Blades and Motors

Home Depot came out on Tuesday and quoted a price of $3,500 for a new air conditioner, we knew it would be expensive, but the price Was so shocking that it drove Paul to take action. If it had been me I would have been depressed but I would have meekly accepted Home Depot's quote. Anyway Paul took our shattered blade to a Warehouse the only sells to dealers and was able to get a new blade. One of the new scopie types that are more effective than the old ones. He paid $53.00 for the blade. They had an extra that was suppose to have gone to another unit that had not been picked up.
That did not completely solve the problem so he made a phone call to a company that repairs air conditioners, they came out and said it was the motor, but the guy called the same warehouse where we got the blade and gave them his license number. It cost $60 to have him come out and give the warehouse his license number and another $60 for the new motor. So we paid $173.00 instead of $3,500. It may not be as effective as the new air conditioner, but it would have taken a long time to recoup the $3,327 difference. Paul also clean out the unit. I guess there was a lot of debris in the unit. So far it is a lot quieter than before and it is turning it self off and on periodically, like it is suppose to. Before it ran all the time. We are hopeful it will last another year, or two.

Air Conditioner

Our air conditioner died over the weekend and we have been so miserable. Paul is meeting with Home Depot this morning, We know it will be expensive but we can not shop around for better pricing because we can't stand the heat. Debbie L got a new cat and I was going to post a picture, but I forgot the USB wire.

Picnicking alongside Lolo Creek

I have been thinking I should post a couple of pictures of our trip before we got to Portland. They were on the camera I left with Paul so I had to wait until he got home to post.

The first two pictures are of us camping in Lolo National forest which is about 30 miles west of Missoula. Paul told me he though it was the prettiest were had ever been. I didn't say so, but I had a hard time seeing the forest through the lodge poles.

I suppose if you view the lodge poles from a certain angle they are attractive and that is what my next picture is. Then there is a picture of us picnicking along the road side.






The next day we traveled through Idaho and Western Washington. Western Washington looked like the back side of the moon, unfortunately I did not take any pictures, but it would have been hard to capture the desolation of the landscape.

I did take a picture of the wind turbines in eastern Oregon and it kinda shows the desolation, it the same kind of landscape only with windmills.

Then I have a picture of Mt. Hood, this picture was taken about 25 miles from Mt. Hood (in the Dalles).

To my way of thinking Western Oregon is a lot prettier than the Missoula area, but I am not sure I could stand all the rain and rain is the price you pay for green.
Anyway, I have a picture of what it looked like from our campsite in Ainsworth state park.

We have been staying at Ainsworth since we started vacationing in Oregon. Because it is ususally our first stop, we kinda feel the first night at Ainsworth is when the vacation really starts.

The next picture was taken on the road to Portland. Ainsworth is a good 20 miles the Gresham, but we went into town everyday and the trip never got old. This is also the route to Brandy's dog park in the metro Portland area.

The last pictures are of a fish hatchery that we like to stop and visit simply because the gardens are so pretty. The first one is of Paul and Brandy and then one of me and Brandy.


Paul has a hard time not shaking when he takes a picture so I kinda look fuzzy. As you can see I need to get back on the dieting wagon. Now that I have a new camera I don't have to depend on Paul to take my picture.

Giardia

I called in sick yesterday because Brandy threw up twice on Sunday and had really bad breathe I wasn't sure how sick she was but, I ended up taking her to the Vet. They tested her for Pancreatitis, Giardia, Heartworm and some other test that I don't remember. Turns out she has Giardia, which is a parasite that attaches to the intestines and makes disgestion difficult. The first sign is suppose to be diarrhea, Brandy did not have diarrhea. I know this because while we were waiting for lab results I decided to her take outside to the lot across the street so she could run around. She poop on the Clinic sidewalk leading to the lot. They gave her a anti bacteria shot in the office and a set of two different kinds of medication. After she came home she threw up, again and then slept the rest of the day. Brandy is being very spoiled right now because the Vet said to only fed her chicken breast and rice for seven days. Brandy develop a taste for that right a way, and it will be hard when we switch her to kibble.

I can remember when employers use to give you a hard time for calling in because of a sick child and now I am taking a PTO day for a sick dog!

On a different note, I am glad you listen to the video I posted, but it is a parody of Katy Perry's "California Gurls" and it is alot funny after you see the original.

Colorado Girls

No much to write about, so I am just posting a link to a U Tube video, that you will both probably disapprove of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYGpelWYFx0

Happy to go, Happy to be Home

Debbie came over every couple of days while we were gone and water the lawn and the veggie garden. The grass is still have a hard time surviving, in fact I got a case of "grass envy" while I was on the Gone.
The Pacific NW is so green and the grass is so soft. All I could think about the day I got back was the green plush grass I will probably nevery have. On the other hand the garden did great without me.

I the first shot is of the raspberries, that did not grow that much, but they use to be a pale green and new they are a much richer green. The second picture is the tomatoe plant, which went amok while we were gone and the last shot is the basil, as if I can eat that much basil!.

Sandy Delta

This year we finally found a Dog Park that is close to where we like to camp on the gorge. I had search the web before we left and found the Sandy Delta, I just didn't realize how close it was to us and it was on our way in to Walmart and we go to Walmaort almost every single day when we go camping (we have decide we are really city folk who think we like the county). Last year we even went to the dog shelter and asked if there was a dog park near by, they had no resources for dog parks, but they were kind enough to try to find one on the internet, the one they found was not close to the camping spot and it was realy just an open lot with no fences.


Anyway the web side description is much better than anything I can add and it says,

The Sandy River Delta is by far the largest of Portland's off-leash areas, and a treasure for dog owners that love to run, hike, or just wander aimlessly with their pooch. The "Delta" comprises 1400 acres of wilderness trails, nestled between I-84, the Sandy River, and the Columbia River. The majority of the miles of trails within the park are officially designated as off-leash. The main exception to the off-leash rule is the Confluence Trail, which runs from the parking area to the bird viewing area on the Columbia. On this trail, your dogs must be leashed. Many of the trails lead to either the Sandy River or the Columbia River, so it's a great place to take your pooch to swim on summer days. The hike from the parking area to the rivers can be several miles, so be sure to bring along water just in case. The park is immense, will a plethora of wide open fields for stellar games of fetch. Bring your binoculars and camera, as the park is great for shutter bugs and birders. The park has recently been given a major overhaul, and now includes substantial parking, toilets, dog bag stations, and several garbage cans near the parking area. There is no running water in the park, so bring your own.

It nice to have a dog you can take places and get a little exercise. At the begining of our trip we spent a night in a camp spot outside of Missoula and then another three days in one of our favorite State parks in Oregon called Ainsworth State park which is discribe as: Nestled in the awe-inspiring Columbia River Gorge, Ainsworth is equal parts waterfall wonderland, hiker's playground and camper's delight. I may or may not post pictures when Paul brings his camera back to Aurora.