Myakka State Park

After waking, we had morning beverages, did our language lessons and reviewed the protocol for leaving the Airbnb. After showering we put all the towels in the washer, stripped the beds and put the linens in the hamper. We took the garbage and recycling curbside then loaded the dishwasher after our breakfast of cold cereal.

We loaded the truck and left the house a little after 8 am driving to Myakka River State Park. Mary and I had been here in 2021 and really enjoyed it. Unlike when we were here five years ago, we were too late to get passes to the Deep Hole, a remote lake with limited access where a lot of wildlife can be spotted. Only 30 passes per day are issued for the 4.5 mile hike out and back to the lake at Deep Hole.  A helpful volunteer at the visitor center gave us great tips on there we might have the best chance of seeing wildlife.

Mary & Cindy on the Canopy Walk

We started at the Canopy Walk Trail where we went across a suspended walking bridge between two towers. We found a couple of “gadget geocaches” that require some problem solving to access. At the weir area we saw several wading birds including three roseate spoonbills. We also saw a wild pig along the edge of the water. We drove on to Lake Myakka near the end of the road where we walked along the edge of the lake where we saw thousands of dead armored catfish, like the algae eating Plecostomus found in many freshwater aquariums. We later learned that cold water temperatures in early February had killed these invasive fish.

Cindy with a geocache we found

As we were leaving the park we decided to check the area near the park entrance where we had learned that caracara had been spotted. We walked around the area with no luck. We chatted with a couple who were also hoping to see and photograph the caracara. After about an hour of looking, we gave up and walked to the truck. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, a caracara flew over the truck. We were thrilled to see the large bird.

As we left the park, we decided to drive through Sarasota National Cemetery where we heard that sandhill cranes were seen. While taking a loop drive through the grounds we saw several small groups of the cranes walking through the gravesites and wading in the pond.

Sandhill crane at Sarasota National Cemetery

Our time in southern Florida was over, so we started driving back to Homosassa arriving around 6 pm. We had garden salads with strips of steak leftover from Monday’s dinner. Mark’s vizsla, Sage, hadn’t been feeling well while we were gone. The dog sitter, Ian, said that she has been a little lethargic. It turns out that she had a badly infected right ear. Mark treated the ear with antibiotic ointment and drained the sore. We watched women’s curling at the Winter Olympics before turning in.

J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

After our cold cereal breakfast with morning beverages and doing our morning language lessons we packed the car for our outing and left by 8:00 AM for the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge that specializes in bird viewing. The visitor center had been nearly destroyed by Hurricane Milton two years earlier but was in the process of rebuilding and most of the roads and trails had reopened.

Great Blue Heron

The drive from our AirB&B in Bonita Springs to Ding Darling Preserve on Sanibel Island took less than 30 minutes. The National Park pass got us into the area at no charge. Our first stop in the wildlife refuge was at a bridge where many birds were wading in the shallow water. A helpful volunteer told us that we should be able to see rosette spoonbills, night herons and many other wading birds. We saw several yellow crowned night herons and many of the usual herons and egrets in the warm shallow water. We were disappointed that the trail to the shell midden was closed due to hurricane damage but we continued to make our way through the preserve. We stopped at the visitor center on the way out of the preserve then drove to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort. Myers.

Statue of Edison across from his winter home

When we pulled into the lot for the Edison and Ford homes the attendants directed us to a lot adjacent to an elementary school where we found a parking space in the shade. We had a quick lunch of rice cakes with peanut butter and mixed nuts. As we left the truck, we noticed that we would be unable to leave the lot between 2:45 and 3:45 because of dismissal of the adjacent school. We were concerned since that would have been about the time we might be leaving the area. Mary spotted a shaded parking space in another lot, so we held the space while Mark moved the truck.

Edison's winter home

We purchased admission tickets for the gardens and homes, downloaded the app for the audio tour and admired the banyan tree that is believed to be the largest in North America. After walking across the road, we walked through the many gardens and structures on the property. The swimming pool is well over 100 years old and was constructed from a monolithic pour of concrete. Only the diving board was damaged by Hurricane Ian  in 2022 as was a 400,000-gallon cistern that provided fresh water to the Edison and Ford properties. Several of the plantings on the properties were trees that Ford and Edison hoped could cost effectively produce latex for the manufacture of car tires.

