We have enjoyed more family time this past week with Jim and the girls and Colleen and Jim's family. Christmas dinner was yummy with a Montana ham and lots of other goodies including two of Jim's pies; apple and pecan. All good things revolve around food it seems.
We missed our original departure time by about sixteen hours. We came home from Seattle on Christmas day and crashed; then arose at 4:30 to dismantle the Christmas trees, empty the refrigerator and finish loading the motor home. We left Steilacoom at 11:30 yesterday and finally stopped north of Redding at about nine last night. That is a long tiring day. Ken can't seem to remember that we are retired and don't have to race to our destination. He has a lot more stamina than I when it comes to driving, but he was concerned about getting over the Siskiyous.
We are now within forty miles of Travis AFB where we will set up camp for about a week. Departure from home is always hectic, and lots of stuff just gets "dumped" into the MH, so I can't wait to get stopped and organize my life. Stopping and sleeping while enroute is more difficult than it used to be with the Brave since we lose about 12" in the width of our bed and we can't get into most of the kitchen cabinets. But this is the first major road trip so we will adjust as time goes on.
Happy New Year to all. Ciao
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Time Marches On
We have had our moments of sadness and remembrance, but time marches on, and Christmas is almost upon us.
We hosted an engagement party for Jim and Colleen last Saturday night, so those preparations spurred me to get on with some decorating and baking. There were about 25 of us, and judging by the non-stop chatter and the quantity of food that disappeared, it must have been a good party. We had a great time. Jeff and Bev even came from San Jose. Bev and my friend, Elisabeth, were responsible for a goodly portion of the foods that were served.
This Friday night we are having Jim and Colleen and the girls and Jim's dad and his new wife here for dinner. Then I am finished in the kitchen because Jim and Colleen are hosting all of us for Christmas day dinner.
If we can keep our act together, we plan to have the motor home packed and ready to go by Christmas day so when we return from dinner in Seattle, we can just hop in and take off. We will go as far as our favorite rest stop south of Portland and then assess the roads and weather for the next couple of days of travel. The goal is to get to Travis AFB by New Year's Eve where we will stay for a few days to regroup and restock before moving on toward Arizona.
I still have some shopping to do and gifts to wrap, but hey, we still have three days, right?
I wish for all of you a very happy and blessed Christmas. Ciao
We hosted an engagement party for Jim and Colleen last Saturday night, so those preparations spurred me to get on with some decorating and baking. There were about 25 of us, and judging by the non-stop chatter and the quantity of food that disappeared, it must have been a good party. We had a great time. Jeff and Bev even came from San Jose. Bev and my friend, Elisabeth, were responsible for a goodly portion of the foods that were served.
This Friday night we are having Jim and Colleen and the girls and Jim's dad and his new wife here for dinner. Then I am finished in the kitchen because Jim and Colleen are hosting all of us for Christmas day dinner.
If we can keep our act together, we plan to have the motor home packed and ready to go by Christmas day so when we return from dinner in Seattle, we can just hop in and take off. We will go as far as our favorite rest stop south of Portland and then assess the roads and weather for the next couple of days of travel. The goal is to get to Travis AFB by New Year's Eve where we will stay for a few days to regroup and restock before moving on toward Arizona.
I still have some shopping to do and gifts to wrap, but hey, we still have three days, right?
I wish for all of you a very happy and blessed Christmas. Ciao
Sunday, December 04, 2011
On a sad note
We have had another loss in our family. Some of you remember our nephew, Bill Novotney who passed away about eighteen months ago; his wife Karla died suddenly yesterday after surgery. She had suffered a broken hip, and that surgery evidenced cancer which was the reason for a second surgery. A blood clot is the suspected cause. Although Bill was actually Ken's nephew, he and Karla were closer to our ages and our children are all about the same age. So we will be going to Harrington sometime soon for Karla's service and have been in touch with all of her family.
I will blog again in a day or two.
I will blog again in a day or two.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Brrrrr
We are not leaving for Arizona until after Christmas, and I think I will be a frozen popsicle by then. Right now it is just 30 degrees outside and there is frost everywhere. I know that doesn't sound like much for many of you who already have snow and live in colder climes, but we are not accustomed to such cold around here.
Even now that we have made the decision to wait and leave later, I feel like I am short on time for what there is to accomplish. Wedding planning has taken the forefront, but there is still Thanksgiving and Christmas to think about.
Jim's family will be in town for Christmas so I am planning to invite them for dinner since we have not yet met, and I am contemplating a small engagement party for Jim and Colleen. I get a reprieve for Thanksgiving; Jim and Colleen are cooking!
Colleen and I have spent two full days looking at reception venues and yesterday was the first trip to a bridal shop:) There are no decisions on anything, but we are close for the church and reception. Her church is too large, so we are looking for something that is more suitable in size. We can do lots of planning via phone and email, but I wanted to be a part of some of the early fun and shopping.
Ken has been busily making some modifications to the coach before we leave. I have an awesome pull-out double shelf in a kitchen cabinet that was just one big empty space in addition to the shelves he installed to convert the washer/dryer space to storage. He has refinished two IKEA tables that can serve as cocktail tables and since they are on rollers, I can use one for the computer in the cockpit while we are underway. After two recent trips to Southside Repair, I think all the little problems have been taken care of.
We visited Craig in his new digs last weekend, and he is as cozy as can be in his own unique spartan manner. He has yet to buy a bed, so he has been sleeping on a cushioned window seat in his dining room. He said he recently had to move the cushions to the floor because the window was too cold. We did convince him to take one of our extra blankets and he admitted it was a good move. He lives about three blocks from Sixth Avenue which has a host of restaurants, wine bars, and fast food shops. We walked to the Red Hot; a small local spot where they serve nothing but a variety of hot dogs and beer and wine. Quite fun.
