We Are Home!!

We were pleased to get home and find everything in good order. Outside looks pretty typical for this time of year with leaves starting to pile up against the garage and fences, and the flowers holding on to their last faint blooms.

It was interesting to walk back into the house after its barely having been opened for 2 1/2 months and being assaulted with that lonely, old, pungent odor of a 100 year old house being uninhabited. It reminded me of the same feeling I had when Ken and I were first married. We went to his parents' house for the day and his mom was away on a trip. Even though his dad, Bill, was home, the one who keeps the home fires burning was not, and it felt empty. Yesterday was a similar sense of something missing: that combination of foods, scents, and "life".

Craig and Cassie and Greta came by after we got home so it was a good occasion to share a bite to eat and a sip of wine. All is well with them, save Craig's car which has a problem that the Subaru people can't seem to figure out. Fortunately, Cassie has a second car that he is using at the moment. We are going to get together later this week for a serious leg of lamb dinner and a bottle of Leonetti wine that Craig has offered to share!

Greta asked if they could sleep over, and of course the answer was no since it was a school and work night, but I'm sure we can arrange for a sleep-over for Greta one of these days.

Attached is a picture of Rachel and her "date" (she says they are just good friends)from last week's homecoming dance. I think she looks very much like her sister Sarah in this picture.

Now to get organized!! I need to catch up on the laundry and finish removing whatever needs to come out of the motor home. Then the focus will be some serious quilt work to be ready for a class in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho the week before Thanksgiving. After returning from that, we will be off to Idaho to spend Thanksgiving with Brian and the boys, and then home to get ready for Keith, Janet and the girls for Christmas. Who could ask for more joy than all of that?

I've enjoyed this time gamming with all of you in blogland. Ciao.

We are in Yreka, CA and loving it!!!! Everything looks absolutely beautiful. In fact, once we got out of the Loma Linda area, we even thought Bakersfield looked good!!

The trees are just beginning to turn, and right outside our windshield is a delightful ten foot long split rail fence that is robed in golden and green grape vines. Beautiful!! We are going to spend an extra day or two in Oregon to drink………….in the fall colors; and perhaps a little of the Pinot!!

Our youngest grandchild turned 11 today. We just called Warren to wish him a happy birthday, and he said they made fudge in his science class, as some form of an experiment, and he thought that was pretty cool for his birthday. His birthday celebration will be delayed for about two weeks until his dad gets home from somewhere – I know not where.

I drove the MH for a few miles today – my first time. I tend to hug the right side of the road, and the steering is very touchy, so it is a full time job to keep it where it belongs. And Ken says it handles 100% better since he had it realigned this week. I would not have wanted to drive it before the alignment.

Next blog will probably be from Steilacoom. I am able to post this one because this park has free WiFi.

Ciao

44 Down and None to go

Today is the finish line. Ken will sip his 16 year old Lagavulin scotch that he has been saving for this occasion, we’ll toast our good health, and be on the road tomorrow! The time truly has gone very quickly, and we feel so fortunate to have learned about Loma Linda. A follow-up in four months will begin to tell the tale as to how successful this was.

We are pretty much ready to go. Ken spent the better part of the day stowing everything outside, removing the window sun screens, checking oil and tire pressure, and trying to figure out where we can put everything. We have acquired a bicycle and a rocking chair while being here, and neither is a small item to put away.

We aren’t positive of our route home, but the California portion will pretty much be I-5. We might take an extra day around the Eugene, Oregon area just to take in the fall sights of the Northwest.

Colleen is in Pasadena for meetings for two days, so she and a friend are driving over for dinner this evening. It is less than 60 miles, but with the traffic around here, it is hard to tell how long it will take.

I had a great time visiting the Schulers in San Jose last week. Bev and I went to the Pacific Quilt Show on both Thursday and Friday. Some of the quilts on display were truly amazing. I got to see all three of the Schuler kids, their spouses, and children. Bev had John and Carol Nicoletti over for dinner on Friday night. They were our neighbors when we lived in San Jose. John has just been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and is preparing for chemotherapy treatment. It was 12 years ago that he had the same thing, and beat it, so we are praying for the same this time.

Our next communication should be from Steilacoom.

Ciao

Three to go!!!!

Almost finished, and Ken would tell you that this was the right decision, and he couldn't be happier with how everything has transpired. Now is the four-month wait before checking PSA levels, but we feel confident about that too. Just yesterday, he heard another story from a new patient: the patient did his research and told his urologist that he was going to seek treatment at LLUMC. The doctor, without another word to the patient, went to the desk to say that the patient was seeking treatment elsewhere and would not be seen again by him!

We have to have the front end of the MH aligned on Tuesday morning, and then we will be on our way. We plan to be home by the weekend.

I am going to San Jose today for the quilt exposition and will return at noon on Sunday. I hope I can stay warm since I only have a light cotton jacket. It was warm when we left Steilacoom, and we knew it was hotter than blazes down here, so we just did not think about mid-October weather. I refuse to buy anything since I have a closetful of sweaters and coats at home, so if worse comes to worse, I'll buy a $5 fleece blanket and cut a hole in the middle to create a poncho!! It has been cool enough here the last few mornings to run the heater while we shower.

Have a good weekend, and if I don't blog for a while, you can find us at home in about ten days. Ciao

Visitor, guests and plans

What a great treat it was to have Karen here for a few days last week. We spent most of the time with her helping me with my unfinished (read problematic) quilting projects. I now have three projects that are in pretty good shape. We ventured out just one afternoon to go, where else? A quilting shop. She went home yesterday and she has a full schedule for the next ten days.

I go to San Jose on Thursday, and I’m looking forward to that. Bev is taking both Thursday and Friday off so we should have lots of time for a quilt fix.

The weather has remained cool which has been very enjoyable. I have been wearing a jacket to walk Cooper in the mornings. I think it is going to get up to 80 tomorrow, but even that is tolerable.

We have decided to drive the MH home instead of storing it. One reason is because we can’t get in any of the storage areas. March AFB has space, but none that will accommodate 32 feet. We are using the rationale that it won’t be that much more expensive to take it home and bring it back down this way in January because:

1. Gas is costing less at the moment
2. A private storage lot could be upwards of $100/month
3. There would be motels and restaurants if we were to drive the car home

And this way, we will have it available for Keith, Janet, and the girls when they come to spend Christmas with us. We plan to be out of here one week from Tuesday, and maybe take an extra day or two to drive home.

We reciprocated and had the Wheelers over for dinner last Tuesday night. I knew they were vegetarian, and she said they don’t eat anything that has a face or has a mother. So I prepared an Indian masala dish and loaded it up with everything from garbanzo beans to FROZEN spinach to fresh cauliflower. Actually, it was quite good, and Nancy brought a chocolate prune cake for dessert which was very good. These folks don’t drink either, so it was a very healthful evening!!

Colleen is in New England for a friend’s wedding, and she called on Thursday to tell us she was in New Hampshire eating fresh clam chowder. Wish it had been me. I would like to spend more time in Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

Have a good week.

Ciao

The calendar says it's fall

The managers have attempted to make one believe it is fall even though the temperature at the moment is 80 and on its way to 90 today. There are about a dozen white swan planters scattered around the park entrance, and the summer silk flowers have been swapped out for golden chrysanthemums. In front of the office entrance, a scarecrow is standing sentry assisted by some pumpkins and a bale of straw. All quite cute.

The confines and noise level here are getting to me!! In addition to Mad Hattie, who was ranting just a few minutes ago, new neighbors moved in beside us yesterday; a couple about our age and their adult son. This morning around eight, they had their dinette window open and talked loudly (argued) for about 1 ½ hours. Their dinette window is one foot from the chairs on our little patio. So it has NOT been a quiet Sunday morning.

I just scored two bicycles. A lady in a trailer across from us is taking it back to Arizona, and she just wanted to give the bikes away. I don’t know how much we will ride them here in this little park, or whether we will go to the expense and effort to haul them around with us, but they will provide a little entertainment for the next 3 weeks. She also gave us a great little folding rocking chair for the patio. Again, we may not have room for it when we pull up stakes, but we can rock n roll for now.
We just went to dinner with some folks who are staying here in the park. Their home is just a few miles from here, but it suffered a fire as a result of spontaneous combustion in a bale of hay that they had stored on their back porch (for their rabbit). We have chatted from time to time and she always stops to pet Cooper, so she asked if we wanted to go to dinner with them. Sure. It was a local Italian restaurant, and my eggplant parmigiani was very tasty.

Today is now Monday, and the excitement for the day was a trip to LaMesa RV (this site is as bad as their others), and WalMart. I think we spent $10 at WalMart. This isn’t a super store, so less to spend money on.

At LaMesa, I stepped inside one of the Tiffin buses, but assured Ken he didn’t have to enter into immediate negotiations. One floor plan had the refrigerator and sofa on a slide-out across from the stove and sink. But there was no dinette, and the only place for a table and chairs would have been in front of the refrigerator/sofa. The other floor plan had the sink, stove, and workspace lined up in that order, which meant you had the stove smack between the working space and the sink. I am too sloppy for that – I need the sink easily accessible.

I hear my book calling me. I am reading the biography of Julia Child. She was pretty outspoken, frank, and daring for her era. Quite the lady.

Ciao

Hattie, Rock, and Geezers

This is the end of another week. Three more weeks, one week end, and one more sleep and we will be free to go………providing there are no more down times for the equipment. I went with Ken today, just to see who all was around and see who there was to chat with. Not many. And everything was running early, so he was finished before his appointment started.

The weather has become quite comfortable. Right now at 4:30 it is just 77 outside!!

