We are back at the Schulers in San Jose after a very fun time at the reunion in San Francisco. We stayed at the Marine Memorial Hotel on Sutter Street which put us within walking distance of most attractions such as Market Street, China Town and lots of good restaurants. Our reunion coordinator did a great job with everything.

We spent lots of time reminiscing with friends we had not seen in almost 40 years - Joe and Marilyn Gareffa, Winnie and Gary Larson, Ken and Ruth Larsen, and Dick and Ramona Lynch. Actually there were about 40 couples in all, and almost all were in the squadron at some time while Ken was there. The reunion reinforced my ongoing belief about the military being family and nothing changes that no matter the years. We discovered that at least a half dozen folks live in the greater Seattle area so we are looking at our own mini-reunion.

There was a wine tasting tour on Tuesday that took us to two wineries in the Napa Valley. The first was Robert Mondavi, but we were given a more exclusive tour of their latest facility that produces some of their more handcrafted upscale wines. And the second was in Carneros; a sparkling wine facility.

Gary and Winnie returned us to San Jose yesterday, but not before we attempted to visit Allied Arts in Palo Alto (closed for remodeling) and Sunset Magazine in Menlo Park (only the gardens available for touring). But the highlight was to visit the apartment complex (Moffett Manor) in Mt. View which is where the Larsons and we lived while with VP46 at Moffett Field. It looks pretty much the same, except there are now grass and shrubs where the swimming pool used to be.

Moffett Field is now a NASA facility, although there is still an exchange and commissary and a Navy Lodge. Hanger One has been painted white, but many of the buildings are in need of paint and repair. A bit sad to see it like that.

We are now waiting for Bev to arrive home from work to proceed with a day of play - whatever that may be. We will probably leave for home on Sunday with a drive toward Bodega Bay to check out RV sites, then on to Brookings-Harbor, Oregon just because we like it, and then head up the Oregon coast. Then we'll head northeast through Oregon wine country and home.

Ciao

Here we are in the land of sunshine with the temps hitting the high 70s. Our drive down on Friday was uneventful, as usual. And it took 13 hours as usual. Mt. Shasta looks quite pathetic with just a few showings of white........and I am always shocked by the increasingly lowering levels of Lake Shasta.

Yesterday was shopping and manicures for the girls and beer for the boys. Bev and I spent some time at Valley Fair Shopping Center which is now about 10 times bigger than when we lived here years ago. It was bustling and crowded; sort of like we might see at Tacoma Mall the week before Christmas. There just seems to be a lot more money to be spent here in Silicone Valley.

Ken and Jeff spent the afternoon at Los Gatos Brewing Company celebrating Octoberfest with 'The Internationals', a local oompah oompah band that is a favorite with the Schuler clan. The two guys came home jovial and grinning so either the music or the beer was good.....or both.

Debbie and Peter (Schuler daughter and son-in-law) pretty much took care of dinner last night: Tomato, bacon, and blue cheese salad, two London broils each with a different marinade, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and broccoli and brussel sprouts. Accompanied by several bottles of good Northern California red wine.

We are going to church this morning and then will hop on Cal Trans to go to San Francisco for 3 nights for the reunion. We are looking forward to it.

Time to dress for church. Have a great day. Ciao

What was I saying about the beautiful weather? Today has been cool, cloudy, and rainy. So goes fall in the Northwest.

The motor home spent the night at Gilchrist Chevrolet last night while they tried to figure out a problem with the dash display - ordered a new one. The main reason for the trip to Gilchrist was to get the shocks replaced which is a concession by Workhorse for any chassis that was built prior to 4/04. Ken hasn't been able to test it at 65 miles an hour on the freeway, but he said there was a world of difference in the handling on the way home in traffic. I don't know what it came with, but now it has Monroes on the front.

As most of you know, I am addicted to RV.net which is an online forum for all things Rving. The moderator from Spokane Valley has suggested a little rally in October in eastern Washington. So I have given my input and we will see what comes together. We won't be available until the 2nd week end so we will see what the dates are.

Ken has been pouring over old slides to see if he can find any from the days in the 60's when we were with the folks we are going to see next week at the reunion. The few that he has found show all of us as being slim, the guys have crew cuts and we all have dark hair and few if any are wearing glasses!!

We stopped at Costco today to pick up a printer cartridge so we cruised the food aisles for the demo tables to supply us with lunch. I took note of all the Christmas displays. In fact, I think every store I have entered in the past week has had the full gamut of Christmas stuff already. Isn't this just a bit early?

We received the October issue of Sunset magazine today, and there is not even a nod to Octoberfest (nor was there in the September issue), so I igonored their ignoring and prepared sauerkraut and bratwurst for dinner tonight! Last year at this time we were in the land of Octoberfest enjoying all that Germany has to offer along with Brian and Sheila and the Schulers.

