Post Easter Sunday dinner

Dinner was great - but we over-indulged and felt the need to go for a longish walk. First of all, we had to roll the boys' eggs and thankfully, the sun came out just in time. Some of the neighbours, who were out walking, came along to see what was going on:



We all went for a short walk with the boys on their scooters, then Jo, Lucy and I headed off with Holly for a longer walk down to the dog pound at Schroder Park, down by the river. We sat in a corner taking in the rays, whilst Lucy ran Holly around:



Here's a bit of Lucy and Holly in action:


On Monday, Jo and I had a free day and spent it down in Medford. We spent about an hour and a half in Barnes and Noble, buying books - over $100 worth! Then we decided to do our Harry and David shopping and perhaps take in a couple of camera shops too. I thought I should be able to remember how to get to Harry and David's, but I was wrong. OK - no problem - use my Blackberry maps feature - all we need to do is get the address for Harry and David - Google it, I thought. Bad news, their web site wouldn't load. OK - let's try using the Maps Search feature - no problem - two addresses came up, so I keyed one of them in and we followed the instructions which took us right to the door of ...... we don't know what! It certainly wasn't the Harry and David's retail store that we wanted. There was one funny moment when I re-input the data just to check we were in the right place and received back the instruction to "drive one metre and you are at your destination" - Jo burst in to hysterics and suggested throwing the Blackberry out the window!

OK - wrong Harry and David - try the other address - and this time we were successful and completed our shopping. There was a camera store nearby and I managed to glean some more info on a likely camera to buy, so now it was time to head back NW to GP. I thought it might be nice to pop in to one of the local breweries that we had never been to - Walkabout - it was on the way back anyway. I'd just seen some of their beer in Harry and David's (and in Kaleidoscope last week), so I again Googled the address and punched it in to the Maps function.

The Blackberry took us to the exact address quoted on the web - the only problem was it was a residential home with no sign of a brewery nor brewpub! We thought about knocking on the door, but chickened out. We even checked the address - and again when we got home - and it was the right place OK - very strange!

No matter - we headed back to GP and decided to pop in to the Wild River brewpub - it was great. Not only did they have a super cask conditioned double hopped IPA on, but we also had our favourite snack - peel and eat shrimp, followed by shrimp salad. It was mid-afternoon and the place was lovely and quiet and we gained a new respect for this brewpub, which we'd both been iffy about previously. The only downside was that they didn't have any "Growlers" available to allow us to take some of the cask conditioned IPA back home.

Dinner was yesterday's leftovers - superb. Today we're babysitting Braeden again, so I'm planning to watch the Barcelona - Arsenal match. It's much nicer out now - and better weather is promised for tomorrow.

Easter preparations

I had a nice walk up town yesterday - Lucy dropped me at the camera shop (still looking) and I walked back - round the shops, with a brief stop for an Amoretto ice cream and a chapter from my book, sitting outside the Bridge St Market - then through All State Park, over the Rogue river and back past the BMX track and up Redwood Avenue and home again - about 3 hours in all.

When everyone got back from their various travels, we settled down to prepare for Easter. Lucy boiled the eggs (free range from Uncle Bobby) and the boys coloured and decorated them:



The next job was more tricky - devilled eggs - peel the eggs, then take out the yellows, mix them with mayonnaise and put the mixture back in the half eggs - laborious work, but tasty:



I finished Catcher in the Rye - what a strange book - a bit dated as well, but I'm glad I finally got round to reading it. Next up is the two rock biographies I have been saving up - Ginger Baker's and Jack Bruce's - two opposing views of their years together and apart - how they hated each other!

Scott barbequed steaks again last night - and delicious they were, with lovely jacket potatoes and trimmings. Unfortunately, I had been nibbling at the pistachios and cashews as I finished my book and this definitely took the edge off my appetite.

Today we're about to sit down to Easter lunch/dinner and tomorrow, it's back to work and school for the Lesinas, leaving Jo and I to do our own thing - probably a trip to Medford to look at cameras, visit Barnes & Noble plus Harry & David's.

Hope you're all well and having a good Easter.

More rain!

Yesterday was nice - see golf blog - but it's back to the rain today. We're off to Medford shortly to have lunch at one of my favourite pubs/pizza houses - Kaleidoscope.

Holly's bounding all over the place - and she wants to chew at everything just now - clothes, tables, chairs - you name it.

Jo's blog showed the boys' masks, but what she didn't tell you was what I saw when I walked down the corridor the other night. Lurking in the dark in the bathroom was this hulk of a man wearing a mask - pretty scary. Scott said he was planning a surprise for the boys, but I'm not so sure exactly what was going on. Suggestions on a postcard please.