Hattie has ceased to be a novelty!! After determining that management was simply trying to placate me with a lot of lip service, I took matters into my own hands. She had her door wide open and was ranting and raving about nine on Wednesday evening. Now keep in mind that her first words to anyone is that she is hard of hearing!! I walked alongside her motor home and tapped twice on the side – she responded immediately, even though she couldn’t see me, her television was on, and she was ranting. I asked if she would close her door, and she said she would. Then she asked me if I was going to bed. I said, “No, I’m trying to read and you are being too loud.” She said, “I’ll cool it.”
All day yesterday I didn’t even see her and her car never moved. Now today, she has gone someplace, but I haven’t heard a word out of her. I suspect the calm is short-lived, but I will simply repeat my actions. I don’t fully understand what is going on, but I am beginning to think she is dumb like a fox.

Last Sunday we decided to take a drive to Big Bear Lake since the crowds should be gone, and it would be cool. About 15 miles out of town, we rounded a curve and hit a rock that had fallen. The noise to the underside of the car was deafening, and the estimate from the VW dealer was heart-stopping - $900 – all because of a piece of rock about the size of a gallon milk jug. So next Thursday is repair day. We can drive it around town, but we aren’t going to take it out on the interstates.

Our friend, Sharon Jayne, turned the big 6-O this month, so Bob threw a surprise party for her last night. We didn’t know anything about it (and could not have been in attendance since we aren’t even in the state of Washington), but I happened to call just as they got home. She said there were about 80 people there, and she was completely surprised. It’s safe to tell her age because she says she doesn’t read my blog!

Just a little over a week before Karen gets here, and I can hardly wait. Oh for some girl talk and wine time. Every time I am out walking in this park I encounter another old geezer with a scraggly beard, dirty fingernails, and cigarette in his hand. Actually, I’ve only encountered two of those, but this place is pretty heavily populated with men – and not a one that I would trade Ken for.

Have a good weekend.

Ciao

Equipment Failure, Medicare, Visitors

As of this afternoon, we now know that our earliest departure from here will be Monday, October 16 because today’s appointment had to be cancelled due to equipment failure. That is not the end of the world, we can manage an extra day or two. I think it seems more severe simply because his last treatment was to have been on a Friday to leave us clear to leave, but now we will have to wait through another weekend.

I finally finished assembling the Christmas wall hanging that I have been working on since last spring. Mind you, there is still plenty of tweaking, clipping, straightening, and fixing to do before it is done. I have now decided I will spend the money to have it quilted. I wasn’t going to simply because the workmanship leaves a lot to be desired, but I have a feeling the professional quilting can’t do anything but enhance the overall appearance, and since I used some fabrics that have some history and sentimentality, it will be nice to have it properly finished.

I see according to the newspaper this morning, that for those who are on Medicare (as I will be in a little over a year, and Ken already is); the monthly premium is going to be approaching $100 per month in 2007. That sounds exorbitant, but I’m probably still locked into what Ken’s mother was paying 12 years ago; and it is just the tip of the iceberg with whatever the costs are for those who must purchase supplemental insurance as well.

I believe the last communications I shared with regard to Colleen and Bassim Blazey was that they had resigned themselves to being friends…….and he told her recently that he was emailing with a woman in the Canada whom he met on an online match service. Soooo, she found out last Sunday evening that he wanted to come and see her on Monday, the next day!! He had flown to Vancouver to meet the woman, and it didn’t work out. So when he called Colleen, she said, “So now you’ve decided you’re madly in love with me.” And he said, “Yes.” She said they have had a very nice visit, but neither one is planning to move from their respective countries, and she will let me know if that is to happen. He returns to Australia tomorrow.

The weather turned blessedly cool this week, and we didn’t even turn on the air conditioners yesterday. Right now at 8:30 a.m. it is 69 degrees outside and cloudy; in fact it looks as if we could even get some rain. What a relief, even if it is short lived. I think we approach 90 next week, but even 90 I can handle for a few hours a day.

I think all is well with our boys; we haven’t had much communication recently. They are all busy, busy, busy. Craig started his new job with Finnigan Construction last week as they gear up to build a new high school in Lacey, about four blocks from where we used to live. He will be on the jobsite, not in the office, and it is a great commute for him – about ten minutes.

The Bakers were not able to keep us on their itinerary. The entire trip to Florida went well up until New Mexico where they sustained a flat tire and two dead batteries in as many days, so they had to truck on back to Lakewood. So we will look forward to our next visitor the first part of October which will be Karen. And then a few days after she goes home, I’ll go to San Jose for the quilt show. And when I come back, we will be within just one or two days of going home!

Time to refill my coffee cup and contemplate what to do with the rest of the day.

Ciao

Twenty Down and Twenty Four to Go

Another week is finished!! And all is going well. Ken had his weekly visit with his doctor this morning, and was told that if he were going to have any temporary symptoms as a result of the treatments, they would be evident by now – and he doesn’t have any!! We love receiving emails from all of you and willingly accept all your good wishes and prayers!

Ken drove me to Blythe last Saturday where we met Colleen and I went on to Phoenix with her. We had a good visit, and it was fun to have some girl talk since most everything here centers on men. We did a half day drive into the mountains east of Phoenix and ate out a couple of times while I was there. I visited my favorite quilt shop (and refrained from buying anything) and made a run to IKEA.

Colleen has a very nice, very Christian landlord (her cottage is at the back of his property and they share the pool and the yard) who had dinner with us twice this week. He is single, an administrator for ASU, and the love of his life is Toby, his golden retriever. Bill isn’t a very savvy drinker so Colleen has managed to thoroughly corrupt him. We had him over dinner one evening and had wine, and the next evening she made cosmopolitans (which she had introduced to him some time ago). While having our drinks, he said, “You know I have some steaks in the freezer that I could put under the broiler.” And of course we said, “Sure and we’ll make the salad and open a bottle of wine!”

Colleen has brokered a deal between Bill and the new hire in her office to rent her cottage when she moves to Seattle in January. Bill said he rented it to Nick and his wife for the same price as he had rented it to Colleen – which is dirt cheap for Phoenix. That is because he said he gives a discount to renters who have a dog!!! They have a Schnoodle who will be a buddy for Toby as Skyla has been.

Speaking of Blythe, here is an update for the Spragues, Robinsons, and Ouseys:

After getting gas in Ehrenberg yesterday, we did a spin through River Breeze to see how it looked. Of course all the grass is a lovely green!! And even though we didn’t stop to check, I’ll bet the pool and the spa are working fine as well. It looks like Michelle still has her job as it looked like her truck parked in front of the park model. About half the sites were filled, and just about every one of them had a toy hauler with a big jet boat parked beside it. I think there were one or two more park models since we were there. The membership park next door was virtually empty.

And Gary and Carolyn, we ate at El Ranchito yesterday before coming home.. It was six in the evening, and as usual, there were just two tables occupied. We got our dinners to go and sat out on the patio so we could have Cooper with us. Tasty as usual.

It seems my friend, Karen, took exception to my calling our crazy little lady Minnie since that is what my mother used to call her, so Ken has renamed her Hattie. Actually, Hattie has been on very good behavior, and if not, she is keeping her door and windows closed so we can’t hear her. She still sails in and out several times a day, hat on her head, in her little Scion going we know not where!

I am so excited…….Karen is coming to visit the first week in October!!! In addition to doing something quilt-like, I said I would lay in a supply of beverages and we could sit on our little patio and guess the lifestyles and comings and goings of our neighbors here in the park. We wanted her to bring Rod, but she is going to make him stay home and work!!

Speaking of neighbors, a couple from Nampa, Idaho arrived recently and are parked directly behind us (and right beside Hattie). Ken described them as older, but I’m afraid to use that term anymore considering our age, but I guess he meant older than we. Ken talked to them when they got here and learned the husband is here for proton therapy. Then this morning I was hearing some lovely trumpet music which was coming from their little trailer. He is quite talented (I’m making the assumption it is he) so we will have some occasional entertainment. I wonder if I could coax him to play in the afternoons while we are sitting outside having a drink?

The week end is here, but we have no plans. We are expecting to hear from our friends, the Bakers, who are supposed to be coming through one of these days for a visit. Otherwise, we will just be staying close to home. I will probably dash out to a local sewing machine shop tomorrow as my machine is acting up. I took it to Phoenix to make doggy pillow covers, and the sewing machine did not cooperate so I was only able to finish one of three. The other two I brought back with me.

Ciao

FIFTEEN DOWN - TWENTY NINE TO GO

Another week is finished and all is going well. Ken’s appointment is early today, at one, as I suppose everyone wants to get finished and gone for the long week end. I am going to go to Phoenix, but just haven’t settled on how. Either I will drive over early tomorrow morning or Colleen will meet us halfway; Blythe of all places. I have the option of the bus, but since I want to take a sewing project and my machine, that makes it more complicated.

We had Al over for dinner this week and you would have thought he was dining at a five-star restaurant. It was just grilled chicken and salad, but I’m sure it doesn’t take long for a guy to get tired of his own cooking. We will have to do that more often to give him a break.

I finished the book, Chocolat, and am now on to one by John Jakes. Chocolat is a very good read in that it is very well written.

Our garden at home seems to be thriving since Craig sent pictures of parsley and a big mound of tomatoes. Wouldn’t you know, we haven’t had any luck to speak of with tomatoes for the last two years, and now they are great!! But we have been going to the Thursday night market so I can stock up on fresh-picked tomatoes and Bev brought a basketful of heirloom tomatoes from her garden.

There was a forest fire near here in the San Bernardino mountains that actually started in Highland as a result of illegal target practicing, We watched various kinds of aircraft fly over for the first 24 hours as they were hitting it hard, but as of last evening they said it was under control; partly because it burned right into an area that had burned recently. As hot and dry as it is here, I can see why they would take a fire very seriously. As it was, this fire destroyed one or two homes.

