Big changes

We are going to stay in Ann Arbor for some months with Kim and Chuck and the boys. Kim has accepted a new job as Professor of Clarinet at North Texas University which is located in Denton, Texas. She will begin her new duties at the beginning of the fall semester.

In the meantime they have many things to do, such as packing up this house, putting needed saved things in storage, fixing up the house to be put on the market, and helping with daily chores. Spring is always a busy time of year for a college professor, and so the extra help around the house is appreciated. Chuck is also very busy at work, and we will fill in where necessary. He is considering becoming a consultant. We hope that they will have the house ready to go on the market by early spring, and at that point we will leave Ann Arbor and return to Texas. Our motor home has been put in storage for the meantime.

This is quite a change for us, but we are glad to volunteer to help and will do so as long as necessary. We get started today to locate items for donation and start taking things to storage. A busy time for sure. Happy travels.

Christmas in Ann Arbor

Having grown up in Upper New York State, I am used to a white Christmas. After spending many years in the Southwest, I gradually accepted the idea that Christmas could be green or brown or any color other than white. This year we spent Christmas with Kim, Chuck and boys and thoroughly enjoyed another white holiday. The boys got quite excited about opening presents and had to be quietly calmed down but made excellent Santa's helpers. I think we helped out the economy this year as did our other kids. Everyone was way too generous. Of course, we managed to eat and eat well and ended up wearing the fat of the land. If I am not careful, I will have to get larger pants and soon. Best of all, we managed to talk with each of our kids' families and even brothers and sisters. A wonderful day for sure. Happy travels.

Max is a good traveler

Max has turned out to be an excellent traveler. At first he whined about being in the car but gradually got used to the traveling bit. At our first stop he loved playing with Harper, our great grand. He would bark, and Harper would laugh. It was quite funny.

Then in Connecticut he had to share the house with Phyllis and Pat's cat. That did not go too well, so we kept them separate. He was a good guest though and got invited back.

At Maurice and Anne's place he was able to run free outside until he started down the road. He came back when called and was on a leash when going outside after that. Speaking of going, he learned to get on with his business and quite quickly too, as snow and cold did not exactly agree with him.

At Mom's house he had the run of her house and loved it. Again he was a good visitor and looked after Mom very well. He quickly learned not to try to jump on her. He got invited back there, too.

Now in Ann Arbor he has a house to share with two other dogs, Violet and Rosie. They have decided to get along, and that is a good thing. At night these two go up to bedrooms with their boys Jonny and Christian, while Max shares a bedroom with us.

It tickled me that in motels he would turn to look at the door of the elevator when traveling up or down. Now how did he learn that? A good traveler for sure. Happy travels.

Neglectful

I think that title says it all. We have been very busy. We helped Mom with errands and managed to get her to get a cane for walking and a medi-alert necklace to use in case of a fall. She celebrated her 98th birthday with three kids and two spouses present. She will be spending Christmas with two other sons.

The day after her birthday we left for Ann Arbor, Michigan. We drove to Buffalo and then crossed into Ontario, Canada for a shorter drive to the Detroit area. In about 7-8 hours we drove into Kim's driveway for a warm welcome. Foxy's cold had gone into pneumonia, and I had the cold as well. Foxy got some medical treatment and is on the slow mend. I take meds and hope it doesn't get worse. In spite of our colds we are in the full helping mode, and this means last minute shopping, preparation of food, clean-up, and anything else. The grands want us to play cards or games, and we have done so in a limited away. Two boys are very excited about Christmas tomorrow. Whew. It is tiring but fun. Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy healthy new year. Happy travels.

Syracuse, here we come

We left Maurice and Anne and traveled north to the Syracuse area where they have been having lots of snow. They had 55 inches on the ground when we arrived and have had 80 inches total this year. That is a great deal of snow especially to a Texan. We are currently visiting Mom who will be 98 tomorrow. Quite an accomplishment, I think. We have been visiting, eating too much, running errands, and playing cards, of course. We will stay here with her until the day after her birthday when we travel west to Ann Arbor to see Kimberly and Chuck and boys for Christmas. The weather may play a part in this plan but we will wait to see what unfolds. Happy travels.

A grand visit

We have been thoroughly enjoying our visit with Maurice and Anne. We have played cards each evening and wandered a bit during the day. On Friday we visited brother Gary and his wife Donna. They were busy taking care of four of their grands. Then we had lunch at an Italian restaurant and then home.

Yesterday we went to Owego and visited a museum that was featuring decorated Christmas trees and wreaths. You could bid on each and if you won the bid take the decorated item home in time for Christmas. They were very well-decorated, and although we did not bid on any tree, we did enjoy looking at the many many decorated trees. Then out for lunch this time to a different Italian restaurant and then on the way home stopped in Newark Valley to see their decorated wreaths. What fun. Last night we again played cards and then off to an early bed. Foxy has a cold and the rest of us are trying to avoid catching it, but I might be starting it.

We have decided to stay home today rather than expose others to Foxy's cold germs. It is a joy to watch Max and his Uncle Maurice play. I think Max would like to stay here forever. Happy travels.

Onward to New York State

We had a wonderful time with Phyllis and Pat and reluctantly left but needed to get on with our trip. This time Pat helped with directions, and we followed them with good success and shortly were in New York State in the Hudson River Valley. We drove interstates until we arrived in Owego and then turned north toward Newark Valley and Berkshire. The side door of my brother's garage was open and though they were not home, we started to unpack the car. Even before we were done, they arrived too from a lunch with other retired co-workers.

So it has been visiting and catching up ever since. After dinner we played Progressive Rummy, first eastern rules and then western rules. It was great fun and much laughing. The only concern has been the weather and outside temperature. By the time we went off to bed it was around zero. Sunday it is supposed to rain sleet and snow. Should be simply delightful. I think I need to get all weather tires for the car. Maybe today.

Max loves being out of the car and a chance to run around. Happy travels.

Connecticut

Yesterday we packed up and left our motel and headed north from New Jersey through New York. We skipped the city and crossed the Hudson River north of the city and then headed to the Merritt Parkway and east to Connecticut to visit with Phyllis and Pat. We love visiting these good friends and catching up on each others' lives. They may be moving further east to a newer home, if all of their plans come to fruition. We may get to see this house today and do a bit of shopping in the bargain.

Max has been a good house guest so far, although their cat is a bit freaked out. We have kept the animals separate so far. Weather here is in the twenties and maybe warming up to freezing. I can only hope it does not begin to snow as then travel would be difficult. Happy travels.

Wilmington and beyond

Our blog readers know that somehow we got from Atlanta to Wilmington. We had to see a grand and great grand. What a cutie he is! His mom Ashley looked just as cute when she was a wee one. When it was time to go, he raised his arms for more hugs and gave us the feeling that he did not want us or Max to go. Lovely! Ashley and Tom are doing a great job of raising Harper. At one point Harper showed us his bedroom and his play kitchen. He thoroughly enjoyed showing us his room. He was on the go the whole time we were there. Our visit was short but delightful.

This morning we got up early and hit the road heading north. We drove around Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, and Baltimore, not sad to miss driving through these congested cities. Tonight we are in a motel located to the east of Philadelphia. Tomorrow we hope to drive just north of New York City and then cross into Connecticut to see friends Phyllis and Pat. Happy travels, but watch out for snow. There was snow on the ground in North Carolina and in the air as we drove into New Jersey. Supposedly there will be snow showers tonight.

Visit to Wilmington, December 2010

What could ever be better at this time of the year than to see grandchildren and even GREAT grandchildren? Nothing, we decided, and so we decided to travel a bit out of the path to Wilmington, NC, to see Ashley, Tom, and Harper. Although Tom was scheduled at JC Penney's during the weekend sale, we did go by to see him, too, and he even baked us a pie! Thanks, Tom! The rest of the visit was spent visiting with Ashley and just enjoying watching and playing with Harper, as you can see from the pictures. He is a delightful, happy, toddler at one and a half, curious and busy. They had just put up a Christmas tree yesterday, and he was fascinated by all of the ornaments. He was also delighted to play with Max, who thought Harper was his new best friend. Harper would "talk" to Max, causing Max to bark, which made Harper laugh. Max, thoroughly enjoying this new source of attention, would then bark each time he laughed. Aaaahhhhhh... the joys of traveling with a pet are without number! After a delicious dinner at the Olive Garden, Ashley's choice, and a wonderful dessert of apple pie, we thought it was best to leave so Ashley could put Harper to bed, albeit, a bit later than usual. It was a wonderful visit, and we are so happy to have seen them! Merry Christmas, Grands! And Happy Travels to all!