Mark in front of Ford's winter home

As one might expect, Edison’s home was very thoughtfully designed although not especially grandiose. The house was purchased as a kit from Maine and assembled in Sarasota. Each board was cut to size and labeled for assembly. Adjacent to Edison’s winter home was a guest house of nearly equal size. Also nearby was the winter home of Henry Ford’s family. Like the Edison home, Ford’s house was very functional but not overly ostentatious. As we left the property, we stopped by the plant sale where Mary bought a pink canna that she will plant with the other cannas at our house.

Mary's seafood salad

We drove back to the AirBnB in Bonita Springs where we cleaned up and drove to the Fish House Restaurant. All the restaurants in the area were very busy and parking was difficult. We were fortunate to park at the auxiliary lot about a block from the Fish House. We got on the list for seating and were taken to our table after only about 20 minutes. Mark, Cindy and I had margaritas that were excellent as we waited for our meals. Mary had a Cobb salad with shrimp and I had the grouper basket. Everyone enjoyed the meal.

Mark, Mary & Cindy on the beach at sunset

After dinner we drove a short distance to a beach where we watched the sunset, which was very nice. We went back to the B&B to watch the Winter Olympics until we turned in early.

Tamiami Trail

We had a quick breakfast of cold cereal after our morning beverages and doing our morning language lessons. Traveling with Mark and Cindy is always a pleasure. We don't know anyone else who enjoys the same nerdy things that we like.  The four of us can have a great time looking for hours at a pond filled with birds, alligators, snakes and wildflowers.  We were in the car and headed for the Tamiami Trail by 8:00 AM on our way to the Everglades. As we drove east on the Tamiami Trail (Rt. 41) we saw a lot of wildlife along the way and even accidentally struck a black vulture that flew along the highway.

Baby alligators along the Shark Valley Trail

When we arrived at the Shark Valley Visitor Center in the Everglades we saw that it was fairly busy, but the day was nice and we were looking forward to walking along the trail and looking for wildlife. However we saw that there seemed to be fewer alligators and far fewer birds than we had seen in our previous visits to the area. Previously we had seen purple gallinules and many herons, egrets, and other wading birds along the trail. This time we only saw a few great blue herons and several alligators. A highlight of the visit was a few clutches of baby alligators near their mothers. There was even one baby alligator perched on its mother’s back. We took care not to get close to the baby alligators as we walked by.

Green heron in the Shark Valley area

Unlike previous years we only spent a little over an hour walking the Shark Valley Trail before returning to the visitor center. Had there been more birds and other wildlife, we would have spent most of the day there. After walking, we spent some time speaking with the rangers and volunteers in the visitor center regarding some birds we had seen as well as the fruit of a mahogany tree in the visitor center parking lot. As always, the staff and volunteers were very helpful and knowledgeable.

Alligator with a dog

We decided to slowly make our way West on the Tamiami Trail but stop at the other visitor centers in the Everglades. Our next stop was at the Oasis Visitor Center which includes a boardwalk that parallels a stream and always holds a lot of large alligators. We did not see many birds at this visitor center but there were a fair number of alligators although it seemed to be fewer than in previous years. We also saw a few of the armored catfish in the water. These catfish appear like the Plecostomus aquarium algae eating catfish. In some years the catfish were very plentiful but there didn't seem to be as many this year. We guessed that this was because of the strong cold weather that had hit most of Florida in early February. We still enjoyed looking at the alligators and appreciating the beautiful day. As we were preparing to leave the Oasis Visitor Center, we saw a large alligator swimming in the stream with something in its mouth that we presumed was a deer. However, as the alligator neared, we saw that it was a dog that was dead in the alligator's jaws. We did not see a collar on the dog or any indication that it had been someone's pet, so we presumed that it was a stray dog that the alligator had killed.

Alligator Alcatraz

As we drove West on the Tamiami Trail, we saw a sign for "Alligator Alcatraz", the location for housing criminal illegal immigrants until they could be returned to their home country. We pulled off Rt. 41 to take a snapshot of the sign and a law enforcement officer blasted a horn at us so we moved on.