Have a happy and safe holiday. Ciao

Blokus, Quilt Exposition, Neighbors & Pine Nuts

Tomorrow is Nolan’s birthday, and in just a little over a week, it will be Janet’s. August and the first part of September are busy birthday times.

We enjoyed Jeff and Bev’s visit. They got here mid afternoon on Friday and left about 2:30 on Sunday. Jeff suffered in the motor home because of Cooper, so we spent a lot of time sitting outside. They stayed in a nearby motel, so at least he could have a good night’s sleep.

Other than just visiting, the guys went to a baseball game and Bev and I shopped for a couple of hours. Then she and I came home to play Blokus which is a very fun board game, one that everybody from three to ninety three can play.

Bev and I talked about attending the Pacific International Quilt Exposition in Santa Clara the week end of October 13. That is right at the end of Ken’s treatments, so if I were to go, I would have to fly and then have him come through San Jose and pick me up. I think it is second only to the quilt show in Houston in terms of the size so it would be fun to attend.

We aren’t sure if we are going to try to go anywhere next weekend. We are not so sure we want to attempt the traffic. If anything, we will get together with Colleen, either here or in Phoenix, and that all hinges on whether or not she makes other plans. There could be worse things than to stay inside where it is cool.

We now have ‘permanent’ neighbors on both sides of us. Al, a salesman from Missoula has been here about a week and is undergoing proton treatment for cancer in his sinus’. On the other side is Karen, who is a teacher. She is married with 3 teen agers, but they are in Washougal, WA with her husband. They used to live here, he retired as an electrician, they moved to Washougal a little over a year ago, and now she is back here to teach.

I made this recently, didn’t have any pine nuts, and it still was very tasty.


PASTA WITH TOMATOES, PINE NUTS AND BASIL
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled
Salt and pepper
9 ounces angel hair pasta, freshly cooked
Grated Parmesan
Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add pine nuts and garlic and sauté until light brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and next 3 ingredients and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over pasta and toss thoroughly. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve immediately, passing additional Parmesan separately. Serves 4.

Ciao

8 Down 36 To Go

Ken is off getting his daily zap, and I have dinner ready, so here goes the blog.

We are looking forward to a visit from Jeff and Bev this coming weekend. Bev is taking Friday off so they will get here Friday afternoon and leave about noon on Sunday. I don’t know how Jeff is going to fare with Cooper in the motor home so we might spend a lot of time sitting outside………….if we can stand the heat.

The thermometer has climbed above 100 the past two days, but the paper keeps saying it is going to gradually cool back down to the low 90s. I never thought I would see myself being grateful for low 90s, but I am and I will be. We have stayed inside for the better part of the last 2 days.

We did drive to March AFB this morning for grocery shopping. We also drove by the FamCamp to check it out for storing the MH when we go back home in October. It will be just fine. The storage area is inside the guarded gate of the base and is fenced in and locked. For $25/month, I think it will work out just fine. The FamCamp itself is small; only about 20 sites, although each site has a bit of green grass and a picnic table and it is located adjacent to the runway.

The entire base which, I’m sure, was one of the premier bases 30 years ago is quite pathetic now that it is just an Air Force Reserve Base with only a part of it being used. The rest of it is very rundown and deserted looking. Being located here in the sweltering heat with all the dry brown grass and all the smog that obliterates the nearby mountains doesn’t help. But it does have quite a good commissary.

Minnie with the Hat has been very quiet – most of the time. But she must have had a window open about 11:30 last night when she went on a yelling rampage. I had to close the window to get to sleep.

Another friend, another car accident. Sharon Jayne was driving home on I-90 when the car in front of her lost a big inner tube that hit her windshield. In addition the car lost some other part that flew under Sharon’s car and destroyed her oil pan. Thankfully she was not hurt. There are severe penalties in the state of Washington for driving with unsecured loads as a result of a beautiful artist from western Washington who was rendered blind and disfigured because a piece of heavy pressboard flew through her windshield.

Our Sarah turned 19 today and moved into her dorm for her second year at the University of Maryland. We gave her a subscription to Netflix so she can watch movies instead of studying – but I know she won’t!! She said now she and her friends won’t have to walk down the street to rent a movie.

It is official. Colleen will be the assistant director at the Fuller Seattle campus come the first of the year. It is a lateral move for her, but she is thrilled to be moving back to the Northwest. The Seattle director has been talking to her for the last month, but just this week he made it known to the Fuller community. That will put 50% of our kids in Washington!

Ken is back so it must be time to open the bar. Dinner is easy, it is a pasta salad that is chilling out in the refrigerator!!

Ciao

Two Down and 42 to go

Ken had his first treatment yesterday, so he is underway. He was told by some of the staff that he was being treated for something, that if he had not been told, he would not know he had and if he didn’t know it, wouldn’t be able to tell that he was being treated.
The actual treatment only lasts one or two minutes, but with driving time and prep time, he is gone about 1 ½ hours.

We took a drive to Temeculah yesterday, but since it was hot and we had Cooper with us, we could not stop and do any wine tasting. We did drive through some areas that were quite pretty, and a relief from all the brown hills around us.

Minne with the hat was pretty quiet over the week end, but she got on a rampage yesterday morning, that after 1 ½ hours, I called the office and ask them to ask her to close her door. They also told her that if she didn’t fix her leaking gray water tank that she would have to leave. There was a repairman there this afternoon!

We have had a repairman here twice for our hot water tank. He has replaced a part and done I don’t know what else. We could use it, but if left on, it would weep. Of course it went out of warranty two months ago!

A motor home came in yesterday that was covered in advertising for ‘on the move internet’ so we tracked them down this morning. They make their money consulting for construction companies and other businesses, but the basic technology utilizes cell phones so with about a $500 investment and a cell phone one can have high speed internet wherever one can get cell service. It could conceivably replace our home service for internet as well I’m ready.

I came across a great quick pasta sauce with the key ingredient being marinated artichoke hearts. Saute some sliced cloves of garlic and a sliced small onion in some olive oil. Add a small can of diced tomatoes and a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped. Add some dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste and let simmer while sipping on your afternoon cocktail. Add some chopped fresh basil before serving over pasta. Pass the fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Ciao.

TGIF

TGIF. Oh that’s right, we don’t need to do the TGIF anymore.

It has been an unremarkable few days save the heat. I know it has been right around 100 for the last few days, but it looks like it is supposed to cool down by about one degree per day over the next few days.

For those of you who know my friend, Karen Sprague. She is recovering from whiplash and a sore chest (from the seatbelt) after being rear ended by someone while driving on North Division. I think she said this is the fourth time she has been involved in an accident with a male driver and none of them her fault. At least this one had insurance. She thought she was well enough to finish loading the trailer to leave last Wednesday for a trip to the Puget Sound area. You go girl.

We must be pretty settled into a routine. Last night was our second visit to the downtown Farmers’ Market to stock up on fresh produce. None of it inexpensive, but all fresh. Then it was too late and too hot to cook so we dined at In N Out Burgers.

We are feeling more comfortable with leaving Cooper for a few hours as long as everything is closed and he can’t see out. I thought I had done that before but learned that he can see out the window in the door so have to remember to pull that shade. He is feeling more settled too. He hasn’t been sleeping on the floor right beside Ken but rather on the sofa in front; and I was up before he was this morning.

The sewing machine is out, and I started back on my project yesterday. Now maybe I’ll make some good progress. No reason not to!!

We still have problems with the water heater weeping. Ken thought he had solved it, but not to be so we have the repairman on standby if it doesn’t shape up.

Have a great week end. Ciao

Minnie in the Hat

This is definitely more a trailer park than RV park. About 1/2 of the sites are either trailers or mobile homes occupied by people who come and go to work every day. But management is very nice, and the price is right. Plus they give a discount for patients of Loma Linda.

We are just one row of trailers from a busy street, but after a while I can almost turn that into white noise. There is a single woman who just parked next to us on one side, and the other side is empty. Then there is the site right behind us!! What I know about it is from observation and input from some folks who have been here a while.

Minnie with the Hat (my name for her) looks to be about 50 or 60 or 70 or 80 years old, black, and only able to hobble around with a cane. She is in a motor home the same size as our first one, but older and no slideout. She has a new little car, a Scion.. And she is probably certifiably crazy. She sometimes starts ranting as early as six in the morning. Our first morning here, I thought she was yelling at someone on the phone, and I thought it was a man because the voice is so raspy from all the yelling. I have only ever understood a word or two, but yesterday she said Bush is an idiot and they should send him back to Africa (maybe she isn’t so dumb after all). Another time she was saying to have the police come and check it out. And another something about right between the eyes. Last night she kept up her tirade for about an hour until after ten. Thank goodness she goes someplace during most of the day.

According to others around here, she says she owns 4 houses in the area but her kids bought this motorhome for her. She says the kids come and help her – haven’t seen a kid yet. There is a leak in her gray water tank so we had to tell management about that. We can tell she showers because that’s when the tank leaks. She comes out all dressed up with a hat on her head, gets in her car and goes somewhere. Sometimes she is in and out of here three times a day. She can hardly get up the steps into the motor home she is so crippled. We wonder how she manages to get around in this traffic and find her way back.

We suspect, if she owns anything, the kids have it and have dumped her here so they don’t have to deal with her. I don’t believe there is a thing we can do for her, and I hesitate to get involved because that is what it would probably be – involved!! Maybe I could invite her over for tea and spike it so she would go to bed earlier and sleep longer.

