Too Many Cats

Spring/Summer/Fall Travel Plans and Coatimundi Videos

2012-02-03T08:22:00.001-07:00

We have firmed up our departure date from Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve to Monday, 12 March. A couple we met in Key West last winter, then again in the spring at Patrick AFB in FL will arrive a week or so before we depart, to take over hosting duties here at the Preserve.

Western Bluebirds

Our tentative travel plans upon departure are a week or two at Saguaro Escapees (SKP) co-op RV park in Benson AZ. We will then use the Subaru to visit some areas of AZ we would still like to see.

From there we will likely visit KOFA SKP co-op RV park in Yuma AZ, followed by Pair-A-Dice SKP co-op RV park in Pahrump NV, and Timber Valley SKP co-op RV park in Sutherlin OR.

Western Bluebirds and Cedar Waxwing
"Who is that masked bird?"

The SKP co-op park visits are part of our continuing examination of a place to use as a "home park" that we posted about in 2011. We have a deposit placed at Saguro SKP co-op RV park in Benson AZ, but want to continue checking other parks as well in case we change our minds on the eventual choice.

Cedar Waxwing

From Sutherlin OR, plans are to visit family in Spokane WA no later than late summer, then likely take the North Cascades Highway to the WA coast. We plan to use our Thousand Trails membership campground plan to travel down the WA and OR coastline at a very leisurely pace southbound. We may then travel south in CA to check out the two SKP co-ops located at Coarsegold and at Aguana. Plans for next winter have not been made yet.

Say's Phoebe

Lesser Goldfinch

We have some new Coatimundi Video from 2 February that you may find interesting. The direct link is at http://www.youtube.com/user/AC7880 , or embedded below if viewing the blog home page.

Photos (Patagonia, AZ)

2012-02-01T21:12:00.003-07:00

Bobcat

Wildlife Cam

Coyote

Wildlife Cam

Coues White-tail Buck

Wildlife Cam

A direct link to more videos on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/AC7880

A few videos from Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve

2012-01-29T19:57:00.002-07:00

Dan recently upgraded to a Canon SX 40 camera that has video capability and a 35X zoom.

For a change of pace, he has tried a few short, hand held videos on the preserve. He has ordered a monopod, which will increase the quality in the future over the free hand videos linked today.

Javelina babies with mama in creek

Squirrel peeling Osage Orange to eat the seeds:

Coatimundi on ground:

More Coati:

Coues White-tail deer:

Gila Woodpecker thinks he is a humming bird.

A direct link to these and more videos on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/AC7880

More videos and pictures soon......

Updates From Sandy's Quilt Blog

2012-01-15T21:54:00.001-07:00

Here are a few posts from Sandy's quilt blog moved to our travel blog

Mother Deer - We Know the Feeling!

I'm on the trail looking at the tree tops for birds when I hear a lot of splashing coming from the creek. I turned slowly to see three Coues Deer (pronounced Cow) staring back at me. It looked like it was Mama with two teenagers. I stood very still hoping not to scare them off.

Huh?

They relaxed and I soon found out why I had heard so much splashing earlier. I'll call the spunky one - Junior since he was being such an energetic little fellow compared to his sibling. There's just something about boys and water that I cannot figure out and apparently neither could Mama Deer.

Water! Yipee!!!

While Junior was hopping, running, twisting in the air, and making big splashes, Mama was trying to stay out of his way. She just wanted to have a peaceful meal. Sigh, you got to let them run off that extra energy or they will never take their afternoon naps.

Big SPLASH! WooHOO!

Junior! How many times have I told you not
to splash me while I'm eating? Sorry, Ma!

If you don't calm down, I'm going to thump you! OKAY!

So, Mama goes back to eating. Within minutes, Junior is back to running around, but not splashing.

......around..

...and around..

...faster!...

Running in circles and NOT watching where he is going...

Screech!

....he almost runs right into Mama's behind!

Oops! Not fast enough!

Mama's head comes flying up! Food and water went everywhere! Her hoof came up and with surprising tenderness she places her hoof squarely in the middle of his head! (I missed the shot because I was laughing too hard) The moment was gone before I could get a photo. Junior took off for the other side of the creek.

Far from Mama's hooves..

....but he did not stay away too long...

Can a deer have an exasperated look on her face? (from one Mom to another: I know that feeling)

She gave up after that.

Heh!Heh!Heh! Wore her down!

What is an Osage-Orange? (Patagonia, AZ)

I saw these deformed looking tennis balls (or are they deformed aliens?) once in Texas along the road and I promptly forgot about them until they showed up on the preserve about a month ago. Dan was curious enough to look up the strange looking ...well, at the time we were not sure.

Anyway, he found out these green balls are fruits from the Osage-Orange tree a.k.a Hedge tree a.k.a Horse Apple tree. The Hedge tree has very long and thick thorns. The trees were pruned and planted as a hedge, because cattle would not go through them. If they were kept trimmed and pruned, they grew into a impenetrable hedge and they would not bear fruit. The thorny hedges were used to pen livestock before barb wire tamed the west.

Yes, this is a fruit, but only deer, cattle, horses and squirrels eat any part of them. For awhile, we saw no evidence of anything eating the fruit, but then Dan found a half Osage-orange propped in a tree. hmm Did someone put it there or did an animal leave it? We were thinking a visitor put it there until...

We saw this squirrel moving around the fallen Osage-oranges. He finally found one he liked and picked it up.

What a mouth full!

He found himself a comfortable spot and had lunch while we watched him.

Nom!Nom!Nom! (Squirrels eat only the seeds)

Burp!

Why you Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker! (or is it Red-napped)

Here is a Red-naped Sapsucker getting a drink of water from the creek. I spent two days trying to get pictures of this guy while he was pecking away on his favorite tree across the creek. On the third day, I guess he felt sorry for me because he landed in the creek right in front of me!

That lady has been watching me for two days..

Okay, lady. Are you watching me?

Yea? How about this view?

Heh!Heh! I'm a baaaaad boy..

More Coatimundi

A Family of Coatimundi

Dan followed some Coatimundi into the woods. I stayed on the trail. I don't like walking through the thickets here. While waiting for Dan to come back, I heard a lot of crashing in the woods on the other side of the old cottonwood.

The next thing I knew, I was looking at a family of eight Coatimundi looking at me from the old tree. Some were making a 'chugging" sound as they sat in the tree staring at me. Yea, they seemed a little upset with us humans.

I stayed on the path and tried to get photos through the tree branches. Most of the photos did not come out too well. It was interesting to watch them run up and head first down the tree.

Check out those toe nails. Good for digging, climbing,
and hmm, I think I'll keep my distance.

Dan got some more photos and video of the Coati while he was in the woods. We will post them on our webshots or blog soon. They are so fascinating to watch.

Oh no, here comes another human

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Lots of bird and animal action here every week. Our photo folders are filling, we just need to get them posted for your personal use in the near future. We "retired" folks are not use to working 5 day weeks!!

A Cardinal's Courtship (Patagonia, AZ)

2011-12-31T19:32:00.003-07:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We hope this is the beginning of a great, happy, and healthy year for you.

A Cardinal's Courtship

Have you ever seen the courting between two Cardinals? We have been honored and entertained with watching two bachelors trying to court/impress Miss Available Cardinal.

Meet Bachelor #1: a handsome fellow. We are not sure if he wants to impress the Miss or eat. He seems a little shy and flies away when Bachelor #2 lands in the same tree.

Meet Bachelor #2: a very serious looking fellow with courtship on his mind.

He looks like he means business, doesn't he?

And here is the lovely little lady - Miss Cardinal. She's a beauty, heh?

Here she is letting the sun filter through her head feathers giving her such a healthy glow.

I wasn't having much luck with getting the actual courtship dancing. It is quite a sight to see. If you happen to catch the Seinfeld episode where Elaine dances...that's what a male's courtship dance looks like - a disjointed, knee-jerking, very spastic, and "Totally Uncool Dude!" movements. I did catch a few shots of them leaping from limb to limb...

Unimpressed, Miss Cardinal decided to get a snack and come back to see if the show was getting any better.

How about levitation?

I wonder...can birds yawn? Doesn't she look a little bored? Actually, I think she is eyeing the feeder. "Hmm, I wonder if there is time for another snack...."

Finally, Bachelor #1 decided he had had enough for the moment and flew away.

Well, no decision made today. Miss Cardinal flew away and soon Bachelor #2 followed after her.

Will Miss Cardinal choose one of these fine feathered males or is there a third one lurking out there? Oh, I hate cliff-hangers!

Merry Christmas! from Patagonia, AZ

2011-12-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

We hope this finds everyone happy and healthy this Christmas day. We are celebrating our third Christmas in our motorhome. It is amazing how fast the time goes. We have our tiny 2-foot tree on the dashboard and covered it with all our favorite decorations.

The cats have actually been good with it this year. Only a few ornaments have been found on the floor in the morning. I'm sure Santa will be very pleased with them this year.

Hitch and Squirrel

Max and Dusty

We are still enjoying our volunteer time here at Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve. We have had a few frosty mornings and a couple of nights below freezing. There has been snow on the mountains nearby giving us a wonderful view to enjoy.

We seem to learn or see something new everyday. It has been quite an education.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Our First Month

2011-12-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve

Patagonia AZ

Isn't it amazing how fast time flies? We can't believe we have been here at Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve for a month now. We recently found out we were not the only new visitors to the area. We have a Surprise Visitor....

This photo is from the wildlife camera taken on Nov 11, 2011 - the same day we arrived. This Mountain Lion crossed the creek a couple of hundred yards from our motorhome. Our Preserve Manager Matt found signs of the cat in the area recently, such as scat and scratch marks.

Considering the Mountain Lion has been here all month, we are hoping he likes to stay hidden during the day and does his hunting at night. We would not mind seeing him at a distance...a very long distance.

One night, we heard some strange cries near our motorhome. Dan thought it was a distressed Javalina, but our manager Matt has not found any traces of a carcass nearby. Javelina distress call: http://www.javelinahunter.com/sounds/javlinasound13.wav

We also learned that our cats make wonderful alert cats. Sandy first heard Dusty growling and the other cats soon joined in. Once they had her attention, she started hearing the crying outside (possible Javelina distress call). We could not see anything and never did verify for sure what made the sounds.

White-nosed Coatimundi

A month ago, we had never heard of a Coatimundi until our manager said they had seen a group of them recently on the Preserve. Dan and I had to look them up so we could recognize them. The Coati is raccoon-like, climbs trees, and dig for insects. Everyday, we would walk through the area with hopes of seeing just one. No luck.

The other day we had some time off from our volunteering duties and decide to go for a walk. Dan spotted the White-nose Coati first. The Coati was on the trail in front of us. He just stood there on the path staring at us. We think this is a male since males travel alone. We did not see or hear any others nearby.

Sandy was so happy she brought her camera for the walk. She almost left it behind for this late afternoon walk. After taking some photos, moving closer and taking more, he started moving very slowly down the path.

And he stopped..........strike a pose....

Great photo of his paws - good for digging and climbing

Close-up of his paws

He looked back and froze again for several seconds.

He turned around to look at us again...and froze.

so cute

Then he turned the other direction to look at us again. Maybe he was trying to get a better look at us. This encounter must have gone on for 10 minutes! It was great!

Check out his turned-up nose!

We think this is when he realized we were going to keep following him, so he ran off the trail and out into the brush. He was brave and watched us a long time before running for cover.

We will close this post with just a few more photos from the preserve. As always, all pics are "clickable" for larger images.

Morning Walks (Patagonia, AZ)

2011-11-21T09:10:00.001-07:00

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve

Patagonia, AZ

We are volunteering at a wildlife preserve in southern Arizona this winter. We are 60 miles south of Tucson, and 20 miles north of Nogales. Preserve website: Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve

We are parked on site, with 312 acres as our backyard. The preserve manager lives across the dirt road, so inside the fence line we have the place to ourselves after hours and on Monday and Tuesday when the preserve is closed.

We take turns in the visitors center, wandering the trails, or back in the RV. We bring our laptops into the visitors center to have something to do in between visitors.

We open the gate, open the visitors center, greet visitors and tell them about the park, collect fees, and at the end of the day end of day settle the books and lock up. In return we have full hookup RV parking and free high speed wifi. We plan on at least 3 months volunteering here.

Visitors center

Our RV site above

Year around creek and large solar array.

We are taking turns taking walks around the preserve while the other stays in the visitors center. Here are some of Dan's pictures taken as he walks:

Coes (pronounced Cows) White Tail Deer

Click to enlarge to see two Great Horned Owls.

Tarantula Love

I ran upon a pretty aggressive Javelina. He was snorting, stomping his feet, and clacking his teeth. He was about 7 feet off the trail I that wanted to walk down and I wanted to pass by him.

