Ed and Carol and Gopher the Dog

We just had our first "Drive-way Dockers!”  As stated in the title, Ed and Carol and their Aussie dog, Gopher spent the night here at our place last night. (Eugene, OR)


Ed and Carol are from south Florida and have been wandering around Oregon waiting for their appointment with AM Solar.  We have been wanting to meet these follow Lazy Daze owners so yesterday they came and spent the night before heading off to AM Solar this morning.  Just a quick shout out to other bloggers who travel in Lazy Daze coaches:
Kate and Terry Travels in Cholula Red
Jim of Jimbo’s Journeys
Jim and Gayle, Life’s Little Adventures
Andy Baird, http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Sharon and Bill, The Odd Essay
Ann and Jerry, Fulltime USA
Hope I haven’t missed anyone.  Anyway, we are all enthused about our coaches and it’s fun to read about one another’s adventures.  Check out their blogs and see what you think.


Ed and Carol’s dog, Gopher, is such a good girl.  I never heard her bark the entire visit.  I was concerned at one point though.   I had sprinkled slug and snail bait in my flower beds a few days ago and when I went outside, there was Gopher lying in the middle of my corner garden.  I tried to get her to move and she just looked at me with that, “Who are you and why are you trying to boss me around” kind of look.  My first concern was that she had eaten some of the snail pellets and was too sick to move.  The pellets can be attractive to dogs and I hadn’t thought to warn Ed.  I quickly called to Ed and told him what had happened but Gopher seemed none the worse for wear.  Guess she didn’t eat any of the pellets…she just wanted to lay in the garden!  No harm done, but I wish I had taken a picture.  I had nightmares of Gopher getting sick – but she was fine.


Ed and Carol have had two Lazy Daze coaches so they were a wealth of information for us.  I think we picked their brains clean!  They even encouraged us to not be afraid to boon-dock and to go ahead and drive our Therapy on a dirt or gravel road once in a while.  They assured us the Lazy Daze are built for that and it wasn’t going to hurt a thing. 


We shared a couple of meals with these fine folks and like always, it was like meeting  old friends.  We had a great time and we’re hoping that Ed and Carol and Gopher did too.


Here is the group as they were getting ready to leave this morning.  You will notice that there are shadows on the pavement.  You know what shadows mean don’t you??  SUNSHINE, of course.  We have had intermittent bouts of rain and sun all day.  It doesn’t ALWAYS rain in Oregon but I have to admit, the best times to visit are July – September.  You’ll all be jealous then of our gorgeous weather ha-ha.





And Gopher had to steal one last belly rub from Russ.



Look at the little tongue here, trying to sneak in a poochie kiss. (click to enlarge)



We felt good knowing that on the road, they always have a back-up driver if Ed should get tired.



Safe travels Ed and Carol and hope to see you again.

Awning Fixed and Destination Reached

We were up early for our appointment at the factory.  Got the awning fixed and the wallet is a bit lighter now!!  No, no insurance – I don’t think they write a policy for operator error.  It’s still a tiny bit off kilter but at least the support was replaced and it is useable again.

We arrived at The Sands RV Park in Desert Hot Springs this afternoon.  As we were making our way to our spot, who should we spy walking along the road but Rick and Paulette and their two pups on their way to the dog park.  Perfect timing!!  We had a quick “Howdy” but then it was work time for us, getting set-up and settled.

I was too tired to fix much in the way of supper but I did manage some Rice-a-Roni with hamburger and some peas and a salad.  Not exactly gourmet but good enough to get us by for the night.  Remember that old commercial…”give it to Mikey, he’ll eat anything”… just change Mikey to Russell, and there you have it… (makes it easy on me!!)

 

The Sands had a special – pay for 7 days and get two more free, so we are here for a total of 9 days.  Feels good to be somewhere and not have to move for a while.  With the wonderful weather we can dry out everything that got wet in Santa Cruz.  We may even feel a bit drier ourselves!  I’m enjoying the dry air.

I know ya’ll must be getting tired of our sunrise/sunset pictures by now, but we are still enthralled with the gorgeous colors we see almost every night and every morning.  In Eugene, the only color we see in the sky this time of year is GRAY.  So just a couple more that we took at the Sands tonight and then I’ll give it a rest (unless, of course, we get another sunset too good to miss).





And then there is the new graphic we had painted on the motor home tonight, courtesy of the Greatest Artist!


Tomorrow there will be new sights to see and new adventures to embrace.  The sun will be shining and we will be happy campers.  Until then, rest well and travel safe.  Good night all.

I Got a New Chair!!

Okay, before I get to the new chair, I want to ask if anyone out there prefers this type size.  I can’t seem to change the size of the title but I am using 14 pt. here.  How’s it look?   I can’t find any place in Live Writer where I can change the default type size.  Does anyone know how to do this?