Visit to Wilmington, December 2010

Travel day two

I know that I have trouble with time and time zones, but today I did it again. I got us going after looking at the clock in the room, and in no time we were packed up and ready to hit the road. However, the time in the car was an hour earlier than we thought, since apparently the clock in the room had not been adjusted from daylight savings time. Anyway we got an early start which was good, since we knew that we would lose an hour when we arrived in the Eastern Time Zone.

This morning we left Louisiana and entered Mississippi and then Alabama, and finally Georgia. Tonight we have stopped in a suburb of Atlanta. It was fun to revisit places where we have traveled before. As we passed Sharpsburg, we enjoyed thinking of the times when Chris and Traci lived there.

Max has turned out to be a good traveler. He only has about half of the seat in the back of the car and tends to snooze a lot. He seems to have the hang of motel rooms and so far has been a good boy. We take time to walk around the motel several times to give him a break after being cooped up all day in the car. Tonight we have made four circuits around the motel and may get in two or more before bedtime. Happy travels.

On our way again

We finally learned that we could park the coach in storage at Rio Robles and so quickly started the packing process for the rest of the day. We then met Dave and Lois for dinner and headed back for an early to bed.

I got up at my usual early time, but this time got Foxy going too, and by eight we had parked the coach in storage, put Max in the back seat, and we were on the road. We headed east on I 10 through San Antonio to Houston and onward to Baton Rouge. We stopped for the night in Hammond, and Max finally got to have a longer walk and the freedom of our motel room, which is considerably more room than he had all day.

We went to Applebee's for dinner and were served by a delightful young lady who does not want to be a waitress her whole life and is completing her senior year of college, majoring in criminal justice, and then on to law school. We encouraged her to stay in school and to get that law degree. On the way out of the restaurant we visited briefly with the hostess and asked her if she might be French. She proudly admitted she was 100% French and wanted to know how we guessed. We admitted that she typified a young French woman who was petite in feature, and being our reserved usual selves, had to ask ,of course. The resulting conversation by Foxy included, " Tre bien" and "Enchante!" We left laughing, and the hostess was left with a smile, as well. Such a lovely evening. Great fun! Now home to bath in a tub, which we can not do in our motor home, and maybe a bit of reading and then to bed. Happy travels.

Goodby to friends

Yesterday late in the afternoon we drove over to Guadalupe RV to bid goodbye to Gordon and Diana. This was their last day there as they head to the Texas coast for some good free time to really relax and enjoy life without work camping. They have been worked quite hard as the park went through many personnel changes. Both were feeling the relief and looking forward to several months of rest at Port Aranasas, Pioneer RV Park. We may try to visit with them when we return from our trip up north this month.

We also visited with Gloria and Roy and Laura, other work campers at Guadalupe. You can sure make great friends by work camping. You get to meet many very nice people and then keep in touch with them as you wander about.

Today we are having lunch with Connie and Bill, former work campers that we wish to bid goodbye to before we head north. Once they retired from work camping, they bought a home about half way from Kerrville to Fredericksburg and have been fixing it up ever since. It will be great to see them and also see what their new deck looks like. Happy travels.

New glasses

We went to San Antonio this morning to pick up by new glasses. I have been developing cataracts, and my eyes have been changing significantly, and so I needed new glasses. Boy, could I tell the difference when I put on the new glasses. However, the brain quickly compensates, and soon it seemed like nothing was different. It sure helps to be able to read road signs before you need them. Now I have to check out reading and see if the book can be put at a more comfortable distance instead of perched on my chest almost up to my chin.

Thursday Foxy has her eyes checked, and then we will get her new glasses if she needs them. It is much cooler and windy here today. Jackets are in order. Happy travels.

Facebook

Facebook, here we come. Foxy and I have signed up on Facebook, although I am not exactly sure why. It is nice to network with others, but my skills are limited and need help. Foxy helped this ol' guy complete the task. Now to see who might respond to the Facebook thing. I would be quite surprised if anyone in my high school graduating class responded since I have not seen or talked to most in 50 years. We did visit with Winogene last year and Jackie, but they are the only two.

Foxy is having fun completing surveys and that is good. She learned that she acts like she is 32 years old. Not bad acting half your age. No wonder I love her. Happy travels.

A good-bye dinner

Gordon and Dianna are leaving on Wednesday after being work campers for about a year and a half at Guadalupe RV Park. With all of the personnel changes in the park, they are glad to be leaving and look forward to several months without working. We were going to throw a party at Ron and Julie's camper, but they had to return to Minnesota to help take care of her mom after surgery. So we hosted the party.

We expected nine friends and eight arrived, as Clayton was not feeling well. Gloria left him to recuperate and came anyway as did Byron, and Dave and Lois. We grilled steaks and had potatoes, salad, and dessert. We had a great time but missed Ron and Julie. Talking went non- stop throughout the evening, and all too soon all had to return home. What wonderful friends we have made in our time in Kerrville. Thanks to the benefits of email we also manage to keep in touch regardless of where we might land next. The work campers world is full of people who you meet and work with for varying periods of time and then move on to another interesting place in which you might again work. What a great way to really visit this wonderful country. Happy travels and keep in touch.

Susie and her Target Ad

We are watching lots of Christmas movies, and of course they have lots of ads. Target has one that makes me laugh and think of Susie, my wonderful sister-in-law. Susie has this crazy streak and does things that are delightful. In the ad there is a blond woman at Target who is opening Christmas cards that will take a recording of your voice. The lady sings in each card, and gradually you can hear her voices in the background, and the cards seem to join together like they are a chorus. Susie, it was masterful and one of the best of your unexpected, ongoing, thumbing your nose at life gestures. We love ya! Keep on spicing up our lives! Happy travels

Black Friday

My good buddy Byron convinced Ron and me that we needed to go shopping on Black Friday. He thought we needed to go to Home Depot, Lowe's, Tractor Supply, and Office Max. The lure was breakfast at the end of the expedition. Max decided at 3:30 am that he needed to go outside and let me know of his needs. I took care of Max and tried to get back to sleep but with little success, and so I was ready to meet the boys at the front of Home Depot by shortly before 5 am. Neither was there, and it briefly crossed my mind that I had been played for a sucker. So I called Ron and learned that he was on his way, and then Byron said, "Hi" as he rushed past me looking for bargains. Ron got there very soon, and we began looking. I really did not have anything in mind except maybe a lithium battery-powered drill. I just thought it might be fun to have a boy's breakfast out.

Byron scurried here and there looking for bargains and suggesting all the time that we needed this or that and what a deal this was and other encouraging suggestions. I wondered if he secretly worked for the store. The store personnel were quite helpful frequently asking, "Are you OK?" I began to wonder if getting up so early made me look bad, and then decided they were just trying to help. Several items were tossed into our cart and later removed as we found better bargains. I did find a drill that met my criteria and some presents for grandsons.

On to Lowe's, which was not nearly as well organized as Home Depot, with few good bargains to be had. Then to Tractor Supply where Ron was looking for a winter jacket and found what he had in mind, but the checkout line was so long he put it back. By now we were ready for breakfast, and Denny's beckoned us three intrepid shoppers.

Breakfast was a chance to get away from the crazed shoppers and decompress a bit. Then onward to Office Max, where I decided I had enough of all of this shopping and headed home to Foxy, Max, and our warm coach. I was exhausted and secretly have decided not to get talked into Black Friday shopping again. Happy travels.

P.S. Boy, do I need a nap!

About that Harry Potter movie

We did view the latest Harry Potter movie yesterday at mid-day. We thought it would be rather dark in tone, and it proved to be so. The earlier movies are appropriate for young people, but this one might produce nightmares for them. I could not decide what age would be appropriate to let young people view the movie. Foxy does not like snakes, and they were in several scenes, and I held her hand throughout these parts. This movie sets you up for the last one, which supposedly will arrive next summer. Then the series will be complete. I continue to encourage you to read the entire series if you have not done so since it is so well-written. I am ready to revisit the books again and also to have a Harry Potter movie weekend very soon as well. Happy travels.

Thamksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving, and I hope that each of you has a wonderful day with family and friends sharing in the bounty of the season. Hopefully we each give thanks each day, but today I will single out my family and friends, good health, the chance to travel, and deep appreciation for the many blessings bestowed from God. Eat heartily today but wisely. Have you helped those less fortunate to do the same? Happy travels.

Harry Potter redux

The latest Harry Potter film is in the theaters, and we plan to go to see it this afternoon. These films have closely followed the author's intent and, while not able to capture everything in the book, do an excellent job. We look forward to the latest film and shall let you know how much we enjoyed it. Happy travels.

P.S. If you have not read any of the Harry Potter books or watched any of the movies, I encourage you to do so. J. K. Rowling is a superb student of the English language, and the books are uncommonly well-written. The movies follow the author's intent as well and are quite enjoyable. The monumental strife of good versus evil is always instructive. Go forth and read!

Books

I have recently finished reading President George W. Bush's new book, Decision Points, and am nearly through with Karl Rove's book, Courage and Consequence. It was instructive to read them in tandem since they cover much of the same material but from the different perspective of each author. I was left with the feeling of great respect for both men and perhaps amazement that the media and other liberals got so many of the events wrong because of the blinders they seem to wear when coming up against a conservative point of view. Labels due a disservice to everyone.

Imagine yourself in either man's shoes and having to deal with 9/11 or any of the many crises that arose on their watch. It is instructive to see both men take responsibility for failures as well as success. This only happens when the man knows himself through and through and has well-defined goals and principles. This made for excellent reading, and I highly recommend both books regardless of your political preferences. Happy travels.

Lists

We make lists. They seem to help us complete a bunch of tasks and not forget too much. We wrote down stuff to get done before we head north to NY in a week or ten days. Of course it never quite works out the way you plan it. I took the car in for an oil change, and they discovered that I also needed an air filter and flushing of some other part. A simple oil change segued into an hour and a half wait and a significant expense, but it will help us not to have car problems when we are traveling.

I went for a blood test, and our doctor no longer has that ability in his office complex so I had to find a new place where it could be done. We went to Verizon to discuss our phones and found out that maybe they had mischarged us, to later learn that it only meant a few dollars off the bill. I guess that each bit helps. I wanted to get Max groomed but got no answer and so gave him a bath myself, which he needed. Today it is haircuts for each of us. And so it goes.

Sunday was old home day at church as we were warmly greeted back by many friends. It is so nice to have such a warm, welcoming church home. Finally friends came for dinner on Sunday, and we were able to have a good time visiting and catching up too. While I may not have been blogging for a few days, it has been nice to get settled in if only for a few weeks. Happy travels.

Cleaning the coach, eye appointment

Yesterday was a cleaning day, not that the coach needed it after being on the road for two months. The floor got scrubbed as did most of the rest of the coach inside and out. There was much grime to get rid of, and so we worked at this task. At the end we ourselves got the same treatment. Once the laundry is clean today, we can almost sparkle. Can you see me sparkling? Now Foxy is another matter as she sparkles all the time.

The eye appointment was the next order of business for the day. I have trouble reading signs when traveling, and the glare bothers me with night time driving as well. It had been nearly two years since the last visit, and so I was glad to go this time. I got the whole routine including the drops to dilate the iris, and Foxy was good to wait for me since I should not be driving afterwards. I will do the same for her when she has her appointment in a couple of weeks. The results were new glasses for another year and then probably cataracts surgery. The lens are getting cloudy but not quite ready or meet Medicare guidelines quite yet. It think it is amazing what can be done medically these days. New lens to see and hearing aids to hear, and if I could get a brain to think and other parts to function, I might be young again. Unlikely!!!! Happy travels.

The time has flown

I looked back in the blog to research how long we have been on the road this time, and it is over two months. We had wonderful adventures along the way and met new people and good friends. I never cease to be amazed by how quickly you can continue a conversation with friends you have known over the years. Somehow you just pick up and continue the thread that connects you. This is also true with family as well, and we managed to see some of them several times both going and coming.

We think that we will be heading north to New York State to see my brothers, their families and our mom. We have no time line here but will let events unfold as they may. I expect to help mom celebrate her 98th birthday in December. Quite a milestone she has achieved! Happy travels.

A carrot a day keeps the....

We arrived back in Kerrville about noon yesterday and quickly set up the motor home in Rio Robles RV Park which is on the Guadalupe River almost in the center of town. Byron had arrived about two months ago, and Julie and Ron got here a day ahead from their travels in the Southwest of our beautiful country. They are staying in the Guadalupe River RV Resort where we used to work.

Once we were hooked up and our rent paid, we headed out to see our buddies. We also hoped to see other good friends in their park, as well. We managed to visit with Gloria in the office and Ron and Paula. Ron and Paula are working hard on their exercise/diet program, and the results are wonderful to behold. Keep up all of your hard work.

We visited with Ron and Julie and soon were joined by Byron. Talk flowed non-stop, and we decided to get together for a drink and then go across the street to a new cafe that has only been open for a month. Byron assured us that the food was wonderful, and he proved to be right. Not only was the food good, but the prices were very low and dinner could be had for less than twenty dollars. We recognized the waitress, as she had also worked in the salad restaurant downtown as well.

Now about carrots. Somehow they kept coming up in our conversations as references to male parts. I will let your imagination go to work on why a carrot a day keeps the............................ Happy travels.

Ft. Stockton

We left Albuquerque with lots of hugs and having had much fun playing cards and just visiting. Foxy had lots of back problems and tried almost everything she knows to get some relief. Consequently we did not get to see friends but did visit with several family members and spend a good birthday with son Scott who is now 46.

The kids and grands left for work or school, and we followed shortly after hooking up the car to the motor home. We stopped briefly in Moriarity for gas and then headed west to Cline's Corners before turning south. The wind blew all day, but most of the time it was at our back, which helped. We drove over several tumbleweeds that were trying to cross the road. Why does the tumbleweed cross the road? To get to the other side, of course. The last one I ran over was so big that it decided to drag along, and I had to stop and get it out from under the coach. We made such good time that we decided to not stop for the night in Carlsbad as we had planned. So now we have stopped for the night at Ft. Stockton, which is in Texas, and only face a short 250 mile drive tomorrow. Then back to Kerrville for a few weeks. Happy travels.

Albuquerque

After leaving the San Francisco area we were three days on the road traveling to Barstow to pick up I-40, then to Flagstaff and the following day, Albuquerque. We were happy to visit here again as two of our boys had birthdays. We were a bit late for Jerry's but right on time for Scott's. We have seen some of our family, but that has been all we have tried to do since Foxy's back has been giving her fits.

We leave here Monday morning for Kerrville for doctor's appointments and other medical needs and then will head for New York State to see my two brothers and our mother. We are hoping for good traveling weather in December, but you never know what to expect. We also hope to see Kim and Chuck and family in Ann Arbor before returning south for the rest of the winter. Happy travels.

Pictures of California and San Francisco, Fall, 2010

These are the pictures we took of our travels through California (down I-5) and in San Francisco. Click on the picture to see the whole slide show. Enjoy!

Traveling onward

We awoke to a gentle rain, and today was a travel day. So being good troopers, we hooked up in the rain hoping that not too much water had collected on the slides. We headed east to Sacramento and then onward to Barstow in a RV campground that was pitiful at best, although everyone there was very helpful. It really was a dump, but the price was right and big surprise, we left there very early. Fortunately it had quit raining, and even so we headed east and ended up in Flagstaff with a freeze advisory in place for tonight. It is supposed to get down in the twenties, and maybe we will awaken to ice or snow.

On a happy note we went to Black Bart's for dinner which is located in the RV park where we are parked for the night. We have been there many times as this is a good stopping point when coming either way from California or New Mexico. The cool thing about Bart's is that all of the personnel sing throughout dinner time. Most of the folks are music majors at Northern Arizona University, and this gives them an opportunity to sing in front of an audience nightly. What a lovely evening, and the talent was excellent. The food was very good too. Happy travels.

