Of Kiwi Vineyards

The other day I was thinking about kiwi--

specifically our kiwi--

and wondering if they were ripe enough to harvest yet.

 

And then a combined business/pleasure trip took us into the so called "Wine Country" region.

And on one of the many roads we found ourselves on,

I saw a sign,

and knew we would have to make a detour.

So after time on a ranch near Trask Mountain,

time on part of the Nestucca River Back Country Byway

(both definitely God's country),

a visit to a wonderful bakery

(yum!),

and time elsewhere in this pretty area,

we found ourselves at the awesome kiwi farm we first found about 4 years ago...

 

 

The weather was not as a sunny as when I took these photos in 2011,

but the baby kiwi looked just as yummy!

 

 

 

And, this time I didn't stroll through the kiwi vineyard--

but my friend did and picked me some baby kiwi

BIG time yummy in a little, completely edible package).

 

 

The owner, as always, was informative and gave me the information I needed about harvest time--

yippee I can wait awhile longer!

 

 

He asked me, did I prune my kiwi vines this year?

No--but I promised to do so this winter:)

 

 

 I asked him about his magnificent and most delectable kiwi honey--

Yep, this coming week! 

 

 

And, then, we drove out --

making our way through wine grape vineyards and forests...

but we knew we'd be back soon to get more baby kiwi and kiwi honey.

 

 

Mmm, kiwi--it's one of the best things about autumn!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Note:

A BIG thanks for HB + K Farms for their continued hospitality

and for allowing me to post the photos taken on their farm in 2009 and 2012.

They are open daily, 9 AM-5PM through the harvest season

(which is now through sometime in November if it's like last year).

Their address is 10794 Worden Hill Rd, Dundee, OR

 

Coming at some point (LOL):

Scandinavian rosemaling

Mt. Angel and other misc. late summer trips--a few pictures

(saving this for those REALLY rainy days I know that will keep me home)

Autumn Colors in the SUN

(I should save this for those rainy days too--to lift my spirits)

First Autumn Journey of 2013

(part sun, part storm--always filled with blessings)

 

Have a great weekend!

If you're in the western PNW stay warm and dry the next few days:)

 

Last Journey of Summertime

It was a very busy end to summer

and autumn is off to a busy start too--

thanks to a dream of mine that came true not too long ago:)

(thank you God)

 

But that dream-come-true is not the subject of today's post.

Instead the last crazy, busy days of summer--

or at least ONE of those last crazy, busy days of summer is!

 

It all started with a busy evening and early morning on the Internet-

which was followed by a wonderful, but sometimes chilly day in one of my favorite coastal areas

where we enjoyed the best fish and chips EVER at Bowpicker

(nom, nom--yum, yum)

and found this little guy:)

 

 

We ate it (no, not the little guy) on a bench overlooking the Columbia River

from where we could see the huge Astoria-Megler Bridge

(I have a love-hate relationship with this bridge.

Love to take photos of it; HATE to cross it--so I don't anymore)

 

 

the state of Washington

(right across the river from us),

the river traffic

(always fun to watch)

and more!

I ADORE Astoria!!!

 

 And, of course, since we were so close--

we had to make one of my favorite side trips a bit to the east to the island....

 

There is just something about this place that draws me in and captivates me--

and being the very determined genealogist I am,

 led me to hours and hours of research on the Internet till I solved the mystery of how it came to be.

 

Of course, since we were already in the area another stop was called for...

unfortunately no eagles were in sight though!

However, further west we found lots of singing sea lions

(I have the video to prove it).

And, we did have to stop at my favorite Scandinavian bakery to get some

fattigmann and Finnish pinwheels (tarts)--Mmm!

They were yummy--down to the very last one:)

 

Out to Fort Stevens where my granddaughter and a my best friend's grandson took some time to run

and play in and around the wreck of the Peter Iredale.

(grounded in 1906 with NO lost of lives thankfully--although I found out from the Park Ranger two lives were lost later on from people who were trying to do salvage work there).

 

The beach was actually warmer then the place we had lunch at,

and I had a great time talking to the Park Ranger and seeing some AWESOME photos of the ship after a storm that unearthed a huge amount of the ship. I had no idea how much of the ship is buried under the sand--amazing!

I have such good memories from time spent on this very same beach and it is so much fun to see my grandkids playing in the same area my family once played at:)

 

Life is such a precious gift don't you think?

 

 

What a beautiful world we live in!

 

 

And we're just at the beginning of autumn--

one of my favorite times to explore that beautiful world!

 

What's happening at your place?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

September 2013.

