Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

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Astoria, Captain Flavel And Clouds

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Flavel House Museum, Astoria, Oregon

 

When the going gets tough, I leave town. During the crazy of the web site remodel, construction project and heat wave, a day trip to the coast seemed like the best course of action. My friend and I headed for Astoria for cool breezes, clouds, seafood and research.

We both have wanted to tour the Flavel House Museum for years and finally our timing was right. The Flavel House was finished in 1886 for Captain George Flavel, a mover and shaker in early Astoria.

Captain George Flavel of Astoria, Oregon.

Not only did Flavel see the coming shipping boom, his most impressive feat for me is being the father of the Columbia River Bar pilots. These men and women today continue his legacy of heroic measures to keep river traffic flowing across the Columbia River Bar, considered the most dangerous bar in the world.

Flavel did it with wooden ships, sail and row boats. Yowsa.

So working hard and smart his whole life, he had an 11,600 square foot home built for him and his wife, Mary, and daughters Nellie and Katie. His son, George Conrad Flavel, had married and did not live in the home.

 

The most amazing part of all Flavel’s accomplishments? He was regarded as a fair, good man by the community.  He was truly mourned when he died in 1893, after living seven years in his retirement home.

Music Room.

The house went on the National Register of Historic Places in 1951. The refurbishing of the home over the years has been nothing short of astounding. The additional Carriage House was built in 1887 and now holds the Visitor Center, gift shop, introductory video, and exhibits.

The home and Carriage House take up one whole city block. With a great river view of course.

The Library!! Be still my heart.

This grand old lady is well worth taking a visit to see. The fresh sea air, cool interior and fabulous food in town made for a great day getaway.

New favorite reading chair. Got to get me one of these.

I took more than one-hundred twenty photos and I could have taken more. I’m lazy so I take pictures of the placards so I can read them for in-depth research later.

Astoria is famous for movies being filmed there like “Kindergarten Cop,” “Short Circuit,” “Sometimes A Great Notion,” and of course “Goonies.”

But I think the star of the town is the Flavel House. She was there first and she’s the belle of the town.

For more information:  www.cumtux.org

Then finish your visit with a nice sit by the pond and watch the goldfish. Heaven.

Kick Up Your Heels!

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It’s been a lazy summer week, so I’ve been lazy. Think I’m still basking in the glow of finally getting the new web site up. It’s not done, but that hurdle is over. We all need to celebrate our successes.

I think that is exactly what baby Mountain Goat Parkour at the Oregon Zoo is doing. She’s learned how to climb and she keeps practicing. Mountain Goat cross training, for real.

Wish I had her energy!

Have a great safe, weekend and stay cool! Happy Quirky Friday!

Like Goats To The Lions!

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And on the twenty-eighth day, there was a new web site! Sweet jumping grapefruit it’s been a journey.  Since last we chatted, I had the blog moved to a new self-hosted web site, changed the design theme and all was right with the world. @#$%

Hopefully, my fabulous readers, you are still with me – they promised you would come with me. This is a test of that promise. Given my hate-hate relationship with tech and my fabulous Happiness Engineer, things were going well until they went sideways.

If you find broken links, I don’t have a clue how to fix them, but I will try. There will be more tweaks along the way, so buckle up. Next time I undertake this mission, I’m hiring Navy SEALs!

But back at the Oregon Zoo, goats Ruth and Sonia have been bravely going on their rounds. This one seemed so appropriate to re-christen the blog.

Hope you had a Happy Fourth of July! Have a great, safe, weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

 

Got Rocks To Climb?

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by Kimberly A. Cook

Been a busy week but I know I’ve accomplished a lot. From getting stuff out of the house and donated to attacking technology challenges, progress feels liberating. The projects continue, but I’m pretty proud of myself.

Learning new things is always good and this baby mountain goat at the Oregon Zoo is no exception. Climbing rocks is a new sport for him too. His celebration at the end of the video sums up my week. Rock on!

Have a great safe weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

Every Chicken Has A Back Story

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Now this would catch your eye and curiosity right? But it’s not too out of the norm here in Oregon. But I need to know this chicken’s back story. Stay tuned!

by Kimberly A. Cook

Bagged the bird! For those of you who thought I’d lost my mind last week, my poultry paparazzi patrol paid off. Did a quick recon before leaving for my fiction critique group last Saturday to see if the violin playing chicken was in attendance. No fowl. Dang it.

Got in the car and headed for my meeting. Ready to make a left turn and looking right, chicken ahoy! I ignored my left turn signal, and the car behind me, and turned right to get a quick chicken pic. Using my vast stealth abilities from the military, I parked a block away and then went chicken stalking. Got two pics. Here is the best one.

Now this fowl encounter has become a quest. I want to know the chicken’s back story. My journalistic roots are tingling. When did the chicken take violin lessons? Why here? Why now? Why the outfit? Does the chicken have a website? Do all chickens wear Birkenstocks? Or flip-flops? (I’d say thongs, but I don’t want to confuse people and I really don’t want to go there with this chicken.)

Saturday is the big Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade so we all know what that means, rain. Not sure the chicken will show if it doesn’t like to get wet. But I’m intent on getting an interview.

When writing fiction, the author always needs to know the back story of each character. Where do they come from? What happened to them to make them do what they do now? What is their biggest goal? Worst fear? In my fiction books I’m writing, there are quirky animals too. Of course. And like their human counterparts, they all have back stories which explain their motivations.

In “real” life and fiction, everybody’s story is important. We all matter. Our stories matter. What better life long pursuit than to fight for our own happy endings?

How do we do that? We find out each other’s back story. Don’t judge a book by its cover or a chicken by its violin.

Every chicken has a back story!

Baby Goats and a Porcupine?

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by Kimberly A. Cook

What could go wrong? The folks at the Oregon Zoo have been taking the kids for walks, goat kids, to get their exercise. One recent foray was to see the porcupine. The kids were very impressed. Stopped stock still for once.

The baby goat is Ruth, named for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and is definitely the more adventuresome of the pair, following in the footsteps of her namesake. Sonia is getting used to her long legs for rock climbing.

Have a great safe weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!