A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Some of the Roku channels I watch contain ads.  There is one series of ads that run over and over again -Progressive Insurance with a dimwitted sign twirler and his lovely wife who is a saint for putting up with the idiot.  Have you seen these ads?  Maybe I watch too many movies but I'm hoping one day she'll take that sign and smash it over his head!

Brother Todd updated his Facebook profile pic last weekend. Good looking, smiley guy but couldn't help myself but tweak it just a bit.  Can you blame me??!!

Here's a shocking secret for this Diva to divulge: I haven't had nail or toe polish on for almost a month.  Shocking!  Just lazy for my toes and for my fingernails have been so busy painting which leads to paint on my hands and serious scrubbing to remove the acrylic.  However, there has been one benefit to these no-polish days. My toes had a few spots of fungus, probably due to being polished all the time.  With no polish and lots of time curling my little piggies into the sand, the fungus is gone! 

Such sad news - Olivia de Havilland passed away at 104.  One of the last if not the last of the Golden Age actresses.  "The Heiress" is one of my favorites. R.I.P. Ms. de Havilland.

Heat, Hamburger, and Hip Hop

Where to start? Have been a busy bee this last week.

My new filling and crown have been causing pain in my mouth so I returned to the dentist last Tuesday for a looksie. Nerves are good; doc thinks it is just inflamed so I need to continue with ibuprofen and Tylenol for two weeks to see if the pain departs. It's getting old.

Took a test last week for a certification. Passed with 80%; have a class and test this week than another on August 4 and I'll be done!  My employer likes to see initials after our names so they pay for the classes.

Have continued my acrylic pour painting and also added a few rocks.  Was looking out the kitchen window and saw a little 2-3 year old across the street helping her mom garden. So cute I had to paint a rock then had Marie sneak it over on their porch.  I followed that up with the dog Lily painted rock.

Friday afternoon decided Stubbs needed a summer cut. Trimmed his hair and nails and gave him a bath. Looks like he dropped 10 pounds!

It has been a scorcher this weekend! Woke up at 5:45am Saturday morning so grabbed Stubbs and hit Willow Grove. After that stopped off to clean and vacuum my rig and followed it up by washing it when I arrived home. Made some chunky guacamole then worked on some painting fix-its and poured a new canvas outside.  Even filled my water bottle with<ò a tea bag and brewed some sun tea while I relaxed in the yard.  Finished the evening with cooking homemade calzones.

Early Sunday afternoon we invited the neighbor to join us and we headed to the Columbia River in Kalama. We expected it to be our quiet spot; unfortunately everyone else had the same idea. Tide was low so we could easily walk to the sandbar and stake our spot.  Spent a few hours in the water, laying out, and listening to hip hop music. Sam showed up to join us even though he was nursing red legs from his previous day at Willow Grove. 

And here it Monday. Put my time on today then made cheeseburgers for dinner. Escaped the hot house and now sitting outside basking in the cool breeze. Life is good!

Of Sand and Shores and Sons

It appears that summer has finally arrived!  It's been pretty hot this weekend and I have no complaints, although I do miss the A/C from my house. At least I have a fan in my room pointed directly toward my bed to assist in helping me sleep on these sweaty nights.

Friday after work painted a pic then took a nap. Later dyed the gray from my hair and removed my finger and toe nail polish with the intent to complete a mani/pedi. It's now Monday night and that hasn't yet happened.

Saturday awoke to beautiful blue sky so made plans to visit the swimming hole on Beaver Creek.  Picked up Subway sandwich to split, a couple of Hard Mike's beverage, then ran into Goodwill to find a cheap backpack.  So much easier to pack my essentials in a backpack, which frees up both my hands while I'm negotiating the slippery paths and transversing swift creeks.  Found a perfect pink one and also grabbed a "Marie"-labeled backpack for half-price.  Score!

We made our way to Clatskanie, parked, and began to search for a path to the swimming hole. The only avenues involved (1) climbing down a steep path with help of a ratty rope tied to a guardrail or (2) jumping into the pool from the top of the waterfall. Neither idea was prudent so we plopped our towels next to the creek above the falls.