After a minute or so another adult Javelina and a young one ran past me from the opposite side of the trail and crashed out through the brush towards the creek.

The aggressive one calmed down after that, and I was able to walk past him and on down the trail.

Sandy's Walk......

Good Morning Sunshine!

Bedtime for Mr. Western Screech Owl

We woke up to frost on the ground a couple of days ago. When the sun started warming the earth, I decided to take a very early walk. Crispy morning air, so bright and clear!

The fields had a golden look to them. I saw a couple of deer in the tall grass, but no luck getting their picture. As a matter of fact, they seem to be the masters of evading my camera. I can only see their heads above the grass and then they duck down. They blend into the woods so well that I hear them before I see them and forget about the camera! By the time I have it up and ready - they are gone! I'll get a photo of one sooner or later.

The walk is about 2 miles round trip and it had been pretty quiet until I heard some crashing in the underbrush just below the pathway. I thought it was deer, but I wasn't seeing them. Then, I saw the Javalinas. I stopped to get a photo, but the ravine was too dark and one of the Javalinas started to make grunting noises and blowing loudly through his nose. Time to move on! I kept an eye on them just to be sure they were staying put and not watching where I was going. Yea, big mistake! This guy was on the path right in front of me!

Okay! Time to turn around and go the other direction! I'm glad I did change directions to follow the spring-fed creek trail. The sun was hitting it just right to cause steam to rise up. So enchanting! I looked for Frodo and Sam, but I did not see either Hobbit. Darn!

Instead, I ran into the three little Javalinas. They were munching until I started taking their picture. They all stopped to stare back at me. Yep, you guessed it - time to move on....

The rest of my walk was uneventful, but very relaxing. I took this last photo with my Fish-eye lens just for fun. I hope you enjoyed my walk and photos.

SKP Co-ops, Long Term Plans

2011-11-15T18:23:00.001-07:00

Several people have been curious about the posts we made on our blog about the Escapees co-ops we are visiting, and how they work.

Our favorite Casita - back door

We believe all full time RVers should have an exit plan for coming off the road for age, illness, or desire, We have had a rough plan in mind for a while, and are now firming up our exit plan. As with everything else RV related, we may change our plans, or modify them at some later date.

Side patio

Our long term plan is to remain in an RV, but when the time comes to get off the road, park the RV at a SKP co-op. Escapee (SKP) co-ops are RV parks affiliated with the Escapees RV club (designed for full timers who RV 365 days a year).

Patio faces the valley view

We will buy in (lease) a lot in a SKP co-op before the time to get off the road permanently, and use it as a home-base in the meantime, perhaps staying several months a year. We want one not in a city, but near good shopping, 'maybe' a military base somewhat nearby, a VA hospital or clinic is an upside, decent medical and dental care nearby, and maybe even an assisted living facility nearby. Some freezing nights is okay, and an occasional light dusting of snow, but with decent daytime temps to walk or be outside.

The people in the co-op purchase a life time lease on a lot, and then all lease holders jointly own and operate the park, with member elected boards for decision making. They have nice community centers, community activities, and keep a clean and well operated park. The cost of the lease varies park to park, plus the cost of authorized 'improvements' on the lots such as a Casita, storage shed, cement pads, etc. The co-op members help keep the park up to reduce cost of hired help.

When we buy a lifetime lease, we can sell it back early, or if we die our kids can sell the lease back. When finished with the lease, the entire lease cost is returned back to us. The only long term cost is annual maintenance fees, which pay for the community roads, community shared space and buildings/utilities.

The annual maintenance fee includes water, sewer, usually cable TV, usually wifi in at least the community center, garbage, weed control, and more. The only cost to us once we 'own' a lot is electric, propane, and the annual maintenance fee which varies park to park and year to year. Benson was $1,000 last year, so after buying the lease about $100 per month, plus our own electric and propane use.

If we travel, we can at our option, place our lot in the rental pool for other Escapees who are not co-op lease holders to rent while we are gone. The rental pool splits the proceeds, approx 1/4 to the park for overhead, approx 3/4 split by everyone in the rental pool. So overall, after an up front cost of a low of 3,000 for a bare lot in Hondo TX, to a bare lot in Benson AZ for $10,000, to a lot with a very nice Casita in a popular location perhaps $25,000 to $50,000, then thereafter $100 a month average, minus any rental proceeds we earn when we travel. (only the lot rents out, not the Casita itself which will be locked up).

So bottom line, that is our long term plan, for a low cost way to have a home base, and a landing place when we cannot or do not want to travel either temporarily, or long term.

A different kind of landscaping

Benson AZ has the longest waiting list, currently around 7 years. That works for us as we want to travel right now anyway, and cannot tap our 401Ks without penalty for another 4.5 years. We put down a $500 deposit (refundable if we change our minds) to get on the list at Benson AZ Saguro Co-op. We are number 374.

We plan to travel many more years, don't think we want the trouble of a deeded house again, and have no desire to rent. A SKP co-op gives us a community of like minded folks, a community center on site, and the opportunity to travel without worrying about our "home/homestead" as the co-op looks after it in our absence. When we are no longer capable of living in a co-op we would also be incapable of living in a house, and it will be time for an assisted living facility. A list of all the SKP co-ops and locations: http://www.escapees.com/baseco_op.asp

We still have yet to visit the Yuma AZ, Pahrump NV, Wauchula FL, or 2 California co-ops, and we want to re-visit and re-evaluate the Sutherlin Oregon co-op. If we change our minds as we visit more co-ops next calendar year, we can get our $500 Benson AZ deposit back, losing only the additional $20 handling fee.

Thus far this year we visited the Lone Star Coral co-op in Hondo TX, The Ranch in Lakewood NM, Rovers Roost in Casa Grande AZ, Saguro in Benson AZ, and 2 years ago Evergreen Coho in Chimacum WA, and Timber Valley in Sutherlin OR. Our favorites so far are Saguro, The Ranch, and Timber Valley. FL is not a player for us, so we will skip that co-op. The Ranch is a nice friendly park, and nearby Artesia NM is pretty nice - however the co-op is out of town a good ways. The Ranch had lots available right now - no wait.

We don't recall the Oregon park very well as we were not in the market for a co-op at the time, so we plan to revisit as it this coming summer as a potential area for us. The WA co-op is not an area we are interested in. It is in the NW peninsula of WA, fairly remote, and with limited roads in and out, plus the ferry system. We doubt Yuma AZ will work for us either as we want a year around weather capable park and Yuma may be too hot in summer. For us, 'light snow' and 'a few' freeze temp nights are more acceptable than extreme heat in summer.

So in a nutshell, that is our current long term plan.

Time to slow down, people!

Saguaro SKP Park, Benson, AZ

2011-11-14T18:32:00.001-07:00

We spent last week inBenson, AZ. We have stayed in Benson acouple of times, but it has been awhile. So, we have been busy driving around southern Arizona getting familiarwith the area again. We liked it quite abit last time and we still do. We droveto Davis-Monthan AFB/Tucson one day. On the second day, we drove to Ft.Huachuca Army Base/Sierra Vista and to Patagonia to see where we would bespending our winter. On the third day, we drove over to Casa Verde near Phoenixto see another Co-op park. That parkwasn’t as nice as the one in Benson.

Look George! It's delivery Oats!

After all that drivingaround, we decided to stay home to do a little resting and catching up oneverything.

We did some walking aroundthe park, took photos of the casitas that we liked the best. The Casitas face east so quite a few of the photos are of their backsides. Most of them have nice porches and decks facing towards the east.

The lots are very spacious and people do quite a bit of landscaping. We were assigned a front row site and fell in love with the view.

Across the street we were able to watch Quailrun back and forth. They are very comicallittle birds. They really kept the catsentertained.

We know we have not seenall of the Co-op parks yet, but we decided to get on the Saguaro SKP's waitinglist here in Benson. There are 372 people waiting to have a sitehere which means it may take up to 7 years to get a site.

In the meantime, we plan to keep looking at the other parks. We might change our minds and decide on a different park. We can be on more than one waiting list. We will have to wait and see.

On the Road Again

2011-11-05T19:44:00.004-06:00

On the Road Again, Headed For:

(El Paso, TX)

(Deming NM)

(Benson AZ)

(Patagonia AZ)

While at the Kirtland AFB Military Family Campground (FamCamp) Dan installed a new complete hydraulic leveling jack pump assembly in our Bluebird Coach, and Dan and our son Shaun installed a new power window motor in Shaun's SUV. We also had the 60,000 mile service done on our Subaru WRX, and replaced a front axle that had a torn CV boot, that slung all the grease out and was damaged.

Madrid

Before we left Albuqueruqe we made a scenic drive on the Turquoise Trail to Santa Fe. This is a road we often took on our motorcycle trips when we lived here. An excellent trip if you like taking rides on back country roads.

We did our traditional lunch stop at the Mine Shaft Tavern for lunch in Madrid – pronounced Mad Rid. We stopped there for the atmosphere as well as for the food.

Howdy!

Beautiful Bells on display

The town was once a coal mining ghost town turned into a very colorful and lively artistic place to visit with galleries and shops. There is always a lot of artwork - very enticing artwork - sitting in the front yards. Don't these places look inviting?

Love the colors!

Excellent! Double doors with screens and red!

Madrid was the location for Maggie’s Diner in the movie “Wild Hogs” being filmed there. Funny, that was not there before the movie.

Maggie's Diner

Funny movie, but I don't think it caught the wonderful essence of Madrid.

We said Good-bye to our son, Shaun. We had a wonderful visit with him. It was so good to hear how he was doing - which is great and he looks great.

Dan & Shaun

On Tuesday 1 November we arrived in El Paso TX at the Ft Bliss Army Famcamp. Our purpose in El Paso was to have the Coach serviced for oil, oil filter, fuel filter, check differentials, and lube the chassis at Speedco. Speedco is the equivalent of Jiffy Lube, only for over the road semi trucks and diesel motor homes. Our coach used 22 quarts of new oil, 2 filters, lube for the chassis, and everything else looked good.

Ft Bliss had an amazing Post Exchange complete with a outdoor mall complex, including a 10 screen theater, Wild Wings, Irish Pub, multiple stores, huge food court and more. We also stocked up at the base commissary.

Today, November 5th, we moved 102 miles to Deming NM to an Escapees RV park. Winds were pretty heavy, but should let up tomorrow. If the winds do subside we will move on to Benson AZ (near Tucson) to an Escapees co-op RV park in the morning.

We plan on one week or less in Benson, then we will move to Patagonia AZ where we have accepted winter volunteer positions.

We will be volunteering in Southern AZ on a private wild life preserve of 312 acres, and be the only 'campers' on the grounds. It is approximately 60 miles south of Tucson/Benson, 20 miles north of Nogales AZ, and at 4,000' altitude.

Previous volunteers Frank and Josee Kee wrote the following:

The name of the preserve is Patagonia Sonoita Creek Preserve (PSCP) and is located adjacent to the town of Patagonia Arizona (AZ). It is privately owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and preserve valuable habitat and waterways for the preservation of bio-diversity. In Arizona TNC has 1.5+ million acres in their care and 12 major preserves. Only 4 are open to the general public. PSCP was acquired in 1966 and is the first preserve acquired by TNC in Arizona.

It is a very valuable piece of land because it is an endangered riparian habitat that has year around water flow in the creek. Riparian habitats support the majority of biodiversity in a desert landscape. It is host to numerous fauna, mammals, reptiles, endangered fish, and insects.

The access to water attracts this diverse collection. The most common question is “what animals can we see”…In which we reply Deer, squirrels, cotimundi, skunk, bear, coyote, cougar and javelina and …yes rattlesnake can be seen once in a blue moon.

Frank and Josee who volunteered there 2.5 years wrote more details here: http://www.keesmail.com/public_html/TNCVol/

Frank and Josee's pictures: http://www.keesphotos.com/Nature/Patagonia-Sonoita-Creek/8000576_Bk92cV#1530582350_HQjWhPC

We committed to a minimum of 3 months, with a possible option to extend longer. We will start not later than 21 November, likely earlier as we have accelerated our schedule.

Dan and Sandy

Old Town Albuquerque

2011-10-26T21:58:00.000-06:00

San Felipe de Neri Church rebuilt in 1793

We spent a beautiful afternoon wandering around historic Old Town Albuquerque - an old Spanish settlement founded in 1706. There are several sites with information about the historic Old Town area.

Sandy took a few photos and she will get them into our Webshots later. So here are a few interesting shots to give you a quick tour of our walk...just to give you a taste of the old southwest....

We walked around the Plaza surrounded by traditional adobe style buildings doing a little window shopping, wandering down little alley ways, smelling delicious spicy aromas, and viewing a variety of artwork.

