Ray's Turn

This is the most important thing Ray had to say today (so far):

185 days, 26 weeks, 127 workdays, 6 holidays and 14 paydays remaining.

But who’s counting?

From the usual author:

In line with that countdown, yesterday the old fence came down. The new fence posts are going in today.

Brad is here repairing drywall in the garage, and yesterday he replaced the security light in the backyard. 

My bike and sidecar went to it's new temporary home in Derek's garage.

Things are happening!

History Back

Did you get the Beyond Thunderdome reference?

History today means that John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated 50 years ago. Fifty years!

I can still remember it clearly. I was in high school, suffering through Chemistry class when the Principal came on the PA system and announced the assassination. He was weeping as he announced it. The entire school was stunned, some students were crying. We were all frightened. Who could conceive of such a thing? It was incomprehensible. Still is, sort of.

Often I wonder how the country might be different today had JFK lived to finish his term, perhaps to be re-elected. But that's a useless exercise, as no one can ever know. I wonder anyway and perhaps most of my generation does. His death affected the entire country, even those who had voted Goldwater. The Kennedy/Goldwater campaign was the first time I had ever paid attention to politics. I think it was the same for all the students at my school. The election just captured our imaginations and fired us up.

It was also the beginning of the assassination trend. We lost, within 10 years, Medgar Evers, JFK, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, even Martin Luther King's Mother, for heaven's sake. Amazing. Horrible. Overwhelming.

So many people today have only the vaguest memories of the day Kennedy died, or no memories at all. It reminds me of the day Jason came home from 8th grade and informed us they were studying the Viet Nam War in History class. I think that was the first time we felt old. Our lives were suddenly history.

I hope our country never has to suffer through another Presidential assassination. Ever. I have a feeling it would not be less scary to me now than it was when I was 16.

Waiting

I am waiting for our personal financial world to implode in two days.
On Thursday, if the Congress can't come to an agreement to fund the government, our income evaporates. Most of it is already gone, because Ray is "furloughed" from his government job. Next to go will be military retired pay, veteran's disability pay, and my tiny social security check.

While we have done what we can to save and prepare, it is still scary to be staring down the barrel of immanent financial disaster.

I am not convinced that any political party really, truly cares about the citizens of the U.S. If they did, why would they let this shut-down and debt ceiling crisis persist? Now, I realize that not everyone is directly affected (yet) by the shut-down. Lots of people are inconvenienced, but not too many, as a percentage of the population, are directly involved.

If the debt ceiling is not raised, we will all be involved, regardless of our own personal political leanings or what our jobs are. We are concerned that our retirement savings will evaporate, that we won't be able to sell our home (that we can't afford to live in when we retire) and that things are going to be bad all over. This treatment is what Ray has earned in a lifetime of military and government service. It's disgusting.

The Russians said they'd bury us, Al Qaeda said they'd bankrupt us, but it turns out we don't need them. All we need is Congress. Personally, I put the most of the onus on the Republicans, a party I fled in the wake of Watergate and now do not recognize as the party I once was a card-carrying member of. I am sick of all the posturing and finger pointing and carrying on by the Congress. I want them to grow up and get on with the job they were hired for. I want them to actually care about the country, to be actual patriots and statesmen and stateswomen, and not just a pack of partisan, inflexible lip-servicers.

I am sure blame is to be borne by both sides. I do think the Health Care Act needs tweaking in several areas. But I do not think the Republican angst over HCA requires the ruination of the country. If they think it needs to be fixed, they should fix it, but first get on with the funding and the debt ceiling crisis. First things first. HCA is not an immediate danger, but funding and debt ceiling is. Get things straight, get your heads out of your own rhetoric and do your jobs, please.

I pray the people do not forget when it comes to voting time. Meanwhile, I am frightened about what comes next.

288

288 days until Ray retires! That's only 9.6 months.

We better practice by going camping more, don't you think?

This week, the new kitchen cabinet doors and drawers were installed. The doors are beadboard insets and look really, really nice. The drawer fronts are simply flat. The hardware is brushed nickel "buttons" and handles. We both really like the way they turned out.

But with all that stark white, the countertops now look sort of blah. I wish the counters were darker, now that I see the cabinets all decked out in the new doors & drawers. But done is done. At least it's neutral!

-cationing

Oh, Norm and I had a lovely time Vacationing up at Birch Bay Campground! We found a spot that gave us nice shade in the afternoon, thanks to the body of the Winnie MoHo and it's awning. We did get some morning sun, but the breeze was nice and the awning kept most of the sun off on the east side. West side got plenty hot in the afternoon as there is no awning over there, but the solar and night shades helped a lot there, as did the ceiling fans.

Only one day did I have to run the a/c for a time...it was warm and muggy and no breeze that day, so in the afternoon and until the sun went down I ran the a/c, but was able to turn it off for tv time and bed. It's so nice to lay in bed and feel the breezes and see the stars.

I split my time between working on recipes, sitting in the shade reading, working on crossword puzzles from newspapers delivered while we were in Arizona, watching TV (in the evening) and walking the dog. I had phone e-mail and texting, and phone internet, but no computer connection. That was ok though, the phone was enough. I was glad we took along the satellite radio and I found a station I liked with nice soothing music and so the radio got a good workout.

There were lots of little ankle-biter mop dogs in the park and just a few bigger dogs. Those little things yap like mad, and for no apparent reason. All day long. I am so glad Normie is a quiet dog.

One day I loaded up my green canvas foldable wagon and hauled the laundry, a soda, the stain stick, the Kindle, and a gazillion quarters up to the laundry room. I had forgotten to replenish the laundry supplies in Winnie, and so decided to buy stuff from the vending machine in the laundry room. Except! Guess what! No vending machine. So I go to the office, thinking they sell some laundry stuff in there. But no. They don't. The friendly young man staffing the office informed me that there was a store down the road. I asked him if it was close enough that a little old lady could walk there and back. He thought about that, grinned at me and said, "Probably not". Whippersnapper. So, I hauled the laundry and quarters and soda and Kindle and wagon back to Winnie.

I washed and rinsed 2 shirts and a pair of pants and all my undies in the kitchen sinks. Yes, by hand. With dish soap. It took several sinkfulls of water and I was very grateful we had full hookups, because after laundry, I had to dump the grey water tank.

Then I draped and hung undies all over the inside of the MoHo. We looked like we had a very odd decorating scheme in there. the pants and shirts went outside on hangers, which I hung from the awning arms. It was quite breezy that day so everything dried that day. I did have to tend the undies, turning them over and shifting them around so they'd dry all over.

But I want to report that the foldable wagon was easy to use and easy to unfold/fold and the big wheels made it easy to drag over the gravel roads. It tracked very well. And it is plenty big enough. It was worth the money. (bought it on sale, too)

Ray came back on Friday afternoon and we enjoyed a quiet weekend together. Saturday we went foraging for artisan cheese, and found some, at Appel Farms and Pleasant Valley Dairy. Yummm!

