06-03-2024 More May that I Forgot to Write About

I was reading some emails and comments after posting the last blog and suddenly realized I forgot to write about some other happenings during the latter part of May.  

The big event was our Memorial Day celebration here in Grants Pass.  There is always a town parade, but after attending for several years we decided we could skip it this year.

Obviously, I stole this photo from the Kingsley Field website with Mt McLoughlin behind the jets

However, the one thing I refused to miss was the Memorial Day flyover of the fighter jets from Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls.  Last year I made sure that we were in the park in time for the flyover, and after the invocation and flag ceremony, we all waited for the planes.  They came in a flash, just a streak of gray through the tree tops and a roar as they flew just 500 feet above the river.  It was impossible to photograph and we barely saw anything.

People waiting on the bridge for the planes to appear

This year I planned it differently.  I found free parking near the big fire station on the south side of the Rogue River and scoped it out last week.  Sure enough, it was a short walk from the parking area to the main bridge over the river with wide open skies to ensure we would see the planes.

View of the Rogue River from the Bridge

Here they come!

Right over us on the bridge!

And there they go!  It was almost too fast to catch with the camera.

Sure enough, at exactly 11:45 AM as scheduled, two F-15 fighter jets flew toward us from Medford, right over the waiting spectators on the bridge, and then down the river toward the other two bridges over the Rogue by the park.  They then did a big loop straight up into the sky.  It was glorious.  I do love those airplanes, and I have no clue why, I just love them.

The other important thing to enjoy is the annual and traditional corn dog, purchased at the city park where the carnival is in full swing for 5 days throughout the Boatnik festival which has been a tradition in Grants Pass for over 60 years.  

I brought my walker to the bridge and then decided I felt good enough for us to walk to the park rather than attempting to deal with traffic and parking.  It was about 2 miles round trip, but easy on pavement and sidewalks.  The carnival was in full swing, and sure enough, my favorite corn dog vendor was there.  We walked around a bit, listening to the jet boats and the hydro boats on the river in preparation for the races to commence that afternoon. We had no desire to wait for the noisy races, especially since all that is visible is the beginning of the race before they disappear down a bend in the river.

The corn dog was luscious, as perfect as the one I had years ago at 5:30 AM in Albuquerque waiting for the balloons to lift off.  We left before the races began, returning home to a lovely afternoon.  It was a perfectly easy way to celebrate the holiday.  

The weather was close to perfect, on the cool side on the morning of the parade.  By Sunday mid-day, however, when it was time for the flyover, the skies were the deepest shade of incredible blue, the sun was brilliant and a slight breeze made it all so comfortable.

The day after Memorial Day I went downtown on the sunny morning to meet my book club friend Lisa for coffee at a lovely little shop in town.  New tables and chairs set up for outside dining were lovely and we had a nice visit.

Downtown Grants Pass is charming, especially historic G Street

Just a few days later we celebrated Matthew's birthday.  It wasn't very exciting but Matthew seemed to enjoy the BBQ rib dinner and the store cake I purchased.  We shared the evening with Matthew and Deborah, once again happy to have Deb living so close. 

2024 birthday for Matt

We all loved remembering the birthday we celebrated with Matthew when the house was being built. I also made BBQ ribs then, and we ate on the recently installed subfloor of the as-yet-unfinished house.  It is still a fun memory for us and for Matthew as well.

2017 Birthday for Matt when Sunset House was still a dream

On the last day of the month, Mo and I took ourselves out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant located right next to the Applegate River.  The Lindsay Lodge was recently sold and we heard that it had improved considerably since Mo and I went there with Maryruth a few years ago.  

The reviews were right, our shared dinner of a wonderfully seasoned flatiron steak, with flavorful green beans served with some kind of delicious sauce, and another secret BBQ sauce with dates as a main ingredient.  

My spicy fruity "marguerita" was also interesting and delicious.  We will definitely be returning to this lovely place.  We did learn that reservations might be smart since on this early summer evening they were booked solid and we were lucky to get a table when they opened at 4:00 in the afternoon.

Our table overlooking the river was delightful, and Mo and I finished our dinner before they ran us off to make way for one of the 80 reservations they had for the evening.

When we left the restaurant, our route home led directly past our favorite spot in the valley, Schmidt Family Vineyard.  We decided it would be nice to stop for a glass of wine accompanied by a bit of live music.  I didn't think to take photos since we have taken so many over the years of the beautiful grounds at Schmidt.  It was a perfectly pleasant way to end the month of May.