The life and times of the Kirkwoods

Farewell William G. Kirkwood

2012-01-25T07:13:00.000-08:00

Bud passed away late last week due to cancer. It has been heartwarming to read the comments in the Kayser Chapel (Moses Lake) site and to see so many affirmations of the difference he made in students' lives over the years of teaching. There will be a memorial in Moses Lake next Monday, and we will attend as will Keith and Craig.

We spent about ten days on the desert at Quartzite providing moral support to Rod and Karen in their hosting duties of 94 coaches for a five day rally. They are very thorough and conscientious so it went very well, and their efforts were much appreciated. The highlight was a pig roast. One of the rally members has a custom-built roaster that he towed to the rally and it became the final resting place for a 200+# pig. It was quite the novelty.

Franz even made head cheese the likes of which I have not had since I was a kid on the farm. It is fabulous in spite of what many others think.

We arrived at our usual park in Casa Grande yesterday afternoon and today we will try to get the desert dust out of the coach and catch up on organization and laundry. Airline reservations are the other task for the day.

It is a bit cool here yet this morning, but the sky is clear and blue. Ciao.

Quartzsite is within striking distance

2012-01-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

The weather was so nice, and we were so comfortable that we stayed longer at Travis than planned. But several days were spent with the Schulers, including the New Years Eve annual evening of good food. The Saturday after New Year's weekend, they came to our area for a day of wine tasting and a German dinner in San Francisco capped off the day.

After two days spent at RV repair shops, I think we are all in tact for our time on the desert. We had to have the house water pump replaced, but it was still under warranty, so we only had the cost of labor. The next day we had a failed control board in the water heater. And so it goes.

Last night was spent at Edwards AFB famcamp where the nighttime temp dipped to 12F. Ken had disconnected the outside water hose, and we kept heat going in the coach to keep the bays warm enough to prevent tanks from freezing so we managed. Right now we are bumping along I-10 in the area of Palm Springs and will get to the desert about five. Karen and Rod will have dinner waiting for us:)

There are some interesting rock formations near the junction of state highway 38 and I-15 north of San Bernardino. Called the Mormon rocks (I still don't know why), they are a hard cement rock that has withstood the winds and weather while the surrounding sand and geology disappeared. They look like big mounds of the expanding type of foam insulation used around the house.

But along with the carefree fun comes reality. Ken's brother, Bud, has been failing at quite a fast rate and has slipped in and out of a semi-comatose state, so we are braced for that last phone call that could come at any time which means we would be going to Moses Lake for his funeral.

It is overcast where we are at the moment, but I don't believe that translates to rain in this part of the country. It is 67 outside even without sunshine. Ciao

California Sunshine

2011-12-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

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

Time Marches On

2011-12-21T21:51:00.000-08:00

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

On a sad note

2011-12-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

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.

Brrrrr

2011-11-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

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.

Wedding Bells

2011-11-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

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

It's my Birthday today

2011-10-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

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

Alaska, Spokane, Coeur d'alene, Crooked River Ranch, Prosser, and back to Spokane

2011-10-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

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

More Fun and Family

2011-07-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Two months have gone by

2011-05-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

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

Rain, Drizzle, Fog, Downpour, Showers, Fronts, and Wind

2011-03-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

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

Full Circle Back to Travis AFB

2011-03-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

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.

Is it warming up?

2011-03-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

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

It is warming up

2011-03-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

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.

Casa Grande to Quartzsite to Tucson

2011-02-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

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.

Travel Update

2010-12-28T15:28:00.000-08:00

We had an uneventful trip from Travis to Casa Grande. We stayed in Bakersfield, courtesy of the Walton family, and then on to a night on the desert near Quartzite. I love the desert when it is deserted - and it was. But there was some critter who visited in the night and left paw prints on the hood of the car, and we never did figure out what it was.

We had an "intresting" encounter with a truck driver, not once but twice the day we drove from Bakersfield to Quartzite. Once outside Bakersfield, and again outside San Bernardino, he swerved over toward us as we were passing him. I waited too long before calling 911 so he did not get stopped, but he should have been. We have no idea what his reason was other than the fact that we were in an RV taking up space on "his" interstate.

The park here in Casa Grande looks about the same, but we are shocked that the Encore company is actually spending some money and is replacing the entire electrical system - and it needs it. We are parked in the same general area as we have been for the past three winters, and have pretty much the same neighbors.

Jeff and Bev arrive tomorrow night for their annual holiday visit - at 10:30 p.m which is way past my bedtime!! I'll have to take a nap. Ken and I are thinking we might go to Bisbee/Tucson/Sierra Vista for an overnight while they are here. Bisbee is a rather interesting former mining town, and the draw for Sierra Vista is Ricardo's restaurant just south of town.

Keith and Janet and the girls are cruising in the sunshine of the Caribbean, and Colleen is horseback riding in the snow in Montana. Skiing is on the agenda for tomorrow; for Colleen that is. She, Jim, and the girls drove to his brother's in Missoula yesterday and will enjoy a few days of true winter.

Gary and Carolyn Ousey got on a ferry out of Victoria a day earlier than expected so they scaled the Siskiyous today and will be in Casa Grande in two or three days. They are staying at a park that is about two miles from here, so I'm sure we will see them often.

Another couple we know will be coming to this park around the tenth of January, and then we will hook up with the Spragues back on the Quartzite desert the end of January. Such a social swirl.

Stay cool or stay warm as the case may be. Ciao.

On our way to Arizona

2010-12-15T00:50:00.000-08:00

We left home one week ago Monday, and are just now finishing a stay at Travis AFB before moving on. We will probably stay in Bakersfield tomorrow night and go on to Casa Grande the next day.

Our time here was pretty well filled with several days in the Sonoma Valley visiting wineries - and tasting wine - and buying wine. Brian has some connections to some folks in Napa who grow merlot grapes so for our Christmas gift he arranged for us to meet them, do some tasting, and take a case of wine away with us. A most enjoyable endeavor all the way around.

Jeff and Bev came up and met us in Sonoma on Friday so we had lunch and dinner together along with visiting a few wineries. We will see them again on the 29th when they come to Phoenix for their annual post-Christmas visit.

It has been difficult not having Cooper with us because he has been our traveling companion for so many years. For the first few days, I kept wanting to turn around to see if he was sleeping, but it is getting easier as time goes on.

I am up after midnight writing this because I couldn't sleep, so I guess I will go back to bed and try again. I will post again after we get to Casa Grande. Ciao.

A sad post-Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

After a very enjoyable day with friends and family here for Thanksgiving Day, yesterday was difficult in that we had to put Cooper down. His legs simply gave out on him. We feel very bereft, and it will take some time to get used to not having near us with his demands and devotion. Most of you probably already know because I have it on Facebook, but just in case you don't follow FB.......

We saw to it that he had a good 15 1/2 years. Rest in peace, Cooper.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...........

2010-11-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

It looks like we have already waited too long to leave town. It has been cold cold cold for the past week with the nighttime lows hovering around freezing, and this morning I am watching the snow come down and accumulate. I have an appointment this afternoon which I just might cancel, and today was the day that Ken and I were going to finish grocery shopping for Thanksgiving. That too might get put on hold. Right now, the ground and the trees and shrubs are all white.

Ken has been shopping for a different motor home and thought he had found the one he wanted, but it has several issues that make us uneasy, so it is a no-go. We are looking at used, and our other two were new, so it feels much more risky when you don't know the history of the rig.

The Spragues have been in contact with us for making some travel plans after the first of the year, so we are going to meet up with them in the desert for the annual rally that they attend. Then back to Casa Grande for a while before heading off to Organ Pipe National Monument south of Tucson. They have found a nice park in Yuma, so we will follow them to Yuma and give that burg one more chance. So far I have not been enamored with that area. That should take us to March and there is nothing planned beyond that.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Ciao

It's November, Thanksgiving can't be far away

2010-11-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

It was difficult to know that this is the month of November since we had sunshine and the thermometer was rising into the 70s today! However, the weather folks have assured us this is short-lived, and we can anticipate rain in the near term.

We enjoyed a brief visit from our friends, the Ouseys. Since they live in Victoria, they just drove on to the ferry, disembarked at Port Angeles, and drove about 100 miles to arrive here. Ken and Gary talked computers and military air stuff, and Carolyn and I did a bit of shopping.

She and I enjoy a glass of wine so I decided to open a bottle of a tempranillo blend that been rolling around in the pantry since receiving it in a wine club shipment a few weeks ago. Our eyes lit up as we sipped and tasted because it was very yummy. A few days later I decided to go on line to see about ordering some more from the winery when I discovered that it is $40/bottle. NO WONDER WE WERE SMACKING OUR LIPS. That wine will definitely have to be a "special occasion" wine, but I am determined to acquire more.

I have not been particularly motivated to do much quilting, but finally this week I finished a small quilt I have been making for a friend of Craig's who has been recovering at Walter Reed Hospital for the past six months. The top is finished and it is ready to be shipped off to the long-arm quilter in eastern Washington. Now what to do? Drag out a UFO (unfinished object) or charge right ahead and start something anew?

We will host Thanksgiving this year to include Craig and Cassie, Colleen, Jim and his girls, niece Jordan, husband Cliff and son Thomas and perhaps Cassie's parents who live in Stayton, Oregon. Colleen has been charged with table decor, and I will work on all the usual traditional dishes. I sometimes stray a bit and make a different version of the cranberry sauce or the stuffing or the sweet potatoes, but the meal always contains the usual traditional components. Jim is a pie maker extraordinaire so guess what I will ask of him? However, he says he is not fond of pumpkin, so I'll make that. And I'll make the mincemeat pie because most of the kids don't even like it, but it is one of Ken's favorites.

As soon as the dishes are done, the turkey carcass disposed of and the motor home packed, we plan to be on our way out of town for an early departure for our winter down south. We have no reservations or commitments until the latter part of January so we will just see where the trail leads!

Enjoy the rest of this lovely fall with all of its sensory inputs. Ciao

On the Warpath

2010-10-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

I'll spare you some of the details, but I thought I would let you visualize Helen Kirkwood marching around the halls of Madigan Medical Mall with fire in her eyes.

After waiting a total of 1 1/2 hours, encountering an assistant who could neither make the scale work nor read the answers on my questionnaire and not having laid eyes on my caregiver, Ms. DelaRosa, I grabbed up my handbag, opened the door of the examining room and marched out!! I lurched to a stop at the receptionist's desk long enought to learn that I could find the chief of the Internal Medicine Clinic on the second floor. So up the stairs I went in search of Col. McGuire whose name was on the letter I had received directing me to make today's appointment.

Not knowing where I might find the elusive Col. McGuire, I decided to enter through the double glass doors identified as "Command something" and trod upon the flowers of the carpeted hallway looking for directions (remember this is the U.S. Army and there aren't many flowers so you know I was on hallowed ground). I stopped two young women, one in uniform and the other a civilian employee, for directions to Col. McGuire, and with a panicked look on their faces said they didn't know but they would take me down the hall to the secretary who would surely know. So they escorted me through some more glass doors to inquire as to the location of the colonel. Either the look on my face or the steel in my voice seemed to get everyone's attention and I think they were thinking to themselves they really wanted to get me out of there before I accosted some general. The nearest woman picked up the phone and quickly dialed the patient ombudsman, Ernestine, and handed the phone to me. I only got through about two sentences when Ernestine said she would come up and get me!!

All the while as we walked back downstairs, Ernestine was telling me how they want all their patients to be happy!! And it seems Col. McGuire was just the acting chief, and Col. Vilner was the current chief.............but he was in a meeting.

After speaking with Ernestine, and she in turn talking to her boss (who is one level down from the chief), the second in command said she was going out to the clinic to talk to Ms DelaRosa. She then returned to say both Ms DelaRosa, AND HER SUPERVISOR, Dr. Bales were in an office and invited me to go with her to speak to the two of them.

With some profuse apologies from my caregiver, and some further explanations from her supervisor, Dr. Bales (who had been my previous caregiver, and I LOVED him), I pretty much accepted apologies and explanations and returned to the clinic with the caregiver to proceed with the appointment that was to have taken place two hours earlier. Even at that, it wasn't a particularly stellar encounter, but it will suffice for now.

I understand all about busy doctors and clinics, but there had been some other poor communication prior to my appointment so I went into today's appointment already loaded for bear so as the clock kept ticking away, my blood pressure kept rising until I decided to take it upon myself to do some marching!

Fortunately, I had "dressed" for this appointment so looked pretty no-nonsense in black pants and shirt and aqua blue silk jacket. I would like to think that helped my credibility, and I thought it might be fun to put on the same outfit and walk down those same halls tomorrow to watch the looks on faces!!! Ciao

Beautiful fall

2010-10-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year, and the last few days have been beautiful with blue sky, sunshine, and turning leaves. But this afternoon it is back to reality..........rain. That just gives a reason to turn the lamps on low, build a fire in the fireplace and snuggle up with a quilt and a book.

Ken is continuing to improve with a final diagnosis of amyotrophy (caused by the diabetes) as evidenced by a sudden onset of pain in the hip and thigh. But he continues to improve and has completed a month's worth of PT. We have charged headlong into the diabetic diet routine and all is working well. He is at the very low end of the scale, and a few years ago he would not have even been considered to be diabetic.

This past Monday was Colleen's birthday which we celebrated on Saturday with her requestd menu of stew, bread and apple crisp. A pretty easy meal from my perspective. Craig, Cassie and Greta joined us as well as three new faces; Jim and his daughters Noa and Ani.

Colleen and Jim have been a twosome since summer, but I have tried to mind my own business and not get too involved:)!! He lives in Seattle and lost his wife about 3 1/2 years ago so he has been a (super) single parent to the girls who are ten and twelves. We have known Jim for ages as he was Brian's best friend when they were in college at UW and we have always been very fond of him.

Jim has included Colleen in several recent social events where she has met his friends and the folks from his office. In August they spent four days in San Francisco, and this coming weekend they are going to one of the San Juan islands for an annual get-together with friends of his. We are very happy for both of them and are thrilled to have him and his girls be a part of our lives.

Ken is keeping himself occupied by shopping for a new-to-us used diesel-pusher. I am still very content with our current coach, but he would really like the diesel engine. With the wonder of the internet, he has been shopping the entire country, and I see a real possibility of our making a quick trip to Iowa or Minnesota or some other far-flung state should the right rig become available.

I mentioned in a previous blog that we had not seen the Schulers since last Christmas, so they are coming on Saturday for a short two-day visit. She and I use our October birthdays as an excuse to get together this time of year, and we are looking forward to seeing them.

Our friends the Ouseys have been threatening to come and see us, and I think I have convinced them that they need to act on their threats. We are hoping they will come for a visit later on this month. And then we will see them again when we all get to the desert in January (although we hope to leave here right after Thanksgiving).

We had a good time in Prosser on our little mini-vacation last month, and the wine cellar is replenished. I love that part of the state with all the green fields and vineyards. We stopped in Kennewick to visit with my cousin, Ellen Jean, who is about 90 years old and cute as can be. She has had two broken wrists and a broken hip, but she is on her feet and perky as can be. She can't be bothered with staying down.

Happy Halloween. Ciao

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!!!!

2010-09-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

After endless rounds of doctors' appointments, tests, labs, etc., we said, "The hell with it all." We are on our way to Prosser to do some relaxing and wine-tasting for a few days.

Ken is feeling better, but the only answer so far is a diagnosis of diabetes.....which could be a player in the previous three months' problems, but no one is saying. He is more mobile, and in considerably less pain, but he right leg and knee are not to be trusted because of so much atrophy. PT starts on Tuesday.

So in spite of setbacks, we are feeling pretty frisky and decided we wanted to go play for a while. He has given himself a bit of a break and allowed me to drive the MH for a short stretch which I have been saying I need to do anyway, just to be sure I am comfortable with it. I think I've got the hang of it.

I have made two trips to Yakima/Union Gap in the last three weeks to take advantage of peaches and pears. I canned seven more quarts of peaches, but the pears I made into chutney as well as subjecting some of them to drying. I used an "off-the-wall" method of drying using a box fan, furnace filters and bungee cords, so it will be interesting to see how they turn out. The whole process is from an Alton Brown "Good Eats" segment on the Food channel.

We have had a dearth of encounters with our friends for various reasons. Rod and Karen Sprague are leaving Spokane on Saturday to take in the balloon festival in New Mexico and then will go on to San Diego. We haven't gone anywhere, and they have been busy so haven't been over our way.

We haven't seen Jeff and Bev Schuler since last January. They usually come to Steilacoom in the spring and again in the fall; neither of which has happened. The fall trip is hoped to occur yet this month. Jeff stepped on a piece of wood in his shop and did enough damage to require surgery. He should be mobile again in the near future.

But the Jaynes and their friends are coming to western Washington the end of this month, so we are looking forward to a visit with them!!

We are just rolling down the hill with Yakima spread out before us.....and even though there are lots of clouds, there is sunshine peeking through at the moment. In another hour we will be settled in at Wine Country RV and relaxing with a little libation!!

Ciao

Several more nice summery days, but

2010-08-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

there is a big bunch of clouds hanging around way out in the Pacific that will probably make there way here by Thursday. Can fall be far behind?

Ken continues his tests with no clear answers and just a lot of speculation. He is scheduled for a spinal tap on Thursday as they continue to look for an infection or a virus. The pain has lessened and he is more ambulatory, but is in constant fear of taking a tumble. He has even driven a little this week. To be continued.

I defrosted the big chest freezer today, which had not been done in years. It turned out to be pretty quick and easy as I was able to remove the big slabs of ice from the walls before they fell and melted. So it is back on and cooling down. That freezer is 35 years old, and I'm sure eats a lot of electricity, but I think we will just leave it in place for the time being. With the new refrigerator and its large freezer, I could almost give up having a second freezer -- almost!

Last Thursday, Elisabeth and I drove to Yakima to buy fruit, taste wine, and eat some good Mexican food. As we started home, my car began to chug and smell funny. After some fits and starts, we happened on the service entrance for a car dealership wherein we met a very nice sales manager who correctly identified the problem even before the mechanic put it on the computer (bad coils) and after retrieving new parts from the local VW dealer, he had us back on the road in about an hour at an unbelievably low price. We were very fortunate.

Colleen came down on Saturday and we canned peaches, and tomorrow I have some apricots that will be ready for jam. I want to go back over in the next week or two to get pears and anything else that is inviting. Ciao

Update

2010-08-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

As a synopsis: floors are finished, house is back together, some sunshine has allowed a few flowers to bloom, we have not only a new refrigerator (planned), but a new dishwasher (unplanned), Cooper and the Westfalia have caused the remodel budget to pale in comparison, the weather in North Carolina and Maryland can be oppresive, we love to spend time with our family, Ken has been in pain and gimpy for over a month, and Colleen and Craig have been helper-bees over the past month.

Brian and the boys were here for three days in July after a whirlwind trip from Virginia to North Caroline to Idaho to here. They retrieved the car they had stored in Boise and drove to Lewiston where Doug Riddle (Jordan's dad), whom we love, took the three of them up the river through Hells Canyon. It can sometimes be difficult to impress teen boys, but they were impressed!! Doug was a sweetheart for doing that.

On Saturday, we hosted about eighteen family members with all but two staying the night. The front yard looked like tent city. The menu of the day was a Spanish theme with tapas, gazpacho, and paella. What an easy menu for a crowd!!! Jerry and Lois, Curt and Cinda and Linea, Jordan, Cliff, and Thomas, Craig, Cassie and Greta, Colleen, and Brian's longtime college friend, Jim, and his two girls were all in attendance. Fun, fun, fun.