Washed out in Oregon

It's been wet - very wet - noisy enough on the roof of the trailer to keep me awake. Some people found the noise of the rain strangely re-assuring, but they were mostly the ones who were sleeping under a proper roof. It's been cold too - we had snow on the hills around us yesterday:



Thankfully, it's stopped for now - and we've even had a bit of sunshine - enough to get the shorts back on - but don't be fooled - it still feels like Scotland with the cold wind coming off the mountains. The only difference is that because we're so much further south (Grants Pass is 42 degrees of latitude, compared with Aberdeen, which is 57 degrees) - roughly on a par with Barcelona - when the sun does come out, it's more immediately above us and you can feel the heat from it much more.

Last night at dinner, Cade produced his first efforts at crocheting a beany hat - and Jo couldn't help but join in:



I don't know if you can quite make it out or not, but Cade dropped a stitch which left a very convenient hole for his hair to stick out of - he's very in to the surfer boy style just now and is growing his hair out.

Incidentally, as we finished off Scott's birthday cake - and yummy it was too - we had two types of Blue Bunny ice cream:



In case you're wondering what "Turtle Sundae" is, it's chocolate shaped in turtle shells - lovely jubbly.

I had a bit of a communications disaster yesterday - my Blackberry failed on me at the same time as our works VPN and Webmail went down. It was a new battery I needed - should be no problem to get one for a standard product like Blackberry Bold? Think again - I spent a very frustrating afternoon in Medford going round all the usual suspects - including a battery specialist - but nobody could supply one - although they could order one for delivery in 7 days - and, of course, if it's a new phone you want, or a new service plan/provider, no problem - instantly available and hundreds to choose from. I got back to GP and Scott instantly solved the problem for me with one quick phone call and I picked up the new battery this morning.

Jo and I went shoe shopping this morning - new trainers for her and a pair of waterproof walking/hiking shoes for me - all for only $60, courtesy of a deal that was on, plus a discount voucher Lucy gave us - we would have paid much more than twice this back home. We had lunch at the Laughing Clam afterwards - nice pub and always a good selection of microbrews on.

I've finished another book now - a whimsical one I picked up at Laguna Beach last Friday - all about the bittersweet tale of Jan & Dean's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_and_Dean) late career. I've now started on an old American classic, first published in the 40's - Catcher in the Rye. I always meant to read this but never got round to it. I finished Catch 22 last year and I'll probably tackle Jack Kerouac next year - all of this decades later than I should have read them.

Here's some sunnier shots to finish with:

Monday afternoon/evening

The boys arrived home in the school bus - were they pleased to be home? You bet:



Amidst gathering storm clouds we set off to give Holly her walk. Have you ever seen Jo walking so fast? Me neither:

Sun no more

Saturday was but a brief early glimpse of spring in Oregon it seems. Since then, it's got cool and rainy - and it's forecast to stay that way all week. Never mind - we'll amuse ourselves somehow, but it looks as if the tans will be washed off by the time we get back.

On Sunday, Scott drove his truck over to the coast to deliver the truck canopy he had borrowed back to his Dad, whilst Jo and Lucy went to church and I babysat the boys. It was a quiet day and we just had Lucy's home-made hambone soup for tea - and very nice it was too.

Today it's back to the old routine for the Lesinas - school and work holidays are over. Jo and I went to the Y for the first time - Jo did 32 lengths and I spent some time in the gym. It's Scott's birthday today, so we picked up a cake for tonight on the way home to let Holly out of her cage. I'm watching the Man City - Wigan match just now and the pack will soon be home - we have to be waiting for the school bus at 2:30 pm - Braeden has to be seen to be passed over to a responsible adult - do we qualify?

Anyway, some photos perhaps? First of all, when we had the beautiful sunshine on Saturday, the boys couldn't wait to get out on their trampoline:



Daddy was pretty excited too - he'd just bought a dirt bike (I think that's what you call it) and was up at the crack of dawn putting new forks on:



Scott says it's to keep the boys company when they go on theirs - but we're not so sure, are we?

On Sunday, after sitting around the house all day, I felt I had to shake myself out of my lethargy so I jumped on Scott's bike for a short run round the estate and down to the river:



Today, it's just Holly and us just now - she's a cutie all right - with boundless energy:



Of course, one word from us and she does what the heck she likes:

SoCal no more

It's greetings today from Grants Pass - it was a bit chilly when we woke up to fog this morning but it's now a beautiful, sunny day - and we're just chillin', although I believe a quick trip to Walmart is on the agenda.

Since my last posting we've been to Long Beach (where we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific and also saw the Queen Mary), and spent the Lesinas' last day of vacation down at Crystal Cove - on the beach and in the sea.

