Biking, Tillamook Forestry Center, Portland Swifts, First Day of School, Visit from Aiden Duncan, The "Fruit Loop", Pruning the Apple Tree

Our September was great.  After their 3 week chemistry class at OSU the twins came home until they needed to leave for their fall term on September 27th.  We had a lot of fun with our last few weeks of summer before everyone left for school.  The twins friend, Aiden Duncan, came to Oregon for a visit.  The boys met him in 6th grade and were friends for a few years before his family moved to Australia so it was fun to catch up with him again. Every year a swarm of migrating swifts fly through Portland and for some reason one of their rest stops is this giant chimney at a school in Portland.  We have heard about this for years but we finally made it work to actually go see them. It was so cool! The birds circle around in the sky and then all of a sudden they all shoot down into the chimney and make a really cool black funnel cloud...I hope we remember to go again, it was really neat. My hiking buddies have talked about the "fruit loop" before but I had never gone so we finally got a chance to go.  We drove out to Hood River and then you drive from farm to farm and they each have a cute little farm store to buy things or taste test things.  It was really cute and super fun. We also did a great hike up to a waterfall! Like I said, it was a great September:)

We rode a bike trail that goes from Scapoose into Vernonia.  We didn't do the whole trail, just the last 6 miles or so into Vernonia.  Most of the trail was just fine but some of it was very steep!  I had to get off my bike and walk up the hill.  It was a beautiful day and I got fish tacos in Vernonia so I guess it all worked out:)

One of the beautiful views on the bike ride.

Not only was it steep, it was also on gravel so I just didn't feel very safe.  Luckily Hyrum took pity on Julian and I and he rode his bike back to the van and then drove into Vernonia to pick Julian and I up:)

We spent a day at the Tillamook Forestry Center.  I have always wanted to come here and we drive by it every time we head to Tillamook so I'm really glad I finally got the chance to check it out.  This is Julian and Hyrum on their way up the lookout tower.

View from the top of the tower.  Back in the day they used towers like these that were scattered throughout the forest to watch for wild fires.

We did a short hike to see Wilson Falls, it was a lovely little walk through the forest

More hiking, it got pretty steep in some places

Wilson Falls, it wasn't much to look at really but I'm still glad we found it:)

Julian's first day of high school.  My babies are all so grown up. I know he will do fantastic this year, he is just like his brothers and wants to do well in all his classes.

I had to report to the county courthouse for jury duty.  Luckily I wasn't selected for a trial, but I'm happy I could do my part for our justice system.

My friend, Sherry Work, and I went to see John Oliver stand up comedy. It was a blast!

Our boat still didn't have a mast but one evening we just went down to the river to motor around a bit and jump in the water for a swim. 

We like to motor over to the Sauvie Island light house and swim around the little cove and beach.

The school chimney where the swifts rest for the night. This was a photo I took before any of the birds showed up.  We had to wait until a little past sunset for any of the show to start.

All those little black dots are birds diving into the chimney. It was so crazy to watch!  How do they not just crash into each other as they all fly into that small space? There must have been thousands of birds!

Enjoying a sushi lunch with Aiden

Hyrum finally got the mast put back up and we went for a great sail with Aiden and the boys.

We stopped at Camp 18 for lunch on our way to the coast for the day.

Playing on the swings at Seaside

The weather was amazing! We are so lucky to live so close to the ocean:)

We played a few rounds of fascination.  The twins each won a round of "blackout"

We drove Aiden to Corvallis to see where the twins go to college

All of the boys playing at the new park in Hillsboro

Our first stop on the Fruit Loop.  The asian pears were delicious!

It was such a beautiful day and being out in all that farmland was so pretty!

The pears were massive!

At the start of our hike to Tamanawas waterfall

The leaves were just beginning to change color

We made it to the waterfall:)

We spent a whole day in Corvallis "trimming" this giant apple tree in our yard

There were about 1 billion apples that fell onto the lawn so we had a great time hauling branches but also picking up apples.  Landon Child came down and helped us out:)

By the end of the day this entire dumpster was totally full! We probably cut down about 15 feet of apple tree...I guess we will wait until next year to see if it survives or provides any fruit.

These two packed up their car and headed off to Corvallis for another year of school.  I can't believe they are Sophomores in college! They are doing so well with their school work, I'm so proud of them:)

Julian led the stretching exercises for his fencing class

Went for a pretty crazy sail.  The wind was gusting up to 20 knots and the waves were pretty crazy crashing over our boat.  The new mast held firm. I think if it could survive that day of sailing it must be secure!

RSP trip to Savannah, Georgia...with a bonus stop in Virginia to see the DeShetler's:)

 About every 5 years my good friends from childhood meet up for a few days just to catch up and have a great time together.  We have been to the Appalachian trial in North Carolina, they came to visit me in Germany when we lived there, we went to New Orleans together and this time we decided to meet up in Savannah, Georgia.  We had such a great time.  I love that we can all keep in touch and stay friends over the many years.  I have known these girls since we were in 4th grade! It's great to have friends that knew you when you were young, so much has changed but our friendship remains.  I love these 2 so much and consider them more "sisters" than "friends"

Before I met up with Sara and Pam I flew into Virginia to hang out with Paige and her kids for a few days.  I couldn't come all the way to the east coast without stopping to see my cute little nephews:)

Alistair is so dang adorable! I can't believe how big his is getting. He is talking a lot more too!

Graham and Cecil...these 2 are so cute:)

We went to the Yorktown beach. It wasn't the sunniest day ever but luckily the water was still nice and warm.