Brian and the boys and Ken and I were in a shuttle to the airport on Monday morning at four IN THE MORNING to go to North Caroline in preparation for Brian's change of command on Friday, July 30. They have lovely new quarters on base, and with some frenzied unpacking, their house was quite settled and liveable by Thursday, which was a good thing, because Thursday afternoon saw the socializing begin again with the arrival of Sheila's sister and family and Sheila's mother and her sister plus Keith Craig and Colleen. There were also several longtime friends in town for the change of command.

Thankfully, Friday was overcast and the change of command was in a hanger at nine in the morning so we didn't suffer the heat and humidity. Here is the culmination of the day:
www.seymourjohnson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123215892.
Then it was back to Brian and Sheila's for another full day of fun.

Part of the Air Force tradition is a "roof stomp" where many of folks who are under Brian's command come to the house, put up a ladder and stomp around on the roof. I think we counted about 25 flight suits on the roof, then they descended on the keg of beer in the back yard!!

We drove to Maryland on Sunday to see the Maryland Kirkwoods for a day or two because there was no way I was going to be on the east coast and not see Janet and the girls. Our plan was to hop from Andrews AFB to McChord, but the one flight had no seats so some super sleuthing garnered us two last minute one way tickets on Air Trans for a great price. We have been home since Thursday morning.

Ken is in the midst of a medical mystery after awakening on Fourth of July weekend in excruciating pain in his right hip and thigh. After three trips to emergency over that weekend and several appointments and tests, there is still no conclusion and he continues to rely on pain medications. Several things have been ruled out, mostly really scary stuff, but still no answer. He has developed weakness on his right side to the point that he doesn't trust himself to drive because he can't react fast enough.

He is scheduled for another test this Monday, plus he delivered a letter to the doctor yesterday to make it crystal clear as to what was occurring along with a request to move faster with some kind of a diagnosis. Continuing to take high-powered pain meds isn't the answer nor the solution.

Cooper on the other hand is like the Energizer bunny and just keeps going and going and going at 15 1/2. We had to have a sitter stay with him while we were away and Roseanne spoiled him beyond belief, plus she walked him downtown every day!! I never would have imagined he could do that as stiff as he appears to be. We had avoided some grooming and medical issues for him thinking he was gong to expire any day and wouldn't tolerate anesthetic, but he proved us wrong again - hence the big dent in the budget for some minor surgery, grooming, and teeth cleaning. This is the third winter coming up when we didn't think he would be going south with us.

We are now home for a while with no specific plans until we have Ken mobile again. So come and see us!!! The guest room is completely finished and it does have a new bed, so it is safe to visit. We would love to show off our newly finished floors, redecorated rooms and remodeled kitchen!!!

Now my goal is to get to the sewing machine to finish a couple of quilts that are in progress plus go to Yakima for some fresh fruit to do some canning before the summer is over. How homey is that? Ciao

Can it be that summer is finally on it's way?

2010-06-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am looking out my window at blue sky with just a light film of haze.....and I have the doors open instead of having the furnace running. Woohoo!!

Yesterday was graduation/party day for Linea Johnson graduating cum laude from Seattle University. We didn't attend the graduation, but were front and center for the party afterwards, which was great fun. Congratulations Ms Linea. Check out my Facebook pages for photos of Linea and her mom in their robes.

Our gift to her was a quilt that I made sometime during the past year, but of course had put off the finish work, so there were several late nights with needle in hand, but it was finished for the party yesterday. So another unfinished project to check off my long list of unfinished projects; what next?

We have been living for this past week with the the two downstairs bedrooms' furniture piled in the living room as the floors were being refinished. Starting today, we can move back into those two rooms, and in another ten days we empty the front of the house for the same process. The upside is that I don't have to worry about "keeping house".

Since the bedrooms are empty, we might as well paint, right? It sounds like such a simple task, and we have been at it for several days. The biggest problem is to find the right paint colors. How can the look change so drastically from the chip to the application? But we are now on track and should be able to finish up over the next day or two. It had been years since either room was painted, so they were overdue. The guest room is now two shades of blue, a deep blue on the ceiling, and a medium blue on the walls. Ivory trim and a strip of border wallpaper finishes it off. The other room is beige on top, taupe on the bottom with a lighter colored chair rail. I gave away the IKEA sofa bed that had served us well so now I am rethinking the entire room setup. And I got rid of the bed in the guest room so that needs to be replaced. Give me some warning if you are coming to visit so i can be sure to run out and buy a bed!

Brother Mike and a friend were fishing near Long Beach, Washington the past two days so they came by last night to stay before driving on to Spokane. They are sleeping in the MH, and I haven't seen a sign of them yet. Two days of getting up early, fishing all day, and catching nothing, will wear you out.

Here's to summer........sometime. Ciao

Miscellaneous

2010-05-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

It has been a quiet month interspersed with brief moments of busyness. And that is fine with me.

Colleen's concerts are over, and I very much enjoyed the performance I attended, Craig returned from the east coast and is now back again for a few days to help with his friends rehabilitation, Keith made a five-day whirlwind business trip to Australia, and our last exchanges with Brian find him keeping busy and looking forward to his next assignment in North Carolina.

Nolan just completed his SATS (and did very well), Warren and Nolan have finished track, Rachel is home after her first year at UMBC, and Keith and Sarah are both finished with classes for the quarter.

We loved having the Spragues here for a short time, and we did manage to convince them to stay one extra day so the boys could spend more time poking around Tacoma looking at such things as acoustic guitars and guns, and leaving Karen and I free to mosey off to a quilt shop or two. I don't know when we will get together again as our schedules are pretty divergent for the next few months.

I have been following the activites of Linea and Cinda with their involvement in NAMI and Bring Change 2 Mind, both mental illness advocacy groups. I joined them along with Curt and other friends of theirs for two fund-raising walks this month. Two weeks ago was the 5K in Seattle, and yesterday was the 5K in Portland. Seattle's weather was lovely, and Portland's was wet, cold, and breezy. However, we walked on both sides of the river near downtown Portland so that was a new experience for me.

Ken drove to Portland with me yesterday which was a good thing, because I was so sleepy on the way home I probably would have driven right into something. Portland is such a difficult city to navigate that running into something is always a bit of a possibility!

We are paring down the kitchen to-do list now that all the plumbing issues have been resolved. We are ready to have the floors refinished and then it will be July after Chuck returns from Alaska before the base molding is installed, and some revisions are made to two of the upper kitchen cabinets.

If you ever select kitchen cabinets, do not under any circumstances allow anyone to talk you into hinged 90 degree corner cabinets instead of a single angled door. I did and I regret it. I can't even reach the bottom shelf nor see anything that is on it, so we are purchasing materials to have Chuck revamp both the cabinets to allow for lazy susans. That is what I discussed originally and the kitchen designer convinced me that these are much better -- even though she is as short as I, and she doesn't have hinged doors in her kitchen!! Lesson learned.

We are experiencing days and days of overcast, cold, and drizzly weather, but it is bound to change soon. Enjoy spring in your part of the world. Ciao.

Keep on Keepin' On

2010-04-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

We have been home for one month...........isn't it time to go somewhere?

After the jacks are repaired on the motor home. Three are in need of replacement parts, and I guess it would be wise to wait and take care of that. I have been following my friends as they make their way from Minnesota to Washington via Texas, sans motor home, and have been wishing it were me. A road trip in the car is second best to an outing in the MH.

Our time is pretty well occupied with trying to get the kitchen finished and tying up the loose ends. And it is like a line of dominoes with each step dependent on another so it is a bit of a balancing act. We are close to finishing the lighting, redoing some of the plumbing, and making a decision for the floor. Even with all that, it is quite joyful to work in new surroundings. I am equally thrilled with my new 25 cu. ft. french door refrigerator......I have never had such spacious luxury, and even after a major shopping trip it still looks empty.

Craig returned from spending time with his friend who is recovering at Walter Reed, and he says he is glad he went. I believe the next major hurdle for his friend is to get finished with surgeries, get stabilized, and then get moved here to Madigan.
As I mentioned, the trip was also an opportunity for him to spend time with Keith, Janet, and the girls.

Colleen's Sacred Music Chorale is having its spring concerts this weekend so I will attend tomorrow night in Lynnwood. It is quite an amazing group, about seventy strong and including a number of professional musicians, and the works performed never cease to amaze me.

We are looking forward to a short visit by the Spragues on the 16th of May. They will have been attending a rally in Wenatchee and then will come here for two nights. We don't have enough room in the driveway for two coaches, so we reserve space for them at the Fort Lewis Travel Park which is just a matter of three or four miles from here. It has been several years since they were here, but I know Karen can't stand to not see the kitchen!! I don't know what I will do to get them back here next time.

Enjoy the lovely spring days as each one brings more and more beauty. HK

Where is spring?

2010-04-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

We are still waiting for a full day of sunshine. There have been a few teasers, but the weather has not been great since returning home.

We drove to Chehalis yesterday to meet up with the Ouseys as they are making their way back to Victoria. Since we left Casa Grande in a bit of a hurry, it was nice to spend some time with them as we sipped some wine and dined on Subway sandwiches. They are planning to be on the 2:00 p.m. ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria today.

I just investigated another shopping venue here in the Northwest - Grocery Outlet. I know Craig and Cassie have shopped there, but this was a first for me. The stores are a bit on the dismal side, but there are some gems if you look, including fresh produce. For the size of the store, they have a large wine selection, and most everything I saw was in the $5 range. Mind you, I didn't recognize one single label, but for $5 they are worth a try. According to their website, there is a three-tier system for the marketing of wine, and they purchase at the lowest or third tier which means they buy up the cases that didn't sell through the first two tiers such as wholesalers and restaurants. Remember, if you are used to shopping at AJ's in Phoenix or Queen Ann Thriftway in Seattle or Metropolitan Market here in Tacoma, THIS STORE IS NOT FOR YOU!!

Craig is headed to Baltimore for a few days to visit a friend who was injured in Afghanistan and is now at Walter Reed. His injuries aren't life-threatening but he lost several fingers. One leg is going to require multiple surgeries and lots of metal. Fortunately, Craig can stay at Keith and Janet's while he is there so the trip is a two-for-one visit.

Colleen is in Spokane to attend a conference, and she too benefits from family and will stay with Jerry and Lois. The last time I checked, the rest of the family is where they are supposed to be although Brian said he has some travel coming up. And that includes Ken and Cooper who are still in bed!!

Ciao

A Blessed Easter to You

2010-04-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

We have been to church, and we will join Craig, Cassie, Greta, and Cassie's parents for dinner later on today. There were other plans that involved other family get-togethers, but I think we all decided we were tired, and we had had plenty of family togetherness lately.

Ken and I spent three nights in Prosser after we left Spokane to afford us some time for wine-tasting and wine-buying. We were finally able to make arrangements to have someone meet us at Steppe Cellars which is way out in the country and this time of year (as is true with many other wineries)there is no one at the tasting room. This winery has a female German winemaker, and we especially love the white wines, so we made it worth their while to meet us there.

Nephew Joel and wife, Shawna, were in the area this past week, so they came and stayed with us on Thursday night. We haven't seen them since before they were married one year ago last December (theirs is the wedding we missed because the entire state was buried in snow) so we were thrilled that they came to see us. Shawna teaches math at one of the Spokane community colleges so she had this past week off. Joel works for Honeywell, but he wishes he could spend all of his waking hours at their property in Clayton where he is building their 'shome'. The building is about 60' x 40' with the lower level all shop and the upper level living space.

Craig and Chuck, our contractor, were here having a beer when we arrived home on Thursday afternoon, which is appropriate since they have been the masterminds and worker bees for the kitchen remodel. The cabinets, the countertops and backsplash and the big archway into the dining room are all beautiful. Chuck is the best of the best. His workmanship and business management are so awesome that I would like to have him build a house for me.

I love the knotty alder wood for the cabinets although I am a bit disappointed with the kitchen planner with some of the things we ended up with. Do not ever ever ever let a kitchen designer talk you into corner cabinets that form right angles with hinged doors. They are a nightmare to open and close, and a blind corner would be far better. And do not let a kitchen designer plunk 12" wide cabinets into small spaces. A 12" wide cabinet is useless. Leave the wall space open and hang a calendar with hunky men on it!!!

It has been rainy and cool to cold since we got home, but I think that was my mantra while we were in Arizona so nothing has changed. I'm sure we will see some warmer dryer weather sometime soon.

Upon reflecting over the past three weeks that included a family death and funeral, I see the silver lining in that it afforded us as a family to connect and reconnect, and I'm sure many of us will stay in closer touch in the future. Give your loved ones a hug and let them know how much they mean to you.

Ciao

We are in Spokane

2010-03-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

Due to some sad events, we left Casa Grande earlier than planned and are now at Alderwood RV Park in north Spokane.

Ken's nephew, Bill Novotney, who is my age, was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer the first part of March and passed away 17 days later. Fortunately, we acted quickly enough that Ken was able to fly to Spokane last week and was able to see Bill while he still knew him and to say good by the day before he passed away. Bill's service and burial were yesterday (March 26) in Harrington.

I had not yet had time to collect my thoughts or decide what to do, although I was leaning toward driving the car up, when on Sunday Keith called and said he would fly to Phoenix and drive the motor home to Spokane. He arrived late Sunday night, and we were on the road by 10:30 Monday morning to arrive in Spokane on Wednesday afternoon.

I had most everything taken down, put up, or stowed away which amounts to a fair bit after having been parked in the same place for almost two months, and our traveling friends were right there to assist with utility disconnects, car tow-bar and car hook-up.

No learning curve needed for Keith, he just put it in gear and away we went. We stayed the first night in Alamo, NV in a truck stop that hosted not a single truck but several RVs, and we even braved it and ate breakfast the next morning in their little cafe with no ill effects. The second night found us in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Ontario, OR, and then on to Spokane on Wednesday.

Since Bill lived the past forty years in Harrington and was involved on several fronts, his service was standing room only. There were probably 225 folks in a church that can hold about 125. Bill and Karla's youngest daughter, Debbie, teaches at a Hutterite school in the area so many were in attendance and they provided several vocal pieces, a cappella, both at the service and graveside. Their oldest daughter, Marty, composed and read a lovely piece reflecting on what her dad had meant to her and her sisters, and Marty's oldest son, Kieran, read a poem written by her other son, Kiel. Both beautifully written and delivered.

Craig and Colleen drove over on Thursday, and they and Keith will leave tomorrow to go home. We will probably stay in the area for a few more days before going home because I want to be sure the kitchen is finished before I get there. the plumbing was connected yesterday, and I think the contractor still has some trim work to do, but it is essentially finished. The cleaning crew goes in on Wednesday.

Jerry and Lois' house has become family central for our kids to include Cinda's arrival yesterday so there are bodies sleeping everywhere. I'm sure J&L will be glad to reclaim their home and get their lives back to normal next week.

The weather here has been reasonable but colder than I like. At the moment, the frost is just beginning to melt off. Not that we had stellar weather in Arizona; in fact it was the coldest and wettest winter we have seen since going down for the past six years. I wore shorts just TWO days out of the entire two months.

My next blog will be from Steilacoom. Ciao.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

Since my great grandfather was born in Limerick, I believe I am well-qualified to spread a bit of Irish cheer, plus my brothers are named Patrick (noble) and Michael (God-like), and then there is daughter Colleen Erin (Irish girl)! I will wear my green T-shirt today and partake of corned beef and cabbage at the annual dinner here at the park. I'll skip the green beer!

The temperature has finally risen to the high seventies, but the wind has continued to keep us pretty cool. This has been a very unusual winter as far as the weather is concerned.

We are going to leave here a bit early and go home via Las Vegas and the Tri-Cities. Las Vegas is more about staying at the Nellis Famcamp and shopping at the commissary than it is about gambling, and then we will mosey on to Prosser where we will spend a day or two to do some wine tasting/shopping.

Even though I am never anxious to get home and am content living the life of a vagabond, I am looking forward to seeing the new kitchen. I think it should pretty well be finished by the end of this week including a thorough cleaning. Our contractor has a crew he uses to come in and clean after the work is finished and that is a good thing!!!!!

Craig came up with the idea to widen and arch the doorway from the kitchen to the dining room, and it appears to have made a big improvement in the flow between the two rooms. I have lost some wall space in the dining room so will have to do a bit of rearranging but that is a small price to pay.

Since this is a pretty uninspiring blog, I'll post one of my newest favorite recipes from the cooking goddess, Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. And since I can't seem to leave well-enough alone, I have incorporated a couple of changes that seem to work just fine.

I slice up the stems as well as using the florets (in fact I prefer the stems to the florets), and I found it wasn't the end of the world when I discovered I was out of pine nuts, but I suspect most any kind of nut would enhance the dish. Since fresh basil isn't exactly a year 'round kitchen staple I skipped it and in this instance I think no basil is better than dried basil. This recipe is also fabulous with fresh asparagus!!

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

* 4 to 5 pounds broccoli
* 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
* Good olive oil
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
* 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot. Bon appetite.

Ciao

Did we take a wrong turn?

2010-03-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

We were planning to spend at least two months in the sunshine of Arizona, but after six weeks, I am wondering if we are in the correct state. Right now, I have the electric heater plugged in, I am wearing sweats and drinking coffee, and as I look out the windshield I see nothing but a dark gray rain-spattered view across the park. And it has been like this off and on ever since we arrived. We would have had better weather had we stayed home in Steilacoom.

But we have no control over the weather, and I can't say that we have been terribly inconvenienced except when it is time to walk the dog in the douwnpours. We have had some MAJOR fronts come through that have beaten a thunderous cacophony on the roof.

We still manage some socializing here in the park, and if need be, we just move Happy Hour inside. We have had two sets of friends depart for home or other points west, but now have two Canadian couples who will be here for one month. Both of the guys are retired Canadian forces and Gary and Ken worked together while we were in Halifax.

My former boss (from real estate days) and his wife just purchased a home in Trilogy which is a lovely planned community in the northern part of Peoria. We joined them for lunch last week and toured their new "digs" which will be lovely when they finish their redecorating. And long-time friends from Davenport and Navy days (Larry and Lynn VanAusdle) had a get-together at their home in Sun Lakes last week with several couples who winter in this area.

Mike and Mary were here for a short visit last week, and we spent one full day driving to Tombstone (don't bother; it is a scruffy, poorly maintained town where every activity will cost you) and on to Bisbee. We didn't stop in Bisbee, but Ken and I have been there before and it is quite an appealing mining town with both an historical section and a new section.

For a mere fifty or sixty more miles we made our way to Sierra Vista to have dinner at Ricardo's which is an authentic Mexican restaurant that has been in the same location for something like 30 years. Keith and Janet discovered Ricardo's when they lived at Ft. Huachuca, and we never miss an opportunity to stop. M&M treated us in honor of Ken's birthday. Then full circle back to Casa Grande.

My quilt projects have barely seen the light of day. In order to really get into a project, I end up trashing the motor home from one end to the other including the ironing board on the bathroom sink, the sewing machine on the vanity in the bedroom, and the cutting mat on the dinette table. By the time I get everything out, I am almost too tired to sew, and then it all has to be put away if we want to eat dinner.