How many of you with smart phones are addicted to "Words with Friends"? I am!! There is a limit of 20 games at any one time, and I have 20 games going all the time. It works well because you can simply take your turn whenever the time suits you. And speaking of technology, I just yesterday discovered how to read my Facebook pages in chronological order rather than in some random order that FB wants to impose on me. I always feel the online resources such as Facebook and Firefox are so focused on proving how innovative they are, that it is a constant battle for me to keep the order that works for ME!
In case I don't return to my Blog this week, I am wishing everyone a very happy and grateful Thanksgiving. Ciao.
Even now that we have made the decision to wait and leave later, I feel like I am short on time for what there is to accomplish. Wedding planning has taken the forefront, but there is still Thanksgiving and Christmas to think about.
Jim's family will be in town for Christmas so I am planning to invite them for dinner since we have not yet met, and I am contemplating a small engagement party for Jim and Colleen. I get a reprieve for Thanksgiving; Jim and Colleen are cooking!
Colleen and I have spent two full days looking at reception venues and yesterday was the first trip to a bridal shop:) There are no decisions on anything, but we are close for the church and reception. Her church is too large, so we are looking for something that is more suitable in size. We can do lots of planning via phone and email, but I wanted to be a part of some of the early fun and shopping.
Ken has been busily making some modifications to the coach before we leave. I have an awesome pull-out double shelf in a kitchen cabinet that was just one big empty space in addition to the shelves he installed to convert the washer/dryer space to storage. He has refinished two IKEA tables that can serve as cocktail tables and since they are on rollers, I can use one for the computer in the cockpit while we are underway. After two recent trips to Southside Repair, I think all the little problems have been taken care of.
We visited Craig in his new digs last weekend, and he is as cozy as can be in his own unique spartan manner. He has yet to buy a bed, so he has been sleeping on a cushioned window seat in his dining room. He said he recently had to move the cushions to the floor because the window was too cold. We did convince him to take one of our extra blankets and he admitted it was a good move. He lives about three blocks from Sixth Avenue which has a host of restaurants, wine bars, and fast food shops. We walked to the Red Hot; a small local spot where they serve nothing but a variety of hot dogs and beer and wine. Quite fun.
How many of you with smart phones are addicted to "Words with Friends"? I am!! There is a limit of 20 games at any one time, and I have 20 games going all the time. It works well because you can simply take your turn whenever the time suits you. And speaking of technology, I just yesterday discovered how to read my Facebook pages in chronological order rather than in some random order that FB wants to impose on me. I always feel the online resources such as Facebook and Firefox are so focused on proving how innovative they are, that it is a constant battle for me to keep the order that works for ME!
In case I don't return to my Blog this week, I am wishing everyone a very happy and grateful Thanksgiving. Ciao.
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Wedding Bells
Colleen and Jim came to Steilacoom this week to tell us that they are planning to be married next spring..............We couldn't be happier. And it isn't as if we have to get to know him since we have known him from his and Brian's college days. Jim had discussed it with the girls, and Ani is still taking some time to get used to the idea. But Colleen has a good relationship with both of them so it will all be fine.
I told Ken he is fortunate that we made the move to buy a different motor home earlier this year, because now it would probably have not been in the budget!!!!
The only details I know so far is that the wedding will be in Seattle and it will be aquvavit shots instead of champagne toasts:)
This weekend we are in lovely downtown Umatilla, Oregon to celebrate the 90th birthday of my cousin Ellen Jean, and it was fun to visit with family that we have not seen for some time. Mike and Mary are here so we will go out to have a bite to eat this evening and then head home tomorrow. We plan to make one or two stops in the wine country on our way:).
So November is well on its way and we are scheduled to leave for California the day after Thanksgiving. Jim and Colleen are hosting Thanksgiving in Seattle so all I have to do is make "funeral" rolls and tomato aspic and something else that doesn't come to mind at the moment.
We only plan to go as far as Travis AFB or Beale AFB in northern California for the first part of our trip. Then we are going to drive the car back to Steilacoom for Christmas. We are good at keeping everything just a bit complicated, but I really don't want to be away for two Christmas' in a row, and I am in the mood for a Christmas/engagement party.
In the midst of all this excitement, Craig has closed on his house and is now living in north Tacoma. He is very happy with his purchase and I am busily trying to get him to relieve us of some of our furniture and household items.
It is dinnertime. Ciao
I told Ken he is fortunate that we made the move to buy a different motor home earlier this year, because now it would probably have not been in the budget!!!!
The only details I know so far is that the wedding will be in Seattle and it will be aquvavit shots instead of champagne toasts:)
This weekend we are in lovely downtown Umatilla, Oregon to celebrate the 90th birthday of my cousin Ellen Jean, and it was fun to visit with family that we have not seen for some time. Mike and Mary are here so we will go out to have a bite to eat this evening and then head home tomorrow. We plan to make one or two stops in the wine country on our way:).
So November is well on its way and we are scheduled to leave for California the day after Thanksgiving. Jim and Colleen are hosting Thanksgiving in Seattle so all I have to do is make "funeral" rolls and tomato aspic and something else that doesn't come to mind at the moment.
We only plan to go as far as Travis AFB or Beale AFB in northern California for the first part of our trip. Then we are going to drive the car back to Steilacoom for Christmas. We are good at keeping everything just a bit complicated, but I really don't want to be away for two Christmas' in a row, and I am in the mood for a Christmas/engagement party.
In the midst of all this excitement, Craig has closed on his house and is now living in north Tacoma. He is very happy with his purchase and I am busily trying to get him to relieve us of some of our furniture and household items.
It is dinnertime. Ciao
Saturday, October 29, 2011
It's my Birthday today
Actually, it is turning into a birthday week. Colleen and I drove to Yakima on Friday night to begin our annual October birthday getaway to stay in a lovely B&B that made us feel like we were in the heart of Germany. The host is German and he and his wife have made the entire abode look like a page out of a country German home.
With their recommendation, we stopped at an apple stand nearby and purchased a variety of lovely crisp beautiful apples for $.25/pound. Yes, twenty-five cents. They were considered seconds, but other than being a bit smaller, we could see no difference.