Colleen has finished her 2 weeks in the office at Fuller Seminary in Colorado Springs, and is now in Pasadena for a leadership conference and then will be home on Sunday........for about 2 weeks before she leaves for New Zealand to attend a friend's wedding and then on to Australia to see Bassim and meet his family.

Ciao

I think I am attempting to take up the slack while Martha Stewart serves her time in jail. I've been so domestic I can hardly stand it. I have all the ironing caught up, and some of it has probably been waiting in the linen closet for a year, and that includes all the tablecloths and napkins I am apt to use between now and the first of the year. And Ken keeps bringing peppers and apples from the garden so that calls for kitchen duty!! And Martha would be proud to see me cruise through the house, removing and rearranging and going from a summer to a fall look!

We just made our reservation for the month of January at Cocopah Resort in Yuma. We are scheduled from January 7 to February 7 so let's hope we can get out of Dodge and down through the Siskiyous in a timely manner. I have been reading some on-line journals from folks who have spent time in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, which is where we plan to spend the month of March, and it all sounds quite appealing. I am amazed that these folks freely go out for margaritas. What happened to the concern about ice in Mexico? I would be a happy camper if the water and ice are not a problem!!

Gary & Carolyn Ousey will be arriving in our area on the 29th of December, so they will join us for our annual New Years Eve/New Years Day festivities with the Schulers. News Years Eve amounts to a good dinner followed by a valiant effort to stay awake until midnight and New Years Day is a full day of football for the guys and a full day of Boggle for the girls.

Keith made his usual Sunday evening phone call last night. Since I had just spoken to Janet and Rachel earlier in the week, and Sarah was at work, Keith was the only conversationalist. They have been in a holding pattern to close on their lake property in Montana, and I think the next day or two will be the day. All the paperwork is signed so it is just a matter of waiting for it to record. Hmm, perhaps Mom and Dad should wander on over just to be sure the lake is still there. Nothing like having a free parking spot! Well, sort of. I'm not sure there is a place for the motor home as it is now, but with a few modifications, it should fit just fine!

This was a beautiful fall day with lots of warm sunshine, but we couldn't see the Sound until the fog lifted about 10:00 a.m. Fall is in the air. Keep on blogging!

Although nothing terribly exciting to report, I'm making a valiant effort to KEEP ON BLOGGING!

Ken is replacing the flooring/toilet seat in the downstairs bathroom - and it has not been fun. If you come to visit, be sure to tell him how great the floor looks!! It is times like these that make me wonder if we shouldn't consider a nice new little bungalow or condominium. This Old House where there is always something that needs to be fixed.

We are finalizing some plans for our winter trip down south. We are going to spend a fair bit of time with Gary and Carolyn Ousey, at least in the same general areas of Yuma, Casa Grande' and Puerto Penasco, Mexico. We spent time in the Casa Grande' area last winter while staying at Picacho Peak, but Yuma and Mexico are new to us. Woohoo! I think I have figured out that the RV lifestyle is made all the more enjoyable by the fact that there is no lawn to mow and nothing to fix (take it to a repair shop) - See paragraph 2 above.

We have been cool and rainy all day today, and I think that is the expected norm for the next few days. Fall is here!!

Keep on bloggin'

I love this fair! That is the mantra for this year's Puyallup Fair, sixth largest in the nation. Ken and I took advantage of military appreciation day yesterday and attended. This was our first visit, and we have lived in Pierce County for about 12 years. We rode a special Pierce Transit bus from Lakewood Mall and were dumped right in front of the gates. We walked through the livestock sheds and saw cows, sheep, goats, chickens, doves, horses, ducks, geese, and pigs. Speaking of which, we supported the Young Life booth by having BBQ sandwiches for lunch, then moved on to scones (a fair must) and coffee, and then I topped it off with a double-dipped caramel apple (not very good).

We watched a demonstration of draft horses which was great fun. Their were Belgians, Clydesdales, Percherons, and even Shetland ponies, but I have to say I love the Clydesdales with their furry hooves. Each horse weights about 2000 pounds, and his harnessings cost about the same number. We saw the award-winning pumpkin that tipped the scales at over 900 pounds, and I always love to look at the fruit and vegetables mosaics created by the area's granges - yes, there are still a few. Ken made the observation that there were not many folks in the animal barns, but the exhibition halls full of commercial booths were packed.

We received the attendee list for the upcoming Navy reunion in San Francisco, and we are excited to see folks whom we haven't seen in 40 years. It looks like there are only about 40 attendees so we should have a good chance to visit with all over the 3 days. We will combine the trip with a visit to the Schulers in San Jose.

We are in a head to head battle with the ivy around here. Any good ideas on how to eradicate it? I think sweat is the only answer. We have been told that there is a product called Caseron that is an emergent, meaning it will prevent new growth, but won't do anything to the existing stuff. It is a granular product so it is easy to control the application, and I don't think it has harmful side effects.