The kitchen remodel at home is coming along on schedule with all the upper cabinets in place and new window installed. Base cabinets and countertops and backsplash are next. Our contractor is excellent; not only in his quality workmanship but in his ongoing efforts to stay in close touch as the work progresses. It will be fun to go home to a new kitchen! Ciao

Back in Casa Grande

2010-02-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

Three weeks back in Casa Grande, where does the time go? Since we have been staying in this same park for several years, it is fun to return and see some familiar faces; as well as some new ones. We are settled in to a routine that doesn't vary a great deal.

Cooper's schedule pretty much dictates what we do and where we go; and he is always with us. He is perfectly happy to stay in the car while we shop or run errands, but as the weather warms up that becomes more difficult to do.

We spent a day with friends who live in Sun Lakes. Larry grew up in Davenport and is retired from the Navy, like Ken. And coincidentally, Lynn and I had met through a mutual friend before we knew about Ken and Larry. They invited us to join them for a Gospel quartet performance at their church called Liberty. They were excellent. Very entertaining and very good voices.

There is a quilting group that meets here in the park on Wednesdays so I have enjoyed that. I don't have a major project underway but am experimenting with some possibilities.

The Spragues arrived here on Wednesday for a week's stay and Ken and Rod are off today for a Rotary meeting and then on to the Mesa Market. I have finally convinced myself I don't need to go back to the market since it is the same every year and not much of any quality. Karen isn't interested either, so we are going to set up our machines on her patio for the afternoon.

Mike and Mary arrive one week from today for a short visit. I want to take them to the Old Tucson Studios since that is where so many western movies were filmed, and Mike has always loved westerns. We have nothing else firmly planned, but they are content to spend some of the time just sitting on the patio and soaking up the sun.

I had a pleasant surprise when I read a comment on my blog page and discovered it is a neighbor from grade school and high school days. Hello Steve. I'll be emailing you. Thanks for the contact.

My coffee is calling to me!! Ciao

Wal Mart, Salton Sea, Quartzite desert & Yuma

2010-01-26T07:08:00.000-08:00

Those are the "sights" (read stops) we have encountered since my last blog from Travis AFB, and there will be one more when we move on to Casa Grande on Thursday.

We spent one night in the parking lot at the Wal Mart in Bakersfield before moving on to the Salton Sea and the Fountain of Youth. While in Bakersfield we went to Buck Owens' Crystal Palace for dinner and to have a look around at all the memorabilia from his musical career. We also spent a few hours at the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield which is a sixty-acre outdoor facility with lots of little historical houses that have been moved to the property and set up as various businesses with everything from a harness shop to a blacksmith shop. There was a great emphasis on the oil, and I didn't realize what a huge impact it had on the area.

The most interesting stop on this trip was our two-day stay at the Fountain of Youth near the Salton Sea. That entire area is very desolate and foresaken, but this park was most enjoyable with its mineral water spa. We drove through Bombay Beach which had been a desirable resort area when the Salton Sea was created, but after a massive flood some twenty years ago, most everyone just picked up and abandoned their properties. But with great surprise, we found by looking closer that a number of those ramshackle places were occupied by what to look like squatters.

Rod and Karen drove to Slab City which was originally a military base that the government razed and just left the concrete slabs. That too has taken on a life of its own with numerous societal misfits taking up residence there living in everything from tents to big motor homes.

While on the desert, we endured the worst storm of twenty years with howling winds and driving rain. We pulled the slides in for the better part of one day and all night to protect the awnings from the wind. There were a number of folks who saw their slide awnings blow away. There was some sunshine for our last day before coming to Yuma yesterday. And on Thursday it is on to Casa Grande.

Cooper is doing well, and with his incredibly expensive dog food, his coat looks gorgeous. We never fail to have folks stop and ask about him or comment on him when we are out walking.

Karen and I need a quilting fix since we have been on the desert with no power for our machines so we are off today for pedicures and quilt shop hopping. I am also keeping my eyes open for a different machine since I have come to the conclusion that mine is underpowered and the source of a lot of frustration.

Unitl next time.............ciao.

Moving On

2010-01-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

We will depart Travis on Thursday morning and probably stay in Bakersfield that night before going on to the Salton Sea on Friday. We have been busy and entertained while here with the arrival of both the Spragues and the Ouseys within an hour of each other last Friday.

Gary and Carolyn took a look at the map and decided it was a pretty short side trip to hop off I-5 and come visit, so it has been the six of us. There is lots of available space here in the Famcamp so we had no problem getting either the Spragues or the Ouseys in.

In addition to spending time visiting, Karen and I have worked on a small quilting project, and this afternoon she, Rod, and I went to see Invictus which was an awesome movie. But then I don't think any of Morgan Freeman's movies are anything but awesome.

The six of us toured the Jelly Belly factory here in Fairfield this week, and it was an OK tour, but they offer a complete tour down on the floor of the production area for a mere $47/person. We settled for the free tour which gave us an overhead perspective on the entire operation. Every one of those little jelly beans exits the production line with Jelly Belly stamped on it!! The gift shop had a plethora of Jelly Belly items, all appropriately over-priced, but I did purchase a two-pound bag of Belly Flops, the misshapen beans that didn't make it out the door.

Finally this morning I am seeing some blue sky and sunshine which is a vast improvement over the past five or six days of fog, damp, and dank. And the weather is bound to get more appealing as we move south.

Cooper has been a happy trooper. We weren't sure he was going to live to travel with us this year, but he has rallied and is as happy as a clam having the both of us confined to an area where he can keep an eye on us. He hardly looks fifteen when we take him outside and he bounds around in the grass looking for rabbits. He has lived to hunt another day.

There is an interesting phenomenon next door. A man arrived with a small older used motor home last weekend, and obviously knew NOTHING about an RV, but he said it was something he had always wanted to do, and had just purchased and driven this over from someone's driveway in the area.

Now it is the middle of the week, and I have gotten a glimpse of a woman and at least one teenager, but the curtains stay drawn and there is very limited activity except for the car being away during the day. My speculation is that it is a family who has lost their home, and have had to succumb to living in a small RV. No one goes out on their maiden voyage in an old RV they know nothing about just for the fun of it during the winter months. I will probably never know the entire story since we are leaving tomorrow. Ken helped him set up when he first arrived.

I need to get on with laundry and shopping to be ready to leave tomorrow. Ciao.

Happy New Year

2009-12-29T16:17:00.000-08:00

Yup, I have just jumped from Thanksgiving right to the New Year....but I will give you a glimpse of the intervening weeks.

To start at the end, we arrived today at Travis AFB Famcamp in Fairfield which will be "home" for about two weeks. In addition to our annual time with the Schulers, we are awaiting the arrival of the Spragues. They hope to leave Spokane on the 4th so if the weather cooperates, we should see them around the 7th.

Our trip down was uneventful, and we had great roads all the way with barely any snow in sight except the upper half of Mt. Shasta. Getting out of Steilacoom was a bit hectic because the kitchen had to be completely emptied. We are having it remodeled while we are away this winter so it had to be ready for the contractor to come in and demolish and rebuild. Trying to juggle Christmas, a four-month trip, a kitchen remodel and Christmas proved to be a bit overwhelming at times.

We spent Christmas Eve with the Johnsons in Bellevue and Colleen came back to Steilacoom for Christmas day. Craig and Cassie came by before we left and arrived with pizza in hand which was a godsend since I had nothing left in my kitchen but some empty cabinets. Colleen stayed two extra days and helped us with last minute packing and organizing.

I had hoped to get down here in time to attend a Kaffe Fassett quilting class today, but there was just no way we could get out of town in time. I am waiting for a call from Bev to hear how it was. Marvelous, I'm sure because he is so talented.

Keith and Janet and the girls are cruising in the Caribbean as I write this, and Brian is home from his lonely outpost overseas for the holidays.

Brian has learned that his next job come July will be at Seymour-Johnson AFB in Goldsboro, NC, a base where he has never been stationed. So we have a good excuse to hop on one of my private jets to go join in the transition the latter part of July.

After we leave here, we are going to travel with the Spragues to southern California with a stop at some hot springs in the Salton Sea area, and then on to Quartzite for a week in the desert with about 250,000 of our closest friends. I'm sure it sounds awful, but there is lots of desert so if you stay away from the town of Quartzite itself, it is quite enjoyable.....until the waste water tanks are full and the fresh water tank is empty!!!!!

We have made no plans beyond the week at Quartzite although we will probably end up back in Casa Grande where we have been going for the past few years. We know many of the regulars, and it is a good spot for Cooper.

Happy New Year and all the best to each of you in the coming year. Ciao

Deep Freeze Time

2009-12-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

Brrr, are we ever feeling the Arctic blast from the north. The furnace has run almost non-stop all day, and it is having trouble getting the temperature above 65. What does that tell you about a 90+ year-old house with plaster walls and scant insulation? I was stringing some lights near the fireplace and discovered a major cold spot between the fireplace and the outside wall.

We have continued to fine-tune the next three weeks to coordinate Christmas and leave-taking. We are going to spend Christmas Eve with Curt and Cinda and family in Bellevue and then come home to have Christmas morning here. Then we hope to be on the road by noon. Since I hope to be in Pacific Grove the morning of the 29th for a Kaffe Fasset Quilt presentation, we need to make tracks and getting an early start can't hurt. This plan gives Colleen both of her Christmas favorites; Christmas Eve dinner with fondue and Christmas morning gifts and breakfast.

We dutifully trekked out to the Madigan clinic today since this is the week for flu shots only to discover they have nothing to offer. What little regular flu vaccine they received is depleted and they don't expect to get any more. So we will just have to continue to be judicious about hand-washing, and hope we have a bit of leftover immunity from years past.

We are closing in on time for the evening news. Ciao

Thanksgiving Past

2009-11-29T20:04:00.001-08:00

We spent a lovely afternoon in Kenmore with Jordan and Cliff Swain, Josh, and Cliff's parents, Lee and Debbie from Davenport. By the time the groaning board was ready, we had two of everything including turkeys, stuffings, vegetables, cranberry sauces and desserts. Cliff deep-fried one of the turkeys and it was very tasty. That was a first for me. I have always been intrigued with the process but never wanted to get that up-close and personal with a pot of hot oil. Cliff and Jordan's toddler, Thomas, was adorable and provided lots of entertainment. Jordan is an artist so her home reflects her talents, as did her beautifully set table.

We are having friends here for dinner tomorrow night. Jerry was Ken's boss at Western State, and he and Mary Ellen live at the other end of our street. I know I am preparing mahi mahi from Ken's summer fishing trip, but the rest of the menu is yet to be decided.

There are a few scant plans in place for our annual trip south, but they are scant and only get us into the first two weeks. We will leave here with a planned stop in Albany, Oregon to visit Ken's cousin, Harriet. From there we will make our way to the desert for a few days on then who knows where. Possibly back to Casa Grande where we have been for the past three winters.

Colleen ran her first half marathon in Seattle today. She has been very faithful to her training schedule, and she came through with flying colors. She was running for Break the Chains to bring awareness to human bondage and slavery. I am very proud of her.

I have one string of lights on the mantle and some red and white candles in their holders. Is that enough for Christmas decorating? We are not going to put up a tree since we leave on 12/26, and it takes me about three days to dismantle, pack away and stow in the attic. I will awaken our nutcrackers, unearth the hand-knit socks, and bring forth the Nativity set, but that is about it. We are about halfway there with gifts; either already purchased or at least filed away in our minds.

We were sorry to hear that RV friends from Canada lost their motor home to fire in a parking lot while inside a restaurant in Bakersfield. A passer-by realized there was a little dog inside and broke a window to get inside and save him. It will be about two weeks before the insurance appraiser gets there, but in the meantime the Robinsons have been given the use of a motor home, help with packing their belongings, and storage space for same by someone who was in the restaurant at the time. There are good samaritans out there.

Keep warm and keep the holiday spirit. Ciao

More Birthday Fun

2009-11-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

Colleen invited some family for my birthday celebration, and Craig was the hunter/gatherer. He went crabbing the day before and provided crab for all for dinner, and Colleen knows my penchant for caramel apples, so that was dessert in lieu of a birthday cake. Of course there was the requisite number of "sweet and sentimental cards". Not!!

I am into my third week of yoga and discovering how far I have to go. It is just a small group of about a half dozen women that meet for an hour twice a week at the local community center. The instructor is quite good, and I continue to hope I will progress to a point of being able to do at least the basics without falling over!!

Yesterday was more fun with Colleen. A birthday/Christmas gift was a cheese-making workshop held in Chimicum, WA on a working goat farm. With a herd of at least two dozen goats, the owner produces enough cheese to accommodate several local markets and a co-op. She and her family live about a mile down a road to no-where, but it is their own little oasis complete with a creamery/milking parlor, goat barn, miniature horses and herds of ducks and turkeys. In her former life, Suzanne was a geneticist and her husband is a veterinarian.

She is very practical and in addition to the rudiments of cheese-making, she provides lots of cost-cutting ideas for the process of making cheese. It is actually a pretty basic and simple operation and in the course of the day she demonstrated a soft chevre, a ricotta, a "cooked" hard cheese, and feta. All very simple.

The goal for the farm is to be self-sustaining and to not waste anything. The pigs, which are now in the freezer, root up the garden area and are fed the whey from the cheesemaking process. Turkeys and ducks roam freely dining on bugs and critters and are also recipients of the whey. The herd of goats are kept in a barn at night that gets cleaned only once a year. New straw is continually laid down over the old building up a self-heating base for the animals. Suzanne said being in the barn in February during kidding season is like sitting over a radiant-heated floor.

As we walked toward the pasture to admire the herd, Suzanne called to the girls and they came running to the fence. Very cute. Of course I have "country" running through my veins so I loved all of this.

Colleen and I were on an early ferry so stopped in Chimicum for breakfast at the "local hangout" which was a glimpse into local life. Actually it was more of a coffee/bakery place but we had a tasty breakfast while eavesdropping on the adjacent table of local retired geezers who discussed everything from local personalities to a bit about some aspects of good grammar. All very entertaining. I am always game for trying a local establishment as opposed to some chain restaurant, although I doubt there was even a McDonalds in Chimicum.

We have been invited to Jordan and Cliff's for Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to deep-fried turkey; a specialty of Cliff's. Craig, Cassie, and Greta are going to Stayton for Oregon to see her family, and in particular her grandfather who is in failing health. That said, I am going to have an early Thanksgiving dinner next weekend for them and Colleen.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Ciao.

The Beautiful Palouse

2009-10-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Colleen and I just returned from our four-day fall birthday trip to southeastern Washington. The Palouse country is beautiful most any time of the year, but I think fall is my favorite with the stubble fields and the winter wheat green fields forming a patchwork quilt across Whitman County.

We revisited several shops that we found last year, but our B&B experience was just that .... an experience.

It was a ranch located between Colfax and Pullman and our host and hostess were a husband and wife of retirement age who have partially retired from farming but have plenty of other interests. Their home was a perfect layout for a B&B with a full daylight basement that afforded four bedrooms and two bathrooms, but I don't think these folks have really considered what a B&B should offer besides a bed, a bathroom, and a breakfast.

Colleen's and my room had obviously been the family room when the house was built and it came complete with a fireplace and a bar. But it looked as if this also became the catch-all over the years since it sported a French provincial china cabinet adorned with a two-foot tall Father Christmas standing guard from the top. Draped across an old trunk was a saddle and bridle, and the chaps were hanging from the fireplace mantle which was adorned with an imitation evergreen tree.

Colleen got the special bedside table that was adorned with a feathery, sequined, two foot long blue peacock that our hostess said she just had to have and waited for it to go on sale.

When we got a glimpse of the birdcage the size of a small refrigerator with a foot tall parrot sitting on its outside edge, we declared that we were not breakfast eaters so no need to prepare breakfast for us. Because the bird and cage were located right at the end of the stand-along eating bar in the kitchen and adjacent to the dining table. Ugh.

These folks were very nice, have been ranchers all their lives, and so I suspect they didn't have any sense of anything being amiss. I just wonder how they have stayed under the radar of the local health department.

Saturday was homecoming for WSU so we avoided the stadium area, but the day before we found a fruit sale where the school was selling its apples and pears. We found at least a dozen kinds of apples that we have never heard of so considered that quite a find. Moscow has a great Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings so we found lovely peppers and squash among other things, but we shopped very quickly because the overnight temperature had been 15, and it had not warmed up very much by 8:30.

The little town of Palouse is becoming quite a tourist gem. There are three antique shops with two of them being very inviting, a nice little quilt shop, and the Green Frog restaurant serves up some very tasty food. We shared a bowl of homemade soup, a black bean burrito that looked and acted more like a lasagne, and spinach salad. All very tasty and yummy. The shopkeepers were lamenting that there is no place for visitors to stay in Palouse so I'm thinking that might be my call for a bed and breakfast. No need to worry about competition from the ranch over by Colfax/Pullman!!

Colleen and I saw Mike and Mary and Becky and Ben while we were there and all are doing well. Mike is not supposed to ride in a car for long periods of time, but he seems to be getting a bit of cabin fever.

We spent two of our four nights at the Sprague RV park/B&B/canning kitchen. Colleen made apple butter after we returned from down south on Saturday afternoon. Rod is still working at the jobsite at Vantage, so Karen is busy trying to keep ahead of the freezing weather and to winterize everything. This early cold snap makes me think more and more of sunny Arizona. Ciao

Happy October

2009-10-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Where did September go?

The good news is that Mike had successful surgery last month and the prognosis is good with no plans for chemo or radiation, even though the tumor was malignant. He spent four days in the hospital and is now home recovering. Even though the surgery was laproscopic, he was quite uncomfortable for several days.

We have attend TWO rallies since my last blog. The Winnebago rally in Lynden was interesting, and the group that is from this area was very welcoming and inclusive. Of course we were urged to join, but I resisted, and was honest with them in that I really don't want to join a group and feel obligated to do my share of the work when called upon. The work is fine, but it has to be on my schedule.

We spent five days in Spokane to see Mike through his surgery, and then we joined Rod and Karen at an Alpine rally in Richland. Another very nice group of folks, and this rally, like the previous week's rally, tended to have a heavy emphasis on eating!!

We visited just two wineries while in the area. It was crush weekend, and those special weekends attract hordes of people, many of whom do not know a merlot from a marlin, so we didn't venture out very much. We always go to our favorite winery, Barnard Griffin, and this time was no exception.

Next week Colleen and I are going to Spokane and Whitman County for a combined birthday outing. We did it last year and had so much fun that we are going to stay an extra day this year. Karen is graciously allowing us to stay with her while going and coming so it should be a very fun four days. Both Colleen and I relish the crisp fall air and all the wonderful fresh fall produce, particularly squash and pears.

I have whittled away at my unfinished quilting projects, and I think I am ready to embark on one last major unfinished quilt. I keep seeing fun fabrics and new patterns that intrigue me, but I won't let myself start anything new until the UFOs have been cleared away.

Happy Halloween!!! Ciao

Summer is Waning

2009-09-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get warm all day! But fall is beautiful in Washington so I am looking forward to the next two months.

We have been staying close to home and mostly puttering. There is a state-wide Winnebago rally in Lynden the middle of this month, and we plan to attend. We have never participated in any of the local or state activities before.

This coming weekend is girls' weekend in Seattle. Cassie, Greta, and I are going to Colleen's for Friday and Saturday night to include some Thai food and on Saturday - pedicures all round. Colleen now has a woman living in her apartment, but Colleen gave her fair warning that this little activity was in the works.

Please keep my brother, Mike, in your thoughts. He was just diagnosed with a malignant growth on his kidney. The prognosis at this time is very positive with no plans for any treatment beyond the removal of the kidney. He is scheduled for surgery on 9/21. We will make ourselves available if he or his family needs us for anything.