Ristra

Come along with us as we walk....

...through shady alleys, nooks and crannies......

.... where we discovered many shops and restaurants....

..and artists selling their artwork...

...and inviting places to sit and rest awhile.

Did you enjoy your walk?

Día De Los Muertos ~ Day of the Dead

Old Town is getting ready to celebrate the Day of the Dead and All Souls Day. The Mexicans have celebrated the Day of the Dead for centuries.

Later, the Spaniards moved the celebration date to combine their All Souls Day with the Day of the Dead to keep the ritual more Christian.

Day of the Dead is a time to celebrate life and to remember love ones.

If you want to read more about the history, please click on the following links:

Dayof the Dead History and Day of the Dead in Mexico

We will stay in Albuquerque another week to 10 days weather permitting, then head south.

The Ranch Co-op Lakewood NM

2011-10-16T18:56:00.000-06:00

The below blog is from Oct 16, 2011 when we visited The Ranch Escapees Co-op in Lakewood NM, but we did not get it published until November

Oct 16, 2011:
We spent the last couple of days at the second Escapees’park named “The Ranch” that we are considering for our future. This park is between Carlsbad and Roswell…….or you can say it is between the Bats and the Aliens. Eh! either way, it is a nice park and people are not only friendly, they consider each other family.

The park’s closest town is Artesia. What I would consider a very well kept NM secret. We saw evidence of a lot of community pride everywhere. A small town with a big heart. The downtown area is well kept, clean, and has a lot of statues throughout.

We did not do the walking tour since we needed to do our grocery shopping and it was getting late. I did look at it on the Artesia’s website. This online Walking Tour shows quite a few of the statues around town.

We started by going to the Art in the Park after hearing one of the Escapees would have a booth there. The vendors can only sell handmade items. Nothing else was allowed and the vendor’s booth would get cancelled if their items were not handmade.

We stopped by to see Nancy’s unique handmade jewelry. Here’s her website: KrisJen Creations if you would like to see her beautiful jewelry.

We were also told that the event was moved from the park because too many people were ruining the park’s grass. The event was now held in the football field. How busy could it be that they had to move it? Oh! It was very busy! We were truly surprised at the turnout. I enjoyed checking out all the different booths but it was too busy to take photos.

I have been watching a group of Scaled Quails run around the park. They are so funny to watch as they run from one hiding place to the next. They came for a visit to our site and I got some good photos of one brave fellow. He did not seem to mind me taking his photo. I can see where they got their name.

You put your left foot in...

.....and you shake it all about

....and that's how you do the Quail's Hokey-Pokey!!

Here a few of the little houses that I liked. Many of the houses/sheds have the same building design, but each one had its owner's creative expression.

Nice and solid

His and Hers?

My favorite!

Monday, we head for Albuquerque. It'll be a long travel day for us if we go the whole way. Depends on how we feel. Yea, it's a rough life.

Hondo TX Lone Star Coral SKP Co-op

2011-10-12T07:41:00.001-06:00

We left Fredericksburg and headed west to Hondo, TX. We are starting to look at different Escapees' co-op parks that allow members to lease a site (and co own the park). Hondo is our first stop. The park is nice and well kept. We met another Bluebird couple Jack and Liz, and their cat Oreo. We spent some time visiting with them and learning a little more about this Escapees' park. We also spent a little time looking around the local area.

The cats explored on their harness and leashes as well. Dusty had no dirt to roll in. Aww, I was really disappointed. No dirt! Darn! Squirrel could not find anything green to munch. Hitch had no trees to climb and wanted to snoop all the neighbor's yards. Max was too nervous to explore and make a decision, but he made it unanimous once he heard their comments.

Granted, we can add a dirt rolling area for Dusty. Plant a tree for Hitch. Hmm, can he wait a few years to climb it? And have potted Wheat Grass and Catnip for all, but we don't think this will be the semi-permanent location for us. It is a little too rural for our taste.

Above is the shed on the lot we are renting for the next couple of nights. The owner/leasee is traveling at the moment and while they are gone, they can allow other traveling members to rent their site. While they are gone, they don't have to worry about their site with the park employees and neighbors keeping a watchful eye on it.

Just a Shed, ma'am!

We like the idea of the shed/house for extra storage space or just a place to get out of the motorhome. We saw the inside of one and it wasn't bad. The larger room had a double closet and enough room to put a couch with chairs or a desk and sewing table. There was a smaller room that they were using as a workshop and storing tools.

Below are some photos of the shed/houses. Each one might be small, but they are individually styled to the owners' taste. Of course, there are rules and changes have to be pre-approved which is by the co-op board.

The lots are big enough to give us a little elbow space.

play on words...

So, why are we considering doing this? Well, as we get older, we are sure our travels will slow down to a couple of times a year. You know - winter in the south, summer in the north. This would give us a guaranteed site each winter. Plus, Sandy has several items sitting in our daughter's garage. We are sure she would like to have that space back someday.

Most of these parks have a long waiting list from 3 years to 8 years. That's why we are looking now. It isn't because we are getting tired of traveling. We are just planning for our future.

Well, onward to Del Rio TX Laughlin AFB on the Mexico border for a night, followed by Pecos TX Escapees park for a night, then to the Escapees Co-op in Lakewood NM for a few days.

Family Time

2011-10-07T22:13:00.000-06:00

We had a great time visiting our daughter and our two granddaughters. We had to wait until the evenings to visit since all three were off to school. Yes, that includes our daughter, as well.

New member - Sadie - a sweet hug for a sweet dog

Misty works at the college that she is attending. We find it amazing to see her juggling school, work, and two kids. Our granddaughters are amazing too. They are very well mannered and help their Mom.

lots of seashells

On Saturday, the girls joined us at the campground for lunch. We did a little kite flying. Well, actually, we spent more time just trying to get it off the ground.

Well, it's up....

hold it up higher!

The wind kept coming and going that we finally gave up, but at least she was happy with trying.

deep concentration

After the kite flying, we searched the lake shore for shells. It's a good thing it was a warm day because someone got a little wet.

After a weeks visit we said good-bye to the girls and now we are starting our winter travels. First stop Fredericksburg, TX.

Traveling to Oklahoma

2011-09-25T19:09:00.000-06:00

Branson's Landing

We will be leaving on Monday 26 Sept for Lawton OK to see our daughter and granddaughters now that the weather south of us has cooled down. We will stop at a Corps of Engineers park near Wagoner OK for one night on the way. We are hoping the wildfires in OK and TX are finally gone or under control. We enjoyed our stay so much in Branson MO that we stayed a lot longer than planned. The Branson waterfront on Lake Taneycomo has been a great place to go for walks, people watch, and dining out.

Branson Train

Branson is a big entertainment town of live performances. We have not been to any performances, as we are in $$ conservation mode to pay for some plumbing upgrades (new faucets, toilet repair), fixing the hydraulic leveling jacks, and catching up from all the diesel fuel we bought since Key West. The increase in fuel and grocery prices have been hard on our budget.

a cowboy walking his dog

Remembering 9/11

Dan's been working on line 10 hours a week evaluating and rating webpages as a subcontractor. In the meantime, Sandy has been sewing quilts and other projects for her Etsy shop. The holiday season is just around the corner. She had three orders during the time we have been in Branson.

Staying in this campground has been great. It is part of Escapees, a RV club of fulltime RVers that we belong to. The rates are good, with full hook ups, 50 amp electric, cable tv, and it's quiet - so it has been a good place to hang out for a while. We know the cats enjoyed it because they begged to outside every day and would have spent hours outside if Sandy did not get tired of untangling or following them around.

Seasonal Mug Rugs

After Lawton, we will head south into TX, possibly using some of our campground memberships along the way. We plan to slowly head to just west of San Antonio to a Escapees co-op park near Hondo TX. Escapees has a series of co-op parks with a waiting list to join, but ability to visit for a week or two. We 'might' get on a waiting list for a co-op, where we would have a partial ownership in the campground, and our own lot we can either use, or rent out while traveling. No deed, so quick and easy to resell the membership if it doesn't work out. Excellent low cost way to have a home base.

The TX co-op has a 2 year waiting list, AZ has a 6-7 year waiting list. Through the fall and winter we plan to check out at least some of the co-ops. Here is a list of the Co-op locations that we are interested in visiting: Benson AZ, Casa Grande AZ, Yuma AZ, Aguana CA, Coarsegold CA, Pahrump NV, Lakewood NM, Hondo TX.

Like my feathered-do?

If we join a co-op it will probably be Benson AZ or Hondo TX for winter locales, and closer to the kids. We would then use the co-op anywhere from 2-6 months a year and travel the rest of the time.

So basically, between now and spring we plan to travel westward across TX to AZ or further, checking out the co-ops as we go to see if we want to get on a waiting list. In the spring, we will 'probably' slowly head up the west coast as far as WA, and over to Spokane for a vist (probably sometime next summer). After Spokane - no idea yet.

QuiltinCats First Giveaway!
Don't forget to stop by Sandy's blog. She reviewed My Memories Suite v2 Scrapbook digital software and found it to be very user friendly. She was given two downloadable softwares. One for herself and one to giveaway. Anyone can enter. All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog and you are entered.

Hard Work U (Branson, MO)

2011-09-02T11:23:00.000-06:00

Keeter Center

in the floor

Here’s an interesting concept: what if a student did not have to pay tuition for a college education? Instead of paying tuition, how about the student works for the college? Odd concept? But it does work at the College of the Ozarks (Cofo) near Branson, MO, also known as the Hard Work U.

From CofO’s mission statement: The mission of this unique institution focuses on providing a Christian education to those who are found worthy, but who are without sufficient means to obtain such training.

The college is small (less than 2000 students), but it offers their students a wide variety of academic classes from Accounting to Unified Science – chemistry endorsement. According to HubPages, there are only 9 tuition-free colleges/universities, but the majority are geared towards a specific education like music or engineering.

Inside Keeter Center

CofO also encourages outside visitors. After reading great reviews from TripAdvisor, we decided to visit and eat lunch. There are no charges for visiting the campus. The Keeter Center is a lodge with decorative rooms to rent, a dining room, and a conference center. The lodge’s design reflects a Maine Lodge that was on display in the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. The rustic place is HUGE with massive logs, polished wood floors, and high ceilings. The dining room’s ceiling had decorative copper tiles and all the furniture has a handmade look. French doors open onto a back balcony overlooking the campus.

For luch we ordered the smoked Tomato soup, Pork Quesadillas, and grilled Reuben sandwich. The food was tasty and reasonably priced. They also have a bakery with a delicious looking display as you enter the dining room.

The campus was so peaceful with most students walking to classes and cows lying quietly in the fields. Yep, you read right – cows.

View from the Keeter Center's back patio

They have a functioning farm on campus along with a working mill, and a fruit cake kitchen (you can watch them make fruitcake). We did not visit all areas of campus, just a few, but we were very impressed with the campus and the students.

There are more photos in our album Hard Work U

Edwards Mill

Many Miles Later (Branson, MO)

2011-08-16T18:02:00.001-06:00

Branson, MO

We have been doing a lot of traveling since our last post. We are in Branson, MO and we are planning to stay a couple of weeks. We are a little tired of the faster pace we have been moving. We are staying in an Escapees’ campground called Turkey Creek. We have full hook-ups and cable TV. A real plus is the campground’s location. We are within a 10 minute drive from Branson that is across the river and yet, we don’t feel like we are that close to the hustle and bustle of the downtown Branson.

Historic Downtown Paducah

Mural on flood gate in Paducah

So, to get you caught up with where we were and what we were doing….Leaving Knoxville to Paducah, KY turned into a very long travel day. We found a nice little campground through RV Reviews that has only been in business for about 5 years. They have suffered through floods, ice storms, and renovations already. Can you imagine spending a winter there? Our site faced a small pond that had one Great Blue Heron fishing in it a few times a day.

Sandy has wanted to visit the National Quilt Museum for many years. We picked one of the hottest days to visit the historic downtown Paducah. We got downtown early, but it was so hot and humid, we could barely breathe. We walked along the city’s flood gate while checking out the gate’s mural and Ohio River. The downtown area had some very unusual buildings and yes, Sandy took photos of a few of them. We did not last long walking before we decided it was time to spend some time inside with air conditioner! We were soaked! Ugh! We had lunch and Sandy went off to the museum. No photos were allowed. Sandy did not get enough of quilts, so she walked over to Eleanor Burn’s Quilt in a Day shop. The employees greeted her with an invite to take photos which surprised Sandy since most quilt shops discourage it.