After a day of driving eastward via Dayton, Waitsburg, Pomeroy, and Uniontown, we arrived at the Spragues on Saturday evening. One stop made during our wanderings was at a working goat and sheep cheese farm. We tasted cheeses and sipped some wine before being on our way. The sidetrip to Uniontown was a double failure; the Sage Bakery had closed 15 minutes before we got there, and our favorite antique shop has been sold:(
Karen had a lovely dinner for us on Saturday evening, and Sunday was a frantic round of buying more produce on GreenBluff and then scurrying back to Karen's to get out the kettles and the peelers and the crockpots and the jars and the lids to begin the process of making apple butter and pear butter. Peeled apples were sliced and vacuum sealed for the freezer for apple pies, and the last of the season's tomatoes were cooked down for tomato sauce for the freezer. A very productive endeavor indeed.
Since there is serious construction on I-5 on the east side of the summit with extensive delays, we decided to drive home via Highway 2 yesterday. It didn't take any extra time, and it was much more leisurely. We admired the old hotel in Waterville and then stopped in Leavenworth for some German food for dinner. We arrived back at Colleen's about 9:30.
Ken had roses for me, and Craig had some very nice wine along with surprises from the two east coast Kirkwood families. All this love and attention helps ease the trauma of another year passing.
One of my favorite cousins turns 90 in November so we are going to meet up with family to help her celebrate next weekend .... in the thriving metropolis of Umatilla.
It is pretty quiet here this evening. Craig closed on his house this week so he has moved into his new home in north Tacoma. We are very happy for him, but we were quite used to having him around. We think he made a good buy, and he is only about a half hour away.
I have become obsessed with Words with Friends on my phone. There is a limit of 20 games at any one time, and I am always playing the maximum. It is addictive:) Excuse me, I have to go see if it is my turn:)
Ciao
With their recommendation, we stopped at an apple stand nearby and purchased a variety of lovely crisp beautiful apples for $.25/pound. Yes, twenty-five cents. They were considered seconds, but other than being a bit smaller, we could see no difference.
After a day of driving eastward via Dayton, Waitsburg, Pomeroy, and Uniontown, we arrived at the Spragues on Saturday evening. One stop made during our wanderings was at a working goat and sheep cheese farm. We tasted cheeses and sipped some wine before being on our way. The sidetrip to Uniontown was a double failure; the Sage Bakery had closed 15 minutes before we got there, and our favorite antique shop has been sold:(
Karen had a lovely dinner for us on Saturday evening, and Sunday was a frantic round of buying more produce on GreenBluff and then scurrying back to Karen's to get out the kettles and the peelers and the crockpots and the jars and the lids to begin the process of making apple butter and pear butter. Peeled apples were sliced and vacuum sealed for the freezer for apple pies, and the last of the season's tomatoes were cooked down for tomato sauce for the freezer. A very productive endeavor indeed.
Since there is serious construction on I-5 on the east side of the summit with extensive delays, we decided to drive home via Highway 2 yesterday. It didn't take any extra time, and it was much more leisurely. We admired the old hotel in Waterville and then stopped in Leavenworth for some German food for dinner. We arrived back at Colleen's about 9:30.
Ken had roses for me, and Craig had some very nice wine along with surprises from the two east coast Kirkwood families. All this love and attention helps ease the trauma of another year passing.
One of my favorite cousins turns 90 in November so we are going to meet up with family to help her celebrate next weekend .... in the thriving metropolis of Umatilla.
It is pretty quiet here this evening. Craig closed on his house this week so he has moved into his new home in north Tacoma. We are very happy for him, but we were quite used to having him around. We think he made a good buy, and he is only about a half hour away.
I have become obsessed with Words with Friends on my phone. There is a limit of 20 games at any one time, and I am always playing the maximum. It is addictive:) Excuse me, I have to go see if it is my turn:)
Ciao
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Alaska, Spokane, Coeur d'alene, Crooked River Ranch, Prosser, and back to Spokane
I am going to go out on a limb and make a commitment via FaceBook that I will blog on a regular basis. I enjoy FB, but I enjoy reading the blogs that contain so much more detail. I think I left off just before our Alaska cruise:
The cruise was fabulous and we had a delightful week with the Maryland Kirkwoods. Keith and Janet had a suite, so the girls and Ken and I spent lots of time hanging out with them and enjoying all their amenities. It was so much fun to have an entire week with the four of them and no responsibilities. We paid a deposit on another cruise but have no idea when or where!
This has been the summer for anniversaries......the second weekend of September we were in Coeur d'Alene with Jerry and Lois and family to celebrate their 60th anniversary. Last weekend we were at Crooked River Ranch to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Ken's cousin, Carolyn, and her husband Irv. Carolyn's sister and family were right next door so we got more family time. The weather has been beautiful throughout our travels this month.
At the end of our outing, we spent two days in the wine country with the Schulers. One day in the Yakima Valley and another in the Walla Walla area. Ten years ago we couldn't even find a tasting room in Walla Walla, but not so now. There are probably at least 200 wineries in that area. Walla Walla wines always seem to come at a dearer price than those of the Columbia/Yakima-area appellations, and since my palate is not that discerning, I will continue to purchase the Columbia River wines moreso than WW.
The final anniversary soiree was in Davenport with three couples celebrating their fiftieth anniversaries. We had a great time because half the county was there, and there were many that we seldom see since we are rarely in Davenport any more.
Our three weeks on the road provided a good shakedown cruise for the new-to-us coach, and of course we now have another "to-do" list, but all in all we are quite pleased. Ken has worked diligently to appease my need for orderly storage so there are now shelves in the cabinet designed for a washer/dryer, and the little Dustbuster cabinet is now the storage for the vacuum hose. There will be one trip back to Joey at Southside to finish up some other details, and then we will be ready to hit the road.