Rachel is now a full-fledged college student. She moved into the dorms at University of Maryland Baltimore Campus on Friday, and I presume classes started today. Sarah is living at home and is taking some specific classes nearby to get ready to enroll at Towson for her RN.

My fresh roasted beets are beckoning me to finish dinner. Ciao.

Ooops!

2009-08-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Has it really been that long since I blogged? We have been home for about one month so I guess it is true.

The trip across the country to get home was uneventful (fortunately....more later), and we spent two nights in the parking lot at the Winnebago plant in Forest City, Iowa. It is a very small town surrounded by Winnebago. The founder of Winnebago grew up in Forest City, and began his professional career as an undertaker. As Winnebago evolved, he kept it all in Forest City.

I was keen to take the factory tour, but I didn't see much because (1) the lines were not working the week of July 4, and (2) there were no lights on inside the buildings. However, there is a very cute quilt shop in the town so that was good compensation.

We drove along a bit of the Oregon Trail in Nebraska, but otherwise pretty much just drove toward Washington. We spent four days in the Spokane area at Clear Lake which has a Fam Camp affiliated with Fairchild. Our friends, the VanAusles, who own a home in Phoenix, spend their summers at Clear Lake so we were parked just a few spaces down from them. We saw friends and family while in the area.

Everything was in relatively good order when we got home. Craig and Colleen were good to stop in every once in a while to check on everything. Even with the hot weather, most plants survived.

The highlight of our summer has been the job of having had Warren and Nolan spend a week with us. We LOVED every minute of it. Uncle Craig and his boat were the highlights and I think the boys were out on it about five out of the seven days. In fact they stayed out on it for two nights running. Both boys were a joy to have here with us, and we hope we get to do it again next year.

Ken's cousin, Carolyn, and her husband, Irvin, were traveling in our area so we were very happy they chose to come by for a visit. They live in central Oregon, and none of our travels ever seem to take us that direction, so it was great to see them.

We were VERY GRATEFUL to have had an uneventful trip, because only after getting home and opening mail did we realize that I had overlooked paying the annual insurance on the motor home. So the entire trip from Maryland to the Maritimes and back across the country was without insurance. I was so confident I had paid it that I even removed the reminder from the computer's calendar, but I think I wss confusing paying the insurance with all the other tasks to get ready to go to Canada such as insurance cards and licenses.

I got home a week ago after having spent a week in eastern Washington and Eureka, MT for a quilt show and classes. My friend, Karen, and three of her quilting buddies were in Eureka as well. The entire town turns out for the one-day show with about 500 quilts displayed on store fronts and throughout the town park.

I stopped in Union Gap on the way home last week and bought peaches and some other fresh produce. So Ken and I canned about 16 quarts of peaches recently. I know it isn't cost-effective, but they certainly are tasty.

Steilacoom has a weekly farmer's market this year, and it is great. It isn't huge, but it has a good balance of produce, crafts, and snacks and all in all is very well done.

I have been spending some time trying to sort and reorganize my quilting area. It is amazing how quickly it can get to be such a jumble. I have completed a couple of small projects that have been hanging around forever, and am about to finish one quilt and finish a quilt top. I will not let myself start something else until I clear out the UFOs. There is another complicated partially completed quilt top that is lurking in my future before I can embark on something new.

Okay, I'll try to be a bit more prompt with my blogging!! Ciao

Intercourse!!! Of Course!!!

2009-06-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are in Intercourse, PA, but I must digress a bit to finish our trip to the Maritimes. Joan and Ron Leitch, whom we didn't socialize with all that much when we lived in Halifax, treated us as if we were royalty. They came by the MH for a drink, and then took us to their cottage where we dined on lobster and salad and dessert. We caught up on their two daughters, one a pharmacist and one a teacher, and their two granddaughters. Ron worked for Zellars (W.T. Grant) when we were neighbors, and then he went on to own two Arbys franchises. Now they summer at their cottage on PEI and winter at their lovely home in Manzanilla, Mexico. I think we just might have to cruise to Puerto Vallarta and visit them!!!

On our way to Intercourse, we spent a night down east on the Maine coast. We just happened on a small RV park and while checking in, there was a sign that asked if one had ordered lobster!!!! The park owner said he would cook them and deliver them to the MH whenever we wanted.............I wanted. He arrived at our door about 40 minutes later with a lobster for each, about 1 1/2# each, and the total bill was $22!!! The best lobster of the entire trip.

The next day we spent the early evening driving in a circle trying to find a particular RV park, only to discover that it was a sea of mud............so we kept going. We crossed the line from NY to Connecticut, stopped at a rest area, rested for a while.................and at six the next morning awoke from a good night's sleep and proceeded on our way.

The Pennsylvania Dutch Country is not only beautiful with its green fields of wheat, tobacco, and corn, but it is absolutely charming with all the Amish farms and the horses and buggies that ply the roadways. We are backed up to a country road that is frequented by the clip-clop of horses hooves as the buggies pass by.

We drove to Keith and Janet's yesterday and ended up spending the night. We had to retrieve the fish, orchid, and alcohol that we left for safekeeping while we went to Canada. Last night we were treated to grilled pork chops that were drenched in a bourbon sauce, and this morning it was biscuits and gravy. One never goes hungry at a Kirkwood house!!!

Tomorrow morning we hit the road and we are headed west. We will make a stop in Indiana to visit my niece and nephew, and then on to Iowa to tour the Winnebago factory and visit a quilt shop in Winterset. Ken then wants to hook up with part of the Oregon trail since some of his Kirkwood ancestors were on one of the first trains to come west.

Until next time; ciao

Down Memory Lane to the Maritimes

2009-06-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

After what seemed like endless miles of driving we arrived in Halifax on Tuesday afternoon. There were only two choices for RV parks, and much as we try to avoid them, the KOA was the best bet. Giff and Betty Anne were determined that we should park in their driveway, but it was just too short/small, and we worried about damaging the blacktop.
We drove through our old neighborhood and stopped to take pictures of the first house we ever owned. In asking to do so, the current owner invited us inside for a look around, which we did. I can honestly say I don’t feel as if we have lost anything. Clayton Park was a very desirable address when we lived there, and I guess it is still a desirable area, but we can’t see that it has held its value. Other than a great floorplan, there is nothing appealing about the property. The current owner is talking about everything from new windows (sorely needed to replace the old aluminum) to a remodeled kitchen (not all that bad except for the cheap cabinets that are the same ones we had when we lived there).
We drove by the grade school that Keith, Brian, and Colleen attended, and it looks like a forty-year-old building. The most notable change about the entire neighborhood is how overgrown it has become as the trees matured plus several properties near our old house now have hedges.
This morning we stopped by the Giffins, and will return this evening for dinner (lobster). Giff is in New Brunswick fishing and will be home in time for dinner, but we had a good visit with Betty Anne and caught up on their five boys and their families. We reminisced about the long-ago weekend the four of us spent together in our little camper and how much fun it was.
We have chatted with Joan and Ron Leitch who were our next-door neighbors here in Halifax. They are at their cottage on P.E.I for the summer, and they now spend their winters in their newly-built home in Mexico. We have waffled about going to P.E.I. to see them, but we have decided to, so we will take a spin across the new Confederation Bridge that is the longest in the world to span ice-covered waters – about eight miles.
The weather is unbelievably beautiful with temps in the low seventies and blue sky and sunshine; not that we didn’t encounter some rains and thunder and lightning the days we were on the road getting here. Ciao

Family and Graduations

2009-05-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

We spent three days at Kings Bay Naval Station near the Georgia/Florida line, and in addition to seeing 'gators, we visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org. Having only opened within the past two years, the center is dedicated to rescuing and preserving the sea turtles of the area. Several big tanks were home to some turtles who were rehabilitating, and hopefully they will be well enough to be released back into the wild. I could readily relate to Simone and her impatience. Having been given a big block of ice with some small fish frozen into it, she chased it round and round her tank until she became completely frustrated and whapped the water with her flipper about five times as hard as she could. Even though she is missing one rear flipper, she is expected to be released soon.

We arrived at the Ft. Meade RV Park on Sunday, May 17 and will be here until June 13. The past ten days have been a round of fun-filled family activities and celebrations. Janet's parents arrived on Tuesday, Colleen arrived on Wednesday, Rachel graduated on Thursday, Sarah graduated on Friday, and Craig, Cassie and Greta arrived on Friday. Saturday was a Kirkwood bash with all of us together at Keith's and enjoying smoked buffalo brisket prepared by Chef Brian.

Then again on Sunday we were all together and joined by Sarah and Rachel's friends for a graduation party. To be continued! Ciao

Visiting Relatives

2009-05-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

After our stay in Pensacola, one day's drive took us to Ocala, Florida and the home of my cousin and his wife, Bill and Helen Davis. We were graciously greeted and it was their insistence that we stay in their guest room rather than the motor home. When we declined because of Cooper, he too was invited upstairs to the guest room.

Their home was featured in Southern Living back in the eighties, and they have done much to update it over the past two years. I was fascinated with the covers on the swimming pools in Florida. The pool and surrounding patio area is completely enclosed with a steel framed structure that is finished with screening so not only does the pool stay clean, but if the heat and humidity are tolerable, one can sit out by the pool and not be bothered by bugs and mosquitoes. Very clever, those Floridians!!

They took us to dinner at their country club on Friday night, and at Bill's suggestion, I had grouper which is a local fish.....it was a delicious firm white meat fish and a beautiful presentation topped off with an orchid!!

Since Bill is thirteen years older than I, he always has some family lore to share that I didn't know about. Apparently after the wheat harvest had been sold by my Uncle Paul and he was paid in $20 gold pieces, my grandmother sewed each coin into its own little pocket in a flour sack, and then hung the flour sack on a hanger under a coat in the closet. When needed, she could simple remove the stitching from around one of the coins!! He also reminded me of the story of my grandmother taking Babe the horse into the town of Colfax to do her shopping, and not ever tying her. As my grandmother made her way in and out of the shops, Babe simply followed her down the street and waited while she went into the next store.

After our visit with the Davis', we crossed into Georgia just north of Jacksonville and stayed three nights at a military submarine base to be used as a base to explore the area. We drove where we could in the Okefenokee Swamp and to my delight, we saw several 'gators..................

Katrina lives

2009-05-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

Although the detritis from Katrina has been removed from the areas where we drove, the evidence of the devastation remains. Most houses along the Gulf are built on pilings that are about ten feet high, and there is many a site with nothing but the pilings standing. And most of the inhabited sites were occupied by newly-built homes. We primarily drove through affluent areas, much beachfront, so of course ours was a pretty sanitized view of the devastation.

We chose to stay at a casino in Bay St Louis, MS last night that has a nice RV park. Most all of the 'regular' RV parks in this part of the country have become trailer parks and are home to displaced families who lost their homes. We didn't even hop on the shuttle to the casino, but it was a nice park with grassy sites and a great place to hunker down for the night.

We have been driving I-90 for the past hour which takes us right along the shoreline with several causeways and interesting views. Up ahead is the Northrop Grumman Pascagoula shipyard with a skyline of acres and acres of cranes.

...Later Sunday evening....

We settled in at the RV park on the Naval Air Station Pensacola, and took a drive around the base and into town for some reminiscing. Needless to say, there is not much that looks familiar. However, the Mustin Beach Officers Club still stands in all its glory right on the beach. It is a beautiful building, and is in fact still an officers club. We attended our first formal Navy dinner and dance at that club right after Ken was commissioned in July 1964.

We drove into town and drove the street where we lived while here but cannot remember the address and did not see anything that looked familiar. However in looking at the houses, I am sure the house where we lived is still there; nothing looks new or updated. I have called and left a message for Mike to see if he remembers since he drove with Keith and I when we moved here.

Tomorrow we will visit the Naval Air Museum that is only about a mile from where we are parked. We can leave the A/C running and leave Cooper long enough to go tour the museum. More to follow. Ciao

Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi

2009-05-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

It was a delightful visit with Danny, Christa, Trevor, and Corey, and we loved where they live, in the southern part of the Texas Hill country. They treated us to some Texas barbecue and a tour of a nearby town, Castroville, which has connections to Alsace. The little tiny town closest to the Schultzs' is Riomedina with two stores. We patronized the grocery/hardware/antique store and I couldn't resist the Texas-made wine with my mother's name, Genevieve, and the locally made Alsatian sausage. In addition, there are fresh tamales available every Friday, so a dozen of those came along with me as well.

Danny and Christa live on five acres out in the country....and they need five acres for their menagerie....lucky is any creature that ends up in their care. They have four dogs, one of which is named Moose because as a chocolate lab, he weighted 125 pounds when they got him but is now a svelte 100 pounds. His head is as big as a five gallon bucket!! In addition, there are five kitties, 2 cockatiels, and a pond with turtles and goldfish.

Friday night found us in Vinton, LA in an RV park to which I would never return, but the stay was salvaged by the restaurant down the street. It is the lone restaurant in a small town, and Friday night is crawdad special night so of course I indulged. They were okay, but I didn't find them especially flavorful. Ken had deep-fried catfish which he said was very good.

Today was a lot of bumpy roadway as we made our way toward New Orleans. We certainly have seen reminders and remains of recent hurricanes. We have driven quite a distance in Louisiana and Mississippi that is right along the Gulf Coast, so the damage is quite apparent.

Ciao

Texas Continued

2009-04-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

We spent last night at an RV park in Ozona which is a town of little or nothing, but the park was adequate. It was built before 40' rigs with cars in tow so the sites were very short, but they were pull-throughs and there weren't many sites occupied so it worked out. We just stopped for gas in a little town called Sonora, and they have individual banners up identifying their service memebers by name and thanking them for their service to their country. Nice.

We still aren't seeing much habitation but at least the landscape has turned green.....and the air humid. There are lots of trees and low growing bushes across the rolling landscape. The wind blew off and on last night but no thunderstorms materialized which is good. Severe thunderstorms can be precursors to tornados, and the last place I want to be during a tornado is in this motor home that would get flipped around like a matchbox.

We expect to get to Danny's later this afternoon, and he has given us directions for a scenic route via Kerrville so that should be enjoyable. More later. Ciao

A whole lot of nothing continues

2009-04-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

We come upon a small rise only to look beyond and see another endless stretch of I-10 straddled by endless acres and miles of desert-like nothing. We get excited if we see roadkill!! There have been several coyotes, one black unidentifiable, and several truck tire caps.

Our destination is Ozona which has one RV park and that is one of one for the surrounding hundred miles!! It gets mixed reviews online with the biggest problem being small sites, but we just need a place to stop and sit still for the night so it will be fine. Tomorrow will be a <300 mile day to Danny and Christa's. Ciao

A Lot of Nothing

2009-04-28T10:13:00.001-07:00

We stayed in El Paso at the Ft. Bliss Famcamp last night and proceeded to get a late start this morning....but it isn't as if there is anything to get excited about seeing in this part of the world. We are currently about 50 miles east of El Paso and there is NOTHING out here. We can look to our right and see Mexico since we have been paralleling the Rio Grande and at times have come within a half mile of it. The Border Patrol is very much in evidence around here. Ooooh, we just passed a green cultivated field of something. Woohoo!!

On the advice of the famcamp host, we took a circuitous route to get back to I-10 this morning and it took us through part of Ft. Bliss which is a huge Army base, and it is getting bigger with construction as far as the eye can see. We were told there are about 40,000 troops being transferred here, and by the time you factor in dependents you are looking at about 100,000 additional bodies that will require housing and medical care.

The speed limit for cars is 80 and trucks are 70 during the day. We continue to 'truck' along at about 62. I think we have a rest area in another fifty miles or so and we will stop for lunch. Ciao

New Mexico and Texas

2009-04-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

We are within 70 miles of El Paso where we will stay at Ft. Bliss Army Base if there is space available. It has been a very uneventful drive with nothing but a lot of god-forsaken country to look at. We made a side trip into the town of San Simon to find the post office which wasn't difficult. I think the population is about 500 and the website says the high school will graduate seven seniors this year. The local Catholic Church looked like it was held together with a lot of faith, and it was about the size of the Catholic Church in Steilacoom. It looked like a town forgotten, or perhaps a town never recognized since I couldn't even find much of anything on the internet. Ken thinks cotton was/is the local crop.

All around it is flat with nothing but brown grass and a few yucca plants here and there. Off in the far distance are occasional uprisings of rock and cinder, but it all pretty much blends into the mundane foreground. We haven't even seen any wildlife, dead or alive. Ciao

Heading toward Texas

2009-04-27T08:43:00.001-07:00

We spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday in the FamCamp at Davis Monthan and enjoyed some down time to just sit still and do a few chores. Ken installed a second vent cover on the roof so we can now drive with both vents open to allow a better circulation of air. And I went to the commissary on Saturday to restock some basic essentials.

The highlight yesterday was to take a drive around the base to look at the "boneyard" where there are hundreds of military aircraft either mothballed or destined for destruction. Google Earth gives a great perspective on the enormity of the site as well as good close-up views.

Oh, and the other highlight of the drive was to stop at a DQ for a Blizzard and locate a nearby Trader Joe's. Ciao

Steilacoom, Casa Grande, Tuscon

2009-04-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

We left Steilacoom last Sunday and arrived back in CG on Thursday only to discover that our refrigerator had quit some time in the previous 48 hours. Fortunately, nothing was spoiled and there was little that had to be discarded. The most difficult part was paying the repair bill for a new board!!

We spent a bit of time with Colleen and Craig and Cassie and Greta while home. Colleen's trip to Rome, although not entirely as advertised, was nonetheless a marvelous experience. She has decided the Roman version of yes is actually maybe and probably not. She blogged a bit and posted some photos on the latest site that Keith set up for the family: daneswithkilts.net.

Craig and Cassie and Greta had us for dinner on Friday night, and it was DELISH as usual. Greta is growing like a weed, and is becoming quite grown up. We are excited that the three of them will join the rest of the family in Columbia next month for the graduations.

I hope/plan to blog more frequently as we make our way across country. I have to believe there will be some memorable moments worth blogging about. Ciao

We are going to stay here tomorrow and hit the road on Monday with a goal of arriving at Danny Schultz's by Wednesday evening. He and Christa and their two teen-age sons, Trevor and Corey, live in Rio Moreno which is northwest of San Antonio. Danny and Brian were friends in grade school and we have always thought of Danny as one of our own. We haven't seen him and his family for about 15 years so we are quite looking forward to this reunion.

It has been hotter than I would like, and I don't expect that situation to change any over the next two months. Thank goodness for A/C.

Rain, what else?

2009-04-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Actually yesterday and today have produced a few glimmers of sunshine, but the first few days at home were nothing but gray clouds and rain. Of course with all the rain, the yard was totally overgrown, except the apple trees which Craig had pruned, so we had a landscape service here to do a lot of trimming and to top the evergreens in front to open up our view.

Colleen gets back from Rome tomorrow night so we will get a first-hand account of the entire adventure. I understand the Italian orchestra did not arrive prepared, so there was an impact on the rehearsals and the performance.

If all goes as planned, we will probably leave for Arizona this weekend. We are about halfway through our commitments and appointments and should finish on Friday.

We went to Curt and Cinda's after church on Easter. As usual, we spent a very enjoyable afternoon of visiting and eating. Thomas is just beginning to get his feet under him, and he was taking several steps on his own as he walked from one person to another. That was Sunday, so he is probably running by now.

