We found ourselves back home on Saturday afternoon and were welcomed by Colleen and Skyla along with an immaculately clean house and dinner! Who could ask for more? But all that wine tasting must have worn me out because I grabbed my toothbrush out of the motor home and was in bed by nine. Wine tasting is hard work.
We do have plenty of wine to show for our efforts; about 8 cases, so we should be in good shape for some time to come. Ken concentrated on the big reds and I went for the summer sipping wines such as riesling, light reds, and chardonnay. It is amazing to see the growth in wine country. Prosser seems to be the hub and not only are there lots of new wineries, but some of the established wineries are relocating to Prosser. We continue to seek out and support the smaller family-owned businesses rather than the likes of Chateau St. Michelle and Hogue, both of which are now owned by some huge, out-of-state conglomerate.
The weather here is quite all right, but I can't get warm since we have the usual clouds and threat of rain with little blue sky and sunshine.
I am excited that Karen is coming to visit for a few days. We are going to meet her and Rod in Chehalis next Sunday (at the Alpine/Alpenlite dealership), and Karen will come home with us while Rod goes on to Yakima for some work on the trailer and then on the road to Ft. St. John, BC for some business. We will take Karen to Spokane later in the week when we go over for the opening of fishing season. I hope Karen and I get more sewing done this time than we did all the time we were down south. I think I had my machine out just twice the entire winter.
I hear my bed calling me. Ciao
Monday, April 16, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Here are the photos that were promised in my last blog!! Is that awesome or what?
We are now in Prosser after having spent several days with Sheila and the boys in Mt. Home. She didn't tell them when/or if we would be there, so it was a fun surprise to show up at their door to take the boys to the MH for dinner. They are both turning out for track this spring and Warren is still busy creating his Space Chicken saga. Nolan spent Saturday hiding Easter eggs with the church youth group and then went to church with us Sunday.
Sheila treated us to Sunday brunch at the club, and on Saturday night she invited the Hoovers for dinner. She and I prepared beef kebobs and she made an awesome Mediterranean salad with tomatoes, and peppers and feta cheese; that served along with rice and freshly purchased bread with angel food cake for dessert. All washed down with some good wine!!! Yum yum.
Our Sarah has been working in the restaurant at the golf course at the University of Maryland ever since she started school there and is now a manager. Now as she is finishing her second year, she was nominated for the Emma Powers award which recognizes one of the 500 individuals who work in dining services at the UofM..................and yes, she was the chosen employee. We are so proud of her for all of her hard work as well as keeping on track with her grades, and along with the recognition is a $500 scholarship!!
We have had one day of wine tasting while here in Prosser, and will get out to do some more today. We are up to two cases plus two bottles, but I'm sure we can find room for more in the MH before we head to Steilacoom on Saturday.
We heard some rain pattering on the roof early last evening, but at the moment the sky is a glorious blue with just a hint of some poufy white clouds on the horizon. I love this part of the country, probably because I am a farm girl, and I enjoy seeing all the new growth, the green, and the beautiful flowers and flowering trees. The apple trees are in full bloom, but from a distance it looks like the grapes are still asleep. I read in the paper today where the cool weather is creating some worry for the farmers, particularly for the asparagus crop that should be in full swing by now.
The next blog will be from Steilacoom! Ciao
Monday, April 09, 2007
Nellis AFB, Pahrump ooh lala, Tecopa Hot Springs & Yankee Blade
Whew, it has been a long time..............
We said good by to Rod and Karen on Saturday (March 24), and we went our separate ways for a week – they to a rally at AVI in Laughlin, and we to Nellis AFB Famcamp in north Las Vegas.
We endured some mighty winds while at Nellis and our one night in Pahrump – so much so that we pulled the slides in for fear the slide awnings would get damaged. But that weather finally “blew” through and we were back to sunshine and blue sky.
Spragues caught up with us at Tecopa. We have spent two days sightseeing inside Death Valley NP, and one day in between doing very little – brunch around eleven, a two hour visit to a local date farm, and then back to our lawn chairs and wine
I was quite surprised at the size of Death Valley, and I did not expect so many peaks and elevations – both above and below sea level. I think I envisioned a flat desert valley. Period. But the landscape is ever-changing as well as the colors. It is quite amazing.
We drove to the north end of the park to visit Scotty’s castle – which was not Scotty’s but belonged to his wealthy friends, the Johnsons. We enjoyed a tour of the inside of the home that sported every modern convenience that would have been found in the mansions on the east coast during the 30s – even though this little oasis is in the middle of nowhere. The “modern conveniences” such as hot and cold running water and central heat, reminded me of the similar thinking of King Ludwig and his castle at Neuschwanstein.
We stopped at Badwater which is the lowest elevation in the western hemisphere at 293 feet below sea level. There is just a huge expanse of a white salt lakebed, but even in that extreme alkaline environment, there is aquatic life. Needless to say, it is already getting quite hot there, so we limited ourselves to sightseeing by car with just short stops at points of interest.
We discovered Tecopa Hot Springs while staying in Pahrump, and after looking at the three possibilities for a place to stay, chose the one that looked the most normal. A small park with about 50 spaces and two hot mineral baths that were immaculately maintained. But with the heat outside, I found the baths to be not all that appealing with water that is in the 105 degree range. But it was a diversion.
