Today the Columbia County Fair opened with the traditional flag raising ceremony at noon. I’ve participated in the ceremony for many years and did it again today. Standing there in ranks, waiting for things to start, I couldn’t help myself from looking for Diane standing with those gathered to watch. She’s always been there. I know it was a futile effort, but I had to do it.

The ceremony started late because the gentleman who was chosen to sing the national anthem had a flat tire. Before he arrived, someone standing behind our ranks took it upon his own to sing the song. He started out pretty good, but near the middle he obviously forgot the words and his effort slowed to a bad ending. Finally our singer appeared and got the job done.

After we were released, I went into the pavilion to look at the kids’ art projects, and the quilts. Diane and I always did this when the flag was up. We usually toured the plants, too, but I didn’t have it in me to do that, too, so ended my fair visit with some photos of the quilts I was pretty sure Diane would have loved.

Then there were entries that would have pleased Lydia:

Then there was this incredibly complex space amp made with Legos that Jeff would have enjoyed …

After seeing the displays, I believe Lydia should have entered a bunch of things she’s made over the past few months. She does excellent work. I think she’s probably completed 15-20 projects. She does her work while watching TV. It amazes me how quickly she works. While she’s busy knitting, needlepointing, or crocheting, she barely looks at the TV but she knows exactly what’s going on. I know, because every once in a while, I’ll ask a question about what’s going on. She calmly pauses the show and gives me a very detailed response to my question. She;s obviously a savant of some sort. The same goes for Jeff for the amazing things he dreams up with his Lego collection.

I should have gone to the fair grounds earlier than I did so I could have eaten my lunch completely. Every year Sunshine Pizza provides a meal of free sandwiches for the oldsters who take advantage of free entry to the first day of the fair week. Had Diane still been with us she would have arranged for all of our Winnebago friends to visit us so they could attend with us. That was he job every year for a while. I’m just not capable like she was so ai didn’t even think about that gathering until this morning which was too late. I feel bad about that because I miss those special times she created for us.

Now that I’ve had time to really think about this missed opportunity, I think my day is officially ruined. So, I’m going to stop now. Maybe I can find a happy place tomorrow.

Hope you all have a terrific day.

Louis is one of Lydia’s cats that keep Max entertained. Since they’ve been at it for a while, I suppose their efforts are mutual, and they both have fun. Lately, with the warmer weather, when I get up in the morning I put Max outside so he can lounge in the sun. I leave the door open so Louis can go out if he wants, and he usually does. I don’t keep track of him but I’m sure he doesn’t stray far from the patio.

This morning he went out and I didn’t see him when I stepped out to feel the air. It’s nice and cool for a change, and very nice. When I went back in, not seeing Louis, I closed the screen door. A few minutes later Louis came to the door and meowed, softly, letting me know he wanted to come inside.

That surprised me because I thought he’d already came back. When I opened the door for him he rushed in and made a b-line for his litter box and relieved himself. That surprised me, too. He came inside to use the litter box after wandering around in the dirt surrounding the bushes that surround the house. I found that very interesting. This was very interesting to me because not long ago we had Breezy sho came to us as a feral cat and lived her entire life not knowing what.a litter box was. When nature called, she went outside to do her business.

With Louis being the exact opposite of Breezy I feel I can die happy having experienced the extreme ends of pet behavior.

I know. That’s kinda lame, but that’s all I’ve got for today and thought I’d share it.

I’ll end with this little bit of nature. Here’s a family of Canadian Geese migrating north toward Canada, the hard way. This is another first for me.

The were followed by a small flock of relatives who maintained a discreet distance so as not to scare the little ones, I’m sure.

God is good.

Peace to you all.

I know, I’m a day late with that but my wish for your well being is still valid. I trust all of you Made it through the day safely and still have all your fingers. It was an incredible and noisy night for me and Max. He’s terrified of fireworks which makes me wonder what his childhood was like. Not good, I presume.

Yesterday started off with the two of us wandering down to the courthouse for a walk. We almost made a complete trip before some idiot lit off a firecracker which signaled the end of this walk for Max.

He he made an about face, lurched ahead and dragged me quickly back to the truck, his safe place. It hurts my heart to see him get so afraid when he hears the explosions. I believe he has PTSD caused by how things were for him when he was little.

Back at the truck, he calmed down and we returned to home base. We spent the day alone because Saturday is a work day for Lydia and we didn’t expect her return until late in the evening. She works 12-hour shifts, 7 to 7 and since yesterday was big on fireworks, she and my future grandson-in-law planned a trip to the beach after her shift ended. They wanted to catch the thrill of fireworks on the beach. She didn’t say which one.