The Maersk Alabama captured my attention the entire time, and I especially connected with the captain and his family because there were two photos of him that looked exactly like our Keith. That plus the U.S. Navy involvement kept my interest up.

Craig and Cassie are having us for dinner on Friday night. That is always a treat because they, like the rest of this family, are great cooks and host and hostess. We have seen Craig briefly since we got home, but haven't seen the girls yet.

Here are Cinda and Linea's websites which are fascinating and informative reading. They are becoming very well know on several fronts, and hopefully on another once their book gets published. I am so impressed with their candor and honesty about the road they have traveled through Linea's illness, and I know they are a tremendous support for other families in the same situation. Bookmark these and take a look once in a while as they are both excellent writers.

http://www.wellsphere.com/linea-profile/119590

http://www.cindajohnson.blogspot.com/

http://www.lineacinda.com/

Ciao

Just crossed into Oregon

2009-04-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

We will be sleeping in Steilacoom tonight after three five-hundred-mile-days from Casa Grande, but it has been an easy drive. Cooper might not agree as he doesn't have much room in the back of the Jetta, but he seems to be making the best of it.

The area here around Ashland is beautiful with all the hills and valleys displaying gorgeous spring greens. There is a dampness in the air, and clouds are hovering, but there is no rain.

The park in Casa Grande was getting pretty sparse by the time we left this week, and I suspect in another few days, the only residents will be the handful who stay year 'round.

We are looking forward to seeing Craig, Cassie, Greta, and all the Johnson family while we are home for the next ten days or so. And we will have Skyla as soon as we retrieve her from the kennel tomorrow.

We haven't heard from Colleen since she arrived in Rome, but she would have still been airborne when the earthquake hit north of Rome. I understand the second quake was felt in Rome, so she would have been there for that one. I know this is a busy week with about five hours of rehearsal time every day, so I'm not surprised we haven't heard from her.

We enjoyed a visit from Brian last weekend. He had a trip to Tucson and Phoenix for this week, so he came one day early to come and see us. His friend, Phil, who is still in the area joined us for the night as well.

Brian brought star gazer lillies, and since they were just two days old when we left, I couldn't bear to throw them away. I have had them with me in a glass of water in the side door pocket, and although they look a little the worse for wear, the car smells heavenly.

Janet managed to get tickets for Wicked while the guys are on their fishing trip in May, so it will be Janet and the girls, Janet's mother and I. We will just make a day of it by taking the train up and back. I have driven through NYC on more than one occasion, but this is the first time I will have set foot on a sidewalk!!

All the Kirkwoods will be in one place for the girls' graduations since Craig, Cassie, Greta, and Colleen are all going to be there. That is a rare occurence, and I am very much looking forward to it.

It is time to stop for coffee here in Medford. Ciao

Winding down

2009-03-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

We are coming up on our final two weeks at this location before we make a mad dash back to Steilacoom for a few days. We'll leave the MH parked right where it is, drive the car home, return, jump in the MH and head east.

So far we have stops planned for San Antonio, Pensacola, and Ocala. Everything else is wide open with the only goal being that we are at Ft. Meade for our check-in date of May 15.

Keith has organized a deep sea fishing trip for the "boys" while we are all in Maryland, and Janet is working on a New York trip for a play for the girls. Fun fun.

Sheila just spent two weeks reserve time in Tucson and was able to drive up twice for visits which was really fun. We especially enjoyed hearing all the first=hand stories of the boys' accomplishments and plans. And on the second occasion, Brian's good friend from Ramstein and Mt. Home days joined us for dinner as he is undergoing some training at Luke AFB here in Glendale.

We really can't complain about our weather in that we have not yet experienced too many days that required constant air conditioning. Quite a bit of wind recently.....and hot weather on the way.

My friend, Elisabeth, came for a short visit last week. I think the most fun was introducing her to our very leisurely way of life. We did a bit of sightseeing, but spent lots of time sitting outside, sipping wine, and watching the birds. She has never been to Arizona so it was fun to see it all through someone else's eyes.

Gary and Carolyn are leaving in the morning, so we are going to go out to dinner tonight - In N Out Burger. And I will have them here for breakfast in the morning before they head out.

We have gotten acquainted with some of the folks parked nearby so it has been fun to visit back and forth. The couple behind us are from Nebraska, and he is a retired steel worker. They are driving a 1992 Holiday Rambler that they bought new, and tomorrow they are trading it in on an '04 Winnebago Adventurer. Another Winnebago owner.

That is as exciting as it gets around here. Ciao

Waiting for Weather

2009-02-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

Finally this week, the temperatures are going to hit 80 which is plenty warm enough for me, but we all know that is just the beginning. The last two days have almost felt humid due to temperatures near 80 but lots of cloud cover. we are never satisfied with the weather, are we?

We three couples are going to the Desert Botanical Gardens this afternoon where there is currently a Chihuly glass display. I understand the gardens themselves are exceptional, and the glass just adds to it. Since I am never sure how Cooper behaves when we leave him behind (which is seldom), I have already asked forgiveness of the neighbors who said they have had lots of dogs and Cooper doesn't bother them.

Cooper has bothered us lately!!!!! On three occasions we have forgotten to put the bread basket out of reach, and he has taken full advantage. So we end up 1) worrying whether it is going to make him sick, 2) having bread crumbs and wrappers to clean up, and 3) frequently having no bread for us to eat!!

Mike and Mary found themselves in the Seattle area for the past three days, so we were able to offer them the house for a stay. They couldn't find the outside key the first night so drove back to Federal Way to a motel, but Craig rescued them the next day and got them inside. They visited with Colleen on Saturday, and she gave them the grand tour of her neighborhood and Fremont, and on Sunday, Craig picked them up and took them to Olympia for some sightseeing and dinner at their house. Dinner at Craig and Cassie's is always a treat!! I think they just appreciated getting away from the cold and piles of dirty snow in Spokane.

John Ratzenberger says, "The manual arts have always taken precedence over the fine arts. Remember, somebody had to build a ceiling before Michaelangelo could go to work. Ciao

Lion King, Ouseys and Spragues

2009-02-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

The title indicates the highlights of the past weeks. Ouseys are parked beside us, and Rod and Karen finally were able to overcome the ice and snow and are now parked behind us. We seem to have settled into a routine of sharing drinks and dinner every few days, and there have been the all-important trips to the fabric store, Costco, Trader Joe's, the nail salon, and the RV store.

Our Christmas gift from Jeff and Bev, tickets for Lion King, was exceptional. The costumes, the sets, and the music were magnificent. I can't even fathom how some people are able to create these massive works of art. Many of the sets and backdrops were quite simple in and of themselves, but the addition of the dancing and the costumes caused the entire stage to become one stunning sight.

We joined several couples from Davenport for a birthday luncheon recently; the first of the group to enter the 71st year. There are about a half dozen couples who spend the winter at an RV park in Mesa, so they came halfway and we met in Chandler.

We are formulating our summer plans. We'll drive the car back to Steilacoom for some appointments the middle of April and then come back down here, pick up the motor home and drive east. Ken wants to revisit Pensacola, my cousin has invited us to visit them in Ocala, Florida, and then we need to be in Maryland around the 24th of May for the two graduations. We have made reservations at Ft. Meade which is about 20 minutes from where Keith and Janet live, so there is some sort of a plan.

I am now the proud owner of an orchid plant - my Valentine's Day gift from Ken. So far it has appeared to be happy and contented!! I have it on the dash in the front window, and since there are sun screens on the windows, it only gets filtered light which it should like.

We are still waiting for warm weather.......we sat outside this afternoon/evening, and I was frozen by the time the sun went down and we came inside. The rest of the week is supposed to be in the mid to high seventies.

A RETIREE'S THOUGHT

My husband said, "What are you doing today?"

I said, "Nothing."

He said, "You did that yesterday."

I said, "I didn't finish."

Ciao

In N Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-25T07:44:00.000-08:00

And what to our wondering eyes should appear but an In N Out Burger in the new Casa Grande shopping center, and of course we had to immediately try it out. For those of you who have never heard of nor encountered an In N Out Burger, it almost has a cult following probably because the locations are limited pretty much to California and some other parts of the southwest. Every restaurant we have visited looks EXACTLY like every other In N Out Burger restaurant.

The menu consists of a hamburger, a double hamburger, a cheeseburger, fries, soft drinks and three flavors of milk shakes. The fries are made from fresh potatoes, and if you look behind the counter, you will see an employee dutifully feeding whole peeled potatoes through the french fry cutter. All employees are fresh-faced teens who are a cut above what you would expect in a fast food establishment, and they are paid accordingly.

We will indulge another time or two while we are here, and then I will have had my fix for another year.

The weather has cooled a bit and we have had some sprinkles of rain over the past few days with the temps hovering in the high sixties. Right now I see blue sky and sunshine.

The Ouseys who have been on the desert near Quartzite for the past week are due here tomorrow so we will spend some time catching up. Carolyn and I always have to make at least one pilgrimage to IKEA and Trader Joe's, and although she doesn't know it yet, the annual quilting and craft show in Phoenix is coming up this week, so I will try to entice her to join me for that.

Have you read "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson? If not, get your hands on a copy ASAP. It is a true story of one man's efforts to build a school (schools) in Pakistan and Afghanistan. You will be amazed and completely drawn into his ongoing efforts, failures and successes. I must admit I had never heard of the man nor the book, but Brian and Sheila gave us the book for Christmas, and I am hooked!! You will see why as you read it.

We invited two couples from Wisconsin for drinks yesterday afternoon; this after the two Wisconsin guys had removed the bedroom slide from their fifth-wheel to repair a rotting floor caused by an ongoing water leak. it didn't take long for the half dozen 'geezers' to realize they weren't going to be able to remove and lower the slide, so the owner of a Bobcat came to the rescue. Slide removed, floor repaired, slide replaced and they slept in their bed last night.

One couple we knew from last year and both of the guys own barber shops within a half block of each other in Hager City, Wisconsin and have been friends for years. We now have an invitation for a place to stay on our return trip from Maryland next summer if we choose to go through Wisconsin.........which we probably will since I have always wanted to visit the Winnebago factory in Iowa.

And in another week or so, I will regale you with more heart-stopping, mind-blowing adventures from the land of sunshine. Ciao

Ahhh sunshine

2009-01-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

We are basking in mid-seventies weather!!!! We arrived this afternoon and are parked and set up in the same site as last year. Cooper likes it back here. And on my way to the laundry room, I encountered a couple who were here last year, so of course it is like old home week.

I-5 had been closed last week due to flooding, but I closely monitored a Seattle TV station website which was giving real-time updates on weather and roads. I-5 opened to trucks at noon on Friday and regular traffic at two.....we went through Chehalis about three!! We stopped in Albany for the night to visit Dick and Harriet Light who live in the Mennonite Village with everything from single family homes to condos and apartments. It offers care from assisted living up to Alzheimer care, which is what Dick is going to be needing in the not too distant future.

Bless his heart. He had no idea who we were, and he has gotten quite thin, but when he smiled, we saw the old Dick. He was always such a swashbuckling daring-do kind of guy, that it is very heart-wrenching to see him fail. But we had a good visit with Harriet, and she treated us to dinner at a Hungarian restaurant that is to die for.

Saturday night was the Wal mart parking lot in Red Bluff, Sunday an RV park in Bakersfield, and on to the desert outside Quartzite on Monday. There was a full moon and the stars were awesome while we were there. It seemed there were fewer rigs in town and parked on the desert, but the 'main event' doesn't start until Saturday, and we passed a lot of motor homes heading that way, so I guess it is going to pick up.

All that house cleaning and laundry I did today tired me out, so I am signing off.

Ciao

Happy New Year

2009-01-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

We "weathered" the Christmas holiday and are now waiting on the weather to head south!!

There was a window of opportunity on 12/24 to allow us to get to Colleen's for Christmas Eve and Christmas day, and to get home again on the 26th. Curt, Cinda and Linea canceled their plans to go to Spokane because of weather, so they joined us on Christmas Eve for our traditional fondue, pickled herring and Aquavit. Holidays are meant to be spent with friends and family.

Joel and Shawna were married in spite of the weather. Instead of 90 guests, there were about 45. I hurried and mailed the candy wedding favors, but alas, they were one day late, so the family has been munching on them.

Here is my favorite story about the wedding we couldn't attend:

Early in December, I booked a hotel room for two nights thinking we would be in Spokane for the wedding. It was just a Super 8 on Argonne Road, but it took pets and they were offering a two-night special. However, the setup for their website tends to pull you along, and when all is said and done, the reservation cannot be changed, canceled or refunded. Arrrgggh!!

In a moment of blinding intelligence, I called Mike and Joel and told them the room was there and paid for if someone attended the wedding and then wanted to stay over, or couldn't get back home because of the weather. So, the bride and groom stayed there the night of their wedding. Sheesh, had I known that, I would have opted for a bit higher-end place. I think Shawna's family was staying at their house, and Joel and Shawna left on 12/25 for a honeymoon cruise to Mexico, so Super 8 it was for their wedding night. I love it.

BTW, I am asking everyone to boycott Super 8 motels and all Wyndham properties due to their deceitful marketing practices. In fact, when I called the motel about it, the receptionist said they had had others complaint about the same thing.

Jeff and Bev were here for their annual post-Christmas visit, and we did the usual: sleep in, play Boggle, and eat and drink at our leisure. Bev and I also did a bit of quilting.

Our goal had been to leave here yesterday for warmer climes, but the flooding has delayed our departure. I-5 has a 20-mile stretch around Centralia/Chehalis that has been closed since Wednesday afternoon because it is flooded, and now it is due to be open to trucks later today. We couldn't go west toward Aberdeen and pick up 101 because of road closures between here and there.

But we now have no excuse for forgetting anything since we have had two extra days to take care of last minute details.

Craig and Cassie narrowly escaped a repeat of last year's flooding. The water came to within inches of the floor of the house but didn't come inside. They had some lead time so were able to move furniture up off the floor in the event of flooding. The outside yard is littered with anthing and everything that can float, but that is better than mud and water inside.

I saw the surgeon on Tuesday and got a thumbs up. In fact the fusion site shows healing that would be at the four-month time frame rather than two, so I am pleased. I have been armed with all sorts of exercises by the physical therapist to keep me on track this winter, and I am looking forward to pleasant walking weather.

The next blog should be from some other state than Washington!! Ciao

Brrrrr

2008-12-22T17:44:00.000-08:00

We have had more snow, ice, and cold than we have ever seen while living in western Washington. We have received about six inches of snow on the ground, and the temperatures have stayed below 32 so the snow has been going no where. Now I hear on the news that there is another storm headed our way.

The only way we have been able to navigate our hill is with chains, and even at that, we almost didn't get up this afternoon because we were plowing snow that was clear up to the undercarriage. That was after we waited for the neighbors to shovel enough snow off the road so they could get into their driveway.

Brian, Sheila and the boys arrived at their condo in McCall yesterday for a week of skiing. Keith, Janet and the girls left Ft. Lauderdale yesterday for a Christmas cruise. Keith called from the ship's deck where it was all sunshine and 80 degrees!

We had to cancel our plans to go to our nephew Joel's wedding which is tomorrow. Most everything is at a standstill from Seattle to Spokane, and Spokane has had record-breaking snowfall over the past few days. Even if we could get out of town, I doubt we could get anywhere once we got to Spokane. Even Greyhound and Amtrack hasve stopped service.

We are sorry to miss the wedding, but as we watch the news of weather across the country, we are glad to stay at home and inside where we are warm and comfortable. We are hoping traffic is much improved on the 24th so we can get to Colleen's for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Here is a find for eating your veggies:

Oven Roasted Cauliflower
yield: Makes 4 servings
active time: 10 min
total time: 45 min

Blasting cauliflower florets in a hot oven concentrates their natural sweetness, turning them into something akin to vegetable candy.

Ingredients

* 1 medium head cauliflower (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut into 1 1/2-inch-wide florets (8 cups)
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss cauliflower with oil and salt in a large bowl. Spread in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) and roast, stirring and turning over occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.

Ciao

Twelve Days til Christmas

2008-12-13T16:46:00.000-08:00

We are going to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Colleen's so this feels like quite a leisurely Christmas season. I have done most of my shopping online so haven't even had to deal with stores and traffic. We have two little 'pretend' trees on either side of the fireplace, so their little white lights along with a fire make it look quite festive. The German nutcrackers, smoker, and pyramid are in their places, and the nativity set is in its usual prominent place.

Colleen's sacred music choral is singing three concerts this weekend with the third being here in Tacoma tomorrow nightso my friend Elisabeth is going to join us at least for the concert if not for dinner before.

Then Colleen is staying here Sunday night and taking Monday off so we can have a baking extravaganza, but before I would agree to it, we had to figure out what we would do with the finished products because I certainly don't need baked goods here to tempt me. She has befriended a Russian man who lives in her neighbood so he is going to be the recipient of cookies and goodies. Ilia lost many of his relatives in the Chernobyl disaster, but beyond that I don't know how he ended up in Seattle. He quite likes Colleen and her dog.

We are expecting a blast of Arctic air over the next few days with daytime highs not getting above freezing. Let's hope the electricity and furnace keep going. It makes me stop and think about the homeless and those who can't pay their utility bills.....we are very fortunate.

Ciao

It's December already

2008-12-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

I never seem to be able to anticipate December coming right on the heels of Thanksgiving....but it does.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day with family assembled plus a couple of extras. Ken and Colleen were troopers to help or I probably could not have pulled it off. And of course everyone brought something, so there was way too much food, as usual.

Yesterday was Ken's and my 46th wedding anniversary, and we contemplated doing something special......at least go out for lunch or dinner, but the weather wasn't all that inviting, and we chose to stay home and share a steak dinner and a good bottle of wine. All four of our children remembered and called with good wishes, and Ken gave me a gorgeous bouquet of 3 dozen red roses. How special is all of that?

Our calendar is pretty clear up until Christmas week when we have to go to Spokane for our nephew Joel's wedding on December 23. So we will drive over on the 23rd and return on the 24th. Here's hoping the weather cooperates!!

My recovery is going well with the biggest challenge to be able to walk for longer lengths of time. I think I have some nerves in my leg that are still trying to return to normal, hence the discomfort. The physical therapist has me walking with trekking poles which seem to be making a difference. Patience, Helen.

Boredom does threaten once in a while. I would love to be quilting, but since that requires sitting and bending over, I haven't been given the go-ahead yet. So I quilt vicariously by surfing the net and looking for ideas and good buys on patterns and fabric!!!!! This could be an expensive recovery.

We have Christmas music playing, and I am slowly unpacking some of our Christmas items, so tis the season!! Ciao

Quick Update

2008-11-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

Considering we are home about 90% of the time, there is little to write about.

We are having Thanksgiving here with Craig, Colleen, Curt & Cinda, Linea (Josh has to work), Cliff, Jordan and baby Thomas. Colleen is coming this week end to help with some of the prep stuff, and everyone is bringing something so it should be a fun day.

I ventured out last Friday afternoon with two friends to spend some time at a quilt and craft show in Puyallup, and I did survive with a lot of breaks to sit whenever I could find a chair. And I didn't spend a penny!!

Bev came up for a short visit about ten days ago to check on my progress. She came on Saturday and went home on Monday, but we had lots of time to just sit and visit and peruse quilting magazines. Now that is a GOOD friend!!

I am grateful to have the election behind us and to have the political ads and signs disappear. Now it is the Christmas advertisements, but so far they haven't been too bad. I suspect with the economy, businesses are hesitant to spend the money.