I am going to forward this web address to all of you who might be interested in our activities. I would hate to think that Gary and Carolyn Ousey in Victoria are the only ones following our exciting lives. Ciao

Believe it or not, here we are sitting at home watching television on a Saturday night. Will wonders never cease? We are even considering going to church tomorrow!!

I called and talked to both my brothers this past 2 days and both are doing well. I am pleased that Pat has managed to get on board at the VA hospital in Spokane for some of his medical care. And he will be able to receive his medications through the VA at no charge.

Mike and Mary are fine. Mary flew to Texas last week to visit Becky. And she doesn't really like to fly, but Joel said she just announced that she was going to fly to Texas, bought her ticket, and didn't even ask if anybody else wanted to go!! Joel says Becky is much happier teaching at Texas Tech than she is being a student. I'm not sure where she is in the process, but I believe she is working on her thesis for her master's degree.

I spent several hours at the Lakewood Mall today - shopping is a good way to get one's walking time in. I purchased a new saucepan for the MH kitchen as well as some pieces to create a floral decoration for the dashboard of the MH when we are parked. I half-heartedly bought 2 or 3 tops that might work for our trip to San Francisco later this month. I always buy with the attitude that I can (and probably will) return it.

Three years ago today we were just settling in to our hotel room in the south of France when Ken turned on the television and stared in disbelief at what he was seeing. We found all the French and Germans we encountered on that trip to immediately express their sympathy once they learned we were Americans.

Curt and Linea flew to the midwest yesterday as the first leg of her journey to start her college days at Columbia University in Chicago to pursue her singing. Cinda will join them next Thursday and she and Curt will return to a very quiet house on Sunday. We are hoping we will have a week end in October when we can go camping.

I ran across a recipe today that I can't wait to try..........and from the looks of it, I should wait a long time!!

Holy Cow Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix (devils food)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar carmel syrup
1 large bowl Cool Whip
1 block cream cheese
4 Heath candy bars (crushed)

Prepare cake as directed and bake in 9 x 13 pan. When cake is done and still hot, poke holes in it. Pour condensed milk over cake. Then pour carmel syrup. Sprinkle 1/2 of the candy pieces and refrigerate. When chilled, mix Cool Whip and cream cheese together. Spread the mix over the cake. Top with remaining candy pieces and keep cold until ready to serve.

And if you would like something with a little less guilt, we tried this this week and it is pretty good:

Crustless Apple Pie

Vegetable oil spray
Whites of 2 large eggs, or egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg
3/4 cup sugar (I will only use 1/2 next time)
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup flour
1 cup diced, peeled apples (1 to 1 1/2 medium)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 inch pie pan with vegetable oil spray and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites, sugars, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon zest and nutmeg until smooth and fluffy. Beat in flour until smooth and well blended. Stir in apples. Turn into pie pan and sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Pie will puff up as it cooks, then collapse as it cools. 151 calories for 1/8 pie.

I think I have done enough damage for now. Ciao

Well, I was wrong about being home for a while. We just spent a wonderful Labor Day week end with Brian, Sheila, and the boys on the Washington coast at Pacific Beach. It was rather last-minute, but we were able to get a site at the Pacific Beach Conference Center which is owned by the U.S. Navy and is available to all military. We were fortunate, because the park was full! The sites are very nice with lots of green grass and a few trees.

Nolan and Warren dug up about half the coast of Washington as they proceeded to create 'the world's biggest clam farm'. It was only a few hundred yards down a hill to the beach from our campsite, so it worked out well. We were able to drive the car down so we denied ourselves nothing for a day on the beach: wood for a fire, a dutch oven chicken dinner to cook over the fire, lawn chairs, wine, wine glasses, and wine holders and extra long roasting sticks for the marshmallows for s'mores. It was a good time. The down side is that it is a ten hour drive each way for Brian and family.

So now we should be home for about 2 weeks before we leave for California. We have decided to drive instead of fly, so we will be leaving about 9/22. The Navy reunion is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and then we plan to spend a day or two with the Larsons who were also our neighbors while we were with VP-46. In fact, since Ken was in Hawaii, it was Gary who drove me to the hospital when Colleen was born. They live in Virginia and we haven't seen them for at least 10 years.

We were delighted to have Gary and Carolyn Ousey come through for a week end. We were able to sponsor them so they could stay in the Fam Camp at Ft Lewis and that put them close to our house. We enjoyed some good wine and some good company - and Gary was able to utilize our internet connection and get his on-line fix. We are beginning to talk about a rendevous this winter in Yuma, AZ at a resort where they stayed last year, plus a trip across the border to Puerto Penasco which is about 60 miles south. I have been to San Miquel de Allende, but that is the extent of our Mexican travel, so Puerto Penasco should be fun. I understand one can simply while away the time by eating fresh shrimp and sitting on the beach. Sounds good to me!!