Anyway, if you have a bad back, you will understand how hard it is to sleep in a traditional bed.  Give me a few hours in bed and then I need to go sleep in my recliner.  It’s actually more my hip than my back but that’s irrelevant !

The point is, I was having great difficulty getting enough uninterrupted sleep in the motorhome.  The bed is more comfortable than the one in the house but still, it was just not the same without a recliner to sleep in for half the night.

If you have ever seen a Lazy Daze, you know that the interior is not all that roomy.  That’s fine with us cuz it’s just right for two !! We have looked at recliners in every furniture store in town and online as well.  Nothing would fit.

Finally Russ went to Countryside Interiors, a short distance down the road in Junction City.  They do a great job on customizing interiors and they have quite a selection of RV furniture.

Wouldn’t you know it?  We found a Euro- lounger type chair that fit!!  I couldn’t believe it!  It certainly fills up the space but not uncomfortably so.

It is SOOOO comfortable and there is even room for it to swivel as needed.  The foot rest can be stored under the table or back between the beds.  It was even the right color wood!  The chair is light enough to pull out or push back closer to the wall as needed. 

It feels so good when I am reclining I may just move on out to the motorhome!



Just knowing I will be able to sleep makes me feel so much better.  I must have the best husband in the WHOLE world!

Hat Creek–coming and going

As is our tradition, we stopped at Hat creek on our way to Reno last week.  After sweltering in Reno for two days, we returned to Hat Creek for a couple of cooler days along the water at Hat Creek Resort.  In order to alleviate the boredom that would result from two such similar posts, I am going to combine those visits into one post.

The drive through the forests along CA89 is always a nice one.  This year was especially beautiful.  Normally in mid-July the underbrush is dry and brown and McCoy and Hog Flat reservoirs are almost empty.  The forest floor last week was lush and green and the reservoirs were full.



For as long as I can remember, I have been enamored of creeks, brooks, streams, whatever you want to call them.  Let me sit by a creek and eat a simple sandwich any day rather than sit in a stuffy restaurant and eat a gourmet meal.  And so we had our sandwiches creekside on the way to Reno.



We took the time to play around the creek and watch the fishermen.













Our stay at Hat Creek Resort, on a different segment of the creek, was equally enjoyable.  Brian and Laila had one of the large motel rooms and we stayed in the MH.  This resort offers a variety of accommodations from camping spaces to yurts, to cabins, to motel rooms.  Something for everyone yet it still maintains the peaceful feeling that defines Hat Creek.







I was sharing my thoughts with Russ about why I enjoy our Therapy so much.  As I have shared before, Russ and I had a ready made family when we were first married.  When we combined our households, we sold our separate homes and bought one large enough to hold four kids, a dog, and two grown-ups.  I told Russ that Therapy is like that first little apartment we missed out on having together.  Just the two of us in our own small, easy to take care of space.  Russ agreed that it was much like a little starter home…”Just start ‘er up and away we go,” was his response.  EXACTLY!!

Where in the World are Russ and Donna…

If you guessed the Black Bear Diner you are really smart.  If you guessed the Black Bear Diner in Yreka, CA I can only assume you are stalking us – SHOW YOURSELF!!

We started out this morning with …anyone, anyone  – you there, in the back with your hand up – yup you got it – RAIN RAIN RAIN.  Isn’t that all we get in the Pacific Northwest this year?



It rained from Oregon to California and then it kept raining as we continued south.  And guess what, as I sit here typing this, it is STILL RAINING!!  But I am sure tomorrow will be a better day.  Reno promises nothing but sunshine and blue skies…of course Reno is always trying to sell you blue sky so that’s nothing new.

We got tired about Yreka so decided this was our stop for the night.  There is a new hotel, the Holiday Inn Express, and right next door sits the Yreka RV Park…perfect.  Brian and Laila got settled in the hotel and we got parked and set-up in the RV park.  We paid just over $32. with the Escapees membership.  That is a 25% discount so I felt really good about that.  The park is gravel roads and pads with a small parcel of grass and a tree and table at each site.  This will be really nice in a few years when the trees mature.  The sites all have 20/30/50 amp hook-ups with cable TV and free Wi-Fi.  The Wi-Fi is not the fastest but it’s working anyway!  This is a great place for an overnight stop, right off the freeway (yea, there is some freeway noise, but not bad).  I would stay here again. 


Despite the weather we are still having fun.  It’s hard not to when you have your own personal Laurel and Hardy along for entertainment.  We had a good meal and some good laughs at the Black Bear Diner for dinner.
 
On our way back to the park and hotel, we made one last stop at the local Ray’s Market.  As we were checking out the manager made the mistake of asking Brian what the “O” on his jacket stood for (Brian and Laila both were wearing their U of O jackets).  When the manager just didn’t understand their hints it was inevitable that we all broke into a rowdy chorus of the Oregon fight song.  I mean, what could we do, he asked!  He assured us it was the most fun he had had all day and gave us a nice “Go Ducks” as we left.  I am still not sure if that was an affirmation or a request to leave.  Oh well, we had fun.
Night all.