I hope everyone has a blessed and happy Thanksgiving. Ciao

Back again

2008-11-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

I am getting antsy and crabby so I must be on the mend!!!! I had surgery a week ago, and each day gets a tiny bit better, although sometimes the tiny bits are really tiny. I am heartened with what was done (considerably more extensive than last time) and with the expected outcome. I am prone to spinal stenosis which translates to lots of bone buildup in the nerve canals causing them to be pinched. The surgeon said 25% closure usually causes enough discomfort to require surgery and I had about 8 eight areas, several of which were at 50% to 75% closure. So a major roto rooter job plus fusion should have me dancing the fandango in a matter of weeks. Thanks to all who have called and written and brought food and flowers.

There is the election to occupy me for today, and at least one can't say this hasn't been a full and eventful election year. I suspect Democrats will do well in light of the chaos we are experiencing at the moment.

With nothing but time on my hands, I have been thinking about our trip south this winter and have decided I would like to move around just a bit more this year. We are reserved for two solid months at Casa Grande, but I am thinking we should pick up and take a week's outing for a little change of view. Both Hatch, New Mexico and Ft. Huachuca appeal to me, but they are both a bit chilly. We haven't been to Yuma for several years, so that is a possibility.

Ciao

Whitman County Birthday Trip

2008-10-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

Colleen and I spent last weekend in eastern Washington for a little fun trip to celebrate our birthdays. Friday night we stayed at a B&B in Uniontown that was a convent in a former life. There was a huge Catholic presence in the area as it was settled, and every small town has its own church and cemetery, and in this case, its own convent. There was a lot that could have been done to enhance the property, and the experience, but it was fine, and served as a launching pad for our weekend.

There was a Harvest Festival up the road in Colton so we took that in and left with silver earrings, heirloom tomatoes and apple cider. Moscow, Palouse, and Viola were all on the trip of the day, and each had its own charm. Viola has about two houses, and there was a quilt show at Granny's out in the country. We drove several miles and arrived at a non-descript rather unkempt house, but it was full of quilts and fabric!!

We stayed with Rod and Karen on Saturday and Sunday nights, and I spent Sunday afternoon visiting with Mike, Mary, Becky, and baby Ben who is walking around things but hasn't quite taken flight yet. Mary presented both Colleen and I with homemade apple crisp (Colleen's most favorite thing), and in fact Karen had apple crisp for us when we arrived on Saturday evening. Colleen scored big time.

We went to Green Bluff on Sunday and came away with some honey and various beans and lentils. I bought many different varieties of lentils at the Moscow Co-op so we are well supplied. On our way home we stopped in Gleed (between Yakima and Naches) and bought some fruit and squash. What a fun harvest weekend.

Now I am in the throes of a bunch of appointments to get ready for another back surgery on October 28th. The problems are similar to what they were five years ago, and I have ignored them for as long as I can. I am looking forward to being able to walk more than fifteen minutes at a time and to effortlessly turn over in bed at night. Surgery will be in the afternoon, and I will go home the next day.

We have loosely planned our winter trip down south. We are going to spend the second week of January at Tecopa Hot Springs that we visited two years ago, and Karen and Rod will join us. Then on to the desert at Quartzite for a few days before settling in at Foothills West in Casa Grande the middle of January for two months. We are happy to see the price of gasoline come down, but we had already taken higher gas prices into account as we made our plans.

Ciao

Leavenworth and Wenatchee

2008-10-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on our little jaunt last week to Leavenworth and Wenatchee. In addition to four nights in a grass field at the foot of the mountains, we stayed at two local state parks both of which were very nice. There was a parade on Saturday in honor of the Fall Leaf Festival, and it was exactly what you would expect of a small town parade complete with a number of horn-carrying, non-playing out-of-step school bands.

We learned of a particular place to buy apples at a good price so came home with a box of Jonagolds and a box of Golden Delicious. I have apple butter simmering in the slow cooker at the moment, and I suspect there is a pie or two in the near future. We also visited Icicle Winery in Leavenworth so of course bought some of their wine. The tasting room is the home of the owners and is a custom built log house that is full of detail and imagination. And their wine isn't bad either!

Tonight is a fund-raising dinner for Fuller Seminary, so we will meet some of the staff and faculty that Colleen works with as well as hear a speech by the president of Fuller Seminary. The dinner is at a private club in Bellevue, so it should be quite enjoyable.

I have been puttering at quilting projects with finishing up some odds and ends and contemplating what to do next. Yesterday I started cutting strips for a quilt designed by Kaffe Fassett, one of my favorite designers, which is intended to look like strips of faded wallpaper. So far I quite like the effect I am seeing. It is a very simple pattern and process so there is no excuse for not finishing it. I do pretty well with getting the tops pieced, it is the rest of the process where I fall down on the job.

So I am off to the sewing machine. It is overcast and damp today so it is a perfect day to sew. Ciao

Hallelujah!!!!

2008-09-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

We are celebrating. The results of Ken's P.E.T. scan proved not only that there was no cancer present, but the suspect site had diminished in size. We are grateful and appreciative of all your good thoughts and prayers. The mystery of the dizziness has not been solved, but he is about two thirds of the way though various checks for that, and nothing has come to the forefront.

We have come to the end of the 'Gathering' or 'Sift and Sort'. It was even more delightful than I could have imagined. We tried to remember the last time just the six of us sat around the table together, and we figure it was probably about 1981; right after we moved back to Washington. It was fun, but it it will be even more fun when there are spouses and children present as well. It is so seldom that the entire family is together.

Keith incorporated a business trip into coming out here so we had him here with us for a week, but it was a tight schedule for Brian since he left Virginia after work on Friday and returned home on Sunday afternoon. However, it was a direct flight both ways so that helped. Craig and Colleen spent the weekend here as well.

We spent time going through boxes of photos, boxes of momentos, and just generally having the kids reacquaint themselves with what is here and the history behind some of it. They each compiled a list of those items that held some meaning or interest for them, and that was all shared among the four of them.

Craig, Brian, and Keith spent a few hours on Craig's boat Saturday afternoon, and came home with five freshly caught crab........which we enjoyed along with grilled bison roast (excellent), and grilled Alaskan salmon fillet from the summer fishing trip. That along with several bottles of nice wine and topped off with huckleberry pie.

It was fun to watch and listen and learn what various items meant to each of the kids; and this was all just easy and fun because nothing is going anywhere at the moment, but when the time comes to seriously downsize, we know where to send the shipping crates!! And if Ken and I were to meet our demise at the same time, there is some direction for the kids. This is an easier process than going through it while planning funerals!!

Now we have to move on to getting ready to take the motor home to Leavenworth this week to join Rod and Karen at a rally during the Fall Leaf Festival. I am excited to be on the road again. We will be at the rally from Wednesday through Sunday and then spend two more nights in the area before coming home on Wednesday. The weather here today was lovely, but the thermometer continues its downward trek so I expect it to be pretty dang chilly in Leavenworth. We will definitely go in with a full tank of propane and charged batteries because there are no services where we will be.

Ciao

I'm baaack!

2008-09-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

The time does have a way of sneaking by!!

We pretty much have our lives on hold at the moment. Ken experienced some dizziness while we were back east, so we went to the nearest emergency room. After several hours in ER, there was no definitive answer, so they kept him overnight. One of the routines is a chest x-ray which revealed two very small spots on his right lung........

So the dizziness has pretty well subsided (and sort of faded out of our line of sight) as we stand at the mercy of doctors and their appointment books. Finally today (after one cancellation) we saw a pulmonologist who has ordered a P.E.T. scan to determine if the lung spot (the second spot is so small as to be insignificant) is cancer and to be sure there isn't cancer somewhere else. All of this is heightened as a result of the fact that Ken has been a smoker and he already is a cancer survivor.

The doctor today did say, that if the one spot turns out to be malignant, that it would be classifed as 1A (the very lowest). If the P.E.T. scan is anything other than absolutely and totally negative; a biopsy would be in order and the tissue would be tested on the spot. If positive, the surgeon would continue and remove the upper third of the lung with no further treatment needed, i.e. no radiation or chemotherapy.

So we will continue with our lives and continue with positive thoughts. As I write this, we are watching a special called "Stand Up 2 Cancer."

In the meantime, we are looking forward to having all four kids here the weekend of the 20th. Back when we were considering leasing the house and travelng for a year (which we haven't forgotten about), Colleen rallied the boys for a 'sift and sort' or "Gathering as Brian likes to call it) episode. Keith managed to put a business trip together so he will be here from 9/15 to 9/22. Brian doesn't have that latitude with Uncle Sam so he had to pay cold hard cash to be here from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, but we are happy to have them for as little or as long as is possible. Fortunately, Craig and Colleen don't have to buy plane tickets.

So Ken and I are "cleaning the house before the cleaning lady comes." The whole purpose of having the kids here is to go through, look at, sort, and reminisce over our various and sundry belongings. But of course my first thought is that I can't let them see all of that old stuff that we should have been rid of. So today saw us drop off a half dozen boxes at St. Vincent de Paul!!

We made a mad dash to Spokane last week to bring the MH home. It has been parked in Sprague's alfalfa field, but we knew we would need it when the kids are here. While there, Karen and I managed a bit of shopping, a pedicure, and a bit of quilting. Rod was away on business in Ft. St. John, BC while we were there, and Karen had pretty much dismantled their house. Empty the guest room and remove the carpet to be relaid in the guest room downstairs. Tear up the carpet in the dining room, and remove the wall between the entry and the living room. She was sweating bullets as to how much she could get back together before Rod returned today.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful. When we returned from Spokane this week, we spent one night in Prosser to visit some wineries, and then chose to come home via White Pass. What a beautiful drive, and autumn is beginning to show her colors.

Ciao

From Alaska to Virginia

2008-08-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ken and Daryl made a valiant effort for their Alaskan fishing trip, but the fruits of their labors could have been more abundant. Daryl caught a 30# king salmon and Ken an 8# sockeye. According to Ken, fishing was brutal in that the weather was cold and wet and generally miserable, but I am still happy that they made the trip and had some time together considering they have known each other for over sixty years!

Ken arrived home on Saturday, July 26, and we were airborne out of McChord on a C-17 on Monday morning. I LOVE THAT AIRCRAFT!! It was an uneventful trip with Brian greeting us when we arrived in Dover. It is about a two hour drive from Dover to Sterling, Virginia where he and Sheila live, and it was very scenic. I couldn’t get over how green and lush everything looked as we drove through lots of rural areas even though we were heading toward DC.

I almost cried when I saw the boys as both have grown taller over the past year, Nolan was the biggest shock as he stands several inches taller than I, but both are as sweet as ever. They have been busy with various camps throughout the summer and attended a computer camp for the first week we were there.

Sheila was out of town attending a a Boeing training seminar, but Brian had the time off during our visit as he was waiting for classes to start at the War College, So we were entertained, fed, and escorted to our heart’s content. The three of us visited the Bureau of Engraving and the Holocaust Museum during one day spent in DC. The Museum was very moving, and very eye-opening to some aspects of that era that I did not know, and, as with all exhibits in Washington DC, it was very well presented.

We spent a bit of time with Sheila’s mother and her sister and family. Our original plan was to spend a week with Betty and the boys at her beach house but we came home earlier than planned, so that will have to be a priority for our next trip east.

Brian drove us to Keith’s after our stay in Virginia. Again, we were wined, dined, and thoroughly pampered and entertained. We met both the girls’ boyfriends, Ryan and Steven, and the newest member of the Kirkwood family, Abbey the Labradoodle. She is just a big lug of a love, and pretty mellow for not yet being one year old.

Sarah has worked for all three of her college years at Mulligans, the bar and grill at the University of Maryland golf course. So we stopped by for a drink and watched our granddaughter go about her duties. Can this be so? Afterward we proceeded on to the off campus school apartment that she shares with Janet whom she has known since grade school days in Arizona. It is quite small with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and high rent!!
We had a house/dog sitter while we were gone and Cooper was well cared for. He decided since he had been abandoned, that he should make himself comfortable, as in sleeping on the leather sofa or the white chair. Soiled dog!!

There will be more stories to tell, but it has been forever since I have blogged so here it comes. Ciao

I'm in the funny papers

2008-07-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Following is my letter to the editor of Tacoma's New Tribune regarding a recent Steilacoom council decision. Truth be known, I actually like the train whistles, but the issue goes much deeper than that.

Too much being spent on the wishes of a few
HELEN KIRKWOOD; Steilacoom
Published: July 19th, 2008 01:00 AM
Re: “Steilacoom council OKs horn system” (TNT, 7-16).

The Steilacoom Town Council voted to spend a minimum of $280,000 to install horns at two railroad crossings to replace train whistles. The council is adhering to the wishes of a few out of 6,000-plus.

That railroad was here long before any current resident moved here so it should be no surprise that trains and whistles make noise. There is limited money for various improvements in town, but the council came up with $280,000 for horns.

The most recent hearing was held the week of July 4, a travel time for many. I e-mailed all five council members and didn’t receive a single response. I was unable to get minutes from that hearing, only a draft, with no response for conflict of interest, since more than one council member lives very close to the tracks.

Anyone willing to run for a council position against the three members who voted for this debacle and bring some integrity to the majority of this council can count on my support. End of article

When I checked messages last night, there was a voice mail from a local resident who said I had voiced the opinion of many in town. I would like to call it my civic duty, but in reality, it is more like grumbling!!!

Ken and Daryl go to Alaska tomorrow for the big fishing trip. The guide is reserved, sleeping arangements are in place, a rental car is at the ready at Elmendorf AFB, and the fish count is up. I hope they have a grand time. I have kept my week pretty open and plan to spend time doing some sorting and packing.

We will be ready to catch a hop as soon as Ken returns from Alaska next Saturday. Thanks to Colleen, we have a dog sitter lined up. Cooper's care was becoming the big concern because we don't want to kennel him since he has developed such separation anxiety in his old age. Tracy is a PLU student and is working at Western State Hospital for the summer so she will be close to work and our house. Tracy's mother is a student at Fuller in Seattle which is how Colleen made the connection.

We were invited to Craig and Cassie's for dinner last night. Her parents were in
town having had Greta all week and bringing her home yesterday, plus another couple, friends of C&C's, joined us. We enjoyed some wine, grilled steaks, pasta salad and homemade rhubarb pie for dessert. The weather was lovely, and they live in a rural setting surrounded by trees so it was idyllic.

Have a good week, and I'll blog later in the week for an update on the success of the salmon fishing. Ciao

Crash Hot Potatoes

2008-07-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't been inspired by a recipe for a while, but I like this one. If you want to see pictures and read some humorous postings by another blogger, go to: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

Crash-hot potatoes by Jill Dupleix

This is one of those crazy little recipes that once tried, is immediately incorporated into your own repertoire. It's what you want when you want a crisp, roast potato, only better. And all you have to do is boil a few small potatoes, smash them flat and blast them in a hot oven until they are terminally crisp. Serve with lamb, pan-fried fish, grilled sausages, or even on their own, or topped with smoked salmon and cr�me fraiche, with drinks.

Serves 4

* 16 small, round potatoes
* salt
* 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 tsp sea salt
* freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tbsp fennel or caraway seeds
* 1 tbsp thyme or rosemary sprigs
(I had a few crisp bacon bits that I added as well. hk)

1. Heat oven to 230 or 250C (about 400) - yes, hot. Don't peel the potatoes. Just bung them into a pot of salted water, bring to the boil, and simmer for around 15 minutes until they'll take a skewer without too much resistance. They should be just about cooked, without being soft.

2. Drain, and arrange on a lightly oiled baking tray or sheet. Use a potato masher to squash each potato flat (like a peanut butter cookie), until it is twice its original diameter.

3. Brush the tops with olive oil, and scatter with sea salt, pepper, fennel seeds and thyme.

4. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until terminally crisp and golden. Serve hot.

Bon Appetite

Ciao

Reread my last Blog

2008-07-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

I was shocked to read my latest blog and discover I had not done any editing. So the content remains the same, but it reads with greater ease since I corrected a bunch of errors, and I still probably missed some.

Craig, Cassie and Greta borrowed the Westfalia for the weekend to attend the Oregon County Fair outside of Salem. I have never attended, but it strikes me as a bit of a mini Woodstock so the Westfalia is the perfect traveling companion.

The sun is shining and the forthcoming week looks warm and sunny. It is time to move outside and soak up the rays. ciao

Fourth is Over and Now It Is the Tenth

2008-07-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

We are home from the July 4 and reunion festivities, and a good time was had by all. We managed time with the Spragues, the Jaynes, and lots of family.

I love to park at Rod and Karen's since it is still quite country although there must be about 100 houses added since I lived in the area as a youngster. Their property is surrounded by alfalfa that her brother farms so the view is lovely and we frequently see deer munching in the fields. One evening we heard the distinct conversation of a great horned owl. Cooper is a happy dog as he bounds through the field looking for critters.

July 4 found the Kirkwood family (Keith's family, Colleen, Craig, Cassie, Greta, and Ken and I) at the Jaynes for the afternoon for some fun in the sun. Greta paddled around in the water for about 1 1/2 hours entertaining herself. It was warm and sunny and most enjoyable. Late in the afternoon we adjourned to Jerry and Lois' to be joined by their family for dinner. As is her wont, Lois had everything prepared and ready to go including a table to seat 20 that ran the entire length of the room.

Calla and Sam hosted the reunion on July 5. Calla does all the gardening, and it was beautiful with a parklike view in every direction. The pond on the lower level was too much of a temptation for Greta and she went from wading to "Oops" now I am wet to my waist."

There were about 45 of us and we ate and drank well. Two of our nephews, Barry and Don (sons of Bud & Clara) we had not seen for 14 years so it was fun to catch up and get to know their families. They were introduced to the Kirkwood/Scandinavian tradition of toasting with aquavit which made for some fun. Bud and Clara were not there, but we did stop and see them on our way through Moses Lake. Bud has had some health issues due to hepatitis C, but he looked quite good. We visited for about two hours before heading home.

Sunday morning our family plus Barry, Valerie, and Lowell met at the Davenport Hotel for brunch. Since we were 13, the manager grouped some tables for us in the lobby where we had it to ourselves and held court for a couple of hours. The restoration of the Davenport was beautifully done and it was very enjoyable to sit and visit and enjoy the surroundings.

On Monday, before going on to Montana, Keith and Janet and the girls took a look at EWU and Gonzaga campuses since Rachel is looking at colleges for next year. I think both had their appeal, but they are a long way from Maryland!

We drove north of Spokane on Monday to look at the specialty concrete business that Rod and Karen's son, Jeff, operates. He has several employees and has manufactured various machines and equipment to be able to create the forms and make small specialty items such as those needed to match older existing building exteriors. It is definitely a niche market and he is quite well known throughout the northwest.

On the way back on Highway 2, we stopped at the Ram Drive-In in Riverside to have lunch, and who should walk in the door but Keith and Janet and the girls. We had already said our good byes the day before, so it was pure coincidence that they stopped for ice cream at the same time and place that we did.

We left the motor home parked in the alfalfa at the Spragues and drove home on Tuesday. Ken will be off to Alaska on the 21st to return on the 26th and then we will be looking for flights to the east coast. I haven't decided what I will do with almost a week by myself, but I have lots of choices. I really should spend the time doing some of the sorting and packing in anticipation of a lifestyle change, but I suspect quilting is going to create some interference.

Ciao

Family Reunion

2008-07-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day!!