Taken at various locations in and around Astoria, Oregon and the northern coast range.

 

Notes:

Just getting back into a semi-normal routine (LOL) so am still playing catch up.

Wish me luck:)

 

A Wee Break from my Beautiful Blogging Break;)

A few photos from the last 10 or so days...

 

 

when we spent time at a favorite bay

(yikes...too late to adjust the color balance now--LOL).

This was a fun adventure with lots of things to see...

and

if you look very, very carefully you might see one thing we saw.

 

A little better on the color balance (yippee!)...

can you tell I LOVE seagulls?

 

A moment in time when I was really, really wishing I had my zoom lens on...

lots going on in this photo!

Hope you can see everything going on...

 

Yep, so LOVE seagulls--so LOVE the blue, blue sky!

 

And, of course, on my beautiful blogging break we have spent some time

 in the mountains,foothills and forests of Oregon...

this, was taken at Jonsrud Viewpoint

(we were on a mission of mercy near there--

delivering some of our organic prunes to family who LOVES our homegrown fruit).

 

I am thinking Mt. Hood needs some snow...it's looking a little 'naked' here;)

BTW, no snow yet,

but there is a bit more autumn color in the mountains and foothills

AND

in the valley!

Yea for all the beautiful yellows and reds of early autumn!

 

Now up to near the point where the great Columbia River meets the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean.

You are looking at Washington state here ladies and gentlemen.

Hum....that makes me think of all the places I have been wanting to visit up there--

Mt Rainier, Seattle, the Olympic Peninsula, the lower Columbia River...

 

Can't forget our time in Salem either ...

Salem is the capital of Oregon for those who may not know.

Here, along the Willamette River,

we captured a photo (OK more than one photo) of the sternwheeler riverboat there.

I am fascinated by sternwheelers.

Part of our family lore says an ancestor

(or was it a sibling of an ancestor)

worked--

or was it gambled--

on one.

 

We also went to A. C. Gilbert Discovery Village,

my first time there,

 where Aimee had AS MUCH fun as

the kids and,

Riverfront Carousel (where Aimee had AS MUCH fun as the kids--

well after she decided she was not going to get dizzy going around in circles)...

Later that day wasn't quite as much fun,

 when she and Little Miss

 got caught in a HUGE rainstorm while getting groceries.

OK it was a little fun,

and very exciting,

 figuring out how to keep water off the granddaughter in the sundress

and out of the car when loading grocery bags loaded with groceries and rainwater!

Teehee--you got to roll with these weather challenges!

 

And last, but certainly not least, a family portrait of all of us at Coffenbury Lake

(Fort Stevens too)

on the northern Oregon coast...

you didn't really think I wouldn't include at least ONE photo of my grandkids, did you?

 

Wishing you a great day...

and now back to my beautiful blogging break--

for awhile longer that is.

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

 

Wasn't Going To...But

Yep, on this --

 the Friday before the busy Labor Day weekend,

 I wasn't going to post...

 

But, 

after a morning of listening to some favorite songs from my youth,

and after a few minutes weeding outside under the beautiful blue sky...

well, I saw the post below.

 

And

the colors were SO stunning,

the scenery SO amazing,

 the goats SO adorable...

and

 did I say that the photos are from my beloved, beloved Washington

and taken in the incredible North Cascades?

 

Well I just couldn't help myself...

so here you go

my share for this beautiful Friday.

Enjoy! I know I did:)

 

Link:

http://leerentz.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/the-enchantments-in-august-part-1-aasgard-pass-and-the-upper-lakes/

 

Wishing you all a wonderful AND very safe holiday weekend!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Notes:

Am thinking of taking a break from blogging due to various obligations, etc.  

When I return, I'll finish up my series from the Scandinavian festival

and last week's photos.

Take care.

After the Showers

I awoke this morning to a beautiful sight...

a wet deck

(give me a few months and it won't be as beautiful).

It wasn't too long thereafter that the thought of raindrops on roses and leaves

brought me outside to partake of the blessings of the garden.

 

 

A stroll by the Shiro plum again had me thinking--

what can I do with all these???

After all, a girl and her guy can only eat SO much.

Ideas?

 

Another part of the garden brought me by one of my unofficial rain gauges...

I know you won't believe my other 'rain gauge' is a laundry basket I sometimes leave outside

(along with some laundry).

 

I sometimes see things that don't belong on other things...

like hearts in clouds

and this rooster/chicken on an apple.

PLEASE tell me YOU see things like that too...

please:)

Happily it looks like we will have a good apple harvest this year...

Mmm.

Granny Smith, Liberty and other apples.