There isn’t really another good option to move to because of noise, sun, heat, etc. To be continued……..

We have subscribed to an internet service, so we have reliable internet - all the time!!

The weather has been quite bearable. We do have to run the air conditioners in the afternoons, but it cools way down as soon as the sun goes down. We actually sleep under our comforter with the windows open!.

Ciao

Sewer Pipe, Farmers' Market and Internet

Yesterday was the first official visit to LLUMC. We joined a two-hour newcomers’ tour which included a look inside one of the treatment rooms and an in-depth discussion of the treatment process. Afterwards Ken had his first doctor’s appointment to confirm the treatment plan (9 weeks of Proton Beam Therapy) and schedule a CT scan and full body scan. Once the last scan is done next Monday, it will be about one week before the start of treatments. He is at LLUMC right now for the CT scan and the body mold.

I found it interesting that they use a half piece of plastic sewer pipe for the mold and use an expanding foam to fill in the space around the body. That sounds like great low high tech!!

Having always been in the military or HMO medical system, we are quite taken with the differences found here. Everyone is very professional, helpful, friendly, and available. All of the doctors and nurses wear white coats with the LLUMC logo on the pocket, and they look very professional. We were quite taken aback at how often we were reminded that patients could make requests for such things as a different time for treatment. Even though the Proton Center can treat up to 175 patients per DAY, there is no feeling of being crowded or rushed.

The Proton Center has its own entrance and elevators in one wing of the hospital so it is its own little community. Waiting rooms are very comfortable with coffee and tea available; one room has a piano and both waiting areas have a table with a jigsaw puzzle in progress.

We went to downtown Redlands last night for the weekly Farmers’ Market which consisted of several fresh produce stands, some lively live music, and about 50 booths hawking everything from Avon products to snake oil. We did score some white peaches and some lovely heirloom tomatoes. I think I will look around for a fresh produce stand and skip the Thursday night market. Oh, and we each had a huge tamale for dinner.

We are having trouble with the hot water heater and the awning. At least the awning is still under warranty – the wind sensor is not working. With the hot water heater on electric it acts like the thermostat is gone. The water gets scalding hot which causes the pressure valve to release water so we are thinking there is a problem. We can manage with either of the above for a while as long as the air conditioning keeps working!!

We have been to In N Out Burger and Wal Mart. I know the location of Costco, Camping World and Trader Joes, all of which are quite close by. There is a small mall in Redlands with a Gottschalks and new Penneys. March AFB is about 20 miles away so we haven’t been there yet.

As usual, internet is a problem. This park just decided not to try for WiFi, and for those of us who were down south last winter, we can understand why. I don’t think there is a reliable service out there. Others staying here rented a high speed modem and paid for Adelphia to get reliable service, so guess what we are going to be doing this afternoon?

If you choose to mail anything to us:

Ken and Helen Kirkwood
C/O Mission RV Park
26397 Redlands Blvd
Redlands, CA 92373

Ciao

We had a fast but uneventful trip down. Since we didn’t get out of Steilacoom until 4 pm on Thursday, we made it only as far as where 205 hooks up with I-5 south of Portland. That is a great rest stop, and after wandering back through additional parking areas we scored a parking spot next to a grassy strip where we could extend the bedroom slide and give Cooper a place to walk.

Friday was from there to Red Bluff and Saturday was Red Bluff to Bakersfield with both towns having great RV parks for us. Sunday was a half day drive from Bakersfield to Redlands. Coming through the San Bernardino Mountains seemed less harrowing than last winter, perhaps because it was a Sunday and perhaps we weren’t trying to keep up with Mario Gary Ousey Andretti!!

We had researched RV parks in this area and only found two that were within a reasonable distance of Loma Linda, and sure enough there are only two. Both are older parks, nicely maintained, but with spaces that would have very nicely accommodated our early 70s pickup and camper. Ken did a great job of maneuvering the MH into our spot.

Cooper has been a trooper. He usually was up on the sofa while we were moving. He hasn’t been overly interested in his dog food, so I have been giving him fresh green beans and cooked rice. He loves the green beans. He has lived a pretty sheltered life, so his nose goes into high gear when we take him outside for walks. He is happy to be with us but isn’t quite sure of what is going on, so he doesn’t let Ken get more than three feet away from him.

We will spend these next three days exploring the area, buying groceries, and locating Costco, Trader Joe’s, Camping World, etc. Costco is about 18 miles away but the others are here in Redlands.

It has been very very lightly raining this morning. Sun is forecast for this afternoon, and the usual temps are around 90 but it looks like it cools down to the low 70s and high 60s at night which I can handle.

Later……………we have met two men here in the park who will finish their treatments this week. They are just as enthusiastic as anyone else we have encountered. I first met one of the wives………where else but the laundry room. Subsequently her husband, and his neighbor both came over to chat. I can see that this whole thing becomes quite the clique.

We drove around the area for a while this afternoon. It turns out that Costco is very close, and Camping World and a lot of chain restaurants, but not much else. In N Out Burger is in San Bernardino which we will track down very soon.

While sitting outside this evening some neighbors came home, came over, chatted, went back and got their lawn chairs and drinks of choice and came back and stayed about two hours. They are just passing through and live in Kennewick. So now we have names and numbers to contact for a visit/MH parking in Kennewick. No one is a stranger in this world of RVs.

Ken and Cooper and I need to take an evening walk. Ken and I plan to attend an orientation at LLUMC on Wednesday. I’ll let you know about that. Ciao

Reunion Weekend in Review

Here is a recap of the past weekend’s activities in celebration of Ken’s graduating class of 1956.

Bob and Sharon entertained the Davenport alumni, class of ’56, on Friday afternoon similar to what we had done with the Jaynes when the class celebrated its 30th. Everyone enjoyed catching up and reminiscing. The dapper dude in the hat is Bob.





Friday morning, Ken and Bob had to be in Davenport by 10:30 to be ready to ride in the Pioneer Days Parade. One of their classmates has restored a late ‘30s truck and he had created some bench seating with bales of straw on the flatbed where the classmates could hold court over the onlookers. They were near the end of the parade, and were preceded primarily by local candidates for office, fire trucks and the local ambulance. Oh yes, and the Schwans truck! You gotta love these small towns.



Saturday afternoon we moved on to the park for lunch, some very good musical entertainment, and a display of several dozen restored cars. Davenport has a car club known as the Road Knights which was founded when Ken was in high school, and he designed the club logo which is still being used. I made him purchase the baseball cap with the logo, and he was given a tee shirt since he is one of the “old timers”.

The evening dinner and dance was the usual disappointment, but it provided a venue for us to continue to visit and see old friends. Ken’s second grade teacher (in photo at the right) was in attendance and looked as perky and cute as a teenager. She is probably at least 80. She said she knew how to teach children to read, and when UCLA came in and proceeded to tell her how to do it, she retired. She also taught Brian for a few months when he was in the second grade and we were between moves.


Our old house at Liberty Lake was still standing last week end, and Ken and Bob were able to rescue the kitchen sink for me. For those of you who weren’t in that house, I discovered the old original sink and had it installed in the new kitchen when we remodeled. It is the single sink with attached backsplash and drainboard. It has a porcelain finish that must be at least 1/4" thick. I don’t know when we will have time to do something with it in this house, but I am pleased to have it.

The next week will be spent getting the motor home packed and the house ready to be vacated for almost three months while we are in Loma Linda. We will leave next Thursday or Friday. Craig will be available to check on it as well as some friends of his who live down the street. It is hard to leave the yard and garden, but it can be redone next year. Cooper has no idea what he is in for, but I know he will be happy just to be with us. This is all just another adventure! Ciao

The old and the new

Of course we have been preoccupied with Ken’s health issues, but we have learned a great deal in the past few days.

One of Ken’s former co-workers at the hospital told him that her stepfather had had prostate cancer, and he was treated with proton therapy at Loma Linda Medical Center. From everything we have been able to learn, it is just as effective as other treatments, but its accuracy alleviates all the side effects caused by traditional radiation.

This is a treatment that has been in use for over ten years, it is not experimental, and we have yet to find a negative about it. But isn’t it interesting that if you weren’t looking for it, you would not even come across a discussion of this treatment in any of the usual information? The gentleman Ken spoke with said he even went to the upper levels of administration at Loma Linda to ask why it was not better publicized, and the response from this Seventh Day Adventist institution was that if God wanted him to be there (Loma Linda) he would find out about it!!!???

If you want more information:

http://news.adventist.org/data/2006/03/1144961805/index.html.en

We will be interested to see if it is even mentioned at the appointment at Madigan on Wednesday. The other good news is that the treatment is covered by Medicare.

Next weekend is Ken’s 50th high school reunion. We will drive to Liberty Lake on Thursday and stay with Bob and Sharon. They are hosting a get-together on Friday night and then the classmates will ride in the back of somebody’s truck in the parade in Davenport on Saturday. Then another get-together at Daryl and Jan Ziemer’s Saturday afternoon and the dinner and dance in the evening. My what a social swirl.

Speaking of Liberty Lake, we learned today that the house we owned there is going to be rased within the next few days. The current owners (who purchased from the woman to whom we sold) found the foundation could not withstand the renovations they wanted to do. I must admit that it is with a heavy heart that I learned this. It was unreasonable to believe we would ever return, but it was the most grand and wonderful house I have ever lived in.

Have a good week, and I’ll be blogging again later this week.

Ciao

From the Fourth Forward

We have had some eventful times over the past 10 days….

Brian and Sheila and Nolan and Warren arrived Friday evening and it took the boys about 5 minutes to check out the tree house and move in. They slept up there all five nights they were here. Grandpa had a new flashlight for each and they utilized the basket/pulley system to haul their belongings up and down. I don’t know who gets more joy out of all of this, the boys or Grandpa and I.

