And the Beat Goes On...

I'm off to a short day at work and I will be done at 1:00. Then I head home to get Mike and take Sitka to the kennel. Once she quits crying we'll hit the road for our first visit to the great state of WASHINGTON since we left for Mexico last May. It's still hot here, but yesterday was only in the 90s and it was bearable. I have to laugh when I say "only in the 90s" - that's HOT. But not as hot as 106.

We hope to get a video of our talent show spot, and pics at the very least. Thanks for tuning in this week and having fun with us. Here's to a great weekend!

Salem, Oregon 106F today!

Well, actually it was so hot that I’m not sure if it got up to 106F or 107F - even though I watched the news and all they talked about was the heat. Either way, it was HOT! But not too hot to start gathering our goodies for the River Romp weekend. Stay cool...


I got you to hold my hand
I got you to understand
I got you to walk with me
I got you to talk with me
I got you to kiss goodnight
I got you to hold me tight
I got you, I won't let go
I got you to love me so

I got you babe.
I got you babe.
I got you babe.
I got you babe.
I got you babe.

¡Accessories!

I got flowers in the spring, I got you to wear my ring
And when I’m sad, you’re a clown
And if I get scared, you’re always around
So let them say your hair’s too long
‘Cause I don’t care, with you I can’t go wrong
Then put your little hand in mine
There ain’t no hill or mountain we can’t climb

Babe.
I got you babe.
I got you babe.

Sonny Bono

They say our love won’t pay the rent
Before it’s earned our money’s all been spent

I guess that’s so we don’t have a pot
But at least I’m sure of all the things we’ve got.

Babe.
I got you babe.
I got you babe.

I Got You Babe

They say we’re young and we don’t know
We won’t find out until we grow

Well, I don’t know if all that’s true
Cause you got me and baby I got you.

Babe.
I got you babe.
I got you babe.

Sonny and Cher...uh I mean Mike and Cynthia...

Wow. Remember all that camping gear we bought a couple of months ago? Well, it’s already the last weekend in July...and that means that next weekend is the 25th annual River Romp weekend party on the Lewis River in southwest Washington!!! It starts on Friday, July 31 and goes through Sunday, August 2. It’s a very large gathering (over 100 peeps) of friends and family camping, cooking, playing and relaxing.

And there is a TALENT SHOW! Mike and I plan to do a karaoke number, singing my all-time favorite Sonny and Cher song, I Got You Babe.

So this morning we went shopping for our “costumes.” Oh my…how fun was that! Here’s a sneak preview…she didn’t always wear moccasins...(click on the pic to enlarge it and see the lovely, sparkling jewel detail!)

Stay tuned for costume development all this week...

Fresh Herbs and Chicken

Mike and I are lucky to have a sunroom off our apartment and we have been cultivating lettuces and herbs this summer. So last night I got creative and cut from the oregano, basil and chives. I mixed them with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. I laid 2 chicken breasts, yellow potatoes, red pepper and onion in a baking dish, covered it with the herb mixture and baked it for close to an hour.

Yum! What a simple dinner with herbs fresh from the garden!

Fish Fry Fryday

Mike finally caught some rainbow trout! Aren’t they pretty?
Mike went fishing with landlord and friend Ron last Thursday and they brought in the limit – 5 fish each.
So last Friday Ron and Mike filleted the fish and that night Ron fried them up in his outdoor kitchen.
.Soon enough we sat down to a fish fry dinner
Later on Mike surprised us all with a HOMEMADE pumpkin pie for dessert. Good job Mike!

What a great night with good food and wonderful friends.

Salem Oregon Daily Photo – Jill’s Passing

I’m writing this mostly for the people that have counted on the Salem Oregon Daily Photo blog for great pictures of Salem and the surrounding area.

Before we even left Mexico I found Jill’s Salem Daily Photo blog. Soon enough I was emailing Jill and asking all about Salem. We found we had something in common – husbands with grave medical issues. Mike’s arachnoid cyst and Dean’s newly discovered cancer. Jill had also worked for the State of Oregon and she encouraged me to apply for government jobs and gave me ideas for getting my foot in the door.

Jill invited me to visit her 2nd blog, Our Fervent Prayers where she was documenting Dean’s fight with cancer. Most posts were difficult to read and digest. Jill wrote from her heart. Dean passed away on June 9th after 34 years of marriage to Jill. Mike and I went to the memorial for Dean at the end of June.

Among other family and friends, Jill and Dean’s son spoke and it was very moving. We intended to introduce ourselves to Jill at the memorial, but it just didn’t seem the right time.

We continued to email each other and I had recently invited Jill out to breakfast with Mike and me. I was concerned that I didn’t hear right back from her. Today I received an email telling me that Jill herself passed away on July 7. I am shocked. I don’t know any details. I feel so bad that we never got to hug each other. I am concerned for their son. I am experiencing so much emotion this evening.

Jill and Dean, rest in peace.

Fourth of July in the United States

We’re alive and well in Salem, Oregon. We had a wonderful three-day weekend to celebrate the Fourth of July and we reflected back on last year’s Fourth in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. I remember buying an apple pie and vanilla ice cream. I was so upset when I got home from the grocery store, opened the ice cream and found that ONE HALF of it had already been eaten. CARAMBA! From that I learned to always open any unsealed food containers prior to purchasing them - in Mexico, that is.

This year we didn’t have apple pie or even ice cream, but we did go to Salem’s Riverfront Park – I had the first corn dog I’ve had in years, Mike had a lukewarm hamburger and we shared curly fries that fell to the ground 3 times before we found a picnic table. Somehow bad food doesn’t taste so bad in that sort of situation.

There was a huge carnival set up, with amusement rides and games, and fireworks scheduled to be set off over the Willamette River later in the evening. We ended up going home before the fireworks, but we could see them through the trees from our apartment.

Being back in the United States on this holiday was a good thing for us. Mike is still fishing. Sitka is still chasing squirrels. I am still enjoying the challenges of my new job.

That’s it...happy in Salem. Who'd have thunk?