Ken wants to be out of Dodge the day after Thanksgiving to allow the best chances of getting over the Siskiyous without a weather interdiction. I'm not so sure I want to be away from home for Christmas two years in a row, so we are thinking we will either fly or drive back for same. Upon our return south we will be ready to pull up stakes at Foothills West and move out to the desert at Quartzite. I think we will stay for the better part of two or three weeks this year unless boredom (or too much laundry) sets in.
My quilt projects have been largely ignored this summer, but I think I am ready to get back into it. I have one within a couple of hours of being ready for the quiter, and another that is totally ready to go to the quilter. And then I can ponder which of my many unfinished projects I want to tackle next.
We have been following yesterday's news about the shooter at the Permanente plant in Cupertino, CA. We could see the plant's plumes of dust from our neighborhood when we lived there, and the shooter was captured just a matter of a mile or two from our old house.
We now have three grandchildren pursuing their higher educations; Sarah is now enrolled in nurse's training, Rachel is a junior at University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, and Nolan is a freshman and ROTC cadet at the University of North Carolina. And Keith is working on a master's degree when it doesn't interfere with diving or cruising:).
Thanksgiving is going to be in Madison Park with Jim and Colleen hosting. So far I have only been charged with making rolls. Sounds like a plan to me, but Christmas is apt to be a different story.
OK, I think I am caught up for a while. Here I go to FB to make my statement!! Ciao
The cruise was fabulous and we had a delightful week with the Maryland Kirkwoods. Keith and Janet had a suite, so the girls and Ken and I spent lots of time hanging out with them and enjoying all their amenities. It was so much fun to have an entire week with the four of them and no responsibilities. We paid a deposit on another cruise but have no idea when or where!
This has been the summer for anniversaries......the second weekend of September we were in Coeur d'Alene with Jerry and Lois and family to celebrate their 60th anniversary. Last weekend we were at Crooked River Ranch to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Ken's cousin, Carolyn, and her husband Irv. Carolyn's sister and family were right next door so we got more family time. The weather has been beautiful throughout our travels this month.
At the end of our outing, we spent two days in the wine country with the Schulers. One day in the Yakima Valley and another in the Walla Walla area. Ten years ago we couldn't even find a tasting room in Walla Walla, but not so now. There are probably at least 200 wineries in that area. Walla Walla wines always seem to come at a dearer price than those of the Columbia/Yakima-area appellations, and since my palate is not that discerning, I will continue to purchase the Columbia River wines moreso than WW.
The final anniversary soiree was in Davenport with three couples celebrating their fiftieth anniversaries. We had a great time because half the county was there, and there were many that we seldom see since we are rarely in Davenport any more.
Our three weeks on the road provided a good shakedown cruise for the new-to-us coach, and of course we now have another "to-do" list, but all in all we are quite pleased. Ken has worked diligently to appease my need for orderly storage so there are now shelves in the cabinet designed for a washer/dryer, and the little Dustbuster cabinet is now the storage for the vacuum hose. There will be one trip back to Joey at Southside to finish up some other details, and then we will be ready to hit the road.
Ken wants to be out of Dodge the day after Thanksgiving to allow the best chances of getting over the Siskiyous without a weather interdiction. I'm not so sure I want to be away from home for Christmas two years in a row, so we are thinking we will either fly or drive back for same. Upon our return south we will be ready to pull up stakes at Foothills West and move out to the desert at Quartzite. I think we will stay for the better part of two or three weeks this year unless boredom (or too much laundry) sets in.
My quilt projects have been largely ignored this summer, but I think I am ready to get back into it. I have one within a couple of hours of being ready for the quiter, and another that is totally ready to go to the quilter. And then I can ponder which of my many unfinished projects I want to tackle next.
We have been following yesterday's news about the shooter at the Permanente plant in Cupertino, CA. We could see the plant's plumes of dust from our neighborhood when we lived there, and the shooter was captured just a matter of a mile or two from our old house.
We now have three grandchildren pursuing their higher educations; Sarah is now enrolled in nurse's training, Rachel is a junior at University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, and Nolan is a freshman and ROTC cadet at the University of North Carolina. And Keith is working on a master's degree when it doesn't interfere with diving or cruising:).
Thanksgiving is going to be in Madison Park with Jim and Colleen hosting. So far I have only been charged with making rolls. Sounds like a plan to me, but Christmas is apt to be a different story.
OK, I think I am caught up for a while. Here I go to FB to make my statement!! Ciao
Friday, July 29, 2011
More Fun and Family
We have enjoyed more family time and some occasional company!! This past Wednesday found us surrounded by all except three of our entire family - we missed Sheila, Nolan, and Warren, and Brian was here for just a brief two days, but I will take it. Keith, Janet, and the girls arrived Tuesday evening and we will be together for two weeks. Jim and the girls were here for dinner on Wednesday evening as well!!
The six of us leave tomorrow for our week-long Alaska cruise. This day seemed very remote when we booked last January, but here it is. When we get to Juneau, Ken and I and the girls will go on a dog sled ride and visit a kennel. The rest of the trip will be lots of relaxing and family time.
In the midst of everything else, less than two weeks ago we drove to Eugene and finally found the right motor home for us. Needless to say, that process has created a bit of extra angst and pandemonium, but we are well pleased. It is a 2005 Horizon so Ken gets his diesel pusher and we gained four more feet in length. So two round trips to Eugene plus 24 hours of moving and technician time made our trip to Spokane for my reunion a bit of a rush.
We left Eugene last Thursday about five and got as far as south of Portland and then we were up at four the next morning to get to Spokane at a reasonable time to attend the first reunion event on Friday. It was all good.
The reunion was most enjoyable. I am always surprised to find us visiting with and having much in common with lots of folks that I barely knew in school. The wife of one of my classmates owns a quilt shop in Michigan :), and another and his wife are full-time RVers!
I will come back with a full report when we return from the cruise. Ciao.
