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May 6, 2020
One of the many activities we enjoy daily during this time at home is social media and specifically Face Book. It has been so nice to stay in touch with friends and family and to see the wonderful, funny and creative postings everyone has come up with - since we have a lot of time on our hands!!! I have been saving and sharing these and am sure I will enjoy re visiting them in the years to come…….unless this NEVER ENDS!!!
Gabi
OK - it is 4/28/2020 and we still have not received the $1200 survival payout per person but the IRS website says it will be deposited in our checking account on 4/30 - that would be nice!!!
There is much talk about testing and getting the country back to work or to a “new” normal very soon or not very soon or…..we are figuring this one out as we go - mistakes have been made, lives lost and heros emerged ……and we still have a long way to go!!!
Gabi
We're hiding from the Coronavirus like we owe it money, but that shouldn't stop my contributing to our blog. Well, that's what Gabi says...
Unlike any prior pandemic, we are able to communicate worldwide. We can get the news from tons of sources, email from friends and family, email bills and ads, search for videos to entertain and show us how to do things we used to pay someone to do. We can pal around with old friends on Facebook and Instagram. My wife and son talk to their high school classmates all the time. ... some quarantine!
I got into computers in 1967, before we thought they could do anything useful. Those were the dark days which justified our doubts. Now, computers shine as the greatest advance of our time and we feel sorry for anyone unable to use them.
Readers of this blog are already computer-savvy and just think of the gift you could give some lonely soul, who has access to the internet, by opening Facebook and Utube and email accounts and showing them the wonders of being online.
Joe
March 28 - April 3, 2020
It has been raining a lot - so we walk the neighborhood or we drive over to a parking lot and walk in a big circle around the car - so we can duck in if it begins to pour!!!
Gabi
March 23-27, 2020
SOCIAL DISTANCE WALKS
March 15-21, 2020
I will be posting pix here from the various neighborhood walks we are taking during the quarantine - there are a number of trails, parks and walks we can take in the neighborhood and they will be changing their look as the weather warms up so it should be fun!!!
Gabi
March 29, 2020
We have been under a Stay at Home and Stay Alive order in Oregon for a week. You can go to the market, pharmacy, fast food, doctor - basically essential places - and take walks as long as you stay in the area where you live and keep 10 feet away (some directions say 3 feet) from anyone that does not live in your home. Rules, regulations and data about the virus is constantly changing. What has not changed is the idea that if everyone quarantines then we can flatten the curve and not overload the medical facilities and personnel causing more people to survive and that we need to wash our hands with soap and water constantly for over 20 seconds to kill the virus every minute!
People are networking on various social media platforms to stay connected, home schooling their kids and hoarding toilet paper (lol). These type of situations seem to bring out the best and the worst in us - but even normally easy going folks are getting stressed and having a tough time.
We try to get out a take a walk every day when it isn't raining too hard or too cold - even if it is just to walk around an empty store parking lot - to see the sky - breathe fresh air and keep our joints moving!!!
On this post I will keep some things I have received in text or Insta or FB that have taught me something or made me smile .
Gabi
March 18, 2020
The Corona virus is spreading rapidly, people are stuck on cruise ships, in foreign countries trying to get home and no one is sure what is about to happen. There are so many rumors and others saying it is all fake news that you don't know what to do or what to believe. We certainly want to be safe!
We decided to take a drive to the coast before we are quarantined and unable to get out and we are so glad we did. It was a lovely, sunny and fairly warm day. We saw very few people and mostly stayed in the car. We even had a picnic lunch from Mo's - clam chowder - in the car!!!
Every day since then the situation has been changing and most things are still getting worse as we try to 'flatten the curve'.
We are good. We have food, water, shelter, medical attention if we need it and our health but we also have the stress of the stock market volatility and being under 'stay inside to stay alive' when we want to #runawayandretire - lol
We are hoping and praying for a quick resolution and speedy recovery to those suffering from the pandemic. We need to help each other - let me know if there is anything we can do to help you!
Gabi and Joe
March 2020
March was all over the place with regards to weather in Hillsboro, Oregon - even as the Corona Virus (COVAD 19) was becoming a pandemic around the world.
We get outside every chance we get but it can be tricky in the middle of winter!!!
We had some sunny, warm days which caused trees to spring into bloom, lots of rain, then hail and even snow a couple of days. It was in the 20s and 30s at night and in the 40s all the way up to 70 in the late afternoons. No two days alike! It was always gorgeous and if you have plenty of layers - very comfortable!
Gabi
February 19, 2020
We never know what a drive over the hill to Sauvie Island will yield but it is always lovely!
Today we saw Mt. St. Helens off in the distance as we arrived at the Cracker Barrel Market (no connection to the chain - lol) to purchase our annual parking pass.
We saw flocks and flocks of Sandhill Cranes standing in the fields far away and that was pretty much it!
We did drive around the other end of the island and saw folks living in houseboats along the shore. It was kind of like Sausalito - but not really! lol
It was cold but sunny and it was really good to get out and walk!! WE LOVE TO WALK!!!
Gabi
January - February
1/30 -We had visited the Portland Union Station on our way home from Kaiser couple of weeks earlier and Joe wanted to have lunch at Wilf's but it wasn't lunch time! So, JJ and I took him there for lunch on his birthday. We were the only people in the entire restaurant and still, the service was a bit s l o w - but the food was delicious. We had fun as we always do when the 3 musketeers spend time together!
2/10 -JJ invited me to drive down to Keizer with him for lunch at In and Out - about an hour away - through the charming countryside. I SAID YES!!! We were not disappointed and will make the trip again - soon!