Our warm dry summer is coming to an end. Today it turned cloudy and rainy, and I'm sure this is only the beginning. Although I suspect we will have a few nice fall days. I do love the fall with the chill in the air and all the wonderful produce that is available. We still have a bit of corn in the garden, along with herbs and some strawberries. The dahlias in front are still blooming, and I want to get some flowering kale for the flower pots on the back patio.

The ivy and the blackberries are about to take over everything so we have a young man coming tomorrow to do some clearing in exchange for some money to augment his college fund. Those 2 weeds are insidious and it takes a Heruclean effort to get rid of them.

Ciao

We are finally home for a few days to catch up. Since the last blog, we have been to the Tri-Cities in Washington, Victoria, Canada, Kalispell, Montana, southern Idaho, and San Jose, CA.

We met Brian in Prosser the week end after the 4th to 'hand off' the boys. I would have loved to have kept them longer, but Mom was due home from her 3 weeks of active duty in Arizona, and I think they were all a bit anxious to see each other. The boys and Brian swam in the pool, we went out for pizza, and we adults did a bit of wine tasting over the week end.

Jeff and Bev Schuler spent a few days with us during the week of the 19th of July. We took the motor home to Long Beach for two of those nights and enjoyed the sea breezes. We dropped them at SeaTac on Friday, 7/23, and drove directly to Port Angeles to get on the ferry for Victoria where we spent a very fun week end with Gary and Carolyn Ousey. We were thoroughly wined and dined and spent hours just gabbing. There was a vintage car show on the waterfront, so we took that in on Sunday. We were given the tour of Gary and Carolyn's brand new Monaco motor home and it is lovely. In fact they are traveling in it at this moment and we are hoping to see them here tomorrow.

While traveling back from Victoria, Keith called to say they were in the process of purchasing lakefront property in Montana and would be in Kalispell on Friday if we wanted to join them. Of course! So left here Wednesday afternoon, stayed overnight in Ritzville, and arrived in Kalispell on Thursday evening. Checked out the property (1 acre with 145 feet of frontage on Little Bitteroot Lake) and we all declared it to be wonderful. I believe as of this week, they now own it, and will wait for 20 years for retirement to live there. But this trip was a bonus to see all of them a second time since they were here at Easter. And that lakefront lot will very nicely accomodate our motor home!!

Our next commitment was rafting on the North Payette River with the Idaho Kirkwoods. So we saddled up the motor home and headed south. The day on the river was great. We encountered about a half dozen class 3 rapids and Nolan sat on the front of the raft through all of them. Warren wasn't so sure but what his parents and grandparents had lost their minds and we were all going to drown. We headed back to Mt. Home AFB on Sunday and stayed for a couple of days to continue our visit.

On Monday, August 16, Sheila and the boys, and their friends Pam Hoover and her 3 daughters came to Steilacoom for a quick visit and a day of shopping at IKEA. We had just about every bed filled including the motor home and the treehouse, and we had a great time. On the following Friday, Ken and I drove 13 hours to San Jose and arrived in time to have dinner with the Schuler family as the start of a week end to celebrate Jeff and Bev's 40th wedding anniversay. We spent Saturday at a bocce ball court trying to master the game while enjoying wine and food. We got to see several of our friends from the days when we lived there. We spent Sunday and Monday nights with John and Carol Nicoletti who were our neighbors across the street from us in our old neighborhood. We took a more leisurely drive home by dividing it between Tuesday and Wednesday. And here we are on Thursday.

We don't plan to leave town again until the week end of September 24 when we will fly to San Francisco for a VP 46 Navy reunion for Ken. So if any of you want to catch us at home, now is the time to do it!! We need to stay put and do some yardwork and catch up with the garden output.

Colleen is going to work at her old job in Colorado Springs for 3 weeks in September while they have a change in personnel, and then she goes to New Zealand and Australia in October. We see Craig once in a while when he comes by for lunch or after work, but his job is very busy at the moment. Ciao

I could have sworn I blogged sometime during July!!!!  We have had some busy times.  There were 12 here for the 4th.  Steilacoom does a full Fourth starting at 7 in the morning and ending with fireworks at 10:30 in the evening.  Brian and the boys arrived on 7/2, Brian drove back to Mt. Home to go back to work on Tuesday, and we got to keep the boys for a few days.
 
It was all just fun.  We visited the Seattle Aquarium, the Boeing Flight Museum, and the Tacoma Zoo.  Along with Aunt Colleen we spent one afternoon digging in the sand and building sand castles at Sunnyside Beach in Steilacoom.  All meals were tailor-made for the boys to include cold cereal, grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and pizza.  Not a green thing in sight, just an occasional apple or carrot for vitamins!!  We loved having them and they were just about perfect the whole time.
 