The six of us leave tomorrow for our week-long Alaska cruise. This day seemed very remote when we booked last January, but here it is. When we get to Juneau, Ken and I and the girls will go on a dog sled ride and visit a kennel. The rest of the trip will be lots of relaxing and family time.
In the midst of everything else, less than two weeks ago we drove to Eugene and finally found the right motor home for us. Needless to say, that process has created a bit of extra angst and pandemonium, but we are well pleased. It is a 2005 Horizon so Ken gets his diesel pusher and we gained four more feet in length. So two round trips to Eugene plus 24 hours of moving and technician time made our trip to Spokane for my reunion a bit of a rush.
We left Eugene last Thursday about five and got as far as south of Portland and then we were up at four the next morning to get to Spokane at a reasonable time to attend the first reunion event on Friday. It was all good.
The reunion was most enjoyable. I am always surprised to find us visiting with and having much in common with lots of folks that I barely knew in school. The wife of one of my classmates owns a quilt shop in Michigan :), and another and his wife are full-time RVers!
I will come back with a full report when we return from the cruise. Ciao.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Two months have gone by
We have been home watching the rain and gray clouds, but as of this afternoon we are off to the east coast. There is a hop to Dover so we hope to be on it. From there we will spend a day or two with Keith and Janet and the girls, and then go on to Goldsboro for Nolan's graduation.
We spent some time in Spokane the latter part of April so Ken could join Bob Jayne in the annual "Opening Day of Fishing Season" saga which actually starts the day after opening day and they fish for three days straight. We now have quite a few lovely big trout in the freezer. Sharon and I spent some time shopping and lunching.
Our nephew, Joel, turned 30 at that same time so Craig and I drove over for his birthday party. The boys had a great time when they managed to get two rigs stuck in the mud - boys and their toys - and mud!! Who could ask for more. Craig and I were guests at the Big Meadows B&B for two nights and were well-treated by Rod......Karen had escaped to Paducah.
Craig has been out of work since last fall when the construction job finished at Pierce College. Now he is into his third week as project manager for a small local company that is building a school in Renton. It is an ugly commute, but it is a job.
Colleen and Jim are still an item and they just seem to keep on keeping on.......
Sadly, Ken's brother, Bud, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer with a three to four month prognosis. Ken stopped in Moses Lake and saw him last month and we are keeping him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.
Our summer plans take us back to Spokane the middle of July for my fiftieth!! high school reunion and then back home to have Keith and Janet and the girls arrive for our cruise to Alaska. I am very excited about cruising to Alaska.
NOW IT IS ALMOST MID-JULY. Everything previously mentioned has either happened or is on track to happen.
Our trip to Maryland and North and South Carolina was very good. We had time with Keith and Brian and families and proudly saw Nolan graduate from East Wayne High School. We drove to Chapel Hill the day before we left and toured the campus and the dorm where he will be living. It is quite a lovely setting.
Ken and I drove to Charleston for a few days since we had not ever spent time there. We discovered an awesome restaurant, toured a plantation and an historical house that is being maintained as much as possible without restoration. Our other outing was to tour Ft. Sumter.
Next week we will be in eastern and Washington and the weekend events for my reunion. Then we will rush home to be ready for Keith and Janet and the girls when they arrive Tuesday night the 26th. We are getting excited about the cruise and our time together.
We had a great gathering here for the Fourth of July. I think there were 20 here for the day. Steilacoom is a great place to spend the day because there is something going on all day long right up to the fireworks at 10:30.
Ciao
We spent some time in Spokane the latter part of April so Ken could join Bob Jayne in the annual "Opening Day of Fishing Season" saga which actually starts the day after opening day and they fish for three days straight. We now have quite a few lovely big trout in the freezer. Sharon and I spent some time shopping and lunching.
Our nephew, Joel, turned 30 at that same time so Craig and I drove over for his birthday party. The boys had a great time when they managed to get two rigs stuck in the mud - boys and their toys - and mud!! Who could ask for more. Craig and I were guests at the Big Meadows B&B for two nights and were well-treated by Rod......Karen had escaped to Paducah.
Craig has been out of work since last fall when the construction job finished at Pierce College. Now he is into his third week as project manager for a small local company that is building a school in Renton. It is an ugly commute, but it is a job.
Colleen and Jim are still an item and they just seem to keep on keeping on.......
Sadly, Ken's brother, Bud, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer with a three to four month prognosis. Ken stopped in Moses Lake and saw him last month and we are keeping him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.
Our summer plans take us back to Spokane the middle of July for my fiftieth!! high school reunion and then back home to have Keith and Janet and the girls arrive for our cruise to Alaska. I am very excited about cruising to Alaska.
NOW IT IS ALMOST MID-JULY. Everything previously mentioned has either happened or is on track to happen.
Our trip to Maryland and North and South Carolina was very good. We had time with Keith and Brian and families and proudly saw Nolan graduate from East Wayne High School. We drove to Chapel Hill the day before we left and toured the campus and the dorm where he will be living. It is quite a lovely setting.
Ken and I drove to Charleston for a few days since we had not ever spent time there. We discovered an awesome restaurant, toured a plantation and an historical house that is being maintained as much as possible without restoration. Our other outing was to tour Ft. Sumter.
Next week we will be in eastern and Washington and the weekend events for my reunion. Then we will rush home to be ready for Keith and Janet and the girls when they arrive Tuesday night the 26th. We are getting excited about the cruise and our time together.
We had a great gathering here for the Fourth of July. I think there were 20 here for the day. Steilacoom is a great place to spend the day because there is something going on all day long right up to the fireworks at 10:30.
Ciao
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Rain, Drizzle, Fog, Downpour, Showers, Fronts, and Wind
The saga continues but in a different state. We finally got out of Travis and drove all the way to Brookings, OR last week. We spent two nights at Harris Beach campground and the incessant rain made its way into the motor home in three different places; the windshield and both slides. So the rest of the trip has us operating with the slides closed. Ken applied lots of duct tape to the top of the windshield and that seems to holding. Needless to say, we have an appointment with Southside Motors for next week.
