The Promise of Spring

It is amazing how quickly spring can arrive here in Oregon.  One day we are on the verge of a flood, and the next day we are enjoying the day with doors open. 



The birds are busy building nests.  Just here on the loop I counted 34 species on my walk last week. Here were just a few:



Our ubiquitous Western Scrub Jay

 

 A Momma California Quail who I saw with a bunch of babies in this same spot last summer.



And one of my favorite little birds, the Bewicks Wren



Paula may be a grandma, but she seems to get as busy as the birds this time of year.  Last Saturday the 8th we had the 26th annual Primary Easter Egg hunt at the farm.  We have been doing this ever since we moved into the property in 1986. 



A bunch of kids on the lawn is the most beautiful thing in the world.



Later that day we were invited to the first birthday party of Jayden Van.  Hai Lien and Hai Kyle (yup they both have the first Viet name the same!), had a party at their house.  The first birthday is a big one for the Viet culture. 



We got to meet Kyle's parents.  They are very accomplished.  They started from scratch the most successful chain of Vietnamese restaurants in Portland a number of years ago, and today Pho Van is an institution in the area.



An of course there was an Easter Egg hunt for the kids as well!



The next day, Sunday we had a family egg hunt and another Birthday celebration for Jayden.  Funniest person of the day was Linh who found the Golden egg this year.  She won a 2 foot tall chocolate bunny, and you would have thought she had won a new car she was so excited!



The kids made a huge haul! 



Jayden was a great little birthday guy. 



Whose momma could not have been prouder.



And who is already growing up by the minute.



As usual Grandma has stuff for everyone, this time including hula hoops. 





It was a great time with a great crew.  We are really lucky to have so many children and grandchildren close by!



Paula is the president-elect of the Scholls Womens Club.  This is an old and veneralble organization that gives scholarships, supports the needy, brings in food at funerals, and generally is a really great group.  This week, the group was gearing up for the annual plant sale.  All week long Paula and others went to nurseries and gathered inventory for the set up at Groner School.  The whole family got involved, and by the time they were set up Nate had made many trips with trucks, trailers etc, including delivering the travel trailer for the office/security sleeping station.  It was exhausting just to hear of her escapades each evening.

 

To top it off, she had the retreat for some of the club members up at the Lodge.  They gathered on Friday night, 8 slept over, gathered back in the morning and even had a yoga class!  Whew!

                   





So if you are keeping track, Paula has worked all week to get the plant sale ready, hosted the women's retreat, and then at noon came home to Rainbow to do piano lessons.  Chinh and Tammy were here from San Jose.



It was a beautiful day. And we spent a lot of it outside in the sand box. 







This is beautiful country.



And what my dear Grandchildren is this mystery bird.

Gunnison Sage Grouse and another Mystery Critter

Ok, Grand-kiddies, pay attention.  Grandpa got to see the very rare Gunnison Sage Grouse on Saturday morning.  The above video is one of a half dozen or so that I took, so be prepared to be wowed next time you come over!



Line the Greater Sage Grouse, the Gunnison males gather on a lek to woo the ladies.  On a sage strewn area about the size of a soccer field just outside Monticello, Utah, we saw these amazing birds.



They are about one-third smaller than the Greater, but the very striking tail feathers and the crazy topknot on their heads that they keep throwing around make them really fun to watch.

On Saturday March 31, Steve Stewart and I got up at 1 am in Provo, drove down to Monticello and met the local wildlife rep, who showed us where they were.  We couldn't get any closer than about 100 yards, but it was sure fun.



Meanwhile, last week we had a day of good weather in Oregon.  While Grandma was teaching piano and a whole herd of kids how to cook, I took a walk.



And saw a Eurasian Collared Dove



And one of a whole bunch of Norther Flickers (Red Shafted) right at home on Rainbow Lane.







An now if you are paying attention, it is time for the mystery critter.  This one stunned itself on our window and was being very cooperative.  What is it?



The river was high, and I had Mike Welch over to do some commentary on the panels he has done for us.  His next project for us is going to be at the law firm.  Ought to be fun. 