One more visit to San Francisco

Foxy did a wonderful job detailing this second visit to the city and I suggest you link to her blog and give it a read. I will take the day off. Happy travels.

San Francisco - second tries

After cleaning up from our towel disaster we hopped in the car and drove about 40 miles west to a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Station. Of course this took two tries, and finally a good postman helped us find the station. Tickets were purchased on the second try. The darn machine refused a twenty dollar bill, so we whipped out a credit card and quickly got two round trip tickets. A short wait and we were off, and I did not have to drive. Yeah!! A few stops later and a quick trip under the bay, and we arrived at the Embarcadero station and embarked, of course. We arrived back up at street level and tried to figure out where the heck we were. Maps were not much help, so Foxy finally got out her phone which tells you where you are and provides maps of the immediate area. So clever, and if you have Altzeimers you might not know who you are, but at least where you are lost.

We had decided to go to Fisherman's Wharf for a look around and maybe find a good place to get fresh seafood. Walking the total way was out of the question as Foxy's back prevents her from walking very far. So, being ever inventive, we rode in a rickshaw type contraption peddled by a young man. He was very friendly and talked the whole way, but since I can't hear very well, I missed most of what he had to say. He delivered us right to the door of Aliotos Restaurant right on the pier. We didn't even check the menu displayed by their front entrance, we just walked in and onward upstairs where the hostess got us right to a table.

If you ever watched the television show Golden Girls, you will recognize this next part. Sophia was a character (she played Dorothy's mother on the show), and frequently she would start a story by saying,"Picture this....." So, "Picture this.... We are sitting at a table with a huge window looking out at fishing boats, to the left is Fisherman's Wharf and other restaurants, and in the distance is the lovely Golden Gate Bridge, all lit up since it is nearly sundown." What a setting and wonderful food, as well. Foxy had Cioppino, and I had a fried selection of oysters, shrimp and calamari. Mrs. Alioto had invented the Cioppino dish years ago, and it was wonderful.

We walked out of the restaurant filled by a wonderful dinner and having had a million dollar view the whole time. We finally found a bus (which took us the long was around through Chinatown to the downtown area by Union Square) to take us back to a BART station for the ride home.

We carefully checked our BART schedule and after making a necessary transfer, were headed east. We got off the train and could not find our car. A BART policeman tried to help, and gradually we learned that we had gotten off one station too late with a similoar name and had to go back to the previous one. Everyone seemed to feel sorry for us, and this part of the trip was FREE.

Finally we found our car (our final second try), and we quickly drove the forty miles back to our motor coach and one very cross legged dog who had to go NOW. We got to San Francisco and who knows, we may try it again today. Happy travels.

San Francisco here we come

We left Redding about eight in the morning and before noon had arrived at our next campground, which was about 50 miles east of San Francisco. We planned to get set up and then head into the city. I forgot that I had neatly folded up three large towels and stacked them on the top of one of our slides to absorb and water left there by the many rain storms we received while in Friday Harbor. Why would this matter you might say? When putting out this slide the towels got wedged into the opening, and the slide came to a stop and would not go either in or out. What to do?

We could not pull the towels either in or out and finally decided to tear small strips off in hopes that they would gradually come out and we could get the slide moving again. Three hours later we finally pulled the last pieces of the three towels out and were done. We had used four scissors, a saw, two wrenches, cloth cutting blade, several razor blades and lots of elbow grease. Was it too late for San Francisco? Of course not! Happy travels.

Beautiful countryside

The first night on this road trip we stopped about 22 miles north of the Oregon border. The park we located was manicured and beautifully kept up and located nest to a river. I did wonder what might happen in the spring if this particular river flooded as the park was only about ten feet higher than the water.

On the road early the next morning and soon we were in Portland rush hour traffic but although slow going, never seemed to stop. Soon we left this lovely city behind and headed south on I 5. This seems to be great farming country and we were still enjoying a late fall set of colorful trees mixed in with evergreens. Gradually we climbed from nearly sea level to several passes in the 2000 foot range. After about 300 miles of beautiful Oregon scenery we crossed into California with Mount Shasta dominating the scenery for many miles. I was glad to see this part of the trip come to an end as the road twists and turns and climbs up and down and I was very tired by the time we decided to stop for the night just north of Redding. A delightful lady in the campground office wanted to know if our rig was really 48 feet long, just kidding of course. Happy travels.

We leave Friday Harbor today

Today we finished packing up and turned the coach around in the drive and worked to get it out the drive onto the road. Arthur helped direct the process and actually leaned on his fence so that we could work our way out. It was a tight fit, but we made it.

We were sorry to leave this lovely island and our good buddy Arthur, but we had been there for a month or more, and it was time to head out. This part of our travels will be southward into Oregon and California stopping in San Francisco before heading east toward Albuquerque and then on to home base in Kerrville.

Once out of Arthur's drive we headed to the ferry for the trip back to the mainland, disembarking at Anacortes. We then drove south on I-5 driving through Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and stopping about 20 miles north of the Oregon border. Tomorrow, if all goes as planned, we will get to Redding, California. Traffic in the stretch of Seattle through Tacoma was hectic and slow in spots, but we made it through. I really do not like driving in heavy traffic with the coach, but with our late start from Friday Harbor made that Seattle stretch better when we hit it about two in the afternoon. At least we avoided rush hour traffic. I was glad to stop for the night and relax and have a shower. This country is so beautiful. We went near by three volcanoes today - Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, and Mount St. Helens. I would not like to be in the area when any of them explode again. They were all snow-covered today, but just beautiful in a terrible way. Happy travels.

Beach combing

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, and we decided to go to several of the beaches on the island and look around. Grand daughter Keilah has asked us several times whether we had been to look for beach glass, and so we decided to do so. We went to South Beach and two or three others and actually found a few pieces of beach glass. Keilah will be so proud. Several years ago when we were in Friday Harbor, Kristy brought her brood up, and they spent some time looking for glass and loved it. We sent them home with a small bag full. I wonder if they still have it. Keilah must have remembered doing this and hoped we had done it again.

At one of the beaches a group of people came along and they had a very cute Scotty dog. When asked the name his master said Duffy or MacDuff. Robert, this is another pet with the name Duffy. Maybe it is more common than we know. He was a very cute dog though, and I wanted to take him home to play with Max, but one dog in a motor home is plenty. Happy travels.

Poker

I a not a good poker player. I have not played in many years since I was shortly out of graduate school. Part of my problem is that I am no good at the game, especially if playing with serious players. The other problem is that I do not like to lose money. It is not that I am tight. I just can't see the fun in the gambling. When Foxy and I go to Las Vegas or one of the Indian casinos, we generally give each other a set amount of money, like twenty dollars each, and when it is gone, which seems to happen quickly to me, we quit and just wander about watching others play. Frequently I say to Foxy, "I could just as easily take a twenty dollar bill and hand it to the first person I meet in the casino and be done with it."

Arthur belongs to a poker group which meets about once each month. He invited me to join in and play about three weeks ago. I decided to try, once again to put aside my misgivings and enjoy the evening. We each gave the banker twenty dollars and started to play. The other players kept this novice informed on the workings of each game and tried to help me along. About an hour before the evening was finished, my money was gone, and I watched the action for the rest of the evening.

Last night the poker group met again, and I decided to practice poker on line and see if I could learn some strategies that might improve not only my game but also my attitude. I practiced for several hours over several days in preparation. The evening arrived all too quickly. I bought my twenty dollars of chips, and the play began. My practice sessions seemed to be helping, and I actually won a hand or two as the evening progressed. In one game, called 7 - 27, some of the players work to get close to 7 and the others try to get close to 27. I actually ended up gettng the cards that allowed me to have both a 7 and a 27. That was quite fun. I was able to play the entire evening and ended up with some chips which I could cash in at the end for about eight dollars.

So my poker lessons have cost me thirty-two dollars total over the two nights. This was a small fee to be able to meet some very nice men, and I enjoyed both evenings thoroughly. I do not think that I will ever be much of a poker player, but my attitude has improved. Happy travels.