We spent three nights with the Ladds in Florence and cousin Harriet drove down from Albany. The weather prevented us from doing anything outside, but we talked, and ate, and drank well. A trip into town for Mo's clam chowder was a must, and then we were treated to some yummy meals prepared by Carolyn. The five of us pretty well polished off a bottle of Akvavit accompanied by the necessary pickled herring. In addition, we learned that Irvin makes a lovely hot buttered rum.
Harriet, Carolyn and I ventured into town yesterday to poke around in a few of the shops. A very nice quilt shop and TWO awesome kitchen stores, but alas, one was closed.
Now we are parked on the front tier at Sea and Sand RV Park just north of Depot Bay, and I am looking out through the rain-streaked windshield at the pounding surf. This is an awesome place for a view of the ocean. The only thing missing are a few big rocks for the crashing surf.
So two nights here, one at Cannon Beach and then we will be homeward-bound this weekend. Ciao
We spent three nights with the Ladds in Florence and cousin Harriet drove down from Albany. The weather prevented us from doing anything outside, but we talked, and ate, and drank well. A trip into town for Mo's clam chowder was a must, and then we were treated to some yummy meals prepared by Carolyn. The five of us pretty well polished off a bottle of Akvavit accompanied by the necessary pickled herring. In addition, we learned that Irvin makes a lovely hot buttered rum.
Harriet, Carolyn and I ventured into town yesterday to poke around in a few of the shops. A very nice quilt shop and TWO awesome kitchen stores, but alas, one was closed.
Now we are parked on the front tier at Sea and Sand RV Park just north of Depot Bay, and I am looking out through the rain-streaked windshield at the pounding surf. This is an awesome place for a view of the ocean. The only thing missing are a few big rocks for the crashing surf.
So two nights here, one at Cannon Beach and then we will be homeward-bound this weekend. Ciao
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Full Circle Back to Travis AFB
And here we sit. This is always our stopping point when going to and coming from Arizona because it is a good place to regroup, resupply, and catch up on laundry. However, our two day stay is extending well beyond because of weather between here and the Oregon coast. We have already had some major winds and rain over the past few days, and there is more to come.
We spent our last night in Arizona on the desert which we love to do because there is hardly anyone there, and it is so peaceful and quiet. Of course just because Ken set up his motion-detector camera, we didn't have any four-legged visitors as we did on the way down in December.
One of our outings while in Tucson was to visit the Titan Missile Museum. There is a "real" missile in its silo, with a hole in the roof to prove to any passing satellites that it is in fact unarmed. This missle was never "live" but used for training. Our tour was conducted by one of the last mission commanders of the program, and Marge would not have been anyone to toy with; I'm sure she was all business all the time, and she provided an excellent insight into the workings of the system. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit.
Last Sunday, Jeff Schuler drove up from San Jose to meet us in Lodi for lunch and some wine tasting. Who would have thought of Lodi as a wine center? We visited three wineries and all three had some very nice wines. The Ouseys were staying here at the Famcamp with us so they joined us. A very pleasant afternoon.
We are hoping to coordinate our travels home to allow us to meet up with Ken's cousin, Carolyn, and her husband Irvin. They have a house near the beach in Florence, so I think they are going to try to drive over from their home in central Oregon for a visit. When we lived in eastern Washington, traveling south would take us through central Oregon so we would see them more often than we do now.
I am tired of looking out the windshield at the never-ending rain and gray skies so I will get on with my day. Ciao.
We spent our last night in Arizona on the desert which we love to do because there is hardly anyone there, and it is so peaceful and quiet. Of course just because Ken set up his motion-detector camera, we didn't have any four-legged visitors as we did on the way down in December.
One of our outings while in Tucson was to visit the Titan Missile Museum. There is a "real" missile in its silo, with a hole in the roof to prove to any passing satellites that it is in fact unarmed. This missle was never "live" but used for training. Our tour was conducted by one of the last mission commanders of the program, and Marge would not have been anyone to toy with; I'm sure she was all business all the time, and she provided an excellent insight into the workings of the system. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit.
Last Sunday, Jeff Schuler drove up from San Jose to meet us in Lodi for lunch and some wine tasting. Who would have thought of Lodi as a wine center? We visited three wineries and all three had some very nice wines. The Ouseys were staying here at the Famcamp with us so they joined us. A very pleasant afternoon.
We are hoping to coordinate our travels home to allow us to meet up with Ken's cousin, Carolyn, and her husband Irvin. They have a house near the beach in Florence, so I think they are going to try to drive over from their home in central Oregon for a visit. When we lived in eastern Washington, traveling south would take us through central Oregon so we would see them more often than we do now.
I am tired of looking out the windshield at the never-ending rain and gray skies so I will get on with my day. Ciao.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Is it warming up?
It has been hard to tell. However, as we are making our way from Tucson to Yuma, it is approaching eighty today, so I guess we are gradually getting there.
We spent our last two nights in Tucson at the overflow area at Davis Monthan AFB before moving on to Yuma, which we are doing at the moment. DM has a great Famcamp, but it is very busy this time of year, so to get a space with hookups, it usually takes two or three days of dry camping in the overflow area. We were only there for the two nights, so no problem.
Yesterday we happened on the biggest Ace Hardware store I have ever seen. The storefront covered more than a half block, and about 1/3 of the building was nothing but housewares. Ken entertained himself on the hardware side, and you know where I was. It pretty much qualifies as one of those "must see" locations.
The trip to Surprise didn't produce a surprise. It is scary to consider buying a used coach when you don't know the history.....and as we all know, the sales people will tell you anything. It is as if they consider every potential buyer as someone who doesn't know a motor home from motorcycle!!
We enjoyed two more evenings of entertainment before leaving Rincon Country. Both were guitarists/singers. Jimmy Fortune sang tenor for the Statler Brother for many years, but his best rendition of the evening was Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman". He nailed it!!