This week, Himself is off in Baltimore and so I have decided to Staycation. (mostly that means I am diligently pretending I am not here) More work than the Winnie, because the house is bigger, but still relaxing, except for the construction guys across the street, who make much noise beginning about 7:30 or 8 am. The weather has been fairly good, so I've done some reading out on the deck, and I harvested the garlic. I think I should have watered and fertilized the garlic more than I did, as they are mostly fairly petite compared with grocery garlic. Oh, well. I DO have home-grown garlic!

Monday night I went out to Taco Bell with Brion and Geneva and today met Geneva for lunch at Broiler Bay for burgers and onion rings and the best, freshest fried mushrooms I've ever had.

We've now gone about 3 weeks or so without rain. O I guess it did rain a bit last night, but not even enough to make a puddle. It's pretty dry and pretty toasty around here these days. Good forest fire weather, but no one wants that to happen.

331

That's the number for today....331 days til Ray retires!

Whoopie!

And next up for me is a camping trip....just the dog and I during the week, because Ray has to keep whittling down that day count, and then he'll come back the following weekend to camp with us and relax a bit. By that time Norm and I will be SO relaxed we won't want to come home.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! God Bless America, land that I love.

Hot!

Arizona weather followed us North! It's HOT for Seattle. Not hot enough for eggs on the sidewalk yet, and I hope it does not get that hot.

We hide out in the basement as much as possible. It was a 2 fan night last night...maybe we'll have to sneak into the storage lot tonight and sleep in the a/c'd MoHo...no, probably not. It's supposed to be cooler tonight.

Countdown!

Today there are 340 days left, but who's counting? ha. We are.

Hopefully, shortly after that, we'll be leaving the no-longer-ours driveway for the beckoning blue highways. But in 340 days Ray will be a free man, a retiree, an Official Old Guy with a Social Security check and a pension! Since I have opted to become an Official Old Lady already, it will be good to have him catch up to me.

340 days is not long to clear out the accumulation of more than 20 years. Our motorhome is not that big and cannot carry that much, in comparison to a 3 bedroom house. What to do with the beloved "things" is a real problem for me. And I suspect when he gets right down to it, it will be hard for Ray too. I think you will be subject to much more agonizing on this topic over the next 340 days.

We really need to get going on the clearing out, but life has a way of messing up my plans to clear out. And then, I pick something up, look at it and decide I really do want to keep it. I get nowhere. Maybe I need a crew, like those people on that show "Hoarders". Someone to come in here and just shovel it all up into a big old dumpster and haul it away.

For example, what does one do with the suitcases? No room in the Winnie MoHo for suitcases! Since we do hope for some trips by alternate locomotion, we still need suitcases. Which suitcases to keep? Where to keep them while we are off sucking up gallons of gas daily in the overgrown Velveeta box?

What to do with Ray's beloved map collection? Yes, he has a GPS. He has 2 GPS but he argues with them over the shortest/fastest/most scenic/most curvy/most moho-friendly routes and he has a computer with internet and thus even more electronic maps and directions, plus my cell phone's Navigator, but he still prefers to consult a paper map. I must admit, they don't sass as much as the GPSes, Naggy Maggy and Grating Garmin. Paper maps just never go back the way they were. A GPS at least has a reset button, a paper map needs one. A paper map also needs a zoom feature. But still, what to do with the map collection?

I am about ready to admit I will never use the boxes and boxes of cross stitch magazines and patterns I have carefully stored over the years. I am not sure those mags are even published any more, and so may have a treasure house of cross stitch magazines! Perhaps those magazines will fund an entire tank of gas! How do I sell them? Learn how to E-Bay? Hope they sell in the next 340 days? And if they don't?

O, my. Many things to think about. Besides that eternal and daily question: what's for supper. Hmm. Ray only has to work 340 more days, but I'll be working, fixing supper my whole entire life. That sucks.

Time Marches On, Relentlessly

This last weekend, as you know, was Father's Day. Ray's been a Dad for 37 years. Neither of us quite understands how that happened so fast. But it did and now our children are what used to be called middle-aged. Amazing! But I don't think 37 is middle-aged any more. I think middle age now starts somewhere around retirement. I know for sure I don't feel old inside. The outside, well, some days the outside of me feels old.

Watching Paige graduate made me feel old inside. I clearly remember her birth, and holding her in my arms shortly after she was born. It seems like that was just the other day, and here she is suddenly graduating from high school! She's college bound and in my head she's still wearing diapers. The kids I had in my 12 year old Sunday School class (just yesterday, right?) are also graduating this year. In my head, they are eternally 12 years old. I turn around and people grow into adults, with me all unawares.

Watching Paige graduate also made me proud. Proud to be called "Grandma" by such an awesome person, proud of her for studying hard and getting scholarships and honors. Proud of her that she has earned immense support and respect from her classmates and teachers. I cannot take any credit for the fine young woman Paige has grown into. She and her parents did all that hard work. But I'm proud of her nonetheless. I could not be prouder if she was a child of my child, instead a child of my heart.

On Sunday, we feasted again, on Jason's venison steaks and fresh caught trout. We also were blessed with a bowlful of fresh figs and Rainier cherries, delicious prosciutto sliced so thin you could read a newspaper through it, fresh grilled asparagus, grilled potato salad and a choice of two pies for dessert. I contributed a fresh green salad and corn on the cob. Jason grilled the meats and vegetables, Justin supplied the fruits and ham, the asparagus and the pies. Lauren helped everyone with the prep and cooking. After dinner, we indulged in a hot game of Settlers of Catan before we decided we had room for pie. And then it was after Ray's bedtime and the young people went home. The dishwasher got a work out and did 3 loads on Sunday. I am pleased to report that the China Gentle setting on the dishwasher works very well and did no damage to the good china.

Monday meant Taco Bell with Brion and Geneva and after Ray and Brion went to a ham radio meeting. On Saturday there is some sort of Ham-Fest and Ray wants to go with Brion and the Grands Emma and Kaj to that.

So now it's Tuesday and into the work week. The people who live behind us are packing up to move out and into a townhouse they have bought. I will miss them, as they have been quiet neighbors and have definitely improved the yard back there. Tonight we will dine on venison steak salad and fruit. I may bake a little loaf of multigrain bread. I think I have some in the freezer.

I'm still working on getting the cookbook recipes into the Living Cookbook. Like my genealogy program, that program has capabilities I have not even touched yet. But since I can't take the books with me in Winnie MoHo, the data entry comes first. Then I can go back and learn the inventory, shopping and planning tools.

The rain has stopped early this year and the grass is already turning brown. We would love to water it and keep it green, but we really can't afford the water bill when we do that. The year we had a drip system on the garden, the water bill was over 400 dollars for the duration of the trip. You would think in a place where it rains all the time that water would be cheap. But no. It's not.