Spur of the Moment!

All the kids have gone home.  We were scheduled to go camping this week with our son and his family for a few days.  However, they tent camp and the weather has been nothing but RAIN and more is forecast.  They decided it might be better to bag it and try again in August.


SOOOOO...we already have a house sitter lined up and there is sunshine in Reno.  Need I say more?  My sis and her hubby are going to pile into Therapy with us and we are off to see my brother David and family in Reno.  A road trip with good friends to a sunny, dry, warm destination - what could be better?  This is our first "spur of the moment" trip.  I wonder what I'll forget?!?  Oh well, it's not like we're headed off into the wilds of Africa.  We'll find plenty of stores, I'm sure.

I may be off the grid for a few days as we are just GOING - no reservations, no time table, no schedule.  Have no idea when I will next have internet access.  But I'll be thinking of you and I'll talk (type) to you when we can.

Brian, Laila (my sis), and Russ on Lake Tahoe - Our last Reno trip together

 

A Whole New World

Last week, Nick of Gypsy Journal posted on his blog about a Magic Carpet Ride.  It was one of the best descriptions of the RV life style that I have read.  I read it several times and have not been able to get it out of my head.   I mentioned it in one of my posts already but it just keeps coming  back to me.  If you haven’t read this piece, you should do so.

Anyway, since I have so many grandchildren, I have seen about a million or so Disney movies over the years.  The fact of the matter is, I love Disney movies.  And after reading Nick’s blog, I couldn’t get one of the songs from ‘Aladdin’ out of my head either. 

Snatches of it replay in my mind and I am no longer standing at the sink washing dishes…I’m dreaming about the places I want to go in Therapy.  I’m dreaming of deep canyons and high plateaus, and rugged mountain ranges, and steep cascading waterfalls (that part is Rick’s fault!), and all the wonders of this beautiful world that I have never seen.  It renews my commitment to travel.  The words of this song make me want to go where I want to go and do what I want to do before it is too late.  It’s always hard to let go of those things that bind us to the more conventional life-style but we are getting closer all the time.

If you are not familiar with Disney cartoons, in this song Aladdin is taking Princess Jasmine for a ride on  his magic carpet.  And of course we all know you can’t take a girl on a magic carpet ride without singing to her!  Part of the lyrics say:

I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide?

Now Russ is no Aladdin and I am certainly no princess, but I have been programmed to think with my head more so than my heart.  My heart tells me to get out there, my head reminds of all the things I SHOULD be doing instead.

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming

This is going to be our new theme song I think.  We have our magic carpet and  she is ready for us to hop on and go for a ride.  The shorts hops we have taken have been fun but we are ready for more.  We’ve been dreaming about this day for a long time and we are still working through some of the practical matters.  But when I think of the opportunities out there, the chance to fulfill our dreams, I know we will be taking that Magic Carpet named Therapy on a LONG ride before the year is out.  A WHOLE NEW WORLD.

In case you are not familiar with the song here is the original Disney cartoon version.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

The last of the company has just left and all is quiet on the western front.  For the last week we had two grandgirls staying with us.  Plus for three of those days, we had a grandson coming over everyday to visit.  On Thursday, our daughter arrived for the weekend, along with her dog, Lucy.  Today we had 10 people for a backyard lunch of barbeque pulled pork, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni salad, and fresh Oregon strawberries.  It was all good and no one went away hungry.

But we are TIRED!  Wish I had as much energy as I had even 10 years ago.  I wouldn’t give up the family times for anything but just can’t keep up like I used to.  I often think my “can do” just doesn’t keep pace with my “want to”.  I was even too tired to remember to take some pictures of the group.  Oh well, I know what they look like.

My daughter’s dog was just recently diagnosed with hip dysplasia.  The dog is a German Shepard mix and is only 14 months old.  Merry was training her to be her service dog.  The vet said it is mild and perhaps with proper treatment, will not get much worse.  Friday Lucy romped in the yard quite a bit and then took a nap in the living room.   When she woke up, she couldn’t get up.  She yelped every time she moved.  We put hot and cold packs on her hips and gave her an extra Rimidyl and finally she was able to move.  It’s really too bad as she is a wonderful loving dog and smart as a whip.  time will tell how this turns out.

Lucy hunting for toys under Rusty's "Toy Tree"
Ever since he was a pup, Rusty has stashed his
toys under this cedar tree. 

Rusty and Lucy enjoying the grass

Even with all the company we managed to get Therapy loaded and the Wee Fit hooked up and we are ready to roll first thing in the morning.  We’ll travel towards the McKenzie Pass and stop at Takoda’s for breakfast.  Anytime we head that way we always like to stop at Takoda’s for a meal.