The reason for going to Pahrump was to have lunch at one of the two legal brothels in the area. (Helen’s idea, not Ken’s) because we had talked to folks who had been there and toured the facility. It was interesting, as we ate lunch in the restaurant, to watch the comings and goings of the scantily clad “working” girls as well as the men who seemed to come and go! One of the “girls”, Olivia (not very attractive, about 6 feet tall wearing acrylic platform heels, a thong and a long sheer blouse), gave us a tour of the parlor and the five public entertainment rooms where a couple can have dinner or sit in a whirlpool tub, but the private rooms of the girls are off limits and are not included in the tour. It was just a good opportunity to get a glimpse of the inside of a facility for the world’s oldest profession.
Last Wednesday, we made our way from Tecopa Hot Springs to Austin and finding nothing satisfactory for the night, we headed up the road toward Battle Mountain. We discovered a great pull-out, flat and graveled, about 10 miles out of town – no signs, no warnings, no nothing. So we parked, leveled up, opened our beers and relaxed for the evening. There was one vehicle about every half hour, and that was usually a semi truck. It was unbelievably quiet, and attached is a picture of the awesome view. Ken and Rod, being the cautious Scandanavians that they are, were a bit apprehensive until they saw the county sheriff’s car go by without a glance. It was a very fun experience. With some research by Karen, we learned that the area was known as Yankee Blade which is a ghost town up over the hill.
The next night was spent in Wells, NV at Mountain Shadows RV Park; Passport America, free WiFi, clean restrooms and laundry, dog friendly, and neat as a pin. We got there early in the day, but by dusk all the big sites were full. In the morning Ken discovered a low tire, but Les Schwab said it was just a leaky valve stem – no charge – and we were on our way to Mountain Home. Ciao
We said good by to Rod and Karen on Saturday (March 24), and we went our separate ways for a week – they to a rally at AVI in Laughlin, and we to Nellis AFB Famcamp in north Las Vegas.
We endured some mighty winds while at Nellis and our one night in Pahrump – so much so that we pulled the slides in for fear the slide awnings would get damaged. But that weather finally “blew” through and we were back to sunshine and blue sky.
Spragues caught up with us at Tecopa. We have spent two days sightseeing inside Death Valley NP, and one day in between doing very little – brunch around eleven, a two hour visit to a local date farm, and then back to our lawn chairs and wine
I was quite surprised at the size of Death Valley, and I did not expect so many peaks and elevations – both above and below sea level. I think I envisioned a flat desert valley. Period. But the landscape is ever-changing as well as the colors. It is quite amazing.
We drove to the north end of the park to visit Scotty’s castle – which was not Scotty’s but belonged to his wealthy friends, the Johnsons. We enjoyed a tour of the inside of the home that sported every modern convenience that would have been found in the mansions on the east coast during the 30s – even though this little oasis is in the middle of nowhere. The “modern conveniences” such as hot and cold running water and central heat, reminded me of the similar thinking of King Ludwig and his castle at Neuschwanstein.
We stopped at Badwater which is the lowest elevation in the western hemisphere at 293 feet below sea level. There is just a huge expanse of a white salt lakebed, but even in that extreme alkaline environment, there is aquatic life. Needless to say, it is already getting quite hot there, so we limited ourselves to sightseeing by car with just short stops at points of interest.
We discovered Tecopa Hot Springs while staying in Pahrump, and after looking at the three possibilities for a place to stay, chose the one that looked the most normal. A small park with about 50 spaces and two hot mineral baths that were immaculately maintained. But with the heat outside, I found the baths to be not all that appealing with water that is in the 105 degree range. But it was a diversion.
The reason for going to Pahrump was to have lunch at one of the two legal brothels in the area. (Helen’s idea, not Ken’s) because we had talked to folks who had been there and toured the facility. It was interesting, as we ate lunch in the restaurant, to watch the comings and goings of the scantily clad “working” girls as well as the men who seemed to come and go! One of the “girls”, Olivia (not very attractive, about 6 feet tall wearing acrylic platform heels, a thong and a long sheer blouse), gave us a tour of the parlor and the five public entertainment rooms where a couple can have dinner or sit in a whirlpool tub, but the private rooms of the girls are off limits and are not included in the tour. It was just a good opportunity to get a glimpse of the inside of a facility for the world’s oldest profession.
Last Wednesday, we made our way from Tecopa Hot Springs to Austin and finding nothing satisfactory for the night, we headed up the road toward Battle Mountain. We discovered a great pull-out, flat and graveled, about 10 miles out of town – no signs, no warnings, no nothing. So we parked, leveled up, opened our beers and relaxed for the evening. There was one vehicle about every half hour, and that was usually a semi truck. It was unbelievably quiet, and attached is a picture of the awesome view. Ken and Rod, being the cautious Scandanavians that they are, were a bit apprehensive until they saw the county sheriff’s car go by without a glance. It was a very fun experience. With some research by Karen, we learned that the area was known as Yankee Blade which is a ghost town up over the hill.
The next night was spent in Wells, NV at Mountain Shadows RV Park; Passport America, free WiFi, clean restrooms and laundry, dog friendly, and neat as a pin. We got there early in the day, but by dusk all the big sites were full. In the morning Ken discovered a low tire, but Les Schwab said it was just a leaky valve stem – no charge – and we were on our way to Mountain Home. Ciao
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