The camellias, magnolias and rhodies are done blooming, the irises are done blooming, the chives are blooming and the cilantro. The peas are drying up as are the garlics. The strawberries are ripening, just yesterday I picked 5 whole strawberries from the 3 plants we nurture on the back steps. Used to be 4 plants, but one of them croaked this winter. I need to start thinking about a fall garden and a winter garden as the spring/summer garden consisted of fall planted garlic and volunteer peas and cilantro. We've never tried gardening in the winter, but I'm thinking that cabbages might do well, and maybe lettuce, if we had a cold frame, and Ray can make one of those easily enough. What else can we grow in the winter? And we need to think about something to plant for the spring, so the gardens look good when we put the house on the market. Once again the squirrels ate the calla lilly bulbs.

The monstrous huge houses across the street are still for sale. At 636 thousand, I think they are overpriced for the neighborhood and may take a while to unload. I am glad they are not mine.

Still waiting for the kitchen cabinet doors. The bill will be here before the doors are.....and then it's on to the next house project.

Back In the Deep Green Cool

The last day of our trip was the prettiest day of the return journey. I just can't help it, I love trees. And mountains. And cool weather. Arizona is a beautiful place in its own way, but I think I was born for the Pacific Northwest. It's where I was meant to be.

We left Redding, CA on a cool lovely morning and drove into the mountains on I-5. Those mountains were so welcome and green after days of brown. Redding to Rogue Valley is one of my favorite routes. All along there is so much to see and admire. Lake Shasta looked a bit higher than usual, to us. The water was so very blue and cool looking. We've always wanted to spend a week houseboating on that lake, but as RVs don't float so well, I don't know if we will ever cross that off the bucket list. No lenticular clouds over Shasta this trip. No clouds at all. They were all down in the central valley.

We passed quickly through Yreka, California, it not being near a meal time, but waved to the Bull and the Dragon as we rolled by. Yreka has always been one of my favorite places, but I cannot tell you why. It just has a good feel to me.

We stopped for a rest break at the Valley of the Rogue State Park in Oregon. This is also one of our favorite places and on moho trips to/from Ahzee, we try to stop here overnight. It's right on the banks of the Rogue River and grassy and well treed, very restful. One of these months, we'll spend more time here, when we don't have to pelt up and down the interstate as fast as legally possible.

This time we decided to take 205 around Portland. We're not sure it saved any time or gas, but it sure was easier than driving through Portland! You just get on the 205 and go. Not the same as Portland. In Portland, you really need to know how to position yourself on the freeway, as the signage sucks and the highways come together and separate quickly, and nearly without warning. And the bridge over the Columbia is sort of rickety and due for replacement as soon as WA and OR can stop fighting over this and that and come to an agreement about what the new bridge will be/go/do. I suspect, knowing Northwest Politics, that it might take some years yet for that to happen.

At home it was 71 degrees and sunny. Perfect weather to welcome us home. Norman was glad to see his home and grass! He knew when we turned off 175th onto Fremont that we were getting near home. He was standing up on the seat and the big cooler and sniffing the air. I thought he'd jump out of the car right over me when we pulled into the driveway. He was so excited to be home! He immediately went out and ran around the yard and rolled in the cool green grass. Happy Norm!

We unloaded and went to Puerto Bonito for supper. (It was taco Monday, after all) Tasty, tasty! After supper we unpacked and sorted mail and did the things you must do when you come home from a trip. And collapsed into our rockers for a bit of tv before bed.

A person unnamed forgot to water my outdoor hanging baskets and they died. The chives survived, but chives are tough. O well. It happens. Justin did it too, one year. The strawberry plants have berries on them, and I hope we get a few that the birds miss.

While we were gone, the countertop was refinished and the cabinet doors removed, the cabinet facings painted to match the new doors which will be installed in about 4 weeks. The ugly old, beat up kitchen floor was replaced with new cushioned vinyl sheet in a light beige, smoother than the old floor, no thousands of on purpose texturing divots to catch the dirt. It was kind of a shock, even though we knew it was going to be done, to come back to a "new" kitchen! I sort of like the doors off, but for the first 2 days, I kept trying to close the doors that aren't there. Um-hum. Losing it. The counter is now a soft white with peachy-tan speckles. The new doors will be semi-gloss white beadboard. The kitchen baseboards got repainted to match the new doors and facings. It looks very nice and we are eager to have those doors and new hardware installed.

The 3 days home quite wore us out. We think we're too old for such long days on the road. Ray took Tuesday off, because he was feeling so beat. My checkbook is feeling beaten too.

We found quite a bit to think about, re RV parks and a winter/permanent home. Ray would really like to not buy until after we decided to stop RVing. I would like knowing that I have a place to go if anything happens to him, and have a secure place to put all our "stuff". We both liked the places we visited, and I think The Bay at Voyager is on the top right now for permanent housing. We can lock the door and walk away and it will all be safe inside the gated community. All the places we looked at are over our budget to get exactly what we want, except for the double-wides on acreage out in the (coyote, scorpion, poisonous spider, poisonous snake infested) country, and none of those had an RV garage or port. It was surprising how expensive a thing is an RV garage. An RV port is less expensive, but it leaves the RV open to the sun. And the sun in Tucson is quite strong. So, we need to talk to Sean and be sure we can buy a place, and be sure we know what all the ramifications would be if we did.

As far as RV park for the winter of 2014, we've chosen two as our top picks....Voyager and Far Horizons. Far Horizons is close to Betty, Ron, and Granny. Voyager is farther out, but nearer to military facilities. They cost the same. Voyager is larger and has more activities and pools, and a restaurant and market on site. Which is a good thing, because there is not much but dirt in the immediate area. Far Horizons is smack in the middle of things, with dozens of shops and restaurants near by. No one has grass. Or trees, except by the Rec Centers. They both have rules about where dogs can and can't be. They both have dog "parks". So we don't know just yet where we will end up that first year. But we're thinking on it. We've got time to decide.

Cruising the Mohave and Central Valley (AGAIN)

Our stay in Barstow last night was uneventful, one of the quietest motels we have ever been in. Even the a/c was quiet. Very nice Holiday Inn Express. We enjoyed watching Dark Shadows again, gotta love that Johnny Depp. Had a nice carbless breakfast before we left the hotel.

It was not nearly as hot crossing the Mohave today. We were on our way by 7:30 and it was still very nice out there. We saw lots of land for sale. We also passed thru a little town called Hinkley. There we saw several signs about Uranium contamination. Did not know what that was all about, but the fenced off-chained up-boarded up houses intrigued us. We've passed thru Hinkley several (or possibly even many) times and have always thought it exceedingly depressing and empty looking. Out came the smart phone and Google revealed the reason Hinkley looks so deserted and awful. Hinkley, CA is where Erin Brockovich proved contamination by the power company. Little ol' Hinkley is THAT place. It always did make me feel uneasy and now I know why. None of Hinkley is for sale, it's too contaminated. Heebie Jeebies!