Anhinga with a fish

After leaving the Oasis Visitor Center we drove to the HP Williams Roadside Park where we watched a few birds feeding then drove along the Turner River Road where we had seen numerous birds and other wildlife in previous years. As with the other stops we did not see as much wildlife as in previous years. We watched an anhinga spear a fish then turn it to swallow the catch. We did not stay long at this area but returned to the Tamiami Trail driving West. Our next stop was at the Nathaniel Reed Visitor Center in the Big Cypress National Park. From the deck behind the visitor center, we were pleased to see four manatees and several alligators. There were a number of visitors at the boardwalk, but it was not crowded and was a pleasant stop, but we did not stay long.

We continued West to the Marsh Trail of the 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge. After parking we walked out the trail toward the observation tower where we saw many more birds and other wildlife than we had at any other stop today. There were lots of wading birds in the shallow water and alligators cruising in the deeper areas.

Great blue heron with a fish

We were amused as a great blue heron tried to swallow a large fish as it sat along the edge of the water. The heroin with the fish caught the attention of an alligator that came under the heron in the water and waited for the bird to drop the fish. The heron and the alligator stared at each other for a long time while the bird attempted to swallow the fish. When the heron dropped the fish into the water it wisely chose to not go any closer to retrieve the fish but stared at the alligator for quite a while. We walked up the steps to observation tower where we used our binoculars to observe even more wading birds. We agreed that this was the best stop of the day where we saw the most wildlife.

Mark enjoying his meal at Lapa's Bistro

We returned to the B&B to freshen up for dinner. Mary remembered Lapa’s Costa Rican Bistro in a nearby strip mall from our previous visit to Sarasota. We were seated near where we were on our previous visit and were amused by three men talking loudly and bragging on their business successes. I had a chicken tostada meal that included black beans and rice, tostones and pico de gallo. Mary had La Gallina, which is a sandwich of chicken and black beans. Everyone enjoyed their meals and Cindy took part of her rice meal back to the B&B for breakfast tomorrow.

Because we were tired, we turned in early and looked forward to going to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in the morning.

Sarasota, Florida

I woke around 5:00, did my language lessons, made morning beverages then we started getting ready to leave for the Gulf Coast. Most things had been packed in Mark’s Dodge Ram pickup last night, but we loaded the cold items and food items into the truck then took the dogs for a morning walk and left for our drive south.

Robinson Nature Preserve

After driving south on I-75 for about two hours we arrived at Robinson Nature Preserve where we hiked, looked at birds and enjoyed the beautiful weather. By noon we were hungry for lunch, so we drove to Anna Maria Island. 

 Our friend, Steve Minor had recommended that we go to Coquina Beach on Anna Maria island. We enjoyed a picnic lunch of rice cakes and peanut butter and sat on the beach then walked along to the restaurant and rental area before getting in the car and driving to Sarasota. 

Ringling Winter Home

We went to Ca' d'Zan, thewinter home of the Ringling family where the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College was. We walked around the grounds after paying our entrance fee and looked at the well labeled plants and enjoyed the beautiful day we sat on the veranda behind the house and looked at birds flying over the water We especially enjoyed watching the osprey catching fish.

After leaving Sarasota and the Ringling family winter home, we made our way to the Airbnb in Bonita Springs. The three-bedroom house we had rented for the week was very nice in a good residential neighborhood. There were large TVs in the living room and every bedroom and the Internet was fast.

On the veranda of the Ringling house

For dinner we decided to go to JR’s Old Packinghouse in Sarasota. We had been there at least twice on previous trips to the area and found the food to be delicious and inexpensive. When we arrived at the restaurant we were seated quickly. The decor of the restaurant was not fancy or elegant but was very comfortable. We remembered that the Cuban sandwiches at this restaurant were very good and the portions were large. I had a Cuban sandwich and Mary had picadillo which is a Cuban dish consisting of spiced ground meat with rice. Mark and I had margaritas with our meal, which were also good. We got peanut butter pie to have back at the B&B.

After leaving the restaurant walked to the nearby beach for sunset then we returned to the B&B to watch the Olympics before retiring for the night.

