12-21-04 Frankie says "MERRY CHRISTMAS"!! as he takes a break from eating the tree!! 

12-15-04 Mt St Helens, this is the view of the south side of the mountian taken 3 blocks from our house. The building in the picture is part of the Washington St University at Vancouver campus. The new growth in the crater is actually starting to cause some swelling on the south side...hopefully she'll just keep filling in and growing up and not out!! 

12-13-04 Fort Vancouver, Wa... former headquarters for the Hudson Bay Company's Columbia Dept. Time to explore close to home!! I went to the fort for the annual Christmas at Fort Vancouver. They were having reinactments of what a typical Christmas would have been like for the fur traders. This pictures shows the gardens out side of the fort, they had over 2500 acres planted so as to be totally self sufficent. I think in the next picture if you look to the right you will see the I-5 bridge going over the Columbia river and get an idea of how the fort was situated along this major water way. 

12-13-04 The first orchards planted in the Northwest were planted here outside Fort Vancouver. I'm told that some of the original apple trees are still standing. 

12-13-04 Inside the Fur Warehouse, the furs were cleaned and pressed into bales here before being sent to England. 

11-13-04 Reinactor playing Dr John McLoughlin, he is considered to be the "Father" of Oregon. He served as Chief Factor for most of the years at Fort Vancouver, his responsible for keeping peace with the Indians and squeezing Americans out of the trading market and to establish the British claim to all of Oregon. Seems he did more to help the Americans much to the criticism of his superiors than to discourage them. He ended up retiring to what is now Oregon City, Or and becoming an American citizen. Saying he helped the American settlers coming to the northwest would be a huge understatement as he personally supplied them and provided safe passage thru the treacherous waters of the Columbia for many. 

12-13-04 Chief Factor's residence, home of the forts most senior officer, the building in the background was the kitchen. Officers and clerks ate meals in the Factor's house.