New kitchen faucet

While Sandy did her quilt thing, Dan headed off to Home Depot for sink parts. He had installed a new kitchen faucet, but found the new faucet connections have changed. Of course, they did not fit right and there was some minor leaking. The next day, he worked on the sink and now it is perfect!

Jay & Sandy in front of Kindly Geppeto

We left Paducah two days later and headed north to see Sandy’s brother Jay in Illinois. The trip turned into another long travel day with too much traffic. We were happy to settle at Scott AFB FamCamp despite only having 30 amp electrical and no sewer drop at the site. We had a wonderful time visiting with Jay’s son Ryan, his wife Kim, and their two boys, Hunter and Caiden. The following day, Jay played tour guide and took us into the downtown St. Louis area. We wandered around the City Gardens and under the Arch. Sandy could have spent more time taking photos, but again it was just too hot and humid to spend too much time outdoors. So we went shopping instead!

1 Fish-eye lens and 2 Arcs x 4

Thanks to Jay for showing us around St. Louis, cooking delicious vegetarian meals, and for letting us talk him into adopting a cat! What a guy! It all started when we went to Pet Smart and saw two very cute cats. They were both quiet and wanted a lot of loving. I guess we talked about the cats a little too much. By the end of the evening, Jay was heading home with a 3 year old cat and a trunk full of supplies. He changed her name from Paine to Charmin as in “Please don’t squeeze the Charmin. You have to admit she does look soft enough to squeeze and she has a very mellow attitude that we can see someone wanting to hug her a lot.

Charmin making herself
comfortable in her new home.

That night Jay sent this text message:

Litter box set up, cat tested and approved: CHECK!
Flea prevention applied while cat purrs: CHECK!
Water & food bowls cat tested and approved: CHECK!
House & owner (servant): Still under inspection, approval pending.

Post note: Jay sent an update today. Charmin has Jay on a schedule and it sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Great Smokey Mountains (Knoxville, TN)

2011-08-02T17:50:00.000-06:00

Cable's Grist Mill

We spent an afternoon at the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It was beautiful, but not very relaxing. We made the mistake of going on a Saturday afternoon and it was very…..very…very busy! Since we were starting late, we had to decide which of the loops we wanted to see. We picked Cades Cove because we would be able to see an original community from the 1800’s. The best part was the freedom to walk around and explore the nooks and crannies of the homesteads.

Some of the barns looked almost top heavy with small first floors and wide second floors. We were able to explore through the old cabins which seemed dark and very sparse.

LeQuire Cantilever Barn

We found one of the first Spring Houses in the area to be very interesting. The family stored butter and other items that needed to stay cool.

Spring House

Sandy had wanted to visit Gatlinburg’s 8 miles of Arts and Crafts. You guessed right. There’s a quilt shop there. We started getting into heavy traffic in Sevierville. Crawled through Pigeon Forge, and came to a complete stop on Gatlinburg’s main street. We stopped for a quick lunch and decided we better visit the national park first. By the time we finished, it was after 6 pm. By that time we were tired of the traffic jams and the heat had worn us out.

Our Webshots Album: Great Smokey Mountains

Three Halves Make a Whole?

After a long travel day and not much food left in the RV, we decided to stop at a fast BBQ place for a take-out chicken dinner. We order a whole chicken thinking this could last us for a couple of meals. One of the workers came up and said they did not have any whole chickens. “Would we mind three-halves of a chicken to make up for the whole?” A little surprised, we said sure. While waiting on our order, our discussion of course was how does 3/2 make a whole? Most halves are one of each breast, wing, thigh, and a leg, right? So, how were they cutting up their chicken? We had to wait until we got home to find out. Well, it turns out we ended up with one and a half chickens. All we can figure out is either this one person needs to go back to school or this BBQ place does it by weight.

All in all the meal was good and the price was even better!

Shenandoah National Park

2011-07-20T16:32:00.002-06:00

Fawns with Mama enjoying our site

We stayed in Loft Mountain Campground inside Shenandoah (webshots photo album link) National Park. Sandy says she feels like we were on top of the world. The campground sites were nice and private. The parking of a large RV is a little tricky on the curved sites, but the spaces were large and surrounded by trees and bushes. We watched birds, deer, and rabbits. No black bears. They must have heard we were in the area with our cameras.

Our first time on Skyline Drive

All the scenic views have been spectacular. Driving 25 miles on Skyline Drive to the campground felt more like 40 miles because of the 35 mph speed limit. Sandy wasn't so sure about this drive in the motorhome since she had read a description saying the drive wound around on top of the ridge of the mountains. But it wasn't that bad. Most of the time it was a tree lined narrow road with wide and very spacious overlook areas for pulling over. We could fit our motorhome towing the car with plenty of space for many more cars.

We got a little relief from the hot weather. We had just settled into our new home when the heavy rains came through. The rain lasted a little over an hour, but it certainly made a difference in the temperature. It was so nice to be able to sleep with the windows open at night.

Doyles Fall Trail

For our first full day in the park, we did a 3.5 mile hike on Doyles Fall Trail that was described as “moderate”. It turned out to be a little more difficult for us since we are no longer use to higher altitude or steep climbs. Yep our bodies were telling us “Time to get back into shape!”

Virginia Quilt Museum

We were tired the next day so we decided to drive to Harrisonburg. Sandy wanted to visit the Virginia Quilt Museum while Dan spent time exploring the historic downtown area. Sandy has a separate blog for her quilt adventures. You can click on the link to her QuiltinCats Blog in the right column.

We ate lunch at a very unusual coffee house called The Artful Dodger. The inside was eclectic decorated with local artists’ works along with household items that we recognized from our youth. There was a large collection of retro wall clocks, old lamps, and other memorabilia from the 70s-80s time frames. Oh, and the food was good too!

Our next hike was a little over 4 miles on Rose River Falls. Two friendly Rangers advised us that the trail was an easier walk than Doyles and better because it followed the cascading river. We did not feel as wimpy on this trail.

Wildflowers along Skyline Drive

We moved to a campground outside of Lynchburg, VA on Tuesday. We will probably keep this stop short. Dan is already plotting out our next moves towards the west.

4th of July in Charleston, SC

2011-07-02T17:33:00.001-06:00

Sights of Savannah - Hanging Chair

We did not plan to stay at Holbrook Pond so long, but between the 4th of July weekend being booked at several campgrounds and Sandy trying to arrange meeting with a couple of friends – well let’s just say it was a little longer than we planned. We moved on our 36th wedding anniversary to Foster Creek Naval Station near Charleston SC on 30 June. We plan on a one week stay.

Savannah

We found Savannah to be very friendly as well as beautiful. We spent one hot day in downtown Savannah enjoying the sights, the people, and of course, the food. We started our walk along the river front on a very old cobblestone road. After visiting the City Market area, we found out that Savannah has free public transportation and decided to ride to our lunch destination. Not only is transportation free, they offer information about the city and talk about the areas you are passing. We had a delicious lunch at The Distillery an old prohibition bar on Liberty Street. We had plans to go back to Savannah but unexpected circumstances took up our time, so maybe someday we will visit again.

Midway Church

We spent one afternoon driving along Historic Liberty Trail. We stopped to see the Midway Church and the cemetery across the street. There is a bulletin board with stories about the occupants. One was about a young indecisive lawyer in love with two women. His decision was to take his life instead of deciding which lady to marry. Because of the suicide, he was buried outside the original cemetery’s fence line. Later the cemetery was expanded to include the lawyer’s grave and ever since then a large oak tree has been trying to push the lawyer back to the fence. That was just one of the many interesting stories. We were able to take photos of two more stories. They are posted in our Webshots album.

During our down time, Dan replaced our old bathroom sink’s faucet. The darn thing was leaking every time we used it. The new faucet looks so much better!

ScarFace

We also befriended two campground tomcats. They looked like they might be brothers. One had a lot of battle scars and a nicked ear. Dan named him Scarface. The other one had one heck of a loud baritone cry so we called him Luigi. Yep, we were taken in by their lonely cries and their thankful purrs for the food. Dan treated them with tick and flea treatment and brushed them out. Of course, they moved in under our motorhome so our poor cats could not go out for walks. Thank goodness, neither one showed signs of wanting to move in so we left them behind to the relief of our cats. Before leaving, we talked to the office and found out we were not the first to be taken in by the moochers, but we were the first people the brothers were letting pet them. Yep! We are………the Cat Whisperers! LOL!

While shopping on Ft. Stewart, we noticed a flag decorated tree lined sidewalk. Ft. Stewart has been planting one Eastern Redbud tree as a living tribute for each brave Soldier who paid the ultimate price for our freedom since Iraq Operation Freedom began. There are over 400 trees planted. It was overwhelming to walk among the trees.

On that note, we hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend.

On To Georgia

2011-06-16T16:55:00.000-06:00

We are now in Georgia. Yep, we finally decided it was time to leave Florida and see some more of our beautiful country. We spent some time at Eagle Hammock RV Park, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, SE corner of GA. Wildfire smoke drifting in was getting thick, so we decided to move up the coast. Our new home for this week is Holbrook Pond Campground, Fort Stewart, not far from Savannah, GA. The campground has a small number of spaces, but with large nicely wooded sites.

Castillo de San Marcos

Before we left Jacksonville, we toured around the oldest city, St. Augustine, FL. We kept our visit short due to smoke and sweltering heat. We started with a national park tour of a 335 year old Spanish fort called Castillo de San Marcos. Afterwards, we strolled down the streets of the old town. We checked out a couple of stores and restaurants along the way. We could not resist stopping at an Italian Pizza place after seeing the huge pizzas sitting in the window. When we made our order for one slice each, our server wanted to know if we wanted a second slice. Hmmm, we looked at the first slice that took up our whole paper plates…..that was a definite “no thank you!”

Bridge of Lions

We finished our walk at the Bridge of Lions which is a Mediterranean-style bascule draw bridge. This bridge has an interesting story. At one point, there were plans to demolish the 1927 bridge and replace it with a new contemporary style. Others wanted the original bridge restored. Finally, there was a compromise between those wanting to preserve history and safety. Restoration took around 5 years. In the meantime, the lions where taken away for safe keeping. This caused some alarm with locals worrying their Lions were gone for good. After assuring everyone that they were safe, this website did a “Where are the Lions?” People could send in sightings of the Lions around the world. Check out their fun website: The Bridge of Lions.

Photo Album

Sandy decided to open a small Quilt Shop on Etsy.com. She is hoping people will check out her whimsical quilts and spread the word that she is open for business!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-29T10:59:00.000-06:00

Sandhill Crane

We moved to Mayport Naval Air Station near Jacksonville, FL on Thursday. Our trip from Clermont was short and uneventful. Mayport NAS has two FamCamps. The Pelican Roost is on the St. Johns River with the Atlantic Ocean within walking distance, and the other one – Osprey Cove is in a more wooded area near the golf course. Both have very nice and generous sites.

Ship passing by

We are in the Pelican Roost and we have a wonderful site overlooking St. Johns River and the Navy Shipyard. An interesting spot to be this weekend, as we take time to remember those who gave all in the service of our country.

We are also keeping an eye on weather as we watch one storm after another devastate many states. We have kept a diligent watch over weather near our daughter’s home in Oklahoma. So far, the Lawton area has been spared and we hope it stays that way.

Sandy uploaded our Disney photos. There are a lot of them…..sorry about that! But it is a great way to keep our photos safe after all the disasters we have been seeing lately.

Before we left Clermont, we got some photos of the local Sandhill Cranes. We have never been around Sandhill Cranes. Big bird! Very big bird! And very protective. We had a family come by a few times.
Mama and papa would dig around looking for grubs to feed to their younger ones. Yea, not so little. They were as big as mommy and daddy! While they were near our site we watched a stray cat trying to sneak by the family. One of the parents would have none of that! It sounded the alarm to warn the others or the cat. Now the sound they make – it sounds like something out of Jurassic Park’s movie. A little prehistoric sounding if you know what we mean. It certainly got all of our cats’ attentions! It then confronted the poor cat with its wings out. If it was trying to look bigger, it was succeeding! The poor cat decided to take a different route through the wood’s underbrush.

Fence is 3 ft

I'm the pretty one

Waiting for mommy to feed me!

From Space Coast to Mickey Mouse

2011-05-09T14:28:00.001-06:00

Boy, did we let time get away from us! We spent all of April at Patrick AFB near Melbourne, FL. We had a wonderful view of the Banana River with many sightings of dolphins, ospreys, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Great Blue Herons. Not to mention, a front row seat to many beautiful sunsets.

Great Blue Heron fishing at sunset

While the view was great, the location on the base was very noisy. We decided we could never spend a winter at Patrick’s FamCamp. Our Key West relaxed attitude was becoming a little frazzled. Aircraft noise from the flight line, early morning gun fire from the firing range which is right in the campground, and low flying helicopters were just a few of the noises we heard though out the week. It took the cats a few days to get used to the sounds of freedom, but we have discovered that nothing will come between them and exploring the great outdoors.

