Lovin' My River!

We live in a very nice neighborhood, we always said when we moved in, that we were the poorest people that lived here! We got really lucky when this place came up for sale. My OH's stepdad built the house and was ready to move where he always wanted to retire. One of our "perks" to living here, is a private access to what we call "our" river. My neighborhood is high up on a bluff, above this river. Some of the properties on the bluff do not have 5 acres, most of their "land" is a straight down a cliff to the water. Luckily, we are on the road in the "middle" and don't have to worry that our house might someday fall down a cliff and into the river!

To go to the river, it is a very short drive through my neighborhood, we unlock the gate and drive down a long, steep hill and just like that, we are at the river! A few minutes max! It is the perfect place to walk the dogs, go fishing, ride the horses, hang out on a hot, sunny day with friends, go river rafting, jump into the water when the temps hit 90, BBQ'ing and drinking a cold beer.

Here we are, with Bailey and Sadie, this was last spring when the river was at flood stage!

When we had our other dogs, Tyson and Keysha, we would always take them down to the river to swim on really hot days. Keysha was addicted to tennis balls and we could spend hours throwing the ball into the river, she would go on forever, if we let her. Unfortunately a year and a half ago, we had to euthanize both Tyson and Keysha, due to age and injuries.

This is Tyson and Keysha, probably their last swim in the river.

My OH making Bailey swim! I think I almost had a heartattack watching him do this! Bailey was only 10 weeks old here!

Bailey doesn't look too happy after his first swim!

The first time Sadie met the river was during flood stage. She was very leary, I think she thought it might swallow her up. Hard to believe that Sadie is a water dog!

Here I am, getting tangled up in dog leashes. I better be more careful next time, I can't really swim and I would not have been happy if I ended up in the swollen river!

We have excellant walking trails down by the river. It is great to go down there on a hot day, it is really shady, we get a breeze off the river and the dogs just love it! See my long legs in those short, shorts?

My cousin and her husband try to come visit us every year. Here we are heading up to the best fishing spot in the world! My OH and I love to go fishing. Nothing like fishing from your backyard!

I am heading onto this huge, rock formation. On the other side is our fishing hole.

My cousin and her husband arrive at the fishing hole!

Here it is! This is the best spot for fishing! We fish for humpies (pink salmon), steelhead and silvers here. This exact rock that we are standing on, I can't even tell you how many fish we have caught here! Or should I say that I've caught here!

Here is Pony Girl, myself and Bailey. We are standing on an empty lot, on the bluff, in my neighborhood. Right behind us is a huge cliff, a drop off straight down to the river below. You can see the river off to the left. I am so terrified of heights, I had a hard time standing here for this picture!

This was last summer, when the river was at its lowest. Sadie really enjoyed it!

Hey mom, look what I got!

We are very lucky to have this wonderful bit of nature right here in our backyard. The amazing thing is, hardly anyone from our neighborhood uses it! We are usually down there by ourselves, until fishing season, this is when it fills up!

I would like to give credit to Pony Girl, for taking most of these picutures. I only wish she had her new camera at the time!