RETURN TO OLEQUA HEIGHTS-WA; Castle Rock-WA

Before I went to bed this morning, a back tooth broke off 😳 - it was a capped tooth & apparently the post was weakened enough 🤦🏻‍♀️ .. that I was glad it came out, while I as still awake. I could have swallowed it in my sleep! So, I washed it up, wrapped in in plastic wrap, and stuck it in my purse: I'll call my dentist Monday morning to schedule an appointment. Meanwhile, I have to be careful what I eat: there's a hole in the back of my mouth now, and I don't want it to get infected.

This morning, while I was drinking my coffee & telling Holland about the tricky tooth; Holland listened … we discussed finances 💸 - then, he shut his laptop and said, "How about we take a drive to Olequa as soon as you finish your coffee and change out of your p.j.'s? 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 If you don't get out of this house for a bit - we're both gonna suffer the effects of cabin fever."

YES! 👏😁

The weather forecast was promising hot sunshine ☀️; that shot of Vitamin D, is what we both need, and it would feel good on our skin, too.

A road trip 🚘 … even a short one, with windows down and music filling the cab 🎶 would be most welcome; thank you, husband!

The fresh air 🌬️, the bright color pops 👀 of summer flower bursts, flitting butterflies 🦋, & the heady scent of warm resin wafting 👃 from the sighing 👂 towering evergreens is my idea of heaven on Earth.

Living in the moment & making memories 📸🦌 is always a win-win, as far as I am concerned.

I like that drive, and firing off a couple rounds once we get there, would do us both good.

Olequa Heights, Castle Rock-WA from Toutle River RV Resort, Castle Rock-WA~17 min (11 mi) via Old Pacific Hwy & Westside Hwy

Olequa Heights Road, Castle Rock-WA

Stop! Back up - I see 2 Deer!

I'm glad we came up here.

Watch out - they're darting right in front of us!

We reached the top of the steep Olequa terrain; the last time we were here together, was July 3rd, 2024 - we had been hunkered down in Woodland-WA, waiting for Independence to have some repairs done … & Holland brought me here for a fun, out-of-house, day.

This sight greets your eyes, as soon as you crest the hill … an "above the ranch overlook"; that is a view of Vader, in the distance.

This 2nd sight, makes my eyes happy~I love wild daises & foxgloves. I'm glad Holland brings me here.

We set up for success …

This afternoon, I traded Holland my wedding gift Taurus 9mm, for this lighter Taurus TX22.

Holland insists on ear protection. My 1st 3 shots were close to the bullseye - using only my right arm; then the sunshine blinded me!

Not bad … but no cigar, either.

I like the Taurus TX22 I was shooting today - so, I traded my wedding gift Taurus 9mm for it, & Holland wasn't offended: he could see that I was more comfortable with the 22 than I ever have been with the 9. The 9 is small, which is why it was mine … but it has a kick recoil, and the 22 is a smooth shot. The 22 smooth shot is easier on my wrist, and I'm not tensing for the snapping recoil sting. We're both happy with today's shooting & the handgun exchanges.

We were liking the sunshine. We were living our life in celebration of our National freedom ⚖️🏛️ of gun ownership. I was enjoying myself, Holland was encouraging & praising me - and happily satisfied that I can "hold down the fort" if need be: I basked in the glowing warmth of his compliments.

We try to get target shooting in at least once every 6 months:

July 5, 2023~A BANG OF A 4th OF JULY: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2023/07/a-bang-of-4th-of-july.html)

July 3, 2024~OLEQUA HEIGHTS-WA: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2024/07/olequa-heights-wa.html)

I think we missed last year because we were in a location & situations, that didn't allow for a trip into the forest.

But we made time to find the time, this year.

On another note - my workout today wasn't the norm - but it was still effective. And that's what matters:

Bodyweight Glute Stepup~In & out of Betsy several times, coming & going.

Clap Arm Extensions, while firing shots~I didn't count, but we were there at least an hour; steady shooting.