Trimming the palm tree

Neither of us slept well last night although we really don’t know why. At 4 am, I thought Mary was reading since I saw the light on her phone come on and heard a beep like she had sent a text. It turns out that the light and beep were alerts from the security cameras signaling a possible person, but it was just the thick fog that covered the area. However, we were wide awake by then, so we used Zeam to watch the WKYT news from Lexington then did our morning language lessons while we had our morning hot beverages.

Once downstairs, we had Great Grains and Wheat Chex cold cereals and chatted with Mark and Cindy. We took the dogs on a longer walk through the neighborhood. There was a lot of standing water from last night’s heavy rain. Mark went across the street to meet the new neighbor and his wife who are from Washington state and will be using the house here in Homosassa as a vacation home until they retire.

We needed to clean the gutter on the front of the house since it overflowed during the rain last night. We also needed to trim the palm tree at the front of the house before the house is lifted. We suspect that much of the problem with clogged gutters comes from shed material from that palm tree. Since the palm fronds were very tough, we would need a chainsaw to remove them. Mark’s cordless Milwaukee chainsaw had finally quit working after years of hard use, so we ran into the nearby Ace Hardware to replace it.

Palm tree with "hurricane trim"

Back at the house, Mark and I took turns climbing the ladder up the tree and removing limbs. Here in Florida, that is called a “hurricane trim” since most of the fronds are removed reducing wind resistance and preventing as much damage during high velocity winds. It took a little over an hour to remove all but the top fronds so the palm tree shouldn’t be in the way of the house lift which everyone hopes will be very soon. The cut material for the tree is piled beside the garage. Because of the President’s Day holiday, the landfill isn’t open today, so we plan on loading it into the pickup truck and hauling it to the transfer station later this week.

Mark and I used the Milwaukee leaf blower to remove as much of the sawdust from each other as possible then came in for a lunch of deli turkey on sourdough with Ruffles potato chips and apples. After lunch, we watched the US women’s curling team lose badly to the last place Italian team in the 2026 Winter Olympics. We were disappointed that the team didn’t play well at all. Mary and Cindy met to make plans for our visit to the eastern Everglades area including Bonita Springs and Sarasota. There are several places in that area that we enjoy visiting.

In the afternoon we watched some of the Winter Olympics then enjoyed some tenderloin steaks that Mark fixed on the charcoal grill with roasted new potatoes and green beans. Everything was very good. After dinner we took the dogs on a short walk in the neighborhood, then Kenny and Jodie from across the street came over to play cards.

We turned in early because we knew we would want to leave early for our trip to the Everglades on the Gulf Coast.

Ellie Schiller Park and Three Sisters Springs

I woke up at 4 am and went into Cindy’s office to read and do my morning language lessons. Mary got up at 6 am and had tea as she read and caught up on what had happened in curling matches the night before at the Olympics.

Underwater viewing window at Ellie Schiller

Mark got up and made bacon, sourdough toast and omelets for breakfast. We took the dogs on a short walk around the neighborhood after breakfast. We could tell that both dogs are showing their age. Mark said that they can no longer tolerate a longer walk every day, so they do shorter walks every other day now.

We watched a little more of the Olympics on television then had a snack before going out. I got binoculars and a camera from our car then moved into the space under Jimmy’s house next door. We took Mark’s pickup and drove to Ellie Schiller State Park. The park sustained a lot of damage from Hurricane Helene in late 2024 and is still rebuilding some of the exhibits. The park was offering free admission today, so we walked around and looked at the exhibits. We especially enjoyed the underwater viewing in the clear natural spring where we saw snappers, snook, gar, needlefish and other native fish species. There were several alligators sunning themselves and a number of manatees in the warmer water of the springs.

Manatees at Three Sisters Springs

After leaving Ellie Schiller State Park, we drove the short distance to Crystal River where we visited Three Sisters Springs. We had never been to this park but had kayaked within a few feet of it on the Crystal River several times. The National Park pass got us in the park half price and, as local residents, Whittingtons got an additional discount on admission. A boardwalk surrounds the spring where many manatees congregate to escape the cold water in the Gulf of Mexico. The crystal-clear water in the spring made the large manatees very visible and easy to photograph. Because it is a holiday weekend, the area had more visitors than a typical weekday might have but it didn’t seem crowded.

