Sunshine and Sewing

Here are two pictures pertaining to the previous blog - the peanut can technology and Greta with her new doggie, Peach.

I think the wintery blast is in the past and sunshine has taken its rightful place among us. We are seeing blue skies and sunshine with the temp topping out at 72 yesterday. And I suppose in another month we will be complaining because it is getting too hot.

Let's see, on Tuesday the four of us took two cars into Phoenix. We arrived at IKEA around 9:30 and enjoyed the breakfast while waiting for the store to open at ten. Then Ken and Gary went their merry way to do their shopping at Fry's Electronics while Carolyn and I started our quest for all those "can't live without" items that IKEA is so famous for. After walking the aisles of the upper floor with all the room displays we had to make our way back to the restaurant for a coffee and tea break so we could summon the energy to shop the lower floor. And then it was time for lunch! After that we still had to make a stop in the food section for meatballs and lingonberries to restock the larder in the motorhomes.

Speaking of bargains one can't live without; IKEA had a set of dishes, four placesettings, large plate, salad plate and soup bowl for $3.99 for the set. We each had to have one of course - and they were blue and white - perfect colors. I keep buying throw rugs while trying to find the perfect ones for the motor home.......not too big so I can't shake them, not too small so they don't cover enough space, not too light in color so they show all the dog hair, and, and, and. So now I'm trying a couple of good-sized burgundy cotton rugs, and since the interior is neutral in color, I think I'll have to continue the burgundy theme with some pillows and accessories. Yes!!

Yesterday found Carolyn and I on I-10 headed back to Phoenix for the Sewing/Quilting/Craft show at the fairgrounds and spent about six hours there. After just a half hour, someone tapped me on the shoulder and it was Jan Zeimer for Davenport/the Resort/Phoenix. She said there were two cars that came in from the Resort.

I have enough quilting projects to keep me busy for the next two years so I did exercise pretty good restraint. But I did get taken in by a silicone roller that will pick up pet hair, coins, and pins and needles. It works like a lint roller but has an extended handle and the roller is about 10 inches wide. It does work quite well, and as soon as the roller is covered, you rinse it in water, and when you dry it off it becomes sticky again. It sounds a bit of a gimick, but I do think it will help - see the preceding paragraph about rugs and dog hair.

Coming home found us going the wrong direction of I-10 after we left the fairgrounds, so we had to do a bit of backtracking during rush hour traffic, but we did get home just fine.

We have the ability to IM with Brian if we happen to be online at the same time, and we were able to chat with him for a few minutes this week. With the difference in time zones, his early morning is our early evening, and vica versa, so there are two good windows to catch each other. I know he is very busy, as is the entire squadron along with just having to adjust to a new environment and mission. He and Sheila also have a blog site that is updated every few days so that also gives us a glimpse of what is going both with the guys and the families at home. If you are interested in the blog, let me know, and I'll get you to it.

The Spragues are hoping to leave Spokane and come our direction the second week of February if all stays okay with their parents. The Jaynes have talked about coming down next month, but I'm only giving that a 50/50 chance based on what they have been saying. In the meantime we and the Ouseys are trying to figure out if we want to stay where we are or explore another park for the next month we are here.

UPDATE: Just after I wrote about the Jaynes coming to Arizona, we received an email to say they were planning to leave next Saturday!! They are coming down I-5 so they can stop in Euguene to get a brake system installed in the motorhome, then continue south and east. I am going to check at the office to see how availability is. I know there are spaces available, but the question is whether there is a space in the pet area. It will be fun to see them. We are slowly creating our own little social circle here. Ciao

Peanut Can Internet

Ah ha, we now have internet – all with the help of a Planters peanut can……….Ken borrowed some software (and the peanut can) from Gary that in effect captures the signal from the antenna atop the office at the other end of the park. So it works like a charm and I am a happy camper – er peanut camper? Besides, I was in need of a bit of new décor for the dashboard, so the peanut can fills the bill.

We have visited back and forth catching up with the Ouseys, and other than some housecleaning, we have not done much of anything. Yesterday was cold and rainy, and it made me wish I had one of those gorgeous RVs with a fireplace, but we have had to make do with the furnace and a heater, which are actually quite adequate.

There is an interesting setup next door to us. A car that is covered, a 20+ year-old 15’ travel trailer, and a huge tent/gazebo setup that takes up ½ the entire site and creates a solid wall with a view of nothing outside our slide-out windows. But I guess with such a little trailer, one would have to have some overflow space. I saw the occupant for the first time this morning as she was walking her Pomeranian, and since she is a chain smoker, I imagine she spends a fair bit of time in the ‘gazebo’.

