CHASING A CAMELEON

I really planned on staying home this morning – but a creepy crawling situation changed my mind.

The day’s original Plan was to pull the onions and carrots; and place netting over the garden beds until planting season in the Spring of 2022; then, I would make some Fall Fingertip towel for the bathrooms.

Half of the Plan was accomplished … the towels will be designed and crafted later on tonight 😉

I walked into the kitchen this morning, and was startled by a frenzied activity that was playing out.

ANTS!

Well, I can’t have that!

Ants are okay outside … they are not okay in my kitchen!

Everyone else in the Park has been complaining of ants in their house, since the day Bob and I moved in here: I’ve been lucky there were none in our house – until this morning.

So, I set out traps.

1 on the kitchen countertop/3 outside. 

I set baits along the outside of the house, too.

Then, I took care of the garden area things that needed to be done before the serious Fall rains begin. That didn’t take too long – I was done in plenty of time to still make it to my Naselle Coffee Hour 😉

Washing my hands, I got to thinking that while I was that way, I’d check out a place I’d been told about recently: the Salmon Creek School House. It’s no longer used as a school building … but I was told, “it still stands”. I was given a generalized location, with current landmarks to look for, too.

So, I grabbed the piece of paper I had written the directions on – and boogied.

Ants are psychological torments.

I hadn’t taken time to eat before I left, so I breezed past the Salmon Creek Road, and drove into Naselle to grab a quick bite. I didn’t want to eat at Hunter’s Inn – it’s a sports Bar, and while I didn’t mind eating there with Bob while Bob was still on Earth … I wouldn’t feel right walking into  Sports Bar without him.

But, I did think that stopping in at the Appelo Archives Center would be informative; someone there should know more about the School Building and its Historical location (more than the general info I’d been given).

When I pulled off the highway, I noticed that the Archive Center was advertising a Café!

Apello Archives Center, Naselle (1056 WA-4, Naselle, WA).

The Cafe in the Apello Building is a nice bonus.

Real homey environment.

What a nice surprise 😊

The Center has been revamped, and the Cafe is something new (it wasn't there last time Bob and I were there - about 3 years ago).

I ordered, and asked if there was anyone there that would know anything about the physical location of the Salmon Creek School Building. The girls working there got right on it – they personally didn’t have a clue, but they called some people they thought may be able to help (no one knew anything); and they looked through some books there, and came up with a detailed map of sorts. The girls were very friendly and very helpful.

I ordered Split Pea Soup.

I ate my soup … and snapped picture of the Map, for reference along the way 😉

I quickly found out that the map was great for past Historical purposes – but worthless for this time period.

Archive Map ... not real helpful in this era.

This must be the right place ... it's the 'first left road'.

Following the Archive Map diagram ...

I didn’t see anything out Hungry Highway Road that in any way-shape-or form related to a turn-of-the-century school building. And a little further up the highway, it narrowed to a paved one-lane road that appeared to be a logging road: I turned around and backtracked.

The road narrowed significantly, and I did not want to meet a log truck barreling down it; with no where to get off the road.

Hungry Highway fed into a 1-lane paved logging road.

The adventure was quickly becoming a full-on-Quest.

Back on the main Salmon Creek Road, I continued driving forward until I came to another junction: both roads looked like paved logging roads. This is a weekday – log trucks are on the move; like earlier, I did not want to meet one.

I pulled the car over … got out … and studied my surroundings. I was quite a way up the highway; I couldn’t imagine a schoolhouse being that far into the countryside.

Hmmm.

I spotted a Fuzzy-Wuzzy wiggling and jiggling across the blacktop in a zig-zag line.

This Fuzzy-Wuzzy seemed to be as confused as I was.

Another dead end; the road tied into Deep River Road - but NO School House.

Not one to give up a Quest easily, I did what I always do when in unfamiliar territory – I stuck my hand out the car window when I saw a vehicle that looked like it belonged in the local area 😉

]

I seem to run into the 'long arm of the Law', no matter where I am, or what I am doing. LOL

As we both went our separate ways, I thought I’d give the Hungry Highway Road another “go”.

NO ‘GO’ ☹ 

All I saw of note on that road, was the cemetery.

Where do people park at this cemetery? Is the cemetery even in current use?

A cemetery with no parking available: no roadside parking, no ‘on-the grounds’-parking; there was a front gate … but no place to park.

Off to the side, I spotted a grassy driveway. Perhaps the cemetery parking was at the end of the grassy road? Curious, I crept forward (there was a deep drop at the end of what could see of the driveway). The driveway was not cemetery parking … it was someone’s personal driveway: there was a big house, a small pickup truck in the driveway, fishing poles leaning against the open garage; and a wildly barking dog.

I turned around, and crept back up the grassy driveway.

Salmon Creek Road may be an Historical Place – but it is also a very weird place: a non-existent “standing school house”, and a park-less cemetery.

Very strange place.