After watching the manatees, we walked a mile long trail around the park and back to the truck. We drove to Home Depot where we bought a 12-foot 4X4 to replace the support for the sign at the entrance to Standish Road.

Back at the house we had a lentil curry soup that was very good along with a Caesar salad followed by one of Cindy’s homemade walnut brownies. As we were cleaning up after dinner, Whittingtons neighbors, Kenny and Jodie from Minnesota came over to play cards. There was a heavy rain that produced 2 ½ inches of rain within a couple of hours. The heavy rain and thunder frightened the dogs who hid in the bedroom. Since I don’t usually play cards, I went up to our room to read and catch on this journal.

Leaving for Florida

After three weeks of terrible winter weather including snow, ice, wind and temperatures near zero we left home to spend a few weeks in Florida. While we were in the deep freeze, Floridians had temperatures at or below freezing for a few days and even a coating of snow in northern Florida.

We enjoy our Florida trips more than just the warmer weather. There are great places to hike, interesting plants and animals to see, beautiful landscapes, fishing and, best of all, hanging out with family. We are very fortunate that Mark and Cindy enjoy doing the same kinds that we like so we are very compatible travel companions.

We had loaded the car on Friday night packing not only clothes but a lot of gear including binoculars, electronics and some food. We only had to load frozen food into a cooler before leaving. We had set alarms for 4 am, hoping to leave by 4:30 but we were already awake before the alarm sounded allowing us to get on the road by our target of 4:30.

There was little traffic as we headed south on I 75. Traffic for the morning shift at Toyota usually starts around 5:30 am so we wanted to beat the traffic as we left Georgetown. We drove through darkness until we were nearly to the border with Tennessee. We stopped at the second Tennessee rest area on southbound I 75 where we got the sandwiches of deli turkey on homemade sourdough bread and snacked on Aldi pretzels. We ate as I drove continuing to make our way south.

Surprisingly, the drive through Atlanta wasn’t as bad as usual. Driving south on Saturday of a three-day weekend May be the reason. There was a lot of traffic, but we really didn’t slow down much at all. We gassed up just south of Atlanta and got the rest of the turkey on sourdough sandwiches then snacked on apples as we drove. By the time we were near the southern border on I -75, we were very thirsty and stopped at a Marathon station to get drinks. The station had the least expensive gas we had seen on the trip at $2.34 so we topped off the tank and got 36-ounce fountain drinks for $.99 each.

After crossing into Florida, we took the Williston exit and took Rt. 121 and made it to Mark and Cindy’s house in Homosassa around 5 pm. The drive took us just over 12 hours including all stops along the way. We were happy to see the Whittingtons as well as Sage and Jade. We unloaded the car into our second-floor bedroom and visited while we had fish tacos from some of the red drum that Mark had caught earlier in the week.

We watched a little of the Winter Olympics on Peacock TV then watched two episodes of Clarkson’s Farm on Prime TV. Since we had left home at 4:30 this morning we were tired and turned in at 9:30.

Returning home from Oregon

Whittington's House near Eugene, Oregon

We woke at 3:30 and dressed for the flight home. Robert was up and ready to leave for work as we were leaving at 4 am. Cindy took us on the 45 minute drive and dropped us off at the Eugene airport. We made it through security with no problems although I was pulled for a screening of electronics since I was carrying a laptop.

Our short flight from Eugene to Seattle didn’t take long and was smooth. There wasn’t an opportunity to gate check our carryon bags so we would carry them to Seattle then to Cincinnati airports. We had a couple of hours in Seattle so we picked up breakfast sandwiches from Wendy’s then a deli turkey sandwich from Pike and Pine to split. We would eat the sandwich for lunch during the flight from Seattle to Cincinnati. We were pleased to get exit row seats and there were only two seats in our row. The flight was a little late leaving since the water to the galley wasn’t working and took about 30 minutes to repair. Although the flight left late, we arrived in Cincinnati on time at 5:30 pm Eastern Time.

