I’m always on the lookout for a good book, and you can’t beat the Vancouver Community Library sales for great books and even greater prices; just $.50 for a book that would cost between $6 and $10 at a store. While I was informed that the Three Creeks Community Library, located at 800-C NE Tenney Road adjacent to or in the Fred Meyer parking lot in northern Hazel Dell, plans their sales to last only one day, I have been to other libraries that make a whole weekend event out of their book sales.
Volunteer members of Friends of the Library at each location put on and staff the events using books donated by the public in a large range of categories. Some of the volunteers at the Three Creeks location are pictured below: They greet you when you get there and gladly take your money when you leave. Read the rest of Vancouver’s Three Creeks Library Book Sale »
OK, this isn’t really about Sonic, just that when I needed an ice cold drink after walking what felt like forever…there it was, on the horizon! Located at 192nd just south of Mill Plain, this new to Vancouver Sonic has two rows for carhop service and a nice covered outdoor area for people like me who either drove and parked elsewhere, or walked.
Did I mention I had never been to a Sonic before? They have two back-to-back order boards for walk-ins but no directions for how to order, or at least I thought I looked all over the board…even tried out the little credit card looking thing that said Sonic Card and had four touch pads with all the arrows pointing up. If I had looked a little closer, I would have noticed that there was a BIG red button that said something like “push this to order” right beneath that strange card slot. When I finally figured out how to give an order, they couldn’t understand my name…no I didn’t say “Mighty Mouse.” Read the rest of Sonic Vancouver! »
There are very few fruit and veggies being sold at the Washougal or Camas Farmers Market. While I wasn’t really looking for fruit and veggies myself, I talked a friend into going to Washougal and Camas instead of the Vancouver Farmers Market because I had been there just last week and wanted to experience something new.
Washougal’s Farmers Market, located at Reflection Plaza on Main Street & Pendleton Way from 9am – 3pm and runs through August 30th, had quite a few booths as they were gearing up for the second day of “Washougal Fest” and the Camas Farmers Market, found on NE Fifth Avenue between Birch and Cedar until October 4th, which is usually open from 9:00 - 1:00 was open a few hours later to take advantage of “Camas Days.” It seemed odd that both these events were taking place on the same weekend, though it was nice for us. Read the rest of Camas and Washougal Farmers Markets »
Years ago, when my son was little, I took him for a walk along the edge of Lacamas Lake, what a difference a few years has made! The walk is now over three miles long and there are quarter mile markers to let you know how many miles you have walked, jogged or biked. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
I had seen the park while driving by one day and decided it would be a good place to take Layla. I took a folding beach lounger and lunch, found a small three person covered table near the parking lot and the playground and set myself up for the rest of the day. It was very relaxing to sit in the shade, do a little reading and watch Layla play with another little girl. While it had been a really hot day, there was a little breeze blowing off the lake making it really comfortable. Read the rest of Camas Heritage Park »
At five, Layla’s napping days are pretty much over, but she fell asleep the other day after an outing and I pulled off to park in a wide space beside the road. I always try to have a book with me for times like this and had a nice 40 minutes to read before she woke up.
I write a genealogy newsletter and since we were sitting next to a cemetery I suggested we take a walk to see if there were any Howards buried there. This was the first time I have ever actually stopped at a cemetery to hunt Howards, though I have thought about it every time I have passed one. Read the rest of Ancestor Hunting at the Graveyard »
I saw the small sign “Earth Friendly Garden Tour” as I was driving down Evergreen Highway. I love to see what other people are doing with their yards, but I was on the wrong side of the street and I didn’t want to attempt a u-turn, so I kept going. I made it about half the way home before I talked myself into turning around and going back. I’m really glad I did.
The first thing I noticed on my way to the house were the huge cedar trees which, I found out later, were as much as 300 years old. They were part of the original land purchase of 180 acres in 1889 by Henry J. Biddle. Read the rest of Cascade Springs “Earth Friendly Garden Tour” »
What is the most exhilarating, exciting and fun thing to do in Vancouver for FREE?
RACE SAILBOATS!
If you spend any time at all on the river’s edge you’ll notice sailboats fiercely zigzagging up and down the river; one minute unfurling the wildly colorful spinnaker sails and the next madly stuffing the huge sail into the hull for the down wind leg. That is a sailboat race.
I took advantage of the website www.sailpdx.com to help me gain opportunities to get on a boat. I went to the “crew list form” and listed myself as a beginning sailor and received a few emails from skippers needing crew for racing. Keeping in mind that skippers are looking for committed crew I found out which day of the week the races were and how many weeks I needed to commit to. A series is typically five-six weeks long with four-five races. Read the rest of Sailing on the Columbia »
I’ve discovered that cloudy days are wonderful for a trip to Westfield Shoppingtown Vancouver with a very active child in tow. Of course, when I take her, I plan my time well. We start out with a walk around the top floor and another around the bottom floor. Located at 8700 NE Vancouver Mall Drive, this is an excellent place for those of you who are older or without someone to walk with to get your daily exercise. The Mall is very easy to get to from anywhere, just take I-5 to SR500 east, or 205 from SR500 west.
Our twice around the mall got cut short when Layla got hot and I said I would carry her sweater, bad idea. I lost it. We made a trip to the Information Desk but it had not been turned in, then or later.
The information desk is another great asset for harried mothers who have forgotten their strollers. It is located at the eastern end of the mall downstairs closest to JC Penney’s, and they have made the process of using their strollers quite easy and, best of all, free.
Read the rest of Hitting the mall on a cloudy day in Vancouver »
I was born and sort of raised just west of Astoria, Oregon. I have family who live there still and frequently pass through the town of Astoria but seldom stop. My whole life the town didn’t have a lot to offer passersby so it was not in my “places to stop and hang out” paradigm. Until now.
On my way to visit the grandparents just as I entered the city limits on Highway 30 I spotted a Rogue Brewery sign and arrow pointing me to a newly opened franchise of one of my favorite breweries. Surprised, hungry and curious I veered onto the road which lead over some train tracks and onto a huge wharf called Pier 39. There was indeed a Rogue Brewery as well as a charming array of offices, a coffee shop and a sail loft. I could smell the salty air and hear sea lions barking from under the wharf. Read the rest of Unique Ambience in Astoria, OR. »
I have traveled the world and walked many a beautiful beach but nothing has come close to the stunning and dramatic seascapes of the northern Oregon coast. From Vancouver these beaches are an easy day trip and hold an abundance of diversions in case you want to make it a weekend trip. There is a lot of coastline to choose from but one of my favorite day trips is to Cannon Beach, Oregon which is nestled just south of Tillamook Head where the historic Lewis and Clark trail picks up the coastline and some of the oldest trees resign.
My family keeps it simple with a good pair of walking shoes and a warm jacket for when the sun sets. The drive takes no more that a couple of hours one-way and we usually drive I-5 south to highway 26 east and follow it into Cannon Beach which is laid out in a simple strip along the ocean front in three patches. The town center is in the north-most “patch” while the other two are made up primarily of residences, hotels and condos. But this last trip I discovered the less visited southern areas of the town possess special spots not to be missed. Read the rest of Tide Pooling and Café Hopping In Cannon Beach »
