O Canada: The Calgary Tower

My parents, Elder and Sister Wangsgard (see below) are currently serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Calgary, Canada. They work in the mission office overseeing finances, correspondence, missionary apartments, and various other behind-the-scenes administrative tasks.

Unlike their younger single counterparts, senior missionary couples are allowed to have visitors (and even take a little time off) while on their mission. So, in August--before leaving White Salmon--we went north.  My brother Pete also planned his Canadian vacation for the same time we were there. (That's him, behind my mom.)

Our first official act of tourism was to go up the Calgary Tower. It's 1228 metres (that's Canadian for 4028 1/2 ft) above sea level and has the highest 360-degree observation deck in the world. It's about 626 feet above street level and was built in 1968 to celebrate Canada's centennial.

 

We had awesome views of Calgary and into the plains beyond the city. We were even able to spot the Calgary Temple which was under construction at the time and was dedicated just today.  Here's just one of the many shots Adah took of the view:

 

This is the Saddledome, the aptly named sports and entertainment arena that is home to several rodeo events during the famous Calgary Stampede. (I think my parents even got to go to one of them in July.)

 The coolest and freakiest part of the Tower is the portion of the observation deck that is a glass floor. Now, I'm not afraid of heights, but stepping out onto that window to the street below did take a bit of guts. These are Adah's feet:

 

And here I am floating above the city:

 

And my dad going full-on:

 

Here's the unobstructed view:

 

We spent quite awhile looking out the windows and enjoying the time to chat and stroll around and around the deck. Then, for some more round we went to Jelly Modern Doughnuts for delicious carrot cake, peanut butter cup, peach, s'more, and other awesomely unique donuts. I think somebody got a maple bacon one.

 

Adah's & Misty's Ride

Introducing, guest blogger Adah, who's going to tell us about her trail ride with Northwestern Lake Riding Stables in August:

I rode a horse named Misty. There was also a woman named Cheri on the ride and our guide. Misty is an appaloosa. I got to ride Misty for two hours. I got to go on a trail ride because my parents bought me a certificate at the school silent auction. I love horses! The shirt I was wearing had horses on it.

This is Misty and me taking a rest in the White Salmon Valley. We could see Mt. Hood from there.

 

 I took the picture below while I was riding Misty.

 

And here's Misty:

This a picture of Cheri, riding the white Arabian named Cody. He's really lazy. He likes to be slow.The guide was riding a horse named Jester.

 

Here is a beautiful view:

 

Here I am with Misty at the end of the ride. At the end of the 2-hour ride my legs were stiff and my butt hurt, but it was still awesome! When you go fast you have to bend your head low. Going fast is fun!

 

This is Daddy waiting for me when I came back.

I've been saving my money for another horse ride, and now I have enough! I'm hoping to go on another ride--at a stable in California--in November. I'll tell you about it another time.

Panther Creek Falls

While Damon was away for a job interview one weekend, I took the kids to see Panther Creek Falls.  This Saturday evening adventure can be chalked up to my desire to take in as much of the Gorge scenery as possible before our move. I had never even heard of Panther Creek Falls until about a week before we went there, but I knew that there were so many cool things to see and do in the Gorge that we had never before done, that I was keeping my ears and eyes open for new possibilities. Some friends of ours went camping near here and told me about it, so the children and I packed up a picnic and set off to find this spot a few miles north of Carson, WA.

The trail was a bit tricky to find from the parking lot--we overshot it--but once we found it, the falls were just a short way down a path carpeted with pine needles.

 

Pretty cool, huh?

 

The platform overlooking the falls was pretty high up, such that we were practically level with the top of the falls, and it was a loooong way down to the pool:

 

We ate our picnic on the platform, listening to the water roaring. We were lucky enough to have the whole place to ourselves. The only other visitors had returned to the parking lot just as we were arriving.

 

My only regret is that we didn't discover Panther Falls sooner so that we could have shown the place to Damon and have visited more than once. I bet it's beautiful now as all of the leaves are changing colors.

The Scenic Route

By July 21, we knew we were moving, we just didn't know where. Damon had had two job interviews, at companies in California and Massachusetts, and we were awaiting the formal offer from the second interview.  Knowing our time in the Gorge was growing short, there were some things I wanted to see and do before we left. So, on this sunny Saturday, we set off down the Columbia River (well--not literally; I suppose that made it sound like we were in a boat; we were traveling on I-84 next to the river) to see some amazing views and beautiful waterfalls.  As we drove, Damon and I made pro and con lists and ratings about the different moving options before us, but eventually we had to set that aside to look out the windows at the amazing beauty around us.

Our first stop was at Vista House. For years we drove through the Gorge past this 1917 structure sitting high above us atop Crown Point without ever stopping.  We were usually zipping by on the freeway, while this spot is on the Historic Columbia River Highway. We finally stopped sometime earlier this year, but it was closed for the season.  In July, though, it was open.

 

Really, though, you don't stop here for the building (unless you need the bathroom, of course). You stop here for the view:

 

In the photo above, Vista House is in front of us. The photo below is taken from the parking lot. If you click through to the Vista House link above you can see a photo of Vista House from a distance that really gives you a better idea of how high up it is.

