2026-10-11 Two very busy weeks.

What a very busy couple of weeks.  

Last week there was no blog, as we were just busy and tired.   After our big sale we had a day of cleanup, and then headed over to Albany, OR to look at a retirement home for Kris's Dad Norm.   Kris's sister Kay and husband Pat met us there, and we had a nice tour, and even stayed for lunch

Wednesday morning Norm decided to go ahead and move to the place we just visited, so we hustled around, packing him up.   We went and bought him a new chair and bed, and packed a bunch of stuff from the house

Norm trying out new lift chair

Had a bit of a misadventure while packing Dad for his new place.  He has several guns, and we don't want them to stay in the house, and he can't take them to the independent living facility, so we packed them up for Kris's sister Kay to store until we can arrange to sell them - which is a bit of a hassle in Oregon.   

Kris helped Norm make sure all the handguns were unloaded and safe, and then Dean went to help with the rifles and shotguns.  Dad was checking the shotgun, and found it loaded, but for some reason only saw one shell which he pulled out.  Guess what, there was another shell.  The gun had cocked, so he released the trigger and BAM.  He blew a hole in his bedspread, two blankets, mattress pad, air bed foam, air bed bladder, headboard, electric cord for the clock radio and wall behind the bed.   Deans ears were ringing for a few hours after that.  Thank goodness no one hurt, and we were able to fix the wiring on the clock radio.  Still haven't patched the hole in the wall.

Hole in the wall from the shotgun

We worked our rears off buy by Saturday evening had him moved into his new place.  He is in a nice Independent living apartment in Albany, OR.  We spent the night Saturday - as they have guest rooms for $65 a night including food.

On the way back to Bend, had to stop and get lunch at A & W.   

Restaurant has been there since 1961.  Place your order by using the phone in your booth

A & W out front

Must have the A & W bear as well

Of course, we both had a frosty mug of root beer

We could not fit everything he wanted to take in the back of the truck with one trip, so we loaded up and made another trip over the mountains on Wednesday with the remaining items.   Over and back in one day plus unloading makes for a long day.

Now we had to get Dads place ready to sit vacant until we sell it.   We still have a lot of stuff to get rid which means another big sale, and we will need a month or so to get it ready.  So probably next June when we can come back and do that.   Kris started cleaning the house from top to bottom, and did not get far, when she discovered an issue in the master bath.

Kris ripping up tile in the Master bath

Kris found loose tiles and dry rot by the toilet. She found where the tank to toilet hose had been leaking.  She went to shut the water off at the valve, and then the valve started leaking.   A trip to Home Depot for the parts and the leak fixed, but significant dry rot around the toilet which will need fixed before we can sell the house.   Just don't have the time to do it right now.

In addition to cleaning, a bit of organizing needed.  Putting like things together and such.  Kris thinks she got all the hats, but not sure.

She could only fit about half the hat on her head at one time.

Of course Dean did his part in the sorting and cleaning as well. - Just kidding, he worked really hard too

In addition to getting the house ready, we have to get ready as well, as we head back to Trinidad and home on the 14th.

Dean did some sorting of his own.

Time to throw out the old and keep the new

Saturday we made a run to the dump with a full trailer.  Bend does have a nice dump

Bend's landfill

Had the dump trailer full of garbage.   Truck with canopy is Norms, which we used to move him.

It is definitely time to head back to Trinidad.  Weather here is cold.

Weather in Bend

Weather in Trinidad

It will be nice to go back, but think we will be a bit warm, as we have acclimatized to the weather here a bit now.

2026-09-27 Setting up sale - and first two days of garage sale

Not much to blog about this week.  Kris worked full days until Wednesday night setting up and pricing all the items for Norm's sale.  

Kris's sister came over Thursday night, and the sale started at 8:00 a.m. on Friday.

Had several people in line when we opened up the doors and Friday stayed fairly busy all day.  We froze, as the high for the day was only 59 degrees, and it was cloudy and windy.

Saturday was slower, but sunnier.

So far we have made $3,600 for Norm at the sale, and still have half a day today to go.

Kay checking people out at the sale, with a line of folks waiting to pay.

We still managed to take our daily walks, and Norm even went on a couple with us - although a much slower pace.

Cows on the walk

Norm joined us for a walk.  You can tell it is chilly out now.

2026-09-20 Just working on setting up a sale

Very short blog this week.  

We toured three different independent living homes with Norm this week here in the Bend area - one was OK, the other two were definitely not what we were looking for.

The entire of the rest of the week was setting up for a garage sale.   Norm finally decided that yes, a sale would be a good idea.   Here's the thing.  We took virtually nothing from inside the house.  All the stuff was items packed in boxes that Kris packed up earlier while cleaning out the china cabinets Norm wanted to sell. Some boxes were items that had been stored by Kris's mom back in 2005 - with notes to "Sell on eBay".  Some were boxes Kris packed up of items that were just sitting on the shelf in the garage getting dusty.  Some is Christmas decor that hasn't been unpacked in the last 6 years or so.