We felt sorry for the town of Mohave, which has been thoroughly by-passed by the now completed highway. It wasn't much before and is probably struggling now. But the windmill farm is growing ever larger. The pass to Tehachapi is a windy, ridgey place and perfect for windmills. They, at least, are thriving.

We zipped through T. and down the mountain into the central valley and Bakersfield. Don't much care for Bakersfield, so we quickly went on our way. Every other rest area in CA is shut down for no discernible reason. And they don't tell you on the "next rest area in 38 miles" signs that the next one is closed for the forseeable. So we stopped at a lot of fast food places today. Only place around. Felt kind of bad about not buying anything but nobody can eat that much fast food. Not even us.

North of Sacramento (I-5 is finally finished thru there!) we started seeing rice paddies and they lasted until close to Redding, where the land changes to hills and live oak. There was also the occasional orchard, and around Corning, many olive trees. I can tell an olive tree, but I can't tell an almond tree from a pistachio tree. Not that you can tell an olive tree anything anyway.

We are in a LaQuinta on the south side of Redding and it seems quite nice. Ray went across the street, where we both had seen a sign that said "Hilltop Pizza". When he got there, it turned out to read "Hilltop Plaza". So no pizza for supper. Instead, he picked up Subway BMTs. Yummy!

Tomorrow night we will be home again and I don't think any of us will be sorry the trip is over. We are all 3 ready to be home. As much as we enjoyed the trip, it was all a bit of a rush with not much "down" time. We did pass some places we'd like to investigate more when we are retired and in the moho.

Tomorrow will also be a beautiful day, driving in and out of mountains and toward the cool, green Pacific Northbest. We kind of miss the trees. Sorry, Ahzee, but we do.

3 Busy Days and One Hot Dog

We had 3 busy days in Tucson. The first day we were there, we checked out 6 parks we had chosen based on the internet. One of them is only 2.2 miles from Ron and Betty's and the rest were scattered around town.

One we found we hated on sight and left without asking any questions. The rest of our choices were all excellent rv parks, and all charge about the same. In AZ, (which Naggy Maggie GPS pronounces "Ahzee") if you stay in a park longer than 30 days, you pay for electricity and each site is metered. You have to sign up with Tucson Electric. Each park had its own strengths and weaknesses.

Our favorites turned out to be Far Horizons and Voyager, which is part of our TTN network. Voyager is MUCH bigger and has over 300 activities per month, several pools and hot tubs, a market, a restaurant, a spa, a hair salon. Just about everything a person might need. Far Horizons has fewer amenities, but many activities and a huge pool and two hot tubs. Being right in town, there are many shops and restaurants near by. And so are Betty and Granny. Voyager is 11 miles from Betty and 13 from Granny but not far from the air base and the military facilities.

The second day Ray had the van detailed and it looks better than it has since the day we bought it. They scraped off all the moss and mildew. Shiny!! In the afternoon, we looked at 3 homes with a Realtor. They were all doublewides on at least an acre and all up north. We liked one of them quite a bit.

The third day, we took Granny with us to look at RV garage homes in Gold Canyon, Arizona. We really liked them, especially the observation deck on top of the garages and the view of the Superstion Mountains. They were almost perfect. To make them perfect costs more money than we think we want to spend. On the way home we stopped by the Oro Valley Red Lobster and treated Granny to dinner at her second favorite restaurant. We were also keeping a secret from her...that Betty and Ron had gone to Phoenix to pick up Robin, who had flown in to surprise Granny at her Birthday Lunch at Olive Garden, her favorite restaurant. We kept her out long enough that it was her bedtime when we got back to her neighborhood. No one let the cat out of the bag and on Friday, Granny was very surprised. Friday night we all went to dinner at Casa Molina, a well-known Mexican restaurant in Tucson.

Friday morning, we ran back out to Voyager and looked at their doublewide manufactured homes. We found a couple of model homes we really liked, and we liked the security of the gated community. Plus they are in our price range and we'd have access to all the Voyager resort activities and amenities, and a community pool a few blocks away. We could also get an RV port there. The community itself was beautiful. If we decided not to get a port, then the rv storage lot costs only 400 dollars a year. Of course, it is outside storage. Inside storage in Tucson costs 250 a month and Voyager does not have inside storage.

We are thinking about these options and more, like a condo in Tucson or elsewhere, and waiting until we are ready to settle down. But it would be lovely to be in Tucson with Ray's family during the Winter.

It has been quite warm ever since we left Redding last weekend. And in Tucson it was about 101 during the days. But today! Hotter than hot. It got up to 120 in Needles and we did not enjoy our rest break there very much. Norm did not enjoy any of them. But our a/c worked fine. I think up in Seattle, it will blow snow! 3 fighter jets flew over us on I-40, we don't know where they were coming from or where they were going, but they were fast and low.

For lunch, we got sandwiches to go at a Subway at a truck stop and drove to the next rest area for a picnic lunch. We certainly did not have to worry about getting chilled. In Ahzee, you can have your dog at the shaded picnic tables, which is very nice and unlike many other states. It was not as nice as the cool, grassy lunch we had in Tehachapi, but it was nice enough and appreciated very much.

Here in Barstow, it was 112 when we arrived at the Holiday Inn. It was about 105 when the 3 of us went over to In N Out Burgers for supper. They had outside tables in the shade so we ate outside with Norm. We had double doubles and large diet Cokes. Norm had already eaten his supper, so he had the last bites. In N Out Burgers are good!

Now Ray is watching Dark Shadows and I am going to join him. Will update tomorrow, I hope. Stay cool out there!

Shoreline Couple Has A Narrow Escape from Death by Roasting

My, my, how to best tell the story of Our Very Eventful Day? Just plunge in I guess.

After enjoying a fairly good sleep in Needles (Norman slept like a rock and our bed had rocks IN it, but the a/c rocked the cold air) we drove to Fort Mohave to look at some smaller homes with motorhome garages. We liked them very much indeed but we thought that they were a bit expensive for us. Fort Mohave is a pretty small place across the river from Laughlin, Nevada. It's close to equidistant between Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City. The homes are on top of a hill and the development backs up to BLM land. That means wildlife...snakes, scorpions, crickets, coyotes, who know what else slithery or crawly thing I do not want to meet, and dirt bike and ATV riders up and down the street.

After that we took off east on I-40 for the US 95 exit. Surprise! That exit was closed and under construction. So we went on down the road following the detour but when we got there, Ray decided to keep going on Arizona 95 since it was a very nice road. We saw new scenery, although it's just across the Colorado from US 95, it's different.

As we were pulling into Havasu, the a/c went poof and raised a stink. The temp at the time was about 101. Wow did that car get hot. We rolled down the windows but in about 5 blocks I was well into meltdown and Norman was crying. At that point we decided (ok, I DEMANDED) that we find a repair place and fix it NOW. The second place we tried made time to fix it. There were other things he could/should have been fixing for local and loyal customers, but he chose to help stranded strangers. The mechanic/owner reminded me very much of Jason or perhaps a younger Jim Gorman! Luckily, he found all the necessary parts to replace the blown compressor and the front a/c fan, which got fried, and I suppose some wires too. At that point I did not care what needed fixed, only that it got fixed.