We are hoping to get down the driveway in the MH sometime this afternoon for a week in Spokane. With kudos to niece, Marty, most of the family is gathering at Calla & Sam's on Saturday for a reunion of the descendents of Bill and Lilly Kirkwood. We expect at least 40, and are hoping for more. Keith and Janet have arranged their vacation plans to fly into Spokane on Thursday evening before going on to Billings on Monday to visit her family. Colleen and Craig, Cassie, and Greta are driving over Friday morning.

We will park the motor home at the Sprague RV Park on Big Meadows Road. The price is right (free) and the company delightful. Karen and I are hoping to assemble her mother's quilting frame so we can tie a quilt top that Lillie made many years ago. That to be squeezed in with all the visiting. She and Rod have their entire family with them over the Fourth, and have had/will have various and sundry grandchildreen coming and going.

We are now the proud owners of a new hot water tank after we discovered our showers yesterday morning were a bit on the cool side. That tank was here when we moved in almost 15 years ago, so I guess it was time to replace it. I would love to opt for a tankless system, but it doesn't make sense considering the age of this house and the question as to how long we might live in it.

We are seriously considering renting the house, sorting and storing our stuff, and drifting down the road this fall. I think the daunting part of the equation is the sorting and storing. I miss the days of navy life when we had to sort and purge every two years. Even with obscene gas prices, we wouldn't have to drive very far at any one time to see and do new things.

I need to get busy if we are to be out of here at a reasonable time today. Have a happy and safe Fourth. Ciao

Girls' Fun

2008-06-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

It seems I have been playing for most of the past ten days, and I had willing accomplices along the way!

Karen and I spent four nights in Seattle week before last because we attended a six-hour quilting class. That makes sense, right? We stayed at my newly established favorite B&B; Colleen's cute apartment in Queen Anne. She now has a real guest room complete with twin trundle beds, duvets, and guest robes and slippers.

Karen and I enjoyed the class with Brenda Henning of Alaskan quilting fame and Triangulations software, but it wasn't as spectacular as we had expected. Contrary to what we have encountered in other classes, Brenda seemed to be tired and bored and just wanted to be finished with the day. That's not to say we didn't learn some new tips or that we are sorry we attended, but we now know we don't need to completely rearrange our lives if we learn of another class being taught by her.

Since both of us had all our sewing stuff with us, we spent Friday and Saturday alternating between trying two new purse patterns and going out to shop for more fabric and seeking good places to eat. Success was had in both categories and Colleen was the recipient of a fun carryall bag plus a rather stunning little pillow for her living room that boasts satin bees and red and gold cording.

I came home Sunday afternoon to be present for dinner with Craig and Ken for Father's Day and to recuperate from four days of fun and get ready for the next round. Colleen was in Oregon, so it was just the three of us for dinner.

Jeff and Bev arrived on Tuesday so Bev and I, along with Elisabeth and Katherine, could hit the road Wednesday morning for the western Washington Quilt Shop Hop. Three more days of fun!! Katherine drove, and she has a lovely big Dodge Caravan so we had lots of room for luggage, ice chest, and all our purchases. I was the right seat navigator and took Maggie, our Magellan GPS, and she didn't let us down once. We boldly plunged onward with nothing but a street address in towns we had never visited, and she delivered us to the doorstep every time; sometimes over our common sense protests, but she proved she knew what she was doing.

Vancouver was our destination for the first night, and I had cruised the internet to find a great B&B in the downtown area. Success!! We had two rooms to share in a lovely restored Craftsman and were hosted by Ted and Sallie, neither of whom has ever met a stranger. They were ten years in the restoration process and have been in business for two. He is retired from Motorola and she from United Airlines. Sallie steered us to a great Italian restaurant for dinner which was walking distance from the B&B and Ted served yogurt parfaits, scrambled eggs and bacon and gingerbread pancakes for breakfast. We ate well!!

As we head back north on I-5 on day two, we veered off to the west and made our way up the west side of Hood Canal where we stayed the second night. We had done no pre-planning for this part of the trip, but we slept well and ate at a small restaurant on the canal that served marvelous seafood.

The third day for the home stretch took us to the head of Hood Canal and back down through Poulsbo, Port Orchard, Gig Harbor and home. We visited 16 shops over the three days and found fun stuff in all of them.

Ken and Jeff entertained each other for the three days by tearing our computer apart and rebuilding it. All the while grousing at each other as they are wont to do. A normal adventure for the two of them.

Now I am realizing that the Fourth of July is looming so I need to focus. We are planning to take the motor home to Spokane for the 4th weekend for the Bill & Lillie descendents reunion to be held on the fifth at Calla and Sam's in Spokane. We have places we could stay, but Cooper is the problem, so we will take his accomodations with us. Keith and Janet and the girls have arranged their summer vacation to fly into Spokane on July 3 to attend the reunion and then will go on to their lake property near Kalispell and visit her family in Billings.

It sounds like most of the family will be in attendance, and we haven't even met some of the younger people, so it should be fun. Our great niece, Marty, came up with the idea, and I commend her. Families always seem to get together only when there is a funeral!!

Enough for now. Ciao

We have lost a good friend

2008-06-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Our good friend, John Nicoletti, succombed to cancer last week. We lived across the street from John and Carol when we lived in California in the 70s and spent many hours playing bridge, having dinner, and partying with them and others in the neighborhood. I told the Nicoletti family that when I think of John I remember his hearty laugh, his warm touch and kiss when meeting, and his beautiful head of white hair. His mass and celebration of life is this coming Friday, but we are not going to go. There were already too many things on the calendar. Bev and I are thinking we will wait a while and then plan a little road trip with her, Carol and me.

2008-06-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I attended a choral concert in which Colleen participated - Sacred Music Chorale is about 60 strong and is comprised of some very talented and educated musicians from around the Seattle area. The first half was the 'Mass Ordinaire' composed by one of the choir members. It was very enjoyable to watch that composer as he participated, and very familiar to me since it was in latin which is how I heard the mass growing up. I must say I enjoyed the entire program and anticipate purchasing their CD when it becomes available.

Colleen is still in the process of getting settled, and organizing the guest room was a priority while I was there. She had trundle bed frames but no mattresses, so after a lot of discussion as to how we were going to get the mattresses from Costco to home, we drove to Costco, rolled the mattresses out to her Honda, hoisted them up on top, lashed them down with bungee cords and headed for Queen Ann. We made it just fine, and now I have an organized guest room to sleep in when I visit.

And visit I will next week, along with Karen, when we attend a quilting class in Edmonds on Thursday. Karen is driving over on Wednesday and we will probably spend Friday poking around Seattle. Colleen is going to be away, so we will have her apartment to ourselves. There are so many great neighborhoods with wonderful shops and restaurants that we should not want for something to do.

We enjoyed the Jaynes' and the Millers' visit last Friday night. The Millers have never been here, and it has been years since Bob and Sharon visited. We spent many hours talking, eating and sipping. The Millers are in the market for a new/different motor home since theirs doesn't have slides, so they visited most of the RV dealerships up and down I-5 from Olympia to Federal Way. However, I haven't heard that they have purchased anything.

It is cold, cold, cold here. When can we expect summer? Ciao

Ho Hum

2008-05-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

I am trying to come up with something exciting for this blog, but I'm afraid that won't be the case. We should consider ourselves fortunate that life is rather mundane.

My Mother's Day was exactly as I would wish. Calls from Keith and Brian, flowers and cards and candy, and KFC with Craig and Colleen for dinner. One could not ask for more.

We enjoyed having Rod and Karen in the area for two days. We don't have room for their coach in our driveway, but we have always been fortunate that we have been able to secure a spot for them at the Ft. Lewis Famcamp which is located on North Fort Lewis and is only about a five minute drive from our house.

Karen and I swapped quilting stories and spent one day going to IkEA while the guys met one of Rod's former coworkers for lunch. The four of us seem to talk non stop when we are together which makes for great fun. Karen and I are always fascinated at how well Ken and Rod get along and share so many common interests. Even though Karen and I have known each other for 50+ years, the boys have only really gotten well acquainted over the past three years.

We will be Skyla-sitting from Wednesday to Sunday while Colleen goes to Arizona to attend a friend's wedding. We keep reminding Cooper that he only has to share us for four days and then she will go home again.

The Jaynes are going to be in this part of the country next week so they and their friends are coming to dinner a week from Friday. It has probably been at least six years since they have been to our house so it will be nice to have them and I even have dinner partially planned. They are still adjusting to being without their beloved Angus who had to be put down recently, but it sounds like they plan to get another Gordon Setter in the fall.

Our trip to Virginia is getting better and better. It sounds like Brian is going to have an extra week before classes start so we are hoping we will get to spend some extra time with him. I know the boys will be available, but we probably won't get to see as much of Sheila because of her work schedule. And even though we will see Keith and family for a day or two in July when we all get together for a reunion in Spokane, we should see more of them after they return to Maryland while we are still in Virginia.

This is house cleaning day so I had better get back at it. Ciao

Happy Mothers Day

2008-05-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to a day of leisure and having KFC for dinner!

I have been back to Seattle twice since I last blogged. Last weekend, Colleen and I painted our hearts out for two days and only finished her bedroom and dressing area. And that after she had already washed and primed!! We decided she needs to purchase better paint for the rest of the apartment. Two coats and it still didn't look so good.

Ken and I spent yesterday afternoon at Colleen's doing odds and ends. Ken reversed the doors on her refrigerator, put the table and base together, and put the mirror on her dresser. I unpacked a few boxes and supervised!!

We have done a bit of work outside and we have purchased a few plants for some of the containers. The rhodies are just starting to bloom and the dogwood is almost in full bloom.

I sneak up to my sewing machine whenever I get the opportunity, but the last two days have seen me ripping out more than I am putting in. I am trying to finish the small project that I started as a result of the class I took in Spokane two weeks ago. To look at what I have done, and ripped out, it is proof positive that I can't tell front from back, left from right nor up from down. No one can sew two pieces of fabric together in more wrong configurations than I!!

Rod and Karen will be in the area from Monday afternoon until Wednesday morning so we are looking forward to their visit. And Bob and Sharon Jayne will be in Centralia the last two days of this month so we will have them up for dinner.

Our summer travel plans have changed a bit. In light of Brian and Sheila's schedules, we are going to wait to go to Virginia the end of July and be there for the first part of August. Those dates work better for everyone, and that allows Ken to return from his Alaskan fishing trip before we go. But the best part of all is that we will now be able to hop since we will be flying together both directions. Yahoo!

It is bedtime for me. Ciao

Happy Friday

2008-05-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, long time no blog. Again!!

I've been to Seattle at least once since my last blog, and I spent three days in Spokane last week.

Colleen is still living in chaos because she has had two business trips over the last two weeks, so she hasn't been able to tackle the painting, although the carpet has been replaced, and that has helped considerably with the odor. She has started the painting process so perhaps settling in is in sight.

I went to Spokane last week and spent two days at Rod and Karen's and two days at Jerry & Lois'. Karen and I attended a quilting class last Friday which I enjoyed thoroughly and learned at least a half dozen new tips and shortcuts. So of course another class means another project started, so I have been working to try and finish this small one before going back to some of the other works in progress.

Saturday was Lois' 75th birthday, so several of us showed up for the day and a dinner at Calla and Sam's, but she admitted she wasn't totally surprised. There were a few things leading up to Saturday that lead her to believe something was going on. Curt, Cinda, Linea, and Josh all drove over for the occasion. Calla and Sam are great hosts and serve a mean dinner.

I spent several hours at Mike and Mary's on Sunday and spent most of the time being entertained by grand nephew, Benjamin. At eight months, he is very cute and has developed lots of personality. When I took care of him last fall, he was not much liking me, but this time he seemed to think I was okay. He is a happy baby, and does he ever love his Grandpa Mike. He just beams when Mike walks into the room.

I did catch up with Elisabeth, and we had lunch together recently so we could catch up on each other's news. And today I invited her and Katherine, another friend from real estate days, to come for a day of sewing and chatting. Which we did with wild abandon and liked it so much that we are going to do it again next week at Katherine's.

I finally saw Cassie and Greta yesterday, and Craig. Even though Craig has stopped by a time or two, he was always by himself. Greta's first grade class put on a play yesterday, so I was invited to attend. Visualize about fifty adults seated in first-grade-sized chairs with the twenty or so first graders lined up in a row about two feet in front of us. Each youngster wore a costume, and the entire twenty minute performance was the story of Snow White told in rhyme, in unison, by the group. I was impressed at their ability to memorize that many lines. There was dessert afterwards, and I had a chance to visit with Cassie's mom, Joan, who came to town to see the performance.

I think next week's project is to work on the back patio and try to get it in shape for the summer. A few plants from last year were perennials and made it through the winter, so there is something to start with. Of course there is lots of moss to deal with, and the weeds are popping up.

Ciao

Home Again........Jiggity Jig

2008-04-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

We came home last Wednesday and bypassed going to Ft. Stevens. The rain and mud were getting to us, and it is doubly annoying with a dog. Colleen was here to greet us, and Craig stopped by so it was a perfect opportunity to go out for a bite to eat and visit - Colleen's treat.

We tried the newly-opened Jakes's Bistro here in Steilacoom. Jakes started about 18 months ago as a beer and wine stop and has now relocated and added a full menu. As with most restaurant endeavors in Steilacoom it was okay (and over-priced). I haven't found that any of the eating establishments in this town, either current or closed, quite hit the mark for whatever style of dining they are offering.

We are still working on emptying the motor home and moving back into our stick-built house, but we are getting closer. After two weeks on the road and stays in rainy Oregon, I felt like EVERYTHING needed to be laundered! Plus I found on this trip that I was dragging a lot of stuff with me that I had not used in ages, so I have been purging!!

I have chatted with Elisabeth by phone, and we hope to get together next week for an outing, to include lunch of course, and to catch up on each other’s news.

Ken has been busy planning a fishing trip to Alaska with his long-time friend from grade school days, Daryl Ziemer. The guide whom we used twelve years ago is still in business so they are booked with him for two half days on the Kenai. And I think they hope to squeeze in a bit of halibut fishing or try fishing some other river in the area while there. I would love to go, but this needs to be the guys’ trip in honor of their 70th year. Ken’s birthday was in March and Daryl’s is September.

Our summer plans include a family reunion in Spokane on July 5 for the descendents of Bill and Lilly Kirkwood, and then we will be off for Virginia for a visit with the Brian Kirkwoods and the Keith Kirkwoods. Ken’s visit will be shorter since he has to bt back for his fishing trip, but I am thinking of staying longer. Sheila’s mother has invited us to spend a week with her and Nolan and Warren at her newly-built beach home, and I am excited to do that. I always enjoy time with Betty, and who wouldn’t want to spend time with their grandsons?

Brian just learned that he has been selected for a school starting in August so he will be leaving his post at the Pentagon in favor of a year’s worth of school. The downside is that his commute to the Pentagon has proven to be very easy and relaxing since he uses public transportation, and the school commute is going to be longer and more challenging. Everything comes at a price, but of course we are happy for him and this latest bit of good news. Fortunately, the school is at Fort McNair so they don’t have to move. Many Air Force schools are in Alabama. Ugh.

I utilized our bus system last weekend to visit Colleen in her new digs in Seattle. It took over 1 ½ hours from the Park and Ride in Lakewood and a transfer in downtown Seattle to her stop. Had I chosen to leave Steilacoom by bus it would have added at least another half hour. No wonder we cling to our cars!!

Her apartment is great and it is in the heart of Queen Ann. She has a lower level apartment with a narrow concrete patio running the full width of the apartment and accessed by a sliding glass door off the living room. A wonderful spot to dine or sit with coffee and paper and watch the world go by. The patio and apartment entrance face an alley rather than the main street, and it is fun to see all the folks out walking and bicycling. There is a peek-a-boo view of the canal and one can hear the boats and bridge tender honk at each other when a boat wants to pass.

The downside is that there has been a smoker who occupied the apartment, and even though the lease says it is a non-smoking building, we suspect there is another current tenant who smokes. I think the landlady has agreed to replace the carpet, because even though it has been cleaned and deodorized, there is still that lingering stale odor. And we think a good air cleaner would overcome the rest of the problem. It will all be worth it in the end.

I need to save some news for my next blog!! Ciao

A Cooking Tidbit

2008-04-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much to say lately, but I happened on something tonight that proved quite successful. I purchased some lamb shoulder chops which are about half the price of lamb loin chops, but everything I read for preparation talked about stews, braising, and long slow cooking. I couldn't be bothered, dinner was due in an hour so I borrowed a page out of Cooks Illustrated as shared with me by Brian.

The Cooks Illustrated article talked about blade steaks which are relatively inexpensive and flavorful, but again not a very tender cut of meat. Their solution in preparation for kebobs was to marinate the trimmed and cubed beef in olive oil with a couple of cloves of chopped garlic. However much of either ingredient for however long from fifteen minutes to four hours. I used about 1/4 cup of oil and two cloves of garlic for two lamb shoulder steaks.

I used the above marinade for the shoulder steaks after trimming them just a bit. i then cooked them on the stovetop at a pretty high heat for not very long........and they were quite tender and very tasty. Bon appetite!!

We are still in Beyond

2008-04-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

We are three days into our week's stay at the Cannon Beach RV Resort. Even though spring break is over for Oregon, this park is full this weekend.

Ken drove to Steilacoom on Thursday and will return this afternoon. He had a couple of things to take care of and is going to help load the truck for Colleen's move to Seattle. I think Craig and a friend are also helping on the Steilacoom end, and she has Curt, Cinda, Linea, and one or two others at the other end. I helped with two Arizona moves, so I'm not feeling too guilty.

I jut realized I had not talked about Collen's move. She has been looking for months for something in Seattle that was 1) affordable, 2) close to her office, and 3) would let Skyla move in. Colleen was on her way to work when the landlady/owner was putting up the for-rent sign!!!! And as she and Colleen were talking, a second interested party appeared. So that tells you how difficult housing is.

With an introduction of Skyla and the owner that went swimmingly, the apartment was hers. Not only is it affordable, it is almost the equivalent of a three-bedroom since the second bedroom boasts a large alcove. And it is a two-minute walk to her office. Now I can go play in Seattle and have a place to land if I decide to stay in the city.

So Cooper and I have been out of control with our eating, sleeping, and daytime activities. I didn't even get out of my sweat pants yesterday and my meals consisted of scrambled eggs, jicama, a hot dog and one stale gingersnap. It has been pretty rainy so he and I venture out for his walks and then huddle back inside. I must clean up my act this afternoon.

But I have been sewing my little heart out. This is a paper pieced quilt top with about a million little pieces, so the progress is hard to see at times, but it is fun. Once Ken gets home to babysit, i can visit the local quilt shop!

We will probably move up to Ft. Stevens Park on Wednesday where Rod and Karen will join us for a few days. It is a typical Northwest state park with lots of trees and big sites, and I suspect it will be pretty quiet next week with everyone back in school.

On that happy note, I'll sign off for now. Ciao

Quartzite and Beyond

2008-04-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Monday Quartzite, Tuesday Edwards AFB, Wednesday Sharpe Depot, Thursday & Friday Travis AFB, Saturday Eureka fairgrounds, Sunday Bandon Rv Park, Monday Cape Lookout Oregon State Park.

There, now you know what we have been doing!! Jeff drove to Travis last Friday to bring some shop equipment, visit for a while and have lunch. Otherwise, it has been the three of us keeping each other company.

As you know, you don't make the best time on 101, but it is so much more interesting than driving I-5. We have enjoyed nice weather, although we saw some snow alongside the road coming into the park yesterday.