But I would just like to say, of all my children it is Lucy I favor the most. I would like you all to know how special she is and therefore, at the time of my demise the 3 others will inherit any debt and Lucy shall get all that is wonderful and of worth....just like her. And yes, cade shall finally get my blackberry as he asked so many years ago, "when Granda Ian dies can I get his blackberry please"

Mmmm - you've guessed - we've had an interloper again.

Anyway, Wednesday at the Aquarium of the Pacific - here's Braeden outside the seal pool:



We went a stroll round the harbour and Scott was taking this one of Cade and Braeden with the Queen Mary as backdrop:



Lucy was feeling a little low today - lack of sleep she said - and it shows in this photo:



We had one of Scott's famous barbeques back at our villa - half a ton of cow - lovely!

On Thursday, the adults walked and the boys scootered down to Crystal Cove and we had a lovely afternoon on the beach and in the water.



Scott and Lucy went to one of the local stores and bought a wonderful side of honey smoked ham for our supper. They had to get to bed as they were planning to be on the road by 3am on Friday morning to beat the LA traffic and get back to Grants Pass at a decent hour.

Jo and I could take our time - we had the whole day before our flight to Medford at 9pm. We had a nice early morning stroll round the State Park then came back for our second breakfast, before checking out and printing off our boarding passes.

We sat by the pool for a while then caught the shuttle bus down to Laguna Beach to go to a bookstore to get something for Jo to read - she had finally finished The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - it's a long book and she thought it would last her until she got to Oregon, but, as I told her, it's a gripping, can't put down book.

Coincidentally, there was a brewpub just 200 yards from the bookshop so we had lunch there, then read and snoozed on the beach before heading back to get our bags and await SuperShuttle to take us back to LAX. It was hardly an ordeal waiting at such a lovely spot outside reception:



Our driver was 5 minutes late, but he only had one other pick-up to make and he seemed to know all the short-cuts in a journey that took us exactly half the three hours that the reverse journey had done a week previously.

So that was our day virtually over - we had time for a snack at the fish restaurant at the Alaska terminal - rather nice - clam chowder and shrimp, washed down with Sam Adams - perfect - until I saw the bill. My beer was $9.50 and Jo's glass of wine was $10.50!

All went to schedule and Lucy was at the airport to pick us up bang on 11pm and we were back in Grants Pass, tucked up in bed in the trailer before midnight.

This posting has been spread over a few hours and it's been a beautiful afternoon - still and sunny, with the temperature climbing to 76F. Scott's putting the ribs on the barbeque as I finish this, so beers are now called for - Bridgeport IPA for me and Newcastle Brown for Scott.

Back in the saddle

Yes, it's really me this time - no interlopers. Well, what have we been up to? Not much really, just chilling. Our morning walks down to the State Park and along the lovely beaches are a regular feature and we've also had short trips to Laguna Beach (on the Marriott shuttle bus) and Huntington Beach, aka Surf City - it was just like the movies - all volleyball courts, big waves, surf schools and miles and miles of golden sands - I swear I could almost hear the ghosts of Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys.

But I'm getting ahead of myself again - our first trip was the short journey south down to Laguna Beach - the lifeguard stations are so typically evocative of the West Coast:



We liked the decorated VW bug we spotted:



Lunch at the Cliff, overlooking the bay, was nice.

On Monday, Scott and I went to golf at Strawberry Farms (http://www.strawberryfarmsgolf.com/) - sounds like a nice, open friendly golf course? - couldn't have been further from the truth - it was very tight. We bought golf balls at the start - or at least Scott did - I foolishly persuaded him to buy the more expensive Pro V1 balls - fatal error! Still, it was a whole lot cheaper than playing the golf course our villa overlooks - http://www.pelicanhill.com/#/golf/ - lovely looking courses, but $250 per round? - no thanks. If you strayed at all at Strawberry Farms - and we did - there wasn't even any point looking for the golf balls - it was jungle, added to which these signs didn't exactly encourage us much:



There was a nice finishing hole there however:



In the evening we had dinner at the lcoal brewpub - Newport Beach Brewery (http://newportbeachbrewingcompany.com/) - nice ales and excellent food - the complete opposite of our experience last night at Huntington Beach (http://www.hbbeerco.com/) - average food and beers that were over-carbonated and just dull really. There were 2 brewpubs directly opposite each other - I guess we chose the wrong one - we should have tried BJ's - http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/

The pier at Huntington Beach is an extension of Main St where there was a weekly street fair going on - the boys enjoyed the bouncy castles, but we all enjoyed getting blown off our feet walking out to the end of the pier to Ruby's Diner:



Ruby's maintains the style and standards of a typical 40's/50's seaside diner - all red plastic booths and waiters and waitresses dressed accordingly - it was great - as were the shakes:



OK - that's me up to date again - back to the pool now.

