"PAPA" in OREGON
- or, "Life begins at 78!"
(Last updated 11/12/03)
After my mother died and he had wandered
around the country for a while in his RV visiting his grandchildren,
"Papa" (my Dad) arrived in Oregon in June 1994; after
78 years in Chicago, he thought he was in paradise
Papa trying out a pair of cross country
skis (left) near Mt. Hood Meadows on the southeast side of the
mountain; hiking in the snow in May on the June Lake trail, south
St. Helens (left center); and up the Eagle Creek Canyon trail
(right center) and on the upper Elowah Falls trail (right) - cut
into the wall of McCord Creek canyon - in the Gorge in September
Papa getting ready to embark in the
Zodiac onto Yale Lake, on the south side of Mt. St. Helens near
Cougar, WA (left), and trying out a sea kayak in the Columbia
River off a beach on the east end of Haydn Island (right)
Papa paddling an inflatable kayak on
Oak Lake in the interior of Sauvie Island, about 20 miles north
of Portland (left), and taking on the white water of the lower
Clackamas River, which forms the southern boundary of the city
(right)
Papa tiptoeing thru the tulips at Wooden
Shoe, near Woodburn, OR
Papa on the Old Growth trail at Lost
Lake (left), northeast Mt. Hood; and on a log bridge over the
Nisqually River (right), southwest Mt. Ranier
Papa fishing near Maupin on the Deschutes
(left), a famous trout and steelhead river in the high desert
on the east side of the Cascades, and on the Siltcoos (right),
a short coastal river near Florence
Papa enjoying the Oregon Dunes (left),
and sampling the ocean (right)
Papa crossing the suspension bridge
at the bottom of the Lava Canyon trail, southeast St. Helens (left),
and on the climb back up (right)
Papa at the Willamette Locks (left),
and listening to music during a break at the Rose Festival float
display (right)
Papa got
very sick at the end of July, 2002 (not long after his 87th birthday),
ended up being hospitalized and having several different serious
operations on successive days; somehow he pulled thru, was up
and walking within ca 5 hours of his abdominal surgery, and was
out of the ICU (right center) after only 3 days
Papa, happy to be at a foster care
home for further recovery after his release from the hospital
about a week later (left); on his first outing - to his favorite
Vietnamese restaurant - after his doctor's visit (center); and
out for a walk as he gained strength - and his face continued
to fill out (right)
Papa on his 88th birthday (left), on
a return visit to his favorite Vietnamese restaurant. What can
I say? He's a creature of habit - and he does love their sweet
and sour coconut vegetable soup. Papa got a new bike in April
(center) as an early birthday present, built a trailer hitch carrier
for it and was a little better at riding it by July (right)
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