Casa Grande has a street fair this week end so we will take a look at that today, and go on to the outlet stores to see if I can find a swimming suit that won’t make my cry so I can go into the hot tub. There appear to be two Lutheran churches in the area, so we’ll see if we can find one for tomorrow.

Gary and Della Reinbold are staying nearby and came by for a short visit yesterday. I will have them over for dinner sometime next week. And Ken has talked to Daryl. They are in their usual spot, The Resort, in Mesa. Glenn and Nancy Reinbold are also at The Resort, and after about two years of pondering, they have purchased a park model that they will move into tomorrow. I’m afraid there are too few months that are comfortable down here that I would want to own something that I felt compelled to visit. The RV suits us just fine.

We have heard from Brian, and he says it is cold, cold, cold. But his brief reports indicate that not only is the coffee very acceptable (and he is a pretty severe coffee critic) but dinner recently consisted of crab legs, steak, and gumbo. Well, they can’t fight a war on an empty stomach!!

Colleen missed a day of work last week as the result of yet another snowstorm in Puget Sound. Actually, I think all the roads were okay, but she couldn’t get in and out of Walnut Lane. She didn’t sound terribly disappointed to have to stay home with her dog and a fire in the fireplace. Her commute has approached two hours in the morning this past week, so I suspect she is going to get serious about finding a place to live nearer to her office on Queen Anne

Sunday evening

We went to the street fair yesterday where there were quite a few restored cars, vintage and otherwise, plus the usual booths with everything from kettle korn to jewelry. We did stop at the outlet mall, but I only purchased 3 books, and there were no swim suits to be had.

I think it will be IKEA and Trader Joe’s on Tuesday and the quilting, sewing, craft expo on Thursday.

Tonight it has been raining off and on and the temperature has been dropping throughout the evening and it is now 37.5!!!! There is snow from Tucson and to the east and south!!. We might not be able to go anywhere if the cold weather continues or we get snow!! Ciao

On the Road Again

January 15, 2007

We did get out of Steilacoom at 5 p.m. on Saturday and made it to the rest stop south of Portland. We fully expected a full house, but we were able to score our favorite site alongside a curb at the very back of the area. It is a great place to stop with Cooper, and he is now a happy camper to be on the road and away from the princess, Skyla. But he is never fully convinced that we aren’t going to go off and leave him someplace, so he spends most of the day on the sofa with his eyes only half closed until he can’t stay awake any longer.

Yesterday was a long day, and it began with Ken bounding out of bed at 5:30 am because he was concerned about getting through the Siskiyous before dark. We were under way by 6:30, made it through southern Oregon and northern California without incident and stayed last night at Rolling Hills Casino inear Corning. We made the mistake of going inside to eat, and it was somewhere between bad and terrible. The best part of my meal was the dinner roll and a piece of lemon meringue pie.

We have blue sky and sunshine this morning and have enjoyed looking at the thousands of snow geese that are wintering alongside the interstate in the rice fields. And just a mile down the road we came across a huge gathering of Canadian geese. A blue heron and a bunch of white egrets round out our morning’s quarry.

Craig, Cassie and Greta came for dinner on Friday night and to let Greta have yet another gift encounter. I think this is about number four by the time you count all her family. Ketih and Janet gave her a Gund puppy that she promptly named Peach and fashioned a leash for her from the ribbon from another gift – the Kon-nex (sp) toy that came from the Idaho Kirkwoods. Greta had made several creations with that before the evening was over.

The Baltimore Kirkwoods gave Ken satellite radio for Christmas, and we are thoroughly enjoying it. Between no commercials and constant reception, it is a delight. But then we managed to blow out one of the front speakers so there is a shopping project after we get to Arizona. I missed my Sunday night entertainment (Brothers and Sisters) because we were dry camping so I will have to see if I can resurrect it on the ABC website.

We aren’t sure how far we will get today; Bakersfield is too soon to stop, but the choices are far and few between after that. We doubt we will be in Casa Grande until sometime on Wednesday. In the meantime, we continue rolling down the road.

It is now Tuesday late afternoon, and we have decided to make a run for Casa Grande. Last night found us dry camping at Edwards AFB so we took advantage of the commissary and BX before leaving about noon today.. The drive into the San Bernardino/Redlands/Loma Linda area was all too familiar, but we arrived there this time in a different frame of mind. Actually, the area looked a bit less unappealing since a strong wind had blown most of the smog away and there seemed to be some green here and there.

The trip has been blissfully uneventful with no big scares or problems, and we are looking forward to getting set up and sitting still for a while.

