JUST CALL ME GRACIE

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_State_Route_6)

Last night when I went to bed, I knew I had to get out of the house – but, I don’t want to kick off my Sunday~Funday adventures until next week … after I buy my garden plants at the Adna Floral Show, Thursday morning.

I am working with a budget. And even though I do pencil in several ‘out of house days’; I also need to get garden transplants that I do not have success starting myself (hence the Adna trip 😉).

Last year I went over-budget at Adna; and knowing myself like I do, I probably will go over budget again this year, too. So, I am pinching the pennies a little more this month until I get my garden stuff. After Thursday, I’ll know what I have to work with $$-wise for Daytrips to end this month.

Last night I knew I’d be hitting the road to somewhere this morning: but I didn’t know where – and I did not dip into my ‘Ambitions Jar’ for a suggestion.

That is for my Sunday~Funday adventures. 

Anyway.

I decided to do a road trip I like to do: and tweak it a little to change the scenery 😊

There was no particular reason to do this loop drive, except that I like country drives – and I’d see a lot of country along the route.

I was up at 8 AM … out of the house by 9:30 AM; I figured to be back a little after 1’noon, if I did straight driving/with no stops (except necessary pit stops). But I grabbed my hiking shoes, in case I needed to stop and walk some kinks out. My leg is still chancy. If I stopped to walk – or gawk at the scenery – or if my leg started pitching a fit, and I needed to pull over, and stretch out in the back end for a while: I’d get home closer to Suppertime.

All I knew for sure, was that I needed to get in the car and drive.

Today was not a good day to be stuck in-house, with my thoughts going down rabbit hole memory jogs: I had to get away, or they’d bury me alive.

Already, that early in the morning, birds were singing beautifully; and the sky was a lovely robin’s egg blue, without a cloud in the sky.

I did not want to get lost in the missingness; I refused to cry all day.

I didn’t even wash my hair, or lubricate my sleepy-voice throat with coffee … I just beat feet.

My leg still hurts; but I'm chancing it.

I grabbed the car keys, buckled up, and chanced the long drive 😉

I pointed the nose of the Highlander towards Naselle, mentally planning the entire loop route that would bring me back to park in my carport later on.

Heron Pointe to Naselle; 1 hour.

I won't allow handicaps to hold me back from enjoying life.

As I was passing through Graysriver (a sleepy country burg before Naselle), I saw twinkling lights on at Duffy’s – HAPPY DAY! – I pulled in and felt lucky to be on the road this day 😊

Duffy's is not always open; thankfully, it was today.

Chuckling and enjoying my day, so far.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAqvUlH_kC8)

It may still be too nippy for sleeveless tops and short pants, but I can still get a satisfactory amount of vitamin D through my eyes – the exposed eye, other than exposed skin, is the only other major source of acquiring a healthy dose of necessary vitamin D.

Lunch at Duffy's; Oyster-burger w- Potato salad & O'Douls; Apple Pie to go 😉

Naselle to Pe Ell; 1 hr-13 mins.

The pullover at Duffy’s set my timeline back about 45 minutes.

But I figured it was worth it.

Getting home around 1’noon was not set in cement: I can afford to be flexible now that I am the only one, I have to consider.

No husband.

No kids.

No grandkids.

Just me: solo lobo.

It’s a sad reality that allows me a sad/complex exciting freedom.

Turning right at Raymond’s circular roundabout towards Pe Ell, the Spring weather was warm enough to warrant an ice cream cone – so I stopped at Galey’s Grocery (a small Mom & Pop Store that is reminiscent of the 1950’s), and bought one.

Another few miutes added to a long drive: but worth it.

The lady behind the counter was chatty; I didn’t mind. There is no one to chat with at home, and I miss chatter.

She asked me if I was enjoying the day.

I said I was – and told her I got that way at least once a month when the weather is nice, like today.

She asked me where I was going … I told her I had come from Longview and was taking the Pe Ell route home through Boistfort and Vader.

She said the day was perfect for a drive like that: and I said it was.

We smiled at each other.