Another nice day at Newport Coast

Hi, Lucy here....online and have come across Dads blog is open.....tee hee hee....all the things I could've written here pretending to be him ;-)

Hope everyone is well and Good luck to Kelly on her upcoming move

We are just lazing around the apartment today....kids pretty exhausted from days of sand and sea. So we are making our way through the cadburys supply that mum brought us.

love to all


Lucy xoxox

Newport Coast

Perfect temperature yesterday - warm enough to go for a dip or sit by the pool or beach, yet not so hot that you couldn't do anything.

We think this is the loveliest Marriott resort we have ever stayed at. On Friday night when we arrived, the boys were in the local pool, but on Saturday morning we went to the main pool. A spot of lunch then a short drive down to Newport Beach - it was lovely - we all went for a paddle, although the boys went in a bit deeper:



We walked along a bit and witnessed some kind of adult baptising - the group appeard to be Mexican-ish, or possibly South American:



Walking back to the car, we looked at some of the lovely little houses overlooking the bay - one of them had a sales tag on, which necessitated a quick double take - at first we thought it was $795,000, but, no - it was $7,995,000!!!! - and it was a fairly modest house too.

We eventually found a nice fish restaurant looking out on to the marina - the Rusty Pelican (http://www.rustypelican.com/) - and booked a table for Jo's birthday dinner.

This morning we were up early again and decided to head down to Crystal Cove before the Lesinas awoke - it was a lovely walk through the State Park and along the beach to Crystal Cove, which is being lovingly restored to what seems like a typical 30's beach resort:

Ready to go

All checked in and ready to go now. Just the small matter of a day's work at Fraserburgh and an early rise tomorrow morning.

Beware beware

Monday 15th March - the Ides of March! Spooky week - Vernal Equinox and BA strikes - hope we get lucky. The BA site is still saying that the strikes start on Saturday 20th, but when I clicked one of the links for our flights on Friday, it said both were "subject to possible disruption" - what's going on?

We had our initial meeting with the golf club committee tonight concerning the possible building of 2 squash courts at the golf club - funded entirely by Richard Simcox. I'm not sure how I felt it went - I was hoping to be a bit more positive, but I feel a bit subdued by the whole experience. Let's hope that we at least get to the next hurdle.

Sunday morning posting part 2

As I was saying before I was interrupted - our walk up the path towards Ben Vrackie was good exercise for DJ, but hard work for Dawn, who's still recovering from her last knee op - and waiting for the other one to be done - so we didn't walk too far up the hill: Today it's been really nice to get on the golf course again. I was back sharp to look after Luca. He's been as good as gold again - happy to play with his toys, or watch Peppa Pig, or even go out for a walk with his Grandad. We went to Burnett Park and walked round toward the curling pond, which still has the faintest hint of ice on top of the pool: We walked on from there, round the tennis courts and back along the old Deeside railway line, where we bumped in to the McWhinnies out for a stroll. Luca was still full of beans and delighted in running up and down the line:

Harbingers of spring (2)

First of all the golf course is open again this morning - hurray! I came back from lunch with Dawn and Barry in Pitlochry yesterday and could tell things were improving - the broomstick was on the move:



Jo wasn't home yet from her lunch with her former colleagues so I nipped down to the Douglas to watch the Calcutta Cup match, and when I returned, the brush was gone! We had Luca overnight on Friday and he awoke gently with his usual greeting - "I had a nice sleep, Granda, did you?" Gary came round and picked him up and took Jo in to Aberdeen for her lunch and I headed off west over the ski slopes to Pitlochry to meet up with Barry and Dawn at the Moulin Inn (http://www.moulinhotel.co.uk/index.htm) for lunch. Jo was miffed as she felt she was missing out on a lunch! For her benefit, I had mince and tatties, Jordon had haggis, neeps and tatties, Helen had lamb shank, Dawn had steak and ale pie and Barry had the house speciality Vrackie grostel - named after the local hill. Here's some of the food:



It's a super place - very welcoming - and we had the pick of the seats as I was first in - next to the fire and the window, with the sun streaming in - we almost could have sat outside. After lunch we went for a short walk up the hill towards Ben Vrackie. It was a chance to give DJ some exercise - she started off all white and fluffy, but she was soon two tone - black underneath and white on top. She loved it:



Whilst uploading all this, Kelly's just come on Skype to wish Jo happy mother's day, and now I have to head off to golf - I've got to be back by 1:30 pm latest as I'm babysitting Luca this afternoon - Gary's taking Carole and Jo to the movies. I'll finish this posting off later - look out for instalment 2.