The Ants Go Marching . . . and . . . August is Upon Us!

I neglected to take photographs of my ant invasion, silly me.  They've been invading for years, particularly in August, and this year, despite my home-brewed attacks with vinegar and bleach, and Terro Ant Killer, they kept coming back for more!  I gave up and my husband called an exterminator.    They were a likeable pair, father and daughter, and after the killing, we visited awhile and David gave them a jar of honey as a thank you gift. We were assured the substance used would not be harmful to us, our dog or the bees.  We hope this is true.

This morning I woke up to no ants; although I searched high and low for strays, I found nary a one!
It appears the ants have gone marching away, and good riddance I say!

August!  The beginning of the end . . . of vacation, of late night reading, of sleeping in past 5 am, of lazy days spent with family and friends.  Deb and I left for our rescheduled beach adventure early Monday morning, and enjoyed a full day of sleuthing for the best antique deals.

A few of the mini kitchen treasures I found during our antique shopping.
I especially love the little egg beater and bowl.  They didn't come together.
I found the beater first, and the bowl, which fit perfectly, at the next shop!

We had dinner at Blackfish Cafe in Lincoln City, and while it was a bit of a wait, was worth every morsel.  We wished we'd taken pictures of our food, but didn't think about it until we were partway through.  Well sated, we embarked on a search for a motel.  The first three were filled, but the Seahorse had a room, with a wonderful ocean view, just steps from the beach.  It was perfect!

We sat that night, reading aloud from the 1968 & 1969 Teen magazines we had bought earlier that day, bringing back fond (and hysterical) high school memories.

Cover of the magazine I bought, March 1969

Literally signs of the times.

Sounding off on whether riots are ok . . . or not.

Activities for the young in love, circa 1969.

Paul Revere and the Raiders!  Yea!  Portland, Oregon!

Teen magazine's attempt to convince girls to wear wigs??
We don't recall that fad much, at least I never had a wig!

 We ended up laughing hysterically at some of the articles, especially on dating.  Somehow, remembering high school was a lot funnier than actually being there! 

As usual, we both woke up early the next morning, got dressed and headed for the beach.  We thought we were very close, but there were a whole lot of steps to descend!

I wish I had counted the steps, because there are numerous switchbacks
that are hard to see in this photo.  They were also a bit steep, but we were determined!

Once on the beach, our sandals came off and we reveled in the feel of sand on bare toes.  The weather was perfect; not sunny, but not windy either! We both collected pockets full of rocks and shells.

Deb and I during enjoying our morning walk on the beach.

I saw this adorable little table in a shop we almost didn't stop at!
Then, we passed a tea shop and I found this darling 2 cup teapot.
Just right for my morning cuppa tea!
The embroidered and crocheted table topper was made by my grandma.

 We had a lovely two days of shopping and catching up on vacation and school stories.  Too soon, it was the end of the second day and time to part.  After dropping Deb at her house, I drove home, contented as a well-fed cat, grateful for this friendship which contains enough similarities to be supremely comfortable, and enough differences to make our adventures fun.  It also helps that we don't always seek the same type of treasures, and when we do, the unwritten rule is: Whoever sees the treasure, and picks it up first, is allowed to claim ownership! While we don't necessarily look for the same type of antiques, we appreciate each other's desires, and often point out what the other has missed.


Deb and I have always given each other little gifts, often for no reason, but just because we see something we know the other will love.

The sweet bird planter I found for Deb at The Farmstead Antique Shop.
I added the hens and chicks from my growing collection.

She brought me home this beautiful woven piece from Belize. I tried it in several places in my living room, and for now it will be on my great-grandmother's trunk.

I'm not convinced this is where it will stay, but it's protected under glass for now.

The white underneath is for contrast, as the photo didn't show the textile clearly at first.

Traveling with Deb is one of my very favorite things to do.  We rarely run out of topics to hash over;  the occasional silences are comfortable and short-lived. Our shared history is beautifully interwoven much like her gift from Belize ~ colorful, dramatic, surprising and harmonious.  And, our previously unknown to each other history is remarkably similar, finding we have covered much of the same territory, often living parallel lives.  Ours is an understood history, even though there were distinctly different variations in our paths, we have always believed we ended up in the same space for a reason.  

We were meant to know each other, and I will always be grateful for the series of events that lead us to connect and the impact that connection has had on my life.  I am already looking forward to our next adventure!


One of the items I was searching for while with Deb was a set of Tinker toys.  Last year one of our science guys brought in some Tinker toys for the kids and they did a science investigation using them to design and build a working windmill.  It was an excellent lesson and I've been looking for Tinker Toys ever since.  I didn't see any on our trip to the beach, but this week Kailyn and I stopped in to our favorite antique shop in Camas and there they were, vintage tin and all.  I opened the lid and counted enough pieces that I can make several groups and provide materials, so I was pretty happy.  It was missing all but one of the green flaps, but I'll give the kids cards, which will work perfectly well.  This set was $15, a real bargain as when I searched online, the cheapest I could find was $25, and those were plastic ones! The wood sets started at $49, for basically the same amount of pieces I got, on up to $225 for the mega set!

What a great find!

August is upon us, and quickly slipping away.  In three days my oldest daughter will be off to Australia for a fantastic student teaching experience. In less than three weeks my youngest daughter will be returning to college and the excitement of her first apartment.  Next week, I'll be dipping my toes into my classroom, a few hours at a time, preparing for the new school year.   Deep sigh . . .