Just a couple of photos from my (vastly underplanted) yard.  I have stuck with my bargain and have neither purchased nor planted a single flower this season.



Consider the Lilies of the field...



I forget what this is called.  We planted
three of them last year and they are all
thriving.  I sure like the blossoms.

 Since I am “flower deprived” this year. I could not bear to pull up these little volunteers from the pool deck.  No power washing allowed here!!

















Gotta get to bed so we can get an early start.  Hopefully I’ll have some good things to write about from Sisters.  When we get back we get to meet Doug and Sue so we are really looking forward to that.  By the way, Al of the Bayfield Bunch has a great mystery story going on over at his blog…all about a lamp.  He promised the second installment tonight so pop on over and have a look.

Techno Kids and other Miscellany

The conversation today with my 11 year old grand daughter, Bekah,  went something like this:

Bekah:  Grandma, do you have an SD card with pictures on it I can borrow?  I want to play around on the Wii with it.  My card is a 4 gig and it won’t load in the Wii.

Grandma:  Sure, bring me my camera.

Bekah:  (with camera already opened and SD card removed)  Oh good, yours is a 2 gig.  That’ll work in the Wii.

Now that’s no big deal.  But what surprises me is the ease with which these kids talk about and understand technology.  Talking about gigs and gadgets is as comfortable to them as it was for me to ask for a couple of tin cans so I could make a telephone when I was their age.  Progress!!

I finally got some good Oregon strawberries today and they were just as good as they look.  YUM!



The day was warm and the girls had a great time in the pool.  And what’s better in a pool than a boat?



Maybe two boats in the pool?


Even if one of those boats has seen better days.  Believe it or not, this is one of the favorite toys.



And where there’s a will there’s a way…


Ah, the inventiveness of those agile young minds.

Next week we are taking a break and going (I think) to Sisters, Or.  And then on Friday next week we get to meet Sue and Doug from Big Dawg and Freeway when they come through here on their way to the Oregon coast.   Sue’s last post, working to live..living to dream…, was just a joy to read with lots of pictures of doggies having fun.

Carol and Dave have been having a great time in Yellowstone National park and Jerry and Suzy are winding up their visit to Yosemite…both great places to visit.  Both of these blogs have some great pictures and some valuable information if you plan on visiting either of these parks.

My week with the grand girls is winding to a close.  Tomorrow everyone will be going home.  We are both pretty tired but it was well worth the effort.  The visit would not be complete without Grandma coercing a few drum licks from Bekah.

Good night all…hope the drums don’t keep you awake.  She gets pretty wound up at the end.

Heceta Head–Part 2

We were a little late getting started yesterday.  With two adults, three kids and two dogs, plus food for all, it took us awhile to get it together.



As you saw yesterday, with Rusty’s help, we made it to Heceta Head beach just fine.

It was a bit crowded so we parked in the overflow area – and we were the only ones there.  What I really like about this place is having Cape Creek to play in.


Plus the trees and the grass.


A nice place to park the motorhome.


And just a short walk away and under the historic Cape Creek bridge…


…you are on a great sandy beach.


It’s great fun to play in the creek.



















Or explore the many caves and tide pools.


When it’s time to go, it’s hard to say “good-bye.”



This is one place we will return to again and again.  There is nothing I don’t like about this place.  Many beaches on this central part of the coast are difficult to access because of the huge sand dunes.  There is either a hike over the dunes or a rocky beach.  On this beach, you park, walk over a few feet of grass, and you are on the beach…unless, of course, you have parked in the overflow lot and then you have to walk about a block on a paved sidewalk to get to the beach!!!

I highly recommend this area and this beach.  You can also hike to the light house from here but those days are long over for us old folks…it’s quite a hike…uphill both ways!

There is a day use fee on this beach but there are also flush toilets, picnic tables, water, grass, and good parking.  Well worth the $5 you will pay if you do not have an access pass.  My recommendation – GO---ENJOY!

Heceta Head–part 1 (too tired to finish)

We took three kids and two dogs to the beach at Heceta Head today.  The weather was iffy when we started out but ended up being okay once we got there. 

Since he was a pup, Rusty has always been a bit leery of going under bridges and through tunnels.  He has gotten much better but he still has to stay alert and help Daddy drive whenever we go through a tunnel.

The kid all had a great time and I got some fun pictures of them.  Corbin is just like his dad was at that age and hams it up every time a camera is pointed in his direction.  Keeps life interesting!!



We are all happy but tired and I have a headache, mainly from too much glare.  That'll do it every time.  So I am going to play it smart and quit staying on the computer for hours and go get rid of my headache before it spins off into a full blown migraine.  I’ll finish this tomorrow.

Have a good evening everyone and see you back here tomorrow, same time, same station!!