The tree house was well-used.  They slept in it every night except the evening they watched the History Channel with a program about UFO's.  Nolan was in the motor home with us and Warren was in bed with Aunt Colleen.  We took the boys to the Tri-cities in the motor home where Brian met us on Saturday.  Then it was off to Mt. Home on Sunday for the 3 of them.
 
Now we are anticipating the visit of Jeff and Bev Schuler.  Bev says Jeff will be emailing me to tell me when they arrive next week........but so far no email.  I suspect they are at the San Jose Giants game tonight so we should hear from them later on this evening.
 
Tomorrow is my last day of work.  The office has a new person hired so my services are no longer needed.  Yeh!!
 
Colleen flew to San Francisco for the week end where she will meet up with Bassim.  He is on his way back to Australia to take on his new assignment:  the Iraqi desk for the Australian state department.  He would like to see Yosemite, but I wonder if the fires are going to preclude that?
 
Keep cool!

Maiden voyage completed. We returned today from 6 days of travel to and from the wine country in eastern Washington. The new motor home performed very well, and at this point we have a pretty short list for the service department. The air conditioners kept up with the desert heat in Prosser.

We stayed at a very new very nice RV park in Prosser called Wine Country RV. I highly recommend it. Easy access from I-84, grassy sites for all and concrete tracks with gravel between for the premium sites. They have an underground sprinkler system so the grass is green and there are no sprinkler surprises since the grass is watered from underground. Immaculate restrooms, pool, spa, and grounds and friendly staff. What more could you ask for? Wi-fi? Yes. Store? Yes.

We dutifully visited as many wineries as we could manage. Our vote for most fun was Piety Flats in Wapato, WA. My favorite tasting room was Chinook with a little cottage whose tasting room looked like someone's living/dining room. And L'ecole 41 near Walla Walla which is housed in an old restored schoolhouse. All of the above wines were also very good. I find the wines that get my highest reviews are those that are poured by friendly, talkative, knowledgeable folks. We added a couple of cases to our wine supply during the visits.

We visited with Bill & Sammie Bourn on Thursday and Friday nights. Sammie and I met the year I graduated from high school when we were working for United Pacific Insurance Company. I was a bridesmaid in their wedding in Metaline Falls in 1962. Bill is a retured school administrator. They have 2 children, Joy and Scott, and 6 grandchildren.
Yesterday we spent a couple of hours with my cousin Ellen Jean who is 83 years young and is adored by all of her kids and grandkids. She lives in a 'mother-in-law' apartment at the back of son Larry's house.

And this week end the fun begins. Brian and the boys will arrive Friday night. Brian will stay until Monday and we get to keep the boys until the following week end when we will meet up with Brian and Sheila in the Tri-Cities. We have a Rainiers game to attend on the 3rd, and Steilacoom does the 4th of July from morning to night.

It is back to work for me tomorrow, but the office is advertising for a permanent employee so I think I will soon be able to go back to the life of leisure I had been enjoying before I went back to work. We plan to visit our friends, the Ouseys, in Victoria this summer and the annual Kirkwood family reunion will be the first Sunday in August near Hopewell, OR. Plus whatever other fun things come along.

I just started reading "Cold Mountain".

Oh oh. I had no idea it had been so long since I last blogged. Well we have been busy making a decision and taking delivery of a new motor home. We stayed with Winnebago, the 2004 32' Brave. We are still in the process of 'moving in' and I continue to be amazed at how efficient and well-planned our little 24F was. This one has more space, but not laid out nearly as well as our old one. We plan to go to eastern Washington for some wine tasting the latter part of next week. And if the schedule works, Jeff and Bev Schuler will join us.

Colleen has completed her odyssey from New Jersey to Steilacoom with a stop in Colorado Springs. Bassim flew to the Springs and traveled the rest of the way with her. She is now settled into the guest room until she finds work, a place to live, etc.

We have had several days of very warm sunny weather with temperatures in the 80s. There have some been a few freakish storms in the area, but for the most part we have had great weather. Is this the extent of summer?

I have been reading a series of Alaskan mysteries with the protagonist being a woman in a motor home. Sue Henry is the author and they are very easy reading. I would say they would appeal to women more than men.

Keep on blogging.

I have returned to work for a few weeks. My former boss called to say the office was overwhelmed and would I work for a while? I agreed, negotiated a nifty raise, and reentered the working world. I have the luxury of pretty much working when I want, and I also have the luxury of quitting any time I want. It is fun to return to the office but not feel the sense of responsibility as when I was the senior (and frequently lone) staff member.

No further progress on the motor home except to have our salesman call today to say one of their banks is raising its rate by 1/2% tomorrow. Too bad we are not independently wealthy so we could just pay cash!! With the price of gasoline, we are in no hurry to do much traveling for the time being.