Everyone needs a pig

Last weekend we were having breakfast at Jimmy's, a restaurant in a bowling alley, which has quite good food. Foxy had an omelet, and I had pancakes, eggs and bacon. The omelet was large and could not be finished. The waitress asked Foxy, "Do you want a box to take it home?" Foxy decided that leftover omelet was not wonderful and said, "No, but I hate to waste food." The waitress said, "Oh, it won't be wasted." I thought she would say something about giving left over food to the shelter. However she said, "We have a pig, and all leftovers are given to the pig, so nothing is wasted. Everyone needs a pig."

We thought about this pronouncement and decided that a pig might be good for a restaurant but not for folks like us who live in a motor home. What would we get? Maybe a pot bellied pig who would then have to be trained to climb up and down the entrance steps and get along with Max. I can see it now. No thanks! We do not need to emulate the Clampets of The Beverly Hillbillies fame. Happy travels.

Time change?

Did you fall back? Daylight savings time came to an end for another year last night and supposedly we get an extra hour of sleep, unless you have a dog. At the usual time Max needed to go out, so I got up and took him out. At this point I was so confused as to the time that we just went. He did his sniffing act and liked one spot so much that I decided he would or could sniff all of the way to China. I do get tired waiting for him to make up his mind, assuming he has a mind, and find the perfect spot to do his business.

Time zones and twice a year time changes mess me up, and then I can't remember whether an adjacent time zone is ahead or behind us. I have called people in another time zone and gotten them out of bed when I thought they should be already up. So much for my clarity of thinking, I do think, I think. One time after a time change, I went to church and met everyone coming out. I commented to the minister that it was the best sermon I ever heard.

It takes me about a week or two to readjust sleeping patterns. When I was earning a living, or working, to use a popular term, I had to get up quite early to be at work on time. Thirty plus years of this activity has enabled me to get up early to this day. Why bother with time changes when you can be up at five. I do get the paper read during this time, unless the dog needs to go out again. It is a great time in which to do sudoku too. Now if I could only figure out what time it is today.

Foxy just got up, and I mentioned that I had changed the clock on the microwave, and we both checked computers to learn that this all happens next weekend, not now. Do you think I was confused before? I think I will blame this time confusion on Debby. After all she is the one who told us that the time change happened today. Happy travels.

Stained glass pieces nearly finished

My project for today was to finish piece two and three of my current stained glass projects. Number two needed a bit of touch up soldering and then the solder darkened. Number three needed much the same. Arthur stepped into the shop and had a design in mind for the frame for number three. We both were very careful to keep all fingers away from the saw blade, and in any event one of the pieces of wood took off like a shot when we hit a knot but neither of us was hit or hurt. Finally the frame pieces were made and glued and put aside to cure. Tonight I unhooked all of the clamps, and the frame seems to be complete except for final sanding and finishing. I guess that will be tomorrow's project. Other than that it was a quiet day.

Foxy went to the store for supplies and to the yarn store to get a bit more yarn she needed for beginning some Christmas gifts. She is sure good at that type of creative craft work.

It was sunny this afternoon, which made it a perfect fall day here in the Northwest. Happy travels.

Did we eat all day?

As I reflect on yesterday, it does seem like we ate all day. Not to be boring, but the day started with a toasted bagel. Lunch was creamed chicken on toast. Dinner was pizza out at The Rumor Mill, which was so noisy that you couldn't talk, a brief stop at Herb's tavern to unwind until they cranked up their music and then home for quiet and bed. I think we did eat all day, and I am not getting on the scale to weigh either.

Foxy spent the day contemplating sewing. We found her machine and a tub of winter clothes for me. That was a surprise, but the clothes will come in useful as it is getting colder around here and probably any other place where we might travel. We think it is nearly time to depart this lovely island and head south for the winter. Happy travels.

Back to the saw

I have been making a frame for a stained glass piece which is where I got in trouble and tried to saw off two of my fingers. I am happy to state that both are on the mend. Yesterday I got Arthur to assist, and we finished the frame, both being very careful when using the saw. Now just a bit of sanding and finishing, and that project will be finished.

Project number three is coming along and now needs to have the soldering finished. I think I will wait for the new soldering iron to arrive and then get back to it. Arthur thinks I should try my hand at a lamp shade. We shall see as that involves forms and other challenges.

The rest of the day was quiet here with a bit of rain off and on. Happy travels.

Glass progress

Yesterday I finished cutting out the pieces of glass, grinding them, and then washing each to get the paper patterns unglued. Then I started in on the copper foiling process, and it is about half completed now.

Arthur did get home, and we were glad to have him back on the island. He had a medical procedure in Anacortes and was pronounced well and was happy to have that behind him. Foxy created a lovely dinner of steak,twice baked potatoes and salad, topped off with a homemade black berry pie. We will never lose pounds at this rate of good eating. We got caught up on Arthur's visit in Los Angeles and left after dinner so that he could get to bed early. Miss Duffy was glad to see her daddy back, although she let both of us pet her as well. Max watched a bit of television with us and left for an early bed himself. Happy travels.

Rainy Monday

It is rainy off and on here today and last night, too. I like to stay in bed on rainy days and just listen to the rain fall on our roof. Today I managed to stay all warm and snugly until 7:30, a late start for me. Lovely! Arthur will be home this afternoon, and we will see how his brother is doing. He has Debby clean and take care of his house several times each week, and she let us know that her dad had passed away. She is very upset and rightly so, but was fortunate enough to visit with him a few weeks ago. In time she will remember that visit more than her recent sadness.

I guess it is back to the next stained glass pattern. Yesterday I got it on paper, the pattern cut out, and pieces glued onto glass. Now comes the cutting and grinding. I am in no hurry since my soldering iron finally quit after 5-6 years of good work and 3-400 pieces. I kept track of how many pieces I made for quite awhile but not now. I only make something when the spirit moves me. I think at my age I leave many things up to the spirit and can only hope it keeps me moving.

Miss Duffy, the house cat has been taken care of by us and Debby while Arthur was away. At first she was quite standoffish but then decided to let us pet her each evening. Even Foxy would pet her, and she does not like cats. What was delightful was arriving back in the coach and to watch the expression on Max's face as he could smell that we had been petting the cat. "How could you betray me with that cat?" he seemed to say. Then he climbed up on my lap for some petting of his own and a chance to watch television. He likes the commercials and the ladies. Max has good taste when it comes to the ladies. Happy travels.

Reflections on aging

I received a comment on this blog from a reader in Russia who is interested in old age. I do not think of myself as old, at least not THAT OLD. I know when I was 22 years of age that anyone over 35 was old, I thought. So I can understand why this young man living in Russia knows that I am old. I think that having a living parent who is almost 98 keeps me thinking I am still not that old. I do believe it is a matter of attitude.

We have good friends, Ron and Julie who are quite young being, only in their fifties and somehow retired already. How fortunate they are and that they love to travel. When we are together any seeming age difference disappears. That was an interesting lesson I learned when I became an adult, that any age difference means little. Itreally is an attitude. If you think you are old, then you are. If you feel ageless, then you are. I love relating to people of all ages, especially children and most especially grandchildren. I include any great grandchildren in this general category.

Do I have any advice to someone who is getting older? Of course! Keep your options open, experience new things often, and learn something each day. Thank your maker for each day, and look forward to tomorrow. Sergey, to you I say, "Explore your world and learn how others live theirs. The whole world is open to you in this day of the internet. Enjoy life!" Happy travels.

Pictures of Our San Juan Islands Visit

These are several series of slide shows showing some of our adventures and fun while on San Juan Island in Puget Sound, Washington. If you have not been here or are not quite sure where it is, please be sure to check it out on the map! Unlike Seattle, the San Juans are in the rainshadow of the Olympic Mountains of the Cascade Range, so the temperatures remain moderate all year long, and there is not so much rain. The fall weather has been beautiful while we have been here, usually sunny, in the fifties or sixties during the day and in the forties or high thirties at night. Occasionally there has been some fog, usually in the early morning, and we have had occasional rain showers, which keep everything green and lush. We highly recommend your visiting here, so consider putting it in your "bucket."








These are the pictures from our time in Colorado, which was also wonderful! What a trip!

Your bucket list

Do you have a bucket list? This is a list of things you want to do or accomplish before you die. I guess that as you age and get older, you might have to also prioritize the items in some way.