Curt, Cinda, Linea, and her friend Jamie arrived midday on Monday. The girls pitched a tent in the front yard and moved in with their air mattresses and books. Cinda lamented that she and Curt had moved into the “elder” group so were afforded the luxury of a real bed in the guest room.

Craig, Cassie and Greta joined us on Saturday and Monday evenings. Greta is 5 ½ and is very cute and precocious. She was quite the epicurean as she made her way through fresh cherries, clams, and mussels, and most anything else we were serving. She does not have typical preschoolers’ tastes.

I think we ate and drank our way through three days. Brian is a master with the grill and he smoked ribs, a tri-tip roast and two whole chickens for the 4th. Cinda and Sheila were the queens of the salads, breads, and fruits and veggies, and I offered appetizers with a Spanish theme: cured ham and honeydew melon, manchego cheese (if you have not tasted it, be sure to do so), and roasted red bell peppers (recipe to follow). Brian and Sheila store some of their yummy German white wine in our cellar, so that, along with some of our Washington selections and lots of beer kept us in fine fettle.

We all walked downtown on the Fourth to watch the parade which consists of old cars, politicians with campaign signs, kids on bikes and in strollers, the Ft. Lewis Army band, and even some Strykers. After careful scrutiny, we determined that the little old lady in the beige Taurus had simply taken a wrong turn and accidentally became part of the parade so someone proffered a flag for her to wave as she made her way down the street.

From the street fair, Brian and Sheila gifted us with a metal sculpture; a wine glass fitted with a piece of red glass and a plaque reading “wine garden”. It is charming and looks right at home on our property.

The boys had two outings at the beach here in Steilacoom. They can squat for hours digging furiously to get to? And then only to be defeated by hitting water or having the tide come in. Brian, Ken, and the boys went to a Tacoma Rainiers game and the home team won! Sheila and I did a bit of shopping since her time and resources are so limited when she is home.

All the fun was a good diversion for us as we face a bump in the road. Ken had a prostate biopsy come back with some cancer cells present. He has been participating in a study for the past two years, and we feel fortunate that the study called for a biopsy at the two-year point. He had had one two years ago as a result of an elevated PSA, but it showed nothing. From all indications now, it appears to be early and small. We know many men who have gone through this, and Ken has talked to several to be better prepared to make a decision for a course of action. We will meet with a radiation therapist on July 12 to talk it through and decide what comes next. We plan to have all of this behind us a soon as possible to be ready for travel, Christmas and heading south after the first of the year.

This is a heads up for you– pay attention to your prostate and get examined.

We had some glorious weather up until the Fourth. Since then it has been cloudy and cool with a few sprinkles, and we even have the furnace on! Typical Puget Sound weather.

Here is the easy way to prepare roasted peppers:

Several whole red bell peppers
Two or three cloves fresh minced garlic
2 tsp kosher salt
olive oil

Place peppers on a hot outdoor grill, turning as they char, until the entire outside skin is blackened and blistered. Remove to a covered container and let steam for 20 or 30 minutes, and then halve, remove seeds and ribs and remove outer skin. Slice lengthwise into ½” strips. Combine pepper strips and salt and minced garlic mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and let rest for an hour or so. Can be refrigerated, but should be brought back to room temp to serve.

The key to the ease of this is to roast the peppers on the outside gas grill. It is hot and easy to turn the peppers. I’ve tried using the gas flame on my inside range or the oven broiler but with limited success.

Ciao

Shop Hopping and Boat Stopping

We three had a glorious time on our three-day shop hop odyssey. We headed north on Wednesday morning with Lynden as our goal - and we did get there by mid afternoon after a stop or two on the way. After Lynden we had to head back to Mt. Vernon where I had managed to score a reservation on a little houseboat on the Skagit River.

It was little, and it was cozy for three, but it was quite fun. The bathroom left a lot to be desired - it was a working bathroom with restrictions not unlike those we have with the motor home, but it was very little and inconvenient. We made up for it by sitting outside on a little deck at the front while we drank our wine. There was one little houseboat moored a few feet down from us, and that was all we could see except the river. I would do it again!! The owner came at 8:30 in the morning with a basket laden with wonderful warm muffins, and fresh raspberries and currents.

By the next night, we were ready for something more ordinary with a big bathroom so we stayed in Monroe at a Holiday Inn Express. All of our lunches and dinners were great and they ran the gamut from a deli in an upscale grocery store, to a little country tavern and an Italian/Greek restaurant. I think we covered almost 500 miles in the three days and visited about 20 shops. Some were fabulous, and one or two do not deserve to be in business. I suspect we will consider doing it again next year, or perhaps trying one in western Oregon.

Ken and Jeff whiled away the time with the computer and watching and discussing woodworking tactics. They seemed to survive just fine. Jeff and Bev went home yesterday afternoon and now we are working on getting ready for the Fourth.

Two little robins survived, and they disappeared from the nest about three days ago, so I am hoping they made it okay. Perhaps we will have someone else come and occupy the nest next spring. It is such a great location because we can watch from the kitchen window.

Bassim arrived in Phoenix last Saturday, and he and Colleen have visited the Grand Canyon and are now in San Diego until Tuesday. She called yesterday to find out where there was a Starbucks in Yuma! She was impressed with the new mall, and I assured her that that was the highlight of Yuma.

Mike and Mary should be in South Dakota so I'm going to call this afternoon to find out how their trip has gone so far. Mary said they were going to blast off last Thursday.

Have a good week. Todays word: evanescent - tending to vanish like vapor.

Ciao

Big Sky Country, wine, shopping and thaumaturgy

I had a great week in eastern Washington along with a jaunt through the panhandle of Idaho to Kalispell, south to St. Regis and back to I-90. The drive through Montana just made we want to move there even more……and gas was twenty five cents less per gallon. I drove two-lane highways with little traffic; so little that I could drive with the cruise control set on sixty. Of course most everywhere looks glorious this time of year because of all the new spring growth.

But to back up. I spent two nights with Jerry and Lois, and Lois and I treated ourselves to lunch and martinis for her birthday that was in April. The birthday I had done nothing about. We had a good visit and caught up on what has been going on in our lives.

Then on to Big Meadows to stay with Rod and Karen for a few days. She and I spent a fair amount of time (and money) shopping for fabrics for the class we are going to take in November. It is so wonderful to have her holding my hand while I am making all of these decisions. We also did quite a bit of prep work for the class – cutting templates and pattern pieces.

Their yard is beautiful, and we frequently took our coffee or wine out to the pond where we could sit and listen to the bubbling water and look at the green hillsides. They have been hard at work getting ready for their grandson’s graduation party this week end, and it shows. Rod was busy pouring concrete for curbing. He was quite happy with his project.

I spent last Saturday afternoon with Mike and Mary. Mike had been off work all week because of bronchitis, but he seemed to be mending well. Mary looks fabulous. I think she is as slim or slimmer than when she got married. I admire her tenacity. They are getting ready to drive Pat’s pickup back to Indiana to Steven and Sandy. They will stop in South Dakota to visit Martha’s daughter and son-in-law, Rachel and Assad. And not to be left out, Martha plans to hop in her car and zip up from Iowa to see them. Wish I were going to be there.

I came home via the wine country so I could pick up a few bottles to have on hand. I visited with Kathleen Montez who was the bookkeeper for Al when I worked there. She is like a fish out of water having just moved to Benton City to help care for her mother who has cancer. Kathleen has always lived on this side of the state and always had access to a boat and saltwater. It is quite an adjustment since she lives out in the country perched atop a hill surrounded by rock and sagebrush soon to be turned into vineyards.

There are two baby robins in the nest outside the kitchen window. One egg disappeared, and the other didn’t hatch. I suspect it will soon only be one baby bird because there is quite a difference in the size of the two. Mother Nature at work.

We are looking forward to the end of the month and the first part of July when we will get to see Brian and family, and then Keith and family. Brian, Sheila and the boys will be here for several days around the Fourth, and then we will drive to Montana to park the motor home for the Baltimore Kirkwoods to use for a few days on their property at the lake. We will trade them the motor home for their motel reservation in Kalispell.

We are in shock after having received our new tax assessment – the house only increased by about 10%, but the land increased by 60%!!!!!!!!! Talk about following the real estate market. I plan to contest it since there has been nothing done to either the house or the land, and in fact, the view is slowly being eroded by the growth of trees on down the hill. I feel like we are fast approaching the time when we will have to sell to get out from under taxes. Washington is bad enough about taxes upon taxes, and it is even worse in this part of the state.

Word of the day: thaumaturgy – magic.

Ciao

A New Neighbor

We have a mother robin who has taken up residence right outside our kitchen window. With a bit of judicious pruning, we can see her when she is on the nest and can see the four little blue eggs when she is away. We figure they should hatch in about a week. She seems to be pretty secure where she is, although she is pretty low to the ground. We no longer have a cat, so the only threat would be a raccoon or marauding cat.

Craig, Cassie, and her daughter, Greta, came for dinner yesterday. We met Cassie briefly before we went south last December but this was the first time to meet 5 ½ year old Greta. She is quite precocious, was well-behaved and has a penchant for horses. She arrived with her backpack stuffed with them. She was quite taken with our little robin outside the window.

I am going to Spokane tomorrow for a few days of visiting friends, family, and quilt shops. There are several (quilt shops) that I haven’t seen, or haven’t seen for many years. I will spend a day or two with Jerry and Lois, track down Mike and Mary, and spend some time with Karen. She and Rod are hosting a graduation party for their oldest grandson, so I’m going to lend a hand with some food preparation so Karen and I will have some time for quilting.