We enjoyed the company of Jerry and Lois (Ken's brother and wife) and Curt and Cinda (Jerry & Lois' daughter and son-in-law)last Saturday when they came for dinner. Lois' birthday was in April so I gifted her with a hatbox and a wine bottle holder filled with a bottle of Beefeaters. Our decadent dessert after dinner was chocolate peanut butter pie. I'll share the recipe at the end of this blog.

We are thrilled at the prospect of having Warren and Nolan spend a week with us after the Fourth of July. Never have our grandchildren lived close enough for us to enjoy frequent short visits. Sheila will be on active duty for a few weeks in Arizona and Brian and the boys will come here for the Fourth. Then Brian will go back to Mt. Home, and we get to keep the boys. The treehouse, Boeing Museum of Flight, nad American Lake fishing top the list of what we want to do.

Speaking of granchildren, Sarah went to her junior prom last Saturday. She and Ben made a very handsome couple.

Travelog:

Upon approaching Zion National Park from the southeast, we came in at the 'upper' level which contains a mile-long tunnel that was built before the advent of motor homes. So for a fee of $10, traffic is stopped in both directions so the motorhome can traverse the tunnel down the middle since the outside walls are not high enough to accomodate 12 feet of height. The views were spectacular as we wound our way down and around the sheer red rock cliffs.

Joan drove us into the park another day going via the one main road that covers its floor. We were treated to beautiful sights, particularly the red rock, at every turn of the road. Being a born and bred Northwesterner, I never would have imagined I could be so enamored with rocks!

The towns of St George and Ivans were quite appealing, but I must admit to feeling oppressed by the influence of the Mormons in the area. There is a stakehouse every square mile, and sometimes there are two stakehouses side by side. We asked Joan, a Lutheran, how she managed to move in and settle down and she said she almost left. But getting involved in her own church and one or two social activities made a change for her. We observed a family in a restaurant that obviously practiced polygamy based on the women's dress (dowdy), their hair style (braids), the women not talking, and one more woman than were men!

Candace's Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie - The New Basics Cookbook

CRUST
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
8 T unsalted butter melted

FILLING
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy or whipping cream

TOPPING
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 oz good-quality unsweetened chocolate
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees

2. Prepare the crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl, and stir together thoroughly. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

3. Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Then set it aside to cool completely.

4. Prepare the filling: Mix the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar together in a large bowl until well blended.

5. Whip the cream with an electric mixer until stiff, and fold it into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the filling into the cooled crust.

6. Prepare the topping: Combine the sugar and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, without stirring, for 6 minutes.

7. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and butter, and stir until melted. Then stir in the vanilla.

8. Carefully pour the topping over the pie, and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours. 8 portions

Note: I used only 1 cup sugar in the filling, and I used super chunky peanut butter. The food processor reduced the peanut chunks to just little bits of peanut which was a nice surprise in the smooth filling.

Another expanse of time has passed, so I can bring you up to date on the success of fishing and RV shopping. So far the fishing has been more successful.

As usual Ken and Bob caught their limit every day, but Helen made the news with 2 large Rainbow trout out of Liberty Lake. One was over 2 pounds and the other 2.5+ pounds. The price of the license was well worth it, and I'm ready to go again.

We have shopped long and hard for a class A, and we know what we want (Winnebago Adventurer or Brave), but we can't quite come to an agreement on price. Ken is ready to buy, and I want to hold out as the season progresses, the gas prices rise, and the 2005s start to hit the showrooms. Maybe there will be some inventory that the dealers are ready to move.

Travel Notes: New Mexico

Must admit we were not as impressed with the New Mexican desert as we were the Arizona desert. We stayed one night in Truth or Consequences, a town of not much significance except its name, and then drove on to Santa Fe for a stay of several days. We visited Old Town Albuquerque and Old Town Santa Fe. The art is the draw for both as is the case with Taos. Since I wear silver, I saw lots of stuff I liked and did succomb to a few things.

We visited the Los Alamos museum which does not charge for entrance, and is very well done. It contains dozens of exhibits and interactive displays - more than can be absorbed in a matter of one or two hours. We toured one pueblo which was known for its black pottery - the Taos pueblo was closed as is the case every winter for several weeks.

Jeff and Bev Schuler met us in Santa Fe while we were there so we enjoyed their company while sightseeing and eating good Mexican food.

We left Santa Fe and headed northwest with our next stop to be to visit Joan Von Ohlen, a friend from San Jose days, who lives in Ivans, Utah. Much of the drive was quite scenic, and we fell in love with the red rock that became more and more prevalent as we approached southern Utah. We stayed in a beaufiul state park, Snow Canyon, which is just outside the city limits of Ivins. If you are ever in the area, try to camp there. The lower tent sites are more appealing than the upper sites with hook ups. More about Utah in my next blog!

