A LOT of photos from Saturday (June 9)

The parade on Saturday ALWAYS starts with a kid's parade. Most of them are on decorated bikes. 

 This year, Carrie put out a tub of water for the dogs. We were open for a bit on Saturday so people could use the bathroom, go online, and get out of the heat for a bit. Our tongue in cheek motto is 'We are a full service library." (She and her staff also have some great dead body stories to share!)

 Pipes and Drums from the High School. A full generational band. Grandpa Pyle is on the far side there and his grandson is piping next to him.

 Steve drove the Mercury in the parade this year. He hopes to get the Toyota Land Cruiser running for next year. The Class of '56 from Athena is on the float behind the car. Larry C. thought it would be fun for the class to follow a 56 Mercury. I was so proud to see Dad's car finally in a parade! I'm sure he was looking down with a grin.

 I thought this was entirely clever. No way you'd lose any of your family in a crowd while they are wearing tie dyed matching shirts! Caledonian Days had a lower than usual turnout this year. If you look at the website, it suggests about 2000 people descend upon the town. Maybe 10 years ago, but it has dwindled over time. We estimated there may have been (including participants) about 400 people for about 40 minutes on Main Street Saturday. Many more were out doing yard sales!

 Part of the Pendleton Round Up court.

 VBS float!!!!!!!! Athena Christian Church is hosting the fun this week from 9-12. Mrs. Coppock is driving her beautiful International.

 Jon and Joe closing up the parade!

 In front of Athena's fire engine was a 'dog' from Helix's fire department.

 I had to take this photo. Jonathan's come a long way from white knuckling my Ford Escort through Portland.

On the way back from the park, Steve found a genuine horseshoe buried in the dirt of an alley. Good Luck? 

 We didn't have the Mercury in the car show on Saturday. Instead, we did projects around the house. The pond has needed cleaned for months.We have had this pond since Jon was in HS. It has changed over time from a pond with a  stream to only a pond. It gets full of berries and leaves and is often a mess, but it has never gotten scummy. This year, about April, the scum and oily water showed up. I decided it needed dealt with and it was MESSY!! I'm pretty sure the plant we pulled out was part of the problem. If it had been something other than an invasive pond weed, the plant probably would have died. It was root bound in the pot. A root bound plant cannot filter anything, nor can they absorb water. Pretty interesting what root bind can do to a plant and to the surrounding ecosystem (if it is a water plant). The bb's I dredged out with a magnet (thank you to my imaginative friend who came up with this idea!!!) probably didn't help, either! (Jon was shooting wasps over the pond....)

 Later, Steve showed off his punkins. He has SEVERAL and they are getting huge! He's opting to go for monster pumpkins this year. I hope we get time to carve them!

 One of the things I hope gets done this summer is the kitchen window. It tends to leak when the wind pushes the rain against it. Steve decided he was going to take this Saturday to look at it. He's so not impressed. Why on earth someone would put new cement siding on a house and not wrap it first, we'll never understand. The blown in insulation is in piles inside the walls (Steve is getting dirt out in this shot) and the house is COLD.  We also are not sure why the window frames were put on before the siding. There probably is a reason. It is going to make it easier to fix things, though. We won't have to take off siding. Hoping he won't have to remove the window! (there are also pics of this on FB in the house improving album)

 At the end of the day, I made watermelon/7-Up slushies. They were a perfect end to a busy day!

Moving on to the next adventures. Kristen is headed north next Saturday and Steve and Jon will be busy in Athena. Before then, however, Steve has a birthday!!!!!!

Walla Walla Valley Bands Fantastic Fourth!

The concert band has grown so much since Jon first started playing with them. They moved from the gazebo to the ground and now they are on the other side of the gazebo. It is a bit smaller, but it is much nicer as it has better shade.

 They are now under the direction of young Jackson Maberry. He also conducts the Walla Walla Choral Society.

 I like their new location, I can sneak better photos of the kid!!!

 I eventually stopped taking pictures, I hope I wasn't in the way--I'm always leery of photography bugs who bother the performers. Back at my seat, I found some other interesting things to photograph. I do love reflections!

 It was a grand concert, full of fun songs and stirring marches. When the band plays the 'Armed Forces Salute' the emcee encourages our Veterans to stand during 'their' song. I believe the man below was from the Navy. He looked interesting, so I took his picture~

Thus ended a tradition I've missed the last couple of years. Hooray for the Walla Walla Valley Bands!!! Hooray for Independence Day!

