The grand tour in Bertie , ended here. I left Aspen after a great month, there, and headed on west to Bend, Oregon. I love Bend but it was a little busy, so I tried Redmond, 18 miles away, which I found quieter. I played quite a bit of pickleball, while there, and my hip replacements, seem to be perfect.
From there, I traveled northwest to Portland, Lake Oswego and then on to Tillamook, Oregon to touch my toes in the Pacific. I went south to Calistoga, to see my friend Christine, and help her with a housesit, for the owners of Chateau Montelana Winery.
The heat was terrible and the forest fires began, so I left, driving thru the smoke to get back to Bend and Redmond. After a few days I headed to Sun Valley, Idaho, where I visited my friends, Murray and Cheryl Hall in there gorgeous new property. I painted three paintings, while there. Two of their property:
And one of the caretaker, Jamie’s daughter, Sofie, who is a model in Italy:
Nights were beginning to get close to freezing and I did not want to overstay my welcome, so I headed back east. I arrived a few days later in Mobile, just in time for Hurricane Sally. I helped Tanya clean up for another couple of days and then headed to West Palm Beach, where I am currently. With the Covid situation, the border to Mexico is still closed. I have to see what the winter will look like. The country is in turmoil over so many things. I wish that everything would settle down! It all makes me very sad.