I still have places to travel and visit. These include: Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Russia, Israel, and Egypt. This list is not finished yet and may get other places added over time. The only one in order is Alaska, and then we can say that we have visited all 50 states in our country.

Nurturing relationships. Foxy and I have a wonderful one, and it is very important to maintain and grow. The connection to family and friends is also very important and needs continuing connections to maintain.

Visiting family and friends is always on the bucket list. Probably the most urgent is visiting Mom and maybe helping her to finally decide to move from her home or get help with daily needs, particularly as she approached her 98th birthday. What an amazing woman and so independent, which will make this very difficult to accomplish. As I age, I would hope that some of my kids (any of the five) would offer advice, and I would listen and act on the advice.

This blog is on my list and the desire to write daily when possible and to try to find the funny things in life for commentary as well as observations on the human condition.

Reading a good book and daily Sudoku puzzles are on the list. This helps keep my mind active helping to stave off Alzheimer's for another day.

Continuing to produce stained glass still remains, although I intend to take periodic vacations from this endeavor to recharge the artistic batteries and try not to get too much lead in my system.

Giving thanks each day for a chance to see what the day will bring and for good health.

Letting my "deacon duties" happen. I am not in charge of what I do to help others. You never know where the spirit may lead and must remain open to any and all possibilities. After all, "Once a deacon, always a deacon."

Be willing to be silly with the grandchildren and very slow to offer advice. It is more fun to just have fun. None of my grandparents behaved this way, and I wish they had. My favorite relatives, while growing up, were fun to be with and genuinely interested in what was happening. Thanks, Aunt Florence and Aunt Maud.

Finally, being open to adding or subtracting from this list. Who knows what opportunities tomorrow will bring? Happy travels.

Television finally updated

Yesterday the local television repair man reappeared for the second time to install our new updated Dish receiver. We had been given the wrong one in Albuquerque, which caused many calls and emails back and forth until finally we sent back the old one and he sent us the updated version.

When we lived in Omaha, we were fortunate to have Tivo installed on our television and could not only record a show to be seen later but could watch a show midway through and cut out most of the pesky advertisements. In this election period this would have been a blessing, as we are so sick of the nasty bickering between the candidates. This new receiver enables us to have Tivo/DVR again. We also hoped to have the East-West feeds for local stations, but that is no longer available for some reason, probably money lost to local stations.

Having made progress on this front, we were happy with the improvement. Now when two programs are aired at the same time, we can record one and view it later. You would think that with over 200 stations to watch that we would be overwhelmed with things we want to watch, but generally we ignore almost all of it and read instead. Happy travels,

Off island again

We love to travel on the ferries that travel between several of the islands and back and forth to the mainland. Recently we made this trip to get our computer's battery replaced and accomplished that task but also bought an inexpensive computer to serve as backup if needed, since we rely heavily on the computer for banking and keeping in touch with family and friends when we are traveling.

The newly bought computer was found to be quite slow in processing and painfully so. Foxy gave it her all, but finally even she decided that it was just TOO SLOW. This was all the excuse we needed, and we headed to the ferry to get to the Best Buy store on the mainland.

It is at least an hour to an hour and a half trip on the ferry each way, so this is a great time to sight see, read the paper or a book, or play cards or dice games. Lately we have been playing a card game called Nasty, that Marlene taught us many years ago. During the travel time we can get in 2-3 sets and thoroughly enjoy playing. Yesterday it was very foggy, which slowed down the ferry trip a bit, and we managed to get in three games going and two on the way home.

While there we also decided to have lunch at The Olive Garden. It was wonderful. We had salad, bread sticks, and pizza. If we had known how big the pizzas were going to be, we would have ordered only one. They boxed up what we could not finish, and we can look forward to a good lunch in a day or so. We arrived home quite satisfied, having again enjoyed the ride. Happy travels.

Have you heard Peggy?

There is a funny advertisement on television involving a character called Peggy. A man calls a phone number probably for a credit card or insurance question or on line buying help or...... This poor sap calls the number and gets "Peggy." He asks a series of questions starting with her/his name and gets, "Peggy," who is really a big guy with a fake voice. All subsequent questions get the answer, "Yeeeeees." The yes is dragged out, and you see "Peggy" giving a sweet/sappy grin while answering, "Yeeeeees." It is absolutely hysterical, and every time I see it I can not help myself and laugh again and again.

It brings to mind calling to get help with a computer problem and getting a person with such a thick accent in some country in Asia that you finally hang up and have no idea why you even called. In the advertisement mentioned above the caller finally asks Peggy not to hang up and of course she/he answers, "Yeeeeeees" and then hangs up sweetly. I hope you get to see the ad and enjoy it as much as we have. "Yeeeeees!" Happy travels.

A work day here

We decided to have a work day here. Foxy took on the job of defrosting Arthur's refrigerator and his freezer. Both really needed the attention. The freezer especially needed to have all of the built up ice removed. She had her work cut out for her but persisted until both were cleaned and rearranged nicely.

In the meantime I went to work trimming bushes and several trees and then weed whacking, which I got good at while at Guadalupe RV, and finally mowing the front lawn.

By the time we finished our jobs, we were both tired out and in need of showers, and the dirty clothes headed for the washing machine. But the reward was clean appliances and more headway on the yard.

Not a particularly fun day but necessary in our continuing efforts to help Arthur. He has been in Los Angeles this week helping out his brother. We expect him back on Monday and look forward to good news about his brother's condition, knowing it might be otherwise.

The weather has been lovely and very much a gorgeous fall season here. Nights are crisp, and most days sunny. It is supposed to be rainy tomorrow, which is why we did the work day when we did. We think that very soon we will take a brief vacation to Victoria which is on Vancouver Island just west of here. The Buchart Gardens are located there and are spectacular. They have been developed in a vacant stone quarry. We visited the gardens several years ago and hope to get back one more time before we leave this part of the country. Happy travels.

The wizard visits

Arthur has provided our coach electric and water hookups, but no sewer. So we have let our black and grey holding tanks gradually fill up. Since we will have been here three weeks as of tomorrow, it is no wonder that the holding tanks got full. We looked in the yellow pages for someone to come and drain the tanks.

When we were here the last time, there was just such a service called The Wizard of Ooze. They were still in the yellow pages this time and came by after we gave them a call. We were sure glad to have the service. Of course, the $100 cost for one visit seemed a bit steep, but maybe we will not have to have them come again this trip. The joys of full-timing it. Happy travels.

Sunday - a quiet day here

It dawned cool, about 35 degrees and then stayed sunny all day, perfect weather for sure. We read the Sunday Seattle Times and then decided to go to town to have lunch. We had quite a time finding a place to park but finally did and walked about and settled into a lunch place that we do not recommend after eating there. On the way back to the car we checked out several other places to eat that we remembered from past visits, and they were still here. Something in the future to explore. A phone call to Mom while in town, and that ended our adventure.

Back at the motor coach, I had a great snooze, and Foxy explored happenings on nearby Islands by computer. Future day trips, I think. Finally we explored the refrigerator for good left overs for dinner and then a bit more reading, television, and bed. Lovely day! Happy travels.

Visiting clinic & off island

I have been going to the clinic every other day to get bandages changed and suspect that today will be the last visit for this week. It is a bit hard to type and not use some wounded fingers. On Friday the bandages got changed and the rest of the day was quiet except for a lunch visit to Herb's Tavern. Herb's serves great hamburgers and good beer, of course. This visit was followed by a long nap. Lovely.

Saturday dawned early with Arthur leaving to fly from Seattle to Los Angeles to see how his brother's cancer treatment is progressing. He will be gone about ten days and we are left in charge, which mainly means feeding his cat, Miss Duffy.

Arthur left on the early ferry, and we decided to take the next ferry to Anacortes and do some shopping at CostCo and computer places. The battery on this computer, which is not even a year old, died. Foxy, being Scottish, did not want to buy a new one, as they cost over $100. So on Friday she worked with computer techs by email most of the day testing the battery and trying to get them to replace it, as it was still under warranty. Not much success there. When we got off island, she called the computer people, and after an hour on the cell phone she finally convinced the tech that it was dead and got them to send us a new battery on the warranty. Yeah - Foxy!!!! She is persistent, especially when frustrated. We also got a cheap second computer as a necessary backup, which I am trying to get up and running. LOL, as I am technically challenged when it comes to such things,

Lunch and then back to the ferry, the early one which we missed as it was full. So after a two hour wait for the next one, we arrived back to Friday Harbor to find Max a bit cross eyed from needing to go, Miss Duffy in residence, and all was well. A long day but good results. Happy travels.

