Rockin' at the Rockin' B Ranch Show

Dad and I are sitting at our table watching the musical show and eating BBQ at the RAnch. It was a real fun evening.

THE PLUM TREE

This is our little plum tree. We have been waiting for this day - prunes to pick. It really outdid itself this year and we will enjoy the canned fruit this winter. For such a little tree it really did produce well. The birds were enjoying the plumbs too so I hung a couple of old cd's on the tree to scare them away. I read that this really works. I haven't noticed any birds around the tree so maybe it did. Anyway, I decided to go ahead and pick the fruit and can it.

Tree branch with prunes hanging on for dear life. You have to look close but they really are still there.

Bowl of plums from our tree. I actually picked four bowls like this and there are still plums left to pick. They could have gone a little longer because some were a little green but the birds were having a hayday and some were dropping on the ground. Thus, I decided it was time to pick.

A Jar filled with plums

The Finished Product

These are the prunes after being canned in a hot water bath - cooling on my counter.

The Lake Roosevelt Cruise Boat

After getting off the Keller Ferry we stopped at the rental docks. They have these big houseboats to rent for cruising up and down the Columbia River. Two of them had just docked and their guests were unloading their gear. There are black carts you put all of your stuff in to take up to your car. We asked if we could go on board to look one over and the guy said it was okay. ( Actually, there was a long line of these boats all docked and ready to rent. ) These pictures show what we saw and it was fun to imagine taking a cruise on one. Dad thought it would be fun to do a family weekend on one until he saw the price. ha ha For a 3-day weekend it costs $2000 and you can have up to 12 people on board. He still thinks it would be fun. You have to reserve by December in order to get a boat and the down-payment is $500. Well, we can dream can't we. I suppose that isn't too bad considering the days on board and the fun you would have. However, I am not sure if just camping isn't just as fun.

The slide that starts on the upper deck and you slide into the lake. Looking at the dining and kitchen area from the sleeping quarters. It is really nice inside and quite roomy. I can see where it would be fun to stay for a short amount of time but you would need to have activities to do plus swimming. The boat can dock at the various dock sites and camping areas up and down the River. The Columbia goes for a long distance so that makes it nice for cruising. They have a map of the area that you are allowed to go and the different places you can stop at. There is an upper deck for sitting and also that is how you get to the slide .

The sleeping area. Three queens, 3 twins.

Standing at the door this is the view of the dining and kitchen area. There are two hide-a-beds on either side also. It is equiped with all pans and utensils. You just bring the linens and food and people. That is Dad on the left looking over the rule book. There is a video class that you take beforehand to learn how to drive the boat etc.

Labor Day camping at Tiffany's Resort on Curlew Lake

This is the campground where we camped over Labor Day weekend. We drove up on Friday and stayed until Monday afternoon. It is a nice resort with room for Rv's and has cabins to rent also. It is one of the campgrounds on Curlew Lake. ( We had been to this Lake in 1970 when Cory was a year. That particular campground is now closed. ) Tiffnay's was very clean and they had boats to rent. We didn't haul our boat this time so renting was a good thing for us. It is three miles from Republic so we were able to attend church on Sunday. There is a branch in Republic and they have a nice, small chapel to meet in. We enjoyed their Fast Meeting and Sunday School. There were about 60 members present. After church we ate our lunch that we brought with us by the park in town and then drove to Tonasket, Omak and Okanagan - just for a drive. No fishing on Sunday but we did eat some fish for dinner that some people had given to us. They had caught some from the dock and saw that we werent catching any so they gave us two. How nice!

Saturday Fun

Dad is getting the fishing gear in the boat so we can go fishing. It's a beautiful day and just right for fishing but we didn't get too many bites. That afternoon Dad went out again and then after dinner we fished from the dock. There were quite a few people fishing on the dock at night. It's pretty nice out there because it's lit up and there are tables and benches that make it convenient.

The Public Deer

As we rode around Republic we kept seeing these deer right in town. This one is eating grass in the town park. He wasn't afraid of us and seemed to be eating to his pleasure.

These three deer were in a person's yard eating their grass. The people tell us that deer come in town every day and make themselves to home.

One day a deer crossed the street, walked down the sidewalk and in to the grocery store parking lot. As you drive into Republic, you will notice deer along side the road by people's homes just eating whatever they want.

Dad cooking a couple of fish that some other fishermen had given to us. It was nice that they shared with us. We were having such a hard time catching anything that I guess they felt sorry for us. We surely did enjoy our fish dinner though. This is our camp site. Pretty much like any other campsite.

Taking the Keller Ferry across the Columbia River

This is the Keller Ferry crossing the Columbia River. We waited in line for about 1/2 hour to board the ferry. There were two trucks and trailers , a camper, and a few cars riding with us. It's a very pleasant ride and the river was so blue and serene. It takes about 7 minutes to cross the river. This is the way we came home from our camping trip. Going up we went by way of Colville, and Kettle Falls and across the Sherman Pass. I think I like this way the best.

All of the Fish

This is just what we ended up with. Dad caught these two and they were just a good size for dinner. We took the boat out on Monday morning and fished for 2 1/2 hours. I got a good bite and the fish had taken all of my lures and bait - he must have been the big one that got away.

Anyway, Dad had better luck than I. When we got home I asked him to get his fish and I would take his picture. That's his new trolling motor in the box. It works wonderful too.

Our Brunch

Just a quick picture of the table and food.

It was fun to have company and eat and do crafts.

We had fun doing the necklaces and Hunter did three!!

We had a heck of a time finding the tiles though. No one had a Scrabble game so we found some tiles at Michaels. That was a life saver.

Wednesday Brunch and Craft Day

Erin, Mindy, Hunter, Katy and Bodee came over today for brunch and craft day. I decided to show them how to make the tile necklaces. For the brunch I served a Cowboy Quiche and fresh fruit in an orange bowl and orange juice to drink. We ate first and then did the craft. Davis came later with Evan and they ate too.

Kris having a one to one time with Logan.

He is a very happy, good baby. He smiles all of the time - except when it's time for dinner and then he lets you know who's the boss. Andy and I watched him on Friday while Kris went to work for a few hours. It was a fun time for us. Mercer was very good in helping Logan play with some of his baby toys that he used when he was a baby. He especially liked to show Logan the musical bear - over and over and over.

I spent Wed and Thurs at Education Week and Friday doing some family time. We went to dinner at Chili's that evening and then stopped at Nielsen Grove Park because I had never seen it. It is such a beautiful area. Then we all went to Andy's for the evening - except Ben. He went home to mow the lawn and then came over later.

We girls spent the evening doing a craft project - making scrabble tile necklaces. It was a fun time.

Babysitting Day at Andy's

On Friday we babysat Logan as Kris worked a few hours. Andy is good at rocking and cuddling. Mercer loves his DS and he was also a big helper with Logan.