Our "Gorge"ous weekend away

Heading east on I-84

We had a few things to accomplish before we headed out of town on Friday. We got going about 5:30 p.m. and just past Troutdale we decided to stop and put the top down on the car. 

 We were treated to a constant color changing sky in our rearview mirrors. The sun on the hills in the gorge made everything look like they were warm and glowing.

The smoke in the atmosphere from up by Mt Adams and down toward Sisters  made for more intense colors in the setting sun and cloud show.

"The heavens declare the glory of God. 

The expanse shows His handiwork." Psalm 19:1

Warm welcome

We pulled into Naomi and Michael's driveway right around 8 p.m. It was a perfect evening for visiting on the porch. Naomi turned the sauna on for us and we sat out there and chatted while it heated up.

I was soooo looking forward to having a sauna. There aren't many things better than a sauna before bed. So relaxing!

Saturday morning 

Sleeping in, sitting out on the patio with coffee and then being served a bountiful breakfast.

Naomi's rocking chair has this beautiful throw draped over it. I felt like I'd been transported into the serenity of that scene sitting out in the sunshine sipping coffee and listening to the quiet.

Petunia in exile

 There is a single white flower on the front yard side of the lattice. The planter box on the deck is overflowing with various types of flowers that are abundantly blooming.
I guess somebody has to be different and "grow" against the flow :0)

The sauna and my terrific hubby

Each time we are here there are more little touches added to the sauna or the dressing room.  This time a new shelf unit and hooks for towels. Harlan was enjoying the ability to pour water on the sauna rocks with the pull of a cable above his head. Very snazzy!

Goldendale Motorsports Association

sponsored the 

Festival of Wheels

I liked this self portrait in a hub cap of me and my hub in a cap.

Both sides of Main St were lined with cars on display. Three blocks of the road were closed to traffic so  people could wander along both sides oooohing and aaaahing over their favorite vintage or newer  vehicles.

Harlan saw a lot of trucks and cars that were well preserved and fine to look at but he always liked this goofy looking half car/ half truck thing. The El Camino was nicer looking than Ford's Ranchero but not by much IMHO. This was a fine specimen of one though.

You got that "RIGHT"

We saw this bumper sticker as we walked one of the back roads toward Mike and Naomi's house. Hopefully everyone will be able to choose the right man this fall.

Trouble shooting and fixing

I was hoping to be able to load some photos and update my blog a couple times while I was there but my card reader isn't working with the memory card that I got for my new camera.  I think it's a problem with the reader and not the memory card.

Nomi had a couple of things she wanted help doing and Har was able to lend a hand.

Wish we lived closer to do more, more often.

Birthday dinner plans? On hold.

We wanted to take them out for dinner for a belated birthday dinner for Michael. That plan was put on hold until next time they are down here.  I guess Portland has more restaurants to choose from.

Naomi made some wonderful meals while we were there. Everything was made from scratch and with the freshest ingredients.  Our final night there we were treated to grass fed beef hamburgers cooked on the grill. YUMMY!
We ate on the back deck and watched as the lighted cross on the top of the grain elevators came on and the stars started shining too.

Cozy accommodations

"C" is for cozy!  I slept so well with the fresh air from the open window near the head of the guest room bed. One thing that Mike and Nomi like for people to do is to sign their guest book. If you spend the night or just stop in for a sauna like we did one time take the time to sign the sauna log.

Sunday came too soon :0(

Sunday morning we had a wonderful continental breakfast out on the patio again. We needed to leave around noon to be able to fetch our kids from here and there when we got back to town.  It is so hard to leave because it's so nice to be there. We had another glorious day to travel. It was hazy from the smoke but it didn't diminish the serene beauty of south central Washington and the Columbia River Gorge.

Since we had to stop in Vancouver to get the boys we cross the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks and drove along the Washington side of the river for the final leg of the trip. It had been the first time in over 30 years that we traveled on that road. I wish there were turn outs on the west bound side as there were so many beautiful vistas I wanted pictures from.

I managed to catch a quick shot of the Sternwheeler as she traveled down the river on her Sunday brunch cruise. I'd love to get to do that one of these days.

It was such a wonderful weekend!