We called the Hilton to get the hotel shuttle as soon as we deplaned and were told that the van would arrive in 10-15 minutes. Mary called the hotel again after 6 pm to see when the van was to arrive. She was told that the van had just left for the 5 minute drive to the airport. The van eventually picked us up at 6:35. Needless to say, we planned to give the service a poor evaluation and no tip for the driver.

On the drive back to Georgetown, we stopped at Sam’s Club to buy a few of the Member’s Mark Southwest Salads and some fresh grapefruits, We ate the pizza combo from the snack bar in Sam’s then drove home where we unpacked, turned the water heater on and adjusted the heat.

As always, we enjoy spending time with the Whittingtons.  We all enjoy the same kinds of things: hiking, spending time outdoors, listening to music and enjoying each other's company.  We look forward to seeing them soon at their Florida home.

Working on the fence and programming the sauna

Mark & I started walking the dogs along the canal then turned around to cross the highway and return via Greenwood Road. Mary & Cindy had left later than us so they met us at the crossover to Greenwood Road.

When we returned to the house, Mary continued to remove English ivy and Asian blackberry plants from the edge of the back lawn going toward the McKenzie River. Mark & I moved the temporary fence to enlarge the area accessible to the dogs. Because the order of additional fence panels and posts had not yet arrived from Home Depot, the fence lacked three 8’ panels from being complete. The gate that was damaged in transport also needed to be replaced so part of the temporary fence remained in place. Mary had picked up some wood filler for me when she and Cindy were out yesterday afternoon, so I repaired the superficial damage to the right side of the sauna when the panel toppled during the assembly. We dug around the irrigation line that was damaged when we dug one of the postholes. We dug a trench under the gate to allow redirecting the line. Once we had the ditch dug and the lines cleaned, reconnecting the line was easy. Mark went to the shed and turned each irrigation line on to test for leaks and to help him identify which irrigation circuit fed which area with irrigation water.

Lunch was a sandwich of deli turkey on seed bread with potato chips and Kirkland dark chocolate almonds. Michael came by to visit and have lunch with us. It was good to see him doing well.

We positioned the latch on the gate that we installed earlier in the week and assured that the self-closing mechanism would lock the gate keeping the dogs from getting out. We helped Mary haul some of the cuttings away from the clearing work that she was doing. She had created a space outside the fence that would be an ideal site for a small vegetable garden that is within reach of their irrigation system.

We brought ladders and extension cords to the area outside the front door where Mary & Cindy strung three 90’ strands of white mini-LED lights in the shrubs along the walk. Mary & I worked to set up the controls for the sauna. We were able to get everything to work on using the touchscreen panel inside the sauna. However, it took some time to get Mark’s iPhone connected with Bluetooth to turn the sauna on and off, adjust the temperature and time and control the lights. We were eventually able to get his iPhone to send audio to the sound system inside the sauna. We believe that the major obstacle was my unfamiliarity with settings in the Apple operating system. We were pleased that Mark and completely control the sauna from their bedroom allowing him to get the sauna preheated before he goes out.

We were all filthy after working outside in the wet soil from last night’s shower so we bathed and did laundry before dinner. Mark grilled some wild caught halibut that was given to him by a friend who was fishing in Alaska. Robert came in as we were finishing dinner.

Since we had an early flight, we turned in early.

Assembling the sauna

We woke around 5 am this morning and did our morning language lessons and had our hot beverages. We took the dogs on a walk along the canal and met the project manager for the decommissioning of the EWEB (Eugene Water and Electric Board) canal. Jeremy told us that the EWEB property would be returned to a more natural state with a winding stream and gentle slopes. He was very pleasant and informative. After returning from our walk, Mark & I loaded a huge amount of cardboard (mostly from the sauna) for recycling as well as several bags of trash (mostly Styrofoam from the sauna) to take to the nearby transfer station. The older lady checking us into the transfer station was very friendly and helpful charging us $13 for our large load. Mary & Cindy worked on removing English ivy and Asian blackberries from the slope going to the McKenzie River,

Assembling the sauna

We continued on to Home Depot in Eugene to return the damaged fence gate. The person at the customer service desk told us that since the gate was part of a larger kit, we would have to return the entire order for exchange. Since most of the materials were already in the ground with concrete, that was impractical. However, Mark has an additional gate on order and the damaged gate could be exchanged using that order. While at Home Depot we got some Christmas lights for Cindy, a section of 1 inch PVC and fittings to repair the irrigation line that I cut into while digging a post hole. We also picked up a few pavers to place under and in front of the sauna. This would made a stable base for the structure.

