Where it all began... Dear "Scrunch", I was wondering, will you marry me? Love, "Free"

Saturday, January 19th, 2008... Rockaway, Oregon.

Yesterday, it rained again, so we did a little more shopping and then we went to a movie. We had dinner at "Pier 101" at the recommendation of the locals and it did not disappoint us. They had some of the best seafood that we have had in a long time... I think it rivals "Ship Inn" in Astoria.

During the night, neither one of us felt too good... we decided it was the popcorn we ate at the theater.

Today, we had to head home, but we took our time!

After spending a couple hours in an Antique Mall (we bought a "Pixie Kitchen" placemat), we decided we would try to straighten out the warp in the space-time continuum that moved the Pacific Sands Resort... we traveled to Rockaway Beach to see if Camp Magruder was still there...

It not only was there, it was virtually unchanged and very well taken care of, we were pleased to discover! This is where Deb and I basically met and fell in love... we were outdoor school counselors for Oak Grove Elementary in the Fall of our Senior year (September 1973).

I was the counselor for some boys that were from broken homes (rare in those days). They were supposed to write a letter home to get into the mess hall for dinner. They did not want to write home... So I told them if they would write home, I would write to "Scrunch" (Deb's camp name). The boys immediately started taunting me saying, "you're in love... you're going to get married"... I said that is not a bad idea and together we crafted a proposal letter... At dinner, we were first to the mess hall before Scrunch's cabin... I handed the letter to her as she entered the mess hall... all of her little girls were giggling as they realized what was happening.

The boys and I sat with bated breath as we waited for her to open the letter... I figured I had just made the biggest blunder of my life but there was a small possibility it just might work (I had never even been on a date with her!)

She opened the letter... I don't even remember breathing... she read it... I waited for her reaction... she folded the letter as all of the girls and all of the boys waited for her answer... what happened next was one of the most magical moments of my life... she sent the cutest wink and a smile my way that said "Yes" all over it!

The rest is history, as they say... One year to the day, I proposed again for real (actually, I was dead serious the first time) and we were married on January 11th, 1975. Every one of those kids came to our wedding too! Here we are 33 years later...

The trip was not without its bumps... but I could not have found a more fantastic, amazing, sweet, beautiful, loving, did I say amazing, wife and best friend!

These are the very doors through which the girls from from Pines and the boys from Herron Cabin passed on that special day!

I don't know if it has any connection, but there is a new building here since we were here... called Edwards Lodge.... Hmmm.

To finish off this leg of our journey, we ate dinner at Camp 18... one of our favorite spots... it doesn't get any better than this!

Well, it is time for another pit stop... I think we will be travelling to Utah again soon for our Grand-daughter's birthday... if Deb ever gets through all of the Ward Conferences!

Scotty and Deb.

Another Gorgeous Day At The Beach... Did we miss a season?

Thursday, January 17th, 2008 - Pacific City

Yesterday was cold and rainy again, so we spent the day at the Tanzer Outlet Mall in Lincoln City. Deb founds some cute clothes and I found some goodies in Le Gourmet Chef and the Tool Outlet!

Today, it is sunny and clear again... even better than Tuesday because there is no wind!

We decided to go back down to Pacific City. We parked the Mini at Bob Straub (remember him) state park and headed out onto the beach. Deb wore a coat and I just wore my long-sleeved shirt... I was perfectly comfortable all day... it was like a day in September!

We took some more photos of Haystack Rock...

Deb is coming back from a little excursion to read the sign... you can drive on this beach south of this sign... we decided we would not take the Mini out because the sand was too soft getting down to the hard-packed beach... but we sure wanted to... kind of reminded us of our drive on the Bonneville Speedway!

Another shot looking north on a very pretty day!

I was wishing I could get this beautiful maple burl home... it would make a great table or something!

Once again, Deb has managed to shrink Haystack Rock... I don't know how she does that!

As we walked south along the beach, we met a foreign exchange student from the Czech Republic... he decided he wanted to come to the beach (he lives in Yakima, Wa.) and do a little surfing... I took a few photos of him and will be sending them to him so he can impress the girls back home!

He had to be cold without the complete wetsuit!

On the way back to the car Deb decided to "moon" me... she placed this nice full moon in the sky for me as we were leaving!

As we drove through Neskowin, we spotted this beatiful beaver pond along Highway 101... the reflections were awesome...

The source of the display...

After a great steak dinner at a local place, we retired for the night.

What beach is this and what have you done with our honeymoon suite?

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 - Lincoln City, Neskowin and Pacific City...