We cracked open our beverage and enjoyed the hot sun.  Although we were sporting Deet bracelets,  the flies, ants, and assorted bugs were eating us alive so we exited stage left to our new found beach in Kalama.

After parking, we found we had the beach almost all to ourselves with the exception of a couple way far north of us.  Unloaded our backpacks then waded into the water, which felt great.  As we were cooling off an elderly man, sipping his Budweiser, strolling along with his two dogs, arrived on the beach.  Beach empty and he had to pick a shady spot close to us to designate as his place in the sun.

Made our way back to our spot, had chit chat with the old guy, and met his dogs, Lucy and Lulu. Just a lonely retired logger from Rose Valley. Soon enough he was on his way and we went back into the river water.

Tide was going out so we were able to wade to a large sandbar and take a stroll. Several windsurfers were out and about; at one point I interrupted my treasure hunting to look up and was surprised to see one close to the sandbar. He even waved, said hi, and boogied on sailing the surf. Was a long day out in the sun. 

Sunday brought relaxation and painting. Monday arrived too soon. Started two paintings on my lunch break then after work Sam stopped by. Surprised him with the abstract Joker painting I made for him and he showed his appreciation by taking me out for a Mexican dinner. 

And once again here I am with Stubbs, relaxing in bed with the fan about two feet away directed toward us both. 

Weird Uses for Washing Machine Tray

Tuesday spent all day in a webinar for an insurance certificate. Will take a test for the class this coming week then only two more classes in July and August before my certification is complete. Yee haw!

After the class was over, spent the evening applying two coats of varnish to my paintings.  Mucho gloss and the canvas and frame I picked up from Goodwill turned out super.

Yesterday on my lunch break hit Home Depot to pick up a washing machine tray. Yes, a washing machine tray.  Have currently been using a Dollar Tree plastic tablecloth as a catchall for my acrylic pours; however, discovered that the tray may be the best method for the acrylic pour paintings. Fits large sizes of canvas, washable, and has a two inch lip to contain the runoff paint.

Decided to test the new tray last night.  Have you ever had an artistic vision in your head that just didn't come to fruition? That was my evening.  I was preparing a partial painting first on one half of the canvas followed with an acrylic pour. First step turned out great. Took the canvas outside, placed it on top of the tray, and poured my combination of colors on top. Ooh it's gonna look cool were my thoughts.  Uh no. Tilting the canvas didn't work, paint was sliding all over, tried swiping, tried more paint, dabbing, more swiping....it just went on and on and on with no acceptable result.  Giving up, swiped all the paint off the canvas, leaving a shade of gray mud behind.

Was moments away from flinging that dreaded painting into the garbage can when my bargain diva side reared up and stopped myself because I didn't want to waste the canvas.  Mixed up another cup of paint and poured it with a swirly motion. A few tilts and this painting arose from the ashes of the Phoenix into this art.  Pretty pleased with myself not only for the result but for my stubbornness to stick through instead of giving up.

This morning arose bright and early to take roommate to Vancouver for a neck injection.  Actually woke up about 3am to grab tissue and take allergy pills. Couldn't fall back asleep until 4:30am then alarm went off at 5:30am. Headed out about 6:10am and now here I sit in her assigned same day surgery room at 8:40am and they have just taken her in for the procedure.  Today is going to be a long day!!

Braids, Bottle, and Beaver Falls

Sunday means laundry day. Finished two loads, French braided my hair into two pigtails, then it was off to enjoy the sun by going on a hike to Beaver Creek Falls!

Had never been there but it was only a few minutes over the bridge to Clatskanie,  Oregon.  Parked the rig about 1,000 feet from the trailhead then walked to begin the hike. Pared down by wearing my water sneaks, phone in a waterproof container around my neck, and my water bottle. The hike down wasn't too bad although there were a few treacherous spots, including wet paths and slippery turns close to the edge of the path next to a fall to oblivion.

