Avast! We Celebrated Talk Like A Pirate Day RIGHT!

Auntie Kim heard that a tall ship would be stopping over on it's way to the Pirate Festival this weekend and giving tours. Their press release, and all the info as to when they were coming, hadn't been passed on to the people actually running the ship. So...we arrived expecting a 4 o'clock tour, but instead we got to watch the ship arrive and fire their cannons. Twice! Eddie hated that part. He didn't want to have any part of a boat that exploded.

Bayley liked guessing exactly where they'd dock, I think the adults in the crowd liked the photo op. Once they were ready we boarded the ship and got to take a look around. Bayley checked everything out, from the riggings on the back to the wheel and compass. I'm not sure why he is so interested in pirate ship compasses...

Hayden liked going below decks, so he could take his shoes off and lay down in one of the berths. Sorry to whomever sleeps there. The crew did a great presentation, explaining that cannons on boats are called guns and which kind of ammunition did what. They also explained about privateers and the War of 1812, so it was truly an educational experience. Score one for me on that!

Everything was great...until Bay got a HUGE sliver in his hand. We had to boogie out of there, quick. Uncle Russell made a valiant attempt to remove the splinter, but it wasn't budging. Anutie Kim and I tried tweezers, it only put him in agony...hey, that's what it looked like to me. So...we came home and Daddy worked his sliver removing magic. He's not as put of by screams as I am. That thing was a stick I tell you. It looked big, but that was just the end of it, the rest was really embedded!

Aquifer Adventure!

The local water bureau puts on a pirate adventure each year to sneakily educate kids about drinking water. They get to canoe through the Columbia Slough, looking for animals, rocks, and treasure. Next up are activities to teach them how rain water filters down through soil.

They explain to the kids the importance of not littering, paying attention to how much water you use, using non-hazardous household products, and planting native plants. Of course, naturalist Bayley was in his element. Hayden was much more about the pirates.

First Day of Preschool

A week after Bayley, Hayden started back at preschool. Most of the kids from last year are back, plus 12 new friends to make. All the new kids arrived early, as did we...so at first he thought none of his friends were coming! He relaxed once they started to file in...plus Miss Katie helped him out a bit. He loves her - she's also the mom to one of Bay's friends, so that helped!

First Day of 1st Grade

With the whirlwind August we had, September sprang upon us. We didn't get to meet Bayley's new teacher before the big day, so I was a bit apprehensive. But, just like his kindergarten teacher promised, she was perfect. Bayley likes that she is pretty and wears different clothes every day. High praise.

He's excited to find out what the field trip will be, to have PE twice a week, to eat lunch in the cafeteria, and to raise tadpoles! He likes sitting at his table where there is no one behind him to bother him, and sitting with Tyler, his friend from kindergarten.

More next week when Busy Bees pre-school starts. In the meantime, Hayden and I are enjoying one-on-one time. We even went to the zoo!

Elynor Pritchard Bayley (1927-2007)

Elynor went home to be with the Lord on August 27, 2007 after a tedious battle with Alzheimers. She was born in Santa Ana, California. During her childhood her family moved often, drawing Ely closer to her three sisters. Ely felt blessed to be born into such a loving and close-knit family who nurtured her love of gardening and art.

Ely attended art college, and while she loved her studies, she missed her family. When it got to be too much she called home. Her mother said she needed to finish out the time she signed up for. Elynor took matters into her own hands...asking that Daddy be put on the phone. He picked her up a few hours later.

Back at home a young man who worked at her fathers gas station caught her eye. Elynor and Chuck were married in 1947 in Reno, Nevada. They raised three children in San Jose, California; Mark, Steven, and Kathryn. In 1977 Chuck 'retired' and bought a cattle ranch in Eagle Point, Oregon. Elynor worked as a telephone operator in California and transferred to Oregon.

Elynor was grateful her sons and their wives also moved to Southern Oregon, keeping her grandchildren close. Elynor loved babies, and was delighted when she became known as 'the twins' grandma. Dedicated to Eastwood Baptist, her church family of thirty years, Ely loved the life she created in Oregon.

The church and her grandchildren became especially important after Chuck passed. Ely depended on her church community, her sisters, and her family to keep her spirits high. Weekly Bible studies and doughnut dates became the norm. She was ecstatic when her life entered a new stage, that of great grandmother to what became a brood of five boisterous children.


Elynor was laid to rest on Wednesday, surrounded by as much of her precious family as possible. She was thoughtful enough to leave hints as to what she wanted and pre-plan as much as possible, including selecting the hymns, writing a prayer, and requesting turquoise carnations. True to herself until the end. We love and miss you.

http://www.legacy.com/MailTribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=93500312