lookin4AMERICA

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

2009-12-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

“Oh there’s no place like home for the Holidays,” is true again this year as we’ve made the trek from our winter home in Desert Hot Springs, CA, to Grass Valley, to celebrate the Christmas holidays with our little hilltop family. We’ll return to the desert by year’s end and we’ll stay there again until the end of April.

We hope you too have a healthy and happy holiday season with lots of friends and family to enjoy.

Before departing the desert for home in April 2009, we negotiated a 5-year lease on an RV site in our favorite resort. The plan was to sell the motorhome and buy a big 5th wheel trailer to leave on the site year-round. Failing that, we would do the same with the motorhome until we could sell it.

To make a long story short, we sold the motorhome quickly after returning home and just as quickly replaced it with a 2006, 36’ Hitchiker Champagne Edition 5th wheel' which fit all of our wants and desires. Considering she had about 18" of counterspace in the motorhome, Judy said, "I've won the lottery", when she saw the kitchen.

We began looking for someone to haul it south as we no longer had our big pickup truck.
Our winter homesite

Kevin’s brother-in-law, Scott Holt, volunteered to tow it to Desert Hot Springs, for us as his truck was already equipped to tow one. In late October, the move took place and we’ve been enjoying our new digs ever since.

Even Mr. Turkey was beautifully done in time for dinner.

We found that Mr. Hitchiker’s furniture not only didn’t suit Ron, but literally crippled him, so none of it is left in the rig. Gone are the uncomfortable swivel recliners and the double recliner sofa. Gone is the mattress on the bed and gone are some of the aches and pains they all caused.

We enjoyed our summer at home and look forward to many more. There’ll be no more summer trips to the Oregon and Washington coast for us, at least not in an RV.

During the weeks that Alex (now almost 8) and Andrew (now 5 and in pre-kindergarten) were in school, Ron enjoyed helping Alex with his homework. Sometimes he even had to call on Judy for assistance and argued with the teachers over some of the work. They both seemed to enjoy doing it together and it was a good thing for both of them.

This year Fire Apparatus Engineer Kevin received a promotion to Fire Captain Kevin, causing many changes for him at work. We’re very proud of his continued achievement in the Fire Service.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Laurie’s employment came to an end in December. Her job search proved fruitless and, being unable to continue to support herself and Granddaughter Danielle, they are moving back to California, and will live in our home—by themselves in the Winter when we’re in the desert, and with us during the spring and summer—until she can find employment and get back firmly on her own two feet. This story is just one of many thousands like it being played out across the country as the horrible recession rolls on. Nobody’s happy with these situations but they are what they are and having our whole clan back atop Possumtrot Hill will, if nothing else, prove interesting.

Finally, our first Pug, 12-year old Rowdy, passed away at the beginning of summer. He was totally deaf and partially blind but in no discomfort. Old age finally caught up with him and he went peacefully in his sleep one night. Though having vowed to not get another dog when the Pugs were gone, we are now living with TAG (Tagalong), another Pug, who turned 7-months old at the beginning of this month. Ron has used the techniques of Cesar Millan, “The Dog Whisperer” who has a weekly show by that name on the National Geographic Channel. If you aren’t a fan of this program please watch it at least once, as this guy Cesar is truly a magician. Anyway, Ron has trained TAG since he was just 3 month old and the results are quite amazing. He comes, sits, shakes hands, fetches, drops and waits at the door for you to go in or out before him—most of the time. More so with Ron than Judy, but that’s another story. So we’ve “Given our hearts to a dog to tear,” again and are putting up with the antics of a very energetic and active puppy. He really enjoys watching the birds feeding at the window.

Life is good. What more can we say, other than to hope the same is true for you and yours.

God bless you and yours in 2010. It should be an interesting year.

Nevada County AirFest 2009

2009-07-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Nevada County Air Fest
7/11/2009

The semi-annual air-show/fly-in/aviation buff gathering took place today; a pleasantly warm beautiful summer day. Strangely, by the end of the afternoon, heavy clouds had moved in and some very lit sprinkles began falling.

During the event a small wildfire broke out south of Grass Valley and the California Department of Forestry Air-Attack Base went into action, dispatching two air-tankers, one air-attack director plane, and a helicopter. While the Air-Attack base is operating on a fire the runway is closed to all other traffic.

Here the CDF Helicopter heads off for the fire.

I distinctly remember the first such events more than 20 years ago when it was very small and lightly attended. Private aircraft owners from around Northern California, flew to Grass Valley then for a pancake breakfast and to give the public an opportunity to ogle their planes.

Now, it is quite a large event with public attendance in the low thousands and many airplanes of distinction. This year’s celebration centered around World War II fighters and they were very well represented by the visiting and local aviators. Many spotless restorations that looked far better than they did when new were on hand to see and discuss with their owners. Others were in various stages of restoration but all were flyable.

This T-6 trainer and the other companion were glowing brilliantly in the warm sunshine.

Rides were available, for a fee, in a beautifully restored twin-engine Cessna in Marine livery. It looked

like an “e-ticket” ride as the pilot put the plane through nearly vertical climbs, nearly knife-edge turns, and incredibly low passes down the runway at high speed. It was fun to watch.

Watching the old warbirds caused me to reflect on how noisy a battlefield must have been with guns firing from the air and ground, bombs bursting, and the earsplitting sound of hundreds of these powerful engines screaming through the air. Just 5 or 6 or them created noise so great that conversation on the ground was impossible as they flew over.

This elegantly restored P-51 Mustang was so shiny it was like a mirror. General Chuck Yeager, our famous neighbor, flew just such a plane in Europe and was the first flyer in history to shoot down a jet-powered airplane from Hitler's Luftwaffa.

I met some of the guys in the local Radio Control Model Airplane Club and they invited me to join them on Sunday mornings to learn how to fly my plane. After my first such plane crashed on its maiden flight I’ve been afraid to take its replacement out of the box. They friendly guys assured me they could teach me to fly well enough to be able to enjoy it. I’ll surely take them up on their generous offer.

The RC flyers gave some amazing demonstrations of their hobby including an air race featuring three planes flying faster than 150 actual mph. These model pilots are really highly skilled and it was amazing and exciting to watch.

Since our home lies directly beneath the downwind leg to the airport we continued to enjoy the action from our comfortable deck after returning home.

It was fun to see and hear but also nice when peace returned to Possumtrot Hill.

Our Work is Done

2009-06-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

A PLATTER TOO FULL

Prior to leaving Desert Hot Springs this year we made several significant decisions. The first involved leasing an RV space at Desert Pools Resort for the next five years. We had been spending most of every winter there for the past three years and found the area to be very enjoyable and, in addition, we had developed some wonderful friendships with both staff members and members.

Prior to cementing this decision we decided it would be wise to sell our motorhome as our intention was to leave our RV at the resort year-round. The thought of that wonderful diesel engine and all of the other mechanicals just moldering away to no good use seemed wasteful. It seemed more logical to sell it to someone who could continue to enjoy it traveling wherever. We also realized that in this shaky economy that could be difficult to do.

If we could sell the motorhome we would set about shopping for a large 5th wheel trailer to leave on our site. We don't intend to buy a vehicle to tow this rig but, rather, simply use it as our winter home.

The final decision was about repairing the deck on the rear of our Grass Valley home. We had put off making this happen for 5 years or more and we realized that further delay was downright dangerous.

On the very first day of demolition the contractor announced that there was nothing to save in the old structure. Thirty-plus years of hot summers and cold wet winters had taken their toll so, rather than a major repair we were faced with a complete replacement. Jimmy Buffet said it, “Breathe in, Breath out, Move ON. It was a big hit to the check book but there really was absolutely no alternative. With most of the deck removed we had a two-story drop to the ground below. So onward and upward the deck was replaced in about 3 weeks time.

In the meantime we were receiving enquiries about the motorhome based on our advertisements on Craig’s List and RV Trader.com. In the first three weeks we had two couples actually come to Grass Valley to see it. The second immediately fell in love and it was obvious they would buy it if they could figure out the money angle. They said it was a stretch but, it was also just what they wanted.

They returned to see the coach on three occasions, making an offer on their final visit. I had hinted at the price I wanted and they agreed it was fair. Phew, the motorhome was sold.

While overseeing the deck construction and monitoring and responding to the action on our motorhome advertising, I spent uncounted hours scouring the internet for 5th wheel trailers for sale in the western United States. I had several criterion: it had to be big and roomy, well equipped, in excellent condition, and built by a quality builder with a good reputation amongst owners. It also had to be a virtual straight trade for what we were able to get for our motorhome.

Placing those parameters into our search significantly limited our choices. Towards the end of the second week of our motorhome advertising a 5th wheel showed up that seemed to meet all of our needs and desires. It was big (36’ long), it was roomy (4 slide out rooms), it was loaded with equipment and features (even a fireplace and automatic patio awning), it appeared to be in beautiful condition, and it was built by one of the foremost builders in the country.

When shopping for a used item you must be ready to strike when you find what you’re looking for or you may end up settling for something less. With that in mind Judy and I drove to see this trailer and it was everything we hoped to find. It was just as advertised. It had showed up in my searches due to a rather large price reduction after being advertised for six months with no action. I believe we were the first to actually go and see it. The owner indicated they were absolutely firm at the new advertised price and I simply told him we didn’t have that much to put into it. After a half-hour conversation with his wife he called back saying, “We don’t want to sell it at that price but we will.”

Judy was understandably concerned that we had not seen any other trailers but agreed there was nothing more that we could want and probably no better value than this trailer. Our bid, after all was below low blue book on the rig. On top of that, she looked at that big roomy kitchen and said, "I've won the lottery." The kitchen area in our motorhome as very small.

It's also amazing that this trailer has more cupboards and cabinets than we could ever fill. Everywhere you look there are places to put stuff. Ten drawers in the bedroom, for example, plus a wardrobe that is 8' wide, a linen cabinet, and a house-size hang up closet in the hall providing a great spot for brooms, vacuums, etc.

We agreed to buy the rig and the deal was done. The owner moved it to the RV park at our County Fairgrounds and we lived in it for a week exercising all of the systems. Everything worked perfectly without a single glitch. We are happy as clams at high tide with our decision.

So, finally, the motorhome is sold, our new deck is finished and is absolutely gorgeous, and we have our new winter home for the desert. “Breath in, Breath out, Move On.” It all happened much faster than we could ever have hoped and life can now return to normal.

We’ll have the trailer moved to the desert in October of this year and, in the meantime, visit it in the storage yard in which it is stored, loading stuff into it that we need down south.

We’ve definitely done our part in stimulating the economy in the past six weeks. We provided employment for four construction workers, we added to the coffers of the State and County through taxes, and gave some significant financial breathing room to another married couple.

At times it seemed like just too much was happening but it all worked out in the end. Additionally, I believe we ended up on the positive end of the whole thing.

Now I think I'll take a little time to just kick back and enjoy the olde hotte tubb.

Geocaching to a FAULT

2009-03-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful Spring morning here on the desert, we went Geocaching again into an area in which we had never been before. The 4-wheel drive road took us into and through the infamous San Andreas Fault, north of Palm Springs. The jumbled and tortured landscape resembled that of the San Jacinto Fault, one of the subjects of the blog post that precedes this one.

We searched for 7 caches but found only 4; which merely means we’ve more fun to have when we return for a second look.

It suddenly occurred to me that, given the very recent shaking on the southern end of the San Andreas Fault, beneath the surface of the Salton Sea, might make being in this area a little foolhardy. It was getting quite warm by that point anyhow, so we packed it in and called it a day.

Geocaching continues to be an enjoyable hobby. I may even teach a course next year at one of the parks in which we stay.

Geocaching amongst the Prehistoric Monsters in Borrego Springs, CA.

2009-03-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

We’re still enjoying the geocaching hobby in which we use gps coordinates to locate hidden “caches” all over the place. It’s fun, it’s somewhat of a technical challenge, it gets one out of doors, and it takes you to places you might never have visited otherwise. In this photo I’m actually contemplating whether it’s worth the physical pain to walk across that little wash in search of a nearby cache.

Last week, in pursuit of more “treasures” we took a 90 mile (one-way) trip to Borrego Springs, CA, a tiny community located about 30 miles due west of the center of the Salton Sea. Driving to Borrego Springs from the Salton Sea you pass through the San Jacinto earthquake fault. This fault is the most active branch of the infamous San Andreas fault that runs just ½ mile from the RV resort in which we live all winter.

The scene going through the fault is the most amazingly folded and crumpled piece of geography that a have ever seen and to realize that this damage occurred in one primary upheaval is truly frightening. Deep canyons and towering bluffs make it almost a lunar landscape.

Today, people who enjoy off-road vehicles enjoy the many trails that snake in and around these formations in the Anza-Borrego State Off-Road vehicle park and campgrounds.

Our trip this far to geocache was augmented by our wish to see the fabulous statues erected in the area of animals that inhabited this area in prehistoric times. They are life-size and beautifully crafted. The odd elephant-like creatures in the photo above are named Gomphotheriums.

In the case of the bird below, the artist displays the mythical bird known as the “ROC”. The bird was supported by metal poles, that have been removed in this photograph for effect.

The weather this day was wonderful with a temperature around 80 degrees and light winds. It was a wonderful and informative outing in which we located 7 more geocaches.

Snow where it belongs

2009-02-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

Following the passage of the weather front that brought three days of welcome rain, the skies cleared allowing us to see how low the snow level was. It’s really neat to see the horizontal line, where the storm transitioned from rain to snow, so vividly revealed. That’s Mt. San Jacinto, the summit of which is just over 10,000’ above sea-level. The snow line is right around 4,000’. That’s the lowest we’ve seen it in the years we’ve spent here. We are told that it was much lower in the storms that happened while we were home for Christmas.

Another cold storm is forecast for this weekend and that will certainly add to the snowpack and might even lower the snow level.

In the brisk wind that followed the storm’s passing the hundreds of wind generators that spill out of the Banning Pass along Interstate 10, to nearly the city limits of Palm Springs were making electricity. Though not pretty, they are interesting to watch as the spin slowly around.

If you look closely just to the left of the light standard in this shot, you’ll see a snazzy private jet flying the last seconds of its approach to Palm Springs International Airport. Maybe it’s the CEO of General Motors coming to town for a couple rounds of golf.

We are still complaining about the much cooler weather though it hasn’t stopped us from enjoying the hot mineral pools every afternoon. Ahhhhh, life is good.

2009-02-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

I suppose it’s only human nature to hope that the long episode of marvelous summer-like weather we’ve enjoyed would continue. So far, this winter’s temperatures have averaged well above normal. For example, the average daily hi temperature for Palm Springs at this time of the year is 72 degrees F., and we’ve had day after day at 80 or above.

Well, reality struck last Saturday, as a cold storm (relative to what we had been enjoying) moved into Southern California and brought some rain with it. It didn’t add up to much over the weekend, only .23” of rain but the big change was in the temperatures…much lower temperatures. Today our hi was only in the low 50’s and the storm brought a beautiful rainbow and another .25” of rain with winds up to 50 mph or so. Now I know if your are where the temps have plummeted to zero or below you’re laughing at my complaining about 50 degree days. If, however, you haven’t worn anything other than shorts for 6 weeks, it is COLD.

About ½” of rain is a good start to greening the desert and bringing on the explosion of Spring wildflowers we so enjoy seeing.

A neighbor left for home and forgot their bird feeder in the tree at the front of their place. Judy moved it to our space and we’ve enjoyed watching the yellow finches and other little birds hanging all over it. It’s just a tub of woven material and the birds just stick their beaks into one of the holes in the weave and extract a seed. We have seen as many as 9 birds on it at one time.

A Wonderful Holiday

2009-01-19T16:27:00.000-08:00

Here’s a post that does have pictures. It’s the Martin Luther King Holiday and we’ve just been kickin’ back doing not much of anything, here at Catalina Spa and RV resort.

That’s our motorhome at the center of the picture between the trees. Today may be the last of our 80+ degree days and we’ve taken advantage of it.

It was obvious at sunrise this morning that a lot of moisture had penetrated here in the southern desert with a slight haze softening the view of Mt. San Jacinto. Sunrise is one of our favorite times of day as we watch the light paint the side of that magnificent peak. Though cool at sunrise—about 61 degrees—the temperature quickly rose through the 70’s again bringing many of the residents here in the park to the swimming pools. If you look closely at the panorama below of one of the two swimming pools, you can see a water volley ball game in progress.

I don’t care where you are, or what today’s weather brought for you, these photos sure look inviting.

The day came to a resounding end with this magnificent sunset.

Today is a gift, that's why it's called the PRESENT

2009-01-18T12:58:00.000-08:00

No pictures this time because we really haven't been anywhere or done anything of interest. That will change soon as we have some small adventures on the schedule. Next week, for example, we'll do a little Geocaching. There are lots of brand new caches in the area that sound like fun.

In the meantime, it's Sunday and football playoffs--Go Cardinals and Steelers--in case you're wondering where my loyalties lie.

We are really growing weary over all of the over-the-top adulation being layered on our new President, Mr. Obama. Have you read any of the polls and heard the expectations of some of the people interviewed. Some of them fully expect the government to pay their mortgage and give them the deed to their home. Holy cats, it seems we've created a monster that cannot but fail in meeting the expectations of the masses.

Well, I still think one of the funniest sites on the internet is the police blotter from home and I've culled a couple of cuties from a recent edition for your amusement. I wouldn't change them for one entry in the LA's police blotter. Here they are:

Grass Valley Police Department

Thursday A caller from the 300 block of South Auburn Street reported youths on the roof. They were released to their parents.

A woman from the 400 block of Maryland Drive reported her dog was being taken care of by a friend and was missing. The dog was described as a lab-terrier mix named Toby Keith, wearing an army collar with stars.

Friday

A woman from the 800 block of Old Tunnel Road reported hearing someone knocking on her front door and window.2:44 a.m. —

A caller from the 400 block of Pine Street reported a man crawling on his hands and feet near a pontoon boat, possibly looking into vehicles.

Nevada County Sheriff’s Office

Thursday

A caller from Greenhorn Creek reported numerous people shooting in the area. The people were advised not to trespass.

A woman from the 10000 block of School Street reported possible squatters on her neighbor’s property who were very loud at all times of the day.

A woman from the 29000 block of Highway 49 reported drunken people on her property were refusing to leave. She agreed to leave for the night, and the other people would leave in the morning.

Friday

Nevada CityPolice Department

Thursday

A caller from Highway 49 and Uren Street reported a woman “flapping around, trying to fly.” She could not be located.

It's a horrible crime wave at home.

I hope you are all well (we saw our desert doctors last week and nothing bad was found) and happy. Like everyone on the West Coast we've enjoyed a week of absolutely marvelous weather with hi's in the 80's and lows in the 50's. When the sun goes down, though, it gets cool really fast making sitting outside in the evening something for long pants and jackets. It's great, though.

2009-01-08T08:10:00.001-08:00

It has been said, “When life deals you a lemon, make lemonade.” It’s been a precept I’ve attempted to follow through all of the many unwelcome health issues with which I have struggled for the past 35 years or so. Sometimes the lemonade was sweet, sometimes a little sour, but looking for the bright side of any adversity has always seemed more rewarding than dwelling on pain, discomfort, or limitation.

Well, another lemon rolled our way yesterday as we were traveling to Carefree, AZ, to visit our friend Sue who, together with her late husband Dave, we first met on our Mexico RV train adventure. About halfway there we stopped to stretch our legs and walk around a bit. I left the motorhome and stood on the curbside in the chilly morning air. Suddenly I noticed a large shiny puddle growing under the diesel engine at the rear of our coach. Smelling a bit of it on my finger confirmed it was diesel fuel and it was leaking quite rapidly. Where we stopped was right in front of a place advertising diesel truck repairs but when we approached the surly mechanic he informed us he would not work on a motorhome under any circumstances. I was finally able to convince him to at least look at the engine from the rear. He too confirmed a fuel leak from somewhere high up on the engine and said he wouldn’t drive the coach anywhere.

Soooo, for the second time since we’ve owned the RV we called our roadside service company and arranged for a tow to a garage in Quartzite, AZ. That was a 27 mile trip back in the direction from which we had just come. The leak was discovered at about 11:00 a.m. but, due to the lengthy delay in getting a big rig flatbed tow truck to us, getting all loaded, and traveling the miles, it was nearly 5 p.m. by the time we were unloaded at the mechanic’s garage.

He came aboard, lifted our bed to get to the engine, and found we had blown a hole in a fuel line leading to one of the fuel injectors. He said a special part would have to be fabricated in Blythe, CA (another 25 miles west), the next day as the fuel line had a special fitting on the end of it.

Today the new line was installed and we were able to get back on the road but, due to another commitment, we had to cancel our Carefree trip altogether. All in all it was a simple minor repair but had a large effect on our plans. We’re both sorry to have not been able to complete that part of our trip and visit with Sue. Unforeseen circumstances have now stopped us from completing that trip twice in the past 5 months.

Now, what was all that stuff about lemonade? Well, during the tow for those 27 miles we were able to achieve an infinite miles per gallon of fuel. Even more meaningful is that had we not stopped to take that break we could have ended up with a serious fire in the engine compartment which, given our being in the middle of nowhere, would probably have resulted in the total destruction of the coach and our Jeep we tow behind us. Given that scenario it could even have been worse ending in injury to us or worse. So once again that angel was sitting on our shoulders taking care of us and serving a big frosty glass of lemonade.

Thank you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS IN GRASS VALLEY

2008-12-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

I don't imagine many people are wishing for a whiter Christmas than what most of the country has received this year. Yet, this morning our world has again turned white. We awoke to rain and sleet that quickly turned to heavy snow and, almost instantly, all of the ground that had been revealed disappeared beneath a blanket of new white. Here's a small album of photos taken this morning in our front and back yards.

Here atop our mountain is the home of our nearest neighbor. They are also snowbirds usually at Sky Valley this time of the year.

The sign reads, "Swimsuits optional beyond this point" but, thankfully, the hot tub isn't operating at this time of the years or there would be goose pimples on places not accustomed to them.

Looking east from our deck towards the peaks of the High Sierra Nevadas in a brief sunbreak.

Another brief shaft of sunlight highlights our backyard.

Judy and I hope you've had a wonderful and meaningful Christmas this year.

A Firefighter's Family Christmas

2008-12-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

WE Wii’d THE NIGHT AWAY!

Holiday schedules become very flexible when a family member works in emergency services. Our son Kevin, as almost all of the readers of this blog know, is an officer in our largest fire department. As often as not, his schedule ends up with him working on many of the major holidays, and this year was no exception.

In depth negotiations with Santa Claus resulted in a special delivery several days early so the whole family could celebrate the holiday together. Therefore, Tuesday, Dec. 23rd became our Christmas.

A little more snow fell throughout the day, ending before sundown. Our unplowed road is rapidly turning into an icy downhill slide as the white stuff gets packed down hard on the gravel. Only the hearty are venturing out until those conditions improve substantially.

Last year we had the pleasure of having our daughter Laurie and Granddaughter here from North Carolina but this year, with the economy being as tough as it is, they stayed home. We missed their smiling faces around the dinner table this year. Dinner was wonderful though repeated attempts to get the two boys to make nice faces were a complete failure. We settled on a nice picture of we four adults with the two munchkins doing what they felt like doing.

A very generous Santa delivered a Wii fit video game system to Kevin and Dodi’s boys and, when they all arrived at our house that evening for Christmas Dinner and our gifting, they brought it along with them. What a lot of fun. We bowled, raced, played baseball and laughed and shouted at successes and failures alike. I can clearly see why the Wii is so popular.

Waking on the morning of Christmas Eve, we discovered that Mother Nature was doing her thing again and moderate snow was falling. The trees looked as though they had been dusted with powdered sugar.

Oh the First Snowfall of the Winter

2008-12-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

Let it snow, let it snow…….OH JUST STOP IT!

The first snowstorm happened before we returned home and the second one arrived last night, lasting into this morning.

Though we didn’t measure, it appeared we had something like 10” on the ground when we got here and another 5” or so fell overnight. Now we have 12 or `13” on the flat after some of the original compressed down.

In recent years our snow accumulation has been pretty light but this year's weather forecasts, out through the first of the year, look like Grass Valley will keep this snow around for a while.

More storms are forecast to arrive starting Saturday night, DEC 20th lasting through all of next week with some precip arriving each day. Some of that will be snow and some of it rain but it makes for a rather soggy holiday in Grass Valley.

Old Rowdy ventured out in the white stuff today and didn’t think much of it. I can just imagine how that cold white stuff felt on his belly and other stuff located in that area. Brrrrrrrr!

The Christmas cookie baking began today making the inside of our home smell wonderful with brown sugar, vanilla, and sugar odors filling the air. In the bath, however, the smell is of Ben Gay for my joints that ache in the stormy weather.

We're at home for Christmas

2008-12-17T16:17:00.001-08:00

Home again, home again, jiggity jig:

We celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary driving north on State Highway 99, from Desert Hot Springs to Grass Valley. That trip is nearly 600 miles and that’s a long days drive.

When we awoke yesterday morning the heavy rains of the previous day and evening had come to an end and the day was washed in brilliant sunshine. Nearly an inch of vitally important rain had fallen in the previous day and while there was still great concern in the areas that had been stripped of all their vegetation in the recent wildfires, no large movements of mud were reported on the morning news.

Snow had fallen quite heavily on the high desert around Yucca Valley, Lancaster, and Apple Valley and, of course on the mountains around the Palm Springs area. The mountains are always beautiful but dressed in winter white they are at their best.

In California’s central valley we encountered several hours of rain showers while driving through. As we approached Grass Valley on Highway 49, we began to see snow on the shoulders of the road. It increased as we rose up the mountains until the ground was totally covered with something less than one foot all over town.

Of even a bigger shock to our systems, however, was the temperatures which stood at about 26 F downtown…..brrrrrrrr. After a month and a half down in the 70’s and 80’s of the desert if felt like we had stepped into a freezer.

In this morning’s early light we drew the drapes and got our first good look at a magically white winter wonderland. The bird feeder on the deck was decorated with what looked like a huge cotton ball while the icicles dripped from the rain gutters.
Judy immediately set about decorating for Christmas and, by the end of day one, the tree was up, full of lights and our heirloom ornaments. The potpourri pot is bubbling, the village is on the mantel, and the only cds in the player are those containing Christmas favorites such as Mannheim Steamroller (we were fans long before Rush Limbaugh discovered them) and Ray Charles.)
The grandsons arrived after school and found it a little hard to understand why Grandma only had package cookies and none of the wonderful home-baked Christmas confections their taste buds were remembering. Life’s lessons continue to be learned.
Grandma tried explaining that everything would be done in its time but I don’t think they really understood.
So, we’re home for Christmas. The weather guy, by the way, says we’ve many more snowy days on the horizon so it seems certain that Christmas will be white.

More Merriment

2008-12-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

I was struck the other day with the thought that the desert environment we live in is much more like the conditions into which the Christ Child was born. Bethlehem is and was in the desert with palm trees and other prickly things. The vision of a white Christmas, with sleighs and evergreens, is purely European and American.

But even here on the desert, far away from home and family, the joy and excitement that is the Christmas Season do infect us. It’s true that most of us don’t get carried away with decorations in our restricted-space homes on wheels, but we still decorate. Some even find creative uses for the desert cacti and palm trees found everywhere around us.

In fact, some folks, mainly those who staff these resorts during the whole winter, do go all out—nearly over the top—in exterior holiday décor.

Of course the resort at which we stay has been fully decorated with animals made from the dry end of palm fronds decorating every street post and all of the various buildings sporting icicle lights and other decorations. One of the differences between these displays and typical commercial efforts is that these were all thought of, designed, and created and installed by the volunteer workers who staff these places in exchange for rent or having to move after a set number of days. They are a hard working group and did a great job on the decorations this year. The penguins sliding down the faux snow slope are especially cute.
Here at our house, Knute the polar bear (Yeah, named after what was the little orphan bear in Germany) sits proudly at the front of our yard greeting all who pass. The candy cane lights around him glow nicely in the dark.

Inside our little home we have our miniature tree with politically and environmentally correct LED lights and, since we normally hit the sack around ten, we have no problem complying with the resort’s request to extinguish holiday lights by eleven p.m.

The “Holly” channel on our XM Satellite radio is capable of playing Christmas music 24/7 and Forest our Alaskan Bear sits in the driver’s seat wearing his Christmas outfit—a Santa hat and his tee shirt from North Pole Alaska.

Oh yes, we’re very Christmassy – Christmassie – Christmassee – oh whatever. We’ve no place to store gifts so our clothes end up in plastic bags stuffed under the bed, but we work around the situation. The packages for back east have all been shipped and due to arrive any day now. Our stockings will be hung with care but that will have to wait until we journey back to our very own chimney in Grass Valley. There Judy will fill the house with the cherished decorations we’ve collected over the years and the wonderful smells of Christmas--cookies, pumpkin pie, apple cider, turkey, and who could forget—SWEDISH MEATBALLS.

The grandsons will visit with sugarplums dancing in their eyes, certainly not prepared for the disappointment of opening a package with a shirt or pair of pants inside. They’re still at the age when they believe all gifts should be things to play with. Underpants as gifts are just one of life’s hard lessons. Growing up is tough. Those cookies will soften the blow at least in part and they’ll look back and remember the warmth and love of Christmas at Grandma’s house.

Oh yeah, it’ll be Christmas 2008 at our home whether here or there.

Though not a Christmas picture at all, we came upon this scene in the resort with Mt. San Jacinto backlighted by the setting sun. Really pretty, don't you think?

Heading Home for Christmas?

2008-12-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

Having been here in the Southwest for a month and a half, our activities are now focused on returning to Grass Valley, for the Christmas Holidays. As things stand now, on the 10th of December, our departure, scheduled for next Tuesday, the 16th, is in some doubt as a large, cold storm is headed for California. It’s due to arrive this weekend and persist into much of next week. For much of the state it will bring some much needed rain, but in the mountains snow is anticipated to quite low elevations.

The plan is to leave the motorhome in storage here on the desert and drive home in the Jeep.

We’ll keep a very close eye on the situation and may have to delay our departure or cancel our trip altogether, depending on the severity and duration of the storm. Yeah, Laurie, it looks like this year you could have had a white Christmas in Grass Valley. You also may have had to enjoy it without us.

We’ve just had a couple of the very windy days for which Desert Hot Springs is known. When you are located adjacent to hundreds of wind generators you have to expect some windy days. For the remainder of this week, as we await the arrival of the storm mentioned above, we’ll have lovely, warm weather.

This past weekend we attended the Indio International Tamale Festival along with our friends Lyle and Marge Hacke and an estimated 99,996 others. There were tamales of every size, shape, and filling imaginable—fruit tamales—pork, beef, chicken, turkey, cheese, and vegetarian. If you couldn’t find something that tickled your taste buds, there was something wrong with your buds.

Cynical Ron wondered if the latino guys loitering around the Border Patrol recruiting trailer were legal or not. He also was amused by a group of police officers enjoying a pleasant conversation with each other while the odor of marijuana drifted through the air around them. I guess it demonstrated that what law was being enforced was very selectively chosen.

It was a beautiful warm afternoon around 80 degrees with wall to wall sunshine and the crowd was well behaved.

Thanksgiving Greetings

2008-11-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving morning we give thanks for the rains of the past two days that have significantly dampened a water-starved Southern California. Apparently there was not enough rain to cause the mudslides in the recent burn areas that so concerned local officials and residents. The sound of the raindrops on the roof awakened us numerous times overnight.

If you happened to spend the night at an altitude above 7000’ the precipitation was of a much quieter variety, falling as a light snow. When the clouds parted this morning we could see the snow-covered peak of Mt. San Jacinto, towering over Palm Springs.

For the past several years we have joined others here in the resort for Thanksgiving dinner in the dining hall at the recreation center. The problem is that we really enjoy turkey dinner and, more importantly, the leftovers after the dinner is done. The warmed up dinners on the days following the holiday, the turkey sandwiches, and the turkey “hash” to finish it off, are all favorites. Also, it’s such a traditional dinner that certain flavors and textures are expected and, while other people’s cooking can be very tasty, it’s not the same as what “MOM ALWAYS MADE.”

Therefore, Judy began the early morning by baking her version of a delicious traditional pumpkin pie.

Soon the turkey will go into the convection/microwave oven. Judy’s main concern is a lack of stove burners and cooking pots and dishes for all of the other stuff.

We’re a little light in the seasonal decorations department—we don’t have a lot of room to store that kind of stuff—but Mr. Turkey and some colorful imitation Fall leaves have decorated our mantel (think dashboard) for the past week and all of that will be replaced with Christmas decorations next week. Hey, you have to go all out no matter where you are, don’t you?

By the time dinner was done and being served Ron was ravenously hungry from the wonderful smells of dinner cooking and totally forgot to take more pictures.

Suffice it to say, the dinner was terrific and, in spite of a few small disasters in the tiny kitchen, went off without a hitch. Judy said, “That went very well. We’ll definitely do this again next year.

One of the best parts was enjoying the whole thing again a few nights later and the wonderful turkey sandwiches for lunch.

The Fall decorations will remain up for a few days before we put them away for another year and, though we’ll be heading home for Christmas, we do have a tree, an inflatable bear for outside, some rope lights that look like candy cane and other stuff that we’ll deploy until we put the coach in storage for a couple of weeks.

THE POLICE BLOTTER

2008-11-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

The story of how we came to live in the little historic gold mining town of Grass Valley, Ca, bears telling.

Back in the mid-70’s I worked with a married couple one of whom had parents who lived in Grass Valley. They would frequently take a few days off and visit them and return with wonderful stories about this neat little town.

We, at the time, were living in a city/suburb of Los Angeles or Orange County, take your pick, and were not happy with the conditions there for raising our two kids. Thus we were open to ideas of places to which to move and Grass Valley was one option we investigated.

We subscribed to the one-and-only Grass Valley newspaper, mainly for the real estate ads of property for sale but also to get a better feel for the community. One day the paper contained an article about a vehicle accident in town. It seems the town had hired a motorcycle cop who came equipped with his own motorcycle fully rigged as a police vehicle. On that particular day he spotted what he believed to be a stolen car. He hit the red lights and chased the car through town. The car driver turned up a street the policeman knew to be a steep uphill dead end. “Ha, ha,” he thought, I’ve got you cornered now. As he rounded the corner to head up the hill he was faced with the fact that the car he had been chasing was now backing down the hill at high speed and heading directly for him. He managed to jump clear of the motorcycle before the car ran over the motorcycle, destroying it. The driver then drove off and escaped.

Well, being used to big city news this story really touched my funny bone and I told Judy that we had to go there and see this place. Shortly thereafter, an ad appeared for a new house that sounded like just what we were looking for so we packed up the kids after school and headed for the Gold Country. We bought a home on that trip and moved there in July of 1977,

Our home turned out to be just a mile away from the local airport where the California Department of Forestry operated an airbase with firefighting air tankers. Since it was summer and they were flying frequently I decided to buy a police scanner so we could know where they were going. It was an enjoyable and informative piece of equipment and we would listen to the fire channels during the day and the local police in the evening.

One evening the police dispatcher reported a man in kilts walking down the mainstreet of the downtown area. The police responded and soon reported they were “unable to locate anyone on stilts.” She corrected them and they continued their search. Shortly thereafter they reported a guy in a skirt behind the local department store who was, “either relieving himself or abusing himself.” All of us listening in our little house doubled over with laughter.

Anyone who came into town on a motorcycle was suspected to belong to the Hell’s Angels and would be followed closely by uniformed officers in a police cruiser until he or she left the city limits. That scanner was a great source of amusement.

Now here we are spending half of our lives back in Southern California, not too far from the greater Los Angeles area. We watch the television news from LA and it is replete with shootings, rapes, muggings. Why we even had a shootout in one of our local Toys r Us stores here near Palm Springs on the day after Thanksgiving in which two gang-bangers managed to kill each other while endangering several hundred innocent shoppers in the store. This is serious stuff and no where near as much fun as the news from home. I read today’s Grass Valley newspaper online this morning and wanted to share, for your comparison, their column entitled, “The Police Blotter.” I really miss the crime of Grass Valley.

So here are some actual selections taken from the “Police Blotter” from today’s GrassValley newspaper.

Grass Valley Police Department

Sunday9:22 a.m. — A caller from East Main Street at Idaho-Maryland Road reported someone just went the wrong way on the roundabout.

12:19 p.m. — A caller from the 100 block of Normandy Court reported being in an accident and exchanging names and telephone numbers with the other party. However, when the number was called to get insurance information, it had been disconnected.

12:47 p.m. — A caller from the 1100 block of East Main Street reported a physical fight. One of the people involved had blood on his face.

1:29 p.m. — A woman from a business on the 700 block of Taylorville Road reported the vehicle next to hers in the parking lot had hit her vehicle. The damage was not found to match that vehicle, however.

3:21 p.m. — A caller from the 400 block of Mill Street reported a stolen bicycle.

3:28 p.m. — A caller from Morgan Ranch Drive reported several youths skateboarding in the street, with a Toyota Tacoma following behind them, swerving back and forth.

3:56 p.m. — A man across from Memorial Park reported he was assaulted after a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.

Monday
3:18 a.m. — A caller from the 400 block of Henderson Lane reported a diesel truck was running and making noise.Nevada County Sheriff’s Office

Sunday
10:59 a.m. — A caller from a veterinary clinic in Loomis reported a man from the 24000 block of Restive Way had been in with his dog, which had been shot by a neighbor. The man was threatening to shoot his neighbor.

4:13 p.m. — A caller from the 16000 block of Nomad Way reported a goat was “screaming, jumping, drooling, laying down.” It appeared to be in distress. (I love this one)

5:18 p.m. — A woman from the 10000 block of Carli Way reported being harassed by a man to whom she owes $800. He keeps coming to her residence because she has not paid him.

5:58 p.m. — A woman from the 22000 block of St. Helena Drive reported her daughter moved in while she was gone and refuses to leave.

8:21 p.m. — A man from the 16000 block of Duggans Road reported a woman was hitting him in the stomach and throwing things at him.9:20 p.m. — A caller from a business in the 16000 block of Penn Valley Drive reported a fight in front of the business.

11:16 p.m. — A woman from the 12000 block of Banner Lava Cap Road reported something was “being hit against her door.”

Monday

4:55 a.m. — A caller from Highway 174 and Greenhorn Access reported horses in the roadway, but sheriff’s deputies were unable to locate the horses. A woman from Orchard Springs Road called at 6 a.m. to report she had the horses blocked in with her car. The horses were returned to their owner.Nevada City Police Department

Monday

12:59 a.m. — A caller from the 200 block of Commercial Street reported an accident with a white SUV leaving the scene. A be-on-the-lookout advisory was issued for a white SUV with tinted windows and a sun roof, with possible front-end damage on the passenger side.— Liz Kellar

GRASS VALLEYFIRE DEPARTMENT

The Grass Valley Fire Department responded to 55 calls for service from Nov. 5 through Nov. 11, including those responded to as part of the joint operational relationship with Nevada County Consolidated Fire District and Nevada City Fire Department.

Here are some highlights:

10 a.m. Nov. 5 — A vehicle hit a house on South Auburn Street. Firefighters found significant damage to the front of the home with injuries to the vehicle’s occupant. Emergency personnel extricated the patient for transport to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital.

3 p.m. Nov. 5 — GVFD responded to a reported vehicle accident on Brunswick Rd near Sutton Way. Firefighters found two vehicles with moderate damage. Nobody involved in the accident was taken to the hospital.

2 p.m. Nov. 10 — GVFD and NCCFD responded to a chimney fire on Squirrel Creek Road. They discovered the fire was contained to the chimney with no damage to the rest of the home.

Nov. 11 — GVFD responded to a motorcycle down on Ridge Road. Responders found the driver on the side of the road with injuries, and they prepared the driver for transport to a hospital.

Now you tell me. Isn’t the Grass Valley crime scene a lot more fun than LA’s.

Hello from the Desert Southwest 2008

2008-11-26T07:04:00.000-08:00

Hello again blog readers:

For those of you who do not yet know, we are back in our winter homeplace, the desert southwest. Specifically, the City of Desert Hot Springs.

We’ve been here for three weeks now enjoying the pleasantly warm mostly 80+ degree days, the hot mineral pools, and the community around us. It has become an interesting experience to live two separate lives with friends and activities exclusive to each of them.

Our family is weathering the economic downturn okay but Laurie has had her hours at work curtailed as well as a reduction in pay that is making life tough on she and Dani. Dani is a straight “A” student, including classes in Mandarin Chinese!

Though we had no opportunity to see him, Kevin was down here in Southern California during the recent fire disasters in the community of Yorba Linda. He and Dodie and the boys are also just fine. The boys are growing like weeds, of course.It’s amazing but I think the situation right now is less stressful for those of us living on a secure fixed income.

When we left this area at the end of April this year we were amazed at the amount of new construction going on. Not just residential—though there was plenty of that—but huge new commercial and shopping complexes everywhere. Now, sadly, most of that has come to a screeching halt and those commercial developments that were near completion are now finished and standing empty. Who knows how long that situation will last and I don’t usually spend a lot of time feeling either good or bad for land developers, but this situation is truly sad. The developments here in the greater Palm Springs area are, of course, mostly very upscale and to see the millions and millions of dollars spent with absolutely no return on the investment must be financially punishing to these developers.

With jobs being lost by the thousands, companies closing by the hundreds, and banks going belly-up faster than the fish that lived in my acquarium, it’s tough out there. If ones income depends on other people’s disposable income or the stock market, one had better look for a different line of work or income for a while.

You may recall that Ron had a Goiter removed last April before we returned home. It was discovered as a result of his being so short of breath. After returning to Grass Valley his breathing became even more labored, rather than improving, and it was determined that the surgeon in Palm Springs had left another huge goiter in place that extended beneath his breast bone down to his heart. To make a long story short, in September that mass of thyroid gland was removed in Sacramento. If an adult man places his two fists one on top of the other that is the approximate size of the thing they removed. To get it out they had to crack his chest, just as is done in open heart surgery. When they do that they press both shoulders downward to help open the cavity. Since Ron has two unresolved rotator cuff injuries they were both severely aggravated by this procedure resulting in an extended recuperation lasting several months.

Since he was virtually unable to do anything for the past six months, time has passed Ron by this year. Just this morning he finally realized that Thanksgiving is less than a week away and it’s only 3 weeks till we return home for Christmas. Up until our return to the desert his world has been his recliner and a paperback book since the first of May.

We had plans and reservations to attend the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, N M, again this year but, when the beginning of October arrived, Ron was not physically able to drive the motorhome. By November, he was finally well enough for us to head for the desert for the winter.

After three weeks of the kind of weather we all dream of when we say, “Southern California,” we expect some rain over the next few days, leading up to Thanksgiving. The recent wildfires just added an exclamation point to the desperate need for some precipitation to fall on the State and, while we all enjoy the idyllic 80 degree temperatures, we’re also sensible enough to realize how wonderful a couple of rainy days will be.

We’ll be here in Desert Hot Springs until the end of April—except for a two-week sojourn home for Christmas and an early January trip to the Phoenix, AZ, area to visit our friend Sue Anderson for a few days followed by a visit with the Don Youngs at Lake Havasu, before returning here.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU AND YOURS.

The Wonderful "Age of Sail"

2008-07-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

The official tall ship of the State of California, the Californian, aims her bowsprit to pass beneath the Oakland Bay Bridge.

Yesterday we traveled to San Francisco by sea, taking the wonderful high speed catamaran ferry out of Vallejo. If one has to go to "the City" it's the best way to get there from here as it eliminates all of the horrible traffic, the excessive tolls to cross the bridges, and even the time involved. It's a delightful one-hour ride from the extreme northern end of the bay to "Baghdad by the Bay."

We didn't go to just fill a need for fresh crab or egg rolls in China Town. No, our goal was more selfish, at least on my part, as the TALL SHIPS are paying a visit to The Bay. Well, some of the ships on display are locals still there were others that had voyaged considerable distances to show off for we fans of sail. Notably amongst this latter group is the U.S. Coast Guard training vessel Eagle (officially rated as a Barque due to the fore and aft sailplan on her mizzen). She had sailed through the Panama Canal from the left coast to be a part of the celebration. This regal old lady still struts the light fantastic on a breezy San Francisco Bay Afternoon.

As far as the sailing vessels were concerned, the only one in the parade that could legitimately be called a ship was the three-masted Bounty. A sailing vessel is only a ship when it has three masts, each rigged with square sails. Originally built for the filming of the film "Mutiny on the Bounty" starring Marlon Brando in 1960, she currently is privately owned and sails frequently while participating in tall ship events around the world.

A recreation of one of the vessels sailing in the fleet used by Christopher Columbus, La Nina, sails along the San Francisco waterfront.

Also featured was the Jeremiah O'Brien, the WWII era Liberty Ship, one of only two (or is it three?) still operational. Lovingly restored and home-ported in San Francisco, she plied the waters, sans sails of course, thrilling the many hard-working volunteers aboard as she was loudly hailed by the thousands of onlookers along the shore.

It was a wonderful day and, though the parade of tall ships was not as large as that I've seen covered on television news programs throughout the years, it was still a thrill for me to watch them glide bye. Thanks to everyone who worked to make this event such a neat sight to see.

Are We Really Going to Elect These Guys?

2008-07-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

Buried in the news for Saturday, 18 July 2008, was an item regarding the effort to give a "gasoline tax holiday" for the summer and the action in Congress regarding it on Friday.

Did you see this? The highway construction lobby raised holy hell, moaning about the number of jobs that would be lost nationally as the slush fund for road construction and maintenance is already in the red and, if the tax flow were to be cut off, it would only get worse.

That argument won the day as DEMOCRATS DECIDED A HOLIDAY WASN'T A GOOD SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, AN INCREASE OF $ 0.10 IN THE TAX WAS REQUIRED INSTEAD. That's right, they now want to increase the federal tax on all motor fuels by a dime--gasoline, diesel, av gas, you name it. All of this to avoid some road workers losing their jobs while they put the rest of us in a world of hurt. How many working Americans will now lose their homes or their jobs because they can no longer afford the cost of fuel at a government imposed increased cost?

How can they expect to be elected with such proposals?

It's beyond me

A Happy Moment

2008-05-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our Son Kevin successfully passed the Fire Captain's promotional examination and is now #2 on the promotions list. Many, if not most of you, know that Kev began his career as a Jr. Volunteer Firefighter and has been at it ever since.

He's justifiably proud as are Judy and I

Breathing a bit easier

2008-05-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

After hitting a high of more than 1000 measurable quakes, the west seems to be calming down again as can be seen in the much lower 622 quakes on the chart above. Actually, a newer chart has that total below 600.

In the meantime, they've been adding up the numbers and costs of the quakes in the area of Reno, NV, where more than 5000 tremors have occurred since the swarm began. Many upscale homes have been built quite close the the previously unknown fault causing all of the problems and many of those homes have experienced some major cosmetic damage--lots of cracked plaster and loss of paintings and curious that ended up crashing to the floor.

With this region settling down some, the attention now shifts to other locations. The Cascadia Subduction Zone, running along the coasts of Oregon and Washington is apparently showing some movement. Microphones placed on the ocean floor during the cold war are picking up the unmistakable sound of large boulders rolling around and crashing into each other.

In addition, the vocano down in Chile, that hasn't erupted for more than 9000 years, is spouting an enormous cloud of ash and smoke that has drifted all the way across Argentina and out into the Atlantic Ocean. The ashfall in some areas is several feet deep.

Whatever happens in the near future, it is clear that old Mother Earth is a bit jiggly right now.

IS IT AN EARTHQUAKE SWARM OR JUST A SERIES OF SHAKERS?

2008-05-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

The map above now shows 1076 measurable quakes in the past seven days throughout California and Nevada. Finally, network news stations have picked up on the fact if not the reason or concern. Today they reported 5 quakes over a magnitude 5 in the past 2 days.

Sooner or later some reporter somewhere will pick up the phone and talk to an expert at the U.S. Geological Service in an effort to ascertain whether anyone there has any idea at all about what is going on and why we're seeing so much shaking.

And it gets even worse!

2008-04-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've now returned to my home in Northern California, approximately half way between that huge red square and the swarm of more than 500 earthquakes in the Reno, Nevada area.

The big square is a 5.2 magnitude quake that occurred at 8:03 p.m. this evening, Tuesday, 29 April 2008.

And take a look at that swarm in the southern part of the State on the Southern Branch of the San Andreas Fault. I just left there, right in the middle of that mess.

Since the news media isn't interested in all of this activity I wonder if anyone out there is--besides me? Oh that's right, Obama's pastor shot his mouth off again and it is occupying all of the news time. Wow, will I be glad when this election is over. In the meantime, it is rather amusing to see Clinton and Obama and their supporters forming a circular firing squad.

Why is no one concerned?

2008-04-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm no geologist but I've paid attention to the map above, on an almost daily basis, for years. After all, living in California, earthquakes are a subject of interest.

The map above is an active or vital display changing as quakes occur throughout the area. In my experience, going back about 10-15 years, this map has had an average of 350 to 500 quakes on it. You'll notice the total for this morning is twice the high end of that range; nearly 1000 quakes.

In Southern California, the legendary home of the San Andreas Fault, the news stations are treating that blob of quakes near Reno, NV, very casually, announcing, "Experts have warned the residents of Reno of the possibility of a major quake", but have interviewed no one. It seems to me that this is short sighted and that some sort of major event is getting ready to happen in which no one has shown an interest. Look at all of those small quakes throughout the State of Nevada. That is not normal!

What's going on? Inquiring minds want to know.

NASCAR Stupidity

2008-04-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's Saturday and for me that means another NASCAR race day. Today's race is at Talladega Raceway in Alabama. My guy, Carl Edwards, had moved back into the points leadership of the Nationwide Series after Clint Bower wrecked earlier in the day.

Talledega Raceway is known as the home of "THE BIG ONE", a crash that usually involves a large number of the cars competing in the race. Today's BIG ONE occured as the leaders of the pack of 30-some cars approached turn one. A car driven by Kevin LePage, #61, returning to the track after a pit stop, suddenly re-entered the raceway directly in front of the cars racing on the track. The difference in speed between STUPID LEPAGE and everyone else was about 100 miles per hour.

Well, the cars on the track had no where to go and simply ran over STUPID LEPAGE. My guy, Carl Edwards, was the first car to hit LePage (his car is the one that is airborne in the photo above, totally destroying his car and causing major damage to 15 other cars (many of which were unable to return to the track.

When the ESPN reporter got to him, LePage's comments portrayed him as the victim of all of those bad drivers who could not avoid his brightly painted red and yellow car. I'm sorry Kevin, how can you ever feel justified in jumping out in front of a huge pack of cars running at race speed when you're still accelerating. He truly felt he had done nothing wrong. Kevin LePage, you should have your license yanked--PERMANENTLY!

OUR MIGRATORY FLIGHT PATH

2008-04-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Our Southern California winter is now coming to an end. With the successful completion of my surgical procedure last Friday, I'm now mending and, by Tuesday, 29 April, I should be in good enough condition to head this home-on-wheels towards our home-on-the-mountain-top.

It's been an enjoyable winter, though cooler and windier than normal, but we're both looking forward to being home again.

Our summer plans this year call for us to remain home rather than travel to the Oregon Coast again. Both the cost of fuel and the shortening of our time at home due to the need to head for Albuquerque, in late September for the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, weighed heavily in making this decision.

We'll pause briefly on the way home to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for one day.

We hope you've enjoyed being able to easily keep up with our activities and my writing craziness. Our posts will be fewer at home but take heart, we'll be on the road again in just a few months.

Have a great summer with $4.00 gas and $5.00 gals. of milk. What a country. Corn for auto fuel was such a great idea. A wise man once said, "If it's good theory, it's also good in practice." I guess that gas theory was lacking a bit of something.

Migratory Birds and other issues of Spring

2008-04-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

You become aware of a change in mid-March but it doesn’t get fully underway until after the first of April. Migratory birds are seen on every body of water here in the desert, sometimes even swimming on swimming pools, as they return north for the warm summer after their winter sojourn to Mexico.

One of the largest and amazing is the Snow Bird who actually wintered over here in the Desert Southwest from West Texas to here in the Palm Springs, CA, area. One of the breeds is the Canadian Snow Bird who, due to immigration laws, are only allowed to spend six months here in the United States. Yeah, yeah, Judy and I qualify as snow birds too but we never have to be out of here by a particular date.

Back in January and February you could not have rented an RV Space in this or any other park in the area as they were all full every night. Everyone here during those months had worked the advance reservation system to their fullest benefit, routinely making their plans 90 days in advance. As you can see, most of the sites are now vacant and all planned activity programs have come to an end.Now you can’t find a space in a storage yard as they are full. Many folks, especially Canadians, leave their RV here for the summer since it’s cheaper to store it here than move it back and forth each year.

Now some of the parks are actually preparing to close for the summer season here on the desert. We’ll be moving to one of those (Desert Pools Resort) on the 15th for the last two weeks of their season. Following that we’ll return to the site of all of the photos accompanying this blog article, Catalina Spa and Resort. Both of these are in Desert Hot Springs.

As we continue with warm spring weather here on the desert, the strange and other-worldly cactus plants come into spectacular bloom. Every day now there are more and more amazing and colorful blossoms popping out of some of the least attractive plants imaginable.

Our stay this winter and spring has been very enjoyable in spite of the fact that temperatures ranged considerably lower than average, rain was above average, and we had an inordinate number of extremely windy days with gusts to 50 mph or more. We met up again with good friends, enjoyed some pleasant outings, ate some wonderful food at restaurants that were new to us, and no problems developed with our motorhome requiring repair.

Our plans called for us to be home on 1 May but that may have to be stretched a bit as I’m scheduled for surgery on 18 April, and may need some weeks of recuperation prior to driving home. We aren’t planning on being long delayed, however, in our return to Grass Valley.

Easter Flowers

2008-03-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

When it comes to envisioning the desert many folks conjure up pictures of sand dunes and cactus. In actuality, the desert is many things, depending on exactly where you are in which desert.

Here in Southern California's Coachella Valley, the desert is made up of sand and rocks and lots of plants. There's creosote bush, mesquite, and lots of other stuff as well as smaller plants. There are even some sand dunes.

In years when mother nature is generous with her winter moisture the desert can become a beautiful carpet of flowers. As I reported in one of my recent posts, we drove more than 100 miles to Amboy, CA, to view the wildflowers blooming there. If we had only been a little more patient we could have seen much the same display right here in our backyard. The hills, normally brown, have turned light green and the desert floor is covered with a colorful carpet of blooming wildflowers.

The snow-capped mountain peak in the background of the photo above is majestic Mt. San Gorgonio, rising to 11,502' above sea level; the tallest peak in Southern California.

It's all so beautiful to see but heck on allergies.

I awoke at 3 am this morning unable to breathe through my nose. Because it is so warm in the daytime and mild at night we have taken to leaving the windows open opposite our bed. Not anymore! We'll try to keep those allergens outside where they belong.

Even the birds had their Easter Bonnets on as they paraded through the wildflowers. These Quail were at their finest.

Happy Easter

Celebrity Geocaching

2008-03-19T19:37:00.001-07:00

In the heyday of the Hollywood movie studios, and film stars flocked to Palm Springs, California. Just a short distance from the studios lay a slightly out of the way place where luxurious resorts awaited their arrival. The common guy, Joe Six-pack, didn’t come here in any numbers thus allowing the privileged movie stars to live a fabulous lifestyle here on the desert, free from news reporters and cameras.

An example of such a resort is the Ingleside Inn. This luxury retreat began its life as the private residence of the family who owned the Pace Arrow Automobile Company. It was originally constructed in 1926 and covered more than 10 acres of land just a block off the main highway through the Palm Springs area. After deaths in the family, the home became a 10-room inn called by its present name. It had a major difference, however, from all other hotels. You didn’t call here for a reservation; the owner of the inn called and invited you. Anyone accepting the invitation was then charged for the privilege.

Virtually every famous name from the 1930’s through the present time have stayed here at Ingleside, including the current governor of California, Arnold Swartzenegger.

Even former President of the United States, Gerald Ford, was a guest.

A restaurant was created, originally only for guests and their guests (diners who were not registered guests had to be approved by the owner before they could enter a dining room.) Today, Melvyn’s restaurant caters to the well-heeled general public where the parking lot is populated with the likes of Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, and Maserati. A geocache celebrates the Inn from a real estate sign across the street.

Many of these stars built fabulous homes and estates here as winter homes. Since it is not uncommon for summertime temperatures in the Coachella Valley to rise to 120 degrees or more, many if not most of the Hollywood crowd only inhabited the valley during the fall, winter, and spring months. That job has now been taken over by the thousands of “Snow Birds” that flock here every fall to spend the winter in the relative warmth of the valley.

In the post WWII era, as building construction materials and techniques improved and refrigerated air conditioning came into its own, many of the notables built large homes and estates and some lived here year round. Today many of these fabulous homes can be seen on tour busses boarded in downtown Palm Springs.

For us, an enjoyable alternative is to see these places completely on our own as we follow the “celebrity geocache tour”.

Our first stop was at “Piazza Liberace”, a guy who loved Palm Springs so much he owned eight homes here at one time. He is quoted as saying, “Some people collect stamps, I collect real estate.” This particular home has a piano shaped swimming pool in back and hundreds of candelabra inside.

One cannot help but be struck by how different conditions are today. Here a performer as famous and popular as Liberace lived in a home on a regular street with the front door not 50 feet from the street. It wasn’t many years after this that many of the luminaries began retreating behind the closed doors and guard shacks of the country club communities that dot the local landscape. As fans and the news media became more aggressive they simply could not continue to live, more or less, as normal people.

One of the most well known local residents who came to stay and live year-round was Sonny Bono. After getting grief for remodeling and restoring his home, Sonny ran for Mayor of Palm Springs and won, thus proving again that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
He held that post for a few years before settling down for a few more. His final gig was as a U.S. Congressman for several years before his untimely death in a skiing accident. His wife Mary was given his seat and, while remarried, continues to occupy it today.

Sonny’s contribution to what Palm Springs is today is memorialized in this bronze statue of him downtown on Palm Canyon Drive. His most noticeable contribution is the lighted palm trees along Palm Canyon Drive. Sonny’s statue is also a “virtual geocache.”

Many of these estates are behind ornate gates and walls leaving you to wonder what lies inside or under the Spanish-tile roofs visible over them. Visiting them takes you through magnificent neighborhoods that offer peaks into many of these fabulous places, making the tour well worthwhile. As we drove slowly through these neighborhoods we repeatedly crossed paths with some of the commercial tour busses from downtown.

The homes of Jack Benny, Barry Manilow, Sonny Bono, Robert Wagner, are amongst those that cannot really be seen from the street. A home once owned by Elvis Presley (it’s uncertain if he ever actually lived in the house) is fully visible from the street.

For us the trip was more about locating some of the geocaches hidden around these homes and seeing all of the fabulous landscaping (in full bloom) in these neighborhoods. Even Mother Nature's garden is spectacular at the end of the residential streets.

Got the travel bug? Scooby Doo Do

2008-03-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we bought a travel bug which, as I've previously mentioned, is a metal dog tag with a serial number engraved into it that you set off on some geocache adventure that you devise.

Since our blog is called "lookin4AMERICA" we decided to see if we could get one of these things to visit all 50 States before heading back for retirement in Grass Valley.

We bought a little toy Matchbox car and attached the dog tag to it and deposited it in one of the desert caches near our home RV resort. It only took a matter of hours before it disappeared and it was on its way for the first leg of its adventure. Actually it's still on its way but we have received the first news, it has been spotted in the snow in Littleton, CO, and where it is headed is unknown. The party that has it merely has said that it is "heading east." How far east is a mystery but we'll know the minute it is logged into a geocache somewhere else.

We also have another one in our bag at the present time that we picked up the other day. It began its journey last August on the North Island of New Zealand. It's a little tennis shoe and it's called, "Just Sneakin'" We'll move it on in the next few days.

What's in a name, "It's a mere matter of words," you say. It's more than that.

2008-03-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

“A Rose by any other name,” may smell as sweet (but wait, have you smelled the roses from your local florist lately, they don’t smell at all—allergies and lawsuits you understand). I am occasionally bewildered by the names we give to some of the products we purchase.

There was a time when most automobiles for example, were named after things that go fast—Meteor—Galaxy—Rocket 88--Terraplane, or animals that do the same—Cougar, Mustang, Honey Bee, Roadrunner, Impala, or Stingray. Some had fast names but weren't fast--the Pacer, Pinto (In all fairness, the Pinto may have been named after the gassy legume and not the horse), Gremlin--were just a few. Today they have combinations of numbers and letters that have absolutely no meaning—XR5, Z71, E350, MKZ.

What the heck is a Sephia, Camry, TaTa, or Vectra? Then there's the Inspire? As a Country Coach brand motorhome it's quite successful. Apparently it didn't inspire as the Aspire, a Ford Sub-Compact car, however, as it wasn't around long. Then there was the popular Fiesta. We're lead to believe it's coming back in a new iteration.

Nissan markets a monster called the Armada. Though there have been a number of armadas, the biggest of note was Spanish and was sunk by the Brits hundreds of years ago. Hardly a goal to be emulated.

Some of the strangest and funniest are found in the names of trucks and Recreational Vehicles. Ford previewed a concept truck called the Super Chief—for those of you who are too young to remember, the Super Chief was a Santa Fe Railroad passenger train running for the right to the left coast of the country.
That’s right, a TRAIN. I suppose trains are powerful but the Super Chief was known more for luxury. I don’t get the connection between a luxo train and a Super Duty pickup truck.

Some of the really strangest (and painfully inappropriate) is the current spate of vehicles named after NATURAL DISASTERS. Chevrolet markets a pickup truck called an Avalanche—an unpleasant thought considering the number of outdoorsmen who have been killed in the real thing this winter at our ski resorts.

Why in the world would you name a vehicle after a natural disaster?

Well, it gets worse and I hope you'll agree with me in asking, "What were they thinking? There is a recreational vehicle—a motorhome—called a TSUNAMI. After seeing the news coverage of the devastating tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean a few years ago that resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 people would you be inspired to put your hard-earned bucks down on something celebrating a horrendous natural disaster?

Don't stop now, how about heading out for your vacation in a HURRICANE—not Katrina, or Camille, or Andrew, but your new motorhome. Now you understand why I wonder what goes through the minds of those who decide what to call things.. I haven’t seen a Tornado—even General Motors shuffled some letters when it named the Torenado—and I never knew what that meant either. I have seen lots of RV’s named Storm however. Again, another natural event I’d rather avoid than seek out.

Even just as strange but with less emotional impact are the RV’s names Rustler, Intruder, Renegade, Prowler, or BOUNDER. I always wonder if the latter refers to how that particular coach rides as it goes down the road. I conjure up visions of people bouncing off the ceiling as it BOUNDS down the highway. Rustlers, Intruders, Renegades, and Prowlers are not nice things. What about a Challenger? None of these has ever been considered forces for good in any community, but people continue to buy and use them.

I lay in my bed slowly waking one morning. It was obvious that sun had already risen because the window shade on the window next to my bed was bright with light. I reached up and opened the shade giving me a good view outside. Across the street from our motorhome a 5th wheel trailer was parked and, emblazoned in huge letters across the front of it was the word EVEREST. Now if that doesn’t conjure up a picture of a coffin factory in your mind, your sense of humor is certainly different from mine. “Goodbye cruel world, I’m getting into my Ever Rest now. What were they thinking? Now it’s clear they had the big mountain in Tibet in mind but even that causes me to wonder about its relevance. What does a big mountain have to do with a recreational vehicle?

Then there’s the Condor. Have you ever seen a living Condor? You want to talk about magnificent ugliness you need to talk about a Condor. They are the highly endangered scavengers—like vultures—that live primarily in the hills of California’s Central Coast and other mountainous areas of the world.

Now that's just a partial tour down silly (and outright outrageous) name lane but it highlights some of the stranger and funnier ones that are out there. If you know of others, snap a picture and send it to me in an email and I'll add it to this posting. In the meantime, I hope you got a chuckle out of what's here, at least.

A Lookin4America spot you'll probably never visit

2008-02-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark

You’ll know what I mean when I say that yesterday was one of those wonderful perfect days. The weather was perfect with bright sunshine, deep blue skies, and pleasant warm temperatures—though Rowdy the black Pug found it a trifle warm.

The plan for the day was to drive from Desert Hot Springs to Amboy, CA (approximately 100 miles), a really remote spot along historic Route 66 along the western edge of the Mojave Desert. Why would we go to such a

spot, you ask? Well, the desert is really quite beautiful in its own stark way but especially now as the spring wildflowers bloom. The reports of carpets of flowers in the Amboy area energized us to head out for a look.
The monument plaque is actually a geocache (officially known as an earthcache) that requires you to log your visit online and then send an email to the person who designated it as an earthcache. They respond with an email congratulating you on finding it. It's a little strange, I know.

The second reason to travel to this area is the volcano. That’s right, VOLCANO. Perhaps as recently as only 500 years ago the Amboy volcano was actively erupting here. It’s cinder cone is the most perfectly formed in all of the contiguous 48 states, so it’s a neat thing to see.

Our family actually has a little history with Amboy Crater. I first learned of it in a college geography class in the mid-50’s and, along with some of my desert-camping friends, had visited several times.

After we moved into our new home in Cerritos, CA, in 1969 I took all of us, including the dog, out to the area around the crater where we collected a trunk full of lava rocks to use in building a planter in front of our living room windows.

Yeah, there's a geocache in that wall of lava but we couldn't find it. When all of the rocks look alike, it's really tough to see what is different or doesn't belong there. With such a warm day the thoughts of rattlesnakes and scorpions came to mind so we left this one for someone else.

The final reason would be to revisit a few of the most famous places along the “Mother Road”, old Route 66. Because so many westward migrants and tourists were stopping in the area to see the Amboy Crater, a guy decided a city should grow here to support them. He built a motel, a large gasoline service station and auto repair shop, and other facilities--he even installed the power poles for many miles to bring electricity out here. The U.S. Government followed with a Post Office. As tourists flocked to his businesses “Roy” prospered. That went on from the late 20’s into the 1970’s when President Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System, and Interstates 40 and 10, were completed and literally discarded Route 66 and all of the folks who lived and worked along it. Whole towns died and collapsed back into the land. It’s kind of the back-story behind the marvelous animated film Cars.

A TV show about two guys traveling in a snazzy red corvette on Route 66 generated a national outcry aimed at saving what was left of the primary route traveled by millions of Americans going west. Some people deliberately left the superhighway to drive the small parts of the “Mother Road” left to them. Even so, there were places so remote that no publicity could save them. Amboy seems to be one of the latter. The family of the original owner and others, right up to this very day, have tried to make a go of this place without success.

A gasoline station still functions beneath the huge neon sign erected In the 50’s – it not longer works – and maintenance is obviously being done on many of the buildings but that’s about it. On the windows of the motel office are signs directing movie location bookers to call a particular number if they want to arrange to film at the sight.

On our perfect day in which everything went exactly as planned and no bad things happened we enjoyed the wonderful wildflowers. There were carpets of yellow and purple all around us, but only right around the volcano. The nearby commercial salt harvesting operation probably had something to do with a lack of flowers elsewhere.

I tested the 1-mile dirt trail to the Volcano and decided not to try it that day on my scooter. The surface of the trail, at the point I stopped, was littered with 5 and 6” diameter lava rocks, any one of which was big enough to stop my scooter. I maybe could have made it by moving some of them but then I have no idea what lay ahead. I turned back only to Judy and Rowdy coming up the trail in search of me.

The final reason we came all of the way out here was to do some more geocaching and boy did we. Here Judy is carefully replacing one of our finds. We didn’t find all of the ones we looked for but found a resounding majority. Roy’s gave us the opportunity to get up close to this historic monument. The “Sole Tree” was fascinating though why people have thrown their shoes up into its branches for so many years is beyond me. Some of them even appeared to be in reasonably good condition. One of the stranger pieces of footwear is a pair of yellow swimfins up near the top on the right. Go figure.

Road Runner’s Rest was a sad statement about broken dreams. We dropped the Red Jeep Travel Bug, the subject of a previous blog article, in Woody’s Travel Bug Motel, an ammunition box located 300 feet off of a dirt road. From that cache we took the travel bug Just Sneakin' Around, a cute little tennis shoe on a key chain, that is bouncing around from cache to cache, aimlessly.

From another cache we picked up a couple of little dinosaurs for Alex and Andrew and saw a lot of really neat desert scenery.

On the way home we drove through the southern half of Joshua Tree National Park as we had heard the wildflowers were in full bloom near the Cottonwood Visitor Center. Well, they sure are but by the time we got there all of the canyons we drove through were in deep shade and the sunset shortly after we merged onto I-10, heading for home. We’ll probably go back in a few days to catch those flowers in daylight.

Okay, that was not great. It would have been a lot better had we gotten there while it was still light out but, given all of the other successes of the day, it was still JUST PERFECT.

DIDJA C IT?

2008-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Wow, it was great and beautiful. We had just had 40 mph+ winds and some moderate rain and felt our chances of seeing it were nil but, lo and behold, the clouds separated and in the hole between them it was there and it was terrific.

Thanks to MA Nature for another spectacular visual event.

The Jeep Travel Bug

2008-02-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Geocaching is not simply using your GPS unit to get somewhere specific. Once there you often have to decipher a bunch of clues about the area to actually find the cache.

One recent example involved walking to a landing on a stairway between two floors of a parking building at a shopping mall, aligning yourself by looking out a window that was about 10 feet above the floor and then looking down. When looking down you could see a tiny little overhang at the floor level -- a space between floor and wall. In that space, hanging on velcro, was the cache which consisted of an Altoids container.

The GPS merely brought you to a spot close to that mezzanine. We searched at ground level all about the stairway, both inside and outside the building before we recited one of the clues again, "Not top, not bottom, look out window and then look down. That "Not top, not bottom" comment led to our closely examining the landing between floors.

Some caches are as small as this or smaller and only contain a rolled paper logbook to record your visit. Some, as previously shown in earlier episodes of this blog are truly large and have stuff inside for trading. Jeep Corp. has an ongoing contest in which they circulated 5000 little die-cast Jeep cars. If you are lucky enough to find one somewhere, you log your visit on the special Jeep site and are put in the running for one of a number of real Jeeps that the Corp. is giving away. When you find one of the Jeeps you then give it away again by placing it in another geocache somewhere else.

We retrieved one of them from a geocache near the RV Resort in which we are spending the winter. It's cute enough that I don't want to give it away but when you take it you are agreeing to do just that.

We have now found about 30 of these hidden treasure spots and are looking forward to finding many more.

More Geocache Adventures

2008-02-16T15:47:00.001-08:00

Usually we combine our Geocaching efforts with errands or other outings we're taking due to the cost of gasoline. Today, however, we set off into the middle of the desert near our RV Resort. Though we were only about 3 miles away from home you'd have thought we had gone to Timbuktoo. The desert roads we drove to get there were very rough and irregular with ups and downs as high as the roof of our Jeep.

At one point Judy let out a screech thinking we were going into what looked a lot like the Grand Canyon. Wow, what a gulch there is back there. The water has dug an enormous channel with all kinds of interesting formations surrounding it.

We finally found the right little lane and made our way to them. With the snowy Mt. San Gorgonio in the background we searched the desert floor. Suddenly I said, "There it is!" It's huge.I'm sharing one of the three we found that was so darn cute that I feel it warrants the picture. I'm not hinting at where it is or what it's called. It was just so neat when we found it.

The Season is Blossoming

2008-02-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

I've waited since mid-November for a resurgence in the NASCAR racing series. Thursday of this week marked the dual-150's, two 150 mile long races to determine most of the starting spots in Sunday's Daytona 500--the 50th running of that event.

Last night, Friday, was the first in this year 25 race Craftsman Truck series and today will be the Nationwide (formerly Bushe) 300 mile race.

Of course, my favorite is and has been young Carl Edwards, the driver of the Office Depot #99 Roush Ford. Nobody seems to be giving him much chance of winning, much less even scoring well, tomorrow because he drives a Ford and, so far, the Chevy's and Toyotas have been the class of the competition.

We'll wait till the fat lady sings tomorrow evening.

The "Green" is here; can the wildflowers be far behind?

2008-02-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

We've already experienced nearly twice a normal year's rainfall and the season doesn't end until 30 June. Of course, soon there will no longer be any possibility of precipitation other than a rare and passing summer thunderstorm from the annual monsoon.

The desert wildflower websites are all abuzz this year thinking we may see a really spectacular bloom and we're monitoring many of them.

In the snowstorm the other day a new coat of the stuff hit the high peaks around the area and I went out to photograph it in the early morning hours when the light was good. The snow accumulation was far from spectacular but the greening of the desert floor was unmistakable. With that in place the wildflowers have to be close at hand.

On top of everything else, IT SNOWED!

2008-02-14T19:54:00.000-08:00

The crazy weather that has been the bane of our existence since returning after Christmas, continued overnight and today.

Yesterday the winds--cold winds--returned and blew throughout the night, rocking the coach gently and whistling in the trees. The winds continued into this morning and temperatures began to drop, rather than rise. Throughout the morning tiny little misty sprinkles fell from time to time and, around noon, according to published news reports, it snowed lightly here in Desert Hot Springs. IT SNOWED! We didn't see the snow but everyone is talking about it. IT SNOWED!

Heck, I'd even gone for a mid-morning soak in the hot tub and rode my scooter back to the RV in a wet bathing suit with no shirt on. IT SNOWED IN DESERT HOT SPRINGS! What's next? Penguins?

Valentine's Heat is On!

2008-02-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago we hunkered in our bunker as heavy rains and winds buffeted the Desert Southwest. There was so much rain that it broke all time records for the period and, when all was said and done, the olde raingauge had a total of 3.06” in it.

Those rains were followed by Downslope mountain wave winds during which we shook, rattled and rolled as gusts exceeded 70mph.

About the only thing it’s not going to do here on the desert floor is snow though freezing is always possible as we saw last year.

Over the past several days there have been some significant earthquakes just south of the Mexican Border near Calexico that have been felt in the area in which we are. Of course, with the San Andreas Fault just several miles out our back door, we are always thinking of the potential of "the big one" here.

A few days ago we began to turn around what had been an exceptionally cool January during which temperatures ranged from 10-15 degrees below normal. Finally, a huge dome of hi pressure began to develop over the eastern Pacific Ocean bringing sinking air that heats due to compression as it piles up at the surface. Yesterday the thermometer rose to about 82 degrees while today the mercury topped out at 87. Yes, 87 degrees in February. It was absolutely marvelous. We all did something we haven’t done in a long, long time; we sweated and it was glorious. I felt the rivulets running down the back of my neck and down my shirt to my waist band. Ummm, good stuff!

The weather bookie is predicting that tomorrow will be another day just about exactly like today meaning more sweat and maybe even running an air conditioner here in the motorhome. Needless to say, the a/c was on in the car as we did our Valentine’s day shopping today. I managed to find what I believe to be the absolutely perfect card for Judy. I’ll share the text of the card with you after the big day as Judy reads these posts, of course.

While out looking for that perfect something for the special day we managed to try to find a few more geocaches along the way. We searched for three but only succeeded in locating one. We’ve discovered we were really off in locating one of them and will give it another try next time we’re in that area. The other ache is very close to our RV park and we’ll check it out again though we pretty well covered the area today.

Sweating while geocaching in shorts and tee shirts just before Valentine’s Day. What a country!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the ladies who read this from me and a hug for all the guys from Judy.

A Movie Moment

2008-02-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

Movies. In our lives they're just about a thing of the past. There's so much pointless promiscuous sex, just plain lousy obscene language, rudeness to each other, a cheapening of life to the point of venerating suicide, incredible bloody violence, out of wedlock children (there's even a so-called COMEDY about a pregnant teenager--I'm sorry, pregnant teenagers are not funny), most films are just disgusting. I know that attitude merely further confirms our advanced years but the fact remains that we grew up in a world where many attitudes might have been hidden and repressed (thank God) but we were just lot nicer to each other. I've also noted that most futurist writers see the world of tomorrow as a horrible place full of terrorists, pollution, criminals, horrible mutant creatures. What ever happened to looking for a tomorrow that was better and brighter than today?

Recently we have ventured out to see several motion pictures that

The Bucket List

caught our fancy: The Bucket List (Yeah, it's about old guys about to die so hits close to our current state of being).

More recently we viewed the latest edition of National Treasure (not because it's a great film, it isn't, but because we saw the first and it was

National Treasure

a funny fantasy adventure that made us laugh).

Neither of these films disappointed. We laughed and laughed (and wept and wept) over the Bucket List, and merely laughed a lot at National Treasure.

The reason we enjoyed both is that they were entertaining. That's our message to the entertainment industry as it appears that the Writers Guild is about to return to work. I'm tired of being disgusted, grossed out, shocked to my moral center, and revolted to the point of nausea. I want to be entertained when I spend my entertainment dollar. It can be touchingly sad, it can have silly car chases where all sorts of hilarious and unbelievable mahem occurs, or it can be gritty and realistic but when any of those things become merely gratuitius it ceases to entertain.

For example, it's Nascar Season again and Daytona Speed week is underway. Here there's laughter, violence, competition, characters galore, to entertain me for hours and hours each weekend. Is it real? NO, "THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT" as they used to say.

Carl Edwards, driver of the Roush Racing #99 Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup racer

In Memory of Angel the Pug Dog - 10-21-98 to 2-6-08

2008-02-07T09:51:00.001-08:00

The Power of the Dog

By:
Joseph Rudyard Kipling

There is sorrow enough in the natural way

From men and women to fill our day;

And when we are certain of sorrow in store,

Why do we always arrange for more?

Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware

Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy

Love unflinching that cannot lie

Perfect passion and worship fed

By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.

Nevertheless it is hardly fair

To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits

Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,

And the vet's unspoken prescription runs

To lethal chambers or loaded guns,

Then you will find - it's your own affair, -

But ... you've given your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,

With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!),

When the spirit that answered your every mood

Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,

You will discover how much you care,

And will give your heart to a dog to tear!

We've sorrow enough in the natural way,

When it comes to burying Christian clay.

Our loves are not given, but only lent,

At compound interest of cent per cent,

Though it is not always the case, I believe,

That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve;

For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,

A short-time loan is as bad as a long -

So why in - Heaven (before we are there)

Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Angel couldn't share her life with us for a minute more than the days allotted to her. She couldn't even tarry to say goodbye. She seemed perfectly healthy until the moment she died. Wouldn't each of us like to pass in exactly that way when our days are finished.

She ran to the back of the motorhome, let out a little yelp, ran back to the front, yelped again, and never regained consciousness and, for all intents and purposes, was dead.

It was a tremendous shock to us but certainly better for Angel who might have suffered a painful lingering illness.

Angel had been known by many names during her time with us: Devil Dog, Fallen Angel, Oughta' be in a dogshow kinda' dog, Queen of the Princess Pugs, Anjo, jo jo, the Pillow Pug, and at those times each seemed like the perfect moniker for her.

Goodbye Angel, God Bless, and thank you for sharing your days with us.

We have a hole in our lives right now and poor Rowdy seems to be spending an inordinate amount of time sitting by the motorhome door as though waiting for her to come back.

Lookin'4AMERICA #2

2008-01-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

Lookin’4America No. 2
The Museum of Flight, Boeing Field, Seattle, WA

I hope you enjoyed the side trip to McMinnville, Or, and the Evergreen Aviation Museum housing the Howard Hughes Flying Boat. Experiencing the “one and only example” of any item is always a rewarding experience. So how about seeing one of only two in all of the United States?

Let’s visit another aviation museum for that experience. Located between Tacoma and downtown Seattle, WA, at Boeing Field, is the Boeing Museum of Flight. It’s an absolutely spectacular collection of near current and vintage aircraft housed in a museum built just to display it.

One of the displays that draws many off of Interstate 5 is the British/French Concorde Supersonic Airliner that was retired from service several years ago. There are four examples of this unique airplane outside of Europe; one is found at the Smithsonian Institution’s Air and Space Museum Annex in Virginia and the other is right here at Boeing Field. A total of 20 Concordes were built.
While the “Spruce Goose” is housed inside a structure built for that purpose, the Concorde and other large aircraft are found out of doors.

You enter the surprisingly narrow cabin of the Concorde through the rear cabin door and progress up the aisle towards the cockpit. Since the cost of a seat for a transatlantic flight on this speedy bird cost more than $10,000, one might expect a bit of luxury in the accommodations. If anything, the exact opposite is true. The seats appear to be as narrow as those found on some of the budget airliners of today and their plain black leather upholstery seemed stark and unappealing. The narrow cabin of the aircraft accommodates two seats on either side of the center aisle. Coupled with the tiny windows the feeling I got was rather cramped and claustrophobic. I guess a passenger weighed the discomfort against the speed and decided it was worth it. A flight from London to New York, took less than 5 hours. Because that center aisle is constantly filled with other people touring the plane, taking a photograph is impossible.

Though the cockpit door has been removed, a plexi-glass panel prevents entry to it. The vast array of instruments, meters, dials, and levers one can see, however, is mind-boggling. After years of successful service, the Concorde was briefly removed from service following the tragic loss of one such plane and all the passengers aboard in France. The planes again resumed flying for a few years after a thorough investigation of the crash proved it to be an almost freak experience.
Next to the Concorde is the first jet-powered Air Force One—a Boeing 707, used by President’s Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. It is officially known as Special Air Missions 970 (its tail number is 86970) or Air Force One when the President is actually aboard. It replaced Eisenhower’s Super Constellation in 1959. It remained in the Presidential Fleet until 1996.

This plane is also open for viewing and affords a rare view into an environment that is usually reserved for a very select few individuals.

Mrs. Carter was the moving force behind changing the paint job on Air Force One. Notice the blue color does not cover the top of the plane at the cockpit as all other examples of this plane do. Mrs. Carter felt it was too flamboyant and showy and so it was changed.

As in the Concorde, visitors enter through the rear cabin door and proceed forward. Having just toured the Concorde I couldn’t escape the feeling that this was a much larger airplane. The feeling of spaciousness was a wonderful change from the cramped interior of the supersonic jet. Though the Boeing 707 is not a wide-bodied airplane, the interior of Air Force One feels almost as though it is because it is configured for so few people. In the interior photograph, note how the thickness of the walls and ceiling change as one enters the presidential area of the plane. The change is due to the amount of shielding and bulletproofing materials contained in them. Those with less stature—perhaps the news reporters--were not afforded such protection. This is the real deal, not a movie set. This is where those powerful people sat and made decisions that impacted our lives and those of millions of others around the world. This is just like standing in the actual oval office in the White House and the sense of history it imparts is thrilling and chilling at the same time.

A poster near the plane reads, “Visit Air Force One and ask questions like…

Was the “Watch your step” sign put up specifically for President Ford?

Is “50 Years of Cabin Pressure” a word play or a pun?

Can the President veto the “No Smoking” sign and can a 2/3 majority in Congress put it back?

Note that the graphic of the plane on this poster shows the classic paint scheme. In all of the blue and white airplanes with the words United States of America above the windows, only the presidential planes carry the blue paint over the cockpit.

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A Presidential Aircraft Aside...Other examples you can see and tour.

(The piston-powered Douglas DC-6 (Military designation C-118) used by both John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson can be seen and toured at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. This is the aircraft aboard which Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president in Dallas, Texas, immediately following the Kennedy assasination. Also on display here is the Lockheed Constellation used as the presidential airplane by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was known as Columbine and was never referred to as Air Force One.)

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, SAM 27000 (tail number) is displayed in a building resembling a hanger. You may have seen it at various presidential election debates. It stands atop pedestals 25' off the floor of the building. Also displayed is a Marine One helicopter used by President Lyndon Johnson.

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A flying automobile sits to the side with one wing assembled for flight and the other folded for land travel.

In this part of the museum you can visit the non-operational control tower and watch and listen to planes arriving and leaving Boeing Field. You can also try your hand at flying a real flight simulator. Good luck.

The second building holds what is the most moving and meaningful series of displays in the collection: The Personal Courage Wing. Here are beautifully restored WWI and WWII fighter aircraft, some on their wheels on the floor and others soar, suspended from the ceiling. These are not mere display pieces, however, as each is part of a diorama depicting not

only the thrilling fear of dogfights but the life of the pilots, the mechanics, and the mission planners on the ground. Their story is told through

speakers hidden throughout the displays. You’ll feel a part of the action in the dioramas and displays. There are observation balloons, French and German airfields, a pilots’ lounge, a French farmhouse, a battlefield trench, a Quonset hut and an aircraft carrier flight deck for you to experience.

We enjoy aviation museums since many of the dramatic advances have occurred during our lifetime. The Boeing Museum of Flight is one that deserves a visit as you drive north on I-5.

Lookin'4AMERICA, No. 1 Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinnville, Oregon

2008-01-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

This is the first of a series describing in detail some of the places we’ve been while we’ve been out LOOKIN4AMERICA. It occurs to me that some of you may pass through some of these areas and not stop to see what is there simply because no one who has been there has taken the time to describe it.

Most people are familiar with the term “Spruce Goose” and many people actually know that it refers to an airplane built at the close of WWII by Howard Hughes, under contract with the War Department. That contract called for the building of an intercontinental bomber capable of flying at least 4,000 miles without refueling and being able to LAND ON THE WATER. Airfields on land were few and far between in the Pacific so amphibian aircraft (capable of landing on both water and land—the famous Catalina PBY a prime example) and flying boats (aircraft that could only land on water) were desired because they could land where no airfields were available; even on the high seas to rendezvous with ships of the fleet with supplies or personnel.

Martin-Mars built the largest production model of such a plane during

WWII. Five of these very large flying boats were built with two surviving today. Those two are owned by a Canadian firm, Coulsen Aerial Tankers, and are used as aerial tankers for wildfire suppression. These large planes can scoop water from a lake as they fly just skimming the surface and then deliver their 8000 gallons on a fire miles away. The photos were taken during the wildfire incidents in Southern California during the fall of 2007, as the plane was about to touch down on the waters of Lake Ellsinore.

The Mars Aerial Tankers constitute another interesting sidetrip. They can be seen all summer long--when they're not employed fighting fire--on Sproat Lake in Central Vancouver Island, British Columbia. If you're lucky, you'll get to see and hear one of the high speed warmup runs that one of the two planes makes each day. On the day we visited we were invited to go out to one of the moored airplanes and tour its interior. The flightdeck is so large that I think you could hold a senior prom there.

Because “strategic materials” were in such short supply during the War the contract also required that the airplane be built with materials not listed as “strategic”. This meant steel, aluminum; copper, rubber and other products were either not to be used at all or in very minimal quantities.

Aviation genius Howard Hughes was granted the contract to build a large flying boat made of wood. The term “Spruce Goose” is really a misnomer in that no spruce wood was used in building the plane.

Because of huge cost overruns and the ending of the WWII conflict, Congress cancelled the contract. With the plane so near completion, however, Hughes invested more millions of his own money to complete the plane.

Then, on a clear Southern California afternoon, Hughes taxied the plane out of its hanger near the Inner Harbor in Long Beach, California, and slowly taxied back and forth across the harbor. This appearance had been widely reported to be purely a taxi test and no attempt to fly the plane was to be made.

My uncle, with whom we were living at the time having recently moved to California from our home in Chicago, Illinois, gathered me up and the two of us headed to Long Beach to witness this first test of the largest airplane ever built. We found a place along the rail at the bluffs in Long Beach, along with thousands of other interested spectators.

As I recall, the plane, engines roaring, passed from left to right in front of us, returning in the opposite direction shortly. I distinctly remember the engines sounding much louder on the next pass and before our eyes the plane lifted off the water and soared through the air for a considerable distance prior to settling down onto the water again. As a boy of 8 or 9 I had no idea I had just witnessed aviation history. All I knew was that it was a really neat, really big airplane.

Following that one brief flight the “Spruce Goose” was retired to a specially built hanger along one of the sloughs near the harbor where it was lifted out of the water on a cradle and bathed in a climate controlled atmosphere.

I had one more personal experience with the “Goose” when I was in the Navy and the ship in which I served was stationed at the Naval Station in Long Beach. I frequently drove past the hanger where the “Goose” was stored and one could barely see the windows of the cockpit through some windows on the front of the hanger.

Years later, following the tragic end to the life of Howard Hughes, the “Goose” was sold to a group of private citizens who erected a huge geodesic dome structure near the Queen Mary luxury liner in Long Beach Harbor. They installed the “Goose” inside and sold tickets for visitors to walk around the plane and see it.
Finally, having been less than a huge financial success, the group sold the building and the plane. The plane was purchased by Evergreen Aviation of Oregon, which pledged to build an appropriate permanent home for the orphaned plane. The “Goose” made its trek north in pieces lashed to sea-going barges and languished in a storage area of the airport in McMinnville, Oregon, while the near building was completed.

Finally, the enormous structure was completed and the “Goose” was once again available for all to see. McMinnville is just a short pleasant ride from Salem, Oregon.

The plane rests comfortably as the centerpiece of a wonderful aviation museum containing many other planes. Many of them are arranged around and under the Hughes Flying Boat and provide a scale by which to measure the amazing dimensions of this plane. Docents give lectures governing the plane revealing little details few if any people have ever heard before. For example, did you know the tail threatened to simply fall off during that short flight? There were technicians in the tail standing on stepladders when the flight was made and they had made adjustments in some of the control cables, which were held together by clamping pliers. Before being permanently mothballed in its Long Beach Hanger, large “staples” were added on the fuselage near the tail to strengthen the structure. The fact that Hughes had this type of work done indicates that he actually intended to fly it again. Alas, it was never to be. The gigantic airplane built almost exclusively of wood—the only one ever—was simply to fade into the background of aviation history until resurrected in the 1970’s.

The specifications of the plane are as follows:

Performance specifications are projected.
General characteristics
Crew: 3
Length: 218 ft 8 in (66.65 m)
Wingspan: 319 ft 11 in (97.54 m)
Height: 79 ft 4 in (24.18 m)
Fuselage height: 30 ft (9.1 m)
Loaded weight: 400,000 lb (180,000 kg)
Powerplant: 8× Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engines, 3,000 hp (2,240 kW) each
Propellers: 8 x four-bladed Hamilton Standard, diameter 17 ft 2 in (5.23 m) each
Performance
Cruise speed: 220 mph (353.98 km/h)
Range: 3,000 mi (4,800 km)
Service ceiling 20,900 ft (6,370 m)
Projected endurance (cruise): 20.9 hrs

The wingspan runs 19' wider than a football field! That tail stands 8 stories high! Seeing it, even in the crowded environment of the museum is a WOW! experience.

Firefighters with extinguishers were stationed at each of the eight engines inside the wings because the engineers truly believed the engines could set the wings on fire.

One of the more interesting pairings finds a Douglas Aircraft DC-3 (also known as the C-47 in its military garb as seen in the photo above) displayed beneath the wing of the “Goose”. Its shiny silver rudder can be seen near the center of this panoramic photo.

Furthering my attempt to provide perspective, the pontoons hanging from the wings are as large as our first Sea Ray cabin cruiser and the tail of this giant soars 8 stories above the floor of the museum. Below is a photo of a display showing silhouettes of the “Goose” overlaid on that of a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet. Note that the 747 are slightly longer but that of the flying boat dwarfs its wingspan.

In the collection of the Museum are both warbirds and civilian aircraft of note. An original Piper Cub Cadet hangs off the port wingtip of the “Goose”.

Many, if not most of the planes are in flying condition. There are examples of everything from the very first jet-powered planes to an SR-71 “Blackbird” spyplane that sits beneath the starboard wing.

The entire display, understandably crowded, is worth seeing if, for no other reason, to simply be awed by the sheer size of the “Goose”. Visitors are allowed inside the fuselage but the flight deck is off limits. The view of the interior is amazing. The catwalk to the tail seems to stretch for a city block. The wooden structure is also clearly visible.

So, rather than race through the entire State of Oregon on Interstate 5 or remain completely on the coast, a detour to McMinnville to visit the Evergreen Aviation Air Museum is well worth the trip. You may even see a 747 that has been converted to an aerial tanker for use on wildfires. The DC-10 currently in use is large but the 747 are bigger and holds more retardant. At this writing I do not believe it has been certified by the Department of the Interior for actual fire deployment yet.

Here are a few more pictures of some of the other planes in the collection:

A WWII Navy divebomber.

A German WWII Messerschmidt ME-109 fighter/bomber

Feeling better. The weather's better too

2008-01-12T07:56:00.001-08:00

After my last post--admittedly sort of a downer (Hey, I was sick!), I thought I'd better let the other shoe drop.

Yes, I've now just about fully recovered but it wasn't fun. The malady swept the entire family with Laurie having the same respiratory problems I experienced and Kevin relapsing into what sounds like a terrible case of the flue with fever, chills, and sweats. Even Judy came down with what seemed to be a more normal cold without all of the dramatic trimmings the rest of us experienced. I'm glad to say it sounds like we're all on the mend but it was a heck of a price to pay for a family reunion.

The physician I saw said he sees many grandparents just after the holidays who have been in close proximity to their extended families only to become very ill. It's a gift that just keeps on giving.

As if to celebrate our recovery, the weather here on the Desert has improved dramatically also. Daytime temperatures have risen into the 70's and we've resumed our daily dips in the hot mineral pools. Ahhhh, it's wonderful.

We visited the Family Motor Coach Assoc. rally in Indio where we purchased a kit to coat the rubber roof on our motorhome with a silicone product guaranteed for many years. $$$$$. There is a young man here in the RV resort who does a fine job cleaning and polishing and I think we can probably hire him to clean our roof and apply this stuff. It goes on with a paint roller in a very thick coat. We haven't had any leaks yet but we're concerned enough about the possibility that we felt this was necessary.

In running about we've also resumed geocaching locating a few more recently. The one cache was called "The General Store" and when we removed the rocks to find it in its hiding place the reason for the name was right there--a tin container that once held some Hershey product with printing on it that reads, "General Store". Another was called "R2D2" and amounted to just a 35mm film container with a log rolled up inside for signing. We return home to log our finds on the internet at http://www.geocaching.com/ and check on the activities of both of our geocaching kids. Fun stuff.

The world famous "Canadian Brass" is performing in concert early next month and we plan to attend. They have the most wonderful sound. It should be really enjoyable.

We've also sort of spearheaded a trip to the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in 2008. We've developed a group of 4 couples total who will attend. The last time we went to the fiesta we went with a Monaco Coach rally. This time we'll do it on our own. $85 a night for dry camping (no utilities of any kind), including admission to the event. We'll spend three full days at the fiesta filling our eyes with the wonderful sights and our tummies with delicious Sopapillas. The timing for this event is early October 2008.

I posed for a portrait today

2008-01-03T16:29:00.000-08:00

I had my picture taken today at a classy facility in Rancho Mirage. It is named after a former President of the United States. Locally it is simply known as the Eisenhower while its official title is the Eisenhower Medical Center. Their radiology departments are renown and I was privileged to take advantage of one of them.

While home for the holidays I somehow contracted one of the worst colds I’ve ever had. I assumed that a trip to a lower altitude with a drier atmosphere would help alleviate the shortness of breath and tremendous congestion I was experiencing at home. I was wrong.

In the past several days the condition has undergone several mutations; one of which had me believing I had all but recovered. I’ve been often accused of being a misguided optimist. Well, instead of being cured it suddenly got worse. I decided I needed some medical attention this morning and we drove over to the Eisenhower Urgent Care Center in Indian Wells. The doctor listened to me breathing, got out his stethascope and listened more and said, “We need a chest X-Ray right now. I “ It’s an old joke and he didn’t laugh. Unfortunately, their X-Ray technician had called in sick today so we had to go to the center at the hospital itself to get it done.

After returning to the Urgent Care Center the doctor looked at the X-Ray and said, “I see no pneumonia.” What you have is a severe bronchial infection and we’ll get you started on some anti-biotics.”

Well, I wish I hadn’t had to go to the Urgent Care Center but it was my first experience with such a facility. I left with a very favorable impression of this specialized medical facility. With the exception of their X-Ray tech being sick, I was seen quickly, the staff was friendly and considerate, and the facility was spotless. Their doctors have no desire to become your primary physician. They keep minimal records on your visit. Even the digital X-Rays which had been put on a CD were given to me for my viewing pleasure. I delayed seeking help for several days because I didn’t want to endure the whole hospital emergency room scene.

Living away from our primary medical doctors creates some complications. Simply having medical insurance isn’t really enough if you need help. To whom do you go to get it. The urgent care facilities fill that gap. If the doctor today had felt there was a need for more intensive examination, he would have referred me to someone at the hospital.

White Christmas--Belatedly

2007-12-28T16:50:00.000-08:00

The mid-day sunshine in Grass Valley, CA, 12/28/07

This is the same view, roughly, on a pleasant Fall afternoon.

Our holiday visit with our Daughter Laurie and Granddaughter Danielle has come to an end. Their flight left Sacramento at 0600 hours this morning and they were in Nashville when they called just before 1300 hours. They then had the six-hour drive to Hickory, NC, and home ahead of them but they planned to visit friends for a day or two before doing that.

For them, one of the things that would have made their trip west even better was a white Christmas but, unfortunately, that just wasn’t in the cards. Christmas was cool with some clouds but no rain or snow.

Last night, when their hours here were at an end it began to snow and, by 0200 hours had built up to about 3” on the ground. That’s certainly not a major snowstorm for here; we’ve had as much as 33” overnight. Our home rests at 3000’ above sea level at the very top of a small mountain.

Except for the snow that could be seen in the headlights of the car the world was a black void. Driving through downtown Grass Valley on our way to the freeway revealed what looked like a Kinkaid painting with thesnow-covered roofs and lawns of the old Victorian homes glowing in the street lights.
It was very pretty but the roads were white and big fluffy white flakes fell rapidly.

Swimsuits may not be required but a wetsuit might be in order. We set our Softub spa up indoors for this trip home and it has been very popular with everyone.

We were amazed that the road remained white down to about 1300’ above sea level and there were still snowflakes in the light rain all of the way down to near 1000’.

The trip to the airport was uneventful and we got them off on their way home. Going home could have been a different story if the snow had continued to coat the roads but, by the time we got near Grass Valley it was clear the temperature had climbed enough and enough traffic had been out to clear the paved roads. The private road with 11% grade up to our home was a different story but the Jeep did just fine.

The Azalea will have to wait for the warmer days of early spring. In the meantime, BRRRRRRRR!

It has stayed cold all day with the high being around 36degrees so there has not been a lot of melting going on. Another very small weather system is due to move through tonight bringing a bit more snow before fair weather returns for our trip back to the desert.

It was a MERRY CHRISTMAS in Grass Valley

2007-12-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from me to all of you who read these words.
Sometimes plans do work out and, so far, our whole family Christmas gathering has been just wonderful. Laurie and granddaughter Dani arrived on the 23rd, Kevin the firefighter was not on shift Christmas Eve, and UPS, FedEX, and DHL had all done their jobs in getting the gifts here on time.

Because Kevin worked on Christmas Day and the day following, we had all of our Christmas on Christmas Eve. Judy, Laurie, and Dani prepared the turkey and stuffing, the wonderful green Jello mold, the candied yams, mashed potatoes, exquisitely smooth gravy, and the Swedish Meatballs (without which Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas according to Kev)

Our family gathers round the Christmas table

No one, except Alex, left the table the least bit hungry. Alex declared, “I don’t like anything on the table except the dinner rolls.” That’s what he ate. Little Andrew, on the other hand, ate like a lumberjack who didn’t know when he’d see another meal. He valiantly tried everything, liking most, and rejecting a few. He loved cranberry sauce (red) and the Jello (green) especially.

Everyone seemed pleased with their gifts. For the first time this blog article includes photos I didn’t take as Laurie took a few with her new digital camera.

Andrew says, "Give me some more green please.

This one is called "Hedwig's Hide" and is found in Memorial Park, Grass Valley, CA

We’ve been out geocaching, having fun and frustration introducing Laurie and Dani to our delightful new activity. They look forward to getting involved in it when they return to North Carolina. While hunting yesterday we found two and failed to

This one is "Go Bearcats" and is located near Union Hill School, home of the Bearcats. The cache is hidden in the basketball hidden at the left rear of the photo.

find another—even though the gps and Kevin confirmed that we were in the right spot. In one cache Laurie found a “travel coin”; a coin with a serial number on it that is traveling around the world with its travels available for viewing online. Laurie and Dani will move it a big jump by placing it in a North Carolina cache after returning home.

We’ll go out hunting again this afternoon and Laurie and Dani will go out with Kevin and the boys tomorrow. Kevin and the boys are much more experienced than we are and can teach them some of the tricks to finding these elusive hides. "Bennett's Easy Find" is another cache located along Bennett Road in Grass, Valley. Laurie is holding the cache which is actually an automobile gas cap with the "log" rolled up inside of it.

Geocaching is a lot of fun. It gets your mind working trying to solve the puzzle of the hidden “treasure” once at its location, it gets you outdoors, it provides as much exercise as you desire (there are geocaches on Mt. Everest) and, best of all, it’s free.

All good things must come to an end and Laurie and Dani leave at 0600 hours on Friday. Judy and I will return to the Desert Southwest on Sunday, in time for New Years with friends there. The Christmas decorations in the house will have to wait until May to be taken down and stored away for next Christmas.

Dani got all dolled up for Christmas. She's doing "Goth" right now. The blue hair is actually quite pretty.

I’ve given up preaching minimalism in the decoration department as many of the things we display have been around for all of our Christmas celebrations and are therefore, family traditions. Judy is going to decorate as she always have and, I must admit, I do enjoy seeing them.

We wish all of you a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR in 2008. Good health, good friends, family, and fun.

2007-12-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

Today, December 16, 2007 is our 44th wedding anniversary. About 400 of our closest friends joined us and a 26 voice choir to get the job done that evening in 1963.

In celebration of that amazing achievement we're putting stuff away in the motorhome preparing to put it in storage tomorrow. We're also packing the car so it too will be ready to head out early tomorrow morning for a return to home for the Christmas Holiday with the whole family.

We're just a couple of hopeless romantics. For supper tonight we'll continue emptying the refrigerator and freezer to minimize the stuff that has to go in the dumpster before we leave for two weeks. Maybe we'll put a candle on the table next to the tupperware container. The best part is we'll be together.

Happy 44th Anniversary Judy. I love you with all my heart.

Ron

You're definitely OLD if you REMEMBER...

2007-12-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

My two wonderful Pug dogs have suddenly developed knock-you-over, put you down for the count, send you reeling breath. It's confusing because their diet is exactly the same as it's always been. I'm not suggesting their breath has ever been kissably sweet, they're dogs afterall.

But living in the confined space of our motorhome, has made it a problem that has caused discussion, action, and upset. The dogs don't seem to mind that I don't look them squarely in the face anymore, though.

I tried a breath spray on them but you'd think they'd been hit with pepper spray or mace. The saliva that flowed in each case was amazing. They even foamed at the mouth.

Everyone says it's their food (see first paragraph). Could it be the desert water? It actually seems to be pretty good tasting water so I don't know.

All of this discussion of halitosis caused my confused brain to go on a reverie of its own back down memory lane--every year I do more of such mental meandering. Ah yes, the joys and pleasures of boyhood in the 40's. This is where the remembering

mentioned in the title comes in. I suddenly remembered a product that I lusted after as a kid and maybe you did too: Sen-Sen. It was the early 20th century version of Mentos and other breath mints found today. It seemed one or more of my relatives, probably hiding a halitosis condition caused by improper oral hygiene, had a small packet of this stuff in his or her pocket. It was a licoricey-minty powder made up of tiny black squares and you tipped the whole thing in your mouth at once. Oh, the flavor rush was fabulous. Did you know they still make the stuff? Not only do they still make it using the original recipe but on the same machines that produced it in the late 1800's. You can buy it online, go to Amazon.com and search in their candies and there it is.

While we're remembering do you remember "Black Jack" or "Fan-Tan" gum? Well, I could go on and on but thanks to foul dog breath I've had a little fun on the internet and shared it with you.

More Wonderful Rain--AND SNOW!

2007-12-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

Mt San Jacinto as seen through our windshield this morning, Monday, 10 December 2007

For the second weekend in a row, blessed desperately needed precipitation fell over Southern California. It brought rain to the lowlands and snow above 5000'. Even though we're here in the desert hoping for warm and fair weather, we're very happy to see some rain come to this over parched region. The rain a week ago was the first precipitation in Palm Springs in 26 months.

The Windmills beneath Mt. San Jacinto. The snow line is at about 5,000' above sea level on this nearly 11,000' high peak that towers over Palm Springs, CA.

As usual, the rain was followed by a gusty windstorm that came raging through the Banning Pass. The pass is full of wind generators for good reason--it's the third consistently windy place in the whole world. One old person we heard of believed the hundreds of huge windmills in the pass were fans to help cool the place in summer and she couldn't understand why they rain them on cold days. I still think she was kidding but she professed to not know what they actually were.

Tortured pictures on a Rainy Sunday.

Those of you who use a satellite dish to receive your programming will fully understand the problem we have when heavy rains fall. It's actually worse than it would be if the dish were exposed because on the motorhome it's located inside a fiberglass dome. The dome gets wet and the picture tears or goes away. RainX actually helps a lot but needs to be applied quite regularly.

It's Christmas time on the desert

2007-12-06T20:25:00.001-08:00

Okay, okay, okay! I know it’s been a long time since my last post but, as the gist of that post implied, we’re really not doing much here in the Desert Southwest other than enjoying the mostly marvelous weather.

Last weekend a marvelous, refreshing, nourishing rain fell on the area. It rained almost continuously for about 23 hours resulting in a total of nearly 2.4”. The intense day of wind that followed caused us to “hunker in our bunker” for another 24 hours. When the gusty winds blow we do a bit of rocking and rolling in the motorhome. It’s nothing alarming but, like the boat, you get rocked to sleep at night. Beautiful sunsets over Mt. San Jacinto are a wonderful benefit of enduring the storm’s passage.

That event, although significant, was the first time the weather had forced us indoors since our arrival back at the beginning of November.

We’ve had another very pleasant week with temps in the mid 70’s but now expect another weather event for this weekend with the possibility of more rain and wind. It’s a pretty good schedule because I do enjoy watching the football games on TV. We are heartbroken over the deadly weather in the Northwest and hope and pray all of our friends and acquaintances there were not badly impacted by the storms.

We’ve been decorating for the holidays. We erected and decorated our Christmas Tree last week. It’s a new tree this year and we decided to be “green” and purchased a string of the new LED lights. We pondered whether to buy the “clear” or “colored” variety and finally settled on “colored”. If you’re considering such a purchase and are as uninformed as we were, do some research. If nothing else, look for a lighted display. The colors of these new lights are so intense that it’s more like carnival lighting than holiday. The blue color especially overwhelms the other colors. We have a neon-looking Christmas Tree. Forest, our Alaska stuffed bear, graces the display garbed in his Santa Claus House tee shirt from North Pole Alaska, and a Santa hat originally purchased for a Pug dog who probably refused to wear it or just looked too stupid.

A stop at a Jack-in-the-Box netted a new antenna ball that came with a suction cup attachment and it is stuck in the center of our kitchen wall clock. Christmas music on the XM Satellite radio rounds out the holiday scene. It’s not Currier and Ives but it proves we’re in the spirit and ready for celebrating to begin.

In my last posting I talked about all of the things to do in the area, but neglected to mention one that is not to be missed. The weekly flea-market at the College of the Desert in Cathedral City, is an event that draws us

there at least twice a winter. It’s a upscale flea market where one can purchase stuff ranging from the common tee shirt vendors wares to tuxedos, or evening wear and diamond jewelry to Croc shoes. Heck, you can even buy a very pricey “water feature” for your patio or garden.

“People watching” here is right up near the top of the scale as you mix with the gentry who arrived in their Rolls Royce or Bentley’s and the college student in a 70’s VW bug.

There are no "starving artist" deals from this fine art dealer at the Flea Market.

An interesting sight was the bagged dates on the palms that line the streets at the College of the Desert. They bag the young dates to keep the birds from stealing all of the fruit before they can harvest it.

It’s a fascinating experience that occasionally produces some little gem we can’t resist buying.

Today was also our turn to attend “The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies,” and the name says it all. It was fabulous, though a bit on the long side at 3.5 hours but fabulous never-the-less. The Guiness Book of World Records includes the “Oldest active performing Showgirl in the World” who trips the light fantastic at 84 years old and has the body of someone about 20. All of the showgirls have shapes that rival hers. The vaudeville-type comedians were funny and Kaye Ballard (the guest headliner) did a great job at more than 70 years old. Their patriotic tribute last number was very nice and recognized all of our services including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Merchant Marine Service. Ron’s friend Ken Blue would have really appreciated the latter.

We went to the show in the company of our friends, Bob and Cheryl, Rvers from Illinois that we’ve known since our Mexico sojourn. They too enjoyed the show.

We bought a new GPS unit and have done our first GeoCaching. In case you’re unfamiliar with the activity it’s a new-age, hi-tech, treasure or scavenger hunt. There are hundreds of thousands of little treasures hidden around the world (maybe millions if the number in our immediate area are indicative of other places) and with the help of a GPS unit you too can find them. The fun here is mostly in the finding rather than the treasure in the cache though there are items there for the taking. When a cache is discovered you look at the stuff

(called “SWAG” in the hobby), take some if you wish, and always record your visit in the log book provided by the person who hid the cache. If you take an item you should also leave an item. Some of the Swag is sort of official and known as “Travel Bugs”. These articles have a metal tag attached to them and are meant to be sent on in another cache as soon as possible. They take a journey like “go around the world” and return to the originator when the journey is complete. They may come with instructions such as “move further east” requiring a person who takes such a bug to do as instructed. I’m holding a cache in the photo.

Lists of the caches can be found online at http://www.geocache.com/ and then the coordinates can be transferred into your GPS for later searching.

It’s an interesting experience with the main benefit of getting you out of the house and going to places you probably would never have gone before.

We leave the motorhome in storage and drive home on December 17. We’re looking forward to getting home so Judy can spend four hectic days decorating for the holidays, wrapping gifts, baking cookies, and shopping for all of the food we’ll need for the two weeks were home with our anxiously anticipated houseguests, Laurie and Dani, who arrive on December 23. I think this will be our first Christmas together since we all traveled to Boise to be with her some years ago and will be Laurie’s first visit with her two nephews. It should be lots of fun.

We hope your Christmas is blessed, happy, and filled with family, friends, good food, and joy. We wish you all a very happy New Year with hopes for good health, prosperity, and happiness for all of you.

Here’s another Geocache after removal of the rocks that covered it. It contained a log book and some little plastic creatures.

Welcome to the Desert

2007-11-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

We arrived at Desert Pools RV Resort on 1 November with the plan being to remain mostly in and around this area until we return home at the beginning of May. Last year we purchased a membership at Catalina Spa and RV Resort which is located just a couple of miles from Desert Pools with the idea of staying-put in mind. Our winters away from home, you see, are not so much about travel as they are about avoiding the cold, wet winters at home.

Since here we’ve gotten together twice with Bob and Cheryl (other Mexico train trip refugees) and taken the $5 tour of their brand new motorhome. It’s very pretty and big, with all of the bells and whistles one could want. It has two huge slide-out-rooms, one on each side, that seem to give it the floor space of a luxury condo.

We’ve made reservations to go with them to see “The Follies”, a long-running show in downtown Palm Springs. This holiday season their show is titled “Tin-pan Alley”. For all of the years we’ve come down to this area we’ve heard “You’ve just got to go to the Follies, it’s wonderful.” Well, this year we’ll do it but it will cause a hit on our pocket book. Tickets for the show range from $66 –90/per seat! Well, we haven’t been to a big time stage production in years but that seems a bit stiff. How do you feel about it? I sure hope all those folks who told us “You’ve just got to go…” weren’t just more of the “Misery Loves Company Crowd.” The age of the performers in this production ranges from 60 to 80. Yeah, 60 to 80 and I’m told they are voluptuous and gorgeous. The poster reads, "They sing, they dance, they're ancient, and they play to sell out crowds." Bob asked, “Why are we spending that much money to go see a bunch of old broads?” Good question, Bob.

There are daily activities here in the park in which one can participate should one choose to. The morning starts with

poolercize or water aerobics in the warm mineral waters of the pool. Maybe you’d prefer a hot soak in one of the three hot

mineral pools. There are also walking groups if you just want to walk.

A tension filled game of mini-golf might be on tap if the grandkids are visiting or how about a rousing game of pickle ball

(sort of like tennis). There are horseshoe groups, and shuffle

board too so there’s little or no reason to just veg unless that’s your thing.

Indoor classroom sessions take place almost every day and cover a wide variety of subjects from computers and the internet to quilting and cloth weaving. They are all conducted by other campers, who feel they have the expertise, and are free.

Meals can be purchased in the dining room several times a week and you wouldn't want to miss out on the Ice Cream Social on Sunday afternoon.

If none of that turns you on, there’s the whole Desert Southwest just outside the gate. The world-famous Palm Springs Tram will

whisk you from the valley floor to over 8,000’ near the summit for a spectacular view of the entire Coachella Valley, clear down to the Salton Sea. We’re about ½ hour from Joshua Tree National Park, there are Indian Casinos all over the place with their games, restaurants, buffets, entertainment rooms, and hotels. The premium outlet stores are about ½ hour away also. The very interesting Salton Sea is only an hour away. There are theaters where visiting big-name stars do mainly one-night-stands, museums, zoos. There are wonderful restaurants enough to satisfy every pallet. In other words, there’s a heck of a lot more to do here than at home in Grass Valley.

Above all, there’s the wonderful sunny weather. The area boasts up to 360 sunny days a year and now, through April (the tourist season) finds the best temperatures of the year with most days in the 70’s and nights in the 50’s.

Our RV site faces Mt. San Jacinto, (at right in the photo below). This is the view out of the windshield of our motorhome.. At sunrise the mountain is the first place to receive its rays.

Caught in a STING!

2007-10-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, 25 October 2007, was not the best of days, although it did have some better moments (mainly the sirloin steak breakfast burrito at Jack in the Box).

I haven’t mentioned or dwelt on my health problems in this blog feeling only a few of you who read this—make that family members—are particularly interested in real-time updates.

One such factor has to do with the arthritis in my knees and the resulting loss of cartilage in the joints. Both knees are now rated as bone-on-bone and can be incredibly painful at times. For the past 4 years we have been nursing them along with regular (every 4 months) injections of cortisone. Following those injections I get about one month of considerable relief, the next month not so much and by the middle of the third month I am more than ready for another injection.

Yesterday was injection day and I really looked forward to it. We have to travel to Sacramento to a knee specialist there. He aspirated 135cc of fluid (combined from both knees) and injected each of them with the steroid laced with a heavy dose of Lidocaine.

Generally the Lidocaine brings about immediate pain relief but he had manipulated my knees so much that they were really agitated. We did some shopping at a few stores prior to returning home.

My knee pain continued throughout the remainder of the day and, shortly before bedtime, I decided to go soak in the hot tub. It felt great! I got out on the dark deck and grabbed my towel off the deck rail where I had previously left it to dry. I began toweling off, my head, face, chest, and then tossed the towel over my head and began to rub it back and forth across my back. Suddenly there was a very sharp pain. It felt like a piece of glass had been stuck in my back. I rushed indoors and asked Judy if something was on my back but she could see nothing. I had dropped my towel on the floor and as I looked down I saw a large black creature moving slowly on it. I looked closer and realized it was a very large (ginormous, world record size) Bumble Bee. I grabbed my shoe and proceeded to send it off to wherever Bees go when they’re done here. I'm no do-gooder about bugs and I don't regret my action. He deserved what he got--a quid pro quo.

The judicious application of some Benedryl ointment took most of the pain out of the sting and we were off to bed.

This morning my knees feel much better than they have for about a month or two so it should be a much better day than yesterday was. Provided, of course, that I don’t get caught in another sting.

The City of Grass Valley, California, is not BURNING!

2007-10-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

Judy and I thank those of you who have telephoned us after hearing of the “Grass Valley Fire” on television. We truly appreciate your concern but, as we’ve told you, the fire being reported on television and radio and newspapers is in Southern California, near the resort community of Lake Arrowhead. The Grass Valley being mentioned in those news reports is a small residential neighborhood that carries that name. It is some 600 miles south of the City of Grass Valley, where we live.

Living in a community not dissimilar from that southern Grass Valley and having experienced wildfires close to our home we understand the panic and pain to which our neighbors are being subjected. It is a truly horrible experience. They and we have chosen to live in mountainous-forested areas because of the sheer beauty of the surroundings. When wildfire visits your neighborhood however it takes all you have in material things as well as the natural beauty around you. It’s nothing short of devastating and we grieve for those who have lost so much in the past few days. You can rebuild your home, you can buy new stuff, but you can’t replace the mature forest around you which may have taken hundreds of years to grow.

We’ve been home since the first week of September and have experienced an early Fall. We’ve had rain about once each week and are now ahead of the average season total for this time of the year. Temperatures, until the past several days, have been well below average and our usage of the propane gas in our tank proves it. The furnace has run on most of those days since our return.

I recently read an article written by a forestry professor at some New England University in which he claimed that “global warming” is ruining the Fall colors in New England. He said that there has been a pronounced decrease in the reds and oranges and yellows because of the delay in the onset of cold temperatures in the past few years. If that’s so it’s sad because few places have had a better Fall color display than in New England.

Our early Fall here in Northern California, on the other hand, has colors here in the Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains looking better and brighter than I can remember them being. Even the Black Oaks are getting in the game this year. They have usually had their leaves turn brown on the stem and then fall to the ground. This year, however, as you can see from the photos I’ve included in this posting, they are glorious and brilliant. In the second photo you can see the oaks on the mountainside beyond the valley behind our home.

The view looking east from our back deck

Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA, October 2007

2007-10-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

On October 16th, we left Grass Valley in a drizzling rain headed for Monterey, CA. Kevin and Dodie and the boys were about 45 minutes behind us pulling their trailer behind their pickup truck. By the time we reached Lodi, where we stopped for fuel and lunch, Kev caught up to us.

In Auburn, it started raining steadily with big drops and continued that way, on and off, all of the way to Monterey. It was even raining in the RV park in the County Fairgrounds while we set up our rigs.

We had come all of this way to re-visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was the first of its kind and set the bar for all of the aquariums to follow. Some today, like the new facility in Atlanta, GA are reportedly, even better but it’s still undeniably the finest on the West Coast.

The kids enjoyed the “touch-it tanks”

in which they could handle sea cucumbers and starfish and the larger tanks where they could pet a shark or sting ray. Here Kevin helps Andrew get up close and personal with some creature in the trough.

In the tank below there was a beautiful school of anchovies.

One of the reasons Kevin was so anxious to come here was the fact that they had another Great White Shark in one of the display tanks. It is the fourth Great White they’ve had here at the aquarium, and it’s the only place in the world to successfully keep one alive. The previous three have all been returned to the wild ocean when they became big enough to become a threat to the other fish in the tank. The current animal is just a baby about 4’ long and 7 months old. He’s certainly easy to differentiate from all of the other fish and sharks in the tank when he swims by the viewing windows. Unfortunately, flash photography was forbidden so we couldn’t get any usable pictures of it to share with you.
We were able to see the sea otters at their feeding and training time. We have seen performing sea lions and porpoise before but to actually see the otters perform particular activities on command was really surprising. Andrew and Judy really enjoyed watching the show through the under water window.

The most unusual and spectacular displays are of the various jellyfish. There are so many species on display and each seems to be more interesting or unusual than the last. They seem to move so effortlessly through the water just pulsing along at their own pace—and many of them are so colorful.
On Thursday, Kev and family returned to the Aquarium while Judy and I took the opportunity to go do some shopping in the interesting and unusual shops on Cannery Row. We met later in the day at the Monterey Maritime Museum before heading down to the beach for the kids to play a while. Thursday night we went to a lovely Japanese restaurant near Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner and to celebrate Kevin’s birthday which is really tomorrow.

We’ll return to Grass Valley tomorrow, Oct 19th, 2007.

2007-09-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

Life CAN be a Circus when you’re 5 years old

Last Thursday evening, grandson Alex’s kindergarten class performed a circus over at Union Hill School. Alex came to our house to show off his costume and it was obvious he was very proud and happy with his look.

The Circus itself was very cute with kids who had obviously paid attention to their instructions doing one thing and kids who had obviously not paid attention doing something else altogether. I remarked that I thought it was really just a shakedown cruise for Halloween costumes.

Along with 4 or 5 other kids, Alex was a trick horse rider. On his stick horse he ran around the circle jumping and running and generally having a good time.

There were “ribbon dancers”, strong men, tricycle riders, tightrope walkers, and dancing animals in the show. The kids were all very cute but mostly very funny. It didn’t take much to make any of them forget they were part of a group doing an act. It could be spotting grandma in the audience or a bug on the grass—the attention span of a 5-year-old is amazingly short.

One of the kindergarten teachers was also our Daughter Laurie’s teacher when she attended Union Hill School. Mr. Heck was one of the producers of the show and wore a great clown costume.

The Auto Repair Saga, Continued

Our motorhome is back in the front yard with new battery cables and vents in the dashboard that open and close as they were designed. The vacuum motor had to be replaced as no one could supply a new relief valve. In fact, Monaco Coach Corp. (after reviewing the photos sent by the repair shop) said, “We didn’t make that. It must have come from the chassis maker.” Roadmaster chassis (after reviewing the photos sent by the repair shop) said, “We didn’t make that. It must have come from the maker of the heater/ac system.” The heater/ac company (after reviewing the photos sent by the repair shop said, “We didn’t make that but we have a similar unit that should do the job.” It’s never easy when you’re repairing or replacing parts on an older vehicle. Either way, it works and that is what we wanted.

The Jeep’s window repair, however, is not yet finished. I’ve been to the dealer 3 times now and will have to go back for at least one more time. When the replaced the mechanism that raises and lowers the window they lost a piece of the door panel. Without it, it rods that control the door lock and latch are rattling together and against the metal structure of the door whenever the door is opened or closed. Ugghhhhh!

They really don’t seem to understand my frustration. They said, “We’ll order the part and put it in at no charge to you. We’ll call you when it’s in and you can just come over anytime and we’ll do it immediately.” I said, ‘I came here in the first place, knowing I would pay a little more than my favorite private mechanic would charge, because I felt you guys would do it quicker and better because of your experience with these cars. You’ve done neither and now the repair will require that I visit your shop 4 times.” Ugghhhhh!’

By the way, the new battery cables and the new vacuum generator cost about the same as replacing the window mechanism on the Jeep. Does that seem right? It doesn’t to me.

We’ve now had some rain and the plants in the meadow behind our house have perked up after a long dry summer. A vigorous thunderstorm rolled through about 9 last night with gusty winds and heavy rain. The deck is littered with oak leaves this morning.

The trees are turning color quickly now as the season changes. Soon the yard will be knee deep in leaves and we’ll be out there with the blowers moving them somewhere else for burning. It’s definitely gotten cooler as well. Overnight the low was 41 degrees. We’re still hoping for an “Indian Summer” spell of pleasant warm weather that we normally see this time of the year.

We got the wood pellets for the stove, and I cleaned and serviced the stove, so we should be ready for Laurie and Dani to visit at Christmas—at least as far as keeping the house warm is concerned.

A FLIGHT OF FANCY--State of the Art Wildfire Suppression

2007-09-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

In my last edition I mentioned that son Kevin had been dispatched to the big wildfire at Big Bear Lake, in So. California.

He left Grass Valley last Sunday afternoon and returned this past Friday night—after a long ride north on Interstate 5.

He and the strike team to which he was assigned never saw any action though they could see the fire on the mountainsides around them which is just fine with me. A week in the Southern California mountains was a nice little vacation for him and the crew.

Those of you not in California may not have seen our latest California fire fighting tool on your local news. It’s pretty darned impressive and, from reports, does a fantastic job. It’s a Douglas Aircraft DC-10 jumbo-jet that has been modified as an aerial tanker. It drops a 12,000 gallon load of fire retardant that coats the ground several inches deep for nearly a mile.

There is even a larger air tanker that has not yet been certified for use. We saw it in Washington State several years ago at the Evergreen Aviation Spruce Goose Museum. It was parked at the airport across the street. It's actually a Boeing 747 and carries even more retardant than the DC-10.

Kevin said it was an amazing sight to see this enormous airplane floating slowly down the canyons and then roaring off as it grabbed altitude leaving the fire.

Yeah, we're still here. Just Quiet recently

2007-09-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

It's Catch-Up-Time, after a long absence from the blogosphere.

Of course we’re back home. Within hours of our arrival the hot tub was up and running and the washer and dryer were cranking out clean laundry. All is right with the world.

Since returning home we’ve taken care of a number of things. That “haircut” in Redmond has been nicely repaired and my head is now the same on both sides. Phew! I fixed the Seth Thomas regulator clock in the dining room (to tell the truth it had not worked for a number of years—sometimes I’m a little slow to move on some things) and now it has to go to the clock shop for a bigger repair than would have been the case had I just left it alone and taken it there in the first place.
Have I learned a lesson? Probably not. Oh, don't forget that Jeep thing that was the subject of the posting that preceded this one.

While here in town we’ll reacquaint ourselves with several of our physicians, get new eye glasses, and prepare for our Halloween departure. Leaving the house empty on Halloween is not a problem in this neighborhood. They only kids who ever come around are the grandboys and sometimes they’re accompanied by their girl friends from down the road. We’ll leave their goodies with their parents. Do kids still soap windows? Do kids even know about soaping windows? When one comes to your door and says, “Trick or Treat” ask him to show you his trick. We had one who did a little song and dance at the door many years ago.

I’ve had the opportunity to have coffee with my friends, Ken, Don, Wes, Brent, and John twice since returning. The “Olde Farts Kaffee Klatch” meets every Tuesday morning and we sit around and share developments in our life, tell a few off color stories, and work on solving the problem of World Peace and Industrial Pollution. Maybe that’s an overstatement? Well, it’s a nice break in the week with good friends.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the wildfire in Southern California, at Big Bear Lake. Son Kevin was dispatched last Sunday on a strike team to that fire and is still there today. He hasn’t done much besides spending several very cold nights out in the little village of Fawnskin, in readiness to try to protect the buildings should the fire make a run at it. Many of the crews that were called to respond have already been sent home and Kev’s crew may be included tomorrow. The bad part of that is Kevin will miss his son Alex’s very first kindergarten stage performance tomorrow night. That’s a big deal for him as he’s a living example of “Mr. Mom.
Like all kids, Alex enjoys dressing up. Though not much of a costume, the glasses certainly made a Harry Potter statement.

The fire has quieted down significantly and there’s even the slight chance the area will experience rain and snow or rain mixed with snow in the next couple of days.

When we had the coach inspected in Oregon, they discovered what they believed was a vacuum leak in the system that controls the vents on the dashboard. They also recommended replacing the battery cables due to corrosion. Well, the cables are new but the vacuum leak isn’t. It seems the system is not vacuum but air pressure and the relief valve on the little storage tank has failed. Sooooo, we’re waiting while the garage searches for a supplier of that little valve. It’s probably obsolete or the only remaining one in the country will be a solid gold display model. After our experience with the Jeep’s window mechanism I’ve become very cynical.

The weather was warm and smokey when we arrived home but has improved during the past 10 days or so. It’s been very comfortable. Fall seems to be in the air today with a strong breeze stripping some of the leaves off the black oak trees and a definite chill to the air. We may even get a little rain in the next 48 hours. That would be nice to dampen the dust on the road a little bit.

Speaking of the weather, it does get snowy here sometimes. The pic shows an overnight snowfall just before we were due to load up our camper on the truck and head south. That lump on the right is our other car. This is also the reason we’ve become “Snowbirds” leaving here to spend much of the winter in the Desert Southwest.

We had to hire a plow to come up the hill and clear the driveway so we could get out.

I’ll be laying in a supply of wood pellets for our stove in the next week or so, before they become scarce again. We’ll want them when we return home for two weeks for the Christmas Holidays. Last year suppliers locally actually ran out of pellets, leaving some people with no stove fuel.

Give a Shout-Out for the Crank among us!

2007-09-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when all cars had cranks to roll windows up and down? My Dad’s first car, a 1937 Dodge, had crank windows.

I don’t remember when “power windows” first came on the scene but I do remember they were limited to only the most expensive cars. Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Chryslers had them first. My best friend’s dad drove a private limo for Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios in Culver City, CA. The first one I remember riding in was a 1951 Chrysler and it had crank-up windows. His next car was a CADDY and it had power windows. As teenagers we delighted in running them up and down. Swish down, swish up, down and up, down and up again. Norm’s dad would finally tell us to knock it off.

I don’t think my Dad owned a car with “power windows” until his 1975 Mercury Marquis.

Did any of you ever have a crank-up window that broke? I can’t recall a single instance of such a failure. Oh sure, the little knob at the end might wear out but a trip to a hardware store could solve that problem.

Today, in our comfortenience society power windows are found on all but the very cheapest cars. Even my Jeep came standard with power windows. It’s a Jeep, for pete’s sake. Who needs them? I’m still completely capable of turning a crank to roll my windows up and down.

Now I won’t argue the occasional convenience of being able to roll the passenger window down to tell that creep on that side of the car that your windshield doesn’t need washing, but that type of situation rises so rarely that having a window that goes down and up at the push of a button seems pointless.

Who among us convinced the car companies that we wanted this “convenience”? Does it somehow make that person riding around in one of those ridiculous looking Toyota XB cars feel more important to drop the driver’s window in one fell swoop at the touch of a button? It's nuts, if you ask me.

The real problem with “power windows” is that they are expensive. Every time you raise or lower a window you are incurring costs that will eventually come due because all of these systems break eventually. Fixing them has become a very expensive process. Some of the earlier mechanisms utilized an electric motor turning gears that moved a bar the raised and lowered the glass. Today, unfortunately, on many current model cars they have gone to a system using cables to do the job. There is a cable on one side for raising the window and another to lower it. There is a great deal of tension kept on the cables to allow for a smooth operation.

The worst thing that could happen to the old motor and gear system was the motor would wear out. Replacing it, though not exactly inexpensive, was a small price to pay when compared with today’s cars. The cables in these "hi-tech systems cannot be replaced. Fixing the window requires replacing the entire control unit, and there’s one in each door with a power window.

I just replaced one on my Jeep that failed late in our trip north this summer. The cost you ask? $424! Yikes! I don’t have any idea how many times the window had been cycled up and down before it failed, but each time cost money, obviously. The engineer(s) who designed and created a mechanism for raising and lowering windows electrically that costs nearly $500 to repair/replace should lose their jobs. They are totally irresponsible and inconsiderate of those who will use their creations. It's outrageous!

The service guy at the Jeep dealer said, “This is a part that never should break.” Right. I believe that. Each of these things has an breaking point built into it. The maker can predict almost exactly when one or the other of those cables is going to fail. They determine it in their product-testing phase of production that the auto manufacturer required. The manufacturer says it should last a certain length of time. By then the original owner will probably have bought another car. I shudder to consider how much it would cost to fix the system controlling my “moon roof” that I also didn’t need. I seldom even retract the upholstered cover that keeps the sun out.

In addition to the cost there’s the inconvenience involved in a window failure. The default setting seems to be in the down position. When can it be convenient to have a window that can’t be raised. We got home from Washington without a flooded car thanks to a clever mechanic in Illwaco, who removed the inner door panel, pushed the window up to within ¼” of being completely closed and clamped a pair of Vise-Grip pliers beneath the window frame to hold it in place.

It was an interesting repair bill. The parts list showed only “1 pair Vise-Grips”. The total cost was $60. Add that to the $424 and you’ll understand why I feel the convenience of raising and lowering the widows electrically is an overrated convenience. I might have just left the Vise-Grips in there but the "diagnostic" charge at the dealer was $95 just for looking at the problem.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE CRANK!

Life thoughts

2007-09-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, September 6, 2007, I turned 69 years old. Some of you might learn of that and muse that Ron is really getting on in years. I prefer to look at it from a slightly different point of view. I am now less than twice as old as my youngest child, Laurie, who incidentally is celebrating her 38th birthday today. When she celebrated her first birthday, I was 31 times as old as she. There’s some consolation in the fact that she seems to be catching up.

Laurie could have been born on September 6, also but I insisted that Judy hold off. I didn’t want to spend the next 15 years with carousel birthday cakes and Barbie dolls on my birthday. No way. Well, she was born on September 7, after Judy ingested a large quantity of Castor Oil mixed with Welch’s Grape Juice. Laurie squirted out that evening like a kid on a greased water slide.

That’s not what this is about, however. The point is I’m now 69 years old. It’s not a particularly memorable age. There are no new senior citizen perks that come with turning 69. It just means you’re a year older. While still in Oregon, we had a very nice Prime Rib dinner off the Early Bird Senior menu, but we've been able to do that sort of thing for years. Nothing notable about turning 69 at all.

Yesterday Luciano Pavarotti passed. I think he was 72 years old. You know him, the really big Italian Opera Singer with the even bigger voice. He was big because he lived life big. Would he have been happier had he gone on weight watchers and knocked off a couple hundred pounds? I doubt it. He married that really young gal and lived life the way he wanted. His passing will leave a much larger hole in the fabric of society than that left by most of us. Most of us will leave only little dents that quickly fill in with time.

Most of us lead pretty simple lives. We grow up, get a job, get married, have kids, raise the kids, maybe get another job, and finally retire to walking our dogs in RV parks throughout the country picking up their shit in little plastic bags which get deposited in trash cans that big trucks pick up. Those trucks are driven by guys who are still in the “get a job” segment of their lives. They see daily what lies in store when they reach retirement age. I wonder if future archeologists, digging in a landfill, will come across these little indestructable plastic bags and wonder about them and their contents. Will they know we were just enjoying our golden years in a "green" manner? Oh well, that's another story that has no bearing on the one at hand.

Most of us will be remembered by our kids and grandkids. Great grandkids, however, will have only to hear of us on the rare occasions when their grandparents are in one of those looking back moments and they really won’t pay a lot of attention. GGG grandkids will probably know nothing of our lives or us. I have more of those looking back moments as the years pass.

My folks are long gone and I wonder why I never sat down and had those long searching conversations about who they were and how they got that way. I have boxes of pictures of strangers who were important in the lives of my parents and I have no idea who they are. Why didn’t we sit around in the evening and label them with post-it-notes?

If there are regrets about my life so far it is in all of those opportunities missed.

It is strange to be in the part of my life where I look back more than forward. Chances are there are only little mountains left to climb and most of them relate to declining health issues. Hopefully, I'll stick more to the valleys where travel is easiest for a while.

Recently some wag compared getting old to a roll of toilet paper. He said it seemed like the closer you got to the end the faster it went. Well, I don’t know how true that is because I have no idea how close I am to the end of mine. I really don’t want to know either and certainly am not going to spend a lot of time contemplating it.

Years do seem to fly by, however and I try to squeeze as much enjoyment out of each of them as I can. If it’s not fun, I no longer want to do it. You may call that selfish if you like but I feel I’ve earned at least that by making it this far. After all, one of my doctors would freely tell you I wouldn’t make it through 1977, yet here I am 30 years later, still kickin’, just not quite so high.

So I gleefully celebrate my 69th birthday and wish my daughter a happy 38th. I look forward to as many more birthdays as life has in store for me.

Happy Birthday, Laurie.

A Smokey End to the Summer Road

2007-09-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

Monday night in Coos Bay, the rains came steadily almost all night. When we awoke Tuesday morning at 0600 the rain had been over long enough that the streets were actually beginning to dry. We tuned in the local news on television to hear the weather broad say that scattered showers could be expected all over the area west of the Cascades throughout the day.

We set about getting ready to leave only to have the skies open up again just as we were about to attach the Jeep to the back of the motorhome. We waited that cell out and finally got underway.

All of the way from Coos Bay, to Interstate 5 we did indeed have scattered showers. Ron was frustrated when we hit I-5 as the GPS said we were now 8 miles further from home than when we left Coos Bay, and we had been on the road for 2 hours.

It's true, unfortunately. There is no straight line road from the coast inland and the way out of Coos Bay, goes way north before reaching I-5.

Shortly after starting south on the Interstate the rain began in earnest and rained steadily (and at times very heavily) all of the way south to Ashland.

From Ashland to Redding, CA, the roads dried out except for one brief shower near Lake Shasta.

Redding was very warm on our arrival at an RV Park there. We slept with the windows open for the first time in a while and awoke this morning to the smell of smoke in the air. TV news again informed us of a huge wildfire off to our east that was spreading smoke into the central valley as far south as Chico and Paradise.

We hit the road with a tailwind averaging about 20-25 mph helping our fuel mileage a lot. However, when we turned east in Colusa that wind hit us squarely in the side and driving was very difficult for about 30 miles. Wind gusts were reported as high as 45 and I think we experienced a few of those.

That pall of smoke had reached Marysville and a telephone call home to son Kevin revealed it was also in Grass Valley. It was so bad that grandson Alexs' class at school could not go outside for recess.

The sun shone as a partially obscured orange blob in the sky and the winds decreased the further east we went.

It is very smokey here at home and the smell is very strong. The wildfire is easily 80 or 90 miles away but we're still getting the effect. Smoke has now been reported as far away as Bakersfield, about 300 miles south of here.

We'll look forward to an onshore breeze that will blow the smoke into some other yard and leaves us with clear skies again.

It's good to be home though. Our 2-month trip was fun and we saw lots of neat stuff and met some new folks are reacquainted again with some old friends. We did manage to get in a nice breakfast with Dick and Kathleen, ham radio friends for many years, in Eugene. And, of course, Dave and Sue from Arizona.

Now it's time to start planning for our winter departure about 1 November.

A Wreck on the Beach and a Soft Spot on the Summer Road

2007-09-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy USCG

The MV New Carissa went aground in a violent storm on February 4, 1999, and remains on the beach just north of the harbor entrance at Coos Bay, Oregon. We watched the saga of the attempts to save her for several weeks on television. At that time station KOIN from Portland, was our west coast CBS station on the satellite and their helicopter was overhead every morning and evening throughout the ship’s ordeal.

She had been carrying no cargo and was ballasted with bunker fuel oil in her bilges and posed a serious environmental threat to this delicate shore and on up into Washington State. They decided to burn the oil off and set explosive charges in all of the cargo holds. Instead of a nice fire, they ignited an inferno that at one time had the hull plates glowing cherry red.

Photo courtesy USCG

As a result, the ship split in two, with the forward cargo section breaking away just forward of the bridge superstructure.

Large ocean-going tugboats were called in and the connected to the bow by means of large diameter tow cables and commenced to pull. The tugboat company said it could take several days before any movement was seen. They were right on. The big tugs pulled and pulled 24/7 for days before it finally began to straighten towards the open sea and move away. They towed it many miles offshore and sunk it in deep water.

Still left on the beach, however, was the entire stern section containing the multi-storied superstructure and bridge and the engine room below that. The fires had spread throughout this section of the ship too leaving very little beside scrap iron to salvage.

Today, all that remains is the section of the hull that was aft of the superstructure—the stern of the ship. One identifiable structure is the rack that is visible in the right of the image above that is slanted at about 45 degrees. That once held a lifeboat that was probably used by the crew when they abandoned ship. She lies just offshore and ideas on how to remove the remains still continues to this day. Several weeks ago there was an article in the news about a new plan to “rid the coast of the eyesore”.

While watching the television news coverage of the event I recall them saying how difficult it was to get to the spot where she had run aground. It’s way out on what is called the North Spit and is truly 4-wheel-drive country. The road in is about 4 miles long consisting of beach driving and dune driving through powdery soft sand. It also seems likely that in February, 1999, following a huge storm, the sand was quite moist making driving on it a little easier than it is today.

Our Jeep was doing great until we were within a mile of returning to the paved road when Ron stopped to read a sign. It wasn’t an interesting sign so he stepped on the gas to get going again and we sunk in the sandy powder all the way to the frame so fast it took his breath away. Four wheels spinning in holes in the sand offered no forward progress at all. A couple riding an ATV came up and the driver immediately began removing air from the tires though it appeared quite obvious that wouldn’t work. A guardian angel arrived in a large 4X4 pickup and he had a tow strap. He hooked onto our front end, backed up, and with Ron applying some gas pulled us up and out of our soft spot. Thanks were given all around and we drove slowly back to the RV with 4 very soft tires. Fortunately, the RV has a built in air compressor and we quickly put everything right with the tires.

Ron’s mistake was stopping in what was obviously very soft sand. He won’t do that again. So long as the Jeep was moving forward it kept on keepin’ on. Stopping allowed it to just sink into the powder sand. We’ll stock a shovel, and a tow strap, and perhaps an air tank to refill the tires after airing them down in the sand, before we go again.

We’ll call it a learning experience or our adventure on the beach in Oregon. The weather was gorgeous and so it was much better than getting stuck somewhere in the boondocks in the snow. The Pugs had a great time walking on the beach too.

Coos Bay, OR

2007-09-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Our detour to the coast has been absolutely splendid. They days have been sunny and the temperatures have been in the low to mid 70’s in the afternoons. It’s just perfect, as far as we’re concerned—unusual for this area, but perfect.

We’ve also been able to spend some time with the wanderers in the Carefree Coyote, Dave and Sue. We got together twice, once at their place and once at ours where we had a very nice cocktail party on our patio. Judy served our last remaining can of Capt. Jack’s Alaska Salmon in a spread on crackers. That, along with some killer salsa and the frozen margaritas was just perfect.

Today, Labor Day, we’re just kinda’ kickin’ back. We’ll go in search of the New Carissa this afternoon.

Judy did a load of laundry here in the RV park and I gave a tour of our RV to some neighbors who recently purchased a gasoline powered coach. They’re now heading back to their home in Nampa, Idaho, to put it on the market and start researching diesel pushers. I praised DeMartini RV as a wonderful place to buy a previously owned motorhome.

It’s just like when we were in boating. There’s always one two feet longer or a little nicer to lure you into doing what you should have done in the first place. The boating motto was always, “buy the bigger boat.” The same motto seems to apply to RV’s as well.

Our plan is to head for home tomorrow morning, arriving in Grass Valley on Wednesday. Ron is looking forward to getting the hot tub up and running again as soon as we get there. Judy is looking forward to having the dishwasher and the washer and dryer available anytime she wants and conveniently located right in the house. Different’ strokes for different’ folks.

A Detour in the Summer Road

2007-09-01T16:44:00.001-07:00

A Detour on the Summer Road

You may recall that one of the primary reasons for this annual trek north is to avoid the hot, hot days of summer in Grass Valley. So here we were in Eugene, OR, heading home, expecting to arrive tomorrow afternoon, Sept. 2. Well we were close enough to home to be able to receive our Sacramento, CA, local television stations on our satellite dish. We tuned in the news and the weather guy said it was going to be 103 degrees in Sacramento today and 104 tomorrow.
Now those are exactly the kind of temperatures we came up here to avoid. After much ruminating we decided it wasn’t all that important that we get home tomorrow. There were no appointments during this next week that couldn’t be postponed. The question was where, on Labor Day Weekend, could we find a campground that had a vacant space for us to park in. Judy called the Mill Casino in Coos Bay, and they said, “Come on down,” so here we are back on the coast of Oregon. It’s sunny out and the air temperature is 71 degrees. Now that’s more like it.

It also works out that because of this detour we won’t be driving at all during the Labor Day Weekend, and that too is good. I’ll also get to see all three of the NASCAR races this weekend—maybe the best part.

The weather at home is forecast to be a lot nicer beginning Tuesday when we’ll again plan to head for home. In the meantime, we’ll connect with Dave and Sue, the friends we last saw in Chinook, WA. They planned to be here and will be quite surprised to have us knock on their door.

South on the Summer Road

2007-08-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

Turning South on the Summer Road

We left Chinook, WA on 8/26, for a very tiring ride across the Columbia River to Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton, OR. It was an arduous journey of about 15 miles and Ron complained about the length of our trips.

Fort Stevens State Park is one of our favorites of all places we’ve visited over the years. Our first stay here was sometime in the early 70’s and we’ve been back a number of times since. It is located on the Oregon Beach and the Columbia River and was originally a shore battery with large cannon protecting the entrance to the River. Now a few of the concrete gun emplacements remain but there’s not much left to see.

I wish all of the RV park owners in the country would spend a few days at Ft Stevens. The camping facilities rank right among the finest anywhere. We had a paved parking site in the forest, 30 amp power, sewer, and water, plus a fire ring and all for $22/nite. You can’t beat it. The spaces are bigger than you’ll see in any private park and the maintenance of the park and its buildings is fastidious, and that’s almost an understatement. Many work-camper “Camp Hosts” populate each camping and they are available to help if you have some difficulty or just need some information. It’s truly a marvelous place.

One of the highlights has always been going out on the beach to view the remains of the Peter J. Iredale, a large steel-hulled sailing ship that grounded on this beach way back in 1906. When it was determined that she could not be freed from the grip of the sand, they salvaged all that could be taken off, including the steel plates covering the hull. They left just a skeleton lying on the sandy shore.

Today, that skeleton has dwindled to just the bow section and the keel. You can still see the stumps of the steel masts sticking above the sand as well as the rudder post.

If you have a 4X4 vehicle you can drive on the beach from the shipwreck to Gearhart, OR, just north of Seaside. It’s a long ride but it’s fun to drive on the beach. We took the Jeep down and drove part of that way on our first day in the park. We also drove way out on the jetty and looked across at Chinook, WA, from whence we had just come.

We returned several times after that to spend the afternoon reading and flying our kites. Our new kite certainly garners a lot of interested spectators who either want a closer look or to know where they can buy one like it.

We spent 4 wonderful days just enjoying the outdoors. On Wednesday we even experienced 84 degrees, right on the beach. It was like heaven after all of the cool and damp weather of this past two months.

Our thoughts are now turning south on the Summer Road and getting back home. We’ll stop in the Eugene area to have the “bra” for the front of the coach repaired, and have a full courtesy inspection at the Cummins Engine service center there. We should be back in residence by the evening of Sept. 2.

It’s been an enjoyable 2 months on the Summer Road. There is always so much to see or do in all of the little coastal communities along the way, not to mention the grandiose scenery of the Oregon Coast. We look forward to returning again to the Summer Road in 2008. In the meantime, we have to get back home and get the house ready to be abandoned for the winter and the motorhome ready for our really long stay in the desert southwest.

2007-08-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 23 August 2007

We Joined the Fun at the Kite Festival

When we arrived at the beach the skies were quite clear but quickly the conditions turned cold, cloudy, and very windy, but there were more kites in the air than we have seen on any other day. It was an amazing sight.

When someone here says, “Go fly a kite,” they really mean GO FLY A KITE, so after whining for several days, Ron convinced Judy that we should join in the fun with a kite of our own. It’s no surprise that kite vendors are numerous at the kite festival. The only real issue we addressed with the expert salesman was that the kite be easy to launch and fly. Ron inspected various “delta” kites, up to 6’ across, but finally fell for a beautiful “Lotus Flower” kite that is just more than 5’ across and 2’ thick.

The salesman was a truth teller as it shot into the air after assembling all of the spokes that hold the shape of the flower. Ron flew it for about ½-hour before the winds became so strong it flew straight into the ground.

It’s capable of handling winds up to 25 mph so we’ve something else to take to the beach and desert to augment picnics. It would have been really neat to fly it last year during our stay at Joshua Tree National Park.
Tomorrow at the festival should be very interesting, especially after dark as the “Lighted Kite” show starts at sunset and there is a big fireworks display following that. Ron said he might mount one of the rescue strobe lights we have left over from our boating days but Judy said he was too late to have his kite inspected and certified for the event.

Here’s Ron flying his kite. Þ

2007-08-23T11:18:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, 22 August 2007

A Nice Day at the Washington International Kite Festival
Long Beach, WA

Late this morning we returned to the kite festival grounds and walked the length of the event before stopping for lunch from one of the vendors along the way. We took the pugs with us today and they grew lots of smiles and laughs as they rode along with me on my scooter. Two fat pugs and a fat old guy rolling along. I guess it makes quite sight.

The weather today was even nicer than yesterday with the clouds breaking up as we arrived followed by large areas of blue sky and sunshine. In the sun it actually became too warm for the black pugs so we kept them well hydrated and, at one point as we sat on a lovely hill overlooking the kite area, Judy made a sunscreen out of her jacket to help Angel stay cooler. Next to our spot was a bronze statue of Clarke (of Lewis and Clark of the Corps of Discovery). This beach was the expedition’s first contact with the Pacific Ocean. In his journal Clark wrote of finding a sturgeon that had washed up on the beach that was 10’ long. They also discovered some remains of a whale and a “flat fish” which was their first sighting of a halibut.
There were many more kites today since there was a much more favorable breeze. Fighting kites were chasing each other across the sky; huge airfoils hung almost stationary, and fabulous animals danced on the wind. Long “trains” of 100 or more kites were launched marking the sky like a dotted line. With all of them displaying brilliant colors and shapes it was a really beautiful sight to see.
Similar to the trains are the arches like the one below. These long strings of multiple kites are attached to the ground at each end.

We’ll return tomorrow without the pugs as the participants in the events change from day to day.

It’s an event very similar to the balloon fiesta in Albuquerque, NM. The crowd, including children of all ages, is very well behaved and just there to have a nice day at the Washington International Kite Festival. The balloon fiesta is a larger event but the kite festival takes place at a much nicer hour of the day.

Dueling multiple kites were fun to watch.

The tail of this large kite was easily 60 or 70 feet long.

Good Friends on the Summer Road

2007-08-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 21 August 2007

Chinook, WA

This afternoon we met up with Dave and Sue, friends we made on that ill-fated caravan to Mexico’s Copper Canyon. We drove the short distance from Chinook to downtown Long Beach for lunch at the Lightship Restaurant. The restaurant sits atop a hotel right at the beach and has wall-to-wall windows giving an unrestricted view of the beach, the surf, and the Kite Festival.

Lunch was delicious and even though the skies were gray and cloudy, the view was very nice.

After lunch we strolled out among the vendors on the beach to get a closer look at the kites that ranged in size from downright tiny to enormous. The big wheels, as seen in the background of this shot of Sue and Judy, are fascinating. They lift off the ground then settle back down and roll along for a little while before doing it all over again.

It was very nice to spend some time again with Dave and Sue. We both travel to the Pacific Northwest every summer and this is the second year that we’ve been able to meet somewhere for a quick reunion.

Dave and Sue are staying on the property of a friend who lives just a short distance from our RV Park. That property has 3 RV spaces on it that are most often used by other members of their family who come to the area to celebrate family events or to go fishing. Everyone is very excited right now as the Chinook salmon season opens on the Columbia River this coming weekend.

I’ve seen pictures of long strings of kites like these but never have I seen them in person. This string must have had close to 100 kites all flying from one string. It went so high it was hard to make out the kites at the top of the string.
There were huge kites flying also, even though the breeze was very light. This devil kite was obviously too heavy for the wind but it did struggle completely off the ground several times.

2007-08-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for not posting to the blog for a few days but we're staying in Chinook, WA. Chinook is on the Columbia River, sort of across the river from Astoria, OR. We're actually about 6 miles north of the Astoria bridge. Here in Chinook there is no TV reception on the antenna, the RV park in which we're staying has trees that block the satellite, and there is no wifi. There are no sewers in which to dump your waste water, grey or black, and the showers are about a block away from the coach. It was the 3rd choice in trying to find a place here during the kite festival and Judy sensibly grabbed it when she could.

So, a couple of cable TV channels ($1.00/day) and that's it. Life is good and it's amazing how fast time flies when you're having fun.

We'll actually be spending most of our time in Long Beach where the kites are. It's just 10 miles from theRV park. The kites are up this morning. I drove out to see while Judy stayed behind at the laundromat in Long Beach doing our laundry.

I had to come into town to the internet coffee house to update the blog.

So, for this week don't expect much in the way of updates. I'm sure I'll have lots of neat kite pictures to share next week, however.

Ron

2007-08-20T11:12:00.001-07:00

TRAVEL CUTS

It’s turned into a rainy Saturday afternoon here in Kelso, WA, where we’re spending the night before our RV Park reservation kicks in tomorrow in Chinook.

I just woke up from a nap and while washing my hands and face looked at myself in the mirror. Of course I had some lines on my face from my pillow but the most noticeable thing was my bad case of “BEDHEAD”. I grabbed my brush and did the best I could. You see I got a haircut the other day in Redmond.

Those of you who have known me for years will remember the days when no barber or barberess could touch my hair. It was the men’s hair salon or nothing else. Heck, the first time I worked for KNCO radio they had arranged an advertising trade with the styling salon located on the ground floor of the Holbrooke Hotel. All male employees were required to have their hair trimmed every single week. Joel Granados, the stylist, used some special technique, I don’t remember what it was called exactly, (the Roffler Method?) but I admit it looked great. In those days I wore my hair quite long on the sides and back—not as long as Kenny Rogers but pretty long. Why people working in radio think they have to look sharp and cool is beyond me. Who sees them? Well, I felt I had to look good. Looking back I think I’ve always felt that way. Today though, not so much.

I remember when I was 12 or 13 years old my mom gave me enough money for a haircut—not a haircut and an ice cream soda but just a haircut. I walked the four blocks to the barbershop waiting my turn while reading Detective Stories. When I finally got to sit in the big barber chair her said to me, “What’ll it be, sonny?” I replied, ‘A regular haircut with a SQUARE CUT. “You’ve got it,” he replied and set about giving me my cool, really in, really groovy, REALLY GEORGE, haircut. When he was done he spun the chair around and handed me a mirror so I could see the back of my head. Yup, there it was. My hair ended abruptly in a line straight across my neck. Oh, it was so cool. As I walked back home passed the ice cream shop I had no money to visit, I was sure everyone was looking at me and saying things like, "Look at that cool kid. He’s got the latest style haircut. Wow! It was great.

Home again, I walked in the back door—you never ever came in our house by the front door unless you were company—and found my mom in the kitchen baking something for desert. She briefly glanced at me and said, “That looks better.” As I passed her heading for my bedroom she shrieked, “What kind of haircut is that?” I tried to explain that it was the latest look, but she had instantly accelerated beyond listening. “If your father sees that he’ll think you’re becoming some kind of hoodlum. You turn around young man and get back to that barber shop and get that fixed.” I tried to explain that I had no money to get another haircut and she told me that was my problem. She wasn’t going to spend any more money on the head of a boy that would do something so stupid.

Fortunately, the old Italian barber was an understanding guy and he tapered the hair on the nape of my neck thus allowing me to avoid living on the streets for six weeks while my hair grew out—at least I thought that was a distinct possibility. My dad was a really strict guy given to using his belt and threatening things like something called Juvenile Hall where bad boys are sent.

You might think the story ended with the hair repair but my mom had to tell my dad about it anyhow. Unlike that father-son talk about other stuff dads are supposed to have with their sons that we never had, we sat in my bedroom where I learned about the significant financial impact on the family brought about by my need for haircuts and how important it was not to waste any of that money or we might all live on the streets. It was up to me to save the family by never getting a square cut again. Sort of like when Smokey Bear looks right out of the television screen and say, “Only you can prevent.” Oh, the pressure on a young psyche.

In high school as a wannabe jock and popular guy I was finally given the freedom of doing what I wanted with my hair, if I could afford it. I had a daily paper route back then that monthly paid me enough money to get my haircut twice. I could have had Nick the Italian barber cut it for about $5 but preferred the prestige that came with having a flat top haircut—with square cut—done at the Blue and Gold Barber Shop next to the campus of UCLA in Westwood, CA. Everyone knew that they were the only place anywhere that could make the top of you head so flat an airplane pilot could mistake it for an aircraft carrier. The closest thing today to my hair back then is the top of that hair worn by the red headed guy with the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus. Though no hair on my head was more than 3/8” long it daily received several ounces of rose pomade or butch wax. On hot days in the sun that stuff would melt and run down my face and neck but my haircut was so cool.

A few of you—maybe only Judy—will remember when I was a real clotheshorse. I had 4 or 5 suits plus 3 or 4 sport coats, many pairs of slacks, lots of dress shirts, and 20 or 30 ties. There was even a time when we would go to the fabric store where I would choose swatches and Judy would make custom neckties. One of my favorites was the Campbell Soup tie. All of the suits and slacks were double knit polyester of course and the slacks had bell-bottoms. The sport coats were garish and definitely in style. My hair at that time as always razor-cut at the local styling salon. Today's wardrobe consists of about 50 tee shirts, 12 pairs of shorts, 3 pairs of washable leisure pants, and two pairs of rockports. At home there is one suit which probably no longer fits and a blue blazer left over from the yacht club days--I don't know what happened to the grey slacks that went with it, though.

After moving from the LA area to the mountains of northern California all that sort of went by the wayside. Levis and flannel shirts seemed so much more appropriate. My hair grew quite long and a beard sprouted on my face. I was a mountain man. When my hairs needed trimming however it was still at a styling salon.

Nowadays while living the RV lifestyle all of that has changed again. Now, since we always try to go where temperatures are mild, it’s shorts and tee shirts that advertise where we’ve been. Rockports on my feet and a haircut I get somewhere along the road. Haircuts are a crapshoot. In a strange town you’re hardly going to stop guys with nice looking haircuts and ask, ‘Where do you have your hair cut?’ You see a place with a sign that reads, “No appointments necessary. Walk-ins welcome,” and go for it. Yeah I know that super Walmarts have hair salons in them but I just haven’t been able to do that yet. Oh how I don’t like Walmart. I see RVs with signs on their rear end reading, “This rig stops at all Walmarts” and wonder, ‘why’? Those of you old enough to remember the Sears bargain basement will know what I mean when I say Walmarts have THAT SMELL. The smell came from the wieners rotating slowly on those silver rollers for day after day and the popcorn and everything else in the snack bar. That’s what Walmart stores smell like to me, and I only go there when it’s the only choice around. No, no Walmart haircuts for me. I’m a Nordstrom kinda guy. “Have a seat sir and we’ll have an executive shopper take care of you. We have a hair salon should you care to partake of it.” I’m a shopping and haircut snob, I guess.

The sign said, “Walk-ins welcome” so I walked in Redmond, OR. I should have gone the other way. Think about it for a minute. A busy hair salon must be a good salon. If they’re busy you’re going to need an appointment and they won’t take walk-ins. Isn’t that logical. Well, anyhow, the place was clean and smelled nice and the lady said, “Have a seat. What’ll it be today?” I told her I wanted a regular man’s haircut, quite short (I didn’t want to be looking for another sign soon). I told her I still wanted to be able to comb it, but feel free to use the clippers on the sides, and taper my neck—no square cut. There would be no razors involved in this shearing. She sprayed my hair with water and began buzzing away. With me looking in the mirror just a couple of minutes later (Joel Granados used to take 30 minutes minimum with that Roffler whatever) she asked if it was short enough. With wet hair stuck to my head it looked fine. Half an hour and 10 miles away later, when my hair had dried, I looked in a mirror and realized that the hair on one side of my head was much longer than on the other. My head is lopsided. To even out the effect I should carry my head leaning slightly to the left. It was probably the worst haircut I’ve ever had. My mom made me go back to the barbershop to get the square cut fixed and I should have gone back to the hair salon to have it fixed in Redmond. But I didn’t. It’s my new outlook on life. If the haircut is bad I can have it fixed the next time I get a travel cut. You see, by now, I’ve come to realize that no one is looking at me and saying, “Look at that man’s haircut. Isn’t it stylish and cool?

Ron

2007-08-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

I promise, this is the last update from the 2007 FMCA International Rally. Really, I promise.

We weren’t pleased with the plan for parking the rigs—both occupied and those for sale. When we were here in Redmond, several years ago for the Good Sam Great American Rally, most of the units for sale were located in the center circle of this circular-shape facility. When entering the gate it gave the feeling of entering a fair of some kind with all of the colorful banners and flags blowing in the desert breeze. FMCA chose to have its International Officers occupy this space, putting the display coaches about one block away from the fairgrounds itself. Mr. Tony Orlando and his band put on a terrific show at the final show of the Rally. Not a dry eye in the house could be found following his moving tribute to the troops and his signature "Tie a Yellow Ribbon."

Because of this you only went into the fairgrounds itself to use the wifi, to pick up your snail mail, to attend a seminar’ visit the vendor buildings, or attend the evening’s entertainment. There are so many new coaches brought to one of these affairs that it literally can take hours to walk through every one that interests you and get a salesman to answer your questions. Most Rally goers spend more time doing this than anything else.

The over priced food vendors who at the Good Sam Rally were almost scattered amidst the display coaches, had to feel somewhat out of the stream of things with this arrangement.

We ran into some folks we’ve met before. One had a horror story. We met him last winter in Yuma, AZ, and again in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. Last April, as they were headed somewhere, they were stopped at a traffic signal waiting for the green light to make a left turn. A large semi truck, turning left from the road on their right, dragged is trailer across their motorhome ripping the whole front cap off. What a horrible experience as glass exploded all over the place and their motorhome’s front was torn off. Well, the coach is still in the shop awaiting some of the parts to put it back together. It was new enough that it wasn’t a total loss but, in the meantime, they are without their only home. We finally bumped into Kevin’s mother-in-law, Norma, and were able to pass along a page of photos Kevin had sent of Alex’s first day at kindergarten. She said she’s really missing the boys. We never did see father-in-law Dave, however.

The seminars we attended were really great. After all, I learned how easy it is to become a blogger and Judy learned a lot of new stuff about our medical evacuation insurance and the liability insurance we carry on the coach. The entertainment was better than we’ve seen in the past. Our only gripe was the arrangement of the camping and display stuff—oh yeah, it was too damned hot.

Though we are perfectly happy with our RV we too toured many of the shiny new ones. They have become so complex in the ten years since our coach was built. Many of the systems in the living area are now controlled by computer touch screens located throughout the coach. Close the drapes, rotate the TV, kick up the air conditioner, turn on the heat, extend the patio awnings (if it gets too windy and you’re not home to deal with it they’ll automatically retract the awnings), electric reels to extend the electrical power cord or sewer hose out of the side of the coach, blend up some margaritas—no not quite—but almost. All of that stuff is wonderful if it works but it’s been our experience on the road that it often doesn’t. When some of those new computer- controlled systems fail it can literally leave you stranded along the roadside waiting for a tow to a repair facility. If no qualified technician can be found you might have to wait for the factory to fly one in to you. What ever happened to “keep it simple, stupid.”? We can and have fixed a number of things and systems on our coach. With the new ones that would be impossible in many cases. Add to that a financial depreciation of 40-50% in the first year and it’s amazing they sell any of them. Sell they do, however, as a considerable number of the display coaches disappeared into the campground during the week.

As I write this we’re sitting in a beautiful RV park on the slopes of famed Mt. Hood. The Mt. Hood Village RV Resort is located in a beautiful mature forest of evergreen and deciduous trees. So many that there is no hope of pointing our satellite dish at any satellite. That is the only drawback, however, as the lush green of the forest far overshadows any need for satellite TV.

For some reason, though we only traveled about 100 miles today, I was very tired when we arrived so, after lunch, I took a 2-hour nap. Feelin’ much better now for it.

BUT IT'S A DRY HEAT!

2007-08-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that it was nasty hot in Redmond. Now with what is going on in terms of heat all over the country that’s probably not an earth shaking comment but it has been HOT. BUT IT’S A DRY HEAT THEY SAY.

It’s true. I’d rather sit in a dry sauna than a steam bath but HOT is HOT. Motorhomes, especially older ones like ours were not built for extreme heat or cold. Sure we have air conditioning but with only 30 amp electrical power available we can only run one of the two units on the roof. I gave in yesterday and removed us from the commercial grid and fired up the generator so I could run both of them. Even then we hit 84 degrees inside the coach before they began to cool us down a bit.

Thankfully it has cooled down considerably today. It’s only 80 degrees out this afternoon compared to 97 yesterday. There’s even rain in the forecast for the weekend when we get back to the coast and cool ocean breezes. My mantra has always been that you can almost always put on enough clothes to stay warm when it’s cold but you cannot take off enough to get cool when it’s hot.

Last night’s entertainment was Debbie Boone. She was terrific but she complained of the heat as the building in which she was performing is one of the only ones on the fairground that is not air conditioned. She even had some old fart in the audience come up to the stage because he was cooling himself with a little battery operated fan. She took it from him and held it to her face briefly. When she returned it to him she asked if they (FMCA) had given them away and did everyone have one? Of course they didn’t and we didn’t so she just pushed on. The show had to go on. Her face was very shiny with perspiration before the evening was over.

Tonight we get Tony Orlando and we’re looking forward to his performance. Tie and Yellow Ribbon and all that stuff.

Of course we planned to keep up our resolve and not purchase any more stuff—our RV runnith over already. We were weak and we have more stuff. Now Judy has to figure out where it will live. Fortunately blogging doesn’t take up any more room or I might have to do this out in the heat.

For the first two days we were here we were connecting to a very neat commercial wifi service that had set up here in the fairgrounds. After two days of wifi bliss they suddenly announced it would cost $27.95 for 5 days to continue with them. Well, as luck would have it, we’re parked directly across the street from the FMCA activities center where they have set up free wifi. For most folks that means taking the laptop over into the room and doing it there as the range is very small. With my wifi directional antennae with amplifier I am able to tune in from here in the coach and it has been neat. Sometimes when a truck or motorhome passes between me and the activities center I lose my connection but it comes back and it’s a small aggravation at most. Judy won’t pay bills or do online banking because of it but I’ve been able to surf the web, publish my blog without having to pay anyone for it.

Today is the last day of the rally and tomorrow we head for Mt. Hood Village. We’ll stop for the night along the Columbia River on the Washington side of the river before heading for Chinook WA for a week. The International Kite Festival will be underway in Long Beach and we’ll go over if it’s not raining. I’ll surely have some pics for the blog if they’re able to fly.

Several of you know we installed a new HiDef TV in the motorhome along with a new HiDef antenna on the roof before leaving home. I have been blown away by the quality of the picture from broadcast tv stations. Some are in 1080i (the highest) and some are at lower qualities but all are incredibly sharp and clear. Each TV station seems to have 3 or 4 channels. On NBC, for example, they have the channel we’re all used to seeing plus a 24 hr weather channel, a 24 hour news channel, and sometimes more. PBS in Portland has 6 channels! It’s going to be a new world when all broadcasts convert to digital (if not HiDEF) next year because even they are sharper and clearer than old analog signals. It’s too bad the content isn’t keeping up with the hardware.

If you enjoy the blog feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of any of the updates. If you don’t enjoy it, keep your comments to yourself. Hehe

Ron

2007-08-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

The rally in Salem, OR, at the Oregon State Fairgrounds is over. It was hosted by Monaco Coach Corp, the maker of our motorhome. It was actually called a pre-rally, in other words a small rally before the huge rally in Redmond, OR. When Monaco puts on a rally it’s really neat. The cost of the event for attendees covers two complete meals per day (breakfast and supper) and, at the latter they even include an open bar. Though mass-produced, the margaritas were great. The catered food was certainly not of the rubber chicken variety but was delicious, nicely served, and plentiful.
One of the hidden advantages of attending most rallies is that you can get stuff fixed; many times absolutely free or just pay the actual cost of the parts. At a Monaco rally you can ask them to fix two items. We did and they did and we are very happy as it cost us nothing at all. Additionally, the suppliers of much of the equipment used on RV’s are at these rallies and they too fix stuff. For example, the makers of the awnings on our coach came and made some adjustments on our large awning and installed a couple of new straps on two others, without charge. It’s almost like having a lifetime guarantee on these items.
We’ve moved on to rally #2, the FMCA International, at Redmond, OR. This large rally will play host to thousands of motorhome owners (sorry, you tow able RV guys will have to go to a Good Sam Club Rally instead).
Some of the features of the event include semi to big name entertainment nightly, a huge display of new motorhomes numbering in the hundreds from the less expensive at $75,000 and up to the offerings enticing only the very wealthy running from $2,000,000 to about $4,000,00 each. It’s fun to visit and look though we completely avoided those top-level coaches. I mean what’s the point? We’re not masochists.
Aside from literally hundreds of vendors hawking everything from new diesel engines and tires to microfibre cleaning cloths there are seminars taking place all day every day. These can be very useful and informative. You can learn all of the ins and outs of maintaining your RV toilet, tire safety, take driving lessons, learn about wifi, and as this posting shows, how to create and maintain a healthy weblog (blog).
Again, as at the Monaco event, making and renewing acquaintances and friendships is a highlight. Ron was seated out on our “patio” when some folks walked by and saw him. They said, “Wow, he’s outside. We had to come all of the way from Alta Sierra (a Grass Valley Suburb for those of you not familiar with our hometown) to Medford, OR, to finally meet the weather guy in person. We sure miss you Ron and wish you’d come back to KNCO radio.” Then at the “Ricky Nelson Legacy Tour” entertainment last night at which Ricky’s two sons performed their late dad’s songs, we happened to sit with a whole row of folks from Grass Valley.
Over the years we’ve come to realize that there is something strange about Grass Valley. It’s a relatively little place, off the beaten path, and still decidedly rural yet everywhere we go we run into people who live there, used to live there, or have friends or relatives of live there. It happens so often that it seems totally out of proportion to the size of the place and its population.
I dislike feeling I’m part of a captive audience and I do get that feeling here in Redmond. For example, we recently purchased a tank of diesel fuel on the coast and paid $2.69/gallon. Here in Redmond the price is $3.15/gallon. Is it just a coincidence that the fuel is so pricey at the same time that thousands of motorhomers, a considerable percentage of whom drive diesel coaches came to town? Hmmm. Oh yeah, gasoline prices here are higher than in other areas as well.
The food vendors on the fairgrounds are also out to make their year’s income off of us. Try $3.00 for a soft drink, or $16.00 for a plate of fancy nachos. I wonder how they can sell any of that stuff with thousands of RV’s a short walk away full of food and drinks in their own kitchens (or in the case of those $4,000,000 rigs, at the wet bar).
We’ve now attended two huge rallies and three smaller ones. In the future we’ll stick to the smaller ones. They’re more fun, more intimate, and usually don’t have as large an impact on the greedy local businesses.
We leave here on Friday, Aug 17, on a two-day journey back to the coast. We’ll end up on the Washington, side of the Columbia weather for a few days where we plan to meet up with Dave and Sue Anderson, friends with whom we’ve kept in touch since that infamous trip Mexico.

2007-08-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Notes from the Summer Road 2007

Dear Friends & Family,

We left Grass Valley, in the first week of July headed again, as in previous years, for the Oregon Coast. When we left home it was very warm, in contrast to the cool and moist coast of Oregon. The mornings were overcast and wet but each day there offered some afternoon sun allowing for outings and photography.
We paused overnight in Coos Bay, before moving on to Florence, for a weeklong stay at the South Jetty RV Park, right next to the famous Oregon Dunes. Yeah, Ron finally got his chance to take the Jeep through some really soft sand in getting out to the beach. Judy was quite sure we would get stuck but we just mushed on through. Afterwards she said she’d have no more qualms about driving on the beaches here on the North Coast.
We had a tailgate picnic in the cool ocean breeze. In the surf was the carcass of a whale that had washed ashore. It appeared to be quite a recent event as it was completely intact. We later heard on the television news that a much larger than normal number of marine animals were washing up on the beach due to the return of what they called the “dead zone” offshore. I presume that it must be something like a red tide. Either way, Kevin reported the following week that there was a large sea lion on the beach just north of the whale carcass.
Kevin and his family joined all of Dodie’s extended family for a week of fun on the dunes with their ATV. Unfortunately our schedules didn’t mesh and we departed some hours before they arrived.
We continued north about 50 miles to Newport for more of the same weather and even a little rain. Actually there was so much rain that the weather guys in Portland announced a new record of 7 consecutive days of measurable rain in July.
Depoe Bay, a summer tourist hotspot, was our next stop. Near Depoe Bay we stayed in a lovely RV Park/Fish Camp along the Siletz River. Waking at sunrise one morning Ron grabbed his camera and got this shot of a foggy sunrise in the river canyon. Record Salmon are caught here on the river in spring and fall. The RV Park offers guided fishing trips on the river in their boats or your boat. Those who bring their own boat leave them in a parking area and the park launches them whenever you are ready. We only stayed in this area for about 5 days but had some good food, bought some gifts for the boys, and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Rockaway Beach appears to be a favorite spot for those who enjoy renting beach cottages, as there are hundreds of them available. They run the gamut from old and funky to modern hi-tech. There isn’t much to do besides beach coming in Rockaway Beach but it’s a great place for that. The beach is beautiful and the rocks offshore are very interesting. The photo below shows “Twin Rocks”. Several local kite clubs were on the beach the day we arrived and their kites were the most spectacular we’ve ever seen. Some of them were easily 50 or 60 feet long. Numerous international kite-flying meets occur in this area every summer and are so popular that one should make RV Park or Hotel reservations as much as a full year in advance.
While staying in Rockaway Beach we visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory where we took the self-guided tour and ate lunch (definitely not recommended), the lunch that is. We did top off a remarkably mediocre lunch with an ice cream cone, however.
After Rockaway we continued north to our favorite spot on the coast, Seaside. We spent a lovely week here reacquainting ourselves with the area. Nearby Cannon Beach offered a marvelous lunch and, of course, Haystack Rock, the most famous and photographed rock on the Oregon coast. We drove out to the point at Ecola State Park where there are views of both Cannon Beach and the Tillamook Head Lighthouse, weather permitting. On the morning we drove out there it was beautiful and sunny but a fogbank just offshore hid the lighthouse. We returned near sunset and got the view you see below. The setting sun provided beautiful color as it silhouetted the lighthouse. Tillamook Head Light is no longer in use. Its remains sit on a huge rock located 2 miles offshore and was known during the years it was operated as Wild Tilly. We can only imagine how difficult and lonely life had to be for the light keepers out there.
Looking in exactly the opposite direction we could see Cannon Beach and, in the distance, Haystack Rock.
The rough and rocky coasts provides so many opportunities when the weather cooperates and the colors near sunset are wonderful. The beach below took on a warm glow that was so beautiful Ron couldn’t resist this shot.

Seaside marked the end of our first coastal visit this summer. We’re off for two weeks of RV rallies (conventions). The first will be in Salem, OR and is hosted by Monaco Internation (Monaco Coach Owner’s Club) and the second will be in Redmond, OR, hosted by the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA). The first will see 200 or 300 Monaco coaches attending while the FMCA affair will see thousands of motorhomes of all makes in attendance. Big name entertainment will be featured each night as well as several thousand new motorhomes to look at and drool and vendors selling everything you could ever need to make life pleasant and trouble free while living the mobile life.
More importantly, we’ll meet some new folks, some of whom may become friends we’ll see along the way for years to come.
We’re having a wonderful time this summer and look forward to what’s left of it here in Oregon. After the rallies we’ll return to the coast of Southwest Washington before turning south and heading for home the beginning of September.