Catch-up News from Oregon

Hi All,

It is time for me to update the relations on late August and early September. JoAnn Brinkman, our pretend sister with the Montana cabin, invited my bridge group to come to the cabin on Bitterroot Lake about 25 miles from Gospel, Montana. Of the nine persons invited, four of us were able to go. It is 750 miles from Eugene to Buckingham Palace (the name her grandfather gave to the cabin as he was named Ward Buckingham...wonderful name). First day out, stayed in Cour d'Alene. Ate dinner with Joan and Dennis. Cabin the next day. We had wonderful weather...usually quite cold in the a.m., but very warm, and sometimes hot, in the afternoons. Scenery was wonderful, wasps were plentiful, lake is very cold and food was excellent. We relaxed, played bridge, and visited nearby tourist towns. Big Fork on Flathead Lake (expensive and fun to look in the stores...there are many 'starter castles' built around the lake) and Whitefish (tourist and skiing center in winter), also somewhat expensive...I bought a ring with blue sapphires from Montana...the sapphires come in a variety of colors. The mountains are always present. We drove to Glacier Nat'l. Park and toward the Highway to the Sun. The drive is overwhelmingly stunning...I think the pass is at least 6,000 ft. high. Much work is being done on the road. Road workers would in places be dropped over the edge of the road in a wire basket to work on drains, supports, etc. JoAnn's father worked as a cook with the surveying crew when in was in high school. The road closes in September until late May. There was much more snow than there was four years ago. This past winter was the first year in at least six years that the area has experienced adequate snow fall. National Park hotels are expensive and we only had to stay over one night. Second day was a brief trip into Canada and a visit to the International peace park at Waterton, Alberta. Wharton is also home to one of the early hotels built by the railroads in the early 1900s, the Prince of Wales. I stayed there 4 years ago, very old and very British. We had hoped to have an English Tea there but the price was 29.25, which we considered expensive for tea, little sandwiches, and little cakes.
We returned to the cabin, cleaned, washed linens and left for home the next day.
The country side is so very beautiful that I would hope that each of you can experience it sometime. I got home at 3 and Joan and Dennis came to Eugene at six. Needless to say, we ate out. The next day they ventured to Salem and the Oregon Garden Wedding. I spent the next couple of days just sorting mail and catching up. I think, that I have found a contractor to do some much needed repairs around 200 West 35th Place. Waiting for an estimate...unfortunately the repairs needed are not going to be very obvious...just needed. Have frozen peaches using Mom's recipe with orange juice...so very tasty. Just picked up tomatoes today..no pickles this year.

Fall is fast approaching. The tree leaves are starting to droop, the ponderosa pines dropping their very long needles that weave together on their way to the ground and soon the yard will be covered with many, many dried oak leaves. I will drop to my knees and say thank you when the yard man appears. I do not do that anymore....rake leaves that is and I guess, sometimes, I don't drop to my knees either.

Hope this find all of you well, healthy, and adequately busy.

Love to all, Judy