Our Visit to Astoria

Here we are in one of the prettiest places in Oregon, Astoria! Home of the world famous Maritime Museum. Lots of interesting stuff on ships, barges, tug & tow boats, fishing, and much more. Jill is standing by the world record largest chinook salmon (83 pounds) and the top 10 things that bring good luck to fishing. We liked no. 4 best, "No suitcases on board, only farmers carry suitcases".

Jill is now steering a large battle ship on to victory!!! "Is that an iceberg ahead?"

She is now watching a daring rescue of a man overboard by the Coast Guard! The Coast guard has a significant presence in Astoria because the area where the Columbia river meets up with the Pacific ocean is one of the most dangerous areas to cross in the world.

Dad takes a rest on a huge anchor. Mom thinks they could just hook that huge chain to Dad and use him as the anchor.

This handsome couple is posed in front of a lighthouse boat called the "Columbia". This boat was used as a mobile lighthouse to warn ships of danger.

Mom is pondering the challenges of life as she looks out over the little harbor where one of the Coast Guard bases is located.

"Hey you guuuyyys". You might recognize that line from the memorable movie classic "The Goonies" which was filmed here in Astoria.

If you look very, very closely on that little rock in the middle just off shore you can see a bunch of penguins that must of got lost on their last hunting excursion. Maybe they were just birds that looked like penguins. Who cares!

Here Mom is in front of a historic lighthouse that is still in working order, still warning ships that there is land near by. This was pretty cool and Mom executed the hike up the hill like a skilled mountaineer.

We stayed in the Benjamin Young Bed & Breakfast Friday night after doing all the sight seeing previewed above, woke up bright and early for the breakfast part of the "Bed & Breakfast", and then went to the annual Scandinavian Festival (Mom has some Scandinavian blood coursing through her veins if you didn't know that already). We watched some fun authentic Scandinavian dancing and ate some Scandinavian food and then drove back to good old Aloha. It was good to get away and relax a bit.

OUR FAVORITE FATHERS

Today is Father's Day and we have some of the most wonderful fathers in our family. We want to pay tribute to them today.

The dad who seems to be the most seen and heard is Russell J. Allen. He is so wise and quick to offer his advice, wisdom, and anything else he might have. He is loving, kind, wise, gentle, understanding, intelligent, and best of all still good looking even at an older, more mature age. (That was mom speaking.) He is breaking into the grandpa mold very easily. He loves his grandkids and always thinks of them. We love you on this Father's Day and every day!

Grandpa Allen is the favorite father and grandpa from St. George, Utah. He is warm hearted, easy to please, always wanting the best for us. We love him for his humor, cute smile, gentle nature, and little limp. Thank you dad and grandpa for all you have been to us in our lives. We love you a million!

Another favorite dad and grandpa from Cedar City, Utah is Grandpa Winterrose. He stays young by golfing regularly and taking walks to Top Spot with grandma. He is kind, gentle, always giving or helping anyone who might need a hand. We love and adore you. Happy Father's Day.

!! McKay Graduates from High School !!

Well, that long awaited day finally arrived and McKay is now a 2008 Aloha High School graduate. It is hard to believe that he has made the whole journey and is now a grown up! He graduated on June 11, 2008 in the Chiles Center at Portland State University. There was a mere 486 seniors, McKay was number 5, and so it was a very long evening. However, it was a very fun night to honor him for his good work. He went to the all-night grad party following graduation. He didn't get home until 6:00 AM and was totally exhausted the next day. CONGRATULATIONS MCKAY, WE LOVE YOU!