Happy Campers

We went out into the Gorge again for a couple of days. Lot of times, if it is going to be raining in Portland, you'll have sunshine by the time you get to Hood River or The Dalles, you are in the Cascade rain shadow, and it might be windy, but mostly sunny.

First night out, we stopped in Hood River for a small concert at a fiddling contest. Saw a family of eight children play a raft of instruments -- fiddles, guitars, a cello, keyboards, bass, drums -- and the children ranging in age from twenty-two to nine. (Their two older siblings didn't make it.)

How you keep ten children busy, I guess. Obvious how mom and dad keep busy ...

It was great fun to watch them play. Ended their set with "Orange Blossom Special," of course.

Then there was a duet, two guys, both named "John," who played guitar and mandolin that was impressive. Guys were doing jazz riffs, pop, stuff from Cuba by way of Puerto Rico. Fantastic players.

Rained all night on us in Hood River, so we moved a little farther west on Saturday.

Did I mention we decided to take the cat with us, to see how he would do in the camper?

First night, he stayed mostly under the chairs. Second day, he slept for like thirteen hours in the litter box, which, fortunately, was clean. Couldn't get him to come out.

Last night, really rested after sleeping all day, he wanted to play all night long, and he can easily leap from the couch to the cab-over bed. After the eighth or tenth time he bounced across my belly, I thought seriously of opening a window and feeding him to the ground squirrels, of which there were many.

But -- he was just being a cat, doing cat stuff.

We'll know better next time ...

The picture above, which looks like snow, even though I shot it on May Day, is actually tufts from a shedding cottonwood tree -- you see why it is called that. Couldn't walk the dogs through it, it fluffed up and got them both to coughing and gagging.

But other than that, we had a fine time. Great to kick back in the camper and watch the river go by. Even the trains were far enough down the hill they didn't bother us.