Today started out beautiful (but ended kinda creepy... more later). The sun was shining and the sky was clear...

We headed down to the beach right across from the motel in Lincoln City...

This beach is very unique... not the typical sandy beach, but lots of awesome rocks that are revealed at lower tides...

They are very pretty, especially when the surf pours over them... We were a little dissapointed that there was not more sealife in the tide pools that are created by the rocks... pretty much just sand today...

And there was plenty of surf punding away today!

It boggles my mind sometimes to think about how this landscape was created...

It is one of the prettiest beaches we have ever seen.

Deb had fun using her new Nikon D100 that she inherited at Christmas... she had so much fun taking photos on our Fall roadtrip (and she was good too), that I decided to give her her very own setup!

After leaving Lincoln City, we decided to head north for awhile and found this covered bridge... it is the oldest covered bridge in Oregon (though it was completely restored in 2001). It is actually quite a story of faith as to how it was saved from destruction and finally restored on this private property.

After the bridge, we drove to Pacific City and found the most wonderful beach. This is a shot of Haystack Rock (yes there are two Haystack Rocks... the other is up the coast a ways in Cannon Beach - a little more famous but quite a bit shorter).

Although, this one is not as tall as it looks :)

But Deb had some fun with it anyway!

OK, now the creepy part...

We decided to drive a little farther north to Neskowin... and try to find the motel where we spent our honeymoon (if you want to call one night at the beach and a trip to Pixie Kitchen a honeymoon... hey we didn't even know how poor we were!) Anyway, it took us awhile to find the place because the place has changed quite a bit in 33 years... the trees are lots bigger and now it is called the Pacific Sands RESORT. But that is not the really wierd part...

As got out to explore, we noticed that all of the rooms on the ground floor (Deb is standing on the patio of unit 13A where we stayed) were boarded up and there was a sign that said the building was unsafe to occupy... It did not take long to figure this one out...

Deb is standing about 15 feet out from the patio on a spot that used to be a nice gentle sloping beach extending out to the surf... now the beach is gone and the waves just crash against the rocks that have been placed there about 30 -40 feet below!

Unfortunately, the waves now breach the top of the rocks and are flooding the lower levels of the resort. It was and awesome sight to see and it made us feel like we were in the twilight zone... like somehow the place had been picked up and placed down in another part of the world... but this was the same place... just drastically changed!

You can see the mud that has been carried through the building and the breezeway in this shot. The caretaker came out when he saw us and told us that the ocean started reclaiming the beach about nine years ago but has gotten serious just recently... the government has sent experts to study the situation and try to determine what they can do about it... I bet the ocean wins!

We still cannot stop thinking about the change that has occurred here in just 30 years!

We did get to see another beautiful sunset tonight... something we did not see on our honeymoon due to the ferocious storm that was pounding the coast that night.

Pixie Kitchen is long gone (bummer) so we settled for some other local faire and went back to the motel to snuggle for the evening.

On The Road Again...

Monday, January 14, 2008 - Lincoln City, Oregon

We decided it was time to hit the road again to celebrate our 33rd Wedding Anniversary. We decided to go back to where it all started... The Oregon Coast... specifically, Rockaway Beach, Neskowin, Lincoln City and Newport.

We drove to Linclon City and checked into the Comfort Inn (a nice room with a fireplace and an in-room hot tub).

Then we drove to Newport to the Oregon Coast Aquarium...

We were hungry so we had a bite of lunch before we toured the Aquarium. I snapped this shot of Deb... she is soooo cute!

Then it was off to see the sea creatures...

First stop... the "touching pool". This is one of Deb's favorite things because you can touch everything and there is such a variety... from soft and squishy, to hard and prickly. I like the pool because of the kaleidescope of colors... a photographer's dream.

These jelly fish are so amazing... they are almost hypnotizing to watch... they are so delicate and intricate...

It is hard to believe that they are 98 percent water and they have no brain (so they claim... but I don't believe it... every creature has intelligence).

These tiny guys are a different brand... but just as pretty.

Speaking of little guys, I think I ate one of his brothers for dinner tonight!

But I would rather have eaten one of these monsters... A Japanese Spider Crab... That is not a tiny fish swimming in front of it!

These stars were just hanging around... they looked like they had faces.

Speaking of faces... here is that cute kid again!

After leaving the Aquarium, we drove back across the Newport Bay Bridge and down to the Yaquina Lighthouse. This is the view of the bridge as the sun was setting taken from the road on the north side of the harbor jetty going out to the lighthouse.

This is the lighthouse sitting up on the hill.