We made a quick stop to pick up dry cleaning for Cindy then returned to the house for a lunch of turkey sandwiches and potato chips. After lunch Mary & Cindy went into Eugene to shop at Costco, Walmart and Albertsons. Cindy is hosting a holiday party on Saturday and needed to get supplies. She contracted a chef to come to the house and prepare beef wellington for the 8 people expected.

While the ladies were gone, Mark & I started assembling the sauna. It took over 30 minutes to place and level the five pavers under the sauna. Assembling the sauna was fairly easy attaching the four walls and roof to the base. Connecting the wiring between wall panels was straightforward. The only mishap was when attaching the right wall. In the process of lining this panel up, we inadvertently disconnected the left panel. While grabbing the left panel, the right panel fell to the ground sustaining some minor damage. Once both side panels were in place, the front panel with the door was attached and the roof was added the structure. We connected all of the wiring and added the door handles completing the build. Once the base was in place and level, the assembly took only 40 minutes. We blew leaves from the bigleaf maple tree off the driveway then came in to relax.

Ike's Pizza & Broasted Chicken

Mary & Cindy arrived around 5:30 with a large load of groceries and supplies from Costco, Walmart and Albertsons. After we helped them bring the supplies in, we went to dinner at a local favorite called Ike’s Pizza, known locally for their “broasted chicken” and potatoes. There were only two older ladies working and they appeared to be moving slowly. The menu in chalk above the counter amused us with the grammar and spelling errors including “potatoe” wedges, 4 “peices” of chicken and “Ceaser” salad. Everyone except me had the broasted chicken but I ordered a Canadian bacon and cheese sandwich. The chicken was fine but not exceptional. It was moist and tender but the coating seemed odd. Cindy ordered a to-go order of 4 piece chicken dinner for Robert. After we finished our meal, we waited for Robert’s dinner to come to our table. Around 7 pm, music started playing loudly and we asked the waitress about the meal. She told us that it was being held in a warming oven for us and that the restaurant closes at 7. The music is a signal for diners to leave.

Back at the house, we sampled some mixed drinks that Cindy would prepare for her guests on Sunday evening. She was wanting a tasty bourbon or gin based drink with a fall feel. I preferred the whiskey sour with a little apple but we all had varying recommendations. Robert came in from work and enjoyed his chicken followed by his usual large serving of popcorn as he watched television.

Hiking at Clear Lake in Willamette National Forest

After a breakfast of cold cereal, Mark and I drove into Eugene to pick up the Hosauna T-59C3 infrared outdoor sauna that we would assemble on Thursday. The sauna was in a large semi trailer that would be unable to get into their driveway or turn around to leave the house. Mark decided that it would be easier to pick the sauna up at the trucking company office so we drove into Eugene to get it. The man working at the freight company was very helpful and placed the three boxes containing the sauna into the pickup. The boxes were too wide to fit between the wheel wells so he put the boxes on four pallets and placed them into the pickup’s bed. The sauna weighed over 600 pounds and being raised made the load top heavy so we secured the load with rachet straps and started back east toward their house.

After arriving at Whittington’s house, we unloaded the boxes into a bay in the garage. We changed clothes for a trip to the Willamette National Forest where we planned to hike around Clear Lake, Since it was nearly 11 am by that time, we had an early lunch of rice cake and a yogurt parfait.

The drive to Clear Lake took over an hour northeast through the Willamette National Forest. We paid the $9 day use fee and took the path around the lake. As the name implies, the water in the lake is remarkably clear. The lake has a maximum depth of 170 feet and was created over 3000 years ago when a lava flow created a dam in the stream coming out of the mountains. As we walked along the five mile path around the lake, we went by the spring that is the origin of the McKenzie River lava fields and hemlock forests.

Sahalie Falls

After returning to the car, we drove down the McKenzie River to Sahalie Falls, a 120 foot waterfall in the McKenzie River. Sahalie Falls is the first in a series of three waterfalls and many rapids in the river within a short distance. The trail out to the falls from the parking area was short and provided great views of the falls.

