If your friend gives you a ride in his airplane ...

... then he'll probably want some blackberry jam to go with it*.

Such was the arrangement Grandpa K and his friend Mike made. They'd fly from Utah to Oregon in Mike's homemade plane as long as Mike could pick blackberries while he was here. The only stipulation was the blackberries had to be free from wild bushes and they wanted the novelty of walking home from the local airport. Not only were both objectives accomplished within an hour, but we also upped the ante on the freebie scale by stopping at Costco on the way home for a lunch of samples.

What a wonderful and productive two days with grandpa and Mike! We visited a couple U-pick farms to supplement the roadside blackberry supply. Grandpa also picked the last two pints of available blueberries in all of Oregon for grandma. Together they plucked 10.2 pounds of green beans . Continuing the harvesting theme: at home they also graciously accepted the backyard apple-picking assignment. They picked 10.2 tons of apples which yielded 7 jars of applesauce. Grandpa fixed the drainage problem of the bathroom stink, so it doesn't. Mike helped hold fussy babies. Amidst all this, good stories and conversation swapped back and forth.

We hope to see Mike again next blackberry season (or sooner!). And grandpa? Talmage woke up the next morning wondering, "Where'd grandpa go?" My sentiments, exactly. It came and went way more quickly than we wished. Thanks for the fly-by. And Mike, if you read this, "bon appetite!"
(*"If You Give a Moose a Muffin" by Laura Numeroff).