The woodworkers curse

I have commented in this blog about woodworkers proclivities to lose fingers. If you are the person involved, this is not very funny. Today I was in the process of making a wood frame for a stained glass piece that I was finishing. I was using a table saw to make pieces for the frame and had begun to saw a notch in the frame to hold the glass when the wood was kicked backward by the saw blade. Not wanting to get hit by the piece of wood, I instinctively grabbed for the wood. Actually I ended up colliding with the saw blade and nicked two fingers on my left hand. The second digit was a minor cut protected mostly by my nail. The third digit was another story all together, and the blade did a number not only on my nail but also into part of the finger.

I got Foxy's attention and we made a quick trip into town to the medical center. The nurse Joanne gave me wonderful service and thought the finger should be x-rayed to see if there was any bone damage. A bit of the end of the bone was sliced off and so I had to have a shot of anti-biotics. The attending physician wanted to know where Livingston, Texas, was located, our permanent mailing address. It seems that his parents live in Kerrville, and he wondered if we had been there. A small world for sure since we have been traveling and wintering there for many years.

Everyone at the medical clinic was terrific and so kind. I have relearned a lesson to not make fun of other's misfortunes. I can now join the woodworkers of America since I am now a bit digitally challenged. Happy travels.

Mute button may save us

Thanks heavens for the mute button on the television remote. We have listened to advertisements for various candidates running for office in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and now Washington State. As Foxy puts it, "The candidates do not often tell you what they stand for, they only seem to run negative comments about their opponent." To make matters worse, they run the same advertisement over and over. Thank heavens for the mute button. This negative campaigning makes us want to throw all of them out of office. Where have they found these candidates that think the only way to get elected is to be so negative? In the Seattle paper on Sunday there was an article about a candidate who had knocked on 60,000 doors in his effort to get elected. I hope he had something to say and that it was positive, and that people listened to him before they made up their minds who to vote for.

When you listen to the negative style of campaigning so prevalent, it is a total turn off. No wonder we have legislative gridlock in Washington D. C. and in many state capitals. If all you do as a potential candidate is to look up the dirty linen of your opponent, no wonder that normal people do not run for office. My final concern is the immense amount of money required to actually run a campaign and the costs of advertising. Anyone with common sense could design a system that would work better and not be so ridiculously expensive. Why spend millions of dollars to get a job that pays you thousands in salary? I would like to have a mute button to turn the whole thing off. Happy travels.

Spaghetti for dinner

The spaghetti turned out to be wonderful. It had a meat sauce supplemented with Italian sausage. We topped the pasta with lots of sauce and dug in. We did not have a contest to decide whether cutting the noodles was better than twirling, or whether to twirl with a spoon was better than simple twirling. Instead there was significant quiet as the three of us got to work on the dinner. Spaghetti is a favorite with all of us, and we made short work of the repast. Salad balanced the meal, and all was finished by ice cream and fresh berries. Not much room left for anything else. We cleaned up the dishes and fell into comfortable chairs in the living room and just visited. We never seem to run out of things to talk about either. All in all a lovely day.

Monday dawned quite cool here in the high thirties or low forties, but a sunny bright day. Another lovely day in paradise. Happy travels.

Sunny lazy day here

Today turned out to be sunny here. We thought that we were in for a rainy spell lasting maybe 4-5 days, but this afternoon it is quite pleasant. We can get cell phone usage only when we are in town, and Foxy went to town to get a few groceries and a chance to call Kim and Chuck and other family. I had a short nap. Then when she gets back it will be spaghetti for dinner tonight. This is a real favorite with us all. Happy travels.

Rainy weekend

The weather forecast was for a rainy weekend. We have been having simply wonderful weather so far, and a bit of rain will not change that. Last night it began to rain and rained off and on the whole night. I like to hear the sound of the rain on the roof of the coach as it seems to lull me to sleep. About five the morning I realized that it was not raining right then, so I got up, and followed by Max, we went out for his morning constitutional. It was still windy, and I am sure that we will get more showers at some point today. This spell of rain is supposed to go on the whole weekend. That is what keeps the grass green, the roofs mossy, and the roads even have a tinge of green. From previous experience we know it can rain lots here in the Seattle area, but the San Juan Islands get only about half of the rainfall that Seattle gets since the islands are in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains.

Friends have been telling us of the fall weather in the hill country of Texas. They are so glad that they do not have to use their air conditioners and can have their windows open for some cooler weather. We have not had our system on since we got to Colorado. It certainly is not needed here.

I do have to tell you that our fireplace works well. When we redid our coach, we removed a small love seat and replaced it with an Amish fireplace. Mom has two of these which she uses for heat in the winter. She has one in her bedroom and one in the sitting area of her kitchen. This system seems to work well for her and keeps her winter fuel costs low. So based upon her experience we decided to try one in the coach. It heats about 400 square feet without any problem, which works well in our coach. It does not use much electricity and seems to be quite efficient. Maybe we could serve as an advertisement for the Amish. Happy travels.

Stained Glass is developing

Once we picked out a pattern for the stained glass design and measured the window so that it would fit, I spent a day with the design and then cut out the pattern, glued the pattern to glass. Then comes the cutting of the glass followed by grinding and cutting the glass until each piece fits its pattern. Today the grinding finally was finished, and we began the Tiffany-developed process called copper foiling. Each piece must be encased in copper foil and then fit into the design. Finally comes the soldering, which we hope to get to tomorrow. To get the foiling completed, we all participated. Arthur has been involved throughout and to finish this evening, Foxy helped as well. Truly a group effort.

Tonight Arthur is throwing a poker party, and I can only hope that I can remember which hand wins over another. My luck at cards is not too high, but I will be a good sport and contribute my pennies to the winners. Arthur and Foxy have prepared lots of good snacks, so I have skipped dinner in anticipation. More details on the evening in the next post. Happy travels.

Some daily routines

We are falling into a bit of a routine here. We do not rise too early since television shows that we like to watch at nine o'clock central time are shown here at ten means that on some nights we stay up an hour later and thus are starting to get up an hour later. During the day we work on the landscaping here. Things are a bit overgrown, and also the lawn need mowing now and then. So, we are helping with these tasks when the weather permits. I have started a stained glass window which, when completed, will go in a window here by the front door. Since this window is for Arthur's house, he has helped pick out the design and the glass. Yesterday the pieces were cut out, and today each piece must be ground to fit the pattern. Since there are about 100 pieces this process might take several days.

Arthur continues to try to wind up his brother's affairs here. His brother has a house and a wonderful workshop which is to be emptied. Tools, tools, tools! I am helping where I can with this project. Currently we are trying to put each tool in its case and labeling and things like that. Once it is decided how to best to divest the tools then there is that project as well.

Other than these routines, we generally go into town each afternoon to take mail or get groceries or simply look around. Usually in the evening we three have dinner together, and then we head to the coach for a bit of television or reading. I can not think of a more lovely place in which to fall into some routines. I never get tired of looking at the ocean, islands, and mountains. On a clear day we see several mountains that are really dormant volcanoes. I certainly hope that they stay dormant. Happy travels.

Too make a long story longer, she's back

Yeah!!!! Miss Duffy, Arthur's house cat, returned last night, and we are all relieved. Max is out of the corner and the dunce cap removed. Last night coming home from a dinner out we saw two "red" foxes which can actually be any color, and this brought up the comment from Arthur that the foxes are vicious and have been know to kill cats. Fortunately for Miss Duffy, this did not occur.

We had a lovely day yesterday. We decided to finish our art crawl and drove over to the other end of the island to Roche Harbor. It has changed significantly since we were here a few years ago. They have added small houses that have a view of the harbor that are built in a Victorian style and much like row houses but with space between each. You can also buy them for about 1 million dollars. We thought we might like one until we learned how much they were selling for. Instead, in a gift shop we bought a glass pumpkin for only $30. A much better deal. We also stopped in a cafe there for two bowls of clam chowder. Nice and warm on a cool day.