Sorry about the almost three-week hiatus, but family and Easter seemed to take up most of our time. Brian and Sheila and the boys were unable to join us for the holiday weekend but Colleen was here and we had the joy of having Keith and Janet and the girls with us the entire week leading up to Easter. We spent Sunday wine-tasting in Woodinville, a day at Safeco watching the Mariners opening game, and two nights at Pacific Beach where we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Pacific. It was on the cool side, but Keith and his dad built a roaring fire on the beach both nights so we were fine while we roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores.

We are going to LIberty Lake on Thursday for a few days of fishing with the season opening on Saturday. Ken and Bob will continue their annual ritual of opening day fishing, and Sharon and I will await their return with the cooler full of fish. I buy a license every year, and every year I fail to use it. We'll see if this year is different.

We have been haunting the RV dealerships looking at Class A motor homes to see if we want to move up to something with more room, particularly closet and storage space. And the configuration of a Class A versus the C affords more living space by being able to utilize the 'cockpit' area. We have looked at a number of manufacturers and have decided we will stay with Winnebago if we do get a Class A.

Winter travelogue

After leaving Mesa, we drove all of about 1 1/2 hours south to Picacho Peak which is about 20 miles north of Tucson. We were there for 6 days and it afforded us an opportunity to see some sights in the area such as Bosphere 2, the Desert Museum, and the Karchner Caverns which were just discovered within the last 25 years. Our campground was at the foot of Picacho Peak, and right outside our door we had hundreds of handsome Saguaro cactus. They just fascinate me, and it seems every one of them has its own unique personality.

We drove to Sierra Vista and looked around Ft. Huachuca where Keith was stationed a number of years ago. We quite like the Arizona desert and its outcroppings of mountains, and Sierra Vista has a good representation of both. It was a leisurely 6 days, and the first time we had been by ourselves since leaving Steilacoom. Next stop: New Mexico

Travelog: The Mesa Market

Visualize 4 tented rows, each about 2 blocks long, filled with stuff to buy -- that's the Mesa Market. It was located just a matter of minutes from where we were staying, and was open for business Thursday through Sunday. The intriguing part about it is that 99% of the goods were new, and only about 10% was junk!! "So what did you buy?", I hear you asking. After one day to just walk most of it we decided to return to purchase a number of things we couldn't live without, i.e. golf clubs, Arizona T shirt, sink strainers (it's an RV thing), Mexican Train Dominos (another RV thing), salsa maker, a carved roadrunner, turquoise chips, a mini-muffin tin, a leather belt, and a $2 pipe wrench. We passed up such wonders as Mexican metal art, silver jewelry, dashboard covers, red hats and purple boas, and baskets.

Another wonder of Mesa was Organ Pipe Pizza - a 2 story restaurant that could accomodate about 1,000 people. Yes, they did serve quite tasty pizza, but the drawing card was a gigantic organ, front and center on a mechanical stage that could be raised or lowered. The entertainment ran the gamut from old favorites such as "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" to the national anthems for both Canada and the US. And it played to a sellout crowd every night. If we didn't want pizza, we went down the street to the Mexican restaurant for $2 margaritas.

Remember I mentioned buying a salsa maker? It is truly a great gadget, but more important than the salsa maker is the recipe that came with it. This is awesome salsa:

Juice of 1/2 orange
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1/2 dry onion
3 or 4 Roma tomatoes
1/4 c cilantro
1 chopped jalapeno
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt

Process briefly in food processor and enjoy.

Ah, at last there is a bit of sunshine for us. Now if it will last long enough to dry the lawn so we can mow it!

We were running errands this morning so took advantage of the time to stop and visit the Winnebago motor homes again. And they are all still where we found them several days ago. Now we will wait for some more models to arrive within the next few weeks to see how interested we are.

We are excited that all of the children and grandchildren will be with us for Easter, so we are busy making some preparations. With limited bedrooms, we will have bodies sleeping in everything from the guest bedroom to the motor home and the Westfalia. The next challenge is arranging the living room and dining room to seat 12. The last time we were all together was the Christmas season of 1999 when we met up at Keith's in Baltimore. And now that Brian and Sheila are living in Mt. Home, Idaho, we expect to see more of them and the boys.

Travelogue: After our week in Las Vegas and having avoided losing wads of money, we spent a hard day of driving to Mesa, Arizona where we met up with Daryl and Jan Ziemer, Glen and Nancy Reinbold, and Bobbie and Brian Ziemer - all from eastern Washington. The Resort is limited to the over-55 crowd, and Daryl and Jan have stayed there in previous years. It was all new to us. Bob and Sharon Jayne and Chuck and Janet Hafner caught up with us our second week there, and we were delighted to have Gary and Carolyn Ousey spend the week with us.