We asked for a place to eat within walking distance and were sent across the highway and east to a sub shop with no inside seating or a Basha's supermarket with a Subway. Same places the vet sent us. Easy walk. Uh-huh. In the winter or if you are acclimated and if you already walk 2 miles a day in the 105 degrees it had gotten to be by noon.

By the time we got to the crosswalk to cross the highway (about a block) Norman was suffering from burned feet and his tongue was dragging. We spotted a vet with boarding and went in to tell our sad story and they willingly accepted Norman as a day boarder for 10 bucks. He mightily enjoyed the a/c and the cool tiled floor. They even updated all his shots. All for 65 dollars. We nearly fell over, because we can't get out of our vet's office for less than $250. A great bargain and Norm and his paws were safe from the heat and disease.

However, his people were another story. We started the "easy" walk to the air conditioned Subway, specifically for the a/c. I carried my umbrella to give me shade, Ray carried a bottle of water. We walked about a mile and still could not see the Basha's market. Turns out it was still at least a half mile away. I was toasted, half dead, truly. Ray thought he should call the EMTs for me. I told him not yet, but in a little while he could. We turned around to head for the sandwich shop that was outside seating.

By the time we got there, I had stopped sweating and my hands and feet were tingling and I was a bright beet red--not good signs. Ray was beat and miserable too. I do not think I could have plodded one more miserable overheated step. There was a picnic table under the porch roof of the laundromat just next door, and I collapsed onto a seat and panted. Ray ordered for us, they gave us a huge cup of iced water and we bought a bottle of cold water each. It was so hot that before we could guzzle the whole bottle, the water was warm. I get thirsty just thinking about that day. Since I had carried an umbrella I was out of the direct sun but still got burned. Today, Betty made me wear a floppy hat.

While Ray was waiting for the sandwiches, he was chatting with the woman working there (Charlotte) and told her our sad story. Right away she volunteered to pick us up at the vets and give us all a ride to the garage. And she did, right on time at 4 pm. By the way, the sandwiches were absolutely wonderful and delicious. Best turkey and provolone sub I ever had.

The woman who owns the laundromat urged us to come inside, as she had heard our story from the sub lady. And when we finished our subs out on the porch we did just that. A/C, couches, magazines, and flat panel cable TV. She was so nice to us and treated us like visiting family. She wanted to give us a ride to the vet's, but by the time 3 hours went by I was mostly recovered and we walked. Charlotte picked us up and took us to the garage so Norm did not sear his feet again. Ray, Norm and I piled in the back of her little sedan because her daughter had come to pick her up at work....they adored Norm and fussed over him so much he did not want to get out of the car at the garage!

We sat in the small semi-a/c'd garage office for about an hour and a half. Our car was finished about 5:30 and the a/c has never worked better. We liked the subs so much we went back to the shop and ordered the same to take for a picnic supper. Off we went for a long drive to Tucson, leaving about the same time we'd thought we'd arrive here.

We again took roads new to us and saw new places (mostly rocks, except at a place we never saw a name for except "Resort Area"). It was beautiful there and had greenery--even grass. Even in the 105 degrees it was green. We think they sucked water straight out of whatever river that was to water all that grass. Oh. Don't bother with planning a stay in Bouse, AZ. We drove through there. The town starts with an American Legion hall and ends with a VFW post. In between were a few homes and no open businesses. All 3 of them were closed for the summer. But there were some pretty dreary rv "parks". Also closed for the summer.

By the time we found a rest area or picnic spot it was well on to dark and we were on I-10. Luckily, Arizona lights it's picnic tables all night, along with the area around the restrooms. So we sat out in the 90 degrees and had a lovely sandwich supper. There was a nice breeze and so it was comfortable enough.

Finally, at near midnight, we pulled into Betty's driveway. They left the light on and the garage door unlocked so we unloaded the minimum and hit the bed, all smelly and salty and grubby. We were so grateful for the light, the cooling, and the open door along with the very nice bed. Thanks, Ron and Betty!

Today we toured 6 RV parks for winter of 2014 while Norm stayed with his Aunt Betty and Uncle Ron. Each park has something different to offer and we are far from a decision. We had thought one would call to us, but 5 of then did, each in its own way. The other park I shudder to think of staying in! I think it will take us a while to settle on THE park. But we have a whole year to decide. Thank Goodness for that. Tomorrow afternoon we are looking at 3 houses with a realtor.

We are also thanking our Heavenly Father for closing the planned exit and for Ray's spur of the moment decision to continue down AZ 95 instead of crossing to US 95. Had we gone down US 95, we'd have been stuck in the middle of absolutely no place with no hope of getting the car fixed, only hot sand and hotter rocks for miles around. We would have had to drive many, many miles in the horrible heat to get to a repair place and it's entirely possible we would not have found one at all until today. I can tell you right now that neither Norm nor I would have survived that drive, and I have my doubts about Ray's survival in that heat.

And we are grateful for all the very nice people we met in Lake Havasu City, for all their compassion and caring. I think Havasu would be a very good place to live with people like we met living there too. Should you ever be in Lake Havasu City, be sure to stop by Affordable Auto Care and say hello and thank the nice young man for saving our trip and possibly our lives. Have a delicious sub at Parelli's (you know you need a sub!) and stop in at Southside Laundromat just next door and say Hi! to Michelle. And don't forget Paws and Claws veterinary. They saved our Norm. All these places are right on Arizona 95 in the south end of Havasu City.

Sizzle, with Needles

Here we are in Needles, CA. When we pulled into the parking lot, the car thermometer said 112 degrees, although weather channel said 109. I'm going with the car's temp for purposes of complaining about how hot it has been today.

We had a lovely low carb breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express in Westley, the best steam table scrambled eggs either of us has ever had, along with sausage links and a banana. Yummy!

Today, departure time was 7:31 am. The hotel hosted several tour groups last night. The biggest bus was full of French tourists. They left before we did. Two smaller tour coaches were still there.

It was only 83 degrees and felt quite cool in the shade because there was a nice breeze. Later in the day, a howling wind would not have put a dent in the heat.

Norm has chosen not to eat again today, although he seems to like this hotel room much better. I do not know why. Perhaps he is just sick of the car and the heat. When I took him across the parking lot to the dog yard, he moved his little paws quite quickly. I imagine the concrete must have been hot as a griddle and he is a spoiled, northwest, inside dog. He's now stretched out of the floor snoozing away.

