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On September, Pears And Alpacas

September 1, 2015 By Kimberly A. Cook 1 Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

On this first day of September it’s fun to look forward to the fruits of Fall. That’s what I do to distract myself from the coming shorter days when the sun retreats to Bermuda and we get longer nights and shorter light. That rhymes!

Alpacas, sun and a pasture with a view. What more could you ask for?
Alpacas, sun and a pasture with a view. What more could you ask for?

Part of this ritual included escaping the storm we had over the weekend and venturing off to Hood River last Sunday. The promise of sun peeking out after the wind and rain squalls had us driving out-of-town up the Columbia River Gorge, one of my favorite spots in Oregon.

First was lunch at the Sixth Avenue Bistro for the famous Walnut and Pear Salad; which I have threatened to lick the plate to get all the maple vinaigrette. Then on to Packer Orchards and Bakery to the Cookie Bar and picking up some pears and jams and a cookie, of course.

Then the highlight, baby alpacas and yarn at Foothills Yarn & Fiber! Since getting to the alpacas is quite easy with a right turn right after the Cookie Bar, it’s the perfect expedition. The baby alpacas were four to six weeks old and had already been shorn of their coats.

We watched the babies lie in the sun, chase squirrels and chew grass.

Summertime and the liv'in is easy. I'm sure this little guy is singing that song in the sun.
Summertime and the liv’in is easy. I’m sure this little guy is singing that song in the sun.

A fabulous outing! A thorough recon of the yarn shop turned up two skeins of alpaca yarn I had to have, plus a backup pair of my favorite cold weather alpaca boot socks. I use them as slippers. Toasty toes this winter.

Pear a palooza! Are these ripe and ready or what?
Pear a palooza! Are these ripe and ready or what?

On the trek back down to Highway 35 I stopped to take some quick photos of the laden pear trees ready to drop their beautiful bounty.

September is pear month and harvest time in Hood River, so we might have to come back. There are some new hard ciders I need to try to support the local economy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I’m telling you, this harvest season shopping is a great way to enjoy Fall! It might become my new fav season yet. Fresh pears anyone?

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: alpaca yarn, alpacas, Columbia Gorge, day trips, Hood River Oregon, Kimberly A Cook, Oregon, pears, Warrior Tales

PDX Carpet Selfies And Parade Hijinks!

June 9, 2015 By Kimberly A. Cook Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

It is definitely catch-up time. So many fun things have been happening! Our favorite airport carpet was featured as the Grand Marshall at the Portland Rose Festival Starlight Parade. “PeeDee” rode in a fabulous red Cadillac and made quite the entrance.

PDX carpet shoe and toe selfie arriving home from Maui!
PDX carpet shoes and toes selfie arriving home from Maui!

Since we are ga-ga over our old teal carpet currently being replaced by new green carpet we haven’t bonded with yet, there is an entire industry of shoes, ties, mugs, you name it with the old carpet pattern. Even the pace truck for Saturday’s Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade was wrapped in the pattern.

SO, of course you can imagine that I had a shoe selfie taken when we arrived back from Maui last month, so here is my photo complete with sparkly toes! This is not considered odd behavior by the way, shoe selfies with the old PDX carpet is the thing to do here while we all race to get pics taken before all the carpet is replaced.

Worthy of a “Portlandia” episode, we love our old carpet and it has risen to great heights; including a limited edition shoe from Trailblazer Damian Lillard. Only in Oregon, I guess. We take Keep Portland Weird to the MAX (Also the name of our lightrail train).

It was a very hot and toasty weekend and yesterday hit 91 degrees, so even though you might think the hot weather explains all the PDX carpet-mania, it doesn’t. I think what it really explains is that I was born in the right city, Quirky Portland, Oregon.  Because if everybody is a little odd, we all fit in!

P.S. I just registered to get in line for some used PDX airport carpet. Keep your fingers crossed!

www.pdxcarpetstore.com

www.twitter.com/pdxcarpet

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: amwriting, creativity, Kimberly A Cook, PDX, PDX Carpet, PeeDee, Portland Rose Festival, Starlight parade, travel, Warrior Tales, writers

Have You Checked Out A Local Historical Society?

September 23, 2014 By Kimberly A. Cook 2 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook                  (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

The only thing I like better than going on vacation to Maui is to do book research while there. My passion for hunting the quirky was indulged this past week while on the beautiful Valley Isle, even though Mother Nature provided a heat wave too.

The Maui Historical Society has a list of their archive items online on their website. I checked it out a couple of months ago while getting ready for the trip. I spied a group of documents titled World War II and a gem about one Navy ship. Decided I had to check out the file.

Bailey House Museum of the Maui Historical Society in Wailuku.
Bailey House Museum of the Maui Historical Society in Wailuku.

Called the Society when we arrived and made an appointment later in the week to review the file plus two others. Can’t wait to tell you about those gems later this Fall. (I keep saying Fall because I’m not ready for it.)

I felt so official, having my appointment, my notepad and camera along. They provided white cotton gloves to view the items, so not only did I feel like Mickey Mouse, but I was in hog heaven for a good hour. Paid for copies to be made of the items I wanted to take home. Took some non-flash photos of others.

Discovered a gem in the file about the Navy ship and some hand written letters which related to it too. Score! To me there is nothing like original research and archival documents. In this age of digital everything, for me there is true romance in touching paper other human hands used to write letters and communicate.

In the Museum basement reviewing archive documents with my fabulous white gloves. Hair explained by heat wave.
In the Museum basement reviewing archive documents with my fabulous white gloves. Hair explained by heat wave.

Call me old school, but it really gives you a feel for the person and the times when you can touch the photos, see the loops of their hand writing and bond with history.

If you have a certain area of interest, genre or passion, check it out at your local historical society. You may be excited with new inspiration and support the local keepers of the past. It’s a win for everyone!

Are you a history detective? Explore your local historical societies and museums today.

www.mauimuseum.org

 

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Bailey House Museum, history, Maui, Maui Historical Society, military, Navy, Research, romance writers, World War II, Writing

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