We will be in Yuma for the next two weeks and will join the Spragues and the Ouseys. I'm not sure what there is to do to keep us occupied for two weeks, but we will keep each other company. I will spend some time at a dentist since I lost a big filling earlier this week. Oh joy.
Colleen and Jim and the girls are back from a lovely time in Hawaii. A luau and a swim with dolphins were two of the highlights. Now it is back to swimming and working and school.
Just in the last month we have been invited to three 50th wedding anniversary parties. How could we be possibly be old enough to have friends and family old enough to have been married fifty years? Hmmmm, we are at 49!! Ciao
We spent our last two nights in Tucson at the overflow area at Davis Monthan AFB before moving on to Yuma, which we are doing at the moment. DM has a great Famcamp, but it is very busy this time of year, so to get a space with hookups, it usually takes two or three days of dry camping in the overflow area. We were only there for the two nights, so no problem.
Yesterday we happened on the biggest Ace Hardware store I have ever seen. The storefront covered more than a half block, and about 1/3 of the building was nothing but housewares. Ken entertained himself on the hardware side, and you know where I was. It pretty much qualifies as one of those "must see" locations.
The trip to Surprise didn't produce a surprise. It is scary to consider buying a used coach when you don't know the history.....and as we all know, the sales people will tell you anything. It is as if they consider every potential buyer as someone who doesn't know a motor home from motorcycle!!
We enjoyed two more evenings of entertainment before leaving Rincon Country. Both were guitarists/singers. Jimmy Fortune sang tenor for the Statler Brother for many years, but his best rendition of the evening was Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman". He nailed it!!
We will be in Yuma for the next two weeks and will join the Spragues and the Ouseys. I'm not sure what there is to do to keep us occupied for two weeks, but we will keep each other company. I will spend some time at a dentist since I lost a big filling earlier this week. Oh joy.
Colleen and Jim and the girls are back from a lovely time in Hawaii. A luau and a swim with dolphins were two of the highlights. Now it is back to swimming and working and school.
Just in the last month we have been invited to three 50th wedding anniversary parties. How could we be possibly be old enough to have friends and family old enough to have been married fifty years? Hmmmm, we are at 49!! Ciao
It is warming up
We still have not had a "hot" day; it did reach eighty once so far, but the nights get right down chilly. I have shed one jacket and am down to wearing a down vest over my sweatsuit for a morning walk.
We have enjoyed some entertainment while here and have been out and about a few times. Tucson does not have a good east/west travel route so it takes a lot of time to get to the other side of town which seems to be where I always want to be (quilt shops, JoAnn's, Davis Monthan AFB, etc).
Karen and Rod took us to Green Valley last Saturday to meet friends they met at an Alpine rally. Dave and Sandy are very interesting, personable folks. His second career was being employed by the Ford Motor Company racing team, and Sandy traveled with the team as well, feeding as many as fifty at a time - and making her bathroom available to all of them!!!!!! Dave had interesting stories to share about going back and forth across the border in Baja with something like 25 semis.
They clued us in on the differences between Green Valley and the other town nearby. Green Valley is very much a mecca for retirees. They live in a lovely adobe-style 2 bdrm/2bath home with a great room living area. Their back yard is spacious with about half of it a patio complete with a built-in gas grill. They have a two car garage, plus a third garage on the other side of the house for their RV. I was ready to move.
Colleen and Jim and the girls left for Hawaii yesterday so I am waiting for a travel update. Colleen has to be in Pasadena for meetings later this week so her trip is going to be cut short. But even a bit of Hawaii in February should be a treat.
Our travel plans beyond the winter include the trip to NC in June for Nolan's graduation, and then an Alaskan cruise the first of August with Keith, Janet, and the girls. We are very excited to have the four of them to ourselves for a full week since most of our get-togethers are major events with lots of people and little time to just sit back and enjoy them. And this is our first cruise, so that makes it all the more exciting.
Warren and Nolan are finishing the wrestling season and both have done very well. With Nolan graduating in June, it will be up to Warren to carry on the Kirkwood legacy on the mat!!
The Ouseys came down from Casa Grande last Wednesday for a visit. We are usually in the same park, so it was good to have some time with them since we have hardly seen them. The weather was pleasant enough to allow us to eat outside.
We still have several items on our "to-do" list before leaving the end of the month: Sabino Canyon, Sierra Vista for Mexican and/or German food and a quilt show and today a drive to Surprise to "surprise" look at a motor home.
Last Sunday we drove to Mesa to catch up with the Davenport crowd. Daryl and Jan gathered everyone at their patio for snacks and margaritas and then we went out for an early dinner. We toured the Gary Reinbolds' newly acquired park model and saw the Brian Ziemers' new-to-them Monaco coach. We all seem to make similar transitions along the way with changes in our winter accommodations.
We have enjoyed some entertainment while here and have been out and about a few times. Tucson does not have a good east/west travel route so it takes a lot of time to get to the other side of town which seems to be where I always want to be (quilt shops, JoAnn's, Davis Monthan AFB, etc).
Karen and Rod took us to Green Valley last Saturday to meet friends they met at an Alpine rally. Dave and Sandy are very interesting, personable folks. His second career was being employed by the Ford Motor Company racing team, and Sandy traveled with the team as well, feeding as many as fifty at a time - and making her bathroom available to all of them!!!!!! Dave had interesting stories to share about going back and forth across the border in Baja with something like 25 semis.
They clued us in on the differences between Green Valley and the other town nearby. Green Valley is very much a mecca for retirees. They live in a lovely adobe-style 2 bdrm/2bath home with a great room living area. Their back yard is spacious with about half of it a patio complete with a built-in gas grill. They have a two car garage, plus a third garage on the other side of the house for their RV. I was ready to move.
Colleen and Jim and the girls left for Hawaii yesterday so I am waiting for a travel update. Colleen has to be in Pasadena for meetings later this week so her trip is going to be cut short. But even a bit of Hawaii in February should be a treat.