For supper Ray walked across the parking lot to Juicy's River Cafe. I have not figured out about the river yet, as I have not seen it, but there must be one somewhere. Anyhow, the food was good and plentiful. Ray said his steak salad was better than Shari's, and he likes Shari's. I had fish, coleslaw and shared the fries with Ray and Norman. They give a 10% discount to hotel people for supper and 25% for breakfast. Tomorrow, we will split an order of biscuits and gravy and some sausage links. We brought V-8 with us and it is chillin' in the little fridge.

We saw many mohos and bikes today, more than other days. We took a two lane country road between I-5 and the Stockdale Highway, which is the one that goes up into Tehachapi. The two-lane put us closer to the trees and flowers which were growing alongside the road in huge fields. Quite a few of the trees were pistachios and the remainder almonds. All kinds of flowers. There are many newly planted fields of teensy trees along I-5 south of Stockton and along this little road. And we even saw two small fields planted with nopalitos. That's a new thing, those fields were not there in past trips. They are also planting trees on steep hills that were formerly cattle ranges. Now the trees range there. Those trees are about 2 years old, we think. We also saw an almond tree nursery---they looked like long chopsticks with a small crown of leaves. The signs complaining about the Congress created dust bowl are still there, along with all the new trees. I guess it's not dust bowl time just yet, although we did notice that all the newer orchards have drip irrigation instead of sprinklers or irrigation ditches. Those that still do it the old fashioned way sport signs attesting to their irrigation permit status.

Tehachapi was our lunch break. We got carry out from Burger King and then went to the city park and ate in the breezy shade. It was our favorite lunch stop of the trip so far even though the thermometer said 99 degrees. We didn't have to eat in the car and Norm got to lay about in the cool green grass. It was still burgers. ha ha never thought I'd be tired of burgers. The train track runs just behind the park and we were just feet away when the 6 engine train rumbled through town. Wow, those engines make the earth shake and your tummy quiver. Norm seemed quite fascinated by it all and was not a bit frightened by any of it. Later on, while we were on I-40 we saw a 10 engine train!

I-40, by the way, is where asphalt and concrete go to die and crumble away into dust. What a horrible road surface! We did find a nice new rest area (107 toasty degrees) between Mohave and I-40, along highway 38. It was a surprise as two years ago nothing was there but dirt. Today it is a lot of dirt with some well-irrigated trees and grass and a full-time staff to keep it all watered, raked and clean. Yes, where there is not grass, they rake the dirt. Lots of dirt here abouts. Brown, parched dirt. We did see a rocky hillside where the rocks were so coated with desert patina that they were black and shiny, like coal. Never saw rocks that patinaed before. They must be very old rocks.

As to why we did not bring the moho on this trip  (and Questions have been raised), we paid $4.25 a gallon for gas in CA this morning and $5.26 a gallon in California this afternoon (420 bucks a tankful!!!). As the minivan gets 22 miles per gallon and the moho gets 6 if we are lucky and going down hill with a tailwind, we feel we made the right choice. Also, in the minivan we can go faster than in the moho towing the truck, since we can go 70 in the minivan and would be limited to 55 in the moho. Since this is a quick trip, again the minivan is the best choice.

Again my feet and ankles swelled like balloons and will hurt when I finally lay down, like they did last night. O well. Such is life in the slow lane.

Out of the Mountains and Into the Frying Pan

We started the day at a lovely 53 degrees. When we arrived in Redding it was 99 and shortly after that soared to 104. Then we entered the rice paddy zone and promptly dropped back to 99. We could smell the cool wet green of the rice paddies and it was such a lush smell.

It thankfully clouded over and by the time we stopped for the night (a 10 hour day today) in Westley and it was 94. Still warm  but there is a good breeze and if you don't rush and bustle, it's doable.

We never get tired of driving through the mountains but from Redding south thru the central valley, that we are tired of. The mountains were so beautiful and green and gorgeous. Plus curvy and all in all we wished we were riding our motorcycles. Until we hit 99 degrees and by the time it was 104 we were grateful for air conditioning.

We stopped for lunch in Yreka, California. We were lucky to find a shady spot to park the car and it wasn't too hot, so we ate inside and Norm waited for us. Micky D was the recipent of our lunch money. Not much choice when you need both shade and quick.

For supper tonight we ended up going to the Carl's Jr. drive-thru. It was either that or Mickey D again. Norm would not stay in the room alone again tonight, although this morning he let us leave the room together for a visit to the breakfast room. We brought plates and silver back to the room, along with a juice for Ray and milk for me. We reheated last night's leftovers and had a nice hot unconventional breakfast. No leftovers tonight, o well.

Norman has finally eaten, the first time since we left home on Friday. I knew he'd eat when he was hungry enough, but I am glad he ate finally. The watering dish we use in the moho also works well in the car, so Norm had access to water all day and no spills. There are bunnies outside. Norm wants to catch them, but I don't think he can and I'm not letting him loose to try, he'd probably run off in hot pursuit and the coyotes would get him.

Oregon has beautiful green rest areas every 45 miles or so. California has few rest areas and they were not chosen for beauty. CA rest areas are 80+ miles apart, hot and brown. Phooey.

Today we saw more bikes than mohos and we saw a lot of mohos (even some of Winnie Moho's relations).

Another 10 hour day tomorrow to get to Needles. I suppose it will be 104 there too. Hope we can find something besides hamburgers tomorrow. Here, there is not much choice as we are in the middle of no place particular.

OK, I'm off to put up my swelled up feet. Too much sitting!

Motoring Down I-5 For The 51st Time

No, we really don't know if it's the 51st time or not, but it surely feels that way. At least this time we moved our leave time later and thus are staying in some new places on the way to Tucson.

We are making this quick trip to Tucson to look over motorhome parks to choose a spot for the winter of 2014. We've got about 7 places on our list and one day to see them all.

Also on our to-do list is a day with a realtor, looking at housing in our price range, to see if we want to live in stuff that cheap. We are thinking about buying a wintering over house in a warm place. We'll stop at Fort Mohave, AZ too, to look at some casitas with moho garages and in Gold Canyon, AZ also. There don't seem to be any such places in the Tucson area, which surprises us, as so many people winter in Tucson. We don't know if we can really do it, and have promised not to buy anything this trip. I know, I know, we said that when we went to the RV show and we totally gave in and bought one. But this time I PROMISED our financial advisor and so we have to stick to it no matter how much we like the houses.

We counted mohos and motorcycles until after lunch break, at which time we forgot the count and quit counting. I think they call that short-term memory loss. But we saw equal numbers of motorhomes and motorcycles, which we think is surprising. We had lunch at Wendy's today, which was a bit of a treat for us, as our Shoreline Wendy's is gone and we have not been to a Wendy's for months and months and months.

Traffic was heavy today, all the way to Eugene. Portland was especially icky. Lots of loose nuts on the road and in the rest areas. Oregon has some of the nicest rest areas ever, with large dog areas. AND free poo bags. What could be better? And they don't have hard, stainless steel potties with chilled steel seats, like Washington does.

The spring lambs are beginning to look like mutton already, and the sheep are thickly fleeced. Did not see any llamas today. Saw cattle, geese and ducks. It was beautiful and green all day, so many shades of lush green.