 

Another parking lot shot (White Salmon is back behind Adah about 40 miles):

 

From Vista House, we continued down the Historic Columbia River Highway as it meandered through shadowy fern-draped forests full of big and small waterfalls.  Our next stop was at Shepperd's Dell (I promise that's spelled correctly). This is a small canyon with two waterfalls cascading down to Young's Creek and then into the Columbia River.  You can't really see much of the waterfall from the highway, but it was a very short jaunt down from the road.

 

We had just driven over this bridge, a 1914 engineering marvel during the highway's construction:

 

Our next, and final, stop was at Bridal Veil falls. Now, there are about half a dozen states with a Bridal Veil falls, so don't be surprised by the name. This one is unique because there's actually a tiny post office nearby that's famous for having wedding invitations shipped directly there so that couples can have the occasion-appropriate postmark on their envelopes.  We skipped the post office and made our way down to the falls.

More precisely...we made our way down to the pools at the bottom of the falls, where most of the family was content to stay and play.  

 

  

I eventually made my way past the pools and up the trail to a viewing platform where I could get a proper view of the cascading falls--and of my happy family below. 

 

Damon also took a turn looking at the falls, but I'm not sure that any of the children did. They were having too much fun climbing on and skipping rocks, trying to catch fish, and floating leaves and sticks. That's why it was our last stop. I had hoped to visit a few more waterfalls, but on such a lovely day, many of the parking lots were full, and we spent so much time at this spot, that by the time we pulled the children away we were quite content with our outing and happy to have seen more of the Gorge before having to leave it.

ZUCCHINI !!!

We grew zucchini every summer in White Salmon. Since I moved to California last month, I actually had to buy some zucchini. (Gasp!) I don't think I've done that for at least seven years. Truly. Once you've faced the July (and August and September) onslaught of these ever-producing squash, you're good for the rest of the year. You don't need to buy any imported zucchini at the supermarket in the off-season. 

Still, I welcome the onslaught. I've always said that I like to plant just enough zucchini that I feel a little overwhelmed. (Usually that means 3 plants.) Otherwise it just doesn't feel like zucchini season. Because, really, what says summer more than leaving anonymous bags of zucchini on your neighbor's porch or shoving foot-long squash into the unsuspecting arms of anyone who walks through your door? Nothing.

For me, the arrival of zucchini season means chocolate zucchini cake with peanut butter frosting. Oh yes. I make it with some of the very first zucchini off the plant. Damon says it's the best cake that I make. It is moist and rich and oh-so-delicious. You have to eat it with a glass of milk.

We also love penne with courgettes. Courgette is the French word for zucchini, and it's the word the British use for it. I have an English cookbook that has a delicious recipe calling for shredded zucchini to be sauteed with garlic and then mixed with cooked penne, eggs (that have been scrambled and then cook in the hot pasta), parmesan cheese, and fresh basil. Because we got the recipe in England, we feel bound to call our zucchini "courgette" when we make this recipe.

Let us also remember grilled zucchini, sauteed zucchini, zucchini casserole, zucchini bread, and zucchini waffles! Yes, folks. Throw some shredded zucchini in your waffle batter next time. You can reduce the liquid, and add a little cinnamon, too. I invented that one all by myself. Delicious.

We left behind our garden while it was still producing zucchini. I hope the neighbors have been picking it, as we told them they could. Otherwise I'm sure there are zucchini hiding under some leaves that are as big as pumpkins! 

Here's Holly! She finally got the zucchini in the right place.

And may I just say: Man those suckers got heavy! I had trouble keeping my grin. If I remember correctly, they weighed in at about 6 lbs. each!!



A Little Summer Sibling Time

Sure, my kids fight like most siblings. Sometimes it does feel like they do it more than not.  But, then we have those golden moments when everyone is happily getting along.  It often happens on Sundays, when we've been to church together and then avoided most types of screen time for the rest of the day. I should take note of that correlation more often.

One such Sunday this summer, the kids concocted a sleepover plan. They pushed together Holly's and Gunnar's little toddler beds and declared that ALL of them would be sleeping there together for the night. They proceeded to get in their jammies and have story time. Here, Gunnar is looking at Tails, Maggie is reading What's My Lunch to Holly, and Adah is writing in her journal.

I can't remember exactly what the course of events was following this moment, but I do know that the sleepover never happened. It was a warm night and really, Adah and Maggie are too tall for those beds. Damon and I knew it wasn't meant to be, but we let them keep it up as long as they could. The thought was sweet, at least. (It's even possible that they still had a sleepover together with some kids on the floor. I just can't remember.)

One of the fun parts of summer is that the kids can do things like this since bedtime rules can be a little more lax when it's not a school night.

Another fun part of summer: ice cream cones!! Last summer (2011) the local Hi-School Pharmacy added an outdoor ice cream counter. With about a half dozen flavors, low prices, and picnic tables out front, all within walking distance of our house, this was a simple way to get smiles from my kiddos on a summer afternoon. (Holly really did love her rainbow sherbet, even though she appears to be pouting in this photo.) I think Maggie was the only one who went for chocolate. That's my girl.

 

Facing Up to It

  

 

 

 

 

Aren't we radishing, er, ravishing?