New Nikon D7000

We kept pretty busy during our stay at Patrick by taking barefoot 3-mile walks along the beach, taking the cats out for walks, exploring the Space Coast area, and working. Yep, you read that right. Dan accepted an online job with Lionbridge. He now spends time reviewing various websites. He can work whenever he feels like it as long as he does between 10 and 20 hours each week. In the meantime, Sandy spent her time learning how to use her new Nikon D7000. She has some test shots of the Space Coast area in her album New Nikon D7000. Her biggest challenge is learning to trim down the megabytes before uploading them.

Epcot's Flower Festival

We celebrated Dan’s birthday by moving to Disney World’s Fort Wilderness on 1 May. We had a fun-filled week of rides, eating lots of food, and just feeling young again….yea, feeling our age and body…big time! We will try to get the photos uploaded soon.

Magic Kingdom

On Saturday, we moved to a Thousand Trails campground located in Clermont, FL (near Orlando). We are booked in for the next 3 weeks. We might move early or stay. Who knows? It is very quiet here so we think we will find our Key West relaxed attitude once again. Pictures are "clickable" for larger views.

Hey Neighbor! Got any food?

Good-Bye Key West!

2011-04-01T07:36:00.003-06:00

You're leaving!

The Weavers are leaving Key West!

On 30 March, we left sunny Key West and arrived at stormy Patrick AFB near Melbourne, FL. We had just parked the motorhome in front of the RV Office when high winds and driving rain hit the area. Since our rig was getting hit from the side, it was really rocking and rolling. We drove to a more sheltered area in the campground and waited for a break in the storm to unhook the tow car and park in our site.

On the following day, a lot of the counties in and around central Florida were in Tornado Warning and Watch conditions. What a great way to start our trip Back-to-Civilization. Well, at least it's a little bit cooler here and we have full utility hookups with a view of the Banana River.

We plan to stay in Florida on the east coast and near Orlando for a month or two at multiple campgrounds.
It feels a little strange to see so many stores, people, highways, and lots of traffic. After kicking back for five months in Key West, we feel like country folk visiting the city for the first time.

Squirrel: Nice cool rock! Could be a little softer, but hey, it is a nice cool rock.

We will miss Key West, but it was time to move onward with the weather starting to feel more like a 24 hour steam bath. The cats were not enjoying it very much. Poor Dusty with all that fur seemed to do a lot of panting. Even Hitch did a lot of sleeping. We had to tiptoe through our motorhome because the floor was covered with stretched out cats. Step on one tail and it was a chain reaction! Cats leaping! Cats running! Fur flying! Not a pretty sight…no…not pretty at all. When we took the cats outside, they would find the deepest shade and lay there for hours. It is cooler here in central Florida thanks to the storm and the full hook ups for air conditioning as needed, so the cats are starting to look a little more perky again.

Hitch sleeping in the hamper.

We hope to make it back to Key West for another winter, but probably not next year. Too many areas to explore for a back to back winter in Key West.

As the weather is improving, we will begin to explore the space coast over the next week or two.

Our Second Anniversary

2011-03-21T13:28:00.000-06:00

Albuquerque, 2009

Two years ago in Albuquerque, NM, we secured the last of our belongings into our motorhome, hitched up the car, and with feelings of amazement, realized we were Full-Timers traveling out of town starting our first of many adventures! That feeling of adventure and amazement is still with us. We have seen a lot of our beautiful country; we have visited family and friends; and we have also made new friends. The best part is knowing there is more to see and a lot more friends to meet. Don’t worry, we have not forgotten family. Yes, we do plan to visit them again someday.

Key West, 2011

(Hitch & Squirrel)

Even our cats seem very happy with their new lifestyle. They know the travel routine very well. As soon as they see us packing away our loose items, the cats start to ‘Man’ their stations. Dusty sits near the bedroom door while Max and Squirrel sit near the barrel chair. They like to be near their hiding places so as soon as the engine is turned on, they disappear. And Hitch? Oh, Hitch is under foot, bouncing off of walls while bobbing his head and howling, “Road Trip! WooHoo!” Yes, Hitch gets a little excited and he never seems to tire of moving on down the road. As soon as we stop, all four cats are greeting us at the door or looking out the windows. They have learned that a new location means new smells to explore and grasses to eat.

Hitch & Dusty

Max

Our winter stay in Key West has been the best winter we have ever had in all the countries and states we have lived in. We now understand why many of the campers have been coming here for over 15 years. It is sort of sad to see our time here come to an end, but we could be back in a couple of years.

So, what’s next on our agenda? Well, we are not quite sure and we like it that way. We do plan to spend some time exploring the Space Coast, central Florida, and a 4-day visit to Disney World. After that, we are not sure, but we will be happy to tell you where we are once we get there!

Squirrel

Iguana Country!

2011-02-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

Our two weeks in full hook-ups is over. Sigh! Those two weeks just flew by! Good-bye ocean view, good-bye dolphins, we have moved to Iguana Country for our next rotation in dry camping.

So, during the FHU weeks, we spent some time with our friends Ken and Cheryl from New York. They told us the Butterfly Conservatory was a must see and they would like to show it to us. They were right! If we had any stress, it would have dissolved as we walked through the atrium’s doors and into a lush garden world filled with butterflies floating by, little birds chirping, a bubbling brook filled with very large Koi and soft music playing. We got some great photos and posted them in Webshots.

Afterwards, we walked to the SouthernMost Beach Café and had a delicious lunch with a great view of the beach. This place is actually located at the SouthernMost Hotel. We don’t usually eat in hotel restaurants, but this one had very good ratings/reviews. We took a chance and the reviews were correct.

Hitch and Dusty enjoyed their two weeks in full hook up camping by chasing small geckos and climbing the palm trees. On one walk, Hitch ran and climbed four trees. He wore Sandy out that day. As you can see, chasing geckos wore Dusty out.

We had a lot of questions about our screen house, so here are some more photos with it folded up and in its cover.

Now we are back to dry camping. The location is superb. Our new neighbors are great, the two legged ones, pets, and Iguanas. We have two cat neighbors on the right side, a dog, grey parrot, and cat on the left side, and numerous Iguanas out the front. We have a view of the ocean – smaller, but we can still see it. It is not as windy as our last site which is great for the screen house and we have better shade with a tree in the next site. We do have one problem with the site – a low communications wire that our motorhome’s antennas hit as Dan backs into place. Otherwise, it is perfect. So, this is home for the next couple of weeks.

Hitch: "That is one strange looking Cat!"

On Key West Time

2011-02-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

On Key West Time

Relaxing in Key West is an art. Relaxing Key West style is contagious and intoxicating. Ahhhhh! Oh yea, we have been practicing for the past month and you know – practice makes perfect, right? Now we don’t just sit around doing nothing all day. We just do things at a very easy going slow pace.

We are starting our third week in the Dry Camp area so mornings consist of recharging batteries with the generator while using any or all of our electrical appliances to make breakfast and cleaning. If the weather is good and it usually is – we take the cats outside for walks. Even Max has been venturing outside. Well, to the bottom step where he keeps at least one paw on the step. Make a move towards him – Poof!! – he disappears inside until the coast is clear. Dusty and Hitch will spend hours sitting in the screen house watching for birds, enjoying the breeze, and doing a lot of cat napping. Sandy says it is like having her own screened in porch. She spends as much time in it as the cats do. Watching the people go by and working on her hand sewing.

After lunch, we take a leisurely 3 mile walk around the base. We say leisurely because we make a lot of stops along the way. First stop is usually at the RV office to see how many are dry camping now. Anywhere from 190 to 200 dry campers are on the waiting list for the 88 full hook-ups and some of those are for Handicap only. Yep, the wait is long, but we don’t mind. We stop by the retaining ponds to see the large iguanas sunning themselves then onto the marina to watch the pelicans by the water. The most important stop is to visit our favorite rooster that Dan has named “Buck Buck”. Buck Buck comes running out greeting us with his clucking sounds. He usually stops right in front of us and starts scratching and clucking the whole time. Dan likes to speak Chicken and the two have a wonderful conversation about how they spent their day.

After our showers at the Bath House and dinner, we pop in a DVD since we don’t have TV reception here (the price we pay to live in paradise). Sandy likes to work on her quilts while Dan is reading the latest news on his computer.

During our hanging out around the motorhome, we get to watch the Ibis and a pair of Ospreys nesting nearby. One of the Ospreys always brings its meal to a utility post near our site. Our next door neighbor setup a very powerful telescope in front of his 5th Wheel with a sign inviting everyone to take a look at the nest. Very nice!

We are finding the White Ibis to be very entertaining at times. Dan calls them the crosswalk birds because they do tend to cross at corners. They are so comical to watch that we are always on the lookout for them. Their walk alone is fun to watch – the bobbing of their heads, the strange stork-like walk, and the soft grunts they make as they move around. We never know what to expect them to do. They are not very skittish around people or vehicles, but they do keep their distance if someone tries to get too close.

We have noticed that they tend to stay in small flocks, anywhere from 3 to 10 birds. We have seen a few mavericks out by themselves, but for the most part they like to stay together. If one decides to do something completely different from the others then the others will follow its lead. One time, the leader decided to use the sidewalk in front of the Navy Exchange (small retail store). We were just coming into the parking lot as they walked down the sidewalk in front of customers and the opened doors. They could have cared less that they were blocking the way and causing a small traffic jam. One couple was trying to get pictures. We could tell one lady had been here too long because she just sat on the bench text messaging as the flock marched by her.

Another time, there were two flocks. One was eating in the grass while the other flock was wandering around in the parking lot. The eaters decided they needed a drink and moved over to a very shallow puddle. Of course, the other flock had to follow. So, all these birds are trying to drink water at the same time which is not easy to do with their down curved bills. Each bird had to lay his head sideways into the water to fill its bill, lift its head straight up, and swallow. We were surprised they did not step on each other.

So, there it is – life in Key West. We have noticed the people staying in the campgrounds seem to have a spring in their step, love to be outdoors, and look very healthy for their age.

Now, stop groaning, we know the weather has been bad up north. We have been watching the weather and we can see that Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas are under Severe Weather Watch right now. We want you to know we still remember those cold, okay, freezing winter days and we do not take this beautiful weather for granted. Stay warm Friends.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

We hope this message finds you and your family safe and warm. We have heard about the unusually cold weather people are getting all over the States. Even Whidbey Island in Washington’s Puget Sound got snow in early December. We are staying pretty warm and dry so far, but people are worried about another cold winter here in the Keys .

In late November, Sandy’s brother, Jay drove all the way from Illinois for a visit. On his first day here and within the hour of his arrival, Dan took Jay out kayaking around the campground. Jay promptly had himself baptized by tipping the kayak over while trying to look at an Iguana sitting in the tree above him. At least, it was a warm and calm day to go swimming in the marina. Later, we took him to an area of the marina where he could get pictures of the iguanas without getting wet.

Some of our plans had to be changed because of a cold front coming through, but we managed to do quite a bit during Jay’s short visit. We took him to Mallory Square for the Sunset Ritual and walked around Key West afterwards. Of course, we had to take him to the Southern Most Point and Mile 0 for photos. We spent one day taking a 70 mile one way boat trip to a very isolated outpost - Fort Jefferson (1860) at the Dry Tortugas NP. The seas were not too rough, but the Captain had to zig-zag around Lobster traps to avoid taking out the floats.

Once we landed at Dry Tortugas, we had the option to go on a tour or to do our own thing. While Jay did the tour and took pictures, we decided to wander around on our own. After lunch, Dan went snorkeling along the Moat walk while Sandy did some more exploring.

We learned that this was the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd and three other conspirators after they were found guilty of conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln. Three years later, Dr. Mudd was released from his life-long sentence after treating yellow-fever victims during his imprisonment.

We have linked the National Park’s website so you can read about the fort's history. Dry Tortugas Album

We spent a couple of hours at the Key West Garden Club (KWGC) at the West Martello Towers (1863-1873). The KWGC rescued the unfinished fort from being leveled on the south side or Atlantic side of Key West. Now the West Martello is listed as a National Historical Site and has a rare collection of native and exotic plants. We had to remind ourselves as we wandered along plant filled pathways and into garden rooms that this was supposed to be the fort’s old brick walls. Banyan Trees and Bromeliads were growing on many of the walls. The Club has done an amazing job and they only ask for a donation. Key West Garden Album

Well, Jay did not get a chance to parasail or to snorkel any of the reefs. He did find lots of good subjects for his 3-D photography. If you are interested in seeing Jay’s photos, here is a link to his album. From the pictures he took, it looks like he had a good time.