The area where we normally walk was roped off to keep vehicles off the path and opened up parking space for hundreds of vehicles.

There was a couple miles of rope draped around the area with flags flying the entire length. Quite festive.

Later in the morning I returned to the Courthouse Square to participate in the flag raising ceremony that officially opens the day’s festivities. I’m sure Max would have enjoyed the moment, but I didn’t want to cause him any trauma so left him home. I did this with other members of the American Legion Post 42 in St. Helens. We usually raise the flag, too, but this time the local National Guard unit did that honor.

After opening ceremonies many of us disengaged from the crowds and proceeded to our assigned bells in town to ring them 13 times at 2 pm. It’s a tradition. My bell is located behind the old Courthouse near the public docks on the river. It’s the bell that was removed from the Warrior Rock warning structure on Sauvie Island when it was replaced by newer technology many years ago.

The bells we ring are scattered all over town in churches, the fire department, and the courthouse. There are six or seven locations and it’s a glorious sound when we get to work. It’s comforting to know that other people my age can still count to 13. Makes me proud.

After fulfilling my duty, I bid my friends adieu and returned home so Max wouldn’t be alone when the noise started. We watched a little TV, ate, and visited a bit until the first explosion sent him in search of a quiet place. He spent most of this time under my bed. The noise went on long after I went to bed. I refrained from looking outside throughout the assault, and never tuned the TV to a fireworks channel so I can safely say I did not view even one airburst during these festivities. That’s a first for me. I usually take a peek just to say I did it, but that didn’t seem important to me since I was alone. Had Diane been with me, we would have looked together.

I think Lydia returned home around midnight but I didn’t hear her come in. She’s very stealthy. I was happy to know she was safely home.

Yes, Siah is the same age as Max, our dog. This is a rare photo of the two in the same frame.

Siah making it to his 5th birthday is significant. but another July 1st event overshadows that just a little bit. Daniel and Jennifer have been married for 31 years. I think that warrants an applause.

As soon as I can find photo of them, I’ll add it. I know for certain that I have a multitude of photos of them but accessing them in such a manner that will allow me to add them from the platform I’m currently using is a problematic.

I’m using my laptop right now and none of those photos are available on it. What I’ll do is finish this then edit it on my iPad. I know the photos are there because it’s an Apple product and that’s where all my photos reside, in the Apple World. There are 95,000+ photos on my phone and they are all available. Kinda ridiculous, huh?

Since the USA is doing well at soccer, I’ve become a fan. Before then, I only enjoyed watching Lydia play when she was in high school. We wandered all over the place watching her games. She was the goalie, and she was good. I have thousands of photos of her in action. Most of them are her standing in front of the net waiting for someone to kick the ball at her.

A couple of days ago Max thought he had a new friend to play with but turns out he doesn’t play well with little dogs.

That’s a good place to stop.

I mentioned, I think, that Maryssa had her little Zoe June 13th which means, without a doubt, she is exactly 29 years younger than her much older cousin, Cedric. I can say that with confidence because June 13th was Cedric’s 29th birthday. I’m sure that wasn’t planned, but it gives Cedric a perfect reminder about remembering Zoe’s birthday, right? I’ll be checking on him next year to see if that’s true. If you want, feel free to remind me. If you remember.

In case you’ve been wondering about our weather, let me tell you. It’s been really hot here. Like 90 degrees quite a few days in a row. It was interesting for us because the A/C decided to quit working when i started. Thankfully, it got fairly cool during the night so it wasn’t overly terrible. It was a Friday when it started so I called Columbia NW Heating & Cooling for an appointment, but all I got was voice mail. So, I left a plea for help, but no one returned my call so instead of taking a chance, I made an appointment online for the following Monday. It wasn’t perfect timing, but I was happy to be on their list.

As the day progressed, the temp went up making being outside the best place to be. Consequently, we fell behind on our allotted TV hours for the day. I’m sure we missed some really good programs that we watch on Friday. However, if you asked me what programs those might be, I couldn’t tell you so it really doesn’t matter. I do not know why I brought it up.

I just remembered why weather got into my head. After a week of hot weather it started raining today so it’s nice and cool all around the house. Even inside. Max spends most of his awake time outside so I’m sure he’s liking it. Actually, he sleeps most of the time he’s outside, too. He finds a spot in the sun and just zonks out. Funny guy.