Made it to the bottom of the hike and the Beaver Creek waterfall. It was gorgeous!  There were a few people there, some even swimming, but I could tell that water was chilly so no-go for me.

After hanging out in the falls area, we then crossed the creek using round, wood slabs set into the water. It was easy at first then ran into a conundrum.  One section was too wide for me to step on the next slab. There was a secondary log that appeared to be a helper step but couldn't tell if it was secure.  Started entering into anxiety - take the step, jump, or quit and turn around. Or tumble into the creek, ruin my phone, and injure myself, knocking out teeth..  Decided the best route to take was to let Marie go first!  She took the log step, it was secure, and I followed.

Began an uphill hike on wet clay, gripping with white knuckles branches and roots to help maintain my grip and balance.  Again anxiety reared its head and a bit of panic set in. Darn water bottle was leaving me with just one hand and the phone case was swinging. Solved both problems by tucking the phone case into my shirt and shoving the bottle into my bra. Voila - two hands to help me negotiate the path and get to the top. Whew!

After a few more turns we arrived at the top of the waterfall.  We crossed the creek, took some pix, then continued on up the hill. Not so bad. At one point I heard cars so I knew we were close to the rig.

Made it to the top, climbed over the guardrail, and assessed our bearings. Do we walk to the right or to the left. Decided to walk right which ended up being wrong. We walked, and walked, and walked some more until we finally decided we should have gone left.

We made a U-turn and headed back the way we came - walking, walking, walking.  And wouldn't you know it but the car was maybe 500 feet to the left from where we exited the forest path.

After almost three hours of hiking and walking, we headed for home.  Once home, I whipped up some chicken enchiladas for dinner and they turned out perfect, especially when topped with fire salsa!

Relaxed creating a video of today's adventure while watching Hitchcock's "Suspicion."  Now its past my bedtime because tomorrow is, once again, Monday!

Painting, Weedeating, and Jeremy Renner

Despite making tentative plans to go fishing, today ended up cleaning my room, painting, and weedeating while Marie worked on the yard.

Tweaked the lady pic from last night so she had one mouth instead of two. Added additional black paint to sharpen her lines.  Turned toward a couple more pics painted a few weeks ago. Added a beach comment to one and then painted burned trees and birds on a red painting that seemed to scream "Fire!" 🔥

Tonight spent time researching a resin finish on acrylic pour canvas art, which will be my next step in finalizing my pictures.  Creativity is so rewarding!!

Sam sent me a pic tonight of he and a guy he must have just met and said "Mom, I'm hanging out with Jeremy Renner!"  Of course you can't fool the Mama so I knew he was close but no cigar, although he does bear a likeness to the actor.  What do you think?

 

In Search of a Fishing Spot in a Freddy Krueger Movie

Turned into such a nice day yesterday that Marie and I set out to the Kalama River to fish. We drove into Fisherman's Loop, parked, and made our way to the river. Followed several dirt, bumby paths, peeking through the clearing to determine if it was a hot spot. As we wandered, we walked further away from the rig and deeper into the quiet forest, under bridges, and past clearings that may have housed vagrants or even satanic rituals. Creepy!

More than likely, due to our imaginations, we decided to get back in the rig and venture to the boat launch area of the river. Passed a few bunnies, parked, climbed over a few logs, and cast into the water, which was filled with cottonwood fluff.  Found out fishing and cottonwood don't mix as every time I reeled in I had to spend time picking the wet fluff off the line. Ugh.

That didn't last long. We decided to drive by the river in search of a better spot. The only spot we found was down the Kalama Sportsman Road, which led to a beach on the Columbia.

Again, very quiet but scenic, nestled between Steelscape and Kalama Chemical and you just had to ignore the green, muddy sludge which lined the shore.  And full of what I originally thought were wild turkeys but what turned out to be vultures!

Exploring, we stumbled across someone's playhouse, or getaway spot, or river cave. It was structured with driftwood and inside hung shell mobiles, painted rocks, jeweled string, and a cardboard banner of quotes. It was intriguing but rather disturbing. 

