Heceta Beach

[drbobshields]

We were in Aurora, Oregon about 30 miles south of Portland for a month. It was a backup location when we were denied entrance, due to Covid-19 restrictions, to the park in Portland where we had reservations. While there we found, and bought, a little house in Canby, OR that was affordable and new. It's on just enough land for me to grow a bed of

Comments

[cw_lw]

Wow, how life can change! From Texas doctor to tomato farmer in Oregon. Right now we are baking in a typical Texas summer and you are probably wearing a coat - can we switch for 3 months?

That house sounds like the perfect situation; a home base when you want or need it and close to the kids. We are very happy for you.

[njpacheco]

So happy to hear from you guys and know you are still safely touring the country! Congrats on the new home too! I just feel better knowing you now have a stationary home base (guess its the mom in me!) I hope your mother is doing well! All the parents we have left is Marks 87 year old father and he's still driving and bowling 3 times a week so he's going strong!

We've both been working from home (I had already moved my office home about a year ago so I was ahead of the curve). We've spent the Covid months at home getting home projects and renovations done in anticipation of Marks retirement in 2 years....can't be soon enough! We're ready for the doctors to find a cure so we can travel to the wine country again. But until then, we will live vicariously through you guys so keep in touch and stay safe!

Nancy

[drbobshields]

Actually, we're in McKinney right now because my mother just passed away. Getting all of the executor stuff done along with getting the small amount of personal effects we had in storage ready to ship to Oregon. I'm also getting my colonoscopy and upper endoscopy while here. Joy!!!

[njpacheco]

Oh so sorry for your loss!
Its always hard to loose a parent even though we think we are prepared for it.
But a colonoscopy is not my idea of a good time!
Travel safely!

[barefoot_cello]

Hi there! Congrats on the new digs! Would love to see a picture or two. Regarding tomatoes, there is a hilarious story in James Herriot’s All Creatures Great & Small books about a couple who grew tomatoes and had a goat. The husband was immensely proud of the tomatoes and regularly counted them.294. And one day the goat got out and ate them all. And the leaves. And the stalks. To the bare ground. What a hilarious story. You should look up those books, they are incredibly joyful.
Meanwhile, following Trump’s medical Situation, I was delighted to find that his personal physician is an osteopath! And he’s just a kid too. I was wondering how likely it was that he benefited from your mentorship, and for his sake I hope it is very likely.
Cheers!

[drbobshields]

I, too, have a story about tomatoes. I had a vegetable garden in my back yard for 42 years. Tomatoes were always the core vegetable because I love nothing more than a tomato that’s been allowed to ripen to a dark red on the vine and then consumed without ever seeing the inside of a refrigerator. I had to go to extraordinary lengths to keep the mockingbirds from pecking them to oblivion by putting up bird netting. Even then they would sometimes actually burrow underneath the netting to get to them. One year I was watching them ripen to the perfect point before harvesting when one day I went out and the netting was torn and all of the most ripe tomatoes were gone! This happened several times over the subsequent days until I was certain that some neighborhood scofflaw kids had been raiding my garden

[barefoot_cello]

I always had you pegged for an animal lover. That’s a great story. If you haven’t already, I do hope you’ll look up the James Herriot books. They are the joyful and true stories of an English vet.
We had an Asian pear tree and a peach tree in the yard, and I loved eating peaches off the tree on a warm Clear day, when they were a bit warm from the sun. We also had a persimmon tree, but I never got fond of persimmons... of well.

[ext_5618104]

Hi Doc

Good to see that you are still traveling this great country of ours and that you STILL have an eye for wonderful scenery in your photos!

Sorry to hear about your moms passing, it’s really never easy losing a parent

Take care