getting back into canning (in the middle of the night, thanks to shift work), that's about the extent of my summer fun this year.

John Day

If you've never been to central Oregon (I mean east of Bend) you must find time to go.  This is Cant Ranch which is right by the John Day Fossil Beds.  The Cant family raised sheep here.  Unfortunately the house isn't open on weekends, but you can still wander around the property, see the shearing shed, and walk a trail down to the river.

This is a view from a lookout on the highway between Dayville and Mount Vernon.  I think the geography over there is fascinating.

Here are some pictures of the Painted Hills.  The different colors are from the minerals in the clay.  There are so many different colors of reds, greens, browns, grays, and even lavender.  It is pretty spectacular.  One sign recommends evening for the best photos.  It was overcast and not evening when I was there.

Getting Framed

I finally got around to framing some things.

This is a doily my mom made.  She may have made it before I was even born, I don't remember seeing her made it so I was either really young or not around.  I think it is way more beautiful framed like this than lying on my end table covered with things and collecting dust.

This is a birthday/graduation card given to me by Julie Lyford, she painted it with water colors.  It commemorates a fly fishing workshop we took together.

And this is my college diploma that I still can't believe I have.

I got to spend the month of May working evenings learning how to work in a hospital blood bank.  It is really interesting and tragic at the same time.  We type blood for people and cross match them with donor blood for transfusions.  There are a lot of people who are sick and need blood products, but we also keep prepared to traumas.  The other night we had a patient who had been in a bad accident and we kept matching blood for almost three hours.  They got between 30 and 40 units of blood products by the time my shift ended.  I hope I get to hear if the patient made it.  It was a tragic situation for the patient and their family, I'm sure, but from my perspective it really feels good to have a job that can help people when they need it most.

Most of my blood bank training is done so I have to go back to night shift.  Evening shift was like a vacation, you get to sleep until you wake up, work around the house or do errands until early afternoon and then go to work.  I think that's how life should be.  Some day.

We went to see the new Star Trek movie in 3D.  Everybody at work was talking about how good it is, but we just thought it was okay.  Maybe we just aren't big enough Trek fans.  At home we watched The Librarian, Curse of the Judas Chalice, it was fun.  It's kind of like National Treasure.

Shows and Movies

Last night Rocky and I went to dinner and West Side Story with friends at the Hult Center.  We had a good time and enjoyed the show.  I had a busy work week which was both good and stressful, so it was nice to go out and have some fun.

On the movie front Lincoln was good, not exciting but interesting and historical, of course.  I found a really good movie on TV called The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  It's about a group of retirees who give up their lives in England and move to India.  None of them find what they're expecting there and I can't say anymore or I'll spoil it.  It was really good; funny and moving.  The latest James Bond movie, Skyfall, was pretty good too.

I may have posted previously that I've discovered audiobooks from the library.  I'm totally addicted to them. I transfer them to my MVP player and listen while I do chores.  It's also a good way to fall asleep since it doesn't require light and you can totally relax with your eyes closed.  I mostly listen to fiction and have found that the simpler stories are best if you're planning to listen while doing other things.  I did download Heaven Is For Real which is very different from what I usually read, but I found it very intriguing.

It is now 6:00 am on Easter morning and I'm thinking about going to bed.  I've just enjoyed three nights off and my work week starts again at 9:00 pm tonight.

Have a happy Easter.

Duck Basketball

Rocky and I went to our first Duck basketball game in the Matthew Knight Arena Thursday.  It was the Civil War game, Senior Night, and Phil Knight's 75th birthday.  We had fun and were both impressed with the arena, however it didn't seem as big as it does on TV.  I was a little appalled at the behavior of the fans.  One of the Beavers caused a collision that injured a Duck and the fans started chanting, "F$@* the Beavers!"  I wondered if it could be heard on TV.  It was a pretty rough game at times, but the Ducks pulled off a win.

Speaking of winning, we watched a really good movie tonight called Win Win.  I won't tell you about it, just know that it is good and the only thing to be cautious about are a few swear words.  It is funny, sad, serious, and light.  Different types of people dealing with different types of tough life issues.

Here is a photo of Carly watching me play on the computer:

Shift Work

I survived my first week of night shift.  After the first night I wasn't so sure it was going to work out, but now I think it will work out.  As it turns out, I can sleep during the day.  Last night/this morning was my first night off and I stayed up cleaning house.  It is weird and the whole house is affected by my new schedule.  I get home when Rocky is getting up and then I get up when Rocky is gets home.  Carly is so confused and you can see the sadness in her eyes when I leave for work at 8:30 pm.  I think the only one who loves the new schedule is the cat; he gets to sleep with Rocky all night and then with me all day.

Despite the hours I really enjoy the job.  The work is interesting and I get to work with some neat people.  I love knowing that the work I'm doing is helping people in our community.

We watched a funny movie the other night, Waking Ned Devine.  It is a bit different, but well worth watching.

Still Learning

I've been on the new job for three weeks now and still have lots to learn.  The most difficult is learning the computer systems and protocols.  The work is fascinating and I'm going to love this career.

I finally received my diploma and credentials from the American Society for Clinical Pathology so I'm all official.  It feels good and I'm remembering how to relax again.  This weekend I watched One Day, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and The Help.  All were worth watching.

Now, if only the weather would warm up.  It has been so cold that I have to break ice in water buckets every day.  Today we're even fogged in.  We're loving the wood stove right now.