So for one last story.  Two Saturday's ago Chris and Kenni came over to go on a canoe ride with Zuri while we watched Dot.  They put in the canoe, rigged up the motor and took off, with all the paddles!  A few minutes later, Alicia, Tucker and Weston showed up to take a canoe ride.  No Paddles!!!  No Problem however as Tucker just tied the Kayak to another one of the canoes and began to tow his very pregnant wife and child .....  UPRIVER!  Seriously these guys are nuts.



Boy are we having a good time!

Snowy Owl Irruption at Thanksgiving!

Every one in a while, birds begin showing up in large numbers in places that they are not normally expected.  This is called an irruption event.  Just after Thanksgiving this year we began to hear about Snowy Owls, normally a far north specialty showing up here at the 45th Parallel!  Weather, climate change, winds?  I don't know, but it was fun.  



This was probably a juvenile based on its dark coloration.  It is one of the largest of our owls, and was fairly easy to spot from nearly a mile away on the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge just north of Vancouver, Washington.




But first, Thanksgiving.  We celebrated with a big family dinner at the Lodge.  That is just a great place to gather the whole family together.



 Grandma, Hai (Lien) and Jayden.



Food Galore



And grandkids coming out our ears!

But let's pause for a mystery critter!  Anders got the last one.  Who will it be this time.  This critter was found by the grandkids just outside the Lodge in the rocks.  What is it?





It was a very late fall, just like the spring had been.  I hope this spring (see my last post), doesn't mean another year of no grapes.



And in closing, a few more pics of the remarkable Snowy Owl.  What a treat for us here in the banana belt!!!!

Someone Forgot to Check the Calendar

OK, it is March 21st for heaven sakes.  Yesterday was Paula's birthday.  Spring is two days old.  And it is snowing in Portland, Oregon.  What the heck.

This is the second year in a row where we just don't seem to be getting a spring.  On Monday, I took the following picture from up on the hill at the lodge, showing huge lakes where the river usually is.




While it is not forecast to reach the levels of 1996, the water has come up very quickly.  Here at the Rainbow house we are seeing water for miles across the river.



Looking from the side of Rainbow



And from the Sandbox at Rainbow



I took this shot from Patricia Lane around the loop.  It is looking east toward Groner School.



How about a mystery critter?  Taken this morning in the front yard here at Rainbow.  This bird thinks it is spring and was working with a mate on a nest.



After I got home from my walk this morning, I got in the kayak with my camera and went across the river.  This was the view of the house.





And now it is snowing.  Since Paula is a big chicken, I am going to drive her to the Temple for her 6 am shift in the morning before I fly to Salt Lake City for a meeting and a hearing.  Seriously it's snowing!  March 21st.  What the heck!!!

Married to a Grandma

My mother-in-law Marilyn has always bristled when I called her "grandma".  She insisted that she was not my grandma, and she of course was right.  But I never intended it as anything but a statement of honor.  Grandma's have played a huge part in my life.  I knew both of my grandma's and knew they loved me.  They both taught me to love things I wouldn't have even known about otherwise.  My mom was a fantastic grandma, and I have always lamented the fact that she passed so soon before she could teach my children.  But my mother-in-law has certainly lived to be just the kind of grandma I remember.  So the name for me is more that just an indication of relationship.



Our children are very lucky to have so many grandma's around.  Just in this picture alone are (bottom, right to left), Grandma Wright (Marilyn), Paula, Sally (Alicia's mother-in-law and Weston's grandma), and (top, right to left) Hailey (not yet a grandma, but certainly laying the foundation), Heather (Paula's sister and a grandma), and Mary, (Marilyn's neighbor who has joined us from time to time as another grandma to bless our lives).  Each of these women acting as teachers have made a huge difference.

But here is the thing.  I am married to a grandma.  Holy Cow!  Remarkable.  Really hard to comprehend sometimes.  But I can tell you that among all of the ways that Paula has brought me joy over the nearly 37 years we have been married, watching her as a grandma has certainly been one of the most precious of all the ways.  Teaching grandchildren to play the piano, play checkers, sew, sing, read and cook provides the most beautiful pictures that I have ever seen.  No sunset, bird, flower, or magnificent building can even come close.
Thanks sweetheart for letting me call you grandma.  It is to me the highest honor I can express.