Greetings from Ontario (no not Canada!)

I was born in Salem, OR, but I grew up in Ontario, Oregon. It is almost 400 miles from Portland, but only about 40 miles from Boise, Idaho and in a different time zone than the rest of the state. To quote Luke Skywalker:

If you are looking for the bright center of the universe, you are on the planet farthest from.

I am currently “on vacation”with the family at the in-laws farm in Ontario where the dial-up Internet is currently blazing at 29.1 kbps! So far, “vacation” has included:

• Catching ewes for ear-tags
  • I’m not much for farm-work. While I did grow up here, I was a town kid. There is a distinct difference between the town and farm kids. But, I do have pictures of my wife doing this.
• Reading (Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward)
  • I picked up the Woodward Trilogy (Bush at War, Plan of Attack and State of Denial) for $1 each!
• My wife and I “sleeping” on a double bed
  • This detail was much worse when I had the extra poundage. It’s still uncomfortable, but it makes us appreciate the king sized bed waiting for us at home.
• The Boy is sick
  • Fever, croaky voice, mucus, the whole works. But as per usual, you can’t hold him down to recuperate.
• A trip to the Zoo in Boise with The Wifes’ sisters and their families. (6 adults, 17 kids)
  • Plus, drenching rain! I love my nieces and nephews, I would gladly trade my surly pre-teens for some of the cute ones. We had a great time in spite of the rain. I have always loved the Boise Zoo. If you ever get a chance to go, its one of the best I’ve ever been to. If you are keeping up with the drama that is my family, not only were my surly pre-teens involved in this wet cavalcade, we added the surly pre-teen cousins! Wheeeee! That meant FIVE pre-teen girls (one is actually 14, she became the ring-leader)! All rolling eyes and clicking their tongues at their parental or uncle/aunt figures for our collective brain damage. We had also planned a stop at the Idaho Historical Museum, if we had thought to look at the website we would have learned that its closed on Monday’s.
• Chuck E. Cheese in Boise (same crew)
  • Yes, it was as FUN as it sounds! Our 17 kids, mixed with 1,485 other kids in a pedophile paradise.

We return to Pendleton on Wednesday, before that we have a trip to Jo-ann’s for fabric (you can never have too much fabric!) and an appointment with the local hair stylist. When I say WE, I mean, The Wife. Let me know and I will send you a post-card from this little slice of heaven.

Stop… I can feel the envy radiating through the screen