Our travel plans beyond the winter include the trip to NC in June for Nolan's graduation, and then an Alaskan cruise the first of August with Keith, Janet, and the girls. We are very excited to have the four of them to ourselves for a full week since most of our get-togethers are major events with lots of people and little time to just sit back and enjoy them. And this is our first cruise, so that makes it all the more exciting.
Warren and Nolan are finishing the wrestling season and both have done very well. With Nolan graduating in June, it will be up to Warren to carry on the Kirkwood legacy on the mat!!
The Ouseys came down from Casa Grande last Wednesday for a visit. We are usually in the same park, so it was good to have some time with them since we have hardly seen them. The weather was pleasant enough to allow us to eat outside.
We still have several items on our "to-do" list before leaving the end of the month: Sabino Canyon, Sierra Vista for Mexican and/or German food and a quilt show and today a drive to Surprise to "surprise" look at a motor home.
Last Sunday we drove to Mesa to catch up with the Davenport crowd. Daryl and Jan gathered everyone at their patio for snacks and margaritas and then we went out for an early dinner. We toured the Gary Reinbolds' newly acquired park model and saw the Brian Ziemers' new-to-them Monaco coach. We all seem to make similar transitions along the way with changes in our winter accommodations.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Casa Grande to Quartzsite to Tucson
I have been reminded by Colleen, not so gently, that it has been one month and then some since I last blogged..........
We had an enjoyable month in Casa Grande while hanging out with several couples from Wisconsin. There was a bonfire every night, and it was at the site right next to ours, so we didn't have far to go. That group starts with a get-together for drinks and snacks between four and five-thirty and then reconvenes around 6:30 for the fire. It is tough to squeeze dinner in between the socializing and the drinks. But it was all fun.
Our desert experience was great with much better weather than we endured last year. We managed to stay out for a full week and still had plenty of fresh water and some capacity in the holding tanks. I proved I could wash and rinse dishes with about one quart of water, and I could wash and rinse my hair with 2 cups of water. Baby wipes are a perfect substitution for wash clothes and full-on showers!!
Now we are in South Tucson at Rincon Country West RV Park and are parked next door to the Spragues. This is a big park with over 1000 sites, but we really like it. A person could stay busy from morning til night seven days a week if one were so inclined. There is everything from entertainment, to dancing, to cards, to needlework and quilting to golf to ceramics and pottery. We are parked in amongst the park models rather than over in the RV section, and we have found everyone to be very friendly.
I had a lady at my door in less than 1/2 hour after we arrived to invite Karen and me to join the quilt group on their outing to a local quilt shop and lunch. Ken and Rod are quite taken with the well-equipped wood shop, and there are hobbies and crafts galore. Karen attended a hardanger class yesterday so we ventured out to JoAnn's last night to arm ourselves with the supplies for yet another project. But the total investment for fabric, thread, and needles was less than $10 so I guess that is a pretty inexpensive endeavor.
As I write this, the thermometer is trying to climb up out of the TEENS. With the wind chill factor it is about 2 degrees outside. And the cold will continue for at least another 24 hours. We are quite comfortable with the furnace plus a small space heater, but there is not a lot of insulation in these motor homes. Particularly here in front in the cockpit area where I am sitting in a sweat suit plus socks plus slippers plus hot coffee.
We have had several threats of visitors but none have yet come to fruition. We are hoping some friends or family will find their way to come and see us while we are here. I promise it is going to warm up. We will leave this park the end of February and move on to "somewhere" in a westerly direction. We want to be back in Steilacoom by the first of April so we can leave for North Carolina the first of May!
Colleen and Jim and his girls are headed to sunny Hawaii later this month and all is well with the the rest of the family.
Stay warm. Ciao.
We had an enjoyable month in Casa Grande while hanging out with several couples from Wisconsin. There was a bonfire every night, and it was at the site right next to ours, so we didn't have far to go. That group starts with a get-together for drinks and snacks between four and five-thirty and then reconvenes around 6:30 for the fire. It is tough to squeeze dinner in between the socializing and the drinks. But it was all fun.
Our desert experience was great with much better weather than we endured last year. We managed to stay out for a full week and still had plenty of fresh water and some capacity in the holding tanks. I proved I could wash and rinse dishes with about one quart of water, and I could wash and rinse my hair with 2 cups of water. Baby wipes are a perfect substitution for wash clothes and full-on showers!!
Now we are in South Tucson at Rincon Country West RV Park and are parked next door to the Spragues. This is a big park with over 1000 sites, but we really like it. A person could stay busy from morning til night seven days a week if one were so inclined. There is everything from entertainment, to dancing, to cards, to needlework and quilting to golf to ceramics and pottery. We are parked in amongst the park models rather than over in the RV section, and we have found everyone to be very friendly.
I had a lady at my door in less than 1/2 hour after we arrived to invite Karen and me to join the quilt group on their outing to a local quilt shop and lunch. Ken and Rod are quite taken with the well-equipped wood shop, and there are hobbies and crafts galore. Karen attended a hardanger class yesterday so we ventured out to JoAnn's last night to arm ourselves with the supplies for yet another project. But the total investment for fabric, thread, and needles was less than $10 so I guess that is a pretty inexpensive endeavor.
As I write this, the thermometer is trying to climb up out of the TEENS. With the wind chill factor it is about 2 degrees outside. And the cold will continue for at least another 24 hours. We are quite comfortable with the furnace plus a small space heater, but there is not a lot of insulation in these motor homes. Particularly here in front in the cockpit area where I am sitting in a sweat suit plus socks plus slippers plus hot coffee.
We have had several threats of visitors but none have yet come to fruition. We are hoping some friends or family will find their way to come and see us while we are here. I promise it is going to warm up. We will leave this park the end of February and move on to "somewhere" in a westerly direction. We want to be back in Steilacoom by the first of April so we can leave for North Carolina the first of May!
Colleen and Jim and his girls are headed to sunny Hawaii later this month and all is well with the the rest of the family.
Stay warm. Ciao.
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