Here are some photos:

In the garage

In the shop

In the shop

In the garage

In the garage

It has taken Kris 3 full 8-hour days to price the items in the garage, as virtually every item is a collectible, or antique.  She uses Google Lens to identify it, the uses eBay, or other online site to determine pricing.  

Tomorrow she will start pricing items in the shop.  Sale is next weekend.   Wish us luck.

2026-09-13 Visit with friends, time in Boise, and back to Bend

Had a good time with Derek and Emma.  Helped clean out the garage, and store stuff back on shelves, as while Derek has been building his e-foil the garage has been unable to house the car.   

Car is back in the garage, and Emma's bike fits as well

We also had a good visit with Dean's mom, and a good visit with his brother Lee and wife Edie - sorry, forgot to take photos.

Left Boise on Tuesday, and drove to Trout Lake, Washington.  Nice sunny day with nice views of Mt. Hood and the Columbia River.

Mt. Hood and the Columbia River

 When we cruised with Derek in 2012 and 2013, we buddy boated with another boat who also had a son Derek's age.   Ross and Ashlyne, with their son Kyler on an Antares 44 was our buddy boat.  They put in a lot of work on an older cabin and property and now have a personal paradise with beautiful views of Mt. Adams from their property.

Ross and Ashlyne

It was great to catch up to them.   We only stayed a few hours, and then headed back to Bend.  It was another beautiful drive through the mountains.

A sailboat out on the Columbia River

Mt. Hood

It was a good thing we headed back to Bend, as earlier in the day Norm (Kris's dad) had his wallet stolen.   He did get a police report filed, and they have the culprit on video - but he made off with $1,300 Norm just won in a slot machine.

Kris got busy as soon as we arrived cancelling credit cards and such, and next day headed to bank to change account numbers as he had blank checks in his wallet as well as his Social Security card and photo ID.   Luckily they found his wallet hidden in a corner at the restaurant he was at the next day with money and blank checks gone.

Thursday we drove Norm over to the western side of the Cascades in Oregon to look at a couple of independent living facilities.  He is not ready to move, but we wanted him to start looking at possibilities.

It was a nice drive, and stopped for a bathroom break and had to go see the trees - which are fairly large.

Kris and Norm are standing at the base of the tree in the center of the photo

Same tree - a Douglass Fir up close.

Kris's sister Kay joined us for the tours of the independent living homes.  Had a nice lunch out as well.

Having a nice lunch

Of course on the drive back we had to stop for ice cream.  The Sno-Cap in Sisters Oregon has been in business at the same spot since 1952.   

Good ice cream.

We have started working on setting up a garage sale at Norm's, trying to get rid of a few more things, so will keep busy with that all next week and longer.

2026-09-06 Road Trip

This week we have been driving.  1100 miles so far, and we are not done.

We stayed in Bend until after Norm's doctor appointment.  Kris went with him, as he doesn't always tell the doctor the truth, or remember what he said.  Norm quite quite mad at Kris as she spoke up in the doctors office about his driving, memory, and stumbling, so he came out with a few referrals to him him with all that, but he has no interest in doing any of that and quite angry Kris mentioned any of it.   Kris felt in all good conscience the driving needed to be mentioned, for the safety of others on the road.   

So with Norm mad at her, it was good timing to leave on Wednesday to go visit our friend Helene in Montana, and then see Dean's cousin also in Montana, and then on to Boise to visit Derek.

Nice drive from Bend to Seely Lake Montana.

Lots of windmills as far as you can see near the Columbia gorge

Tug moving cargo on the Columbia

Small marina with boats.  Even a small catamaran

Its onion and potato harvest time.  Lots of onion skins blowing off of this one all over the road

Potato storage sheds - or maybe onion - couldn't tell

Nice sign on a rest stop along the highway

Back in Dean's home state

We stopped on the way in Superior, Montana, to do a quick 2 mile hike on a trail.  Dean's dad Roger was honored by the forest service with a bench on a trail near where they had lived.

Dean on his dad's bench

The bench inscription is fading.  Dean let the forest service know it needed repair.

Part of the trail area where the bench is.  Very pretty walk

After stopping for the hike, we continued up to Seely Lake to see our friend Helene.  Tom and Helene worked at Boeing with us before we left, and have been good friends for a long time.  Tom recently passed, and will be missed.

They have a beautiful log cabin with incredible views of the Swan mountain range.  Tom was very artistic, doing pottery, painting, making custom guitars, poems and songs.  A very talented guy, and they certainly needed the large home to house all his creative activities.

Helene's cabin in the woods, They have 133 acres of mixed woods, stream and fields

Greeted by dragons on the drive to the house

Helene, has three dogs, two are very large Leonberger dogs

View from the house of the Swan range

Had a great visit with Helene, and left early on Friday and headed to Stevensville, Montana to catch up with Deans cousin Renee.   Had a good but short visit with Renee - forgot to take photos, and hit the road again to drive to Boise.

Nice rainbow on the road heading south 

Back in Idaho

Very twisty drive along the river for most of the way

Sawtooth mountains with mostly no snow near Stanley, Idaho

Lots of fires this year, now causing mud/rock slides along the road

We made it to Boise, and spent a nice day with Derek and Emma.  Will be here a couple more days.