MARRIED - CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GENTILES ........

LOVE IS WONDERFUL THE SECOND TIME AROUND and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that my lovely niece, KIM, and her new love, Greg, got married this week.  Today we enjoyed brunch and a walk down memory lane - as well as talking about the unlimited possibilities of their future together.  CONGRATULATIONS !!

No one is more adorable than ZOEY ...........

Nothing is more precious in my life than this beautiful and charming little great-granddaughter, Zoey, and her lovely mother, Ashley.

Fall Color At the Portland River Front

Lovely warm weather, beautiful fall colors, golden leaves blowing in the wind - PERFECT !

Girl's Day at CHART HOUSE in Portland

Chart House in the Portland West Hills is our favorite place for lunch because of the fabulous view AND the delicious food.  Carolyn Hatefi is visiting from Springfield so today was girl's day with shopping in Multnomah Village and then lunch.  The view that you see here is about one quarter of the actual view that runs past Mt Hood to Mt. St Helens.

To make the day even more enjoyable, it was sunny and 70 degrees so Portland is celebrating a beautiful Fall season.

Going to the BIRDS in Portland

We miss having a little critter to take care of since Bella left us but we aren't ready to be tied down with a dog or cat so last week we took a drive to Beaverton where there is a great shop that provides absolutely everything a person needs to care for birds.  Below is a sample of the popularity of one of the bird feeders on our back balcony.  We have two for small birds and one for hummingbirds so there's non-stop activity.

The hummingbirds come one at a time but the small birds come in flocks so it's not unusual to have 30 to 50 at one time.

OREGON GARDEN RESORT

One of our favorite Fall get-a-ways is a night at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton, OR.  They run a room/dinner special (this year, only $109.00) which included dinner and breakfast for two plus a bottle of wine at dinner).

If you're not already on their mailing list, it's a great way to enjoy their comfortable and spacious facilities and also enjoy good food and a free trolly tour of the Oregon Gardens.  We had a great time !!

Moonstone Hotel Properties manages three resorts in California and two in Oregon and they are all beautiful.  To get on their mailing list, go to:  moonstone hotels.com

Roger's BIGGEST PAINTING (so far)

Roger is currently working on a painting that measures 4 feet by 4 feet.  His studio is rapidly getting "smaller" because of all the huge equipment that he needs.  I don't think that I've ever seen him happier.  Maybe "big" will be his new thing...........

An Apache Prayer

My daughter-in-law, Helia, recently traveled to Arizona and, while there, she found this beautiful Apache prayer that I would like to share with you:


"May the sun bring you new energy by day,

May the moon softly restore you be night.

May the rain wash away your worries,

May the breeze blow new strength into your being.

May you walk through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life."