We are settled in a lovely La Quinta, right across the parking lot from a huge park and fishing lake. Norm and I took a bit of a walk after unpacking and saw lots of people fishing and in the park. It's a beautiful day! An old hippie (no other kind of person in Eugene except hippie) stopped to pet Norm, who, having had a bath just the other day, feels wonderful and soft. He said he'd never seen a dog like Norm, and I do believe that.

For supper, we walked around the corner (about 3 football fields worth of walking one way) to carry out Chinese, as Norm was having separation anxiety and we thought he'd yowl if we left him alone. So we waited a few minutes on a bench in the shade outside the front door until our food was brought out for us. They put in paper plates, napkins and plastic ware for us, which was nice. We carried our bag back past the Mercedes Benz and Beemer dealerships (decided not to buy one this trip) and ate in our room. Norm would not touch his dog food until after we'd eaten and he'd gotten to clean the plates. We both have enough left for breakfast tomorrow morning. I had cashew chicken and Ray had Mongolian beef, no rice for us, which always causes consternation in Chinese restaurants. We also had egg rolls and they were big home made egg rolls like we used to get at Mr. Wong's restaurant on Aurora back in the days when we first lived in Seattle. Man, were they good! Ray liked them especially because they had no lettuce or cabbage in there. He's funny about greens. But we can heartily recommend Kowloon restaurant on MLK Way in West Eugene. Should you ever be here. With the hippies.

Tomorrow will be a long day, as we have to go all the way to Westley, CA. And check out every rest area, 'cause that's what we do. I think I got it from my younger sisters, whom our Dad used to call "The Potty Inspectors" in honor of their immediate visit to the restroom of any restaurant we ever entered as a family. I don't think they still do that, but you never know. Or maybe we are just aging and stiffen up if we don't get out of that car and move every hour or so. Mountains tomorrow, Lake Shasta and Mount Shasta and then down into the heat of the central valley.

We've got time for one more walk as it is still plenty bright outside still. See ya!

Life Changes

The experts say life changes are stressful. I think they must be right. You may know that we are preparing to sell our home, yes, the ol' suburban family homestead, and live and travel in a motorhome for the next few years.

Oh, I hear you out there, all of you who are saying, Wow, these people are NUTS! No, we're not. We are just choosing to start our retirement in a manner unusual. But we are unusual people, in spite of what our children say.

Yes, retirement is only about 13 and one half months away, but who's counting? We have so much to do and to decide in the next year that it boggles the mind. All the problems are solvable, except for one...retirement money. That's the tricky part, making sure you've got enough money to actually be able to fuel, lube, and maintain Winnie Moho and still feed people and dog. She's a thirsty girl, our Winnie Moho!

Just how does one manage to get down the road with a moho, motorcycles, a car for inclement weather, all one's belongings, and a dog? We'll find out. We are wrestling with the alternate transportation issue currently. Neither of us is ready to dump the motorcycles, and yet neither of us particularly wants to do certain things or go certain places on a motorcycle, or ride in pouring rain,  or tow a 22 foot trailer behind our 34 foot motorhome. We are still searching out solutions and compromises for this thorny issue.

Already we've figured out that "all one's belongings" is a quickly shrinking list. Motorhomes have weight limits! You can't just chuck the entire contents of any part of your home in there and all is well. Nope. Does not work that way.

What about doctors and medications and veterinarians? What if you suffer a breakdown (a motorhome breakdown, people) in the middle of the middle of No Place? How do you get your snail mail? How do you get internet in the middle of the middle of No Place, or even just up the road from here? A person needs the internet these days, if only to download a new book to the Kindle or find out where to buy the special dog food that the special dog devours or where's the laundromat.

I'll bet there's stuff we have not even thought about yet that we need to think about and figure out before we hit the road. You can't squeeze a laundry room into a 34 foot motorhome. You can't squeeze in a big freezer or a pantry or a dishwasher. And yet, we wish to be prepared to manage on our own for a few weeks in case we get caught in a local disaster. Just how does one find space for emergency supplies? What supplies will be most essential?

We've got the laundry partly figured out....we're hoarding quarters for the machines! And those Tide Pods are made for nomads. I'm waiting for someone to make Fabric Softener Pods and I hope they get the job done soon.

And we've got the dishwasher part figured out...I wash, Ray dries, we both put away. And Norman does the prewash. Good dog.

We are so happy we bought the motorhome last year. It has given us time to figure out some things and learn some things and get all the little bugs worked out/fixed before we go off adventuring. I'm learning how to get the motorhome hooked up to utilities and how to unhook. I'm learning how to cook and clean up when there is only the 40 gallons of water we have onboard to last 3 days. I'm learning how to shower in 6 gallons of water. (not easy with long hair) We found out that neither one of us can comfortably vacuum the place with a hand vac, even the nice one Justin got us. But we can't haul along the old, heavy Electrolux either, so there's another thing we have to figure out. Ray is doing his own share of learning too. He's learning how to properly maintain our rig, how to troubleshoot the electronics, how to stay in our own lane on the highway, and how not to be such a clutterer, among other things. Hey, we all have issues, right?

So we hope you will join us, or stick with us, as we get ready to take off into the wild blue. Think of all the fabulous places we will go and all the wondrous things we will see! We'd be happy to share the trip!

What Next?

Bombs at the Boston Marathon (and elsewhere)! Horrific injuries and death at one of America's most loved events. I know hundreds of Washington residents are there, and I would suppose hundreds of people are there from your area, where ever you live.

I cannot imagine why anyone would (or could) hate my fellow citizens so much that they would be part of this cowardly attack. These are not brave people. They are afraid to face the people they wish to kill so they make sneak attacks. They don't care if they hurt children or elderly or people recovering from cancer. These people don't even have hearts. I don't care what breed of terrorist they are--they are cowardly and evil. God or Allah, neither will welcome them gladly into Paradise. No higher purpose could possibly be served by this sort of bombing. Who ever you are, you should be dying of shame right this instant.

Even if you feel you have a legitimate gripe against the ordinary, innocent citizens of America, this is no way to express your grievances.

I sincerely hope the authorities hunt you down, you slime, and wipe you off the face of the earth, you and all those who abetted and encouraged and funded you in this cowardly attack. In the meantime, I figuratively scrape you off the bottom of my shoes.

Justin's Search Has Ended!!

Justin made an offer on a house this week and after some back and forth, they settled on a price that made everyone happy, or at least content.

He's bought a townhouse in the Madison Park area and while I have not seen it in person, it looks very nice in the pictures. It's relatively new, so no problems should arise, and the yard work is taken care of by the HOA. He's got enough room to park his car and his motorcyle. No room to park the moho when we come to visit. Maybe that's why he bought it!

It should be a perfect place for him, a short commute to work and enough space for the things he owns. A nice kitchen and a little balcony to sit out on nice evenings. We are excited as much as he is, I think.