We have also added a few more photos to some of our older albums. The links below will start where the new photos start:

More Key West

Key West Critters

Have a safe and Happy Holiday!

Power Boat and Super Boat Races

2010-11-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe we have been here in Key West for over a month now. Time just slips away with so many different things to do. One minute we are eating breakfast trying to decide what we want to do today and the next thing we know it is dark and we have not eaten dinner yet.

Ah! And the weather has been wonderful! Some days are almost too perfect with 83 degrees and just a hint of a breeze. Some days, the water on the Gulf side looks like glass all day long! Ah! Gorgeous! Well, to make you feel a little better. It wasn’t completely perfect. Yes, the humidity was a little high, but who cares when the sun is shining and the water is beckoning for us to dive in!

We have been exploring different kayak launching areas on the other Keys. We are always hoping to come across different sea life and wild life during our kayaking time. So far we have seen a lot of birds, a couple of sharks, stingrays, barracudas, and one dolphin. We uploaded a few more pictures to Key West Critters. We’ll keep looking. After all we have plenty of time for exploring. We started a new album Key West Kayaking with photos from our kayaking trips. There are only a few, but we promise to add to the album as we get more photos.

On 7 Nov, Key West hosted a Power Boat and Super Boat Race. Every other day, there were three races with boats from different power/speed classes. On the first day, we went with the idea that we would not be able to see the race that well without binoculars. Boy, were we ever surprised to have the boats racing by so close that the spectators could almost feel the rooster-tails splashing them! If we stood right on the shore, the waves made by the power boat’s wake would get our feet. It was a WOW!! moment! Needless to say we were back for the next two race days. We took advantage of the multiple races by viewing them from different locations. We took so many pictures that Sandy filled her microchip (holds 500 pics) twice. Don’t worry we only uploaded a little over 100 photos in Power and Super Boats album.

As always, pics and clickable links are above.

Key West "America's Caribbean"

2010-11-04T06:54:00.003-06:00

It is a whole different world here. It has sometimes been referred to as “America’s Caribbean”.

The beaches are from crushed white limestone and it is hard on the feet, so best to wear water shoes into the warm waters. There's a few sandy beaches open to the public in Key West such as Smathers Beach, Higg’s Beach, and Ft. Zachary State Park. As a matter of fact, all of the keys are made from limestone and an ancient coral reef giving this area its tropical setting. Even Hemingway’s home is made from limestone. The first owner excavated limestone from the very spot the house was built. This gave the house a basement area and the first pool on the island.

Of course, we had to visit Hemingway’s home and all the cats. Hemingway had not planned on living in Key West. He and his wife, Pauline stopped in Key West to pick up a Roadster to drive to their final destination, but the car was not delivered for 7 weeks. By the time the car was delivered Key West had worked its magic on Hemingway and he decided to stay. Well, for at least the next 10 years, then he moved to Havana, Cuba after his divorce.

A sea captain gave Hemingway his first 6-toed cat and that cat apparently did a lot of tomcatting for many years based on the number of 6-toed cats on the estate. There are quite a few cat houses, food dishes, and water dishes throughout the grounds. One special drinking fountain for the cats has an old urinal catching water from a Spanish olive jar. The urinal came from Joe Russell’s “Sloppy Joe’s” place. Pauline disguised it with tiles. Pictures of the Hemingway Estate are in a separate album.

We bicycled all around the island one day. There are bike trails and designated bike lanes all over the island. Drivers learn very fast to keep an eye out for Jay-walkers, scooters, and bike riders so we felt safe riding our bikes on the narrow main streets in the downtown area. We were able to see more on our bikes than when we are in the car, not to mention that we got a lot of exercise. It is just over over 12 miles to ride around the island of Key West. We will probably do it again since it is easier to park a bike than to find a parking space for our car without paying.

Last week, we went to Casa Marina Resort for a Pet Masquerade during the week of Fanasy Fest. Some owners were more dressed up than the pets. It was still a lot of fun and we took quite a few pictures. Many of the pets were enjoying the attention as much as their people. We swear that many of them were actually posing for the camera.

After the pet show, we walked downtown to check out Fantasy Fest and the sunset celebration at Mallory Square with the blowing of the conchs. We cannot post many pictures of Fantasy Fest as it is a bit wild and not PC. No nudity is allowed, but body paint and scraps of cloth constitute suitable clothing for some in the main blocks of the fest. The theme this year was Habitat for Insanity.

Even grocery shopping is a different experience. We came across frozen bags of yucca and plantains. We tried the fried plantains at a restaurant and they were very good. We will have to try the yucca sometime in the near future.

We try to either walk, bicycle, or kayak each day. Dan has a new case for his small digital camera, so will try and get some on the water kayak pictures posted soon.

When we are here at the motorhome in the evening, we go outside to watch the sun set. We have added more pictures to our Sunset album. A few of the campers blow on conch shells signaling the setting of the sun. It is so peaceful and so beautiful that it is hard to believe such a place actually exists. Pinch me!

Key West Photo Albums: More Key West
Key West Sunsets/Sunrise
Key West Critters
Key West Week #1

Our First Week in Key West

2010-10-26T08:15:00.000-06:00

….has been Great! We have already been out kayaking four times. We saw our first Manatee close to the base shore and two sharks. We were able to follow the Manatee around for a while since he or she did not seem to care. Dan saw the first (small) shark while kayaking around Geiger Key’s mangroves. We got a picture of one 4 foot shark swimming around in the marina with some very large Tarpons.

We have been downtown just as often, and stopped to see the Southern-Most Point in America. The marker was very busy so we will have to go back for pictures. Of course, we had to visit MargaretiVille. It wasn’t crowded so we were able to spend some time at the bar, sipping our drinks, and checking out Jimmy Buffett’s place. . OH!.. and we have watched many beautiful sunsets. Yep! We got pictures. We will keep a separate album for the Sunsets so our Key West picture folder doesn’t get too large. We haven’t done the sunset ritual at Mallory Square, but we plan to do so and take lots of pictures.

The weather has been a little humid, but not too bad. How would we describe Key West? Three words come to mind: exotic, eclectic, and colorful. Exotic: a rich historic background with stories of shipwreck salvagers and an independent Conch Republic. Add in palm trees, warm crystal-clear and very calm waters, Iguanas and feral chickens blended with the eclectic culture in this balmy weather and the results are a very artistic Fun-n-Sun-Loving community with lots of flavorful food in a very beautiful old town. We couldn’t ask for a more colorful setting than Key West.

In one short week we have learned a lot about Key West history and its occupants. Such as this island’s first name was Bone Island after the Spanish found large amounts of human bones just lying around.

We were a little surprised to find the Key populated by Green Iguanas. Our first encounter with one was as we were driving our motorhome onto base. That’s when Sandy spied a very large lizard sitting on top of a bush near base housing. Turns out Iguanas are not indigenous to the Keys. From what we have been able to learn: some came by ships with fruit cargos and others were escaped or set free pets. Apparently, the weather, the vegetation, and the location have been perfect for the Green Iguana. We are going to have a separate album for the Iguanas and other Key West critters.

Then there are the feral “Gypsy” chickens running wild around Key West. They say the chickens have been here for over 175 years, but they grew in number when fleeing Cubans came here in the 1950s. We find the free-roaming chickens add charm to this area and are interesting to watch, but the locals are divided on keeping the chickens.

The food has been very good so far. Our first stop was a small place in a strip plaza. We just happened across Kennedy Café just outside the Sigsbee gate. We thought they were serving only Turkish food, but they also have Cuban-American and Italian. This time we decided to stick with our favorites: a Greek salad for Sandy and a Shawarma for Dan. Very good food and we do plan to go back.

We also had lunches at the Geiger Key Campground Smokehouse and Turtle Kraals. Both have good food, great views, a wonderful and very relaxed atmospheres.

So, do we like Key West? Most definitely!

Kayaking in Tampa, FL

2010-10-10T19:11:00.001-06:00

After leaving Tyndall AFB, we stopped at Old Town, FL on the Suwannee River. We only stayed a few days at Suwannee River Hideaway campground. The owners are very friendly and very helpful. They had just reopened for the winter season so we were their first and only customers. Yep, we had the whoooole campground to ourselves. There’s a boardwalk built over a swamp that leads people to the Suwannee River. We took our time walking through the swamp since we have never been inside or near a swamp before coming here. From the road – yes, but never like this. We did not see any alligators, but we did hear some loud crashing deeper in the swamp. We think it was a deer or the Swamp Thing. You never know.

Since the campground was empty of people, we took three cats out at the same time. Squirrel and Dusty ran around on their own with their leashes dragging behind them. We knew they would not go far. We held on to our escape artist – Hitch. Max refused to go outside. We think it was the wide open spaces that made him nervous. Well, at least three of them had a few hours of fun and exploring.

We went to Manatee Springs State Park. The water is absolutely beautiful and so clear. We could see divers swimming around at the bottom. We did not see any Manatees, but we did see two different snakes lying in the bushes nearby thanks to an eagle-eye young man pointing them out to people. We had walked right by both and did not see either one. We did not do any kayaking during our short visit to the Old Town area.

Moving on to MacDill AFB in Tampa: We really like this campground, and the base is one of the best we have ever seen. Here, they still play Reverie at 6:21 am, a noon siren, the National Anthem at 4:30 pm as the Base Flag is being lowered, and Taps at 10 pm every day on the "Giant Voice System". That is going to take some getting used to since we retirees like to sleep until 7 am. Not to mention, we just went through a Time Zone change. Still, we are talking about coming back. We like this campground and the area.

The beach, the marina, and the beach club house are in the campground area. There is a residential Osprey living in the campground. The Osprey likes to perch on a lamp post near the beach boardwalk and watches the people as they walk to the beach. We also discovered Armadillos are not very scared of people. Well, at least the ones living here are not scared of us. The one in the photo in the webshots link below kept posing, but just as we would take his picture he would move. And Boy! Could he move and jump. We always though they were sloooow moving. Not true.

We went to Sarasota for a Kayak Demo Day sponsored by Dolphin Dive and Kayak Center, to test a Current Designs 14' * 26" light weight sit on top composite kayak. We liked the "test ride", so we traded in our old plastic kayaks for two lighter and faster fiberglass/kevlar kayaks. The dealer through in 2 extra seats of a different design for a total of 4 seats, and a deep discount as these are last years models. Pics to left of our new kayaks, with one seat in and one seat out.

Pictures above are "clickable" and more pictures are in our album Florida - Going South.

2010-09-22T17:00:00.000-06:00

Hello From Florida!

Ahhhh.. Sun!

Hey! Hey! WE were here first!!!

We are at Tyndall AFB on the Florida Panhandle between Panama City and Mexico Beach for the next couple of weeks. We are staying at the base’s FamCamp. We have a nice spot with trees and bushes giving us a little more privacy. Seeing the Gulf beaches again is great! Just the way we remember the beach with sand so white and soft it feels like you are walking on sugar. The ocean water temp is warm, no rain forecast for the next week, and air temp in the low 90s.

This is a great place to start getting back into shape for kayaking on the bays nearby. We started kayaking the day after we got here. We kayaked in a nearby back bay and saw a large pod of dolphins (porpoise). They were pretty close at times, well under 20 yards. They hung around where we were for about 5 minutes or so. Mullets were jumping. One tried to jump into Dan's kayak. We also saw a Red Tailed Hawk perched nearby in an old tree, but he would not let us get too close before flying away.

Just had to add this picture to our blog since we are headed for Key West....There BE Pirates Here! Arrrgh!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

New Floors Installed

2010-09-02T15:21:00.006-06:00

We have all new flooring and carpet in our coach, installed by Ernie Ekberg at his place in Weatherford TX. We selected a bamboo flooring from Lumber Liquidators in Ft Worth, and a good quality carpet from Lucky's Flooring in Weatherford, as well as the best RV flooring installer in the business, Ernie.

We had never intended to buy bamboo flooring, but the Morning Star bamboo flooring is tough and durable. We picked out the unstained Natural for a lighter flooring.

Pics of the completed project are here:

http://rides.webshots.com/album/578499643vFFIgh

Everything out of the living area

What a difference!

Ernie working on the entrance way.

Stairwell with new carpet and flooring for easy cleaning.

Catching Up

2010-08-27T12:46:00.001-06:00

We made it to Albuquerque and got our green chile, breakfast burritos fix. But before we got to Albuquerque, we spent a few nights at Mesa Verde National Park. We toured all three cliff dwellings: Balcony House, Cliff Palace, and Long House. All were very interesting to see and to hear what the rangers said about all of them. We enjoyed our stay at the NP campground during the three days. It was hot and muggy – thanks to the monsoon season. During our tour of the Balcony House, a waterfall started cascading down the cliff near the dwelling. We were happy to be under the cliff safe and dry. You know what they say about your home: Location, location, location – and this was a very good location.

