Chapter 244

Being cheapskates, when we needed to align my car we headed down to the school shop to do it ourselves. I haven't had a chance to experiment with the machine without interruption during the day so it was educational for me. After a steep learning curve on our new equipment,  we came to the conclusion it wasn't the alignment of the car that was the problem, but the front end workings that were completely worn out. Considering the car is 58 years old this really shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Bob ordered new parts and we spent a lively evening in the garage with Bob working on my car and me on my computer. He loves his new lift and sitting in a chair while working under a car is much easier on his back.

 After Bob put new parts in the front end, we went back to school to give alignment another try. Success! Now with new tires I should be set for another 58 years. As you can see, our equipment at the shop is much heartier than at home.

After we got home from the alignment, I took Nitro for a walk. I know this is only a weed in the crook of a tree, but I thought it was kinda cool.

Since Bob has the XKE all shined up, I'm going to post some more gratuitous shiny car photos for my dad. Although you can't see "degrees of shine" in photos, take my word for it, the final polish job Bob did on the Jag is AMAZING!

This is a reflection of me taking a picture on the nose of the car. It's almost like a mirror. 

Phase 2 of the new Auburn High School is almost completed. Classrooms are starting to look empty as teachers begin the process of packing up their rooms and moving their boxes to the gym for the summer. They will be able to move all their stuff to their new rooms after the end of July. The final Phase 3 will begin with destruction of the old building to be replaced by playing fields and parking lots. The new gym will also be built as well...attached right to our auto shop classroom. There will be no peace and quiet for Tanya next year.

We have not been to the cabin since we've been on baby watch but since she's not making any effort to get here we decided to make a dash to be sure the place is still in one piece. Lucky us. It was the Long Beach peninsula garage sale weekend. After 4 hours of trolling for signs and parking on the sides of the road with other inattentive drivers, we came home with our lone purchase...a replacement wallpaper/stained glass foil roller for $1.

During the course of our drive we found ourselves in some cranberry fields that are just starting to bloom. The cranberries look like the heather we have around here.

Here are the blooms that will become the cranberries next to your turkey at Thanksgiving:

After trolling the peninsula for deals we headed to the new brewery in town North Jetty Brewery, obviously named for the North Jetty that protects the mouth of the Columbia River from the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. Chris and Carissa will be glad to see that children are welcome until 6 p.m. so they won't miss out on the brewery action if they come visit. Oh, and they have free peanuts.

After a quick rest at the cabin, we grabbed our $30 Discovery Pass and went to check out North Head and Cape Disappointment Lighthouses. For the first few years we had the cabin, the lighthouses were regular stops. When the Discovery Pass was born, Bob went on strike and refused to buy one. Seeing that his one-man strike wasn't going to reform our government we finally bought a pass. Now the lighthouses are back on our entertainment list.

Some pictures of our sunset stroll at North Head Lighthouse:

There is a pretty little bay right below North Head Lighthouse. 

Although it looks picturesque to me, history has shown that it's not a good place to park your boat.

The fresh new plants are enjoyed by everyone including a cute little ladybug.

After we went to North Head, we went to Cape Disappointment State Park's Waikiki Beach to see Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse watches over the mouth of the Columbia River while sea lions play in the surf.

After Waikiki Beach, we walked down to the ocean to watch the sunset.