We knew we’d see each other again in a few weeks.

Galey's Grocery Store

The drive through Pe Ell to Dryad was quiet and scenic.

Pe Ell to Ceres. 19 mins

I hadn’t been that way since I was passenger while Bob drove and held my hand atop the console, 3 years ago.

I could think about those days without needing to pull over and cry.

It’s a short little backroad cross-drive; there’s no chance of getting lost … it’s a straight forward road.

Driving along, around 2 PM, I spotted a sign pointing towards Rainbow Falls State Park.

I decided to stop there and take a short walk to see the Falls.

It turned out to be breathtaking; in more ways than one …

(https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/rainbow-falls-state-park)

Short hike along the upper grounds of the Falls.

Pretty little violet-colored flowers; along the trail.

Trilliums were everywhere. My favorite Spring flower.

The water is so clear; you can see the bottom of the water bed.

The forest floor claimed some of my skin.

The upper part of the Falls.

The joining of the Falls on the lower end.

Recounting my 'Ump Worthy' slide.

Oh Lord!

My poor 64-year-old body was put through an exciting workout that definitely had been put through forest induced paces; LOL

My short walk morphed into a 45 minute meander.

If Bob had been riding the clouds and saw my graceful maneuvers as I {gracefully} kept myself, and his phone, from tumbling over the edge of the cliff into the fast-flowing waters, I bet he was laughing with me: it was funny after it was all over.

I could almost hear him ask, with a chuckle, “Are you okay, gracie?”

That was our private joke.

I really do get sidetracked and highjacked by clumsiness.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMYPfX9Rj_w)

Meanwhile, down here on earth; enjoying the peaceful country drive, and busting out in laughter every time I thought about my breathtaking slide, I kept my eyes peeled for the Boistfort exit sign.

Just before the exit, I caught sight of a brightly painted steel bridge.

The bright blue of the bridge rivaled the robin’s egg blue of the sky overhead.

Pretty painted bridge on the May Bridge Road ... I can’t find any information at all, on this bridge.

Ceres to Vader. 36 mins

Reaching Vader, I decided to stop at Castle Rock and grab some salad greens for this week’s supper side dishes; shaving off 20 pounds is still in progress 😉

I had a nice day out of the house. 

The drive was country, all the way.

I carried some mud home with me 😊

I had an exciting day. 

I laughed instead of crying.

My leg behaved – I needed Ibuprofen for the ump-worthy-slide, not because my leg was pitching a fit 😉

And I really was glad to be home, and parked in the carport around 4 PM; I am coming to terms with being a country girl in a citified environment.

SUNDAY FUNDAY 3

Woke up this morning feeling like getting out of the house – so that is what I did; I perked a pot of coffee, filled Bob’s thermos … grabbed HIS tall travel coffee cup we bought on our Vegas trip 5 years ago to see our newborn grandson … and beat feet ;-)

The car’s nose – pulling out of Heron Pointe – aimed towards “home” – the region I consider ‘home’, anyways; so that is what I rolled with. I always let the car take me where it will. Driving along Ocean Beach Highway, I saw 1 landslide by County Line that had had trees across the road – looked like someone cut them out of the way with a power saw; so, I proceeded forward cautiously. It’s that time of year.

Cresting the hill that drops into Cathlamet where we spent the first half of our life together as man and wife, I nipped into Gragg’s and grabbed some chicken tenders and a box of peanut butter Ritz crackers – peanut butter because I like peanut butter, and ritz crackers because Bob loved Ritz crackers; to my way of thinking, not only are the crackers tasty, but they kinda – in some weird way – symbolize Bob & me. I know … I am a weirdo. And that is okay. I am embracing my weirdness. Bob loved my weirdness. If I ever embarrassed him, he never (unlike our kids & his entire family) never let on – he just loved on me ;-)

Drinking my coffee in Bob’s travel coffee cup and crossing the 700 ft./elevation KM, I watched falling leaves flutter in their downward spirals and skip across the road – the dancing leaves made me smile; and I saw 2 landslides coming into in Graysriver, and 1 wreck by the old Torpa house. It looked like it had been an eventful week here, in this corner of the Pacific Northwest:

This spot of the road always makes me smile – early on, in our married life, I saw 2 tiny bear cubs here one afternoon we were out-and-about, and asked Bob to pullover so I could get a better look at them. They were really quite small and SO cute, so I jumped out to snap off a picture … AND INSTANTLY FELT BOB’S HAND ON THE BACK OF MY NECK hauling me back into the pickup lickety-split. BOY, WAS I MAD! But, Bob was right – mama bear came barreling out of the trees and stood over her babies. And, I steamed over that missed picture all day long. LMAO

So, you see ... a loooong time ago, before there was Bob in my life, I was a fearless tigress with a gypsy soul. I need to reconnect with that long ago me.

Going through the Covered Bridge, and over the Loop Road that ties into the Altoona/Pillar Rock road, was out of the way; but it was a nice Fall day, even with the rain falling – it wasn’t falling hard, just a lazy rainfall to match the lazy-kinda-day. It just felt good to pass through the Covered Bridge and take the round-about-way to my destination; so, I did it. I always liked being down here in this region – it has always felt {at home} here: as far back as I can recall after moving out West in 1966, the Graysriver/Pillar Rock area (in the general vicinity of Eden Valley) … always ‘called’ to me – even before I knew Bob, I was coming here & walking these roads. I didn’t know until after I married Bob, that this region was his home turf; the area he was born to and grew up in all of his early childhood …

I spotted a Bald Eagle's nest on Loop Road

Turning onto Altoona-Pillar Rock Road, on my way to Eden Valley Road, I burst out laughing at someone’s grim humor:

Driving out Eden Valley Road, I saw some more downed trees that someone had cut out of the way with power saws. So, the weather is already becoming fierce out this way – of course, the Ocean winds do blow down the Columbia River through here like a wind tunnel.

We never came here in the Fall & Winter months; Bob never wanted to come here in those months – IF he came this way at all during this time of year, it would have been during hunting season when he still hunted … and even then, I’m pretty sure he avoided this area and stuck to the hills surrounding the region. He generally avoided flooding areas; no matter where. I know when I was talking about buying a home here, he flat out said, “No; the area floods.” maybe he thought I wouldn't be able to deal with the flooding: I don't know because he never elaborated.

This may be my last trip this way until Spring, when the weather isn’t so treacherous. That hurts my heart, because I want to make sure – every month – that our plot block is tended to and not let to run wild: I KNOW Bob is not really THERE; but, it’s an honoring thing with me …

I was pretty upset to see this remodel happening: this is the old Durrah Homestead, and it was a very nice old house with a pillared front porch. This place is rife with old valley history. Bob's grandmother Myrtle Goodrich was the valley's 1st school teacher - and she was put up by the Durrah Family during her tenure as school teacher. She met Bob's grandfather, Hernty Smalley here. I don't know who bought this house ... but they ruined it with all the modern shit they are doing to it. MPO This house should never have been remodeled; it should have been on the Historical House Registry. NONE of this remodel was here a month ago.

Arrived at the cemetery and walked out to our plot block – and noticed immediately that the solar lamp was missing. WTH? I looked around for it, and found it several feet away from where it was supposed to be; so, I retrieved it, noticing that it had been run over by whatever vehicle is used to mow the grass. Now, I am going to give the groundskeeper a pass this time because it could have been snapped off by a passing deer leg – or an elk leg: this is a country cemetery and I did see evidence earlier this month of deer passing through. But if it happens again, I am going to be pretty upset:

I had some atificial Fall flowers in the car ... so I put them where the solar light used to be: NO ONE CAN NOT SEE THOSE!

I will bring my needle-nose pliers with me next trip and see if I can yank the broken piece out of the piping.

Hopefully the flowers will stay put ...