We then wandered furthur along the outer edge of the island and found a glass works that was participating in the art crawl and enjoyed being the visiting Texans as well as the artist's demonstration of other work she does of wax on board. This sound a bit strange, but she is an excellent artist and produces beautiful results both in her wax work and her glass. What a treat.

To cap off this perfect day, Beth and Jim thought we five should all go to dinner at a restaurant called Duck Soup Inn. We have been there many times, and this is a gourmet restaurant with many unusual items on the menu with local produce incorporated where possible. Foxy had a sea food stew which was more like a bouillebaise, and I had a stuffed chicken breast stuffed with apples and cheddar cheese. Others had Steak Diane. Dessert of creme brule nearly finished us off, and we staggered out the door and drove home. Happy travels.

Miss Duffy is gone, to make a long story short...

When Arthur had his B & B, there were also house cats. This first cat was named after the B & B, Duffy House and thus was Mr. Duffy. After he met his demise, a subsequent cat was found at the humane society and became Miss Duffy. When Arthur closed the B & B and later bought a house on the golf course, Miss Duffy was transferred to the new house where she has happily kept Arthur company for several years.

We come for a visit, and Max chases Miss Duffy out of the house, and when he sees her barks at her. Miss Duffy did not like Max any better than he liked her. They had one confrontation on the back porch whereupon Miss Duffy jumped up on the rail and then onto the lawn and left. She has returned to the house when she determined it was safe from Max. However two nights ago she did not return and has not been seen since. Is she gone? We certainly hope not and wonder if Max is the culprit in this story. Keep Miss Duffy in your thoughts and hope for a speedy return. We shall keep Max out of the house and hope that helps. Happy travels.

The art show

We had seen several posters about town advertising an art show on Saturday and Sunday but no additional information. We drove into town and checked out the fair grounds, and since there was no show there went to a nearby art gallery for more information. There we learned that it was open galleries encouraging visits from the public. Why not, we said and started in visiting several galleries and then broadening our visit by also checking out most of the stores in Friday Harbor. This also gave us much needed walking, and finally we worked up an appetite for a bit of lunch and stopped into The Crab Shack and had clam strips and fish and chips. It was good but too much to eat all in one sitting, so there is more stored in our refrigerator for tomorrow's lunch.

After lunch we visited more stores and then drove slowly back to our coach enjoying the scenery and Puget Sound. On the way back we stopped to visit friends Jim and Beth and then home to let Max out for a run and then a good nap. Lovely day. Happy travels.

Just the dump today

Well we put off going to the dump yesterday, so today we actually went to the dump twice. The first trip was to take recyclables and the second was to take trash. Not everyone appreciates such a trip, but we did it to clean up a space in the garage so that I could do some stained glass work and maybe entice Arthur into doing some as well. In the afternoon I actually got down to some glass work and started several designs that might be used in a window next to Arthur's front door. I think we have narrowed it down to a chile ristra.

In the meantime Foxy was cooking lasagna and arranging an antipasto and bruschetta for Jim and Beth, who had been invited for dinner. We were looking forward to seeing them and really had a fun evening visiting and catching up on each others' lives. We all have mutual friends in Kerrville and were so surprised to learn about our connections there. Conversation and much laughter continued non stop all evening, and all too soon they had to go home. Who knows, we may all get together to watch the Ohio State football game tomorrow. Happy travels.

Fly or dump or....

Today was the day we had decided to take stuff to the dump and do some recycling. This plan was a good one until we checked to learn that the dump was only open on Friday through Sunday. What to do? Being stymied, we gave it a bit of thought and went flying. Arthur is a pilot, and he and his brother Donn (also a pilot) keep a plane here in Friday Harbor. I took the camera and got a few shots of the many islands. It was a beautiful sunny day in which to fly. The air was calm, and we took off into the wind.

I loved the whole thing. Arthur flew the plane up to over 2000 feet and we could see Victoria, British Columbia, Canada which is just a few miles from San Juan Island where Friday Harbor is located. We checked out Orca and Lopez Islands and could see ferries working their way to the various inhabited islands. At Friday Harbor one ferry was leaving and another arriving. We say Mount Baker whose snow-covered summit was shining in the sun. We even saw Mount Rainer in the distance over 100 miles away. Some of the tops of the Olympic Mountains were snow covered as well. Finally after a half hour of total bliss, we circled back and returned to Friday Harbor Airport.

Arthur called Foxy, and we all met for lunch at Vic's, a great hamburger and fish joint which has not changed decor in years. The food is still excellent, and we enjoyed clam strips among other items. Home again and I unpacked my stained glass collection and tools and got organized to start a new glass project. Happy travels.

We get better parked

The coach was left on a slope in the driveway which tilted in such a way that our heads were lower than our feet when we were sleeping. It did not stop anything like sleeping, but we decided to rearrange our parking in another area, which meant moving the coach closer to the garage. This was more level and worked much better. We hooked up to water and electricity and settled in. A couple of trips to town for groceries and a visit to the post office to mail our mail-in absentee ballots, and the day just flew by. The fresh apples in the stores were irresistible. We had some for lunch, and then Foxy made apple crisp for dinner for the three of us. A visit by a raccoon on the porch and some friendly attempts at poker games took care of the evening, and we fell into a level bed for a snooze. Happy travels.

Finally Friday Harbor

We got another early start and left out friendly KOA hosts and quickly covered the forty miles to the Portland area. We filled the coach with diesel and headed north on I-205 which connects to I-5, the main road north to Seattle. Traffic was heavy but moving quickly. In Olympia we passed the state capital, and then soon we were in Tacoma and noticed Route 16 which would take you to Bremerton where Tim and Kristy were once stationed. That road will take you over the famous Tacoma Narrows Bridge which has replaced "Galloping Gertie," the previous bridge which collapsed in the thirties. Onward and soon the Seattle skyline emerged including the Space Needle. Such a beautiful city. However, on this trip we planned to stop in Everett, a city a few miles north of Seattle. We had some business to do at CostCo. That concluded, we continued to head north and soon turned and headed toward Anacortes. This city is the terminus for the Alaskan oil pipeline and quite a busy port. It is also the place to catch the ferry boats for the San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound.

We did not expect to be able to make a ferry boat for Friday Harbor and indeed expected to embark the next day. If we could not get passage, we planned to turn around and park for the night in a nearby campground. However, we were lucky. I quickly unhooked the car, and shortly the boat began the boarding process.

Once aboard, we left our vehicles and climbed the stairs to enjoy the view. How we love this part of the trip! The San Juan Islands are simply beautiful and the scenery spectacular. We had boat safety drills and one other stop at Lopez Island, and then Friday Harbor was in sight and we had to get downstairs to disembark.

We drove off the boat and into the town and remembered the way to Arthur's B & B, where we had spent many lovely months some years earlier. Of course, that was not exactly where we were supposed to go. Arthur also has a home on the golf course, and he wanted us to park the motor coach there. Foxy had learned this from a phone call from Arthur, and after turning around we quickly arrived. I backed the coach into his drive, and we joined Arthur for a dinner of steak and baked potato. Finally bed beckoned, and we settled in for a snooze. Happy travels indeed.

Oregon or bust

Foxy woke up early and could not get back to sleep, so once I woke up, we quickly packed up and hit the road. Again today, no squawking sensor. Yeah! We headed west and drove through farm land that depended upon irrigation for water. We drove along the Snake River and commented on the fact that there were so few trees. We stopped for lunch at a road rest stop and drove into Oregon. The road gradually rose until we dropped into the Columbia River watershed and followed this river west. This particular drive is one of my all time favorites, as this river is spectacular. At many points it seems as if the river is a mile wide. There are roads and trains on both sides, whether you travel the Oregon or the Washington route. Several years ago we stopped at an RV park in The Dalles but could not find it this trip, so we went on for about another forty miles to find a spot for the night at another KOA about 40 miles east of Portland.

Once parked we discovered that one of the protective awnings over a front slide had come loose and needed to be reattached. The joys of traveling in a motor home. Fortunately, I had learned how to do this when I rebuilt the slide back in the spring. Foxy cooked some Chicken Piccata for dinner, which was excellent and much enjoyed by me. Now a bit of TV and then bed. Happy travels.