Awake: 5:54am Temp 56 Clear Overnight @ Ashland, OR
We have a scheduled 10:30am tour time @ the Harry & David facility in
Medford. The rendezvous point is, of course, their Country Village.
En route to this gathering spot, our cell phone rings & it’s a “Happy
Birthday” call from Shirley of Vancouver, WA. A nice surprise!
The H & D Country Store has some nice stuff…lucky for us our home on
wheels is a little too small to be collecting “stuff!” After about 15 min
of store looking, we are on our way to the H & D production center (2
buses-16 passengers each bus).
This company was started by the grandfather in 1914…specializing in
growing & selling Royal Riviera Pears. In 1934, 2 sons, Harry & David,
took over the business, both college educated. One brother’s talent
contributed to the smooth day to day running of the business & keeping it
on schedule; the other brother was the innovator, the idea man. The
business really took off (no pun intended) when the brothers started
flying their fresh pears into larger cities like Chicago, New York,
Minneapolis, etc.
Both brothers died in their 50s in the 1950s but we didn’t find out “why
so young?” Are these pears really that good for human longevity? After
their deaths, the business ceased being family owned & has been bought &
sold many times since then.
Our tour, though interesting, was ill timed: The plant had just been shut
down 2 days for inventory check & most of the production lines were not
yet running. We did see many produce, candy & packing machines but they
were idle. The ideal time for a tour of this huge company would be when
they are stocking up for the Christmas Holidays. Our tour ends where it
began…@ the Country Store. How thoughtful! Now Kathy can resume her
careful scrutiny of the beautiful things.
Next we make a stop @ FedEx Kinko’s where I ship an overnight letter to
Stacy in Anchorage & Kathy makes copies of a favorite recipe to send some
lucky recipients.
Then to Costco to fuel up the Suzuki & get some frozen blueberries + a few
healthy snacks. Next to Fred Meyers for my Dannon yogurt….& the cell phone
call is for Kathy… it’s another “Happy Birthday” from Corinne of Lilly,
PA. They have a lot to talk about so I waste no time & find a comfortable
swing & be a swinging senior.
From F M we visit the Ashland Food co-op for my Organic milk & for
tonight’s meal. Kathy does not want to cook on her birthday.
8:15pm dinner: Bought roasted chicken breast, mixed salad + garlic toast.
During our meal, Kathy had calls from Nick in Seattle; Katrina in Denver;
&, later this evening, Melissa & Kevin who were camping in Valley View,
Canada. All those callers seem to be doing just fine. The Foote’s had a
good travel day covering over 400 miles. Kathy was delighted to talk with
her children and receive their birthday wishes.
High temp today= 85 Lights out: 11:28pm
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