Silly boys

I don't think I could love this little guy any more than I do, he became my cute little shadow for the few days I was there...it was so hard to leave!

Saying goodbye to the boys as they head to the bus stop for school.  This trip was way too quick but I'm so glad I got to see them:)

I love my nephews but my sister is also so much fun and I love that she is always so welcoming when I come to visit:)

From Virginia Paige drove me to North Carolina where I met up with my friend Pam.  I stayed at her house for the night and the next day we drove to Savannah.  Pam introduced me to Buc-ee's which is the craziest most giant truck stop I have ever seen.  Man, that brisket sandwich was pretty delicious though;)

Our first night in Georgia we went on a haunted walking tour. I absolutely loved all the gorgeous homes in the old town of Savannah.  Everywhere I looked I saw beautiful things to take pictures of.  I mean, who has a trumpeting angel on their balcony??

The Hamilton-Turner house on Lafayette square...I guess people say they see a night watchman on the roof sometimes...but it's a ghost!  Most of the stories are pretty corny but I do love a walking tour because you hear stories and legends about the place you are visiting.

With my childhood besties, Sara and Pam!

We took a tour of Bonaventure cemetery.  This place was absolutely gorgeous.  I love old cemeteries but this place was stunning and I could easily have spent all day here! Again, we got to hear great stories about the people of Savannah and the legacies they left behind.

The family burial plot for Johnny Mercer, a famous song writer. He wrote the lyrics for "Moon River", "Fools Rush In" "Jeepers Creepers" and so many more!

A lot of the old gravestones had this iron cross in front of them with the letters "CSA" which stood for the "Confederate States of America" So if you served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War you were buried with their special honor.  It's a bit strange to think about what the world would be like if the US were split into two different countries.

The beautiful oak tree lined driveway to the Wormsloe State Historic Site

One of the earliest structures in Savannah was at Wormsloe. This fortified house was built in 1736 and Noble Jones was one of the first colonists to sail from England to settle in Georgia.

Delicious gelato along the waterfront in Savannah

The Pirates House is a fun site. Rumor has it that in the early days of Savannah men were drugged at this bar and taken to waiting ships to be forced into working on the ship. I guess they couldn't get enough men to volunteer for voyages so they resorted to stealing people.

Inside the Pirates House you can see the tunnel that led out to the river where men were carried, unconscious, onto the waiting ships.

Another cool cemetery, Colonial Park Cemetery. This one is even older than Bonaventure, and it's right in the downtown area of Savannah.

The story goes that troops from the North camped in this cemetery during the Civil War and they knocked over and desecrated many of the head stones.  The town didn't know where all the stones belonged so they just ended up hanging them on the wall of the cemetery.

I love the old carvings on head stones.

Starting our day at a cute cafe for breakfast

Inside the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

I love historic churches:)

Savannah is home to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) We walked around one of the student galleries and I took a picture of Pam taking a picture of a guy taking a picture of a girl looking in a closet:)

Outside the Mercer-Williams house. The owner of this house features prominently in the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which takes place in Savannah.  There was a real murder here.  Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos inside the house but it has a gorgeous interior. The staircase was my favorite part. It spiraled up into the 2nd floor and had a beautiful, round stained glass window in the ceiling above the staircase. I wish I could have gotten a photo!

Wandering around Forsyth Park, I loved all the hanging moss from the trees.

I love this picture of Sara and Pam

I thought this was interesting.  This is a statue of a Confederate General in Forsyth Park. In recent years there has been a call to remove statues throughout the US that honor Confederate soldiers. Apparently some people in Savannah aren't happy this is here because on the sidewalk in front of the statue someone has written in chalk, "Confederate Monuments Suck"

A statue honoring James Edward Oglethorpe who led the first group of settlers to Savannah Georgia in 1736. Apparently he was anti-slavery and wrote into the charter of Georgia that there would be no slavery in the state.  He only stayed in Georgia for a few years then said back to England, and as soon as he was gone the State decided to ignore his wishes and became a slave state.

My crazy friends got matching tattoos for our girls trip...

...the 3 birds in flight signify the 3 of us.  They gave me so much crap for not joining in and getting the tattoo but I just couldn't commit 😂

We had to taste some Leopold's ice cream and it did not disappoint...yum!

Another "must do" stop in Savannah is to eat at the Wilkes House.  We stood in line for about an hour but the food really was delicious and I got to try a whole bunch of southern food I had never had before!

The oldest synagogue in Georgia and the 3rd oldest in the United States.  After the first wave of colonists came to Georgia the next group to arrive were all Jewish and so this congregation, Mickve Israel, is one of the oldest in the country.

I loved this window.

The oldest Torah scroll in the US

We had to take a photo of Sara outside this mural. She is the only alcohol drinker in our group 😝

I found a great little shop that sold sausage rolls:)

The lighthouse on Tybee Island

We walked to the end of this pier on Tybee Island because I had heard you might see dolphins out in the ocean

We didn't see any dolphins but this nice guy (he said his name was Elvis) let us fish with his rods for a while...

...and I actually caught a FISH!!

Ended the night eating shrimp and grits and listening to great music on the river

On our final day in Savannah Sara had to leave pretty early to catch her flight but Pam and I had time to visit the First African Baptist Church.  Our tour guide was great. He told some stories and gave us the history of the church and how it featured on the Underground Railroad.

What a wonderful trip and what a wonderful time we had catching up together.  I love these ladies and I can't wait for our next adventure:)