2/11 -Our dear friend Joe2 (named because well, my Joe is Joe1 - why else?) came for a very quick visit. We took the train downtown and met him at his hotel. In spite of the cold we took a walk along the river front and through the theater district. We landed at a very cool bar where they performed flare drink preparations and ate several rounds of delicious appetizers for dinner. We can't wait till he returns and we can show him some of the local attractions.
2/14 -We had an early dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda, for Valentine's Day. Lots and lots of delicious food, great service and fun atmosphere - perfect for us!!! And, of course roses to follow!
Then Girl Scout Cookie season happened!!!
Gabi
January - February
It rains a lot in Oregon and that is why it is so green and beautiful. One of the things that attracted us to this house is that it backs up on the Nature preserve and we did hear something about Beaverton Creek. Last summer when we moved in - everything was overgrown, green and leafy and the 'creek' wasn't an issue! We started hearing running water and started seeing glimpses of a creek mid January . The creek kept getting bigger and louder and before we realized it - the river was up to our back fence. I did reach out to the neighbors who had a good laugh and assured me that all was well and it hadn't gotten any closer to the homes in the past 20 years. I guess time will tell??? LOL
Storms come in off the Pacific in waves so we could have 1 or 5 or 10 showers in a day or it can close in, turn dark and be pouring for a week. Weather - not used to it - but really do LOVE IT!!!
We often have breathtaking sunsets when there happens to be a break about sunset - so lovely!!
Gabi
Joe is crazy about the rodeo ever since he went to the Pendleton Round-Up as a young child just after moving to the mainland from Hawaii. I have to admit I always have a great time when we go but Joe LOVES the rodeo - especially bull riding! So when I saw there was going to be a Professional Bull Riding event at our Moda Center I had to get tickets. I had no trouble convincing Joe - NONE!
We drove over to our Orenco train station and took the MAX to the front of the Moda Center with dozens of cowboys and even more excited fans filling up the train! As we walked in there was a silent protest with many people wearing bull heads and holding signs that the rodeo is cruel animal abuse and certainly not entertainment. Everyone gets an opinion - right?
Just past security we spotted a chicken and fries stand and got right in line. The food was delicious and a great start to a wonderful evening! We decided that we would watch bull riding for a couple of hours and then leave a bit early to avoid the crowd - especially on the train. We were having so much fun and the title was still up in the air so naturally we stayed until the last bull had been ridden - or at least attempted to be ridden. Based on the fact that none - not one of the 10 finalists was able to ride the bull for 8 seconds - and the way the bulls were chasing the cowboys, clowns and horses around - we feel like the bulls won this event!!!
We met a number of nice people in the stands and on the trains and now have 'tips' on more rodeos and bull riding events in our area coming up. Can't wait!!!
Gabi
January 8, 2020
So - love my Kaiser - lots of great proactive/preventative testing and there is almost never a charge! But....the bone density test ordered last year when we arrived is only done in downtown Portland so I avoided it as long as I could.
So I talked Joe into driving with me and booked it mid day to avoid any 'drive time' traffic and we were there and done in no time. Valet parking = free! Nice!!
Now here comes the adventure - it happened to be a window of 2 or 3 hours without rain so we entered Portland Union Station in our GPS app on the phone and 10 minutes later we were checking off another wonderful attraction from our What to see and Do in Portland list! They have done an amazing job renovating and maintaining the property. It is just gorgeous!!
Now all we have to do is come back and take a trip by train or at least come back for lunch at Wilfs a fabulous restaurant/bar located right in the renovated Union Station.
Gabi
December 30, 2019
Depoe Bay is located on the Pacific Ocean, has the smallest navigable harbor in the world and is the best place to whale watch in Oregon - so naturally we planned a trip between Christmas and New Years during the grey whale migration.
We drove down the 5 and then out to the coast at Salem and turned south toward Depoe Bay. We stopped several times along the way to look at the angry, wild ocean and met many people also looking for whales. As it turns out, the whales stayed well off shore due to the stormy conditions and high surf and we only heard one report of one sighting of a spout over a mile out about 'fifteen minutes' ago but we saw NOTHING! We had planned to take a boat out to get a close up look but when we got to Depoe Bay and the Trade Winds ticket office they had a sign posted "SORRY 2 ROUGH 2 SAIL 2 DAY",
We did have a great time exploring the village and enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the Chowder Bowl!!!
We will go back to take that boat trip in the summer when the ocean is calm and it is a bit warmer! Maybe we will see some whales? LOL
Gabi
Last year I retired, we downsized and then moved 1000 miles to Beaverton, Oregon - whew! And before we knew it - Christmas was here! We decided to stay in our new home, avoiding the travel and expense of a visit 'home' so soon after the move. We had a quiet holiday with our son JJ and Pam went to LA to be with her kids and grandkids. We had a lovely, quiet time together - but - we missed seeing everyone - especially the little ones who are growing up so fast!!!
Mid- year Pam moved back to Southern California and we moved to a lovely house in Hillsboro and JJ moved back in for a year to explore self-employment opportunities. We decided to make the trip and JJ stayed home.
We had an amazing time - staying at the Sheraton Fairplex in Pomona close to Pam's new home in Claremont and Joe's sister's home in Arcadia - and renting a car so we could move easily from party to party! IT WAS WONDERFUL! The kids are growing up so fast and we finally met the new baby Matthew - who is 6 months old! We ate and laughed and ate and talked and - well - we ate a lot and really well!!! Got to spend quality time with both sides of the family and really had FUN!!! We even got to speak to Peter in Arizona and Diana in Tokyo - technology!!!
We got the hotel room from Priceline for $115.00 per night for a suite - really nice and the Alamo car for $42.00 per day - all the food was free! LOL
Added bonus - we woke up to snow on all the mountains the day after Christmas! Glorious sight!!!
Gabi
