Salem Summer Jaunt
for the purpose of building a 'Catio'!
August 14-19
THURSDAY, August 14
Baker City to Salem via middle of state
355 miles
We leave High Country Lane around 9am, loaded in a scattered sort of way as we have to deliver Meals on Wheels first! Deliver communion bread to the church, then our meals (with a surprise that they are closed on Friday for meetings, so we have some frozen meals to deliver as well!) But...we are done by 10:45, gas up, mocha granita up with Backpack coupons, and we are on our way shortly after 11!
Rick drives the whole way. I get the first half of a NP camel done and entertain us both with a set of trivia cards (Sports and 50s-60s) that Rick found in the garage somewhere! Between the two of us, we scored about 50% of the time and sports was definitely better! The cards are dated 1984 so nothing current!
A half hour stop in Mount Vernon to discuss a prayer walk/labyrinth project with Mary Lou Welby for the backyard of the church. That church is struggling. A good stop and I’ll try to come up with some ideas.
Rest of drive smooth – so many areas of wildfire burns, but also gorgeous Ponderosa pine forests (east side) and Douglas fir (west side). We actually pass Jed going to volleyball as we head up the frontage road along the freeway in Salem. But no worries, we have the code to the front door and will make ourselves at home! A quick walk to stretch our legs and then a bite to eat. Reading, TV, and puzzles until Jed got home at 9:30 or so.
FRIDAY, August 15
Construction Begins!
Planting raspberry and strawberry plants, plus iris and lots of pruning for me! (After sitting in the papasan chair for two hours in the morning!) I was reminded of the need for gloves when pruning at Jed’s – thorns are everywhere! Blackberry bushes and roses mostly!
When Jed gets up he and Rick ponder the configuration of the ‘catio’ – a play space for Demos and Phobos attached to the office south window. A great deal of figuring to how to attach, size, materials (can we use some of the wood stacked on the side yard?) etc. A trip to Home Depot is in the works!
I help Rick ‘rip’ a handful of 2x6 boards that Jed has had stacked along the side of the house since he ripped off the back deck a year ago – they should work for the framework of the catio. Then while Rick spends the next hour or two sanding the boards, Jed and I head to Home Depot to pick up screws, stain and fun stuff. Also a jaunt to a grocery store for a few dinner purchases.
But alas, only an hour after Jed and I got back, work suspended as the rain began to fall! The only rain forecast for the weekend, however!
Phone call with Luke, and then I got started on our hodge podge stir fry dinner. Gotta use the veggies I brought from home, found some two year old ham in Jed’s freezer, plus a box of rice a roni dated from 2016! Put it all together with a little teriyaki sauce and it tasted pretty good!
Jed and I broke out his new game Leviathan for the evening. Took awhile to get through the instructions and then two hours to play! But a cooperative one, so always a plus in my book. And...at the last moment, we crushed all the crystals turning the bad guy monster into a good guy and won!!
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| Figuring things out at the office window... |
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| How will we attach to the wood border? |
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| In the meantime, Ginger plants the iris starts and... |
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| ...adds 10 more plants to the strawberry bed. |
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| Rick sands...and sands...and sands. But his rip and sand method probably saved Jed $100 worth of lumber! |
SATURDAY, August 16
Catio Work!
Another lazy morning as we wait for Jed to arise (10am!) – after a quick consult with him as to dinner plans, I take off for Safeway to pick up some chicken to go along with corn on the cob and broccoli. Whip up a couple loaves of artisan bread as well. Otherwise my accomplishments for the day are to caulk the holes in the guest bath shower, and pick up the rose clippings I cut yesterday (but needed Jed’s gloves to move to the green trash can.)
Rick and Jed, however, are busy measuring, cutting, screwing the framework for the space. Jed gets to use his tools to learn to toenail screws while Rick mostly offers advice and makes cuts! By mid afternoon they are ready to return to Home Depot (in our car this time) to purchase plywood, hinges, etc. Hopefully HD will cut the plywood for them so it will fit into the car! Otherwise I think Rick was planning to take Jed’s battery circular saw and cut it in the parking lot!
I get the chicken (surprise I bought leg quarters not breasts) into a pan to bake – we were going to BBQ the breasts, but alas...oops.
Guys come back from Home Depot with plywood (cut to size!) and 2x4 inch wire fencing plus other supplies! Get to work cutting the plywood to fit around the pillars and finishing the framework.
Haven’t heard back from Liz yet re plans to get together tomorrow night.
A great chicken/corn on the cob/broccoli dinner and then another round of Leviathan – we took it to the wire, but WON! (Did the Bull one!)
