Keizer, Oregon to The Dalles, Oregon 9/13/2013

SEPTEMBER 13, 2013 (Friday)

Today Lexi and I went shopping again for her pants, and again no luck. I guess we’ll try again when we get to Northern Idaho as I suspect Ketchum doesn’t have many shops for cheap clothing.

Lexi went to visit her friends in Wilsonville that she hadn’t seen in awhile. We got to see niece Paula and two of her children, Emily and Jonathan. Emily has gotten so tall and beautiful. She’s a freshman in high school now. Paula’s other two children are on a cruise with their grandparents.

Lexi came to get us around 5:30 PM. We said our goodbyes and thanks to brother John for all he did for us while we were there. He is so generous and kind. Gonna miss him. Sure hope he comes to visit us while we’re on the road.

Lexi drove to Woodburn and we stopped at the Walmart. Michael went in to get some desserts and a bottle of wine for our dinner with Darrin and Barb. Darrin and Barb have been kind enough to say yes to taking our beloved dog, Kiki, in for two to five years while we’re on the road.

After Walmart, we drove to Molalla to Darrin and Barb’s house. It’s kinda in town and kinda country. They have ducks, chickens, dogs, lots of boy toys, and a wonderful large yard that is fenced in. Kiki seemed to like it here as her tail was wagging and she was playing with the other dogs.

Darrin's ducks and chickens. He sells the duck eggs for $1 a piece. They end up in New York filled with caviar. — Darrin’s ducks and chickens. He sells the duck egg shells for $1 a piece. They end up in New York filled with caviar.

1953 Chang, with sidecar. Front of sidecar seam shows sub zero degree welding.

Lex in Darrin's mancave. — Lex in Darrin’s man cave.

Man Cave in Darrin's shop — Man cave in Darrin’s shop

Darrin and Barb's road bike. — Darrin and Barb’s road bike.

Sticker on Darrin's bike that sums up his life philosophy. — Sticker on Darrin’s bike that sums up his life philosophy.

Ellen and Brad brought their little dog Harvey to visit his mom, Gemma, and his sister, Tara. It was so funny because as soon as Harvey got there, he tried to nurse from his mom, even though he hadn’t seen her for three weeks. Tara and Harvey fought so much that Harvey got hurt and they had to be separated. That little girl was tough and wouldn’t give up.

Kiki's new friends. — Kiki’s new friends.

Around 7:30 PM we sat down to a feast that Darrin and Barb had prepared. Could not believe all the food – and it was smelling so wonderful. Fried chicken, clams, green beans, salad, buns, avocados, mashed potatoes and gravy. All as good as they smelled. It was nice visiting and enjoying all the great food.

Darrin, host extraordinaire, at work. Great food, a very enjoyable evening. We want to go back.

We left about 9 PM to drive to The Dalles to our hotel. We are hopeful it works out for Kiki and for Darrin and Barb.

That was our day. Hope yours was wonderful!