 

There you go...

raindrops on roses.

And you thought it was just lyrics to a song...

 

 

Just what I LOVE to see...

a rhododendron blooming in late summer.

All us PNW people love our rhodies...

well at least this PNW person does:)

 Other unexpected blessings this summer were ferns and lavender we didn't plant:)

Oh and one, exactly one, sunflower!

 

Well it's time to go and check the, hopefully dry now, laundry

and get it safely inside

before we get another round of 'blessings'.

I leave you with a final photo of our crocosmia...

 

Blessings on this special day,

Aimee

 

Another question:

In addition to how to use lots and lots of Shiro and Satsuma plums

(both Japanese plums), any ideas on what to do with a lot of Asian pears?

:)

 

 

Last Week + Family Introductions: Pt I

You can feel it now, at night especially--autumn is in the air and has even left it's beautiful mark on a few leaves. And as I see the leaves turn red and yellow, and as I feel a bit of chill in the night air, my heart is filled with a happy anticipation for what is to come--because the beauty of autumn overwhelms me (in a very good way)!

 

But, even though signs of fall are growing around me, the calendar says we still have about a month of summer to go...and so there is still time to enjoy summer pastimes

 (while making autumn dreams).

 

Last week we made a trip to Mt Angel and Silverton to get some great German sausage

(photos later)

and then...

 

Last weekend we were blessed by getting to take BOTH of our granddaughters

 on a last minute coast, forest, mountain, farm, valley trip...

 

You've already met our youngest granddaughter...

 

 

but now I have the pleasure,

the very great pleasure,

of introducing you to her totally awesome sister,

our oldest granddaughter!

 

Aren't they beautiful?

They are BOTH such blessings

and so much fun to be with!

Our oldest granddaughter is just THE BEST with her youngest sister too:)

 

 

On our little excursion all of us,

including older sis,

 worked on lesson 2 of teaching little one to swing by herself--

and she is slowly learning how.

Look at the determination in her face!

She WILL master it soon I know.

 

 

In the valley

we passed by this incredible field,

and the golden light was SO beautiful...

can someone please remind me next time to bring lens cleaner

and a wipe?

LOL

Oh and roll down the window...

yep all those little things one forgets in the excitement of the moment!

 

I never tire of seeing the fields of the valley--

watching them being tilled,

crops growing in them,

harvesting

and, yep, after harvest too.

Farming amazes me!

 

 

On our trip we also had the pleasure of stopping by for another pony ride

at the same place as before!

There the two young ladies again helped us

(they are totally AWESOME with young kids)

little one had her second pony/horse ride;

older sis her very FIRST!!!

Afterwards one of the girls took time to show us one of their baby bunnies--

see how cute his (or her) little paw is?

And those little ears?

SO very precious and all of us treated this new life as such.

Thank you ladies!!!

 

 

We always include some forest time if we can...

I am beginning to love the coast more and more,

but I will ALWAYS  love the mountains of the PNW

(and everywhere else)!

 

 

Fun at the lake--

we love the lake and the great park there!

This was shot during the water fight...

Papa (AKA Farmer Boy) loves a good water fight,

especially when the kids aren't expecting it

(oh yes, the girls love it too)

:)

 

 

The beach, of course, is always--

always fun and it's especially fun in the fog

(you know how much I LOVE fog)

it was very magical there this time,

 slightly obscuring the seagulls and kids in the water.

Made for some great, fun photos--

 

LOVED it!

 

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

August 2013--Oregon

at various locations on the central coast, coast range and valley.

 

Notes:

A BIG thank you to the ladies of the pony ride place

who have made our  last 2 trips there wonderful!

Hope to see you again before the riding season ends:)

I apologize for not knowing the name of their place,

but it is past Grande Ronde and just before you make a climb over the coast range--

maybe 10-15 minutes before the rest area on Highway 18??

They are usually opened on weekends-for awhile yet.

 

 

 

 

Just Because

I am posting this just because I LOVE these little fish...

 

 

Doesn't the one fish look like he's smiling? LOL

You got to love a fish that looks happy,

and  makes me smile and happy too!

 

I wonder if God smiled when he created this little fish,

or when He created puppies, baby horses, penguins or alpacas?

I honestly don't know the answer,

 but what I do know is that each time He created something,

"God saw that it was good".

And I know I agree with HIM because our world is so very beautiful even now!

 

And,

when I see something like this oh so wonderful fish,

it makes me wonder

what our world looked like in the beginning--

when it was newly created.

And, it makes me wonder--

what will heaven look like.

 

Well it's time to get busy...

lots of work to do in the garden and maybe,

just maybe,

there will be a fun field trip to go on today.