Ken has the yard looking quite nice. Although the rhodies are at the end of their bloom, we have some iris and peonies to lend some color. The back patio has always been inundated with grass and weeds coming up between the bricks and blocks so I convinced Ken to take the easy way out this year – Roundup. It worked like a charm and the patio is quite fit looking. I am rather hesitant about pesticides and such, but this one seems to the lesser of what’s out there. The label claims they have even FED it to dogs with no ill effects.

Bassim is going to visit Colleen later this month. He continued to call her even after she said, “The end.” And now he is going to tear himself away from his desk in Sydney where he looks after Australian ex-patriots around the world to spend some time in Phoenix. Now Colleen has added a dog to the mix!! What next?

Word of the Day: objet trouve (ob-zha-tru-va). I love the lyrical sound of it!
A found or discarded object (as a piece of driftwood or an old bathtub) held to have aesthetic value. Hmmm, I have a houseful of those!

Ciao

Physical and Mental

It has been another quiet week, save Ken's encounter with a tree branch which resulted in a visit to the Madigan triage to learn that there is a long scratch on his eye. But the good news is that it is just that, a scratch, and should heal just fine. He told the attending physician that he didn't think gardening was a contact sport.

It was a five-hour process for the doctor to see Ken for a few minutes. As this area continues to bring in more and more troops, the load at Madigan increases, and I'm not so sure they have increased the staff equally. But we have received good care over the years, so I'll keep the faith.

I have been through a huge learning curve about mental illness over the past few weeks. One of my relatives has struggled with some depression, and hit bottom with a visit to her psychologist saying that she had suicidal thoughts. She has been hospitalized ever since and should be released today; a much healthier person. I'm sharing this because she has undergone a series of elctroconvulsive therapy treatments that have made a huge difference; something medications have not been able to do. And even if medications were to work, it is usually at least six weeks before they have an effect which is time that can not be afforded when one is suicidal.

The first thought everyone has is "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" when this treatment is discussed. But I have learned lots lately. This treatment in essence, delivers a one-to-two-second electrical impulse to the brain which induces a seizure. This while the patient is lightly anesthetized. This therapy is very commonplace in the east, and is coming to be used extensively here. After the first treatment, she awoke to say the sucidal thoughts were gone! And she has continued to improve with each successive treatment of which she will have had six. I found it absolutely amazing that a one-second electrical stimulus could so readily alter the brain's activity.

It is unfortunate that our society so often carries such a stigma about mental illness, when it is just that - an illness. But I guess part of the reason is that we can't see anything physical. If you have a minute, do some searching on line which can offer better explanations than I. Doctors are now saying they are very close to implanting a chip in the brain that would allow very specific treatments for various mental maladies.

I'm not naming names even though the family is very open about all of this, but I want them to tell you, not me. And we are so grateful for the continued progress.

I am off to IKEA with my friend Elisabeth. By the time we get there, usually around noon, the first order of business is to fortify ourselves in the cafeteria before we start our marathon shopping. I can't think of anything I need, but I doubt that will stop me from finding something that I will decide I DO need. I'm glad I looked at the site on line, because it appears that our IKEA has been remodeling and expanding, again, and even the parking has been altered.

We will be staying home for the coming three-day week end. For us, every day is like a week end, so no need to take up space on a holiday week end. Besides, we are pretty much without a dog sitter since Craig is living in Olympia, so we are grounded until we get that resolved. We love Cooper, but he is too much dog with too much fur to share our space in the motor home. I tell myself he is happier at home, and I know I am happier when in the motor home without him.

Sarah moved home from college last week end. I can't believe she has finished her freshman year. In June, she is going to take one of her core classes at a junior college near home and then the family is going to Montana to visit Janet's family and to visit their property at Little Bitterroot Lake. And Rachel had her first 'date' last week end. Neither one is old enough to drive, so parents chauffeured to and from the movie.

Have a safe week end, and take a moment to stop and think about all those veterans who have died. They all contributed to the freedoms we enjoy.

Ciao

Sun, Friends, and Mother's Day

Oh that interminable sun!! We have had eastern Washington-like-weather for the past few days. I have been sitting outside this morning enjoying my coffee and the sunshine. It is going to gradually cool over the next few days, but it is glorious for the moment.

I received a call this morning from Kathleen Montez who was the bookkeeper for Al Hauer when I worked for him. I really like her, but her life has read like a soap opera for the entire 45 years of her life. And much of it is of her own doing. She is now in the process of moving to eastern Washington, Benton City, to be near her mother who has had cancer for the past two years.

I had a most enjoyable Mother’s day complete with flowers, candy, gifts, phone calls and the all-important KFC which Craig delivered at dinnertime. He also provided a lovely bottle of wine, and we shared the candy for dessert. Who could ask for more?

I so have itchy feet to go somewhere – until I look at the price of gasoline. I suppose we will all adjust and get used to the idea as have our Canadian friends and Europeans, but it is still a big pill to swallow. At least the Jetta gets about 30 miles to the gallon, but I’m afraid the motor home will be sitting still for a while at 7 miles to the gallon.

To add insult to injury we received the insurance and licenses renewals for the motor home. Yes, the basic license fee here in Washington is only about $35, closer to $60 for the motor home, but then there is an additional $300 for rapid transit tax!!!! As if we will ever see any benefits from it!

Colleen is sweltering in Phoenix where the daily norm is 100+. She gets up early in the morning so she can walk Skyla before it gets too unbearable. There is a pool in her backyard and Toby, the landlord’s dog loves it, but Skyla hasn’t had the nerve to try it yet. I know one does acclimate after a while, and I do love sunshine, but Phoenix in the summer (spring?) is too much for me.

I skipped my free sewing class last night, but there will be another one next month. I’m off to the sewing machine to work on one of several projects that are underway. I guess I should think about finishing some of them.

Ciao

Is it Monday again? Already?

Last week was pretty quiet. Ken arrived home on Friday with a cooler full of fish. He does love fishing. While at the Jaynes, there was much discussion about the upcoming 50th high school reunion for Ken and Bob and the other 35+ classmates. The annual reunions are held in July, in Davenport, in conjunction with Pioneer Days. All good small-town stuff. We have not attended since this last innovation, but I believe the fifty-year classmates ride in a parade on Saturday and then a town-wide dinner at the Memorial Hall on Saturday night. Bob and Sharon have been told they will host a function on Friday night at Liberty Lake. There is always one bossy one in every group!

I attended a garden show on Fox Island on Saturday. Elisabeth's garden club helped with hosting, and she invited me. Now touring gardens is probably toward the bottom of my list of favorite things to do, but she is such a good sport to go and do whatever I want, that I had to reciprocate. The gardens we visited (private residences) were lovely, but everywhere I looked I saw work, work, work and money, money, money. I want a yard/garden to look presentable, but I don't want to be the one to do it.

I am looking forward to Mother's Day since my only request (always honored by Ken and Craig)is KFC for dinner. I love that stuff!! In years past, when I was still working, my only other request was to spend the day doing just what I wanted to do, but now that is pretty much every day for me.

Karen called to alert me to a two-day quiltmaking class that is coming up in November in Coeur d'Alene. Judy Niemeyer is a Montana girl who has created a reputation for her beautiful and intricate paper-pieced patterns. This is all new for me, and a bit intimidating, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Since it is two days, we will stay overnight in Coeur d'Alene instead of driving back to Karen's.

And then there is the Quilt Shop Hop for western Washington the end of June. There are shops from the Canadian border to Vancouver that are participating, so Elisabeth and I are going to start up north and see how many we can visit. We will stay overnight at least one night, if not two, as we make our way south. The shops offer all kinds of promotions and fun so we think it will be a good time. I intend to contact another friend of ours (we three went into real estate together and were known as the Three Muskateers) to see if she is interested in joining us.

My hair stylist will be here in fifteen minutes (she comes to my house, isn't that great?)so I had better get going. Have a good week.

Ciao

The court didn't want me

I was one of 30 prospective jurors with 9 to be seated, so I was not one of them. Since it was a corporate situation involving a failed product, I suspect my background in business, sales, and marketing did not appeal to the defendents. I was up before six this morning, but home again by one.

Ken is at the Jaynes for the annual opening of fishing season. They fished Waitts Lake today and came home with about ten between them. Ken said the weather was miserable.

Cooper and I are keeping our own schedule, and tonight it will be early to bed. I have my sewing machine back so I have been puttering away at some projects. I need to quit starting projects and finish some of them.

Craig stopped by for about an hour yesterday and had some warm apple pie and coffee with me. He is working for his long-time friend, Mark, who has a contractor's license, with most of the work being slabs and skirting for manufactured homes.

I have no plans for the rest of the week, but I suspect I will come up with something. My problem is that I am perfectly content to stay home!!

Ciao

It has been 10 days

since I last blogged. But sometimes there just isn't much going on, either around me or in my head!

I will call in this evening to see if I have to show up for Federal jury duty on Monday; if so, Ken will go fishing without me. Not a problem. There are too many people who think they are too busy to perform their civic duty, and I certainly have the time.

We have spent our time catching up around here. Ken worked in the garage this week, and I am thrilled that I have a straight shot from the door to the car without having to jog around a ten-foot-long saw setup. Last week end was the annual 'get rid of stuff for nothing' in Steilacoom so there went some more stuff. Oh but there is so much more that should be dealt with.

Not having ever lived in the same house for more than six years has caused me to realize how easy it is to accumulate over a period of twelve years. According to her blog, Catherine Ousey in Winnipeg has been on the same task, and it sounds like "Got Junk" is another good outlet.