At least 20 minutes of walking … most of the hour was spent aiming & shooting.

Leaving Olequa Heights, I smiled seeing my handsome mountain off to the left of my sight - and topless Loowit, off to the right of my sight: and I thought to myself, what a wonderful Day is was to be alive.

Mt. Rainier seen from Olequa Heights.

Mt. St. Helens, seen from Olequa Heights.

If anything resonates with you this week, I hope it’s that you celebrate you and celebrate YOUR life. Just the fact that you wake up every morning and are able to breathe & enjoy precious unfolding moments in this incredible beautiful world … is something to celebrate. I know times in this era can be rough, but you’re here: and that’s worth celebrating.

Louis Armstrong - 'What A Wonderful World' Lyrics: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3yCcXgbKrE&list=RDA3yCcXgbKrE&start_radio=1)

Back home, we stopped at Burger King to grab an order of crown chicken nuggets, fries, and a soft ice-cream cone 🍗🍟🍦; then, once settled into our comfy home space, we both relaxed in our own ways - Holland vegging out with his YouTube video subscription updates 💻🎞️🎙️; me checking Blog & FB PM's 💻💬, and jotting down notations for tomorrows domestic duties that can't be avoided 📝

And picking out a new Clive Cussler Novel to begin. For me, there has always been something magical about getting lost in a good book 📖 and Clive's stories are always engaging. Some stories make me laugh, some make me cry, some are frustratingly mysterious, and some simply & quietly remind us who we are. Since being introduced to Clive somewhere around 2004, his storyline characters have become old friends I visit again and again - they bringing comfort, adventure, hope, and a little bit of wonder into my immediate space every time I turn a page. If you ask me, a cozy chair (or bed), a warm mug of cocoa, and a book filled with adventure in far flung places, is a pretty wonderful way to engage in a nighttime ritual 📚☕️

Starting a new read …

WESTSIDE WILD WOODS~Vader-WA

Today dawned with the promise of a beautiful day out-of-doors … so Holland took me to a place he has spent a majority of his time in the PNW, enjoying.

I always enjoy Nature Days :-)

I always enjoy making memories that include people I love.

Olequa-WA from Woodland-WA; 41 min (37.3 mi) via I-5 N and Westside Hwy

A new road = a new experience; I like that ;-)

The warmth of sunshine, the contented buzz and chatter of forest life; the smell of sun-kissed evergreens, drying grasses, flowers, and earthy scented dust motes.

I love being in the forest, even if the forest steals my breath every now and then :-)

Wild Daisies, Foxglove, and St. John’s Wort.

Up & up Betsy climbed as we moved further into the wild woods …

The ghostly 'Blue Moon' in today's beautiful blue sky, appeared to look transparent - it wasn't, but it did appear to look so.

The moon is an illuminating symbol of nighttime, so seeing it in the daytime sky is interesting - and weird, because the moon doesn’t create its own light; so, if we see it in the daytime, it can only be visible because light from the Sun is reflecting off of its surface as long as it’s in the right part of the sky.

This afternoon, the moon was in the right part of the sky ;-)

As well as seeing the moon … we also saw the Toutle Valley, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. St. Helens; off in varying distances.

We also saw deer tracks - and a mystery scratch mark.

Wild daisies, & fields of foxgloves, were everywhere: I like to see them both gently swaying in the gentle warm breeze.

The warm sunshine on our skin felt wonderful.

We could see Headquarters area - and Silver Lake, in Toutle-WA

Mt. Rainier in all his splendor.

Yesterday's rainfall created a tracks template - a set of overlapping mama white-tail deer hooves, & at least 1 fawn ;-)

Baby deer tracks; a newborn, possibly a month old.

Off to the left was a strange scratch mark …

A field of wild daisies looks like summer snowfall …

Mt. St. Helens shedding her gleaming winter mantle; on the way back down the incline.

A cool truck, back in Woodland-WA

The day started and ended on a perfect note :-)

This is a good Shabbat.