Summer has Begun in Ashland

We returned from the coast via Eugene to help Jana prepare for listing their house. Jana & Paul want to move closer to their school since it takes most of the day taxi-ing the 3 kids to school functions & all at different times. . . Derrick has just lost his first tooth!!! and all were in prime shape! Ashland looked pretty good after the travel . . .especially since our friends at church invited us to an outing! It turns out that they plan to sell their prize 1953 Oldsmobile 88 and wanted us to join them. We ended up in Jacksonville, the prize old town in our valley. It was a fitting place to celebrate and show off this grand car. It's all original with actual 80,000 miles with a V-8 engine. Remember, the Olds had the first automatic transmission in 1940 called the Hydramatic. And to crown this occasion, it was a beautiful day at 75 degrees. We even ate outdoors! Now comes morel hunting, just around the corner.

Spring in Ashland

Yesterday, Sunday, March 28, 2010, Esther and I were helping serve a breakfast at church. A friend came into the kitchen and showed us a mushroom he had just picked in the wood chips next to the sanctuary!!!! He thought he recognized it but felt it was unsafe to eat since he didn't find it in the woods!!! Several of us were ready to dive into the trash can and immediately began quizzing him on where he found it? He was bewildered at our intense interest and quickly surrendered it to me. . .simply because I made the biggest fuss! It is Spring in Ashland and the flowering trees and flowers are wonderful!! We hope this find is a sign of things to come as we prepare to venture into the high ground for more morels!

Wedding Bells in Texas

Roly & Candy's daughter, Holly, was engaged at Christmas and since then, Holly & Joe have made wedding plans for Saturday, July 17, 2010! Presently they are looking to purchase a house in Corsicana, Texas. Holly has her hands full, teaching full time and preparing for the big day to take place in LasVegas, Nevada. Holly will be sending complete information. CONGRATULATIONS, Holly & Joe!!!

Amanda's Softball

Lori, Bob & Amanda in Ashland at her senior softball awards game. Just received a note from her at California State University with the following Web Site. They have posted each player with their biography. Amanda noted that she can hardly believe she qualified for their team as a beginning freshman, it's a dream come true!!! We'll be watching as she works into a starting position! She's majoring in marine biology.

www.otterathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=1100&path=softball

Click on the colored print above to see Amanda's bio. You can also get her softball schedule and scores at this Web Site. I also just learned that their team is ranked 18th in the nation!!! Currently their record is 10-2 and are tied with Sonoma to lead their league!

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

About a month ago, high gusty winds bombarded Ashland for several days! One storm after another damaged trees, roofs and fences! Our original fence posts were about gone and were finished with the winds. In light of nature's rampage around the world, this damage was very trivial but needed to be taken care of. And it requires dealing with another owner who lives in California and rents the house to college students. Getting estimates and approval to go ahead was quite easy and the fence guys were great to work with! We even baby sat for one of the workers who was a new Christian and excited with his new discoveries. I loaned his our copy of C.S. Lewis' book, Mere Christianity, a great book from one of the great thinkers of the 20th century. Today, the fence is now better than when we moved here, with only a little staining remaining!

A Bunch of Birthdays!!!

Jaime, Holly and Sheila Freed started Birthday realities for 2010! And Lori Freed's birthday turned into a surprise in Ashland at a local favorite Mexican restaurant. You can always check the calendar to see how old she is now but it has been several years now since her big 5oth! It was a fun evening with several surprise friends showing up to celebrate with us. One week later, Adam had his big 16th Birthday and ready for his driver's license! He enjoyed his new phone with his friends since starting school along with Grandma's special Afghan! Congratulations to all for another year of surprises ahead. Birthdays are a reminder that your all special with unique abilities to encourage and bless.

Ashland Basketball

Last evening, Esther and I attended the Ashland High School Jr. Varsity basketball game. Adam, Lori & Bobs Highschooler, is a regular on the team. It was to be a close game and was until the half. But something happened to the team and they came out fired up and built up a 30 point lead which held to the finish! It was exciting to see Adam and his team all fired up! Adam is number 30 and at times seems to be dancing with the opposition! He is very aggressive in his play and has to be careful with fouls but defensively, he has turned into a powerful presence on the court. Next year as a Junior, he'll move up to varsity. It's amazing to see him and all his friends maturing into 6 foot men!