Bummed, I drove to the Salmon Creek Road entrance, and waited for an opportunity to meld with traffic. As I was waiting, a car turned onto Salmon Creek Road: I flagged it down (I don’t give up easily; if there was a chance, I wanted it 😉). The guy was older than me … probably older than Bob, too. So, I repeated the question I had been asking people all day long.

He was as stumped a everyone else – and he said his "family has lived on Salmon Creek for 100 years", and he wasn’t aware of any school ever being on Salmon Creek Road! I told him that it was Historical fact; and I’d sure like to see what was left of it. He gave me the name of his neighbor, saying, “If anyone would know … Chuck would.” So, I wrote the name down and made plans to make inquires.

No one (old-timers, or otherwise) had ever heard of a Salmon Creek School! This is crazy.

Passing through Rosburg, I decided to nip into Graysriver, and see if Uncle John & Aunt Frieda were back from their cross-country trip, yet.

They were 😊

So, we visited for a while; catching up on what we’ve all been doing since last we saw each other. They told me about their visit back East (they enjoyed themselves visiting relatives). They asked if I’d found a house yet (I told them I quit looking and pulled my house off the market). They asked what I was doing today (I said looking for an elusive schoolhouse).

And Frieda solved the mystery 😉

Frieda had the ANSWER; it had been converted into a home for Loretta Smalley's family.

She said there had indeed been a schoolhouse on Salmon Creek Road.

She looked for a calendar she had, that she’d got at the Apello Archives Center … and showed me what the building had looked like in its heyday. She also said that the building had been bought, and converted into a home … that Bob’s cousin’s wife had lived in.

All day long I have been searching for a chameleon.

But at least I know, now, it was/is real.

And I know that there are people who know where it is – even if it no longer resembles a school house 😉

The day wasn’t a total bust 😊

DOWNTOWN DAY

This morning I woke up to rain drops dancing across the roof, and racing down the gutter pipe.

Fall has arrived in the PNW.

The rain is welcome (so far); we had precious little of it in the Spring, and none this Summer. We need the rain.

I thought about laying in bed until very late morning: but the dust on the car is getting thick … and the hard-falling-rain could do wonders in sluing the majority of it away; so, I got dressed – and drove to exercise class in Castle Rock, instead 😉

On the downside of Delameter Road, I heard on the radio, that yesterday boris johnson called biden “a living deity”. 

{{boris said: “… you’re a living deity” … 

biden replied: “I am”}} 

WHAT????

I couldn't believe what I was hearing!

obamanite demonrats truly believe they are gods.( https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/common-core-lesson-portrays-obama-as-messiah/ & https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/09/21/remarks-by-president-biden-and-prime-minister-johnson-of-the-united-kingdom-before-bilateral-meeting/)

It's ludicrous.

It's shameful.

It's blasphemous.

It's embarassing.

I turned the radio off.

After exercise class, I drove to the Country Folks Deli to get a bowl of soup: I had Broccoli Cheddar – SO GOOD 😊

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup; thick & creamily chunky.

Meaty pieces of mushrooms - fat slices of carrots - big chunks of broccoli bits.

I’ve always liked eating here – Bob & I were among the first customers when it opened in the 1980’s, with the original owners.

And I like it now, with the new owners: they are so interactive – and really fun people to be around 😊

My table view this afternoon; Commerce Street, in Longview, WA

I sat in the front section today; the big windows are nice for reading.

I like the farm style vibe; and the family atmosphere from owners & staff.

The awning was repositioned to cut the glare while I read; it was a nice thing done for me.

The owner interacts with every customer; and is known to dance & sing spontaneously.

I like the music that is always playing in the background.

My feet were dancing under the table, this afternoon; while I read, and ate 😊

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose – “Treat Her Like A Lady”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_PmccPnJU

When I finished lunch, I drove 5 minutes up the street, to play a couple games of pool: the balls went exactly where I wanted them – I felt like ‘Minnesota Fats’ 😉

I don’t play for $$$.

Bob played for $$$, for a while.

I won’t play in tournaments: I’m not interested in group competitions. I don’t need, or want team members depending on me – with my asthma, I’m undependable. I don’t need to be guilt-tripped when I have a bad day.

Bob played in tournaments for a while – he liked group activities, and engaged in competition; I believe he gave his pool stick to Alex when he stopped playing in group competitions.

I play because I like shooting pool: $$$, and cloak & dagger tournaments don’t interest me. But, I admit, I do give myself mental high-5’s when the games go like they did this afternoon 😉

Fats playing Pool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzm3tPIGt6M

My father, in the 1960’s, actually played a few games with Fats when Fats was playing for fun in a couple taverns in Minnesota. In our early years of marriage, Bob and I used to watch Fats play in televised pool tournaments.

When I got back home, I started setting out my Fall décor.

Tomorrow, if it doesn’t rain, I will pull the onions and carrots out of the garden area; and start covering the garden boxes with mesh net to keep the prowling cats out of them.