Once in Albuquerque, we had our car detailed, waxed, and interior cleaned. The poor car was so dirty from being towed; the carwash put our car through twice before waxing it! Dan also replaced a driving light taken out by a rock and had new tires and brake pads put on the car. The car is back to looking good! Well, for a little while….

We spent some time catching up on the latest with our son, Shaun. Some of our cats actually remembered him. We then split up so we could visit our friends in the area. It was great seeing our friends again. We missed a few of our friends so we are hoping to see them the next time we are in town. Yea, we don’t have any idea when that will be, but we promise to let you know in advance.

Sandy spent Saturday at Project Linus. She had a great time visiting with all the Material Girls and participating in the Show-n-tell. There were a lot of beautiful quilts for personal use as well as for Project Linus.

After Albuquerque, we went to Lawton to see Misty and our grand-daughters. Both Bry and Vi are becoming beautiful young ladies. Both have a great sense of humor and we had lots of fun with all three. We decided to try the Ft. Sill military family campground next to Lake Elmer Thomas. Other than the fact that it was in the high 90s most of the time we were there, it was a very nice campground. Misty and the girls came to our place on Saturday for lunch and a day at the lake beach.

We are now in Weatherford, TX, parked next to Ernie and Brenda Ekbergs house. Our friend, Ernie is replacing all of our motorhome’s flooring. All the carpet and tile will be replaced by engineered bamboo flooring, with new carpet in the drivers cockpit and around the bed verticle surfaces in the bedroom.

Just a quick note: Sandy had a request from White Sulphur Springs. They asked to use one of her photos on their home page. She is very excited about having one of her pictures published from one of our Webshot albums.

Utah

2010-08-04T18:41:00.002-06:00

We survived “The Loneliest Road” to Ely, NV. It wasn’t all that bad. We saw what was left of two Pony Express Stations, and several old Nevada towns still hanging on. The mountain passes plus high temperatures were tough on our motorhome and it did overheat a couple of times. Dan figured out the radiator cap had failed, and while not leaking coolant it WAS leaking pressure. Replacing the cap has helped but not totally solved hot days with long hard upgrades of 5 to 6 percent. Every time we came out of a pass we saw the road stretched out before us through a valley and leading us towards the next mountain pass. Yep, lots and lots of wide open spaces on this highway.

We spent a few days in Torrey, Utah so we could visit Capitol Reef National Park. According to our book, it is known as one of the undiscovered gems, but apparently someone has been talking in Europe because there were a lot of Europeans visiting. We also started to notice quite a few RV rentals on the road and in this park. Then we started to notice another pattern – almost all of the RV renters were from another country. It looks like foreign visitors have embraced the all-American RV vacation.

We agree that this national park is an undiscovered gem. We found the formations at this park really interesting. We had no problem finding different trails to hike each time we visited. There were a couple of old homesteads, school and blacksmith buildings also located in the park. The settlers also left behind orchards with more than 2,000 producing trees near the campground. Apricots were ripe for the picking, but there are also cherry, peach, pear, and apple, along with plum, mulberry, almond, and walnut trees. Visitors can pick the seasonal fruit right from the trees and eat all the fruit they want in the orchard, but they have to pay for any fruit taken out of the orchard.

Moab has become one of our favorite spots in Utah. Well, for this visit. We have several so it is hard to decide which area of Utah we like better. We actually found grocery shopping interesting at the City Market. They should change the name to Around-the-World Market with the variety of foods they stocked. They are catering to the many European visitors to the national park system. The Deli had Dan’s attention and the variety of artisan breads kept Sandy undecided on which multi-grain flavor she wanted to try this time. Oh! And the cheese and the fruits and the veggies! Okay, so we are going a little overboard, but how often does a person get excited about the humdrum of grocery shopping?

We really enjoyed our stay at the OK RV Park, a 50 amp full hook up space for $17 a night with Passport America 1/2 rate. A pleasant, very quiet campground with grass, a cement pad, and a nice picnic table for each space. Our space also had rose bushes and a plum tree. We had a great view of the red rim rock right out our front window. Sandy took the cats out for walks almost every day. We think the rabbits liked to tease our cats because they would lounge around right in front of our motorhome and the cats would go nuts. “Let me at them! Not allowed to be this close!” Well, needless to say, the cats had to put up with the rabbits teasing because Sandy would not allow them to chase a rabbit when they were outside.

And what about the Arches NP? – Wow! It is breathtaking! Awe inspiring! You feel very small among the giant rocks. If you could not tell from all the pictures we took of the park, we could not get enough of the balanced rocks, the arches, the monoliths, the canyon walls that stretched out for miles, the clear, clean air………the silence. We hiked around some of the shorter trails the first day. The next day, we hiked the Devils Garden and the Primitive Loop that was a little over 7 miles. We hiked across some steep fins, through arches, up and down slickrock…..yea, the description said steep, but nothing about having to do some minor rock climbing or sliding depending which way we were going at the time. As one guy put it, “It is not for the faint of heart”. Note in the picture of Dan above standing on the rock: that is the actual trail - up and over the rock for a good distance and a good height.

We should have done Canyonlands NP first, because after seeing the Arches even Capitol Reef, driving around on top of the mesa and looking into the distant canyons just wasn’t the same. Very scenic, but just wasn’t the same as when we were walking among the rock giants. At least, we did not get a kink in our necks from looking up all the time.

We are dry camping (no water, sewer or electric hookups) at Morefield Campground, Mesa Verde National Park for a few days, then we will head towards Albuquerque to visit Shaun, friends, perhaps get work done on the car, and do a little shopping. Oh! And a green chile fix! No one makes a breakfast burrito like Golden Pride on Central! MMMMMmmm! Must Have Breakfast Burrito!!! As always, the pictures and underlined links are "clickable".

Journey South

2010-07-19T20:22:00.000-06:00

Our first stop on our journey east then south was at Hat Creek in northern California. While looking at different routes, Dan noticed Lassen Volcanic National Park. We have never been there and decided this would be a nice place to visit and to get a little hiking in along the way.

Despite the glowing reviews, Rancheria RV Park in Hat Creek turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for us. You can read our review in RV Park Reviews. That aside, we did enjoy our trips to McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park and to Lassen Volcanic NP.

Webshots album: NE California

At McArthur-Burney Falls SP, Dan asked the Ranger which way was the best to get close to the falls. The Ranger pointed out that we could see the falls from the parking lot, but we would be far above it. If we wanted to get closer there were three trails. One was closed for repairs, the second one was fairly short, but a little steep and hot. The third trail, two miles each way, started at the lake a couple of miles away. The lake trail went through a canyon and connected with the falls trail at the Rainbow Bridge. The ranger also mentioned the last trail would be cooler in the canyon. We took his advice and hiked the lake/falls trails through the canyon. When we started out, the sky was a little overcast. This is perfect weather for taking pictures of the waterfalls. By the time we got to the waterfalls, the overcast was threatening rain and there was thunder in the distance. So, we hustled a little faster. The waterfall is not that tall, but it is awesome to see. Water seems to be coming from everywhere and dropping into the most beautiful deep blue pool of water below. It is a must see if you happen to be in the area. Oh, and we made it back to the car with only a few drops of rain.

The following day we drove through Lassen Volcanic NP. Lassen Peak last erupted in 1915. It was interesting to see how the devastated areas have changed and evolved since the last eruption with new growth growing around ghostly trees and lava rock. We hiked a little over 2 miles each way to Mill Creek Falls. We were told many families walked the trail, but it would have some patches of snow and fallen trees to climb over. Turned out the trail was longer than we were told and there were some very steep areas with loose gravel. The falls was worth the hike. We could have stopped at the lookout point, but we decided to hike down to the falls and cross two bridges for a closer look. From one bridge, we could see two falls coming together and following a river down through a valley for a couple of miles. Gorgeous view!

Our most recent stop this week has been at Fallon Naval Air Station. This is a nice Military FamCamp located on the base and within walking distance of the main shopping areas. It is a bargain at $15 per day or $90 per week with 50 amp full hook-ups, cable tv, fast internet, and free laundry all provided. It is close to the flight line, but the jets did not bother us. We spent most of our time just relaxing and taking evening walks, except for one day when we drove to Reno for a Quilt Show at the National Automobile Museum. While Dan took pictures of vintage cars, Sandy enjoyed the quilts hanging among them. Sandy thinks more quilt shows should be held at car and motorcycle shows. Can you think of a better way to get a couple to go to the same show?

Afterwards, we drove to Carson City and stopped at Red’s Old 395 Grill. This place was a museum by itself with vintage cars, antique chandeliers, and other items hanging from the ceiling. We sat out on a patio with a gas fireplace and a water fountain made with old washtubs and wood carved bears. Sandy had a Buffalo Chicken salad. The chicken was soaked not drizzled in hot sauce. She loved it. Dan had a beef brisket (shredded) sandwich that was so thick he could barely get his mouth around it. The atmosphere, the food, and the prices were wonderful.

On our way home, we drove through the old mining town of Virginia City, home of the Comstock Load. The town was packed with people so we did not stop. Got to expect that on a Saturday in the middle of summer, right? We just decided it was not worth fighting the crowds or the 100+ degrees to look around.

We resume our journey east and south again on Tuesday, 20 July. Plans are to start early before the temperature gets too hot. We are traveling east on Hwy 50 a.k.a. “The Loneliest Road” to Ely, Nevada, then on to Delta, Utah. Up to 12 mountain passes and 100 degree weather forecast on the Loneliest Road. Hmm, sounds ominous, or it could be interesting. Dan topped up all the fluids, checked all the tires, and loaded 70 gallons of fresh water for the drive. We will keep you posted!

Valley of the Rogue River

2010-07-14T13:29:00.002-06:00

On July 4th, we spent a second day moving from a county park in Grants Pass to Valley of the Rogue State Park. Both parks were very busy for the 4th of July weekend. Check-out is at 11 a.m. and check-in is at 4 p.m., so we spent some time at Wal-mart. We picked up some steaks for a barbeque and potatoes for a New Mexican au gratin dish that Sandy would make in our roaster oven. We had already decided to celebrate at home this year.

As we were getting settled into our new space, we became aware of electrical problems. Like we had no power at all and with the heat wave starting up this week, we were going to need that power for some air conditioning. Dan figured out it was the 50 amp, but the 30 amp seemed fine. He notified the park rangers, but we did not hear back from them until the next day when they fixed the 50 amp, thank goodness! Have you ever seen an over-heated cat? It is not a pretty sight! Oh, we had our barbeque, but the au gratin was changed to accommodate the power.

The next morning, we went for an early morning 3 mile one way walk on the river trail from the park into town of Rogue River. We decided to eat breakfast in town at a quaint little diner decorated with all sorts of Cola memorabilia called “Karen’s Kitchen”. The food and the service was great considering they were very busy and there were only two people (1 cook and 1 waitress) working. Dan’s breakfast burrito looked like two omelets with lots of other goodies wrapped in a tortilla. Sandy’s veggie omelet was packed full of veggies with a side of hash browns and whole wheat toast. The diner even had a good variety of herb teas to enjoy. Yea, our 3 mile walk home was a lot more labored than the earlier walk.

We took the Rogue River’s HellGate Excursions. There are several rides to choose from and we decided on the 2-hour scenic ride with a 1-hour All-You-Can-Eat lunch stop on the river. Our driver was great and funny. He explained that the jetboat could go up to 45 mph while skimming over 8-inches of water. He mentioned we would be getting wet especially those sitting towards the front and ladies forget the hair-do for today. That’s when he gunned the jetboat and did a sudden stop. All we saw was a wall of water coming up and over the front. Yea, did I mention we were sitting in the third row?

At the beginning, he stopped (gently) several times showing us beautiful homes and parks. Then we were in a more uninhabited area where we saw quite a few ospreys flying overhead, some were sitting near a nest and we could see their babies peeking out at us. Dan saw one osprey come out of the water with its catch. Another osprey flew right overhead with a fish. We saw quite a few deer, but no bears. We also saw one lone eagle sitting in a tree. She was watching us with her eagle eye. No pun intended!

We rode over some whitewater and through a canyon. Finally, the driver asked if we were interested in spinning in a 360 and everyone cheered. He explained what people had to do to be ready for the spin so we would not slide into each other. Once we were ready, he did a mild 360. We were a little surprised that we did not get very wet. He promised to do more on our return trip after receiving encouraging cheers when he asked if we enjoyed the spin.

