Things that Make Me Happy at the Farm...

Yes I know, you are probably thinking...well I've already seen this! I know she took off the siding..it looks great..

well let me show you something..

Every time I get the camera out Riely shows up...he loves to be photographed. So what do you think about the "new" columns? We encased the existing pipe with 1x6's. I then primed them and also the beam above it after I tore off the rest of the siding !

Great stuff!!

And we are also putting a nice new fence around the house too..can't wait for that to get finished!

For Cindy

This is a fun song.. now you have to wait a while to get to the Tucumcari song but it's worth the wait. :)

Free !

The day I was leaving to go back to Texas..the neighbor across the street (the red house in the picture) was giving all sorts of good stuff away..I just happened to look out the window at the right time to snag the treasures before anyone else got to them! Now...the hard part...getting it all back home to Texas! Any ideas??

A Goose!

Picnic Table and benches!!

I also snagged some old flower arrangement frogs, old tools like saws, axes, crowbars, and screwdrivers---yeah don't think those would get on the plane! I had a fun time toting all the stuff back over to the house ...and of course the day I am leaving!!! I would have enjoyed the picnic table and goose for months...well at least Farmer gets to enjoy them...he'll think of me when he sees them and then shakes his head and wonders...WHY?!?!

Getting Back to Work

......Taken in early spring at the farm.....

I have been home for about a week now and I can sure tell the difference. Terrain. Stuff. Riely. Mosquitos. Humidity. Responsibility. But it sure is nice to be back.

Farmer is back in Montana and I do miss him lots. Wish he could be here with me so we could do some fun stuff around the farm together.

Speaking of fun stuff around the farm together...I did something yesterday that I enjoyed. It was nice to do some manual labor. I can tell a difference in my body too. I didn't do too much manual labor up in Montana and I felt like it was starting to take a toll--mentally mostly.

We had Rick come out and level the front porch (it was sagging in the valley) and he lifted it 3 inches! Do you see the blocking on the metal posts? That's what he added to level it! We are going to encase the metal posts. I would love to use the original turned posts...Farmer still has them. I don't even know if they would fit.. but man..that would be neat!

But wait..there's more!

I tore off the siding on the front porch! It came off super easy and pulling all the nails wasn't really that bad since I figured out a system. I also took off the quarter round moulding around the windows and doors (not original..just to cover up the asbestos siding joints). Lots of dirt behind the asbestos siding tho! It looked like I was going to rob a bank with my handkerchief over my face. I enjoyed it tremendously..I think it is the gateway to this life again..I had to do something to give me a spark..because I have lots on my plate. I took it off so Rick could come back out and finish up the porch and if anything is attached to the house...none of that asbestos siding will be behind it.

I was so happy to see the nice trim work (big baseboard) uncovered. Also noticed a little bit of blue paint (the original from 1908) still left on the corner baseboard.

Hope you like it...

Seattle Part II

Just wanted to say, before I talk about the last of our vacation, is that this is my 100th Blog Post! Woo Hoo...

Soo.. Seattle. We got up early in the morning in Vancouver to find that our car is stuck in the parking lot..it was sooo small that Farmer was just too scared to get it out. Think Austin Power's car..

The lady at the desk thought she could do it so Farmer handed her the keys...said good luck and 15 minutes late..Voila!

He was speechless.

So we made our way to Seattle to meet up with Danielle and her friend Chassi. We met at the Botanical Gardens and had a real nice stroll around while we chit chatted and listened to Farmer's crazy stories. I think Chassi got a run for her money...Dani and I heard Farmer talking about how smooth his feet were at one time! haha.

We were able to walk out on a little island and take some nice pictures of the surrounding. Pleasant and not so hustle bustle-y.

We then headed towards downtown and grabbed a bite to eat. Farmer was so sweet and bought all us girls lunch!

I was sad to see Dani go but was so happy to be able to see her TWICE in one year... I still have 4 more months...I could break the record.

Farmer in front of SAM

Farmer and I then strolled around the city and just moseyed around. It was nice and relaxing. My knee started to hurt again (well it had been hurting all day really) and so we got a beer and wow..who would have known that would have helped! (really I think it was the fact that I was sitting down). We then did some more walking and ended up at the Whiskey Bar which was right next door to our hotel.. We had a couple of cocktails and dinner (hummus for me!) talked football with an Okie who knows Wes Welker ...and made our way to our room to call it a night.

Next morning we took our time so we could miss rush hour and then headed back towards the great state of Montana.

On our way back we stopped at a

Petrified Forest State Park right along the Columbia River. Just beautiful!

Timer went off...while I was admiring the beautiful knot in the petrified log.

Farmer tried to steal a piece so we could add it to our collection back home.

Then we stopped in Couer d'Alene in Idaho and had a late lunch. It was sure nice to stop several times to break up the trip.

