7/16/2009 We Don't Ever Want to Eat Again!

Bob and Dan got up and out to go fishing but before we knew they were back. Turns out the seas were so rough that it was thought better to stay on dry land today. What a disappointment that was for Bob.

It was a pretty lazy day all around. It seems the five of us just laid around, watched TV, got some computer time checking emails and the such.

Bob wasn't feeling 100% late this afternoon so he opted to stay home instead of going to the local senior center for the dinner they put on for the community every Thursday evening.

So the four of us took off in Dan's truck and in no time at all pulled into the parking lot of the Anchor Point Senior Center.

For dinner we had a salad bar, a large homemade biscuit covered with turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, macaroni salad, Jello w/fruit and for dessert a choice of homemade blueberry pie or sweet potato pie. All this for the sum of $10.00. Was it ever good! If the truth be told, all four of us made complete pigs of ourselves. You never heard so many groans of "I'm stuffed" and "Oh, I ate too much" and "Oh why did I have that pie and the ever popular "I ate so much I'm uncomfortable". Darn those senior center cooks for being so good at their job! Its their fault we kept shoveling in,,,yeah, its their fault!

Every one was given a ticket for a chance to win one of four door prizes and I'm sorry to say that no one in our group walked away with a prize. Not a one of us even came close to the 50-50 drawing winning number either.

For their fundraiser this year they are raffling off a 2 + ounce of gold.

This nugget was taken out of a local mine about 30 years ago and the mine owner has donated it for the fundraiser. It has a value of about $6,000.00. I was surprised at how heavy it was. I was also surprised at the shape of it. I guess I never gave gold much thought because when I think of gold I picture that shiny gold bar in my mind's eye, never in the raw state like here.

Dinner done, we waddled out to the truck and Dan decided to take us for a ride in search of eagles. We headed towards the coastline and on one of the roads we came across these very old buildings.

Can you imagine how many stories these walls could tell? Can you imagine how many "you shoulda seen the one that got away" stories these wall have heard???

I wonder who built these? I wonder who lived here and died here?

We looked inside and found the ladder that takes one to the loft.

It was while Dan and I were looking inside this building that Lin and Darlene went nuts in the truck trying to get our attention. It seems that while we were paying attention to what was in front of us we should have been paying attention to what was going on above us. It seems a bald eagle had swooped low right over us and we missed it. The girls couldn't believe we didn't hear the "whoosh" of its wings. They said it was just mere feet above us. The perfect eagle picture and I'm looking at old wooden ladder. Sheesh! We did see it sitting on a tree top just over the roof line.

We went down on the beach again. Remember I told you yesterday that Bob and I wouldn't attempt a particularly steep hill going to the beach? Well, here it is. Can you just picture what your cabinets would like after going up or down on this?

This is a homemade vehicle for taking boats and trailers to the water and out again.

That eagle had taken flight again.

It seemed that eagles were coming out of the woodwork. Everywhere we looked we saw them. Sitting in trees, flying high above the bluff, flying just over the water.... (Look at right side of pic, just above gulls at the water edge)

Even the seagulls want to soar with the eagles.

At one point, we were back up off the beach and Dan saw an eagle sitting in the tree next to the road. Dan was not going to rest until I could get a good shot at one. He was determined! So him and I get out of the truck and Dan tries to throw a couple of rocks to scare the eagle into flight. I think Dan miscalculated the height of said tree. I'm sure the eagle just smirked at him and looked away. Dan then tried blowing the horn hoping to scare the eagle. Uh-uh, didn't faze the bird a bit. Then Dan got the idea that maybe he should simulate what he wants the eagle to do in hopes the eagle would follow suit. Now picture this. A grown man, running down a dirt road flapping his arms pretending they are wings. Personally, I'm glad the eagle didn't take flight because I was laughing so hard I couldn't hold the camera still anyway. I think that Lin and Darlene were laughing so hard and so loud that the eagle was probably afraid to leave its safe perch.

Finally, when Dan all but threw his arms up in a gesture of defeat, darn if that bird didn't take off! Do I need to tell you that us girls laughed all the harder? I'm sorry, but I had to go through a lot to get these pictures, you have no idea how hard it was to watch Dan go through all he did to make that eagle fly, so you are just have to endure picture after picture of a flying eagle. And wouldn't you know once this eagle took off it just kept circling us. I think it was in spite towards Dan if you ask me.

Then darn if the clouds didn't seem to magically disappear and the blue sky came through once again as this eagle did its acrobatic maneuvers for us.

You know, when I watch this symbol of our country soar through the sky, and that's what an eagle does, it doesn't merely fly, it SOARS, I have a such a feeling of pride and security and loyalty all rolled into one. A feeling that as long as the eagle flies, no matter what diversity our country faces, we're going to be ok, we'll come through it. So FLY, EAGLE, FLY!

One more pass past the beach and we saw the sun shimmering on the water this way.

On the way out we passed this fellow camping by himself and we couldn't help but notice that this EAGLE he had. Dan grabbed the camera and Darlene got out of the truck to play.

Darlene, Bird Handler.

Eagle stands on Darlene's head.

.....and we laughed.