Many of the sites contained permanent park models which are short, one bedroom single-wide manufactured homes. And
interspersed among the park models were we RVers. There was everything from shuffleboard to ceramics available to fill one's time, and you could start with coffee at 6:30 in the morning. There were lots of rules and everyone was very nice, except the office staff that tended to be pretty short and demanding, but we don't think we are quite ready for that scene yet.

We found the Phoenix area to be very sprawling and quite congested with traffic. We stayed in Mesa, and it took us an hour to drive to Peoria to watch the Mariners practice. They had only been in town a matter of days, and not all the players were even there, but it was fun to see some of the players up close. I could have reached out and touched Bret Boone. Unfortunately, we left before the games began, but based on what I was hearing, I think many of the games were already sold out. So much for the image of a laid-back ball game while sitting on the grass.

Next blog: Mesa Market

TGIF - Oh, I forgot that that doesn't apply to our lives anymore!!

The past three days found us moving stuff in and out of the motor home doing laundry, replenishing food supplies, and catching up on the mail and the bills. Craig kept correspondence and bill paying in good order for us. Now we just have to settle a disagreement with Sprint with regard to a rebate for a new phone. That is addition to the shock we received while on the road. We logged on to our Sprint account which should be about $35 per month, and it had a balance in excess of $400. Seems they didn't pick up on our 2 months of free Vision when we changed our plan. Sprint, probably like lots of others, makes it almost impossible to resolve an issue. Even if you do get out of a never-ending telephone loop with automated answers, there is never a live person available who can correct anything. After about 5 days and at least as many phone calls, the bill was resolved with a balance of -$5.00. I share this just in case you are considering Sprint. For the most part they have been pretty good over the past 4 or 5 years.

The motor home is at South Side Motors to determine why we have lost 8 gallons of capacity in the gray water tank. When you only have 35 gallons to begin with, that is a significant loss. While there, we took a look at the RVs that were available. They did not have a 32 ft. Brave, but assured us they have one coming in very soon. So far, that is our favorite - IF WE WERE TO BUY ANOTHER!

Travelogue - Our first week was spent in Las Vegas to attend the wedding of Bob Jayne's daughter, Kristi, to Sam Marusich. The Catholic church was awesomely spacious and very modern. The bride was beauiful and the flowers were distinctive in that there were just two low arrangements at the foot of the altar. They were stunning with white and maroon colored lillies accented with greenery with a contemporary upswept look. The reception was at The Anthem which is a Del Webb golfing facility high above Las Vegas. We had a glass wall affording us a view of the entire valley below. The dining room was bathed in white right down to covers on the chairs. the bride and groom had been taking dancing lessons, so their first dance was choreographed by their dance instructor. Favors for the guests was a CD of romantic ballads.

We had cool weather the entire week in Nevada, but the guys did get some sun the day they played golf in Summerlin. We stayed in a Sam's Town RV park so we were walking distance to the casino. I was more interested in eating than gambling. I think I spent fifty cents on gambling and ate there twice. We spent one afternoon downtown with a brief stop in Fremont, and I mean brief. Perhaps because it was during the day, but I felt like I was on skid row in Spokane. We briefly breezed through the Venetian on the strip and then hopped the shuttle back to the RV park.

Here is a great version of spanish rice that I learned from the groom's mother who is German and Spanish. It is basic spanish rice minus meat and with the additon of chicken stock and cumin. This worked very well in a slow-cooker:

Rice - 2 cups
1 onion, diced
Minced Garlic (2 or 3 cloves) and peppers (if desired)
Tomato Sauce - 1 large can
Diced tomatoes - 1 small can
Enough chicken stock added to tomato products to equal 4 cups
Salt and pepper
Cumin to taste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until beginning to turn translucent. Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Place in a slow cooker with the tomato products and liquid. Season to taste with cumin (lots) before serving. As it cooks, you might choose to add more liquid, but I found it cooked to where it was dry enough for every kernel of rice to separate. Note: there is no meat called for, and it isn't missed because the cumin adds so much flavor, however, you could certainly add bacon or sausage if desired.

Next stop: Mesa, AZ

Here is my latest attempt to keep family and friends apprised of our daily adventures and whereabouts. Mind you, for the next few weeks the adventures will be based in Steilacoom since there are no immediate plans to wander. But then again, that could change on a moment's notice.

We arrived home yesterday afternoon after 45 days on the road traveling from Steilacoom to Las Vegas to Mesa to Tucson to Santa Fe to St George to Mt Home and then home. In the days ahead, I will regale you with highlights from our journey. It was a great trip, and I am ready to sell the house and hit the road, but I'm not so sure that Ken is fully on board with that idea yet! I will continue to work on him.

One week of the trip was spent with friends from Navy days in Nova Scotia, Gary and Carolyn Ousey. We can't match their time on the road - they returned to Victoria last week after having left home last September, but it was wonderful to see them, and it is thanks to Gary that I have been introduced to blogging! More later.