After arriving back at the house, we had dinner of a Caesar salad and butternut squash soup that Mark made. I went upstairs to read but was asleep by 7:30. I woke around 10 pm, brushed teeth and went back to bed.

Working on the fence

I was awake especially early so I went out to the loft area between the two upstairs bedrooms and read then did my morning German lessons. After hearing Mary stirring, I went downstairs to make tea. After Mark and Cindy awoke, we had oats with raisins and nuts before taking the dogs on their morning walk. We walked downstream along the EWEB Canal then crossed Rt. 126, the McKenzie River Highway to Greenwood Drive parallel to the highway and along Greenwood Landing Park. There had been a light rain last night and we saw several banana slugs on the path along the river. I took a few snapshots of the slugs to send to Nicholas who seems amused by them.

Banana slug

After returning to the house, we went out to work on the fence. We put concrete in all of the postholes that had fence posts over to the break for the second gate. We used T posts placed at an angle to support the fence panels vertically straight while the concrete hardened. Mary and Cindy relocated some ferns and heather plants then worked on removing some of the English ivy on the bank leading to the McKenzie River.

While digging the posthole on this side of the property, we hit a few rocks that we had to remove before continuing. There were a lot of roots from the plantings along the property edge that we had to deal with. We used Mark’s cordless Milwaukee Sawzall to cut through the roots allowing us to get to our desired depth. Although we had used all of posts and panels that we had, we continued to dig the rest of the holes back around to the porch. When we started to install the second of three gates, we found that the gate had been badly damaged by the shipper so we sat it aside to return to Home Depot on Thursday.

We came in for a quick lunch of a salad of the leftover chicken and lettuce as well as potato chips and some of the Costco dark chocolate covered almonds.

Because we had a gap for the gate, we were unable to set additional posts in concrete. However, we could dig the postholes for all of the remaining posts and panels. In order to complete the fence, we figured that we would need an additional 4 panels and 6 posts as well as some hardware for connecting the panels to the posts. We would need six more bags of concrete and 2 bags of landscape stone. Mark placed an order with Home Depot for the remaining fence components to enclose the area that they wanted to use for the dogs. While digging a posthole, Mark cut into the coaxal cable running from the house to the satellite dish. We weren’t concerned about it since it is highly unlikely that they would go back to satellite television.

Dinner was enchiladas from the roast beef leftovers from Saturday’s dinner along with steamed broccoli. Mary & Cindy finished the 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle while Mark and I talked about plans for finishing the fence and assembling the sauna that we were to pick up tomorrow morning.

Walking along the EWEB Canal

As usual, we were up early. While the clock said 4:30, our brains told us that it was 7:30. Robert has Sunday and Monday off, so he slept in. After a breakfast of cold cereal, we took the dogs on the canal but this time south toward Greenwood Landing. We saw a number of waterfowl as we walked including mallards, buffleheads and mergansers. A home with several pens holding chickens, ducks and goats was to the west of the canal. The two large geese were especially noisy. As we walked, we saw a bald eagle fly over us and perch in a fir tree near the canal path.

When we returned to the house, we placed the post across from the gate allowing it to swing and strike in the latch. We continued digging more postholes along the edge of the area to be fenced. Each hole had to be at least 27 inches deep and spaced 8 feet apart for the steel fence panels. We placed the posts in the holes, attached the panels to the posts then put concrete around some of the posts allowing some to remain free until we got another gate installed going to the path to the McKenzie River. We stopped for a lunch of deli turkey sandwiches with potato chips. I had a parfait of blueberries and granola in Greek yogurt.

Mark and I programmed their garage door opener to work with the built-in openers with their Highlander and Dodge pickup. It was easy to program but both of us needed to press buttons on the opener as well as the cars.

We continued working through the afternoon digging more postholes and assembling fence panels until we quit around 5 pm to shower and relax. Mark grilled chicken breast strips that he had marinated then glazed with a savory Asian flavor. After dinner, Mark and I watched an episode of Justified on streaming television while Mary and Cindy continued to work on the puzzle.