We have been to this park twice before. The most memorable was about ten years ago with Jeff and Bev. Bev and I arrived before the guys and struggled to set up a new tent that had no instructions with it. As is the norm, we four retired for the night leaving everything out on the table. It was college spring break in the area, and when we awoke the next morning we found that all of our liquor was gone. They had to walk right in front of our tent to get to the ice chest where the beer was, but the scotch and wine was much easier because it was right out on the table. They only thing they left was a bottle that said tonic, but was actually filled with homemade Kahlua.

We figured it was probably payback for some similar moment in our kids' lives when they might have taken advantage of a similar situation.

We have enjoyed lovely weather here with not a spot of rain and barely a puffy cloud in the sky. But it does get down to freezing at night. I am looking out at two sites occupied by folks in tents and realizing why I don't miss that lifestyle. I'll keep the motor home with its furnace!!

There is a quilt shop in Tillamook and another in Cannon Beach so I am looking forward to visitng both. One never knows what treasures are lurking behind those storefronts. My project has been to accumulate fabrics for yet another quilt project I have at the ready.

We had an email from Gary O. this morning saying his mother has suffered some mini-strokes although the CT scan shows no sign of anything. She is in the hospital awaiting more tests. I hav emailed to let him and Carolyn know we are thinking about them.

There are lots of dogs who have brought their families here to camp. My favorite is a little eleven-month-old Corgi. He is very cute. For the most part everyone keeps their dogs in good control, but there is always the one who thinks the leash laws don't apply to him or her.

To be continued from Cannon Beach.

Ciao

Moving On

2008-03-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

We spent today, Easter, by ourselves which seemed a little strange. We are occasionally away from family on a holiday, but even at that, we are usually with friends. We could not go to church because of Cooper. It has turned quite hot here (approaching 90) and we are afraid to leave him with the AC on for fear there will be a power outage. And of course it is too hot in the car to leave him there. So I have spent some time reading Bonhoeffer and some Lenten devotions on line.

Tomorrow we will leave here and make our way to Quartzite for the night. Then on to another night in the desert - Edwards AFB which is about one hundred miles west of Barstow. By Wednesday night we should be in the Stockton/Sacramento/Travis area where we will stay for at least two nights.

Jeff has some woodworking equipment he wants Ken to have, so Cooper and I will stay with the motor home while Ken drives to San Jose to rendevous with Jeff. Bev will be in southern California for a conference so no need for me to go with Ken.

Our destination is going to be the Oregon coast for a couple of weeks; probably at Cannon Beach. I do hope the weather is a bit warmer and a little less wild than when we were on the coast in December. Rod and Karen are going to be in Long Beach, WA about the 18th of April, so we are hoping to spend some time with them somewhere.

I am on the verge of finishing one quilt, but now I am in the process of collecting fabric for another. That in addition to all the other unfinished projects. But I just can't resist fabric!!

I hope all had a happy and blessed Easter. Ciao

A Godd Birthday and a Bad Day

2008-03-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

Tthere has been a lot of water under the bridge (not!) since I last blogged. Friends, visitors, and Ken's birthday came and went. And I missed the birthday.

Karen and I fell victim to food poisoning the Friday night before the birthday party and spent Saturday in bed. But it was Bev to the rescue as she took command and made it all happen with the able help of Jeff, Ken, and Rod. Fortunately, I had everything pretty well ready to go, so it came together quite nicely. Except no one thought to put out any wine. Oh well. From my bedroom window, it sounded like everyone had a good time.

Karen and I did some shopping on Thursday and stopped at a little coffee shop/Greek cafe for a bite to eat. I should have been suspect considering the "Greek" salad was terrible and didn't even resemble Greek. Karen too had a salad, but hers had rubber turkey. Ugh. We very easily discovered the problem because we could account for everything we had eaten, and everything else consumed had been consumed by several others in our group.

The Spragues went home a week ago last Monday, and she has emailed to say they can't get the motor home close to the house, and the only vehicle available is the Jeep. They were still crawling over snow banks the last time I heard from her.

Gary and Carolyn Ousey left for home on Sunday; about two weeks earlier than planned. He has a history of atrial fibrillation problems, and he had an episode here about three weeks ago. Their insurance company said they had to return to Canada or be prepared to pay for the care should he experience another. So they are currently on the road and plan to be back in Victoria by the week end. We had looked forward to spending time with them over the next two weeks now that they were moved to our park.

So it is down to Ken, Cooper and me. We stay pretty close to home during the day because the weather is heating up so we can't go anywhere and leave Cooper in the car. We can make short escapes out, but we can't leave him home for very long either because he panics and starts barking!!

We have not made any plans for going home; either when or how. We are paid up here for another ten days. Then we will think about what to do next. My inclination is to simply move a bit to the north and meander our way back to Washington while taking in some local sights along the way. I am a frustrated John Steinbeck with his dog, Charlie, and would like to stop and visit and eat in every little burg along the way.

We talk to all the family on a regular basis. Sheila has started a new job with Boeing, Brian is still commuting to the Pentagon, and Warren and Nolan are busy with school, lacrosse, and body building. Sarah, Janet, and Rachel all have spring break at different times so no family trip this year. Sarah is going to paint her bedroom in her apartment, and I haven't heard what Janet and Rachel have planned.

Craig and Cassie are making progress on the post-flood action. The floor has been sanded and finished, and Cassie's dad helped install base cabinets last weekend. I guess the only good to come out of this is a fresh and new downstairs. Craig is waiting to see what work is going to come his way now that the current school remodeling project in Lacey is finishing up. There is a big chance that he could end up with a long commute which would not be good news right now.

Colleen is just coming off a ten day cold from hell. I think she managed to work two half days last week, but finally seems to be recovered. She and Skyla are just home holding down the fort.

Last week we drove the the eastern side of the Saguaro National Park which we had not seen. It is quite different from the western part in that there are fewer saguaros, but for the most part are older and more interesting. We also saw lots of younger ones growing beneath nurse trees. I find the saguaro to be absolutely fascinating.

That's all from sunny Arizona. Ciao

Warming at Last

2008-02-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

We are supposed to get close to eighty degrees by the end of this week, so the sun has arrived. I think I can turn off the furnace and get rid of my down vest for morning dog walks!

Mike and Mary were here for four days last week, and we had a good time, even though we didn't get a lot accomplished. We took them to the nearby Casa Grande Ruins and the Saguaro National Park near Tucson. Mary even got an IKEA hit the day before they left. Considering the weather in Spokane, they were quite content to sit and soak up the warmth. Now they are back home waiting for the snow to melt and the temperatures to rise.

Karen and Rod are parked directly behind us so it is convenient to run back and forth. At the moment she is setting up her patio for a quiltfest so I guess I had better hurry and read the Sunday paper. We have worked outside before, and it is always good for some passers by to stop and ask what we are doing.

We are up to 25 for Ken's birthday. He contacted another high school friend from Davenport who lives about 1/2 hour from here so that added another couple. Jeff and Bev fly in on Friday and leave on Monday.

There were two quilt shows in the area yesterday, so of course Karen and I went to both. I always see finished pieces that I would love to try, and then reality sets in with the fact that I have quite a number of UFOs (unfinished objects) that need my attention before I start something else.

The coffee and paper are beckoning!! Ciao

Tough Times......

2008-02-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

It has been a tough two weeks - two weeks of doing little or nothing of any importance!! But our days seem to fly by.

The weather has not caused us to want to don our shorts and sandals and cavort in the sun......for several days there was no sun, and the sunshine was liquid. We have had no rain for the past week, but up until today it has been unseasonably cool. It has been in the high 30s on several mornings as I headed out to walk Cooper. My attire consisted of Ken's winter parka, covers for my ears, and gloves to keep my hands warm. This is Arizona?

Rod and Karen will be here during the last week of February and first week of March. After their stint in the desert, they moved on to Yuma, which is where they are now. They are going to spend some time in the Tucson area before they get here.

Plans for Ken's birthday on March 1 are taking shape. It will be a German meal with rouladen, sausages from a meat market in San Jose (delivered by Jeff and Bev), spatzle, saurkraut, and good beer. Dessert is yet to be determined. We have about 18 who are coming including one couple whom we have never met. Rod and Karen met them in Yuma, and the man is a brother to a long-time friend of Rod's. Also, the man is related to one of the guys who will be here at the reunion so he is going to surprise him. Small world.

One of the big selling points for this motor home was the two big pullout pantries in the kitchen. For the second time, one of the pantries developed problems and so we unloaded and pulled it out. We surveyed the problem and then called a friend, Rob Robinson, the go-to-got-all-the-tools-loves a project/challenge-guy. Within 24 hours he was back with the needed parts and he and Ken pretty much dismantled the entire unit, fixed the problems, and put it all back together. I could store all my canned goods in it and do chin-ups and it wouldn't flinch. Thanks guys.

In celebration, we had the Ouseys and Rob here today for brunch. Rob's wife, Sue, has gone to Victoria for a week so we want to be sure and keep him well-fed. He had heard me say I had had a problem with one of my kitchen drawers, so before he left he had tape measure in hand and was planning how he was going to repair the drawer. Actually, it will be rebuilt and better than before when he gets through.

Tomorrow, Carolyn and I are going to IKEA and Trader Joe's, neither of which she has in Victoria. I am going not needing a thing but will undoubtedly find something I can't live without. I haven't even been in an IKEA since last fall.

I have a few chores to do before Brothers and Sisters comes on in a little less than an hour. FINALLY, a new episode!!

Ciao

Room for Comment

2008-01-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some prodding from Colleen, there is now a comment section at the bottom of each of my blogs.........should you wish to do so.

And you will notice that I corrected a grammatical (or typographical) error on my previous blog. We HOISTED ourselves up on to the barstools - we didn't HEIST ourselves up!!!!

Antecdote to Ontario Saga

2008-01-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

I forgot one little piece of the saga of "Three Girls Loose in Ontario".

On our last evening in Ontario, we decided to hook up our GPS system and find the nearest Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Upon arriving, we were informed it would be a 25 minute wait (turned out to be closer to an hour) for a table, so Karen told them we would wait in the bar. After Karen wrestled a third bar stool from a woman who thought the bar stool was for her personal use as a purse stand, the three of us hoisted ourselves up and considered our options.

Before we could make any decisions, Bev informed us that this was to be her treat; so I weighed my choice against what they were having and determined that it should be about the same price. Bev ordered a gin and tonic and Karen a margarita.

Now thanks to our son, Keith, who while on a cruise to Victoria purchased and gave to his dad a bottle of MacCallan single malt scotch, and I have acquired a taste for it; me who has abhorred even the scent of scotch. But MacCallan has a lovely cinnebark color given it by the aging in sherry casks which offers a lovely smooth and mellow tenor.

I also took note in my musings at the bar that this was an eighteen-year-old bottle versus the twelve-year-old that I had at home so the price would be a bit more but I rationalized that it wouldn't be that much out of line given that I was ordering a drink neat and not something blended like a margarita.

And then the bill came!!!!!! The total bill was about $32............my shot of scotch was $23! Of course i was willing to max out my credit card and told Bev I wanted to pay for my excess, but being the generous soul that she is, she insisted that this was her treat.

Now that I have bared my soul, I doubt any of you who read this will dare to ever ever offer to buy me a drink!! Ciao

Quartzite to Casa Grande

2008-01-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

We arrived at Foothills West RV Resort yesterday afternoon after an uneventful drive from the desert. We got the last available spot, so we are parked in the hinterlands where RVs are stored and dumpsters stationed.........but it is next to the doggie park, and on the west side are the shuffleboard courts and horseshoe pits.....so pretty quiet. It is a constant parade of residents going to the dumpsters. My first morning survey says about 90% of the garbage brigade are men with about 90% of them arriving on foot versus car or golf cart. Oh dear, I need to get a life.

Cooper seemed to remember his old hood and has checked out every bush and tree and haunt from last year. I drove up the street where we were parked last year, and the lady with her old old trailer and patio tent is still in residence! I'm much happier back here!!

My only plans are to find a hair salon and visit the quilt shop on Monday. Today is the last day of the big quilt show in Phoenix, but since I just attended one last week, I'll pass. I saw a carload of women leave this morning so suspect that was their destination.

We left Rod and Karen in desert to await the car show next week. They will probably come this way after that, but I'm afraid they won't be able to stay here. Perhaps across the road at Val Vista. That is where the Canadians will be within a week.

So all is well in the southwest. But the clouds are rolling in and rain is predicted for later today and tomorrow. I need to start reading another book!

Ciao

Quilts, Friends, and Worms

2008-01-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, Rod and Karen did catch up with us, and she and I left the guys to their own devices while we zipped up the road to Ontario. Bev arrived on Wednesday evening, and the three of us spent two fun days at the quilt show.

We scored a a great deal on a suite at the Hyatt, and I guess it shouldn’t come as any surprise that my two closest friends, each acquired at a different era in my life, are very compatible. We spent our mornings with coffee and crossword puzzles and our evenings with wine and crossword puzzles – in our pajamas of course. One or two of us would make the coffee/breakfast run downstairs and bring it back to the room.

Keith was in Los Angeles on business last week, so he gallantly drove to Ontario and took we three matrons out to dinner. That was a special bonus for me to get to see him, and I know it has been years since Karen or Bev have seen him. Thank you son.

The quilt show was excellent with dozens and dozens of quilts that boggle the mind as to how they were even created much less finished. Eleanor Burns of quilting world fame was present and signing her books. I didn’t opt for the book and autograph but it was fun to see her since I have watched many many of her shows. I am proud to say that I did not purchase one single item at the show; always my goal to spend less than my shopping companions, and I succeeded.

Now we are into our fifth or sixth day in the desert outside Quartzite having joined the Alpine rally group. The rally ended on Sunday but we have stayed put. However, the tanks are all in the wrong state of being full or empty so we either need to get trucks in for service or pull up stakes and move on. Rod is the restless adventurer so I think we will part ways for a while; they to the great unknown and we to a park in Casa Grande or Phoenix area.

The stay in the desert has surprised me!! It is much less hostile and dirty and dusty than I imagined. It is interesting to look out the window and see dozens and dozens of rigs from little tiny campers to forty-foot coaches parked here, there and everywhere at all angles and orientations. For the entire time I have been writing this, Ken has been a few hundred feet away talking to a couple who just pulled up in a Westfalia like his. The two men are deep in discussion!!

Cooper is a trooper, but we do find the various parks welcome pets in varying degrees, so we want to stay someplace after this where it is easy to walk him. He has been quite happy in the desert, and usually manages to pick up at least one spine or burr when we are out walking.

Speaking of pets; Karen has bested us! She is now traveling with a plastic bin full of red worms compliments of her son John. A plastic bin with some vents and layers of newspaper and table scraps and fruit and vegetable peelings seem to be all it takes to keep them happy. And they are especially fond of coffee grounds which we have in good supply.

Yesterday was Karen’s birthday so we had dinner together and finished the meal with gingerbread (Karen’s request). However, it was pretty wimpy gingerbread considering I had to substitute honey and brown sugar for molasses and my ginger had lost its oomph! But with whipped cream, it was passable.

The Canadians (Ouseys and Robinsons) are about ten miles from here at a Bluebird rally, so we might swing by to see if we can even find them. There are sometimes hand-printed signs alongside the main road to indicate the jumping off point into the desert to find a particular group, but that is about it.

We are off to take a look at the big tent in Quartzite. Another of those great shopping opportunities, except there is no one else with us whom I can convince to spend their money instead of spending my own. Hmmm.

Ciao

We have arrived

2008-01-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we arrived at Mountain Valley RV Park in Hemet after two days of uneventful driving. We spent Saturday night in Bakersfield after a fairly long drive from Travis AFB. We did encounter some very strong side winds after we crossed El Cajon pass and dropped down into the valley going toward Riverside and San Bernardino.

This park is quite nice, and friendly, even though the sites are a little skinny having been developed before motor homes with slides. It is not the best for Cooper because everything is concrete and asphalt so no opportunity to check out bushes and trees and to hunt. But at the moment he is sound asleep on the sofa so he doesn't look all that concerned.

Today we drove to Redlands for old times sake, had an In N Out burger and haunted some Costco stores to check out their computer inventory. We also had to stop at Trader Joe's in Redlands because Cooper is dangerously close to running out of doggie cookies. This area is much more appealing this time of year with a little green color to the hills as opposed to when we were here 18 months ago in the heat of summer.

The Ouseys and Robinsons are in a park just a mile or so down the street from us, so we just returned from having a drink with them. They are off tomorrow for a week in Yuma, a week in the desert and then on to Val Vista at Casa Grande.

We are expecting the Spragues tomorrow afternoon after they get their coach serviced in El Cajon. I think they have less than 100 miles to drive tomorrow to get here. It will be good to see them. We spent a lot of time parked in their driveway this past summer and fall, but we haven't seen them since the first of August. A large part of the time we were there, they were off on a rally.

We have invited brother Mike, and Mary, to come and see us in the sunny south, but so far I haven't had any feedback. I assured them we would be available whenever they decide to come; just tell us which airport.

I probably won't blog for almost a week because I will be in Ontario from Wednesday to Saturday, and I'll be shopping, shopping, shopping.

Ciao

I've seen fire, and I've seen rain................

2008-01-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well not exactly ala James Taylor, but we have seen wind, rain, snow, and hail!

We departed Brookings on Sunday about noon (ain’t retirement great?)and started south on 101. After a stop at the California border to stock up on some good deals for Irish whiskey, etc., we proceeded on down the road. We encountered all of the above weather at some point during the day, and the snow part was a bit nerve-wracking since it was two lane highway zigzagging through the redwoods. But as usual, Ken being the competent captain that he is saw us through it all.

Last night we stopped in Ukiah and are parked at the fairgrounds RV park, which is quite adequate. We arrived in the dark, and it is just now turning daylight, so I haven’t seen much, but there are lots of pull-through sites, and I think there is even a laundry. We haven’t decided if we will spend a day poking around Ukiah and leave tomorrow, or mosey on down the road today to Travis AFB where we will stay for a day or two to catch up on shopping and laundry.

Jeff and Bev left Saturday morning, and then we received a phone call about noon from the Ouseys. They had made their way as far as Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville, but discovered they could have several days’ wait to get over the Siskiyous so decided to come our way and spend the night and drive south on 101 as we did. They are traveling with the Robinsons whom we know from other southern trips, so the four of them joined us for dinner before retiring early to be up and on the road by eight yesterday morning. We didn’t see them alongside the road, so I suspect they are well south of here…..the plan was to get as far as Williams and stay in the parking lot at Bill and Kathy’s restaurant. The restaurant has been there as long as I can remember back to the mid sixties, and they are RV friendly.

The Baltimore Kirkwoods called yesterday, and the biggest news is still Abbey. She has settled in nicely, and is making herself quite at home by chewing on most anything she can find. But since she is pretty well house-broken, I guess you have to pay some penance in some way with a new puppy.

As of Saturday, I think all the Virginia Kirkwoods were back together; Brian and the boys from their ski trip to McCall and Sheila from her Air Force Reserve stint in Arizona. We have talked to Brian briefly about the ski trip, and it sounds like it was a success. They had stored their Trooper in Boise, so with a jump start from AAA, they were on their way to McCall. Brian’s college friend, Jim, and his two daughters drove down from Seattle on the 26th and joined the guys for a few days of skiing. Good for them.

I suspect Cooper is about ready for his morning walk. Ciao