Crocheted Headband at Indian Beach

Several weeks ago my oldest daughter, her four little girls and I drove up to Powell Butte Park in Portland, Oregon to view Mt. Hood and

Mt. St. Helens with it's distinctive flattened top after it erupted  35 years ago.

Then another day on the way home from running errands I stopped at the corner of Highway 212 and 232nd Street to get this view of Mt. Hood and one of the many nurseries that are near the base of the mountain.

 Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are doing a fine job caring for their new ducklings.

They spend much of their time safely hiding in the grass of our front pond.

My son took this photo of a muskrat who has been visiting the pond, too.

A heron has been visiting our front pond lately, as well. See him standing in the middle of the photo? He is standing very still trying to blend in with the grass and not  be noticed!

After I tried to get an intermittent problem with my car fixed and did not succeed, my youngest son, Tim drove us to Gearhart by the Sea in his car. 

The trip was restorative for me because the week before I had whacked a back upper molar with my electric toothbrush, making it sensitive...then painful...requiring me to be on an anti-biotic,  then having to have the tooth extracted :(
The sunsets were often beautiful.

I sketched more flowers in baby Rosie's album.

Tim and I took turns winning playing Scrabble.

I even saw this beautiful sunrise one morning!

We saw the metal hulk of a wrecked ship,

and there was lots of Scotch Broom in bloom.

We saw a barge near the mouth of the mighty Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon.

At Indian Beach,

we saw surfers,

and a squirrel,

and a ladybug,

and a kite being flown,

and I crocheted a Rampant Arch Headband using Sue Perez's pattern

which my granddaughter, Hayley, kindly modeled for me when we got home :)

Today a brilliant young man came and repaired our washing machine that stopped working this past weekend. Our household is rejoicing!

Blessings to you and yours,

Gracie xx