A fishing boat was coming back in across the bar after a day at sea...

There was a beautiful sunset as the skies began to clear after a day of rainy weather.

Another view of the sunset...

After watching the sunset, we ate Dinner at Georgie's Grill (one of our favorite places in Newport... the best clam chowder on the Oregon Coast... Yes, way better than Mo's), and the we headed back to the hotel to relax for the evening.

December 7th, 2007

Dear Friends, Today is a rough day for many Americans and Firefighters, even if you didn't realize it. While some others might barely remember why, we remember. If you were around on Dec. 7, 1941, you will definitely never forget what the date means and how it impacted our nation. Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Remembering the attack at Pearl Harbor is directly remembered by fewer each year...as the "greatest generation" continues to pass on. The attack on Pearl Harbor left a toll of 2,388 dead and 1,178 wounded...including Firefighters (read on)....and pushed the United States into World War II.

The next day, the following speech was given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt:

December 8th, 1941......

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Atoll.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.
..................................

It's 2007 and we are at war now as well. In WWII, it wasn't just the soldiers who went to war-EVERYONE got involved and made a difference to protect our Country-and defeat the enemies. Today we need to remember those who served, those who were lost and those who survived the attacks in 1941. We must keep their memory alive as a reminder that they paid the highest price for OUR freedom. We also must remember the young women and men who are serving overseas-today-right now as you read this stuff, they are serving you and I.

During the Pearl Harbor attack. 3 Engine Companies of the Honolulu (Hawaii) Fire Department, (Engines 1, 4, and 6) were dispatched to fight the fires caused by enemy attack. HFD Fire Captain John Carreira, Captain Thomas Macy and Hoseman Harry Pang all gave their lives in the Line of Duty. Six other Firefighters were wounded while fighting fires at Hickam Field: Fire Lt. Frederick Kealoha, Hosemen Moses Kililikani, John A. Gilman, Solomon Naauao, Patrick McCabe and George Correa. All of these Firefighters were awarded Purple Hearts and became the only civilian Firefighters in the U.S. to do so.

Freedom includes the right to feel what you wish regarding our current military deployment. But either way and no matter what, we must very aggressively and proactively protect our freedom from attacks by the known and unknown enemies. The enemies who plan and would love to take it away from us... and would do so in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, those who hate what we have, what we stand for, what we believe in and how we live as Americans, offer us no options.

Need a reminder? Go here...quickly:

http://www.fdnylodd.com/9-11-Never-Forget/Memorials/Blood-Of-Heroes.html

The following are some excellent links with video related to remembering December 7, 1941.

http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/

http://www.nps.gov/archive/usar/ExtendWeb1.html

A great man spoke today...

http://www.mittromney.com/

Please go to this site and listen to this speech (if you have not already heard it). This should be remembered as one of the greatest speeches of our time. Mitt Romney is a great man who will do a great service for our country if given that chance. He knows and understands the Constitution, which today hangs by a thread because of the secular influence on the Supreme Court and the skewed view of those in the black robes that seem all to ready to forget their charge of defending and interpreting this sacred document according to the intentions of our Founding Fathers, who wrote it 220 years ago.

The most important act our next president will do, regardless of who that person is, will be the appointment of justices to the Supreme Court for life terms. The following words of wisdom can be found in Laura Ingraham’s recent best seller, “Power to the People” ( a great book, by-the-way):

“Judge Bork said recently: “If the Democrats win in ’08, the Supreme Court is gone.” He is right. Nothing is more important to the court than electing presidents and senators who will nominate and confirm justices and judges who will practice judicial restraint, stay out of politics, and respect the role of the people in our democracy. During presidential and senate campaigns, look at what candidates have done and said in the past on judges. Demand to know what kind of persons they would appoint to the bench, if elected. As in, names. If they will not nominate justices like Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, and Alito, forget it. Don’t vote for them.”

Family and friends, I believe this presidential election is the most critical decision this nation has ever faced. I also believe that unless our president understands the role that God plays in the past and continued success of this great experiment, we stand a chance to lose it all. The Constitution was written for a God-fearing and moral people and will have no effect if these prerequisites are forgotten and lost. These convictions must start at the top with the most important political leader in the world, The President of the United States of America, elected by the most powerful force in the world, we, the people.

Once again, please take the time to listen to this speech and consider carefully your choice for President of the United States of America. It is time that we are once again served by a god-fearing leader of men rather than ruled by a man (or woman) beholding to the special interests of the ACLU and other anti-American, anti-Constitution, organizations of similar ilk.

Make your vote count.

Scotty