Here we are on Wednesday afternoon with the sun streaming in the windows. We made very good time last night and arrived at Foothills West in Casa Grande before ten o’clock and got to bed about midnight. We are about 100 feet from where the Ouseys are, and I can see the back end of their rig with just a little walkway between us. We had coffee together this morning and caught up on each others’ news and Carolyn is cooking dinner for us tonight. Who could ask for more?

I need to get on with some much-needed housekeeping because there is black dog hair everywhere!! But Cooper seems unaffected by the turn of events and is in on the bedroom floor enjoying an afternoon snooze.

We don’t have an internet connection at our site, but I will save this to my memory stick and take it to Ouseys this evening to post. Ciao.

Almost gone

If we can get the motor home down Birch Street tomorrow afternoon we will be on our way. We have had major cold weather and snow for the past two days so it has made for some slippery driving. Ken is out running errands right now, but he has studded snow tires on the Westfalia, and this is the first time out in several days.

I have my sewing machine and about six projects to take with me, but it remains to be seen how many will get finished. I like to keep my options open!!

Craig, Cassie and Greta are coming for dinner tonight so Greta can open her Christmas gifts from our family. She was in Portland with Cassie's parents when we were all together for gift-giving. We will have Swedish meatballs and spaetzle for dinner - how is that for being international?

Ken has his first lab results since Loma Linda and the numbers are going in the right direction. His PSA has gone from 4+ to 2+ so we are delighted, and his doctor says it is great!!!!! The only downside was to have to ease off on cholesterol medication since it is affecting his liver, but that too can be dealt with!!

We had an enjoyable evening on Wednesday with our friends. They had to drive home after the storm started and it was not easy for Richard and Elisabeth who live in Gig Harbor. Their usual entrance to the Narrows Bridge had been closed so they had to make their way around to another on-ramp. She said it was snowing hard and cars were skidding everywhere, but they made it home.

My next blog should be from road ahead!! Ciao

Happy New Year

In fact we are now heading in to the second week of it. Our New Year's Eve was the usual Herculean effort to stay awake until midnight, have a sip of champagne and then toddle off to bed.

We are by ourselves for the first time since before Christmas, but it sure was fun while it lasted, and we loved having everybody here. Jeff and Bev went home yesterday. I managed to come down with a cold last week, but fortunately, the Schulers are ready to sit still and unwind when they come so I was able to just do fun stuff like play Boggle and do a bit of shopping.

We continue to tell everyone who will listen what wonderful granddaughters we have. Being 16 and 19 they were such fun to have around and were willing to do or join in on whatever was going on. They both play pinochle so that was usually the game of choice. They were fun, and cheery, and cute, and awesome!!!!! They went to the store for me one afternoon and along with my requested items, brought flowers back to me. Purchased with their own hard-earned money.

Bev and I drove to Portland with Cassie on New Year's Day to keep her company. She met her mom in Portland to do the Greta hand-off. We all had lunch together and then shopped for about 1 1/2 hours at the Fabric Depot which is one of the biggest fabric stores I have ever encountered. However, I exercised restraint and only purchased thread!! I think Greta fared quite will with fabric for at least one or two new outfits. With both mom and grandma being accomplished seamstresses, she is a well-clad little girl.

We plan to be out the driveway next Saturday afternoon. Colleen gets home about noon, and we figure anywhere outside of Steilacoom is a good start for the trip south. We will probably head for a rest stop at the juncture of I-5 and I-205 south of Portland which has lots of ample overnight parking. We have stayed there before and Cooper approves.

I have invited our friends the Bakers, and Elisabeth and Richard for dinner on Wednesday evening for some visiting before we leave. I guess I had better get busy and decide what to feed them. Cassoulet or braised short ribs are two ideas that come to mind; neither of which have I ever prepared. But that is why you have company for dinner isn't it? To try out those new and untested recipes?

Sharon Jayne called this morning to say that she just noticed this morning that our Liberty Lake house has been rased. She said the garage is still standing, which was probably a smart move because we built it new and it had a concrete floor plus a full basement! My consolation is that I have the sink, and I could easily reproduce that floorplan from memory.

Colleen is in Phoenix this week and her dog is tolerating us but that is about it. The dog walker just came to take her out so she was a happy camper. She is a very good dog for being so high energy, and I know she wishes we would go away and Colleen would return. I slept downstairs with her last night since I didn't think she would enjoy sleeping by herself, and she loves to get up on the bed and snuggle next to the down comforter!

We have a day of relative calm weather today, but there is at least one imminent storm plus a cold front that is going to put us down into the low 20s in another day or two. In fact it was nice enough today that Ken was able to wash the motorhome.

Ciao