The motor home spent two days at the dealership so it is fairly hale and hearty again. The biggest issue was the broken pantry slide which caused us to have to tie it shut every time we moved camp. But I love those two sliding pantries, so I'll do whatever it takes to keep them in good working order.

I popped into a 2006 38' Adventurer while there, and I loved it. It has a very long slide on each side (about 15 feet) which creates a huge living area. The slide on the curb side accomodates a side hallway and bedroom wall. The slide on the driver's side expands the seating/dining area. There is a second lavatory vanity in the bedroom, and the bathroom has two doors allowing it to be entered either from the bedroom or the hallway.

We have no travel plans at the moment although the Jaynes have a five day fishing trip to Waitts Lake the latter part of May, and have asked if we are interested. Of course! Thanks to the Spragues, we have a place to store the MH should we want to take it to Spokane and leave it if we have more than one trip planned for Spokane and beyond. That would be a huge savings for gasoline.

I am without my sewing machine for the day since I took it in for a tune up yesterday. I might as well take advantage of the warranty. I have several projects in process, but nothing completed. And of course see many many more that I want to try.

Ciao

Post Easter

We had a great day on Sunday with Jerry, Lois, Curt, Cinda, Jordan, and Cliff. Unfortunately, Linea had to work, but we sent some goodies home for her. It has been months since we have seen all of them, and it has been at least two years since Jerry and Lois were here at our house. With Cinda and Curt in Bellevue, that is usually as far as they go.

We observed some surprised looks on the faces of people at church on Sunday since it has been months and months since we were there. I was struck by how few people were at the 8:15 service. It seems the numbers keep dwindling so I have to wonder how they are managing to pay off the million dollar debt incurred for the major remodel. I wasn’t in favor of it anyway, so I will choose not to worry about it.

Brian has made contact with Greg Kirkwood, Bud and Clara’s grandson, Donny’s son, who is a senior at the Air Force Military Academy. He told Brian he will be at Fairchild AFB after graduation, something to do with medical, I think. He had aspired to fly, but was found to have some color blindness so that took care of flying. Greg played football for the Academy so we watched him in several games last fall. I am happy that he and Brian have made contact since they pretty much trod the same ground, i.e. the Air Force.

We chatted with the Baltimore Kirkwoods over the week end. Janet and Rachel are back at school this week after spring break. Painting Rachel’s bedroom was the project of the week. Sarah has been home on week ends because she works for a tax accountant during tax season. She tells us that she is now training as a bartender at the U of Maryland’s golf course, plus being trained as a banquet manager. It sounds like the money is very good, and it is a pretty controlled environment. OUR GRANDDAUGHTER A BARTENDER????

I have my first Janome sewing class tonight, so I am looking forward to that. Of course that means the start of yet another project………..I must have about six going at the moment, so perhaps I need to think about finishing some of them.

Word of the day: diluvial: of, relating to, or brought about by a flood.

Ciao

Happy Easter

It is drizzling outside, and the weather picture for the next five days does not show one single ray of sunshine!! But everything is certainly green!!

I have done a little work outside on the patio, and Craig and Ken have put in a number of hours just pruning and mowing, but the yard does look better. I have tried to get someone to come out and give me a bid for some heavy duty work, but I guess they are all too busy. Our two big dogwood trees are showing their first signs of life, and they are usually in full bloom by the middle of May. None of our rhodies are in bloom yet, but I have seen a few around town.

Ken just put some gravlax in the refrigerator to season until Sunday. The biggest challenge is to find absolutely fresh salmon that can be cured in this way. Some salt, sugar, dill and a splash of Aquavit is all it takes.

I see our fellow travelers, the Ouseys, are keeping busy with family and grandchildren, but Carolyn called a few days ago, and we were already discussing where we want to go next winter!! They will do some traveling on the Island this summer, and we might do some traveling here in Washington, but the price of gas is causing us to have some second thoughts.

We are sorry to learn that Jeff Schuler’s father passed away earlier this week at the age of 88. These last two Easters and last Christmas have been sad times for us and our friends with the loss of 2 brothers and a father. Jeff and Bev, daughter Debbie and granddaughter, Rebekah, are in Memphis. There was a service today at the Lutheran Church in Germantown that Jeff’s father attended.

I have been doing a bit of quilt work, and a lot of quilt fabric shopping. I have managed to add several pieces of fabric to my collection, and should have enough to finish my current project. Then it is back to the Christmas wall hanging that I abandoned last winter. It needs to be finished for this coming Christmas.

Happy Easter to all. Ciao

Wine Country and home

OK, I'm slowly adjusting to living in a real house again, but I miss the easy motor home life!!

We spent two days at the Prosser Wine Country RV Park so we could visit some of our favorite wineries. It is still early in the season, so lots of the smaller wineries are only open on week ends, but we found plenty to visit. The fruit trees are bursting into bloom, but the grapes are still sleeping. I'm sure they will be showing signs of life within the next few days. One of our favorite wineries is Paradisio del Sol. Their wines are quite good, and you usually have to make your way past the chickens and ducks to get to the house/tasting room. We not only purchased some wine, but a dozen eggs that came in various hues from brown to pale aqua. Tasty.

Craig and Cooper greeted us upon upon our arrival home. As always, Craig had the house as neat as a pin. However, the yard looks like we need a herd of goats. My goal for the coming week is to find someone who is willing to spend about a week around here getting the ivy, the blackberries, and the grass under control. It is more than either Ken or I want to take on. He will be busy with the raised garden beds, and I'll put some effort in to the back patio and the containers.

Most everything looks the same around town. One of our neighbors down on Birch has her home on the market. I figure it is overpriced by about $100,000, but we will wait and see.

We are having Curt, Cinda, Linea, Jerry, Lois, and maybe Jordan and Cliff for dinner next Sunday. It will be fun to see all of them. I haven't even talked to Craig about it, so I don't know if he and/or Cassie and Greta will be here or not. I haven't settled on a menu, but I'm leaning toward a new pork loin recipe I found, and perhaps Greek-style roasted potatoes with lemon and seasonings.

Our calendar is filling up for the next few months. Of course at the top of the list are the various quilt shows and a shop hop for me, but we are expecting Brian and family and their friends the Hoovers for the 4th of July. Then we will probably take the motor home to Motana to meet up with Keith and Janet at their lake property, after which we will go back to Spokane/Davenport for Ken's 50th (50th?!!!) high school reunion. The first week end of August is my high school reunion (45th) in Spokane, and that is also the week end of Ken's Kirkwood family reunion in Oregon. It looks like we will either go our separate ways or set some priorities. And before all of that, the last week end of this month is the opening of fishing season so Ken will make his annual trek to Spokane to fish with Bob Jayne. Oh yes, Rod and Karen are coming through in about a week.

It was one year ago this past week that we lost Pat. So of course my thoughts were particularly focused on him, our family, and memories. I do miss him, but I am thankful his ordeal is over.

Overcast and cloudy is pretty much the order for weather for the coming week. I need SUNSHINE!!

Ciao

A busy week

We did all that was planned in the last blog. Ernie and Jean Perkins came for dinner last Sunday evening, and along with Rod and Karen, we had a great visit. Ernie is recovering from some complications after nose/sinus surgery, and that on the heels of some aggressive radiation for prostate cancer, but he is on the mend.

Ken and Rod spent many hours at the air museum at Hill AFB last week end which is considered one of the best in the country for vintage aircraft. It is fun for us to be able to offer some of these 'little-known gems' to friends. Karen and I made a valiant effort with regard to quilt shops, but had little success.

Last Monday we drove from Hill to Mt. Home AFB which is where we are still with Rod and Karen having left last Wednesday to make their way home. Brian and Sheila had the four of us for dinner on Tuesday evening plus Brian was able to offer another plane opportunity for Rod by taking him over to a hanger for an up close and personal view of the F15.

The trip to Mt. Home proved costly. We discovered one of the duals was flat as we were stopped at a rest stop just east of Mt. Home. In fact, the same dual that went flat in Yuma. But this time it was damage, not a faulty valve, and at the moment, Ken is at Les Schwab getting a new tire. Oh the fun I could have had with the money spent on that one big round black ugly piece of rubber. But again Coach Net, our roadside service, came to the rescue and changed the tire at the rest stop so we could come on in to the base.

On Wednesday, we drove to McCall to spend some time with Brian, Sheila, and the boys at their condo. They went skiing yesterday, and will again today before coming home. We drove up to the lodge yesterday to see the boys on their snowboards. They are quite good except Warren just needs some more weight in order to get up more speed.

Last night was a local hockey game between the Mountaineers of McCall and the team from Sun Valley. This is a sideline for all the players, and in fact there are one or two on the McCall team who are in the Air Force here at Mt. Home. What amazed us was the quality of hockey they played. No fights, just hard and fast skating and checking. McCall won in the last minute of the game!!

Between the last two periods, we were able to chuck a puck. We purchased numbered rubber pucks to be thrown at a small spot on the ice, and if it were to land, and stay on the spot, the thrower would win $150, but no one did. It was fun!! The arena is very nice, and we liked the whole small-town feel of the evening.

There are huge piles of snow all around McCall, and when we got up this morning, our car had about six inches of new snow piled up from the early morning snow. We hurriedly left for Mt. Home, and with some very slow driving in places we made it back. By the time we got to Eagle we were seeing green grass and spring flowers.

We are down to the last few days on the road. We will leave here either tomorrow or Monday and proceed on to the wine country in Washington before we go home. Again, weather will dictate how long we can tarry.

Ciao

Today is Friday, it must be ..........................

Here we are at Hill AFB just north of Salt Lake City. I always feel like we are getting such a great deal when we stay at a Famcamp within the military system because the prices are very reasonable ($14 with full hookups), and I feel very comfortable and “at home”. It was a rather long day today since we drove from St. George, Utah to Ogden. We managed to drive through Salt Lake City right about four o’clock, but fortunately, the traffic moved pretty well. Karen and Rod are still traveling with us, but we will probably go our separate ways after our stay here.

We spent a good number of hours in the car yesterday as we went all the way to Bryce Canyon Park. Ken and I had never seen it, nor had Rod and Karen. But there has been snow in the area, so I feel as if we need to return at a different time of year for yet another perspective. The red rock is spectacular, but I feel it was diminished by the snow. Whereas one looks up to appreciate Zion Park, one must look down to appreciate Bryce.

We have friends from our Navy days in Iceland who live in this area, and we are delighted that they are going to come for dinner on Sunday night. I love the fact that the friendships formed throughout the years in the military never go away, and we can just pick up where we left off.

So it was while we were in St. George. Joan Schultz and her son Danny lived just a block or two from us all the time we lived in San Jose. Danny and Brian were the best of friends, and we have all kept in touch over the years. I did call Joan while we were in St.George, and we had a good visit, but she is a bit under the weather so we did not have an opportunity to see each other. Her son, Danny, who is married and has two teen aged sons is still in the Air Force in Texas but is getting ready to retire and move to the civilian side of health care which is what he has done all of his 20 years in the Air Force.

According to Gary’s blog, he and Carolyn are home and are in the process of moving out of the motor home and into their house. That is major after one has been on the road for almost four months. And before you know it, they will be repacking the MH for their trips around the island and elsewhere over the coming months. I am so overwhelmed at the thought of arriving home within the next two weeks that I am tempted to just park in the driveway and continue to live in the MH.

There is a museum of vintage aircraft here at Hill AFB that Ken and Rod plan to see, and Karen and I are going to seek out every fabric and quilt shop we can find. That, along with any other items of interest in the area. We will probably leave here on Monday with Rod and Karen making their way toward Washington and we toward Mt. Home to see Brian, Sheila and the boys. Ciao

Viva Las Vegas

Hello from Las Vegas. We have been to the strip, and I’ve gambled away my $2 in the penny slots.

We left Foothills West in Casa Grande on Saturday morning and made our way to Bullhead City. Karen found a county park right on the Colorado River which afforded us a great place to stay for two days. We drove across the river to Laughlin for dinner and introduced Rod and Karen to the joys of an In N Out burger and fries.

On Sunday, we drove to the little old mining town of Oatman to see and feed the burros that tromp up and down the street looking for carrots and feed. Oatman is a little like Tombstone; complete with the shoot ‘em up showdown on Main Street, but we quite enjoyed ourselves. We ducked into a little place for a cup of coffee only to encounter a gentleman singing and playing his guitar. I couldn’t resist buying his CD even though I have never heard of him.

On Monday, we covered about 100 miles to settle in at the Famcamp at Nellis AFB. We are in overflow which means we have no hookups, but it is working out just fine since we came in with water and empty tanks. The Spragues are pleased with the performance of their newly added second solar panel, and our generator works just fine. There are warm and clean showers with lots of hot water.

Karen had never seen Las Vegas, and it has been years since Rod was here, so they have walked and gawked for hours on end. We tried to get tickets to see Mama Mia, but they were outlandishly expensive so we passed. Ken and I didn’t spend as much time downtown, but we could see some changes from when we were here last time – which was when Brian and Sheila lived here around 2000.

Jeff and Bev Schuler are going to visit Keith and Janet this Saturday. Bev has been in Washington DC this week for a nursing conference, and Jeff is joining her today. Bev wants lobster so it is lobster and wine at the Kirkwoods on Saturday. Keith and Janet live quite close to where Jeff and Bev lived right after he finished college and was active duty in the army for a while. They haven't seen Janet and the girls since Brian and Sheila's wedding. I think Keith has been in San Jose since then. Wish we could join them.

We are headed out of here either today or tomorrow, depending on the weather in southern Utah, to stay in the St. George area for a day or two to take a look at Bryce and Zion if we can get close. We have a friend, Joan Schultz, from our days in California who lives in Ivans, which is next door to St. George, so we will make it a point to see her.

……..I just got online and the weather looks fine up ahead so we will go!

Ciao

Hey Mike and Mary

Welcome to the Kirkwoods' blog site. You will probably learn more about us than you ever wanted to know.

We like it here! This is a very nice little RV park, and I could see us returning for a longer stay next winter. Unlike so many that we have encountered, this one is not overrun with rules, golfers and their wild golf carts, and "can't or won't dos". The staff is VERY FRIENDLY, and there are no hours for the pool or spa - open for business 24 hours per day. BTW the name is Foothills West and it is located at the very northern edge of Casa Grande off Val Vista.

Yesterday we met Rod and Karen for lunch as they were making their way from Dollbeer Park in Mesa to Beaudry RV in Tucson to attend an Alpenlite rally. They had made one last visit to the Mesa Market and Rod drove a hard bargain to purchase a crimson and gray Cougars blanket for Ken. Now Ken thinks it should be a permanent drape over the back of the sofa - NOT!

Colleen and her new love, Girlie, drove down to visit and have dinner with us yesterday. Girlie is very sweet, smart, alert, and seemingly a bit headstrong. She would bark when other dogs were walked by, but more out of saying, I want to play."


She looks like a small long-haired German Shepherd with very erect high-set pointed ears (think German Shepherd), and the backs of them are as soft and fuzzy as a Koala bear. As is typical of the breed (Belgian Tervuren)her feet are small and look like cat paws. We discovered that the Belgian Malinois has a short coat, so hence the thinking that she is a Tervuren. Since she was originally rescued as a stray near Douglas, AZ, we are wondering if she had an encounter with a bobcat. Our site here at the park as a metal sculptor of one, and Girle barked and growled at it. On the other hand, with her intense yellow eyes and long bushy tail, she sometimes look a bit of a wolf. We quite like her.

Ken put the new screens on the front windows yesterday, and we are delighted with them. They very effectively cut the sunshine and glare, but allow us to clearly see out. It is interesting to see the sunshine on the dash, but still have it cool to the touch.

We plan to go into Phoenix a time or two this week. We want to see Martha one more time before we leave as well as Colleen. Rod and Karen will join us here next Friday night, and then we will make our way toward Laughlin and Las Vegas. We don't have a complete route planned, but have a general idea. However, if it stays cold and wintery up north, I'm stayin' down here!

Ciao

The rains came......

about ten last night, and it has been raining pretty much ever since. I think it is supposed to clear up by tomorrow afternoon, but as of now, Phoenix has received 8/10 of an inch.

We were up at five yesterday morning to get an early start for Yuma because there were threats of strong gusty winds. We made it with no problem, had the screens installed, and did a bit of shopping. While parked at Yuma Palms shopping mall, Ken discovered one of the outer duals was flat. "Hello, Coachnet?" We had someone arrive within a half hour and discover that the problem lay with the valve stem extension, and there was nothing wrong with the tire. So with an adjustment and some air, we were on our way. I used Coach Net one other time to unlock my car and in both cases, we signed our names and were on our way.

We said good by to the Ouseys, but we reminded ourselves that we only live about 100 miles apart, even though it is different countries, and we will get together this summer. They are such good folks and good friends. We have enjoyed our time with them. We have known them for about 30 years thanks to the US and Canadian forces.

Last night we overnighted at the Paradise Casino which is right across the road from Cocopah where we stayed in December. There are rows and rows of plowed dirt roadways separated by dirt berms. We just pulled in and parked. Tried the casino, but it was so smokey, I wouldn't go back. But Ken did and won $50 on a quarter machine. I was more than happy to accept half of his smokey-smelling winnings.

Since we were up at five, we were ready for bed by seven, but made ourselves stay up for a while. We had constant entertainment as we watched the various rigs come in and park for the night. Everything from a 40 foot long Dynasty to a box van with a welded rack on top that was loaded to the gills. Our guess is that is was someone who had just pulled up stakes from his Quartzite shop. He never set foot outside the van, so obviously was able to crawl into the back from the cab. It doesn't take much to entertain us, does it?

We were up at six this morning so we could be first in line at Mr. Goodwrench's place. We dined at McDonalds, shopped at the Yuma Marine Air Station commissary, and made a final quick pass through the Yuma market.

We arrived in Casa Grande about three this afternoon and are parked right across the street from the office and pool and spa. It is a smaller older park with quite a few park models, but friendly staff and everything very neat and attractive.

I can't think for the rain pounding on the roof. Ciao

Last week in Ehrenberg

We will be on the road this coming Friday, and bright and early we will be because we need to be in Yuma before noon to keep an appointment to have sun screens made for the front windows of the motor home. Then on Saturday morning Ken has an appointment to get the motor home lubed and oiled in preparation for the trek home.

We will spend the next week or two in the Phoenix/Tucson area and then start for home. Rod and Karen fly back to Phoenix this Wednesday, and will be attending a rally in Tucson next week. Then we plan to join up to drive part way home together.
I think we are going to try Bryce and/or Zion in Utah. We will go on to Mt. Home to see Brian, Sheila, and the boys before we go on to Steilacoom.

Speaking of which.....Ken stopped to chat with someone who came in to the park today because they had Washington license plates - they are from Steilacoom!

We drove to Lake Havasu City on Saturday to have a look around. Since it was just founded in the early 60s, everything is quite new. There are some huge magnificent homes scattered around the town. I found the only two fabric shops in the town, and we did stop and take a quick look at the London Bridge. I could see us seeking out an RV park to spend a month next winter.

We are still waiting for rain. It was overcast all day but stayed dry.

Ciao