On more than one occasion during our trip to Kalama the voices in my head said, "This could be a scene in horror film - the scene where people are kidnapped or tortured."  We ended up packing in our poles and heading home.

Today after work dug out the supplies and painted two canvas.  One is a small canvas which I picked up, with frame, from the Warrenton Goodwill.  It had a cute vintage cowgirl on it but I took no time in painting over it. Did a sunset scene on it and a lady on a larger canvas.  Discovered the key is to significantly water down the acrylic paint. For the lady, drew her portrait freehand then layered the colors into a small squirt bottle so I could easily stay within the lines. Then moved on to a larger cup pour for her hair and body. Finalized it by painting black for her outline and to cover smudge marks.

Painting done, I'm now sitting outside enjoying the shade, sipping a can of Mike's Hard Pineapple and Mandarin.  I rarely drink but this sure hits the spot!

Lull After the Beach

Stubbs is still in recovery mode tonight from the beach.

Put all my beach photos together on a video via the Photogrid app. Enjoy!

Battery, Beach, and Burgers

Had a rough start on the way to the beach.  Went to start the rig and click, click- battery dead. Hustled over to Walmart to grab a new one, Steve installed it and we were on our way.

Attempted to keep Stubbs in the back seat on his bed and blanket. That lasted for about 20 minutes when  I gave in and let him snuggle on my lap.

Made good time until we hit Astoria when we met up with all the other people on the road who were also headed to the beach. Stopped at Seaside Safeway for groceries and it seemed that was also a detour for everyone - the place was packed! Was about 3pm when we pulled into the Husted Hilton.  Weather warmed up but still cloudy. 

That evening made homemade clam dip, broiled rib eye and baked potato dinner.  Been a long time since I'd eaten steak and it turned out perfect. Alas, even though I've been avoiding chewing on my right side, a cracker took out my recent temporary crown. Decided to wing it for the weekend as my permanent crown is scheduled to be placed Tuesday morning. New battery, temp crown dislodged - I was becoming a little worried about the signs for the weekend.

Woke up Saturday morning by Stubbins about 5am for a potty break. Nose was running so popped Claritin then hit the recliner with both pup and Kleenex in hand. Low tide was 6:52 am so figured I'd wait for it to be lighter than we would hit the beach. Apparently the recliner had other ideas as I nodded off and woke about 7:30 am.  After coffee Stubbs and I headed out for a sandy walk.  He just loves the coast although now that he's getting older he needs to be carried on stairs.

Cleaned up and hit the Warrenton Goodwill along with a thrift store in Seaside.  Returned home and sat on the deck enjoying the sunshine.

Later, after watching part of The Post movie, decided it was time to think about dinner. Decided on burgers so returned to Cannon Beach to pick up more groceries. Closest store was Fresh Food or something similar to that although it should have been called Organic High Prices. I mean $3.99 for one avocado?  Wine selection taking up two-thirds of the store?  A plastic container of pasta salad in the size of a condiment container for $5.99?  Yeesh!

I grabbed shredded lettuce, tomato, sesame buns,, mushrooms, then on to the meat aisle for burger.  Steaks, filet mignon, ribs - where's the burger? Small package of bison burger for $18.99 would not suffice. Desperation caused for creativity so bought a package of ground turkey and a package of Italian sausage to mix together for burgers.  And you know what?  Those improvised burgers were scrumptious!  Didn't miss the ground beef one bit.

After dinner settled in on the deck to watch the neighborhood fireworks.  Couple of close neighbors put on an incredible display; further south was a massive show we also enjoyed.  These were not your typical run-of-the-mill, high school fundraiser fireworks.  These were humongous, top-of-the-line pyrotechnics!

This Sunday morning awoke early so Stubbs and I hit the beach at low tide.  Scored a few sand dollars, polished pieces of shell, and ran across a starfish clinging to a large rock which is normally buried in salt water.  Blue sky and the surf - nothing gets better than that!!