Needless to Say..we had a great time!! But were happy to be back in the Treasure State...

Today we are heading back to TEXAS!! Ohh boy...! I can't believe it's already time. I have been here for about 2 1/2 months! So ready to see my family and of course RIELY!!

Vancouver in Less than 24 hours...

Well we made it to Canada..one of my goals for my Montana trip. After hurray-ing about getting in the faster border/customs line but then getting picked to park and play the 20 questions game...

Canadian Customs: Where are you Going?

Farmer: Canada...???

Canadian Customs...What CITY ??

Farmer...Uh...

Me...Vancouver!!

We made it!

Hello Canada!!

We found our place...the Victorian Hotel (Double Jeopardy filmed part of their movie there ooh lala)

We set out to walk around the city that just hosted the 2010 Winer Olympics.

Gastown with the Gastown Steam Clock ==Check!

Stanley Park--CHeck! (Trivia--the dude Stanley Park is named after is also the same guy Stanley Cup is named after! Must have been a great man)

Cargo Ships--Check!

Tree Hugging in Stanley Park

We also were able to pick blackberries straight off the bush in Stanley Park..ohh they were sooo delish!

I think the symbol of our trip to the Pacific Northwest were Totem Poles..They were everywhere! I loved them. It reminded me of my dad's small totem pole that was his parents. It has the same type of design as the ones found in Vancouver. They must have bought a souvenir when vacationing in Canada.

My knee has really been a damper of late..It started to hurt the first day in Seattle. I think I strained it while hiking the Sperry Trail. (the 13.5 mile one..ohh yeahh). I am doing knee stretches to try to get it back in working condition. I now know how Gramma felt before her knee replacement!

We ate at a nice brewery/restaurant near the water and I had a blackened salmon salad. YummM!! Farmer had Lobster Ravioli and buffalo wings.

Vancouver was a pretty neat city. I just loved how it was right on the edge of the water and had beautiful views. It is definitely a City and has lots of diversity. I could totally tell I was in a foreign city...so strange since we were just about 100 miles from the USA border. Same way for Mexico tho...definitely know you are in Mexico when you cross that ol' Rio Grande!

Ole!

I ATE A HOTDOG!!!

Before we get to Vancouver...just wanted to show ya'll this picture of me in front of Qwest field. Gooooo Seahawks!! Goooo Mariners!!

No I didn't eat that Dog!!

It was deeee-licious!! Yummm Yummm...

The best Veggie Hot Dog everrrr!

Seattle Part I

Our next adventure took us to Seattle, WA. Space Needle here we come!

We stayed at the Moore Hotel--another vintage hotel built probably in the 20s. We stayed on the 6th floor and strangely enough--the windows opened---ALL THE WAY---hmm..I don't think that's to code and it kind of scared me. Farmer wanted to keep the window open to cool things off..ummm what if I fall out of that there winder?

We started our travels at Pike Market and boy was it CRAZY with tourists...need ... to .. breath..

So we walked over to Pioneer Square and signed up for the Underground Tour of Seattle. It showed us the history of Seattle when it burned to the ground in 1889 which lead it to become the "Seattle" we all know now. After the fire, it gave them the opportunity to fill up the "hole" of the town that kept getting knocked around with low and hide tides. This provided the city with clean water and sanitation. So...the first floor became the basement. Most of the first floors are sealed up but not entirely and some are completely renovated. It was neat to walk around underneath the sidewalks of Seattle and see the old architecture and listen to the stories of yesteryear..

Then we trekked up to Smith Tower--the 4 tallest building in the world once it was completed in 1914. The tallest building west of the Mississippi and the first observation deck of Seattle. They had a fun thing waiting for us once we got to the 35th floor. I kept the history from Farmer until after he took my picture....muahaha

Smith Tower

I was also able to see another Kirtland Cutter building from the deck--the Rainier Club. Do you see that old brown building in the middle of the skyscrapers...yep good ol Cutter marking his territory.

It was also the first time we saw the Space Needle. Hello there!

Chillin' in the "Wishing Chair" at Smith Tower....

Farmer wishing...oooh you silly man you.

The "Wishing Chair" is for single women that are wanting to be married. If they sit in the chair they will get married within the year....BUSTED! hehehehe

We enjoyed walking down the boardwalk and not so much at looking at bums but that's what you get when you go to a big city.

Our last visit was the Space Needle. Lots of walking meant bed time at 8:30 pm on a Friday...YIKES!

I was afraid of falling out of the window so Farmer closed it...at 2 AM I woke up from hearing a fender bender in front of the hotel.. I got up to look out the window..Farmer woke up and all he saw was me at the window...he thought I was going to Jump! hehe.

Vancouver is the next stop...Watch out Canada!