They sign papers in another 6 weeks and we shall have an empty nest again. It's amazing how quickly we got used to his being around again. We're going to miss him, we know, as we missed him when he spent a week down at his brother's, watching their dog.

I'm working on the income taxes and hope to finish soon. Ugh! Taxes!

The Search Goes On...

Justin made a bid on that house last weekend, but a bidding war developed and he lost it to someone who was willing to pay 50 grand over asking price. Can't help a thing like that, but he was bummed about it. We all were bummed. He wanted it so badly and was making lists of things to do to the house and prioritizing the lists. Poor guy!

So, he continues to look. Something will come along and the stock opens up some this spring and summer. In the meantime, he's welcome here.

Jason and Lauren had a lovely little break on Maui for a friend's wedding. Lucky people, to go there in the middle of all our gloom.

Ray and Norman and I are muddling along (some of us are muddlier than others) and waiting for warmer, drier weather. And for the downsizing fairies to swoop down and get rid of all the unneeded junk for us. Not happening yet.

I am making good progress on the cookbooks, and we managed to fill 4 big brown yard bags full of shreds this week. It was nice to see them go off on the recycle truck. Now, if the shred fairy comes along with the downsizing fairies, and the magical weightloss fairies we've got it made in the shade!

Waiting For The Axe

Justin is still looking for a new home. He's sort of in standby mode, until listings pick up in the spring. He's seen just about everything in his price range that's available now. We don't see him much as he works 10 hour days and then hits the gym before he comes home. We know he sleeps here as the bed is messed up! Actually, I do see him for about a half hour before he hits the sack.

Ray and I are waiting for the sequester axe to fall on Ray's neck. Apparently, the union and the administration are haggling over exactly who, how and when. But we know it's coming. We are hoping Ray will be able to pick his day off, but don't hold out much hope for that. It looks like it will start on the first of April. For us, sequester means a 20% pay cut through "furlough" days, which are days off without pay. When he has 88 hours of furlough time, then he's considered part time for benefit purposes, which means we will pay more for our dental coverage (and medical coverage, if we had it), and they stop contributing to the retirement fund. If he hits 22 furlough days, he's considered laid-off. At that point, he will be able to apply for unemployment, which is of course, far less than we need to meet expenses.

A 20% cut is going to make things tight. At least we don't have small children at home, with all the expense that entails. We'll have to find ways to cut back. I don't quite know how, except for dinners out. One of my favorite things, dinners out. O well. Into each life some rain must fall, right?

Ray is not eligible for early retirement, or he'd be gone today, I am pretty sure. He's finding this last year of work a terrible pain in the neck. He's got short-timers disease already. It might not be so bad if that motorhome wasn't sitting there, beckoning. But it is what it is, and he has to work a bit longer so we can have a decent retirement and not have to eat dog food. All our toys are expensive to maintain!

We have been thinking about making a motorcycle trip to Glacier this summer, but now we've come across a very good price on an Inside Passage cruise to Alaska. So we're redeciding what to do this summer. Next summer and all the years we have after that we can sit in Glacier for weeks and weeks. No deadlines for us, except very vague ones. But this good price might not be around next year. And of course, there's that sequester axe hanging up there, like the pit and the pendulum.What to do?

Not So Empty Nest

This past weekend, we helped Justin pack up his belongings and move back home. Most of his "stuff" went to his storage locker. He ended up at the same storage place we use, so the parental units scored a $25 finder's fee. Yay! We didn't even know we'd get a referral bonus.

I didn't think we'd get it all done even in a whole weekend, but we amazingly had  it all packed up and in the storage locker by Saturday evening. Justin brought the last load here yesterday afternoon. He's right...he doesn't really have that much.

We sent his old kid bed to Deseret Industries for reuse by another family. It was hard for us to see that bed go out the door to strangers. We had always thought the boys would take their beds for use by their own children, but that is apparently not in anyone's personal plan. Ah, well. So, he brought his bed, a bedside table, his tv and his game console, his clothes and incidentals. Plenty of space left in his room.

He brought back the artwork for the walls in his room. They are his, and his to take, but we sure did miss seeing them. Welcome home artwork! Id' say welcome home, Justin, but he's not here much. He's got a social life that never ends. Lucky him! And then there's the gym nights and the boxing nights and he's here to sleep. He's gone by the time I get up in the morning, long gone. And home after supper most nights, he says. We have not quite got it all figured out yet since he's only been here a couple of nights.

Poor Ray had to stick to a liquid diet over the weekend, in preparation for the dreaded colonoscopy. But the doc says that his insides look better this time than last. There's been Crohn's improvement! At last. The Humira is doing its job. I don't know what would happen if he could not get that med. I shudder to think. It's not the sort of thing you can stockpile. I have not worked out yet how we will get it while we are traveling. So many things to figure out, it boggles the mind.

But for now, all is well here in the midst of the Rain Festival.

Bounce!

Yep, it looks like Justin is going to bounce back home. He's losing his happy home the end of the month and has not yet found a place to move to. He's decided to look for a place to buy, but has not much money for a down payment.     He has been out looking hard with a real estate agent and we hope he finds a place he can afford and still love.

So, I'm trying to find homes for all the stuff that lives in his old room, and it's not easy. I have no clue where most of it is going to end up, as we're simply out of room around here and the storage locker is full. But I did find some pants I'll be able to wear soon, and a dress. Yay!

Oh, well. We need to clear out stuff for the Great Move Out anyway, right? It's still hard to deal with parting with all the hard-earned junk. Er, stuff. And it's tough to get rid of stuff 18 months in advance. We certainly can't take it in the motorhome and can't afford multiple storage lockers, so it's all got to end up somewhere that's not here. There are so many decisions to make in the next 18 months!

On a more relaxed note, we spent 4 days out in the woods in the motorhome. It rained a lot and it was durn cold besides. (Used up all our propane) We did take a walk the one day it did not pour rain. It was foggy though, so we came home damp anyway. It was very nice under the big cedar trees, they smell so good. We were without any sort of internet connection, even the phone's internet, so we spent 4 electronically untethered days. That's nice though, except when I need to add a new ingredient to the recipe database and can't look up nutritional values. The 3 of us laid around and relaxed and that's about all we did besides eat and sleep. We had a multi-night Firefly marathon. We never get tired of that show.

We had good eats while gone, and I discovered the microwave/convection oven has a slow-cook function. It's faster than a crock pot, but much slower than a microwave, and worked fine for a dish that needed slow simmering. It just made a lot of noise, as the fan had to run all that time. But if I'd simmered it on the stove, it would have made just as much noise and I would have had to stir and otherwise baby-sit the dish, so I was happy with the slow-cook function, not so happy that with 2 crock-pot recipes planned I forgot the crock-pot. It will be easier when we are living in only one place and not two!

So now we are back to the grind, and all that relaxation has been replaced with the usual rat race. Ugh! Those rats win all the time.