Been About A Month Since We Left Portland

April 15, 2008 Hard to believe it has only been about one month and a couple days since we left Portland. Seems quite a bit longer. Deb was actually in Portland for a couple days last week and Don is in Portland right now. Both visits have been for work. Deb will be in The Dalles next week.

Overall things have gone quite well. Despite unseasonably cold weather this spring we have done well living in the barn. Our spirits are good and we make fun of some of the things we have experienced. We laugh when we say “How many people we know can say that their bedroom is actually colder than the inside of their refrigerator?” The work transition has been smooth. It seems odd to have to drive to work since we both have walked to work for the last 10 years. It’s only a 25 minute drive for each of us and the ride is very nice for Don (scenic with only one stop light), and Deb’s is ok - mostly a short drive on I-5 and then a short drive in the big city of Mount Vernon..... not.

We are most pleased with the progress on the house. Everything is still on schedule/budget and it looks great. We lucked out on the weather when we did the excavation. Although it rained some it never got to the “muck hole” stage that would have been a mess and more expensive. Essentially, we are now out of the dirt and rain really can’t hold us up too much. And, the drier and warmer months are coming which will only help more. Life in Bow has also been about what we expected, although it seems to be even nicer. The wildlife on the property is constant. Everytime we go out of the barn there is something to watch and listen to. We have seen deer, bald eagles, rabbits, squirrels, chipmonks, pileated woodpeckers, red breasted sapsuckers, wrens, kinglets, chickadees,

hawks, owls, etc. - all on our property. What a treat. The orchard has been the place to go to relax from the stress and excitement of work, building a house, living in the barn etc. We go there to just walk around and observe the fruit trees. For us, it is educational too. Changes everyday. The big difference is we can do this everyday instead of just an hour or so while we were up at the barn on a weekend. The fact we do not have to drive four hours up and four hours back is an amazing relief. It just seems to give us so much more time to enjoy the property. Sunsets - wow. There just seems to be so many good sunsets even on the days we think it was going to rain all day. We still go for our daily walk and can even check the mail ..... hint.

OK folks - all for now. Hope you are enjoying the Bowpeep site - the name Bowpeeps comes from our dear Brother-in-law Fred Schryver. More to follow on this pursuit of our latest adventure.....

Love always - Debbie and Don