Playmates

Spumoni and a skunk had a play date right outside our open bedroom window last night.  Guess who lost?  US!  Break out the hydrogen peroxide and vinegar.

I think the smell is pretty bad.

The high tech bathtub

After bath #1

We decided to give her another bath to cover our bases.  I'm sure she would like to come back inside the house eventually.  We cleaned everything inside the house that she touched, rubbed against, or licked to get rid of the skunk smell.

After spending the afternoon in the sun and passing a sniff test, Spumoni is back inside and happy.  She was a good sport during bath time.  No claws, no biting, no blood.  Just a little bit of mewing.  Okay, a lot of mewing and caterwauling.  But, everyone survived.

Misery Trail

One of my bucket list items is to hike Misery Trail at Smith Rock.  It looks quite intimidating from the parking lot.  Yesterday, with new hiking shoes on, we set out to do it.  The weather was nice...about 75 degrees and partly sunny.  I will admit...it's not that bad of a trail.  I huffed and puffed harder just going up the trail to the parking lot more than on Misery Trail. 

At the top of the ridge...I didn't look down since I'm not a fan of heights.

There were climbers on the back side of Monkey Face.  Pretty impressive.

See the guy halfway up?

Back side of Monkey Face

We saw approximately 40 Canada Geese with 20+ goslings, and the flowers are out in full.

LOVE my new hiking shoes.  Thanks, Mother and Dad!

Another view of Monkey Face

It was a really nice hike, and Smith Rock State Park was super crowded.  Everyone was having a grand time - hiking, having a picnic, climbing, and taking pictures. 

We came home and washed windows outside (thanks for the squeegee, Becky!), played with the cats, and contemplated summer plans.  Maybe some bike touring again in the San Juan Islands?

New Restaurants

Well, they're new to me.  Recently, a Bendite raved to me about Alpenglow Cafe.  She said their coffeecake is the best in town...made with peaches and a yummy granola topping.  She was so right!  Emil and I went there a couple of weeks ago, and it was very good.  Friendly service, sunny interior...what more can you ask for?

Eggs Benedict on a homemade English Muffin

Baja Oregon Omelette

Yesterday, we spent most of the day in Bend running errands, driving by rental houses, and buying Redneck Kitsch plates (more on that later).  Another friend eats at Pizzicato often and even brought a menu to sway me to try it out.  We stopped in for a quick lunch, and it was SO GOOD!  The lunch special is a slice, salad, and drink for $7.50.  My pizza slice was Puttanesca....fresh maters, kalamata olives, feta cheese, basil, artichoke hearts on an olive oil/garlic base crust.  The summer salad is spinach, fresh corn, almonds, feta, strawberries, and house-made vinaigrette dressing.  I dreamed about it last night.  When can I go back?

Redneck Kitsch is a term Emil coined when he saw the plates I bought at Goodwill.  Three of the plates have antique farm tools on them.  The other non-matching plate has a gun rack on it.  They are super fun.  Turns out they are antique!

I would've posted a pic of them, but Emil promptly packed them for our upcoming move.  Hopefully the box won't get "lost" in the shuffle.

Sunday Adventures

WOW!  I tried out my new slick tires....a birthday gift from Emil.  They've turned me into a biker.  They made the ride so nice this morning!  We did a morning loop, 9.5 miles in 45 minutes.  I told Emil they were "magic tires" that made me go faster than usual.

Instead of working all day in the yard in 90 degree weather, I compromised.  Two buckets of weeding, chased the chickens in the yard, calls for Mother's Day, and then we took off to the Metolius River.  Checked out the headwaters of the Metolius, and it's quite small.  How it makes such a rushing river, I don't know!

The water just shoots out of a small bank.

Here the Metolius River looks so calm and small.

Since the walk to the headwaters was so short, we drove over to Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery.  What a super cool place!  We checked out the fish...ranging from very small to 17 inches.  In the pond, I spotted a bright yellow snake.  There were also some Canada Geese and goslings.

 

We stopped for bread at Sisters Bakery...big surprise, huh?  I really should get a frequent card or something since I'm there all the time.  And finally, a stop at Dutch Brothers (thanks Gwenn!) for a iced beverage.

Time to mow the yard!