Happy Birthday to Ryan

Today is Ryan's birthday. He is pictured here with his wife, Rebecca and daughter, Faith.
They live in North Carolina.

Dracula, presented by Peninsula Players

The little community theater group presented a "scarey" play... from Bram Stoker's "Dracula". The thing about community theater is that you have young, elderly, student and business leader ..... and NOT professional actors.

Dan Driscoll, "Dan the Oysterman" from Oysterville played Dracula.


It was quite charming, but maybe the "scariest" part was the prelude... 3 vintage Dracula big band type songs (words changed) sung by Marsha... who was likely the oldest in the room.

They had a gender bending "Van Helsing" with a older female.
Note the younger long haired actor who nicely played alongside the more senior citizens.

Yup, the photos are not great. But no flash allowed and I took them with my little razor cell phone.

A bit of yard/house work.

Brett is busy moving the porch pieces (we used them for the stage at the picnic this summer) and attaching them to the house. Next summer we can finish up the railings, build it to wrap-around, etc.






We are fortunate to work between rain drops.







A large lawn to mow... and a big pile of wood to stack.

Happy Birthday to Paris!

Yesterday, our youngest and last teenager turned an official 20 years old.

Paris spent the day attending class, doing homework, studying for tests and then had a big volleyball match against Michigan Tech.

She has a new blog with photos of her sophmore year. Here is the link.

At the end of the month, Brett and I will travel to Marquette, MI to see a few volleyball matches, check out her dorm room, meet her friends, take her shopping and spend time with Brett's parents and siblings.

We will be staying at the family's Birchmont Motel. Brett's parents will be heading down to Florida soon... except instead of The Keys, they have a new home in central Florida (Ocala).

More Mushrooms!

Last night, I joined a house full of guests at the China Beach Retreat in Ilwaco. This 100 yr old Finnish Craftsman home is located on Baker Bay... at the mouth of the Columbia River. It is named China Beach because the local fish canneries employed Chinese immigrants who lived in this area.

David Campiche and Laurie Anderson, (also own the Historic Shelburne Inn) invited Guest Chef, Maurizio Paparo of The Excelsior Inn and Ristorante Italiano (Eugene, Oregon) to prepare a Harvest Feast using the wild mushrooms gathered locally by famed mushroom expert Veronica Williams. There was a stunning view, gorgeous decor and conversation with local restaurant owners (night off), B&B owners and serious world traveled foodies.

We enjoyed a fabulous buffet of mushroom soup, salads, chicken marsala, pork roast, pasta, ratatouille, asparagus and fresh breads baked by Laurie. Dessert was a huckleberry pie ala mode and some nice wine complimented the feast.

Time to get some serious exercise in! I need to hit the beach and get some cardio in.... then perhaps stack more firewood.

Aura Look! Moroccan Fashion in Astoria!

When Aura is home for the Holidays, she will be amazed at all the "Moroccan" things... clothes, home decor, cooking.
We were walking down the street in little old Astoria...and there in the window was a trendy Moroccan leather belt. Very BoHO.. of course if Astoria has it...that must mean it is out of style now.

Aunt Ebba and cousin Lori made a road trip out from Littleton, Colorado. Dad called and said they were on their way to the beach for lunch! It was nice to see them (last time as at least 10+ yrs ago). I bought some fresh chinook salmon off the docks and we had a nice lunch catching up on all the families of all the cousins. My mother (Aura) was the oldest of 5. Ebba is the second Swenson sibling. Lori caught some fresh trout the day before...and left us some for dinner! Gotta love a cousin who can fish! Ebba said that my father is like her brother... I think he still teases her like one! That hasn't changed. 

Wild Mushroom Dinner and "Dunes" Workshop

The kickoff event for the Wild Mushroom Festival was a dinner at The Depot on Friday evening.
Check out those pants that Chef Michael is wearing! Here he is showing the wild mushrooms and explaining the gourmet feast we are about to eat. Cynthia and Guy Stolzenburg posed for a photo with Chef Michael and the SHROOMS.
I must confess feeling like a judge on Iron Chef. By the time you had the Chocolate Creme with truffles...you had a lot of mushrooms! My vote for the BEST dish was on the appetizer plate. I loved the goat cheese and wild mushroom terrine! Yummie! All of the dishes were great and not to be missed were the baked oysters with porcini.... the mushroom, pine nut and roasted pepper ragout.... the quail with mushroom stuffing.... and don't forget about the delicious creamy wild mushroom soup topped with fried sage and creme fraiche. HERE is the menu. Note the outstanding pairing with French Wine too.
We were educated about French Wines by Edward Schlick. His expert pairings of wine were enjoyed as he imparted his vast knowledge of french wines and vineyards.

It was a fun evening and only the beginning of the other Wild Mushroom Festival events on the Peninsula. On Tuesday, Oct. 18 we are looking forward to a Renaissance Mushroom feast at China Beach Retreat.

We always enjoy meeting new friends and seeing the regulars. The next Depot Dinner is the acclaimed Lewis and Clark Wild Game dinner next month. Stay tuned for that report!



On Saturday, the Save the Dunes project had a workshop in Seaview. Very impressive with a professional moderator, ecologist, state parks, real estate, finance, zoning, county people and even a negotiator. The community had many questions and concerns addressed. The moratorium on building lasts another 132 days.... and still there is much work to be done before something can be presented to the county commissioners.

