Happy Anniversary!

Happy anniversary Mindee and Ryan-4 years of bliss and counting!

Also, happy belated anniversary to mamamia and daddy0-almost to 40 years of bliss!

Love you!

Happy Earth Day!

Reduce, Reuse & Recycle.....

We should really celebrate Earth Day every day. Here are some tips we ALL can do to help our planet:

• Recycle all materials that can be recycled



• Purchase organic foods, including meats, frozen, grains, etc.
  
  
• Buy locally grown or manufacutered goods...less gas used



• Turn off lights in rooms you are not using



• Shut down and turn off your computer or other equipment when not in use



• Lower heat to realistic temperatures-do we really need to have it set at 70 or higher?



• Minimize use of air conditioners and fans, try opening a window



• Try biking or walking or carpooling



• If you are purchasing a car, try a hybrid or one with great gas mileage



• Reuse grocery bags or purchase a tote that you can use and wash multiple times



• Try not to be so wasteful try, reusing items, leftovers, or donate instead of tossing (remember one persons trash is another persons treasure)

• Try using only what you need



• Instead of disposable water bottles, try using a reusable plastic or aluminum (try sigg water bottles-fantastic and watch for the plastic with the number 7-if your has a number 7 get rid of it)



• Wear clothing made from organic or recycled materials

We all can contribute to protecting our planet, saving our ecosystem, and ending global warming. It is harmful to the habitats of many living beings along with ours. It is up to us to make changes. Afterall, we only have one....

Lazy days

Lucy and Brian are taking advantage of a little down time (and snuggle time with daddy) in the Berg household. Please note, this doesn't happen often. They may be resting now, probably dreaming about ball, but in due time, they will be up and playing again. Their favorite game is ball.

Did Edward Scissorhands pay a visit?

Here is an example of some major curb appeal. Can you guess what it is?

Michael and Meggan's Day of Fun!

Since Saturday was so nice out (almost 80 degrees), we decided to take a little road trip through the Gorge and to Mount Hood.
It was so clear out we saw Mount St. Helens! A group of 3 people were snowmobiling up Mt St. Helens yesterday and one fell in the crater at the top! He got off his snowmobile to take a look, was on a drift. Thee drift gave way and there he fell, about 100 feet and slid down all the way to the bottom of the crater. He will be OK, was airlifted to the hospital. Whew!

This was our view through the gorge. The land on the left is Washington! The Columbia River serves as the border here. Around this area, we saw many fishing boats. The Salmon fishing season is going to be cut short, so all those with Salmon fishing lisences were getting their fishing in. One person caught a 24 lb salmon!

View of Columbia River

Lucy, the little devil, wanted to get in the water so badly, that when we made a stop, she didn't wait for us to open the door, but jumped out the back window and headed straight for the water. She was completely submerged when we got to the shore. By the time I was done laughing and collected myself, Mike was able to wrangle her up to leash her and I missed the Kodak moment. She still persisted on getting in that water and was willing to drag Michael in if she had to. She sure misses the cabin!

Lucy and Brian are exploring in the water. I think the water was a little too cold for Brian but Lucy, she didn't care one bit, she had to get in that water.

View of Mount Hood on the scenic byway in Hood River. We are starting our trek to the top!

I think these are hazlenut trees. We drove past a few wineries on our way to the top and many wineries also harvest hazlenuts. We didn't stop, however, we were in the zone.

A river on our way to the top. So pretty!

There it is, the top of Mount Hood! We are getting closer.

There sure is a lot of snow here. Now you can see why there was no hiking going on. It was still 55 degrees here at the top.

Can you see the chair lift going up the side? There were a lot of skiiers, snowboarders, showshoers and spectators here.

Timberline lodge. It is completely covered in snow! If there were less snow, you would recognize this lodge from a famous movie......starring Jack Nicholson........The Shining. Creepy. The outside and the drive up was used in the film, I believe the rest was filmed in Colorado.

View from the top of Mount Hood. If I were skiing, this is what I would see on my way down. Quite spectacular. The trees are the timberline, when you look up, it is all snow! Mt Hood is now on an avalanche watch due to the warmer weather. Yikes!

Look at all the trees!

Curb Appeal?

Feast your eyes on this because you are in for a real treat!

OK, so here's the thing, In my time of home ownership, HGTV, and moving to another area, I have learned that there are many ways to add curb appeal. For instance, water features seem to be the thing to add to a yard around here (please notice that I actually cut off the top of the sculpture featuring a dolphin portruding upright with water coming out of it for a total of 4 dolphins).* Some yards look as though Edward Scissorhands paid them a visit. Please stay tuned for more landscaping features around the area.
*No dolphins or other animals were hurt in the making of this post.

Time to Hike!

On Sunday, we found a great trail to take Lucy and Brian. They especially loved it becase they got SO dirty! By the end, they were covered in mud and couldn't wait for a bath. It sure tuckered them out, for a couple hours at least. I can't wait to go back when it isn't so wet!
Lucy and Brian are so excited they can hardly contain themselves.


Walking machines

Pretty flowers we saw. I wonder what they are?

View of Portland from the start of our walk. How cool is that?

We walked by a little creek and Lucy wanted to get in that water so badly! She darted right for it, when she got to the water, she realized that it wasn't a pool of water, but a little stream, yet, it was enough to get wet. She sure misses the lake at the cabin!

Brian is SO tuckered out from the hike, he decided to make a bed for himself for the ultimate nap.

I love my pillow! Oh boy, I love my pillow!

Brian loves this pillow so much. Even if it isn't the "original" one he had, he still loves it. Besides their Thing 2 toy, it is the only other thing that contains stuffing inside he hasn't destroyed. Way to go!

I can't leave Lucy out, plus, she is sitting so nicely for the picture. She poses for the camera, a natural and quite photogenic. Brian on the other hand, I can't get him to set still for longer than 2 seconds. Modeling isn't his forte.

WE'RE READY!

Oh Please, please, PLEASE can we go for a walk? What's the hold up? We've been waiting so patiently! Lucy and Brian have decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather we have been having. Thursday was in the upper 60s. Can you imagine? It's April and I don't need a jacket! And, we made it 3 whole days without rain and without a cloud in the sky. According to the weather forecasters (mind you they are always wrong out here), it is back to business with rain starting Friday. They were right, back to spotty rain on Friday.

Lucy and Brian are pooped. It has been a rough day of naps and walks....now that is how to live, naps and leisurly strolls...