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| The goal was to attach top and bottom to existing wood and NOT make any holes in the vinyl siding! |
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| Jed uses the level to make sure things are straight! |
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| Quick shot out office window as I finished up with the guest bath caulking. |
SUNDAY, August 17
Catio Work and Liz visit!
I call Liz in the am and we firm up the plans for the evening. Take some time to mix up the vinegar Jed purchased yesterday and kill some weeds by the garbage cans and along the sidewalk. No sprayer so I used an old wine bottle I found in the glass recycling!
In the meantime, we are ready to stain stain stain!! Two coats are needed on everything, but we only manage to get one coat on, before realizing that we should have bought two quarts instead of one (or get the gallon as it wasn’t much more than the price of two quarts!) Jed and I went back to HD and picked up the extra quart as well as some more screws, etc. We clean up around 3:30 to be ready to meet Liz, Dave, Doug, and Tom at Don Froylon Creamery just south of Jed’s place. Dinner together and then back to the house to see what Jed has accomplished on the house, eat a little ice cream, and then play a few rounds of 5 person Spite and Malice (a very different game with that many!) Tom hadn’t played before but he caught on and won one of the rounds!
Jed heads outside after everyone leaves to use the lingering daylight to get a coat of stain on the door Rick fashioned and on the last boards he installed on the framework.
Ashamed to find I only took two pictures today and NONE of Liz and family visit!
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| Framework is in, ready for floor and fencing. |
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| Time for a rest! |
MONDAY, August 18
Catio is finished!
Once again I arise circa 6:30 and play on computer, etc. I do dress and head outside to get a second coat of stain on all the framework and the door. Rick begins working on the fencing material, figuring out size and how to cut to take advantage of the roll. We have plenty!! Morning then spent hammering in the fencing to the framework, while Rick begins figuring out the cat entry passage out to the catio. I pause a few times to fix some turkey soup in the crockpot for dinner (leftover from Thanksgiving 2023!) adding some of the veggies I don’t want to take home!
We are done by 3pm – the ramp to the window, the pet door installed to a sheet of wood in the window. I quickly slap a first coat of stain on the ramp and the wood panel, as well as a second coat on the inside of the door to the catio itself (the man door...you gotta stoop way down!)
Jed then leaves for an initial practice with the fall women’s VB team at Willamette. He’ll go directly to his city league volleyball matches afterwards. Rick and I relax for a bit, eat our turkey soup dinner, and then head to WinCo for a major shopping trip! But first a final visit to Home Depot for a few more supplies! We get out of Winco for under $300!! Barely!
We rearrange our groceries in the RAV – it will be a FULL CAR going home! And then head down to south part of Salem to the Community Center to watch a little volleyball. Tonight is 6 ‘man’ coed and Jed’s team is on the ‘top court’ – they win in 2, but the second game is a come from behind victory. Jed had the winning spike to win the first game and some crucial serves in the second, which they ended up winning 26-24. Fun to watch. We left after the first match as Jed’s team was due to ref for a round, and then play one more match. I was impressed with the quality of play.
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| Beginning the process of hammer stapling in the wire fencing. |
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| A little harder to attach the 'ceiling' from the inside! |
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| Moving the floor into place. |
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| 'Don't fence me in!' Those are my feet on the inside. My job was to put pressure against the boards while Jed hammered in the staples. |
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| Figuring the cat door and panel to insert into the window. |
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| The finished product - Jed will add the various shelves and 'fun' stuff on the inside. |
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| The cat door and ramp, after I put a coat of stain on the wood. |
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| A winning spike (photo taken off a video) |
TUESDAY, August 19
Home to Baker City!
355 miles
We are up and ready to roll by 8:10am. Jed gets up to say goodbye and then heads back to bed! A quick stop for gas at the ARCO and a coffee and we take the freeway south to Hwy 22 and our route up over the Cascades!
Rick drives the first portion of the drive to Prineville. I take the time to get the other half of the camel stitched so I can put it all together when we get home! I then drive to Clyde Holiday State Park just outside of John Day. Smooth sailing all the way and only a few short stops for road work. The last hour of the drive I entertain Rick once again with our Sports Trivia questions – it doesn’t help pass the time of day!
Into Baker City to pick up our mail and then to Albertsons to grab some of the steelhead that is on special. No luck – they are out, so I get my rain check! (Later note – able to pick it up on Thursday! A good deal at 5.99 lb!)
We are home by 3:45 and quickly unload our very full car! Everything seems to have traveled just fine!
I visit the garden after unpacking and find a wealth of green beans, over 40 lemon cucumbers, just a couple squash, the tomatoes ripening, and lots of raspberries!! Plus it is time to get those beets out of the ground!
A good trip!
(and once again, no photos enroute home!)