Lunch was served family style with homemade bread, cornbread, tossed salad, barbecued chicken, potatoes, and a dessert. The food just kept coming. They really meant it when they said all-you-can-eat. Some people at our table were a little worried about their overly full stomachs on the return trip, but we did not hear about anyone getting sick. Oh, they also offer special and vegetarian dishes as well.

Ahh, the return trip was quite different and a lot of fun. Our driver had partnered up with another jetboat. They took turns speeding past each other and riding in each other’s wakes. Our driver was very good at getting us wet. Remember, he said the first few rows would get wet? Well, he lied! Everyone was wet by the time he got done. His favorite trick was to stop suddenly in the other jetboat’s wake that would create an even larger wave to come over the whole boat! We did so many 360’s that we lost count. Who cares when it is 90+ degrees?

Oh, one last thing. We could see the eagle was still perched in the same spot watching the river. As we got closer, our driver stopped and explained that the other driver would whistle to the eagle and if she came down, he would give her a fish. Sure enough, that eagle was just waiting for her friend to whistle. She glided right by us to the other boat where she caught her prize and flew off for her afternoon snack. It was just amazing to see.

We are starting our journey south. First stop is in Hat Creek, CA for 4 nights then on to Fallon, Naval Air Station in Nevada 70 miles east of Reno. Happy Trails!

Oregon and Northern California Redwoods

2010-07-02T13:20:00.005-06:00

We hiked on Redwood’s Trillium Falls trail on our 35th wedding anniversary on 30 June. We are camping right on the Klamath River in Klamath River RV Park . We drove the Avenue of the Giants south of Eureka and hiked many trails this week in the Redwoods National and State Parks. The old Giants are truly magnificent, but a little hard on the neck from looking up at the giant trees. Our hikes gave us a feeling of peace and solitude, but the heavy mist enveloping the giants and soaking up sounds was a little eerie at times. There were times when we expected to see Mulder and Scully or Frodo and Sam come walking around the bend. After our anniversary hike, we had dinner at the Steelhead Lodge. Diners can watch their dinner being barbecued over a wood smoked grill. Their menu is limited to a few choices of ribs, fish, rib-eye, and chicken. All meals come with a large shared salad with a choice of three dressings on the side and a grilled shish-kabob with mushrooms and pineapple. There was also a choice of baked potato with three toppings on the side or beans or pilaf rice. Last, but not least, a small bowl of ice cream is included with the meal.

Before we came to Northern California, we stayed in Sutherlin, OR for a few days. We drove to Crater Lake taking Hwy 138 visiting waterfalls along the way. We also spent a couple of nights at Harris State Park in Brookings, OR. We were camped on a cliff overlooking the beach through trees. There’s a short but steep short trail leading to the beach. There’s also a road going down to the beach with wheelchair access, but the trail was a lot more fun. We got up early one morning to explore the tide pools during low tide. We saw a lot of starfish, sunflower sea stars, anemones, and sea snails. Dan even found an small deceased octopus.

Tomorrow, we head back north to Grants Pass, OR for 6 days, and will then head south on I5 back into northern CA, then east into NV and UT. We are not in any hurry as you can see that it has taken us two months just to get to northern California. Life is good! As always, the pictures and highlighted links are "clickable".

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

Steller's Jay

A Couple of New Items

2010-06-20T11:01:00.001-06:00

We donated one of our barrel chairs to Good Will. We replaced the chair with a 54 inch tall cat scratch post with two curved shelves. (clickable pics) The shelves are perfect for one cat to lay or roll around in. Although, Hitch found out he could not get too rambunctious because he suddenly found himself hanging from the top shelf with Squirrel hissing and batting at his hind feet. It has been interesting to watch which one becomes King-of-the-Post. Our cats now have the choice of carpet, wood, or sisal for sharpening their claws. All three have been tested and met with approval. We hope this will replace all desire to scratch up the furniture. Riiiight. Dan secured the post to the floor so it will not tip over while we are on rough roads. Hitch actually laid in it during our last drive. He was lying in the lower shelf so he had a perfect view of the world going by the window. Yep, they’re not spoiled.

Before we left Florence, we took a scenic dune buggy ride. The dune area is about 5 miles long by 1 mile wide. Despite the cold weather, the wind, and the threat of rain, there were many off-road-vehicles (ORVs) enjoying the dunes. It is truly amazing to sit at the top of a dune and look out over all this sand. The dunes are very beautiful even on a bad day. We drove through creeks, along the beach, and through the woods.

The ride became a little more exciting when our driver took us down several steep dunes that felt like we were going straight down. At one point, the same company’s smaller/faster dune rider came zipping down a dune straight at us, cut to the right, and covered us in sand! Thanks, we needed that! He proceeded to go sideways along the same steep dune we had just come down. Those guys were having a blast!

We also thought we were both deaf in one ear afterwards. The young lady sitting directly behind us has a very good set of lungs and every animal within a 1-mile radius heard her screams. Wow! She was laughing too, so at least she was having fun. It was a lot of fun and we would suggest it to anyone visiting Florence to go for a ride. Next time, Dan wants to ride the faster dune buggy.

We stayed in Eugene at a very nice county park for a week. Armitage Park is a nice change from being in heavily wooded campgrounds. It has wide open grassy lawns with tall trees. The lots are so large that you barely notice a neighbor moving in next door. The best part is the asphalt spaces. It is so nice to walk outside and not have to worry about getting mud all over our shoes. There are paved pathways everywhere. One goes down to the river and under a few bridges. The weather has been great with a lot more sunshine with a little bit of rain.

While in Eugene we had LineX sprayed on the lower front portion of our Bluebird, and color matched. This freshens up the look of the front end greatly, and should resist sand and gravel better as we travel. LineX is a very tough coating used on pickup truck beds, and high impact areas of other vehicles. http://www.linex.com/ . In the picture, it is raining a little and we have not put our license plate nor Bluebird BMC emblem back on yet.

Subject to change, we think we will head south on I-5 a bit to the Sutherlin Oregon Escapees park, then head back over to the Oregon coast at Bandon. From there we will likely head south into Northern CA to check out the Redwood forests.

Central Oregon Coast

2010-06-12T14:40:00.000-06:00

We are in Florence Oregon for about 10 days at the South Jetty Thousand Trails park. It feels like we are camping in a rain forest. The campground is thickly wooded and covered in moss giving us the feeling of being secluded. A very nice place to go for walks. We saw a lot more rain this week. This has been the wettest and coldest June for Oregon in a long time. It is supposed to start warming up soon. We can only keep our fingers crossed. Well, not while we are typing.

Hitch and Dusty have been begging to go out for a walk since we got here. Dusty is our quiet one, but when he makes up his mind that he wants to go out, he can be very insistent and loud. He gets on the table and in YOUR face attitude! “I want out, NOW Mister!” The weather cleared for a while and we took both cats outside. Dusty immediately started tugging on the leash while making mewing sounds. He was searching for grass which is hard to find in a moss covered forest. Dan finally took Dusty to a vacant space with more sun exposure and plenty of grass to graze. Dusty is a happy cat once again. In the meantime, Hitch explored every nook and cranny he could find. He climbed trees, went over huge fallen trees, and through bushes. Sandy had fun trying to keep up with Hitch’s challenge course through the woods.

We are two miles away from the beach, but we haven’t spent much time there. The beaches are covered in sand dunes. Many of the vacationers bring their dune buggies and ATVs to ride across the dunes. So far, we have only seen the sun a couple of times. On the days we did have sunshine or partly cloudy, we traveled north and south along the coast.

We stopped by the Darlingtonia State Park just outside of Florence. We wanted to see the carnivorous Cobra Lily and they were blooming so we got some pictures. The plants are bigger than we thought they would be.

Our favorite drive was going north and turning around at Cape Perpetua. The drive up was very scenic with lots of views of cliffs and ocean. Unfortunately, the lifeforms in the tide pools in that area are mostly gone. No starfish. No sea urchins. We visited quite a few lighthouses along the way. We did not go inside most of them. We did a little hiking here and there. We drove to the Outlook at Cape Perpetua and walked along one of the trails. Beautiful views if you don’t mind heights.

Our trip south was pretty uneventful. We stopped to see the Umpqua Lighthouse located right on the Coast Guard base. Civilians are still allowed to visit the lighthouse. We had lunch on Bandon’s harbor and drove through Ballard State Park before returning home.

Next stop: Eugene Oregon for some work on the lower front cap of the motor home. We will be putting a color matching high end tough pickup truck bed coating on the lower front to deflect road debris http://www.linex.com/ .

Newport, Oregon

2010-05-28T13:04:00.006-06:00

We have been spending most of our time in the local area. It has rained almost every day since we got here, but it hasn’t kept us from enjoying the sights, food, and the beaches. We have also been spending some time just hanging out in our campground. Whalers Rest is a very nice campground. It is heavily wooded with trails and just a walk across the highway from the beach.

It’s a good thing we are only staying in this area for three weeks. Every time we order food it is a very generous amount. Whether it was breakfast burritos from Super Oscar’s Mexican Food in Newport or a scoop of ice cream on Lincoln City’s waterfront, they were big enough for two people and very tasty.

It is advised to travel southbound if you want to make frequent stops along the coast as all the scenery and all the pull offs are on the ocean side. So, we drove to Lincoln City and turned around to head back south to view the scenery. In one section, we drove the Otter Crest Loop instead of staying on Hwy 101. The Loop is a one-way starting from the north end. The drive is very scenic with tree covered winding roads giving us glimpses of the cliffs and the ocean. There were quite a few pullover areas and we took advantage of stopping to take in the views. We stopped at Cape Foulweather’s Look-Out Observatory and Gift Shop. We could not believe this building was built in 1937 on the edge of a 500 foot cliff! Talk about a view! Wow! It is absolutely breathtaking! As usual the pictures in our Webshots album do not give the view the justice it deserves, but we try.

We visited both lighthouses in the area: Yaquina Bay Lighthouse and Yaquina Head Lighthouse. The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is the only wooden lighthouse and was decommissioned after 3 years because the Yaquina Head Lighthouse was so close that it was confusing the ships. The local Historic Societies renovated and refurnished the old lighthouse after saving it from demolition. They did a wonderful job of bringing the old place back to life. After our self-tour, it was hard to believe this place had been neglected for almost a 100 years.

At the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, we were able to go all the way to the Lantern room in the 93ft tower. We spent a couple of hours exploring the tidepools during low tide and watching the Harbor Seals. Yep, more pictures of the tidepools are in our Oregon album on webshots.

Sandy found the Yaquina Bay Bridge very interesting the first time we crossed it. The unusual Art Deco design on the bridge looked very old yet the bridge looked strong and in good condition. She decided to look it up online and found out it was built in 1936. It was the last of six bridges to be designed by Conde B. McCullough to link Oregon’s coastal highway. We came across two more bridges built by McCullough. One is on the Otter Crest Loop and the other is in Walport. Of course, Sandy had to take pictures of the bridges’ Art Deco. You can see the Bridges in Webshots. Sandy also started mumbling something about not having the right color scheme for an Art Deco quilt while digging through her stash ..….uh-oh…

Family Business, Repairs and Cats

2010-05-19T13:57:00.000-06:00

Since we left Westport, we laid Sandy's mom's ashes to rest in the national cemetery in Kent Washington with her husband's ashes. We then traveled to La Conner and Oak Harbor Washington to prepare Sandy's mom's home in an over 55 mobile home park for sale, sorting, distributing, and donating all personal effects. The home is now on the market, and Sandy's brother Jay is monitoring the progress.

On the cat front, all the pills and special diet foods are finally gone. Dan became quite an expert on how to pill the cats. Half the time, the cats did not know what had happened until it was over. The cats have been permanently switched over to canned meat with just a little dry food to keep them happy. Two have actually lost a little weight. During the medication, Squirrel was pulling out clumps of his fur. We think he may have had a reaction and was getting a hot spot. It is growing back and he is looking a lot better. Dusty is acting like a kitten again. He sounds like a miniature elephant running up and down the rig making strange mewing sounds. With all this renewed kitten-like energy, we have to wonder how long he was feeling bad. We are happy they are all feeling better even with all the additional activity going on between four very healthy cats.

The cats were not the only ones getting our attention this past month. Our motor home did not like sitting for seven months in a moist salt air environment. By the time we left La Conner, our motor home had a list of needed repairs. Dan did some of the repairs in campgrounds and on the road, and we used 4 service facilities as well. We now have a working propane furnace, increased engine power with potentially higher fuel economy, a updated and more powerful engine exhaust brake, all exterior lights working correctly, and all new heavy duty Michelin 16 ply tires. With all safety and comfort items back in order, we are now traveling for pleasure once again. As we write this, we are in Newport Oregon on the coast, and will soon post on our experiences here.