Another new ritual I do on hot days is take Max for a walkabout down by the river. If I can get down there early enough, like 0700, it’s nice. Also, that early there aren’t many people around so I let him run free and pick the travel route. He’s really good about sticking to designated trails so it’s not a problem. There are a few places where he can wander down to the river and take a little swim, and get a drink. He usually takes the same path each time. The foliage is so hick down there now that I can’t see him at all so here’s a lot of trust involved. He’s got mine because, so far, he always comes back to me. He comes back wet and happy. That’s OK because he dries quickly.

This morning the first person we encountered on the path was an old friend, Sandy. She’s not really old, I’ve just known her for a long time. I haven’t seen her for a long time, like years, and I was happy that she helped me with her name. When she got near me she said, “Jerrie! Sandy!” knowing I didn’t immediately recall her name. I recognized her, but the name wasn’t on the tip of my tongue, so her greeting was awesome. I must have had a puzzled look on my face for her to save me like that.

Yesterday Jennie gave me a really nice mouse pad. What do you think?

I thought about nailing it to a wall, but this is the more practical choice.

That’s true. The 21st was the longest day of the year. The sun was still in business when I took Max outside at 2145. In no time it will be getting dark at 1600 and Max will have to wear a flashlight on his harness to keep him safe out there. Keep me safe, too.

Last Saturday I was honored to march in the annual Kiwanis parade here in town. I was one of the flag bearers that led the parade down the streets of St. Helens.

That’s me in the striped shirt. I was carrying the Navy flag. Ashley, next to me, ex Army was carrying the Marine Corps flag. That’s Teo next to me with one of the Air Force flags. I think he was Army, also. I thank Chrissy for the photo.

That’s Jasper. He was with Chrissy so now you can see how she got the photo. It’s always nice to know stuff like that, don’t you think?

That’s Frank sitting in the truck that followed right being the flag bearers. He was the Grand Marshal for the parade and he is quite spry and mentally on top of things for being 102. Yes, he’s 102 and he’s a retired Chief Petty Officer from WWII. He’s still got stories to tell.

Earlier in the week Bob and Steffani paid us a visit while they were visiting Marissa in Salem to welcome their newest Granddaughter into the world. Her name is Zoe. I love that name. She’s adorable, of course.

This is their first family photo.

This is us eating smashed burgers at The Farm on the Roof. It’s a nice view looking east across the Columbia River into Washington State.

This is the view looking North toward the old court house. That’s my most favorite Daughter in the world. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have a daughter. She’s the best.

In case I’ve never mentioned it, we have some pretty awesome sunsets here in the NW corner of the USA. Here’s proof.

This is Louis, Lydia’s companion, who seems to like laying in my lap when no other is available. He’s very friendly and I honk he outweighs Max by a few pounds. Thighs is his version of a heart you see people sharing all over the internet. I think he did a pretty good job.

One more photo then I’m wrapping this up. This is Max showing everyone how much he loves Jeff. I’d say the feeling is usual, but Jeff doesn’t like back. At least I’m pretty sure he doesn’t.

Another look from the crowd at the parade.

Our friends Les and Sophie have made the half a century point in the marriage. To honor them, we joined in celebration in Forest Grove. There were many people we didn’t know in attendance but that was expected because we couldn’t imagine that Les and Sophie only had Old Winnebago Friends (OWF). The OWF folks in attendance were Terry & Carolann, Cliff & Susie, Me, and, of course, Les & Sophie. Only Diane was missing.

Sophie made it clear that they didn’t want gifts but I couldn’t let this significant event go without at least one little present. So, I went shopping around the house for something with meaning.

IN the linen closet I found the perfect gift for Les. since he retired he’s become involved with his American Legion in a role that requires him to dress up at times. What I found, on a shelf littered with interesting things, was a Tie Steamer. Since I don’t wear ties any more it seemed appropriate that Les should have this rare item. Diane found it in one of the many thrift stores she visited over the years and it only cost $8. My first choice for les was one of my old screwdrivers but the tie steamer made perfect sense to me.

For Sophie, I shopped Diane’s Willow Tree collection that resides next to the TV.

I selected one of the angels with wings. The bottom of each figurine has a name. The one I chose was “Remembrance”. It was the first one I picked up so that alone added meaning to the gift. Sophie has an extensive Willow Tree collection, too, so the only danger I had was that I’d given her something she already had. Thankfully, she was shy this one angel.

For the finale, Some of the girls gathered on the stirs to display their garters, even the small ones.

Then the party was sealed with a kiss.