 

By the way,

does anyone know the name of my adorable, smiling, cutie-pie fish?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

And even though it is not Wednesday,

here is a WORD for you today...

 

And God said,

Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life...

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth...

and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1: 20a, 21 (parts of) KJV

You can find all of these verses here at one of my favorite websites--

Bible Gateway.

 

Update (8/26/2013):

My oh so cute wonderful smiling fish now has a name

(thanks to Willow of http://whimsywillowsfarm.blogspot.com/)...

he is a yellow Hawaiian tang fish!!!

I should have known...so many wonderful things can be found in Hawaii:)

Speaking of wonderful things...

I highly recommend Willow's blog--

she lives a farm and has the most adorable collection of animals ever!

Take a peek, you'll see what I mean:)

And for more info on Mr. Smiling, oh so adorable, yellow Hawaiian tang fish....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_tang

 

Photo:

Vacation Photo Collection

Central Oregon coast,

OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center,

August 2013.

 

Of Lefse, Rosemaling + Celtic Harps: Pt II

 With my mind on the wonder and goodness of vaflers this morn,

I thought another post on our trip to the Junction City Scandinavian Festival would be a good thing.

You can find part one here 

and, of course, I have quite a few posts about

Scandinavian festivals, food and celebrations here.

I also follow several Scandinavian blogs as you can see

 if you check out my blog favorites to the right...

 

 

My current favorite troll--

this time a front view.

He had me laughing with all his naughtiness--

reminded me of a 2 year old!

Have I ever told you just how much I LOVE the so called 'terrible 2's'?

I always thought of them as more terrific then terrible

:)

 

 

Speaking of Scandinavian food,

one of my favorite subjects,

I always get one of these from the Frikadeller booth...

in fact it isn't a festival till I have eaten some kind of Scandinavian food! 

I LOVE Scandinavian food and my goal is to one day try at least one bite of lutefisk.

Have you ever had some lutefisk?

How about poi?

Not Scandinavian AT ALL,

but I like to include it in my list of foods I have tried:)

 

The top section of the information windmill--

it is here that you will find AWESOME people to help answer all the questions you might have--

questions like "Where do I find my favorite rosemaler?"

and 

"Am I going the right way to find Noah (Celtic Harpist extraordinaire)?"

and

"Is anyone selling the dried flower headbands I bought years ago here?"

(sadly the answer was 'no' to the last question...)

 

We always enjoy the town's Scandinavian dancers...

all the way from the wee ones

(now that sounds rather Irish)

to young adults.

LOVE their floral crowns,

the music that gets your foot tapping,

their colorful traditional folk costumes

and of course the dancing!!

 

Of course, you will find rosemaling there...

on buildings,

some vendor booths

and on craft items too

(more about that in part III).

I have lots and lots of useable and decorative items with rosemaling (rose painting) on them--

shelves, a wood bucket, a fjord horse and more.

I LOVE rosemaling and we are lucky in the PNW

to have several women who continue this beautiful folk art! 

 

And last but not least,

another of my favorite things to find at Scandinavian festivals

are these....

 

 

flowers,

lots and lots of flowers...

one can never have another flowers in their life

and one can never have enough flowers at a folk festival:)

 

Have a great day!

Our weather has changed and they are having thunderstorms in the southern portion of our state.

So much of the western states are now having wildfires...

and sadly, as you may know, we have had loss of life and property.

Would appreciate prayers for rain--

lots of drenching, healing rain.

Thanks!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

2013 Junction City Scandinavian Festival

 

Indulging Myself

I hope you will allow me permission to indulge myself on this beautiful sunny Monday afternoon.

 

 

You see I am still caught between the land of fantasy,

and the very real world of dirty dishes, piles of icky laundry

and other household tasks.  

 

It's not that I couldn't go back there...

(well maybe not HERE because I can't stand driving across high bridges

and someone else always has to do it),

but maybe south or north of there.

 

Yes, my heart would really like that--

to be in the land of seagulls, ocean and bays again.

But reality is telling me vacation is over and it's time to get back to work,

as my husband already did early this morning.

 

So with a few more photos, I shall stop my dreaming,

and get back to chores.

Sigh...

pout...

BIG frown.

 

 

Or

 

maybe

 

I'll

 

just keep dreaming of that magical place while I do some chores.

Sounds like a win-win scenario.

Smile:)

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

Vacation Photo Collection

Central Oregon coast,

OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center,

Tillamook Forestry Center

August 2013.

© 2013 A. Blessings

All rights reserved.

Please do not copy without permission.