Another Sherwood Volksmarch - Mon., Sept. 23

Today's Volksmarch meandered along Cedar Creek Trail in Sherwood, Oregon. Once again the weather was cool, but we didn't get any rain while we walked our 6K (3.72 mi.). Both Mom and I agreed that today's Volksmarch was much prettier than yesterday's walk. [Note: The 5K walk we did yesterday and the 6K walk we did today can be combined into one 11K walk.]

We started at the Sherwood YMCA and followed Cedar Creek Trail and Sherwood Wetlands Trail through Stella Olsen Park into Old Town Sherwood. The only roads we walked on today were in downtown Sherwood (six blocks) and the road going to and from the YMCA to the trailhead.

While in Sherwood, I was able to use the computer and printer in the library to print out my Groupons for Portland. (Mom's printer is broken.) The cost: 10 cents per copy for a grand total of 20 cents.

Mom on the Cedar Creek Trail.

Trail marker decorated with tiles made by kids.

Sherwood Forest. (Sorry, we didn't see Robin Hood today.)

A cute weather vane in someone's front garden.

Mint going to seed.

Along the trail we saw lots of water in the wetlands, many squirrels and a few people walking. Downtown Sherwood has changed quite a bit since the last time I was there. New office buildings have taken over a couple of blocks, the Sherwood Antique Mall is closed for renovation, and the Lavender Tea House, where we celebrated Mother's Day teas with Mom, is closed with a For Sale sign in front.

At the house with the cute weather vane in the front garden, grape vines were growing along the front fence with juicy, sweet, ripe purple grapes just dripping off the vines. Mom wanted to pick bunches of them and take them back to her place. I told her, no, we needed to ask permission from the owners. She said, "Well I want to buy some." We may have to go back and see if we can find anyone at home. We'd hate to have all those wonderful grapes go to waste!

After our walk on Monday, I took Mom to Rose's Deli in Sherwood for lunch. She had chicken noodle soup and I had a breakfast burrito that was so big I had to take half of it back to her place for breakfast another morning. We frittered away the afternoon.

At 4:15 p.m. I headed off to Wilsonville to have dinner at The Ram Restaurant with good friends, Curt and Lexi.

Quite a few years ago, Curt was the editor of the Wilsonville Spokesman newspaper. I started at the paper doing inside sales (classifieds) and was promoted to outside sales, a job I loved. A few times I also wrote business articles and business briefs - loved that too! Bob and I were guests at Curt and Lexi's wedding 12 years ago. My how time flies. They look like they did 12 years ago, no aging whatsoever.

This Saturday Curt and Lexi fly to Hawaii for the very first time. In their plans are Pearl Harbor, the Bowfin submarine and the Missouri Battleship, exploring Waikiki, hanging out on the beach, Hanauma Bay and a luau at Sea Life Park. Have fun, you two!

What a great day!

Travel Bug out.

Oregon Greenery - Sun., Sept. 22

Yesterday I finally arrived in Portland at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), rented a car at the airport, arrived at Mom's house at 7:00 p.m., then we left to go to Oktoberfest at Oaks Park in Portland. Mom, my sister and I had a fun time eating wurst (sausage), red cabbage, dancing the polka and chicken dance, watching the Tirolean dancers and listening to oom-pa-pa music.

Hey, how come I'm the boy??

Tirolean dancers.

Tirolean dancers.

At 9:45 p.m. we headed back to Mom's house.

This morning, after reading the Sunday paper, Mom and I went to Sherwood and did a 5K (3.1 mi.) Volksmarch through countryside and neighborhoods. We had wind and some rain, but overall it was a pleasant walk. Even though it was 62 degrees, we were quite warm with our rain coats on.

The first signs of fall colors.

Sherwood, Oregon countryside

Pampas grass in bloom.

Quite the mailbox set up!

Zinnias in bloom now.

This afternoon, Frank and Gina (brother and sis-in-law) visited and brought a new card game for us to play. I can't remember the name of it (something) 10. We had a good time playing that, then we switched to playing pinochle.

A gorgeous rainbow was over the golf course. We could see it from her living room.

Brilliant rainbow - we could see all the colors vividly.

View from Mom's living room window.

Michael, my son, came over for dinner. Mom had cooked lamb shanks and yams in the slow cooker and Mike brought Hawaiian sweet bread rolls. Plus we had a marinated cucumber/tomato salad, steamed green beans (fresh-picked from Mom's garden) and cinnamon applesauce. For dessert, Mom served warm apple crisp with whipped cream. Such a good meal!

Mom, Michael, Frank, Gina sitting down to dinner.

After dinner, we all sat down to watch the movie "21" with Kevin Spacey. If you didn't get to see it at the theater a few years ago, it's about MIT students who learned how to count cards for the game of 21. They went to Las Vegas to make money at the casinos and lived the high life while they were there. Then they'd go back to MIT and continue their studies as if nothing happened.

Movie time - Frank, Gina, Mom, Michael

Tomorrow night, I'm meeting friends, Curt and Lexi, in Wilsonville to have dinner and get caught up on how they're doing.

Time to go read myself to sleep with a John Sandford novel, "Chosen Prey."

Night night.