The smell of fir in the rain soaked air of the cemetery was so strong, that I was instantly assaulted by a longing so strong it almost took me to my knees – Bob when he was a logger, and later a truck driver, always come home with the scent of fir on his skin and clothing, and in his hair; I loved that odor blended with his manly scent. And, of course, we burned fir wood in our wood stoves in the several homes we owned. My entire life with Bob has been surrounded with the scent of fir trees. That is just an odor that I will always associate with my memories of Bob. Always.

I don’t know if any one particular memory of our life together is more painful than another when they come upon me; because every day, since I am left bereft of his physical presence … is filled with immeasurable pain that I, with the help of Yeshua … manage to keep manageable so it does not smite me and send me into an unending depression – I REFUSE THAT: Bob would not want that for me, and I refuse to allow it.

But, as I slide into the driver’s seat of our car, which is now solely mine, I smell that pungent fir odor scenting the air all around me; and I miss Bob. Acutely. I miss him coming through the door with fine fir residue all over his shoulders and gilding his tousled, wind-blown hair. I miss him putting his thermos on the counter and reaching out his long arm to pull me towards him for a long, lingering kiss – dusting me, too, with that fir residue. I miss his laughing eyes watching me shake the residue off me while I swipe it off his broad shoulders before he comes another step further into the kitchen.

While I sat in the car before leaving the cemetery, watching those memories replaying in my thoughts, I missed Bob with every painful breath of a constricted chest that houses a severed heart – a bleeding heart that beats only for him; an struggling heart that is trying valiantly to keep me living without him beside me.

Later on, much further down the main highway heading home, I turned off Ocean Beach Highway and onto the Elochoman Valley Road; and up over Beaver Creek Road (where a little coyote was about to cross the road, but got scared, turned and ran back onto the brush: at first I thought it was a dog, but it’s tail gave it away); and dropping down onto Mill Creek Road, which adjoins ocean Beach Highway again. Again, the meandering drive was ‘out of the way’; but I like it …

The Columbia River seen from atop Beaver Creek Road.

And traveling along Ocean Beach Highway, I almost got my back bumper clipped at Oak Point when a speed demon was running too close to me – I pulled off as soon as I found a turn out, and the car behind me was SO CLOSE, I really expected to hear my back bumper get crushed! But, Elohim was faithful, and I barely got off the road safely when the speed demon raced past me in a blur – don’t know where that car was going in an all-fire-rush, but I was hoping it got pulled over before it wrecked – or caused a wreck.

Thinking to escape any more close calls with speed demons, I decided to turn off at Germany Creek and continue home via Eufaula Heights, which melds with Coal Creek, which drops practically right into my back yard ;-)

While driving along Eufaula Heights Road, I decided spur-of-the-moment to turn up Ferncrest Road and see if Denise still lives in the same house she and Bruce lived in before she became a widow: Bob & Bruce ran around together all through High School and during his 1^st marriage – I wanted to let her know that Bob had graduated. She did; so, we visited for about 2 hours. She’s having a hard time of widowhood: Bruce passed 5 years ago, but she is still seriously struggling; we didn’t make the funeral because Bob’s Dad also passed the same month … then our friend David, a few weeks later. After those happenings, life just took on a life of its own and got away from us, like a wildfire – during which time we sold our previous home and moved here … and yu’all KNOW what happened with THAT. I always liked Denise. We made tentative plans to get together for ‘a restaurant meal’ now and then – I left her my phone number. Now, it is a waiting game.

And, driving back down Eufaula Heights Road, a tree limb falls out of the tree directly across the lane from my car: good thing there was no on-coming traffic … what a day for mishaps on the roadways!

Glancing at the dashboard, I saw I needed to refuel. I am having oral surgery tomorrow to yank the hallow root shaft where a crown broke off a few years ago – the dentist refused to yank it because of my asthma and angina issues (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/01/have-you-learned-anything.html); but I am forcing the issue now: it needs to come out asap. So, tomorrow morning, it will. But I needed to fill the gas tank because I know I won’t feel like it after the dentist ordeal. While I was in town, I picked up a few things … and grabbed 3 Mums pots – they are spendy, but they will last indefinitely if taken care of every year. I like Mums in the Fall: