I know – I’m swimming upstream here with all you “Don’t fence me in” folks haha!!! But if you have a yard and you have really, really sweet pups that you want to keep safe, then ya gotta keep up with the fences.
First order of business was to haul out the temporary construction fence and run it across the yard to the shop so that the dogs could come outside but still be fenced in while the old fence was being removed and rebuilt. It is just flimsy plastic but Russ did a great job in stringing it up and the dogs never once tried to breech the fence.
We have a BIG backyard, for around here anyway. We can only do one section of fence at a time and it was time to do the south side. Russ had braced it up with 2X4s a couple of years ago but even those were starting to sag. SO, 143 ft. of fence later…
That is the south side fence (next to the school yard) and the short north side with gate. And NO the school does NOT share in the cost of the fence.
Island Fence (why “Island” – I have no idea) did the work and they did a fine job. They used 4X6 treated posts and two 2X4s, top and middle for rails. At the bottom rail, they used a treated 2X6. They also shored up the concrete on the posts along the back fence as some of those were getting wobbly. That’s a lot of fence!
For all his help on the fence, I told Russ he could get a shiny, new red mode of transportation. After all, the RV shed is empty now!
See that nice pile of gravel to the left of the shed? It’s a match made in heaven to go with Russ’s new wheels!
Russ has been hauling and I have been helping him spread gravel all along the bottom of the South and West sections of fence. That stuff is HEAVY!!! But it will improve the drainage and keep the fence dry and will also fill in the low, uneven places so the dogs can’t get out (or other dogs get in!).
Is it hard work?? Yeah, I guess it is!!
And what of the pups while we were working so hard? Well, Jewel was SURE she was going to starve to death. She just sat and waited for the end, knowing we were never going to take time to ever feed her again!
And Ollie, well look at his sad little eyes and tell me what you think HE wants?
We’re not quite done with the gravel, but we learned the hard way to slow down and not try to get it all done in one day. Now we are limiting ourselves to no more than 2 fence sections per day, when the weather is cooperative. At least the big gaps are filled and the dogs are secure. Is it any wonder we took the day off yesterday to enjoy the coast haha!!
We have been having such wonderful weather here that we HAD to get over to the coast and enjoy the day. Saturday it was 68* in Eugene – a new record! It has been great weather for over a week and we have been spending a lot of that time working around the house. Time to play!
Started out early with a blood draw for me and they got me first try! PERFECT!!
While I was getting poked, Russ went across the street and filled the van up with gas…$1.33 using our Fred Meyer fuel points!! PERFECT!
Next stop, breakfast for two (with coupons), $7.73! PERFECT! Well, okay, the food maybe wasn’t perfect but the price was nice. IT was my very first time having breakfast at Carl’s Jr. but we had some great coupons so we did it. Not too bad AND they serve REAL butter with their biscuits and REAL half and half with the coffee!
It was foggy and even drizzly here in Eugene when we started out but by the time we got to Florence, the sun was out and it was already up to 55*. For us, that’s pretty much – PERFECT!
We stopped at Harbor Vista County Park for a nice walk. Some of you have stayed here, like Paul and Marsha. It’s a great park – especially mid-winter. Picture yourself here in this ocean view spot.
It was shirt-sleeve weather for sure! There is a stairway down to the beach but we stayed topside and just enjoyed the view.
We went on to Yachats – always enjoy that rocky coastline. The air was warm, the sky was blue, the wind was calm – PERFECT!
Ollie and Jewel were having a great time and Ollie wanted to pose on a large piece of driftwood.
“Come on, Dad, quit messing around and untangle those leashes.”
“Do you need some help down there?”
“MOM, make Jewel stop pushing me!”
“Jeez Jewel, would ya look at the camera already!” PERFECT!!
One of the reason for this trip today was to check out a little motel we had read about on Trip Advisor. It is between Yachats and Waldport and we have driven by it countless times. Built in 1947, Deana’s is one of those old time charmers that has stood the test of time. It has been updated but still retains a feeling of stepping back in time. I’ll save the pictures of the motel for when we go back and spend a few days but we were simply charmed. The nice lady showed us through several rooms and then invited us to enjoy the grounds and the beach for as long as we wanted to stay.
The property is perched on a low sandstone cliff so there is a stairway down to the beach. But first there is a vast lawn to enjoy.
The stairway is in great shape and not too hard to negotiate. Ollie knows I have trouble with stairs and he slows down and waits for me and never pulls.
This beach is just south of Tillicum beach, a favorite of Ed and Carol.
With wide open space and no bushes to conceal critters, the dogs were let off leash . They won’t venture more than a few feet from us so we separate and play “go find Mommy, go find Daddy.” Then they will run back and forth between us – the treats at each end of the run help too!!
What happy dogs!!
We wore them out and both dogs were content to sleep in the car while we went into the Subway in Waldport for a $6 lunch deal – PERFECT!! After that it was time to head home. The dogs slept all the way and we have our memories of a PERFECT Oregon coastal day and plans to spend a few days at Deana’s in the very near future.
I have to say I am gratified, and not a little surprised, by all the well wishes and comments I received on my last post. I figured by now I had disappeared from everyone’s sidebar. It is sure nice to know we still have friends out there. You know, Blogville is a real place, with real people, and real friendships!! I read an article just the other day on the benefits of social media. While a blog is not Face Book or Google+, it is still a social outlet and a way to stay connected with others.
So having said that – you don’t know what kind of a monster you have created!! Some of you encouraged me to continue writing and some even said they would read what I wrote! We’ve had some interesting times and some adventures with the dogs since I last posted a meaningful update in May of 2014. Since many of you mentioned the dogs, I think I’ll go back and write a few retro posts of what has been going on since May.
Christmas is not that far past and since I didn’t greet everyone at Christmastime, I’ll catch up on that now! Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope it was a good one!
We wanted to make a Christmas card with our new doggies and so one day I set up shop in the living room and tried to get an appropriate picture. Ollie is the sweetheart when it comes to posing for pictures so most of his photos look pretty much the same. I put him in one spot and he stays there – looking pitiful – but he stays put and tries to give me his best pose. We did get a one outtake though!
I should never have used gold drapes as a backdrop on Ollie – it seemed to absorb his red/gold color and make him look more silver. But he was a good boy and sat patiently and endured his fate.
Jewel on the other hand cannot sit still to save her life! She is a true wiggledy worm. Some of her outtakes were pretty funny. First Russ tried to bribe her with a treat – she laid down.
He tried again and she sat up straighter – but oh what a look!
Oh Yum, good treat – where’d they go?
Here Jewel, let Daddy fix your hat.
Is this really necessary?
We finally gave up on the tall hat and traded it for a shorter one. Jewel gave up on posing.
Oh, woe is me!!!
Finally, we gave up on getting a perfect shot and used what we had. There was NO WAY to get them both in the same picture so I picked the best we had and PhotoShopped them together. And that was our Christmas Card! P.S. They only had to wear their costumes for the photo shoot. I took them off right after. Ollie actually likes to wear stuff – Jewel, not so much!!
We watched our beloved Therapy leave our driveway this morning for the last time – with someone else at the wheel.
We sold it to a couple from New Mexico, Bob and Diana. Bob will be 86 in a couple of months and is a former Lazy Daze owner. He wanted a new rig but the wait now to have one built is a year!! Bob and Diana were happy to get the motor home and the Fit and we were glad they went to a good home. Sorta like re-homing your pup!! (well, maybe not quite!!)
Russ drove the Toyota and they followed him out to the freeway. He got them headed southbound on I-5 so they are on their way home. Good luck Bob and Diana and enjoy the rig.
As for us, I think we are done with travel. If we want to go somewhere, we will stay at Mr. Marriott’s campground and let him take care of the maintenance and upkeep! He can even make the bed and serve us a free breakfast!
I have nothing but the greatest respect for those who choose to travel in RVs so please do not think I am disrespecting you at all. We have had an RV of one type or another most of our married lives – and we have enjoyed them. We both grew up “camping” with our families and we continued that lifestyle with our kids. Our dream was to continue that lifestyle into our retirement years.
But things have changed. Russ has had too many problems with his diabetes for us to be comfortable with him driving the motorhome for long distances. I can drive it, but I don’t enjoy it. Plus the Lazy Daze seemed a lot smaller than we thought it was going to be and we just weren’t all that comfortable – especially when traveling with our poochies!!
And speaking of poochies – we are very happy with our two little mini-Aussies (actually they are registered now as Miniature American Shepherds). I guess we found that we like dogs more than we like to travel. Both dogs do great in the car and are fine day travelers but Ollie has problems with being in places that are new to him. If you think of a child with autism, that would be about how Ollie reacts. He cannot help it, it is just the way he is wired. He cannot handle too much sensory input. We are helping him learn to deal with his issues but it is taking time, medication and patience to work through it all. One trip in the motorhome with Ollie was about all I wanted to do!!
We LOVE where we live – our old house, our big backyard, and our geographic location. We can be at the lake or either one of our two local rivers in a matter of minutes. We can be at the coast in an hour or in the mountains in just a little over an hour. And I can do more of the driving and give Russ a break!!
So don’t feel bad for us – we are right where we need to be and are still enjoying life. I may write about our day trips from time to time or about our adventures with our little dogs. It won’t be an RV blog but I feel I have become friends with so many of you that I don’t want to totally give up that sense of community. I was going to start a whole new blog but what the heck - I LIKE you people!! I guess if what I write is of no interest to anyone then I will still have a written record for my own purposes.
And if any of you are in the Eugene area, please give us a call. We’ll be here!!
Russ has been hauling and I have been helping him spread gravel all along the bottom of the South and West sections of fence. That stuff is HEAVY!!! But it will improve the drainage and keep the fence dry and will also fill in the low, uneven places so the dogs can’t get out (or other dogs get in!).
