2010 Part 2 Time to wander back to the East!

The beginning our our semi-annual trek started on a rather wet note this year.  I spent many hours agonizing over what I wanted to take with us, our route, the amount of time necessary to get everything possible done that we wanted to do.  I got all of the 'gift packs' done for family members - jams, jellies, tuna, pears, peaches, and whatever else we 'did up' this summer that we can IN NO WAY ever consume.  Besides I love the complements that sometimes come along with the giving of the 'gift packs'.  So along came the final day before the day we are to depart.  It was the WETTEST day yet of the fall of 2010!  Only partially depicted below in how wet it was.  Tim even had to cover the sidewalk he had started to try to save at least some of it!  

So this is the day we absolutely had to pack up the pickup - departure is tomorrow and we can't procrastinate any more!  So we ran the boxes, and totes, and suitcases, and bags of all the miscellaneous 'STUFF' that I collected along the way out, found over the summer, and just have to take with us for distribution along the way!  I really must hand it to Keith.  As I ran things out to the garage and stacked them; he just looked.  Somewhat unhappily, but he just looked at it.  He asked several times if I was done yet - but it seemed that I always seemed to find something else.  But...

I finally got done, we got the pick-up loaded, we decided that we needed to be up for a departure time of no-later-than-6 am as I wanted desperately to stop by the North Star Coffee Shop in Portland that Rusty Brown was displaying his carvings in. And they close at 2 pm... so we really needed to get out of Eastside early!  So we put ourselves to bed early - so we'd be fresh for our rise and shine!

I woke up to an already lightening sky, so I knew we had slept in.  An unusual thing for us to do for some really strange reason.  So I hurried andgot coffee going - and opened the curtains to.... SNOW!!  I was amazed.  Totally slack jawed, open mouthed amazed!  It rarely snows on the south coast ~ but on the DAY we are supposed to leave~~ SNOW!!  It was beautiful tho'.  Sallie and Clint came over to see us off and Tim came out and said farewell so we had a grand send off!  We finished off the last little bit to load. . filled the coffee cups up, rinsed and dried and mopped ourselves out the front door with Chaito ~ and ~ wa-la ~ the pickup won't start.  The battery is deader than a doornail!  Thank goodness for friends like Clint because as soon as I called and interrupted his breakfast - he came right over and got us up and on our way!  Friends are true blessings!!  SO this is what downtown coos bay looked like as we rolled thru a little after 10 am (I forgot to reset the time stamp).   The drive on up Hwy 101 was a sight to see! I'm sure glad that I don't have issues driving in the snow!

Hwy 101 between Coos Bay and Florence

Keith and Chaito at the gas station in Florence.

a Florence Oregon style dog sled! On 101 right in front of Safeway

The Tunnel on Hwy 126 (?) between Florence and I-5

More beautiful than a painting!

It was sure a beautiful drive.  There was almost no traffic on the road so we made excellent time getting to S'te's.  We were there before dark and greeted wildly by the little ones.  Once they get to be tweens - it seems like they are more reserved in their welcomes.  I sure miss having ALL the kids run to hug me every time I visited (even when it was every day!)  Brayana, Destini, and Jaleel hauled the majority of the heavy boxes of home-canned goodies into the house while Mak, Tetee, and Cavelle helped me get the cab emptied of all the other 'stuff' that I seem to collect on every trip.

I was soooo glad to see my babies again.  It seems like they grow a foot (I think the older ones actually do) between visits - and I was there in July!

So we are going to have an absolutely wonderful few days visiting and cooking and having a great time!!!!!!