24 June 2016

Hamilton Creek



While in Vancouver my brother Joe and High School friend Steve Johnson took a little hike up to one of my favorite places in the area I grew up - Hamilton Creek
The road was blocked to keep vehicles out.  We parked the car and headed into the woods


A couple of poses in the meadow.  You can't see it  behind us, but this is the first spot you see and get to Hamilton Creek.  Would be a lovely place to build a cabin.  It is forest service land so that will not happen.  But because it is public land, it has not been changed by man in all the years I have been going there.


This is as far as you can go without crossing the creek, which generally means getting your feet wet (at least)  As the air was pretty cold, we did not attempt to cross.  Or more accurately, when I did attempt to cross, the slippery rocks almost send me in for a swim.  It was a close call!   We resolved to just sit and contemplate the beauties of nature in this wilderness area. 


It was very cathartic to visit Hamilton Creek again. It is truly the only place from my youth that has not changed from the days in my teens we use to go hiking, camping and fishing up the creek and valley.  In many ways I changed from boy to man facing the challenges of hiking and camping on this creek.  It was the last place I went before I headed into the wide world.

 The only changes is what nature has done to it;  eroding the steep banks in areas, pushing big boulders down stream, and  occasionally toppling a tree along the bank. 

This is the place I always thought I would go when it was my time to die.  Like the Native Americans of old, hike into the mountains never to be seen again.  I suspect I would get cold the first night and hike back to home.  But it is good for man to have a plan.  A final exit strategy.  Maybe I will settle for having my ashes scattered along the shores....

15 June 2016

Kent Visits Vancouver

In June Kent went to spend some time with his Family in Vancouver.  His mom was in the hospital a lot this spring and he wanted to see how things are going and help out as he could .


This is the view from outside the airplane just before landing in Portland 
Somehow he didn't get many pictures taken at home, but mom had some wonderful plants growing on the pack porch.



A stop by the cemetery to visit his fathers grave and brothers memorial marker
 Then I went with my brother Joe and old high-school friend Steve Johnson went to hike up Hamilton Creek.  But that story is in another blog post


10 June 2016

Piano Recital, My Parents' Visit AND Our 200th Post!!

On June 10th I had my end of the school year piano recital. The theme was brightly colored flowers, and I took the color scheme from my floral tablecloths. I used my Silhouette to cut out the shapes for the invitations. The font I used was Janda Stylish Script.
I even had some computer paper with a bright floral border that I used for the program.
 I did something new this year and made a piano keys backdrop by using sheer white curtains and some black satin runners that I ordered very inexpensively off the internet from CV Linens. I put up rope lights along the top of the wall above the backdrop. I carried my floral theme onto the piano with more flowers.
This picture is mostly to show the front layout, with the screen for the slides that I showed during each song that was played.
A few shots of the students performing.


 Here's the piano keys cake I usually make for my summer recital.
 I had two chalkboard signs made for me last year.
I made tissue paper flowers to put up on the wall behind the refreshment tables.
 I used colors that were found in the tablecloth.
 I used music note wrapping paper to make the centers.
 I found paper plates with a floral border at the Dollar Tree, and used solid colored napkins.
I LOVE this backdrop for the group photo!!
My parents came into town on the Tuesday before the recital. I don't have any other pictures of them since on Wednesday and Thursday Mom and I made baby blankets, and on Friday we spent the day getting ready for the recital. They returned home on Saturday afternoon.
 To start off the recital Kent and I performed our version of Billy Joel's "Piano Man", changing the words to "Piano Teacher". I'd taken pictures of all the students during their lessons that week and showed the pictures in the background on the big screen while Kent was singing and playing the harmonica.

We didn't run our camera correctly and didn't get the song recorded when we performed it at the recital, but we went back to the church a couple of weeks later and got it recorded. I tried to add a video to this blog post, but it wouldn't load because the file was too big. I posted it to my facebook page, at least.