On Friday, in the middle of a wind (power went out briefly) and rain storm... Leroy delivered a few cords of wood. We will be getting some exercise...putting it away. We heat our entire house with our wood stove insert... all 3 floors.

Big Weekend! Save the Dunes, Cranberries, Mushrooms, Wine and Razor Clams!

This October weekend is busy in Seaview.
The cranberry harvest is in full swing and last weekend was the Cranberry Festival. (Photo credit: Laurie Anderson... shows Frank Glenn of Cranguyma Farms) Frank is a driving force to preserve the lovely dunes from development. The big meeting about about the rezoning efforts with Pacific County, State Parks, and citizens of Seaview is on Saturday.

Tonight, Friday, the kick-off event of the Wild Mushroom Festival is a wonderful mushroom and French wine dinner being held at The Depot. Check out the menu: http://www.depotrestaurantdining.com/events/mushroom.html

To top it all off.... hundreds of clam diggers will descend upon our little peninsula... due to the afternoon clam tide recently announced.

Razor Clam tide this weekend!
http://www.razorclams.com/

Laurie Anderson, of China Beach Retreat and The Shelburne Inn, holds an awesome wild mushroom! On Tuesday, they will hold their mushroom event.
http://www.chinabeachretreat.com/mushroom/index.html

It is cranberry season. The cranberry harvest is in full motion!

Halloween Decorations

The jack-o-lanterns are out!

Halloween 2.

Working on the carriage house roof.

While we wait for the main house roofers to start work.... Brett finishes up the carriage house roof with simple 3 tab. He has to work in between rain drops and work duties to finish it up. Not easy to do.

Brett looks sort of wild man here.

Brett's koi pond in the corner.

The back yard view from my bathroom deck. The little fawn statue is waiting for Calypso's friends to visit. They keep a low profile while the tourists are around.

Lewis & Clark Historians

In preparation for the big Lewis & Clark events, the locals get to hear all sorts of famous historians speak. Rex Ziak gave an awesome talk filling us in on all the "local" things that L&C did in our area.

Fort burns to ground; cause unkown

Associated Press
WARRENTON, Ore. - Fort Clatsop, a replica of where the Lewis and Clark expedition spent the soggy winter of 1805-1806 after reaching the Pacific, was destroyed by fire, park superintendent Chip Jenkins said Tuesday.
Volunteer firefighters worked for hours Monday night to try to save the fort at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Jenkins said, but "half of the fort was burned up, and the other half is essentially a loss."
A cause for the fire has not yet been determined. Fire investigators began looking for the cause of the blaze on Tuesday morning.
The fire happened just 40 days before a Lewis and Clark Bicentennial event was scheduled to be held at the fort, the culmination of a two-year, national celebration of the explorers' journey West.

Great Columbia Crossing

Every October the "Great Columbia Crossing", a 10K run/walk across the mighty bridge tempt us with participation. We planned to do it this year....until our Indian Summer weather changed and coastal weather gave us a dose of reality.

This is the reality. After staying up late for the auction, THEN... getting up ALL NIGHT LONG to place buckets, cups and bowls all over the house... well... we missed it again. We had a huge thunder, lightning, wind and rain storm. Our home is in dire need of a new roof (we are in the queue with the roofers) and it has dozens of leaks...PLUS... while it might have been thrilling to walk along the bridge... soaking wet, in wind and lightning... Brett and I decided to stay snug in our little bed when the 6am alarm rang. Maybe next year... for now we know how Lewis and Clark felt at "Dismal Nitch".

Education Foundation Auction. "An Evening at Monticello" Educa'cian in View!

For the past 13 years, the Ocean Beach Education Foundation has held a Dinner Auction. EVERYONE ... who is anyone... goes to this evening. It begins with a silent auction, followed by dinner and a live auction. Brett and I were delighted to be seated at the table with the new Ocean Beach School District Superintendent, Rainer Houser, and his wife (in the red)... and guests.

The "normal" beach cuisine. A yummy dinner of "Cedar kissed Columbia River Salmon with sorrel butter, chive tossed baby red potatoes, husk roasted sweet corn, poached prawns, fresh goat cheese on a sourdough bread salad, baby carrots with carmalized sweet onions, milk rolls with rosemary butter, and, finally, beef roast with garlic crust and panjus. Followed by a Marionberry Cobbler a la mode. Washed down with a Washington State merlot.

The typical Lewis and Clark explorer at dinner. With the signature Lewis and Clark expedition events happening this year.... everything seems to have taken a Lewis and Clark theme. We started the evening in a very large tent...filled with silent auction items, bear rugs, indians, explorers, southern belles, Virginia gentlemen, fiddlers, cranberry trail mix and cocktails. (loosen us up for the bidding)

The invitation said, "Attire: from Buckskin to Cotillon or Peninsula Casual". You can see the wide range of dress.

The Elk's Lodge was transformed into "An Evening at Monticello".

September Pacific County GOP meeting

We had a business meeting after listening to candidates for Long Beach City Council speak. While we meet in Long Beach, the north end group meets in Raymond.

We had 21 GOPers, 3 candidates and 2 reporters crowd into the tiny meeting room at Chen's Chinese for our September meeting.