Birthday!

Tony's birthday was on Saturday. Independence Day was on Monday. We opted to have a birthday BBQ on Sunday. Steve grilled corn on the cob and pork chops (Coppock and store bought). I made the most delicious pasta salad (chopped up a bit of chicken breast, added ranch dressing seasoning and mayo to the 'juices' I had the chicken in, dumped it all in the three color rotini, and YUM!), coleslaw, and cut up a bunch of fruit.I also made cake. We would have put candles on it, but it was a tad breezy. It amused me how no one seemed to want photos taken with birthday cake and ice cream. Tillamook ice cream, of course.  Grandma had huckleberry, Steve had Udderly chocolate, and Jon had Tillamook Mudslide. 

 Later, we played one game of Yahtzee. Steve pulled off the first set of matching numbers...in ones.

 We had gotten a ways into the game and Grandma rolled all sixes. Unfortunately, she had already scratched off her Yahtzee.

 Then, she did it again with threes!!!!!!!

 Steve almost pulled off another Yahtzee of ones. He wouldn't have needed it. He was the only player to break 200......

 Tony was celebrated and feted and we missed him terribly. He had called earlier, both Saturday and Sunday, so we had the chance to talk to him. At his ripe age of 27, he is busy and enjoying being a gentleman farmer.

Merc Shows Well

 Hodaka Days in Athena, Oregon is a huge thing. The Weston McEwen Booster Club piggy backed on with a car/bike show to help support the sports programs at the HS. Talk was last year's was much larger. It would have been nice to have a few more cars, but I sure enjoyed the experiences I had today! OK-cept for the almost ridiculous sunbroil. I'm going to have to wear blues and blacks for a bit to tone down the bright pink!

We were parked next to some awesome rigs. The blue Firebird won best of show, the black rig below had some incredible suspension things, the red car right next to the Mercury had been fixed up after an encounter with a gal who not only didn't see a red light, but totally missed seeing the red car.

There were so many stories told today. I enjoyed talking to people about the car and the history, as we knew it. One of my favorite comments after a lady looked it over was, "They used to paint kitchens this color." I looked at t he Merc and imagined appliances, tile, and counter tops in this bright blue and white! So many visitors loved seeing what was coined as a 'Survivor'. She's not fancy and that caught a great deal of attention, as well. Her interior was highly praised as we are sure it is still the same one it had when she was purchased in May 1956. One man who sat in the car (I didn't let many, but the ones who did were truly appreciative), said the scent and the colors reminded him of way back when. 

 This pup rode in the side car wearing a helmet to match the bike and car. He also has goggles, but didn't have those on cuz it wasn't a drive where he needed them (just across the field).

This guy had a cool bike with a matching 'car-go' carrier he pulled. The carrier looked like a vintage car. I enjoyed Elvis. I'm not sure it was intentional, but today was windy and the hand on the cardboard image kept waving!! 

 Out in the streets, Hodakas buzzed past. The names are whimsical, the drivers have a camaraderie which binds them together closer than tires hitting the road, and their enjoyment is infectious.

 You can see smoke rising in the sunshine from the revving engines.

 Back in the car lot! Logos gleamed as the sun hit them. Who doesn't love a shiny Mustang????

 I do adore a pretty Ford!!!

The rig below has a varnished stick of wood to help hold the hood open. I liked the idea and suggested something similar for the Merc. We had the hood open today, but you couldn't see the fancy ornament on top. The suggestion was shelved for further consideration.

 Paint jobs on the different vehicles were incredible. One woman shared about a paint job she had seen which looked like lines and an odd blob shape...Until you looked closer. She said the stripes were blue and pink and the odd blobs were a 'boy' chasing a 'girl' around the car! These paint etchings were nothing more than lovely colors and designs. Fun, though!

 This Rat Rod was parked right next to us. The best comment on this rig? 'It's a vehicle with a sense of humor.' Rusted holes were patched with old license plates from anywhere, there were spiderwebs on the windshield, The metal horns on the front had barbed wire wrapped around them. It seemed each time you looked at it, there was something new!

 This car drove past while awards were being given out. I was kind of glad it hadn't been in the show. It is a Buick  from the same year as the Mercury or a bit older. Sweet ride! However, with two  cars in the same category, I'm not sure Steve would have won an award. Especially since the school colors are red/white/black and a lot of people who voted were from Athena!